Chapter 104: The Ancient Witchcraft of Dark Sorcery

The Great Wilderness Divine Sect was searching for the Relic of the Demon Lord. Though Lu Xin did not know what kind of treasure it was, it was clearly connected to Li Shimin. Whether to save a life or to aid the Great Tang imperial court, Lu Xin had no choice but to intervene.

There were nine of them, all Onmyoji. The moment Lu Xin kicked open the door, nine cold gazes locked onto him, accompanied by nine thick surges of magical power.

The Great Wilderness Divine Sect was based beyond the Western Regions and rarely appeared in the Central Plains; few had ever crossed blades with their disciples. Lu Xin’s actions were, in truth, incredibly reckless.

"Gentlemen, this is Chang'an City. The Great Tang is not to be compared with the petty states of your Western Regions. Killing here comes with a price."

"Hahaha, at the second stage of the Void-Gazing Realm? Boy, did Li Shimin send you here to die? Forget him, kill the old monk."

The leader of the black-robed men did not waste breath like a villain in a play. Seeing the youth charge in with a sword, he merely let out a long laugh and ordered his subordinates to strike. Lu Xin’s expression shifted; he formed a sword seal with his right hand, and the Youxian Sword on his back instantly took flight.

"A magical artifact?"

The leader’s gaze stalled, showing shock. But his movements were not slow; he quickly flung the scimitar from his back, colliding with the descending Youxian Sword. The scimitar was clearly no ordinary weapon; it spun at high speed in mid-air, erupting with a muddy yellow light. Lu Xin felt instantly as if his sword had plunged into a quagmire, becoming difficult to control.

"Such powerful magic! My master said the Great Wilderness Divine Sect uses earth-based Daoist arts—heavy and dense, capable of neutralizing immense force!"

The opponent’s cultivation was clearly far superior to his own. When the Youxian Sword failed to land a hit, Lu Xin quickly recalled it to his hand. He then unleashed his footwork, his sword moves like a dragon, charging into the crowd.

This sequence of actions, while seemingly long, took only two breaths. The disciples of the Great Wilderness Divine Sect had barely reacted before a shadow lunged at them, wielding a sword with ruthless precision. Having just used a flying sword, the youth had suddenly switched to martial arts swordplay, catching them completely off guard. In truth, while Onmyoji could manipulate the essence of the Five Elements and cast various spells, their physical cultivation lagged far behind martial artists, and they held no advantage in close-quarters combat.

Moreover, the distance was too short. With Lu Xin’s movement techniques, he was as swift as a phantom. With one strike like a swimming dragon and a precise thrust, he instantly felled one man. At the same time, the Yang sisters, Yang Xiu and Yang Qin, burst into the room. Seeing Lu Xin already engaged, they charged straight at the black-robed leader without a word.

"Seventh stage of the Void-Gazing Realm! Not good, retreat!"

The leader glanced at Yang Xiu, his face changing instantly, and he hurriedly cast a talisman. Burning it with Daoist true fire, the room filled with yellow smoke, foul-smelling and stinging to the eyes. Lu Xin’s movements slowed noticeably, forcing him to cover his nose and mouth with his sleeve.

Two breaths later, the people of the Great Wilderness Divine Sect had vanished. After Lu Xin brought Dharma Master Xuanhong out, he discovered the old monk’s chest was bleeding; the wound was clearly carved by a scimitar.

Though the old monk was the senior brother of Xuanzang, he possessed no magical power. His face was now deathly pale, and he was on the verge of breathing his last.

"Master!"

Lu Xin held the old monk’s chest and called out softly. As a swordsman, he knew well that the monk had sustained a fatal wound; even the imperial physicians would be powerless to save him.

Dharma Master Xuanhong seemed to lack the strength to even speak. His eyelids fluttered for a long time before his eyes opened to a mere slit. He struggled to reach for something in his robes, and Lu Xin followed his hand, quickly finding a scripture.

"This... inside... the whereabouts of the Demon Lord’s... Relic. Deliver it... to the Tang King... Your Majesty."

"Master?"

Lu Xin wanted to ask for details, but the old monk breathed his last the moment he finished speaking. With no other choice, Lu Xin placed his body in a nearby meditation courtyard, intending to find a way to notify the authorities after the night had passed.

"Brother Lu, what treasure did that monk give you?"

"A scripture."

Hearing Yang Qin’s question, Lu Xin finally looked at the item in his hand. The cover was exceptionally smooth and hard, clearly made of a special paper. It bore no title. Just as Lu Xin was about to turn the first page, the wooden door of the meditation room exploded, shattering into pieces. A cold, violent wind swept in.

"Little brother, the Relic of the Demon Lord is not something you can touch. Hand over the scripture, and I will spare your life."

Following the wind came a somewhat hoarse voice. Lu Xin looked outside the room to see a man in black standing in the courtyard. This sight made his eyes widen. The man in the yard was the very same person who had cast his gaze from the distant rooftop earlier at the pagoda.

Looking closer, though the man was cloaked and masked, his aura and accent differed from those of the Great Wilderness Divine Sect. More bizarrely, he wore a pair of purple boots that looked completely out of place with the rest of his attire.

Yang Xiu and Yang Qin were also startled. Yang Xiu, in particular, became extremely cautious.

"Young Hero Lu, be careful. I cannot discern this man’s cultivation."

"Hahahaha... judging by your attire, you must be from the Miao territory? What, has the Witch King started setting his sights on Chang'an as well?"

"Hmph, clean your filthy mouth. We Miao people have no desire to war with the people of the Central Plains, nor do we come to Chang'an to cause trouble."

Yang Qin was incensed, flicking her finger to release a black light that shot toward the man. Looking closely, the black light was a three-inch-long insect, resembling a centipede, and it looked terrifying.

But before the black light reached its target, it ignited in mid-air and turned to ash. From start to finish, the man in black had kept his hands behind his back, making no move at all.

However, seeing this, Yang Xiu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Daoist true fire; he should still be at the Void-Gazing Realm."

Lu Xin nodded and tucked the scripture into his robes. The man’s eyes, hidden beneath the hood, glinted with cold light. His magical power erupted, kicking up dust across the courtyard.

"There are always those in this world who do not fear death. It is a pity; you are all in the prime of your youth."

As he spoke, the man walked toward the meditation room. With his body as the center, the dust swirled ever larger, quickly forming a sandstorm. His figure became increasingly blurred until it was impossible to see clearly.

"Attack!"

Lu Xin roared, stepping forward and striking out with three Buddhist palm seals. At the same time, Yang Xiu, holding a dagger and shrouded in black smoke, darted into the sandstorm. Yang Qin held two talismans, chanting a spell, as the shadow of a ghost-god appeared behind her.

"Avatar of the Great Witch, Yama of the Earth!"

Yang Qin summoned the ghost-god phantom, which radiated a terrifying aura. Even as an ally, Lu Xin felt a palpitation in his heart. This was clearly a unique Miao spell, tied to their bloodline power.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The sounds of clashing metal rang out from within the storm; Yang Xiu seemed to be engaged in a fierce battle with the man. Seeing that his three Buddhist palm seals had been useless, Lu Xin gripped the Youxian Sword. With his level of cultivation, he could not participate in such a battle; the only thing that could harm the opponent was his divine weapon.

The ghost-god phantom grew larger and larger, eventually reaching the height of a two-story building. After two more breaths, the sandstorm that should have reached the room suddenly stopped at the door. Yang Xiu flew backward, slamming hard into the main beam of the room. Yang Qin was startled, her face filled with fury as she shouted at the man.

It was a unique Miao language, sounding convoluted and eerie. As Yang Qin shouted, the shadow behind her flew instantly above the man’s head, stretching out its hands to cradle his skull.

Though it was an illusory action, it instantly conjured a scene in Lu Xin’s mind: an ancient Great Witch decapitating a living man and offering the head to the gods. It was a bloody, horrifying image, yet it was recorded clearly in many ancient murals and texts.

The man in black instantly froze, his body stiff as if completely controlled by the shadow above. Then, the ghost-god phantom began to shrink, turning into a wisp of black smoke from the waist down and drilling into the crown of the man’s head.

"Ahhhhh!"

The man in black screamed in agony, his face twisted in torment. Standing two meters away, Lu Xin could feel the intensity of his suffering.

"This is an ancient witchcraft unique to the Miao, but it is also a poison. The black smoke you see is actually a swarm of insects from deep underground, so small they are invisible to the naked eye. These insects can instantly bite through flesh and invade the bone marrow. Qin’er is the only one in the younger generation who can perform this art. He is dead for sure."

"Dead? Hmph, you want to kill me, with just you two Miao sluts?"

Before Yang Xiu’s voice had faded, the man in black suddenly sneered, opening his mouth wide. Lu Xin then witnessed a nauseating sight: a long purple snake crawled out from the man’s abdomen, covered in thick, foul-smelling mucus. Once out, the purple snake coiled around his neck and bit into his shoulder.

*Hiss, hiss, hiss...*

With a sharp, serpentine hiss, the skin of the man in black began to sprout scales, and his entire forehead turned a dark purple. A moment later, a massive amount of black smoke flew out from his crown, burning into ash.

"Insolent brat, you seek death!"

After the scales appeared on his body, the man’s aura surged, and his speed became beyond sight. Before Yang Qin could react, her neck was already gripped in his hand.