The Blade-Wielding Legend

Chapter 1650 - 837: Soul Hook, Black Earth Mother

The black mist churned like ink, with layers of piercing killing intent pressing down.

In the mist, countless hideous faces appeared—some half-rotted human faces with skin and flesh hanging with yellow fluid; some twisted beast heads with tusks protruding and ghostly green flames burning in their eye sockets.

They all snarled madly at Li Yan, their voices sharp like iron scraping porcelain, causing one’s blood and energy to churn.

In the depths of the mist, a giant silhouette in tattered armor slowly solidified.

This figure, towering over a zhang high, was enveloped in darkness so dense it couldn’t be dispersed, with only a pair of crimson eyes and a vertical blood-red pupil on its forehead.

In the dim light, a fierce gleam burst forth.

It was precisely the feared entity known as the "Three-eyed Yin Constable."

Or rather, a Yin Si Divine General!

Though it hadn’t fully stepped out of the black mist, its chilling Evil Qi had already locked onto Li Yan, causing his breath to momentarily catch.

In the air, the "Earth Official’s Absolution of Sins Treasure Decree" scroll unfurled without wind, pale golden runes coursing, casting down a gentle radiant light.

Wherever the light illuminated, the black mist sizzled like a hot spring, continuously dissolving away.

The spectral figures collided with the light barrier, their forms stagnating, faces twisting in unwilling wails, unable to advance further even half a step.

The power of the treasure decree was like an invisible wall, holding the ghost army firmly at the periphery.

Li Yan squinted his eyes, his expression darkening.

This situation was indeed not right.

Ordinary Yin Department Soldiers, upon seeing the Earth Official’s Absolution of Sins Treasure Decree, should have retreated deferentially. Yet the ones before them were merely temporarily halted.

The Evil Qi did not diminish; instead, it surged and churned, unwilling to cease.

And that Three-eyed Yin Si Divine General in the mist grew restless, the crimson glow flickering, ominously showing a tendency to withstand the treasure decree’s pressure, advancing step by step.

Still, the treasure decree won him a moment’s respite.

Li Yan no longer hesitated, reaching into his bosom to retrieve the Hook Paper.

With the assistance of Judge Cui at Taishan, his authority was far beyond that of a typical living Yin messenger. He needed no Astral Order as a medium; simply locking his mind onto the yin criminal’s trail would directly connect him to the Yin Bureau, allowing him to summon soldiers.

This was a backup measure left for dealing with increasingly bizarre situations.

Given the current circumstances, having the Yin Bureau’s own forces handle their affairs was the most suitable.

"Tian Youji, the earth has order, Yin Bureau arrests souls, living people avoid!"

With the spell recited, a moment later, fierce Yin Winds rose around.

Several times more violent than before!

The wind carried indistinct sounds of chains dragging, echoes of hoofbeats.

A purer darkness spread across the ground, like ink pouring out, quickly engulfing Li Yan and Lv San’s figures.

This darkness was entirely different from the black mist carried by the Three-eyed Yin Constable.

Quiet, deep, permeated with an aura of stern order.

The Wokou Leader’s face changed drastically at the sight.

In a panicked hurry, he shouted hoarsely in clumsy, archaic Central Plains speech:

"Stop him! Quickly!"

Before the words were finished, he had already drawn the tachi from his waist, charging forward with four black-robed subordinates.

Originally, in the plan to deal with a tough opponent like Li Yan, it should have been the emaciated Earth Immortal they manipulated who took action.

But that old Taoist, fixated on the "Black Earth Mother" beneath the cliff, had long gone into the depths of the ravine and could not be relied on now. The Wokou Leader had no choice but to brace himself and join the fray personally.

Almost simultaneously, the Three-eyed Yin Constable in the mist let out a muffled growl.

It indeed advanced a step forward, enduring the burn of the Treasure Decree Golden Light!

The Netherworld Evil Qi surrounding it clashed with the golden light, causing a continuous series of fine popping explosions, with black smoke billowing upwards.

Crackle! Pop!

The Treasure Decree Scroll trembled violently in the air.

The glow of the writings flickered rapidly, its invisible waves continuously washing over.

The Divine General’s Evil Qi dissipated swiftly.

Yet the massive shadow seemed unaware, only slightly hindered in its movements, as a large hand clad in tattered armor slowly reached out from the black mist.

Five fingers like hooks, enveloped in bone-chilling cold, aimed straight for Li Yan’s face!

Indeed rebellious!

Li Yan was unsurprised by this sight.

These entities had long violated the Heavenly Rules; an item like the "Earth Official’s Absolution of Sins Treasure Decree," imbued with the authority of a decree, naturally meant nothing to them.

Once its power was exhausted, they had nothing to fear.

He had witnessed the Divine General’s power, able to forcibly suppress a strand of Demonic Qi, with most Evil Spirits unable to resist.

He was only a mortal, naturally not their match.

In an instant, the ghostly claw was mere three feet from his eyes.

Li Yan could even see the twisted lines on its palm and the swirling black aura.

At this critical moment, he suddenly felt a lightness all over, and the scene before him rippled and shattered like water.

In the next moment, solid ground beneath his feet, he found himself standing steadily behind a protruding giant rock several zhang away.

Lv San was also beside him, his face still showing his shock.

The spot where they initially stood was now completely engulfed by a sudden emergence of deep darkness. This darkness wasn’t mist; it was more like a nocturnal curtain that had been cut out of thin air, thoroughly covering that space.

The ghostly claw of the Three-eyed Yin Constable reached into it, like a mud bull sinking into the sea, without a sound.

"Five Dao General!"

Li Yan’s heart relaxed, a gleam of joy in his eyes.

This profound method of instantly shifting positions and swapping spaces was the unique Divine Skill of the Five Dao General.

After the incident with Taishan Lord, the stance of this prominent Yin Bureau General had become increasingly clear, along with Wen Lingguan and Immortal Master Erlang, to be on his side in this increasingly unpredictable and chaotic world tribulation.

Before the thought had even settled, the darkness covering the original spot collided fiercely with the black mist carried by the Three-eyed Yin Constable!

There was no deafening roar, only a tooth-gritting, "whirring" muffled sound as if space itself was being compressed and torn apart.

Two vastly different yet equally mighty forces of Yin nature violently clashed, corroded, and waves of energy burst forth at the point of contact.