Shen Yuer immediately formed a water seal, condensing a thin stream of water at her fingertips to weave a shield of water before the burly man. “Master, you should head back to rest first. We’ll be back soon!”
Lin Nan clenched Not-Seeing-Green tightly and followed Huo Yuanyao into the mist.
They had only taken a few steps when the Soul-Locking Ring on her wrist suddenly grew warm. The golden flames within flickered, as if issuing a warning.
She looked down at the glowing ring and suddenly recalled what Shu Ying had said before leaving. She shook her head and pressed forward silently.
The stench of blood in the fog grew stronger, faint growls from beasts echoing around them—something was watching from the shadows.
Crack.
White jade boots crushed fallen leaves as a gray-white robe flashed through the woods.
The moment the three stepped into the fog, Huo Yuanyao drew her sword with a sharp “seng.” A gleaming silver arc of sword energy sliced through the thick white mist about a meter ahead, revealing the dark, damp soil beneath their feet.
“Watch your step.”
Huo Yuanyao whispered, her sword tip pointing toward the ground. “This fog absorbs sound; any movement gets amplified.”
Shen Yuer tossed out a water talisman. The paper spun in the air, and faint blue ripples radiated outward from her, pushing the mist three feet away from the group.
She glanced sideways at Lin Nan and noticed the white strands of hair at her temples dampened by the mist. The normally gentle Lin Nan now seemed to carry an inexplicable maturity… like a married woman?
She couldn’t help but tease, “Don’t be nervous, Xiao Lin, I’ve got your back.”
Lin Nan said nothing, her green eyes scanning the bushes beside the path.
More black fur was scattered there than before, as if deliberately strewn about. The dark red roots of the fur glimmered oddly through the mist.
She reached out and pinched a single strand. The moment her fingers touched the fur, the Soul-Locking Ring on her wrist flared hot again, the golden flames flickering softly.
“There’s something wrong with this wolf fur,” Lin Nan said, holding the black hair to her nose. She caught a faint metallic-sweet scent, like a mixture of Corpse-Eating Grass and blood. “It’s very similar to Shen Qingmei’s Ling Wolf with Blood Eyes, but the fur is coarser and the demonic aura stronger.”
Huo Yuanyao raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying these beasts have something to do with Shen Qingmei?”
“Not necessarily her directly, but it’s definitely connected,” Lin Nan replied. As she let go, the fur floated down only to be caught midair by a water thread thrown by Shen Yuer. It hovered, suspended. “Yuer, did Shen Qingmei use the Long Breath Song that day?”
Shen Yuer stepped closer and saw the fur roots were coated with a thin powder that turned slightly green upon contact with water. “She definitely used the Long Breath Song that day. I can confirm that.”
“Hmm,” Lin Nan murmured, “or maybe it’s an issue with the beasts themselves. Either way, the problem lies with the Shen Family, with the Prime Minister’s Residence.”
As she spoke, a faint sound came from the mist.
Huo Yuanyao spun around sharply, sword energy slashing through the air. “Who’s there?”
The mist churned but no one answered.
Suddenly, three black shadows darted out from the trees behind them, moving like the wind and charging straight at Shen Yuer.
Three giant wolves stood half a man’s height tall, their pupils blood red, drool dripping from their sharp fangs.
“Protect yourselves!” Lin Nan shouted. Not-Seeing-Green transformed into a streak of light, the sword’s spine knocking against the chin of the wolf in front. Using the momentum, she spun and delivered a kick to the wolf’s belly.
The giant wolf grunted and stumbled back, crashing into a tree, causing leaves to fall.
Shen Yuer was quick to react, condensing three water thorns at her fingertips, accurately impaling the front legs of the other two wolves. Ice crystals spread along the thorns, instantly freezing their joints.
Huo Yuanyao didn’t draw her sword but sidestepped the lunging wolf, striking its head with a palm wind.
The wolf whimpered, its blood-red eyes dulling momentarily, showing a brief spark of clarity before the ferocity returned and it bared its teeth again.
“They’re deeply controlled,” Huo Yuanyao said, withdrawing her palm. “Just kill them.”
Lin Nan shook her head and slowed her sword stance, deliberately exposing a weakness.
The wolf she had kicked took the bait and lunged again. Lin Nan flipped her wrist, sheathed Not-Seeing-Green, and hooked her arm around the wolf’s neck. Then she flicked her fingers against its forehead.
A faint cyan Qi radiated from her fingertips, striking the fur, revealing a golden talisman no larger than a mung bean hidden beneath. The pattern on the talisman was identical in origin to the array on Shen Qingmei’s silver hairpin.
“There’s a talisman!”
Lin Nan tightened her sword tassel, forcing the wolf to tilt its head back. She formed a hand seal, and dark green Qi flowed from her fingers into the wolf’s head. The talisman burned with demonic energy, instantly emitting black smoke.
The giant wolf let out a piercing scream, convulsed violently, and the red in its eyes faded. It collapsed, panting hard. Though it bared its teeth menacingly, to the three of them, it looked almost pitiful now.
At least now the giant wolves had lost their evil nature.
Shen Yuer and Huo Yuanyao tried to shatter the talismans on the other two wolves’ heads the same way, but to their surprise, the talismans remained unaffected by their Qi.
Lin Nan moved to the other two wolves and pressed her sword tip down on each head one by one.
The mist fell silent except for the low whines of the three wolves.
Huo Yuanyao’s eyes flickered. She thought about asking a question but swallowed it back.
Lin Nan crouched, running her hand over the mane of the wolf she had freed. “Their memories haven’t been erased. They still recognize the villagers.”
In other words, this method of beast control isn’t a direct brainwashing technique.
She glanced at the wolves’ gazes directed toward the depths of the mountain valley. “There’s something else in there.”
Drag marks on the ground extended into the denser mist, where the black fur grew thicker. The three exchanged looks, with Huo Yuanyao taking the lead, Shen Yuer covering the rear, and Lin Nan holding the restored giant wolf’s leash, moving toward the valley’s core.
The mist thickened until they could see their breath.
After about half an incense stick’s time, a faint light appeared ahead. The mist was blocked as if by an invisible wall, revealing a crumbling stone altar.
The altar was covered with vines, engraved with crooked, uneven runes.
A half-foot-long wolf bone stood upright in the center, wrapped in golden thread. The other end of the thread disappeared into a dark hole beneath the altar, from which the sound of flowing water faintly came.
“This is… an altar?” Shen Yuer covered her mouth and nose. “The blood smell is overwhelming. It’s rotten.”
Lin Nan approached the altar, brushing her fingers over the runes. The Soul-Locking Ring on her wrist flared painfully. “They’re using the beasts’ blood to power the array… Someone wants to cultivate something here.”
Or rather, someone is trying to extract pure demonic energy from the beasts?
Before she finished speaking, the dark hole erupted with stirring sounds.
A black wolf twice the size of the previous giant wolves burst forth, jaws wide, revealing two rows of sharp white fangs. Its blood-red eyes seemed almost solid, and the talisman on its forehead was a glaring blood-red, even more intense than the golden ones before.
Even from a distance, the terrifying aura emanating from this blood wolf was palpable.
The giant wolf Lin Nan held shrank into a cowering ball.
The black wolf ignored the three and lunged at the altar, clawing at the vines as if trying to protect something.
Huo Yuanyao’s sword was about to strike when Lin Nan stopped her. “Wait, it looks like it’s… trying to stop the array.”
Sure enough, after tearing the vines, the black wolf rammed its head against the wolf bone. The golden thread loosened, and the water sounds from the hole grew faint.
“This one’s different,” Shen Yuer said in surprise. “It seems to be resisting control.”
Lin Nan stared at the blood talisman on the wolf’s forehead. She gripped Not-Seeing-Green tightly, dark green Qi flowing down the blade. The sword tip lightly tapped the blood talisman. “Let me see if I can break it.”
The black wolf sensed the demonic energy and snapped its head toward Lin Nan, issuing a threatening low growl but did not attack—only watched warily.
At that moment, the sound of horse hooves came from outside the mist, along with distant shouts: “Are the Immortals okay? We brought hunters to help!”
It was the villagers of Changning.
The black wolf grew agitated upon hearing the voices and tried to bolt back into the hole, but Shen Yuer reacted swiftly, casting the Binding Seal to entangle its hind legs.
“Don’t let it escape!”
With “Immortals” present, the villagers suddenly grew bolder. They shouted, “This beast injured people!” and charged forward wielding hoes.
The black wolf struggled fiercely, and suddenly the blood talisman flared red. It howled in pain as its body began to swell, veins bulging under its fur as if about to burst.
“Not good, the talisman is backfiring!” Lin Nan shouted urgently. “Yuer, restrain it with the Binding Seal and give the villagers water shields! Huo Yuanyao, help me keep it still!”
The three instantly coordinated. Shen Yuer’s water chains wrapped around the black wolf’s limbs while she hurriedly tossed out several water shields to protect against any potential explosion.
Huo Yuanyao’s sword energy immobilized the wolf’s torso. Lin Nan leapt up, guiding Not-Seeing-Green’s tip precisely to the blood talisman as dark green Qi surged into it.
“Break!”
Under the wash of demonic energy, the talisman shattered explosively. The black wolf’s massive body shrank abruptly, collapsing onto the ground, coughing up black blood.
The red in its eyes vanished completely, replaced by a gentle brown.
The water sounds from the hole stopped.
The runes on the altar gradually dimmed, and the mist began to dissipate.
Lin Nan landed lightly, the Soul-Locking Ring on her wrist burning fiercely—a warning that she had overexerted her Qi.
She looked toward the dark hole, which was now pitch black.
“Inside—” Shen Yuer began to speak but was cut off by Huo Yuanyao.
The purple-clad girl gazed toward the clearing mist, her voice heavy. “Someone’s coming. Not just the villagers.”
In the distance, figures in gray robes appeared, moving in unison. They didn’t look like hunters.
Lin Nan tightened her grip on Not-Seeing-Green, her green eyes darkening. Their aura was very similar to Cao Xingzhi’s.
Danxia Sect.
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