Chapter 542: Scarlet Official Robe Vice Minister Xu! All Familiar Faces! Prince Qing Heir! Witch God!

Li Yanchu did not act recklessly. After all, he had come to help exorcise demons but did not have the authority to directly command the Kingdom of Qian army, so he stayed within Qingfeng Ridge.

Two days later, Li Yanchu was using a Plague-Dispelling Talisman to purge toxins from a soldier when he suddenly glanced up at the sky.

“They’ve arrived.”

Three figures descended into the Qingfeng camp. One was a burly, muscular man in a bright red official robe, with a fierce appearance; another was a kind-faced elderly monk; the third was a Daoist celestial master in a purple robe.

Soon, a camp officer hurriedly arrived at Li Yanchu’s tent.

“Daoist Master Li, Lord Xu requests your presence.”

“Very well.”

Li Yanchu nodded slightly and followed the officer into the main camp.

Inside, only seven or eight people were present.

The burly man in the red robe had a booming voice. Upon seeing Li Yanchu, he exclaimed, “What a handsome Daoist! We owe this to you, Daoist Master Li.”

Li Yanchu greeted the unfamiliar faces and introduced himself.

The elderly monk and the purple-robed master were easy to identify. One was Master Baoshu from the Great Xiangguo Temple, the other Celestial Master Zhao from Mount Longhu.

However, the image of Vice Minister Xu from the Court of Judicial Review was far from what Li Yanchu expected. He had assumed Vice Minister Xu would be either a white-haired, inscrutable elder or a refined middle-aged man. To his surprise, he was instead a towering, imposing man, even more commanding than a common martial rogue.

The bright red official robe and his appearance reminded Li Yanchu of one figure: Zhong Kui[1]!

“I heard from Senior Brother Zhang that you are a disciple of Xuancheng, correct?” Celestial Master Zhao from Mount Longhu asked.

“Yes. My master’s Dao name is Xuancheng,” Li Yanchu replied calmly.

The Senior Brother Zhang Zhao mentioned was clearly his half-senior brother.

“Excellent. The future of the Kingdom of Qian still depends on young talents like you. Have you considered cultivating at Mount Longhu?”

The question was so direct that Li Yanchu was momentarily taken aback.

“Thank you for your kind offer, senior. I have resided in Wei City for many years and do not wish to leave.”

He refused the Mount Longhu master outright.

“Daoist Master Li can slay two third-realm heretics simultaneously, he is a rare prodigy of the world. Why would he cultivate at Mount Longhu? Did you think that he would cultivate from the third-realm to the Yin Spirit realm?” Vice Minister Xu in the red robe laughed.

Celestial Master Zhao smiled quietly but sighed slightly inwardly.

“Wei City faces many storms. Daoist Master Li, take care.” Celestial Master Zhao seemed to imply something, but after saying this, he remained silent.

“Thank you for your advice.” Li Yanchu had a premonition that Celestial Master Zhao seemed to know something.

And just now, it didn’t seem as if the senior really wanted him to train at Mount Longhu; rather, there was a subtle sense of wanting to guide him away from the whirlpool of conflicts.

In total, there were four third-realm Yang Spirit experts; three of them were fairly friendly toward Li Yanchu. Wuse needed no explanation, having received great aid from Li Yanchu.

Mount Longhu’s lineage had long-standing ties with him. Several of his secret techniques, including the second realm Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram Visualization Method, originated from Mount Longhu.

Meanwhile, in the Court of Judicial Review, he held an official position and was technically a subordinate of Vice Minister Xu, truly one of their own.

Only the Great Xiangguo Temple had a bit of tension with Li Yanchu. The monk Guanxin from the Great Xiangguo Temple had been killed by him.

Among them was the monk Jie Kong from the Great Xiangguo Temple, who had been beaten by Li Yanchu in the Blissful Land and had his immortal fate taken.

Even the mysterious young cultivator he had recently dueled in the Mount Taoyuan Blissful Land, who could manifest both the Arhat Dharma form and the Taotie phantom, was also from the Great Xiangguo Temple.

However, Master Baoshu did not show any hostility toward Li Yanchu.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Now, with four Yang Spirit experts on their side plus Li Yanchu, who could slay two third-realm heretics at once, they could easily dominate the entire Donglin Prefecture.

At this time, Vice Minister Xu laid out a battle plan, “In my view, we should strike straight at Prince Qing’s Mansion, capture that worthless Prince Qing and his brat of an heir, and resolve this swiftly!”

His words were crude, but they carried a sense of decisive efficiency, and the decision quickly gained approval. One Yang Spirit expert alone could dominate the land; now, with four in Donglin Prefecture, what were they to fear from Prince Qing’s rebellion?

The court’s deployment of four Yang Spirit experts was precisely to eliminate Daoist Spiritual Master Jiugong. After all, it was difficult for a third-realm cultivator to kill another third-realm; once a Yang Spirit formed, it was nearly indestructible.

However, as everyone thought this, their gazes naturally fell on Li Yanchu. The young Daoist’s features were sharp and refined, his bearing otherworldly. He seemed to possess some form of technique or artifact that shielded the heavenly pattern, giving nothing away.

Yet this young Daoist had easily slain two Yang Spirit experts in one move. In other words, none of those present could hope to match him in a one-on-one duel.

“Killing a Yang Spirit expert as a Yin Spirit expert, and even achieving a double kill! Damn, this is exhilarating!” Vice Minister Xu exclaimed.

Anyone unaware would have thought Yang Spirit experts were mere pushovers.

***

Most of Prince Qing’s forces had gathered at Tongquan and Liang County. Liang County served as Prince Qing’s main base. It was not a normal town but a military settlement, garrisoned with ten thousand troops.

At the city gates, squads of prison carts transported plundered civilians into the city. The soldiers in charge stood ready, their expressions deadly serious.

Among the captives were ordinary citizens, prisoners of war, martial artists from the Jianghu, and cultivators whose meridians had been broken, all being brought to Liang County.

The carts creaked through the streets, arriving at the central training ground of Liang County.

The military town was heavily fortified, and a high platform had been erected in the training ground, atop which a young man in white robes sat upright.

He was Prince Qing’s heir. In one hand, he held a command flag; in the other, a bronze bell, performing a ritual. He continuously chanted prayers and incantations; the scene was twisted and eerie.

As Prince Qing’s heir finished reciting all the scriptures, his expression turned cold.

“Ha!”

He spoke a mantra, and the surroundings immediately fell silent.

Prisoners continued to be brought forward, and if one looked closely, sigils were drawn on the ground. As he pronounced a strange, almost inhuman syllable, an officer severed the neck of a prisoner with a single swing.

Blood flowed onto the sigils below the platform. With each ancient syllable spoken, another prisoner fell. By the time Prince Qing’s heir finished all the incantations, rivers of blood had formed beneath the platform.

The prisoners’ positions had been arranged according to an ancient forbidden formation. As all the prisoners died, their blood and souls activated the formation, a red light spreading outward. Countless blood-colored patterns connected into a diagram, encircling the platform where Prince Qing’s heir stood.

Buzz...

A sudden thrill surged within the heir’s heart, and he felt a vibration as if it was from the depths of his soul.

“It’s successful!” He restrained his excitement, surprised that it had taken so little time; he had expected the city-slaying to continue.

He then bowed to the void and said, “Envoy Chen Ze, I respectfully invite the Witch God to descend!”

1. Zhong Kui (鍾馗) is a revered Daoist deity in Chinese mythology, known as the fearsome "King of Ghosts" or Demon Queller, depicted with a big beard, bulging eyes, and wrathful look, who hunts and vanquishes evil spirits, protecting people from plagues and misfortune, often shown with a sword and sometimes five bats (representing fortune). Originating from Tang Dynasty folklore where he was a wronged scholar, his image became a popular protective talisman hung in homes, spreading across East Asia, notably to Japan as Shōki, where he guards children's health. ☜