The Blade-Wielding Legend

Chapter 1606 - 815: Uprooted (Part 2)

"No."

Shi Bingwei shook his head and said, "The main force is currently attacking Korea. The group waiting to attack is called the ’Sea Demon Group’. They originally were Ninjas and Samurai who fled after being defeated. Over time, their ranks have swelled, and it’s said that they’ve recruited some demons and Red-haired Gunners."

"Even the fleet from Japan has been harassed by them, making them very troublesome."

"Oh?"

Li Yan, upon hearing this, became solemn, "Where are these people hiding?"

"They’re hiding in a sea cave located on the eastern side of Daishan Island in the Zhoushan Islands."

"Zhoushan?"

Zhu Cong, who had just returned, was immediately surprised upon hearing this.

Seeing Li Yan and the others looking at him, he quickly explained, "Zhoushan is one of the ’Nine Mountains and Ocean’ along the East Zhejiang Coast, a crucial stronghold for the court against pirates and sea bandits, with ’Zhoushan Guard’, ’Jintang Defense Thousand Households’, and ’Chuanshan Defense Thousand Households’ stationed there. How could they possibly hide there?"

Shi Bingwei dared not conceal anything, quickly replied, "I’m not sure about this matter either. The ’Sea Demon Group’ acts strangely and is very wary of us. I’ve only heard that they can command sea demons, appearing and disappearing mysteriously."

"I was blindfolded and had my senses suppressed when I entered the sea cave, so I don’t know the exact location."

Li Yan nodded and said, "Take him down and have him thoroughly explain the personnel and terrain inside that cave!"

.........

The thunder roared like a thousand troops beating war drums, echoing from the skies, shaking the green tiles of Hangzhou City.

Dark clouds spread like ink, turning the world chaotic in an instant. Torrential rain fell, shrouding the entire southeastern metropolis in a silver-white curtain of water.

However, within Hangzhou City, things moved faster than the thunder.

At Qinghe Fang Tea House, rain dripped down from the flying eaves, and the Tea Master was wiping down the tables when he suddenly felt a chill behind his neck.

He quickly turned his head, but a silver wire had already wrapped around his throat. The shine of a knife was reflected by lightning, revealing a Japanese short blade hidden at his waist.

As the lightning flashed, his throat made rattling sounds, but he couldn’t utter a single noise.

A shadow on the beam looked out the window and said in a deep voice:

"Report to the lord, take him down!"

...

The bell at Lingyin Temple had not stopped ringing. The sweeping monk had just pushed open the wooden door of the meditation room when he saw three figures standing in the rain.

The elder of the Tiantai Sect held a copper bell, chanting the three True Words "Om Ah Hum."

The sound of the bell pierced through the rain, making all the monks’ heads buzz.

"How dare you defile this pure land of Buddhism with filthy demons?!"

With an explosive roar, a fat monk stomped on the stone slabs, shattering them like a wild ox.

He practiced the Buddhist Vajra Method, a Dharma Guardian Monk, fearless of the old monk’s Eastern Secret True Word Method. He pulled out a big sack from behind, directly covered him, and knocked him out with two punches, gritting his teeth, "To think we thought you pious, yet you caused us such harm..."

...

Writing Clerk Zhao Wu at the Weaving Bureau was copying account books under the lamp.

Outside the window, a flash of lightning illuminated a secret letter on his desk.

He snapped his head up, only to see the Hangzhou Prefect standing in the rain, with armored soldiers like a forest behind him.

Zhao Wu tried to escape but was shot into a hedgehog by a volley of crossbows...

...

At the Wulin Gate Pier, a member of the Cao Gang stood bare-chested in the rain, his blade still dripping with blood.

Three covert pirate ships had already been burned, their charred remains tossed about by the turbid waves.

A dark-skinned man pulled a head out of the water and tossed it onto the stone slabs:

"Damn it, a water rat trying to escape!"

......

Don’t assume Li Yan and his team were acting alone; many were actually paying attention.

After all, at this time, no one wanted to be caught up in a mess they couldn’t handle.

They were quite shrewd, tight on the inside and loose on the outside, allowing no one to leave, for fear that enemies were hidden right under their noses.

As soon as the list was obtained, various forces immediately took action.

The other insiders were easily dealt with, mostly acting alone, seldom communicating with outsiders.

The most dangerous place was the pirate stronghold disguised as a silk shop by West Lake.

The battle lasted half an incense stick, with firelight reaching the sky, causing the surrounding townsfolk to chatter in fear.

When the forces of the Captain Bureau broke in, they found only the Japanese bladesmen who had committed suicide with poison.

All that remained was a corpse clutching a brocade box, containing a half-rolled ’Qiantang Navy Deployment Map’.

Seeing this, the Hangzhou Captain’s Thousand Households felt a chill...

......

The thunder gradually subsided, and the rain turned light.

Triumphant reports kept arriving.

All seven insiders were captured, with thirty-seven secret letters, nine military schematic drawings, and twenty-one volumes of Japanese secret text account books confiscated.

The lights in Hangzhou City Government office burned all night, discussing how to handle this matter.

Meanwhile, in a quiet courtyard in the west of the city, the candlelight flickered, tranquil and elegant.

This was the house Zhu Cong helped to find, providing a resting place for the Twelve Primordial Spirits.

Traveling so far, they had become wise.

When encountering such matters, it was best to let local forces handle them. Meddling unnecessarily could offend people.

Li Yan removed his soaked outer robe and sat alone in the back room of the courtyard.

Raindrops formed a beaded curtain under the eaves, creating a serene rhythm as they dripped onto the stone steps.

He closed his eyes and focused, listening to a report from Zhu Cong’s attendant outside: "...The thief monk at Lingyin Temple has confessed. The pirates buried a Thunder Summoning Talisman at the old site of Gold Mountain Monastery, planning to use Heavenly Thunder to destroy our Buddhist stronghold; Zhao Wu of the Weaving Bureau drew a sea map of Zhoushan..."

The attendant’s voice quivered with excitement, "My lord, the Prefect and the others are awaiting your presence."

Zhu Cong, unable to contain his excitement, entered to inquire briefly before hurriedly leaving with his men.

His visit also represented the Twelve Primordial Spirits, negotiating some benefits.

Once the courtyard was completely quiet, Li Yan opened a package and placed something on the table.

Under the candlelight was a piece of human skin, thin as a cicada’s wing.

It was precisely the tribute ’offered’ by Qing Chuan discovered in the pirate’s stronghold.

—Granny Qing’s Lifebound Totem Skin.

The human skin exuded a greenish-yellow hue, cold to the touch, with ink patterns flowing under the candlelight. Kui Star stepping on the Big Dipper, surrounded by the four symbols, various divine statues arranged like stars, richly and orderly, each stroke coinciding with the earth’s veins.

The most intricate part was the midline of the spine, illustrated with the Lu Family’s Tattoo unique needlework, depicting the Yin Yang double fish.

It seemed like a work of art.

"No wonder even Earth Immortals praise it..."

Li Yan caught the lingering scent of Sandalwood Incense and medicinal aroma with his Smell Superpower, gently shaking his head, "This isn’t just a tattoo diagram; it’s clearly the ’Immortal List’ crafted into a Great Array..."

This lineage’s Tattoo Secret Technique allows for body possession, harnessing Divine Power.

It’s perfectly suitable for integrating the power of their Twelve Yuan Chen Great Luo Magical Instruments.

At the same time, he understood why Qing Chuan practiced Evil Skill.

Their ancestral founder was also a fanciful thinker, wanting to invite the gods to possess him.

Whether possible or not, blending various chaotic energies into one would drive one mad.

Moreover, many of them contradict each other.

It must have been inspired by the ’Huangting Scripture’, displaying the Mystic Gate’s God Storage Method externally.

Dreams are ideal, but realization is unlikely...

Li Yan shook his head and began to carefully examine the scriptures engraved beside it.

This Tattoo Secret Technique is not complicated, requiring three conditions to be fulfilled.

First, it needs a Mystic Sect tattoo master.

This isn’t hard to achieve; as long as the word spreads, people will want to do it for insight.

Second, one must be proficient in Summoning Gods Skill.

Although they don’t possess it, the Daluo Magical Artifact’s Twelve Yuan Chen Flags are meant to serve this purpose.

The third condition relates to special materials.

From vermillion to a variety of dyes, these must be Spiritual Objects and be skillfully refined.

Collecting and preparing them will take some time.

However, with the Magic Method obtained, it will be completed eventually...

At that moment, Li Yan’s ears twitched, looking out the window.

Seeing a servant leading a person into the courtyard, it was Chen Wenxian, the Chief Historian from the Crown Prince Mansion.

"Hahaha~"

He laughed heartily as he opened the door, quickly walking forward and greeting with cupped hands: "Young Hero Li, truly remarkable. Those long-standing malignant tumors in Hangzhou were thoroughly eradicated by your arrival. I must report to the Crown Prince and commend you."

"Chief Historian Chen is too kind."

Li Yan slightly shook his head, "Are the ships ready?"

He knew that since the matter in Hangzhou had been concluded, it was evident Chen Wenxian wanted to urge him to set sail.

The Crown Prince must also be anxious.

"You can’t hide from Young Hero Li."

Chen Wenxian smiled wryly, "We must depart quickly, the news has already leaked, and now the waters are in chaos..."