The mbers of the Heavenly Saint Sect quietly waited on the side.
They could clearly feel the chilling murderous intent of the Three Talents Demon Suppression Coin, which was disseminating continuously with the spell.
But after waiting for a while, there was still no movent in the lake.
Just as Protector Wang was about to ask, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart and looked towards the lake in the distance.
Under the moonlight, the lake water was as dark as ink.
Splash!
Suddenly, the fish and shrimp in the lake boiled, and then a dense fog rose from the surface of the lake. The air around beca colder, and the fog grew thicker and thicker, almost to the point where they could hardly see their own fingers.
The few of them, each possessing Divine Skills, naturally sensed much more.
Soone heard a dull gurgling noise coming from under the water...
Soone saw a huge shadow appearing at the bottom of the water...
Then, accompanied by the squishing sound of heavy footsteps, a gigantic creature erged from the lake. It was a giant toad squatting there, roughly the size of a cottage.
Their expressions turned solemn and none dared to move casually.
As affiliates of the Mystical Sect, they naturally had heard the story of Liu Hai playing with the golden toad. The creature before them, although certainly not the mutant Three-legged Golden Toad of old, was also far from being ordinary.
The bumps large and small on its body were actually shining with a tallic luster, looking like brass nails forged from yellow brass.
And its presence was so crushing that it left them barely able to breathe.
The eldest of the i Mountain brothers quickly knelt down, respectfully holding up a string of treasure coins and said, "The younger generation pays respects to the Ancestor of East Lake. We are people of the Ghost Sect, hoping that the Ancestor would lend us aid on account of the old favor."
Seeing that the giant toad was not enraged but kept a cold gaze on them, everyone felt dread in their hearts.
Whoosh!
At that mont, a black shadow flashed by.
The eldest of the i Mountain brothers only felt his hands beco heavier; all the treasure coins had disappeared, leaving behind only a handful of sticky mucus.
He wasn’t startled but pleased, and quickly held up the severed arm next to him while speaking, "Please help us find this person."
Whoosh!
Another black shadow flashed by, and the arm also disappeared.
They did not see it clearly, but Protector Wang of the Heavenly Saint Sect saw everything with clarity and was secretly astonished.
That shadow was clearly a flesh tentacle that had stretched out from the giant toad and then sped back into its body. The movent was so fast, and control of the force so precise, that even ordinary Force Transformation masters couldn’t compare.
Moreover, it seed there was more than just one!
"Croak!"
Just as he was amazed, the giant toad suddenly spoke. Its deep croak caused the surrounding moisture to churn.
The water vapor ford a vortex in the air, and then a vague, shifting light erged in the center, constantly changing and reforming.
It was the Circular Light Technique!
The sight filled them with astonishnt.
The Circular Light Technique was a thod of Divination, quite renowned within the Mystical Sect, and even within the Gold Sect, there were specialized Circular Light Magicians.
Of course, most of these Circular Light Magicians were frauds.
Even those truly skilled in the technique would normally rely on a Divination Child to perform it, with the child describing verbally what they saw.
Such a direct use of the Circular Light Technique was almost akin to Immortal Law.
Soon, the light stabilized, showing a temple hidden among bamboo forests, surrounded by streams.
The na board on the gate read "Lianxi Temple" in conspicuous characters.
Then, the light changed again, traveling downwards.
Deep under the temple, there was a small underground palace, with a secret passage connected to the stream outside.
A monk with a pale face lay inside, with a roughly bandaged severed arm trying to stop the bleeding, obviously in deep slumber.
Whoosh~
Suddenly, a violent wind howled, and the dense fog surged.
The light dissipated along with it, and the giant toad turned and dove into the fog, vanishing into the lake...
Upon seeing this, Protector Wang imdiately frowned and said, "Why didn’t we let it stay to break the Fengshui formation for us?"
The eldest of the i Mountain brothers said with a troubled face, "According to that old senior, Sect Leader Zhao Changsheng had once helped this Ancestor of East Lake, but the other party only promised to act thrice, and this was the last ti."
"Even if we offer more tributes, the other party will not appear again."
"Hmph!"
Protector Wang let out a cold snort, "These mountain spirit monsters all act high and mighty, refusing favors but accepting punishnts. I really don’t understand why your Ghost Sect fears them."
The i Mountain brothers exchanged glances, but did not speak.
They had practiced cultivation from a young age and held a great respect for the spirit monsters hidden in the mountains and great marshes, only confronting them if conflicts arose, otherwise, they lived by the rule: the well water does not offend the river water.
To them, such an affair seed quite normal.
Of course, they had also vaguely heard so things. The Heavenly Saint Sect, within the Jing Chu Mountains, had obtained so sort of assistance from unknown forces, and with the aid of gunpowder, they were capturing and killing the mountain spirits to practice the Devil Body Longevity Technique.
As the two parties had different approaches, it wasn’t their place to say much.
Protector Wang couldn’t be bothered to pursue the issue further and said, "Enough, do you know where Lianxi Temple is?"
The eldest of the i Mountain brothers replied, "Lianxi Temple is located eight miles east of Wuchang City on Panlong Mountain, and it is one of the four great Zen Buddhist monasteries in this area. Moreover, it’s a nunnery."
"There are quite a few Zen experts stationed there; if we were to force a confrontation, it’s uncertain if we could even secure the items, and we would undoubtedly alarm the Zen Buddhist community."
Protector Wang frowned, "Why would Han Balin hide in such a place? Could it be that the Zen Buddhists have already taken the object?"
The eldest brother of the i Mountain brothers replied, "I do know a bit about this; Lady Liu has investigated it thoroughly."
"Lianxi Temple is ancient, and inside there is a treasure that protects the temple—a Divine Statue of Guanyin made of ink jade from the Northern Wei era, inscribed with ’In the fourth year of the Jingming era, during the Guimao year, True King Du Luozhou prayed for Han Balin in the south of Luoyang,’ which is clearly related to Han Balin."
"Perhaps this underground palace was excavated long ago, and the nuns of Lianxi Temple are unaware of it. Or maybe there is so connection, and they are secretly offering protection."
"Whichever it is, if we want to take down Lianxi Temple, we will need more manpower; however, my people from the Ghost Sect are all trapped in the Barbarian King’s tomb and cannot leave..."
After hearing this, Protector Wang pondered for a mont, "If that’s the case, we’ll attack on two fronts. We’ll make our move once the reinforcents from Tusi City arrive."
"In a few days, the Dragon Boat race finale will create chaos and distract the court’s attention while we use gunpowder to blow up the Parrot Island Pier."
"When the Buddhist experts inevitably go to provide aid, we will break into Lianxi Temple, carry the red banners, and enter the Barbarian King’s tomb."
"Once the Corpse Immortal erges, the Buddhist community here shall be reduced to scorched earth, and then we’ll see who can still stand in our way!"
"Protector Wang is truly wise!"
After their discussion, the group quickly left, disappearing into the forest.
Half an hour after their departure, the lake was once again enveloped in a thick fog with the sound of wind and thunder.
Two enormous creatures surfaced, confronting each other.
One of them was the elder of East Lake, with its flesh bristling and waving, and its large eyes turned blood red, looking like lanterns.
The other was the giant pig toad dragon that Lv San had once encountered...
...
By the ti Li Yan returned to Wuchang City, it was already broad daylight.
He had been busy all night and hadn’t eaten a single grain of rice, feeling famished, so he stopped at a random breakfast stand.
Because it was close to the pier, so rchants had been working through the night to unload their cargo, tired from the journey, and thus they were already drinking and eating at early in the morning.
Although Li Yan and the others were extrely busy behind the scenes, the townsfolk’s primary concern was undoubtedly the Dragon Boat race.
Inside the small shop, almost everyone was discussing it.
"Who won yesterday’s race?"
"Do you even need to ask? Of course, it was the Chamber of Comrce and the Pai Sect; one has money, and the other has many skilled hands in the water. The other teams can’t win; they’re just there for show!"
"Tsk, I heard that Wenjin Academy has its match today; they won the championship the year before last, and it seems there is no doubt about today’s outco..."
Li Yan naturally had no interest and wolfed down his al before getting up and returning to the Ezhou Chamber of Comrce.
At the entrance of the Chamber, there stood a man dressed in a samurai robe, tall and with a valiant appearance.
Before Li Yan could get closer, the man quickly approached, bowed with a fist, and said, "Are you Young Hero Li Yan?"
Li Yan nodded, "And you are?"
The man smiled and said, "I am Lei Poshan from Huangi County, my father Lei Zhen often ntioned Young Hero Li."
"Oh?"
A smile appeared on Li Yan’s face, "So, it’s Brother Lei. I had intended to et you on Gui Mountain at the competition, but I didn’t expect you to not co."
Lei Poshan was the son of Lei Zhen from Huangi County. The Lei Family was known for practicing Yue Family Fist and was considered one of the martial aristocracy in the pugilistic world of Ezhou.
Lei Zhen was a Dan Strength expert, and his son Lei Poshan was a rising star in Ezhou’s pugilistic world.
Li Yan and Lei Zhen were also sowhat acquainted and naturally wished to foster a friendship, yet he hadn’t expected the other party not to show up.
Surprise flashed in Lei Poshan’s eyes, not expecting the famous Li Yan to be so approachable.
Upon Li Yan’s inquiry, he quickly shook his head and said, "The situation in Yichang is getting more complicated, and I need to stay there to assist my father."
"I am here to escort a shipnt of goods to Yichang, and also to deliver a letter for soone."
Saying this, he took out a letter from his chest.
Li Yan took the letter and saw that the signature was none other than Yan Jiu Ling...
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