Chapter 526: Yin Tower (2)

With a slight tremble of its wings, the straw bird came to life. It soared into the air, circled the pair once, then swiftly flew off into the distance.

The woman’s hands never stopped moving as she continued to weave the straw. This time, judging by the rough shape, she was making a four-legged animal that resembled a mouse.

“Don’t worry. We’re only playing a support role this time. We don’t need to get involved in the fighting. After all, those two marquises have summoned people from the Celestial Nine Pavilion and the Divine Weapon Tomb. We’re just here to add a few more chips to the pile.”

“By the way, a dozen Lifebound Magical Artifacts, and all of them are for defense. Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”

The towering Tian Yan glanced at the woman beside him and asked.

“Safety first, you get me? Our opponent is Monster Level. I’m not an Undying brute like Sword Gu, nor am I an old tortoise like Gui Cang that no one can ever find. And I’m certainly not like you, who can slip away at a moment’s notice. What’s wrong with being a little cautious?”

Zhu Xie prattled on.

“All right, I’ll keep you safe. I’ve already set up three hundred and eighty Tunneling passages throughout Heqing Dao. You won’t be in any danger. Besides, we just need to help break the South Mansion’s Array; we don’t need to show our faces for anything else. We can’t reveal our organization’s full hand this time.”

Tian Yan said.

“Have you found a way to break the Array? The Pavilion Master of the Celestial Nine Pavilion was once a man who held the rank of National Preceptor for Great Wei. If he hadn’t used the Nine Palace Heavenly Star Technique to establish these Nine Altars and Twelve Pillars, this Land of Evil would never have been suppressed. Nine Yin may have the ability to stir the underground Yin Vein during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but if this Array isn’t broken, it’ll be like a coiled dragon pinned to the earth. Its influence will be limited, and it will be very difficult for us to get away.”

“After all, several important ‘parts’ of the Evil Cultivation are tied to the Yin Vein beneath South Mansion.”

Zhu Xie asked curiously.

“If that master from the Celestial Nine Pavilion were still alive to direct it, my chances of breaking this Array would be slim. But now… so many years have passed, it’s debatable whether the younger generation at the Celestial Nine Pavilion even truly understands this Grand Array. They probably think that as long as they defend the Nine Altars and Twelve Pillars, everything will be fine, don’t you think?”

Tian Yan smiled faintly. With a wave of his hand, a screen of light appeared before him, displaying a topographical, bird’s-eye view of South Mansion and its surrounding area.

Outside the city of South Mansion, nine circular dots blinked, while inside the city, twelve points of light shone.

The map showed numerous man-made canals flowing through South Mansion. The twelve points of light were located precisely where these waterways branched and intersected.

“The Nine Altars are positioned in the nine palaces, symbolizing the Form of heaven and earth. Within the city of South Mansion, twelve artificial canals were dug to intersect and connect with the undercurrents of the Earth Veins. This design emulates the circulation of meridians in the human body, allowing it to communicate with Celestial Beings and channel the earth’s Yin malevolence. The malevolent Yin Qi is then carried away by the water, preventing it from overflowing and causing a catastrophe.”

“The Twelve Pillars then act as needles, fixed where the waters converge, to suppress these twelve water veins. This setup maximally restricts the spread and chaotic release of Yin malevolence. Furthermore, every Mid-Autumn Festival, they hold the Lotus Lantern Dharma Assembly. Amidst the city-wide celebrations, people light lotus lanterns and release them into the canals. These lanterns are infused with the Power of Human Dao Incense. As they float downstream along the water veins, they use the karmic fortune of the Human Dao to suppress any unrest.”

“A single Grand Array covering the vast expanse of South Mansion, incorporating the elements of heaven, earth, and humanity—it truly is an exquisitely ingenious design, nothing short of awe-inspiring.”

“But since it imitates the Form of a human body, we must remember that ‘to pull one hair is to move the whole body.’ We don’t need to attack the Twelve Pillars, which are the most difficult targets. We just need to destroy some of the surrounding infrastructure, alter the terrain, and coordinate with Nine Yin’s abilities. This will be enough to cause the Yin malevolence to leak out. The city will descend into chaos, and we can then act as the situation demands.”

“However, succeeding under the watchful eye of the City God will be rather difficult. South Mansion is under strict lockdown, making it hard for us to get inside. But the Magical Treasures you refine are a different story. If we get them into the hands of our Believers, it will give them some means to resist the imperial court’s forces. Besides, coordinating our various parties and monitoring the city from both inside and out will require the help of your ‘Blood Puppets’.”

Tian Yan said calmly. His gaze then shifted toward South Mansion. “When the time comes, Sword Gu and Formless will strike first. They will be the main force, coordinating with Cold Mountain to pin down the two marquises.”

“Those two… they’d better not get themselves killed. They still owe me,” Zhu Xie said, pursing her lips.

「Elsewhere, also outside South Mansion.」

In a hidden underground cave, the stone walls were plastered with sheets of Yellow Paper. Intricate talismans were drawn upon the paper, their lines extending beyond the edges to connect with one another, weaving a great net that sealed off all Sensing from the outside world.

Inside the cave, two cloaked figures sat cross-legged. Nine vortices swirled faintly in the air beside one of them, who was ceaselessly drawing talismans. A stack of finished ones, already half a man’s height, sat beside him.

The other figure carried a greatsword as tall as a man on his back. The blade was hidden within a black leather scabbard, its true form concealed from view.

Beside this person also lay several Sword Boxes. Their lids were open, revealing the cold glint of the blades within—a collection of uniquely shaped and incredibly sharp Treasure Swords.

DRIP! DRIP!

At this moment, the figure held a Serpent-shaped Longsword. Thick, viscous blood oozed from beneath his black robes, dripping onto the blade in his hand.

As the viscous, black blood touched the cold Treasure Sword, the blade began to undergo a bizarre transformation.

The longsword trembled faintly. The thick blood seeped into the steel, seeming to imbue the blade with a life of its own.