Later, he unexpectedly tore off the red rope on its body.

Swish!

The old weasel broke free and immediately darted onto the wall.

It saw Lv San didn't chase but instead held down Sha Lifei's gun muzzle, hesitated for a moment, squeaked several times, and jumped into the darkness.

"Quick, follow!"

Lv San murmured softly, and everyone immediately went out and followed.

At this moment, the ancient city of Guan County was already deep into the night, silent and pitch black, with not a single soul around.

Strangely, the dogs in the surrounding alleys seemed frightened, hiding in their nests, trembling uncontrollably, not daring to make a sound.

Under the moonlight, the old weasel ran along the street, occasionally stopping to look back as if waiting for them.

Everyone quickened their pace, following all the way.

Very soon, they arrived at the gate of Guan County.

To their surprise, the guards at the gate were completely stiff, eyes blank, while large rats or weasels crouched on their shoulders.

The gates, which should have been closed, were wide open.

Upon seeing this, Sha Lifei's eyes turned serious, muttering, "Well, Guan County is Erlang Shen's territory, how come it's overrun by demons so daringly?"

Lv San whispered, "Haven't you noticed that the City God Temple turns a blind eye to it? Let's see first..."

As they spoke, everyone had already exited the gate.

Squeak!

The old weasel gave a soft call, and instantly the surrounding bushes and grass rustled, and the little demons that had fled before reappeared.

Seeing it had companions, the old weasel no longer felt afraid, leading them on, heading towards the mountain behind the ancient city.

They arrived at a mountain path, where the old weasel stopped.

Everyone looked up and saw a corpse lying across the path, beside which coiled a large snake.

The snake had spotted markings all over, as thick as a human thigh, and upon seeing the group, it slowly lifted its head, staring coldly and flicking its tongue.

Squeak!

The old weasel stepped forward, murmured a few sounds in the upper language as if negotiating, the snake slowly retreated several meters but remained vigilant.

By now, Sha Lifei and others had vaguely guessed.

"It's Brother Lu..."

Wang Tianzuo's face turned ugly, and with the help of his disciple, he came to the side of the corpse and squatted down to inspect.

The deceased was a man dressed in black, with a full beard, rough skin, and a tobacco pipe at his waist, resembling a farmer working in the fields.

His eyes were wide open, black blood oozing from his orifices, as if he had seen something terrifying, dying a ghastly death.

"It's my fault."

Wang Tianzuo said regretfully, "Had it not been for me..."

Lv San patted his shoulder, squatted down, tore open the clothes on the chest of the deceased, touched two inches below the heart, and immediately felt a hard lump of flesh.

"It's the Zaohe Curse."

Lv San said in a deep tone, "Wang Daoist told me about this, it has nothing to do with Brother Wang, he must have been hit several days ago."

Without further ado, he drew a dagger from his waist and cut open the lump of flesh.

Squeak!

Upon seeing this, the little demons around him stirred for a moment.

But they quickly quieted down.

Lv San cut open the flesh and directly pulled out a date pit.

The date pit had an ancient rune as if naturally grown, covered in fresh blood, emitting icy coldness in his hand.

Lv San spoke in a deep tone, "This is the spell of the Scattering Sect, burying a wrongful death underneath a date tree, chanting spells every first and fifteenth, watering it with contaminated blood."

"Once matured, it yields dozens of curse dates. Once someone is tricked into eating them, chanting the spell ruptures the gastric sac, causing death by drilling into the heart."

"Again, it's the Scattering Sect!"

Sha Lifei heard this, frowned slightly, and touched his chin thoughtfully.

The Scattering Sect, a southwestern folk magic sect, is both good and evil, part shaman, part Daoist, with no specific base, scattered transmission.

There are those who protect the people.

And those who turn to evil ways, harming others with spells.

Their spells are ruthless, once causing trouble in Chongqing Prefecture, where a Scattering Sect magician borrowed lives from theater troupes to deflect disasters for wealthy families.

"Scattering Sect..."

Wang Tianzuo gritted his teeth, "This matter is either the Prince Shu Mansion or related to that Wu Xiang Gongzi!"

Lv San seemed to ponder, looking at the old weasel, started speaking the upper language again, murmuring in exchange.

Since discovering the cause of death, these little demons completely let go of their hostility, chattering amongst themselves.

Lv San's expression grew more and more surprised.

Sha Lifei, feeling anxious, couldn't help but ask, "Brother Lv San, what's going on?"

Lv San looked at the corpse on the ground and shook his head, "Have you heard the story of the Seven Sages of Mei Mountain?"

"Of course."

Sha Lifei nodded quickly, "The operas say they are brothers of True Lord Erlang, the Divine Sage."

Lv San said solemnly, "The prototypes in the play are them. Mei Mountain is actually 'Meishan.'

"They are a secret sect that believes in Erlang, the Protector of Sichuan..."

...

Before daylight, Li Yan opened his eyes.

He had gone to bed early last night, and with the abundant spiritual energy on Qingcheng Mountain, despite the cold, he slept very peacefully.

Awakening from a deep sleep, he felt rejuvenated.

In good spirits, Li Yan stepped outside, arriving at a stone platform outside Chaoyang Cave, where he inhaled deeply and moved his limbs.

His martial arts had already entered the realm of Force Transformation.

The Splitting and Hitting moves were grand and sweeping like a cracking whip, combined with Red Fist moves as the base and Eight Techniques for variation, displaying fierce power with a hint of red in each strike.

The two styles of boxing had been completely integrated by him.

He didn't move quickly, but with each punch and strike, the fascia of his chest and abdomen vibrated, faintly producing a thunderous sound, impressive in momentum.

This was the next step in Martial Arts.

Li Yan had to unify his spirit, will, and the power of his flesh into one, embracing Elixir like a mixed essence.

Once successful in Embracing Pill, the power would not be wasted, the flow of Qi would be enduring, and the power would circulate flawlessly.

Reaching this step was the limit of the flesh.

The power might not increase much but could sustain prolonged battles.

Those ancient generals who could ride horses with heavy weapons and fight their way through rebel armies without exhausting their strength had reached the State of Selflessness.

In the next step, after Embracing Pill nurtured the "momentum," it could trigger Gang Qi for attacks, enhancing fists, feet, and weapons, known as "Astral Force."

Near the end of the year, heavy snow sealed the mountains, leaving only Daoist attendants in Chaoyang Cave, without other guests.

Hearing the commotion, they were all drawn outside, watching Li Yan practice boxing in amazement.

Normally, watching someone practice martial arts was taboo.

But they couldn't take their eyes off him after just one glance, as if mesmerized.

At that moment, Ling Yun happened to arrive, frowning at the scene, but just as he was about to scold, Wang Daoxuan stopped him with a smile.

"Don't worry, Brother Yan doesn't mind."

"Thank you."

Ling Yun straightened up and cupped his hands, instructing the Daoist attendants, "With this opportunity, watch carefully, and avoid talking carelessly in the future."

Suddenly, everyone watched in silence.

The martial arts of Qingcheng Mountain needed no mention, but such an opportunity to observe a master at work wasn't always available.

Even Ling Yun seemed to gain some insight.

It was an exceptionally sunny day.

Unknowingly, the sun gradually rose in the distance.

As the sun emerged from behind the distant mountains, a multitude of golden lights poured over Chaoyang Cave, making the steep cliffs seem adorned with gold fragments.

And Li Yan had already entered a State of Selflessness, moving his heart as he suddenly opened his mouth towards the east, taking a deep breath.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but everyone felt a flash of purple streaking through the golden sunlight.

"Purple Qi from the east..."

Ling Yun was a bit astonished, looking again at the closed-eyed Li Yan, knowing he had gained something, felt a twinge of envy.

This "Purple Qi from the east" wasn't as mystical as legend claims, capable of helping one comprehend the Great Way, but it was an opportunity, able to cleanse mind and body.

Many people waited days and couldn't find such a chance.

Whoo~

Li Yan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, feeling completely refreshed, a slight sweat on his forehead, as if his mind had been washed clean.

"Congratulations, Young Hero Li."

Ling Yun quickly stepped forward to congratulate him.

"Just luck, Qingcheng truly is a Cave Heaven Blessed Land."

Li Yan modestly remarked, then said, "Daoist, you arrived. Let us have a meal, then we shall depart."

"No need!"

Before he finished speaking, a figure appeared on the path across the mountain...

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