Chapter 146.2

Jie Shunan yanked both arms backward, and the bamboo pole snapped back once more. In an instant, he and the Corpse Driver Daoist were pressed completely together, the two moving as one.

The Corpse Driver Daoist lifted a leg and kicked at Runsheng. The force of it stirred a wave of air that seemed enough to tear eardrums apart.

Bang!

Runsheng raised the Yellow River Spade to block again, and his whole body slid backward once more.

Right after that, the Corpse Driver Daoist turned sideways and threw a punch at Lihua. She did not even dare block it and immediately retreated.

Even so, the edge of the punch still caught her, sending her flying backward.

After hitting the ground, Lihua spat out a mouthful of blood.

She immediately turned to look at the boy in the distance. This thing’s body was far too terrifying. Did they really have to keep fighting it head-on?

Normally, when her husband ran into a brute like this, he would look for an opening through spells and talismans. But the boy was just standing there, showing no sign of setting anything up.

In truth, Jie Shunan was not without weaknesses. His weakness was his movement speed. He seemed capable only of short-range bursts of speed, unable to make long-distance charges.

But here, if he simply stayed on defense and waited for those things that could not be looked at directly to come over, he could rely on his blindness and win outright.

Li Zhuiyuan’s ears twitched lightly. He heard Jie Shunan’s breathing.

Controlling a corpse of this level really was hard physical labor. It had to be exhausting.

A puzzled look appeared on Jie Shunan’s face again. Pressed tightly against the Corpse Driver Daoist, he muttered in confusion, “Who’s talking?”

Li Zhuiyuan said, “Keep going.”

Runsheng let out a low shout and charged forward again.

Lihua gritted her teeth and began circling quickly as well.

This time, the Corpse Driver Daoist did not throw the first punch. He merely rose onto his toes and spun in place.

It was as if he was certain the others would not dare truly rush in, and even if they did press forward, they would switch to defense at once and pose no real threat.

If this kept up, it was hard to say who would wear whom down first.

Left with no choice, Runsheng launched the attack this time, smashing the Yellow River Spade at the Corpse Driver Daoist’s head.

The Corpse Driver Daoist did not dodge. He took the blow directly with his head.

His Daoist crown was knocked off, but what followed was the clang of metal on metal. The brutal rebound numbed Runsheng’s wrist.

The Corpse Driver Daoist seized the moment and punched at Runsheng.

Because he had attacked first, an opening had appeared. The punch was so fast that blocking or dodging it was almost impossible.

Runsheng only had time to lift the Yellow River Spade and ram its edge into the opponent’s body, hoping to offset some of the force. Then he brought his elbow across in front of himself. In the past, he had loved exchanging punches with others. This time, he did not dare.

Bang!

His elbow was smashed back into his own body, and Runsheng staggered back at high speed. As he retreated, the air gates in his body pumped furiously. Blood spilled out, quickly darkening the green clothes he wore.

His arm had already twisted out of shape. Runsheng forcibly whipped it, straightening it again.

That arm was already broken. The only reason it still looked normal was because he was forcing it with opened air gates.

By all reason, Lihua should have attacked Jie Shunan from behind while Runsheng pressed him from the front.

And after the Corpse Driver Daoist knocked Runsheng back with one punch, he was even continuing to pursue Runsheng.

It was a good opportunity.

But a sudden warning flared in Lihua’s heart. No, something was wrong!

Retreat, now!

At that moment, Jie Shunan’s body moved like a snake, winding from behind the Corpse Driver Daoist around to the front.

With a long creak, the Corpse Driver Daoist twisted his head around, turning from front to back, while his joints crackled and his arms stretched forward freely.

The Corpse Driver Daoist opened his mouth, and a gust of air swept inward. Not only did it interrupt Lihua’s retreat, it even pulled her a little farther forward.

Lihua was horrified. She swung her axe wildly, and although it struck the Corpse Driver Daoist’s hand, it produced only showers of sparks and shallow white marks.

The Corpse Driver Daoist’s fingers hooked around the axe. He yanked it toward himself, then reached forward again and grabbed Lihua by the wrist.

With a body this terrifying, once it truly got hold of you, the ending was nearly predetermined.

Lihua raised the axe in her left hand, preparing to chop off her entire right arm to break free.

“Roar!”

At that moment, Runsheng charged over again, swinging the Yellow River Spade, his eyes fixed only on Jie Shunan, who had once again fallen to the Daoist’s “rear.”

This time, Runsheng opened fifteen air gates in one breath, only one short of opening them all. The force he unleashed was even greater than in his previous attacks.

Li Zhuiyuan heard the other man’s breathing suddenly catch. Jie Shunan was panicking.

The Corpse Driver Daoist did not continue attacking Lihua. He merely clenched hard, then shoved forward violently.

Lihua flew away like a kite with its string cut.

After landing, she rolled several times across the ground. When she finally got back to her feet, her right hand was a mass of blood and flesh. Literally speaking, her fingers and palm had been crushed into one pulpy mess. That hand was useless now.

But thanks to Runsheng coming in to help in time, she had at least avoided losing her entire right arm.

Clang!

After forcing Lihua back in time, the Corpse Driver Daoist was able to switch positions with Jie Shunan again and meet Runsheng head-on.

This time, the Yellow River Spade struck the Corpse Driver Daoist in the chest.

Blood spilled from the corner of Jie Shunan’s mouth.

Other than his torn Daoist robe, the Corpse Driver Daoist had suffered no visible injury, but part of the shock force had transmitted into Jie Shunan and wounded him.

At the same time, however, the Corpse Driver Daoist’s leg also kicked into Runsheng.

Bang!

This time, Runsheng could not keep his footing and slide backward. The kick sent him flying and crashing to the ground.

At the spot where he landed, large amounts of stagnant blood began pouring out through his air gates.

Runsheng ignored his injuries completely and forced himself up again.

He badly wanted to try opening all his air gates. He knew very well that even with all of them open, he probably still would not be a match for that horrifying Corpse Driver Daoist. But at least then his strength would be greater, and he could inflict heavier injuries on Jie Shunan, the one controlling him.

Still, Runsheng understood. Since Little Yuan had not given the order, then Little Yuan did not want him opening all his air gates right now. He could not collapse into paralysis. Little Yuan still had things for him to do afterward.

Jie Shunan spat out a mouthful of blood. Panting, he asked again,

“Who is it? Great-Grandpa, General, who exactly are you talking to?”

Jie Shunan’s gaze began roaming around as he tried to inspect everyone present.

Li Zhuiyuan said, “Keep going.”

Dragging his injured body, Runsheng charged once more.

Lihua first looked again at her completely ruined right hand, then toward Li Zhuiyuan standing in the distance.

If this goes on, we’re really going to die!

But when her eyes finally landed on her own son standing beside the boy, she still took a deep breath, gripped the axe in her left hand, and rushed forward once more.

At this moment, the most anxious one was actually Lin Shuyou.

Over there, his companions were fighting for their lives, while he still had not successfully completed the spirit-medium ritual.

Enough of this. Lin Shuyou simply grabbed the trident in his hand and decided to forget the ritual and charge in directly.

He knew that when his master and grandfather had come to Jinling last time, the Dragon King’s clan had scared them off outright. But he thought that was normal. That had been the Dragon King’s clan.

Still, he also knew that if they were facing malevolent spirits, then even if his master and grandfather knew they were outmatched, they would never retreat.

Runsheng and Lihua were about to hit their limit.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over to Lin Shuyou. Waving the trident, Lin Shuyou said,

“Brother Little Yuan, let me go now. Even if the Yin gods don’t descend, we of the Officers of the Command Banner will never be cowards!”

Lin Shuyou was only waiting for Brother Little Yuan’s command.

Then he heard Brother Little Yuan begin chanting scripture.

He had heard this scripture before. It was a little like the scripture in his family temple... no, he had memorized portions Brother Little Yuan had given him. In truth, it was his own temple’s scripture that merely resembled Brother Little Yuan’s a little.

Once you had tasted something truly good, only then did you realize how rough what you used to have really was.

But very soon, Lin Shuyou noticed in shock that Brother Little Yuan’s nose was bleeding.

What was wrong with him? How could simply chanting scripture make him bleed from the nose?

Li Zhuiyuan wiped the blood from his nose with his left hand, then pressed the button on his cuff with the fingertips of his right, picking up the seal paste of pure yang black dog’s blood there.

He raised his right hand.

Lin Shuyou immediately bent down and moved his face closer.

While chanting the Sutra of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, Li Zhuiyuan painted Lin Shuyou’s face with his right hand. The blood on his left hand did not go to waste either; he used it to form a blood seal.

When he finished painting the face, it was not fine or precise. It was even crude, but it carried a kind of primal aura.

With the mark on his left hand, he pressed directly onto Lin Shuyou’s brow.

Lin Shuyou’s eyes flew open at once. In that instant, it felt as though he had returned to his childhood, when under his grandfather’s witness, his master had first led him in a distant bow to sense the great Yin gods.

That day, in the unseen depths, he had seen many towering figures. They had stood high above, far beyond his reach.

Now he saw them again.

But it felt as though he himself was standing high above instead, and those once-mighty figures had all fallen below him, somehow seeming smaller.

Among them, there was one figure standing at the very end of the line, the clearest and most familiar of all.

It was White Crane Child.

Li Zhuiyuan spoke:

“I, Li Zhuiyuan, as the inheritor of the Dragon King legacy of the Qin and Liu Clans, swear here and now:

From this day forward, if White Crane Child dares again to refuse descent during a spirit-medium ritual, or shows any passive neglect,

then after I succeed in River walk, I will personally rectify the Officers of the Command Banner faction and rebuild its inheritance.

I will cut off your path of merit, erase your position among the Yin gods, end your incense inheritance, and strip away the name White Crane!”

The moment Brother Little Yuan finished speaking, Lin Shuyou saw that the figure at the very back of his “vision” began trembling violently.

The shock in Lin Shuyou’s heart deepened even further. He almost had the urge to run home immediately and excitedly tell his master and grandfather all about it:

Grandpa, Master, have you ever seen a way of inviting a god that scares the great Yin god into trembling? Your grandson has!

Li Zhuiyuan stared into Lin Shuyou’s eyes and cursed,

“White Crane Child,

you—

get down here!”

In an instant, Ah You’s pupils turned vertical!

In the past, every time White Crane Child descended, he would still show a bit of proud reserve in front of Li Zhuiyuan. But this time, he did not even dare look at Li Zhuiyuan.

The effectiveness of an oath depended on the person making it.

Some people had the character to keep their oath.

Some had the ability to carry it out.

Li Zhuiyuan waved a hand forward and said, “What are you standing around for? Get to work!”

Gripping the trident, White Crane Child charged straight at the Corpse Driver Daoist!

This time, with the Three-Step Praise, white mist curled around him. Black snakes writhed along the trident. Between those vertical pupils, a dense blood-red glow swirled.

He had even brought down more of his power. No longer was it merely the traditional Officers of the Command Banner method of borrowing a medium’s body for close combat. He had started using actual techniques on his own initiative!

Seeing this, Li Zhuiyuan could only think that his great-grandfather had been right: if you do not whip the mule, it will never pull the mill with any enthusiasm.

Out on the battlefield, Lihua, already wounded again and with several ribs broken, heard what Li Zhuiyuan had shouted earlier, and her eyes instantly turned red.

Anyone who did not know better might have thought she too had been possessed.

Had she heard wrong? Had she really heard the names of two Dragon King lines? No—at the very least, she was sure now that this boy was an heir of the Dragon King’s clan.

That was right. He had said it himself: one day, when he succeeded in River walk.

In the future, when he lit the lamp and walked the jianghu, that would be called River walk.

People outside the jianghu would never understand better than those on its waters just how deep the Dragon King clan’s foundations ran.

Lihua lifted her head. In that moment, her injuries and exhaustion seemed to vanish. She became wildly exhilarated, brimming with even more determination.

“Son, watch this. Mom’s going to win you a future!”

With the addition of White Crane Child as fresh support, the Corpse Driver Daoist was still terrifyingly powerful and had not fallen behind in combat strength, but the intensity of the battle rose sharply once again.

That intensity was exactly what Li Zhuiyuan wanted. It would keep Jie Shunan from focusing on those “whispers.”

And the boy had already seen it clearly: even now, under the siege of three opponents, even as Jie Shunan was starting to look strained and harried, he was still pretending.

That meant the man still had a hidden move. He likely had some special method that would allow him to separate briefly from the Corpse Driver Daoist while still having the Daoist act according to his will for a short time.

Perhaps because of his blindness, his acting had naturally lost a layer. He should already have sensed that something had gone wrong, since those things that could not be looked at directly still had not arrived. But in his performance, he had failed to show that level of panic.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the edge of the steps and sat down.

At the same time, he picked up the swaddled baby beside him.

“Waaah... waaah... waaah...”

The child suddenly began crying.

This child was very well-behaved and never cried for no reason. The reason he was crying now was simple: Li Zhuiyuan was secretly pinching him.

He had learned that trick from the child’s mother.

He had not even used much force, but the child was quite cooperative. One light pinch, and he immediately burst into loud cries.

The baby had keen spiritual sensitivity. Even from within the swaddling cloth, he could walk the shade. When he really cried, it could seriously disrupt a person’s mind.

“There, there. Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

Li Zhuiyuan pulled out a Ritual Flag from his bag. Since his nose was still bleeding, he wiped it again, then used the bloody hands and the flag cloth like a handkerchief to fold little animals for the child.

The child saw them and immediately stopped crying.

Li Zhuiyuan pinched him lightly again, and after a brief stunned pause, the child cried even louder and with even more effort.

At that moment, Runsheng and Lihua, having just finished another round of surrounding attacks, were forced back. With White Crane Child taking the main role, the pressure on the two of them had eased dramatically.

In truth, even White Crane Child had no way to directly withstand the Corpse Driver Daoist, since he was still using a mortal body. But right now, he did not dare slack off in the slightest.

Not only had he already planted the guiding incense, he had even pulled out the Dissolution of Evil Talisman Needles from the hiking pack on his back and gripped them in advance.

And Jie Shunan, together with the Corpse Driver Daoist, had retreated some distance.

Suddenly, a mocking smile appeared at the corner of Jie Shunan’s mouth. He stabbed two fingers into his own eyes and started twisting them.

At the same time, bloody light began shining from the Corpse Driver Daoist’s eyes as well.

Jie Shunan shoved a hand against the Corpse Driver Daoist’s back, and the Daoist shot forward like an arrow released from the string, breaking free of the bamboo pole’s control and charging straight ahead.

The Daoist was so fast that sonic cracks actually burst through the air. Only a body as powerful as his could support that kind of speed.

At this moment, the three attackers were in the middle of a recovery phase, and this style of attack had never been shown before, so no one was prepared.

The Corpse Driver Daoist’s target was Li Zhuiyuan, sitting there holding the baby.

Runsheng’s eyes split wide in fury. “Little Yuan!”

Lihua felt her heart bleed. That was her son’s future!

No, her son was still being held in that future’s arms!

White Crane Child was not slacking off at all. He was the first to turn and rush to help. But he knew clearly that he could not possibly make it in time.

A strange, twisted thrill rose in his heart.

But what came immediately after was the contempt and fury rising from deep within his medium’s own heart.

From Jie Shunan’s ruined eye sockets, blood flowed in streams as he snarled with a mad grin, “Hahaha, die for me!”

Snap!

The boy sitting there raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

Just in front of the boy, the Corpse Driver Daoist suddenly came to a dead stop.

He even reached both hands backward and dispersed the violent wind pressure he had brought with him. The hair at the boy’s forehead merely fluttered lightly.

Jie Shunan shook his head wildly in disbelief. “No, impossible, impossible, that’s impossible! How could this happen? Why would this happen?!”

Li Zhuiyuan said, “Weren’t you curious who your great-grandpa was talking to just now? Actually, your great-grandpa was chatting with me.”

“Impossible! How did you do it? Impossible! You’re lying to me, you’re lying!”

“Your great-grandpa told me that he feels terrible for you, but he is also deeply disappointed in you.”

Jie Shunan’s voice instantly softened. “You’re talking nonsense. Nonsense! You are talking nonsense!”

“Your great-grandpa said that their generation died defending the righteous path and protecting the common people. Their deaths had meaning.

He supports your seeking revenge against those three families. He said their ancestors were not playing favorites either when they helped you take revenge.

A blood debt should be paid by the one who owes it. Revenge is revenge, but what do innocent common people have to do with it? Why insist on creating a natural disaster?”

Thud...

Jie Shunan dropped to his knees, blood-tears flowing from his eyes.

Holding the child, Li Zhuiyuan rose to his feet.

Even with the General acting utterly indifferent, and even with the Xie family ancestors fully cooperating, controlling the Corpse Driver Daoist had still pushed him to his absolute limit.

This being was simply far too high-level. Under normal circumstances, it really was not something the current him should be trying to command.

And Jie Shunan had actually been able to hear his conversation with the Corpse Driver Daoist.

Fortunately, Jie Shunan had been in combat. As long as the intensity stayed high enough, he could not focus on searching it out. Otherwise, he truly might have ruined Li Zhuiyuan’s plan.

Li Zhuiyuan said, “Hand me the command flag. The promise I made you earlier can still stand.”

Jie Shunan nodded and took the command flag from his waist.

“Fine, I’ll hand it to you... in your dreams!!!”

Crack!

Jie Shunan snapped the command flag in two. Friction from his hands sparked flame, and the command flag was completely burned away.

“Hahahahaha! Dream on! That old beast can dream on too! That whole pack of pigs and dogs can all keep dreaming!

I want to see all you righteous people turn into malevolent spirits and slaughter the common people! Hahahahahaha!”

The moment the command flag was destroyed, at the northwest corner of the palace—the great hall Tan Wenbin had mentioned earlier, the one where those things that could not be looked at directly were stored—strands of black mist rose into the air.

Those things that could not be looked at directly began forming seals and casting curses again, and a black vortex appeared overhead once more.

Jie Shunan screamed hysterically, “I want to see rivers of blood! I want to see human tragedy! I can’t see this world anymore anyway, so I’m going to destroy it and drag more people into death with me, hahaha—what? How can this be?”

Li Zhuiyuan reached into the swaddling cloth and pulled out the Ritual Flag he had earlier folded up as a toy to amuse the child. With a light shake, the flag unfurled. It was densely covered in formation patterns drawn in blood.

“It’s not exactly advanced. I just made one casually.”

Li Zhuiyuan waved the Ritual Flag. In the distance, the black vortex began to dissipate. The curse power turned back into strands of black mist and returned to those things that could not be looked at directly. They ended their hand seals and sat down again.

This time, Jie Shunan truly went quiet.

He muttered, “Since you knew how to make one, why did you still want the one in my hand...?”

“I never wanted the command flag in your hand. I was only afraid you’d use it to interfere and ruin what I was doing.

Whether I got the flag or not was never important.

What mattered was that it not remain in your hand.”

Li Zhuiyuan walked forward and tossed the swaddled baby directly to White Crane Child.

White Crane Child froze, but he still took the child into his arms.

He felt so guilty that he did not dare look at the boy. In his panic to hide his emotions, he even bounced the baby gently in his arms.

Jie Shunan said, “So you were lying to me all along, including that promise, right?”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

“The promise was real.

But from the start, when I told you to hand over the command flag, I really was hoping you would destroy it with your own hands.

Thankfully, you were very obedient. Just like this child—very good.” 

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