EFB Chapter 185 Entering the Village! Saving the Old Man!
Chapter 185 Entering the Village! Saving the Old Man!
Chapter 185 Entering the Village! Saving the Old Man! (5000)
They walked in silence, with only heavy breathing and the rustling sound of leaves being crushed underfoot.
Hu Huhu was practically running, driven by his familiarity with the terrain and a sense of foreboding.
Lu Yuan followed closely behind, his face tense, the jade pendant in his arms seemingly his only reassurance.
But the image of the old man being treated as "food for the evil god" still made his heart clench.
From dawn to dusk, and then into the dead of night.
The two of them trekked through the vast mountains almost without sleep or rest, relying on Hu Huhu's vague guidance and their intuition about the terrain and waterways.
When hungry, they would nibble on some dry rations; when thirsty, they would drink some spring water; and when sleepy, they would splash cold water on their faces.
Lu Yuan was young and strong, and as a two-star Celestial Master, he could still sustain himself with his physical strength and true qi.
Hu Huhu was struggling; he was already quite old, and carrying a heavy satchel, he was panting heavily as he ran.
His face was covered in sweat and dust, but the determination in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Finally, around 11 p.m.
The two crossed an extremely steep, almost impassable ridge, lay down behind a thicket of bushes, and looked down.
Before me lay a scene completely different from the surrounding deep mountains.
Below is a valley basin of moderate size, and surprisingly, a small village is nestled within it.
It was late at night, but the village was not completely dark.
Scattered, dark red lights flickered in the windows or doorways of some houses. The light was not warm; instead, it exuded an eerie and sinister aura.
The entire village was shrouded in a very thin, but real, gray-black mist.
The mist drifted slowly, making the village scene appear somewhat distorted and blurry.
The familiar fishy smell in the air became extremely strong.
It also had an indescribable, strange smell, like a mixture of old blood, rotting flesh, and some kind of cheap spice burning.
It drifted in with the wind and was nauseating.
Even more strangely, the village was unusually quiet.
The mountain village should be quiet at night, but this quiet is deathly still.
There were no barking dogs, no chirping insects, and not even the sound of the wind whistling across the rooftop; only the silent flow of the gray-black mist.
Occasionally, one or two blurry figures can be seen moving stiffly and slowly through the village, like puppets on strings.
"This is it."
""
Hu Huhu's voice was extremely low, with panting and a slight, barely perceptible tremor.
"We all call the Liu family's old lair 'Ghost Cry Village.'"
"The lights in those houses weren't oil lamps, but the 'spirit fires' of the creatures they kept."
"Those things walking around—may not necessarily be people."
Lu Yuan lay prone behind the bushes, his eyes blazing as he stared intently at the lifeless village below.
Lu Yuan's heart was pounding.
Found him! The old man is down there!
Lu Yuan could sense that deep within the gray-black mist, there was a kind of extremely oppressive yet incredibly familiar Daoist aura struggling within.
Like a tiny spark about to go out in the darkness.
That's the old man's lingering scent!
"Walk!"
"Get down!"
Lu Yuan was about to get up and rush down almost immediately.
According to Lu Yuan's plan, as long as he rushed into the village, found the old man's exact location, and then crushed the jade pendant to summon Gu Qingwan.
All problems are solved!
Before absolute power, no evil god or trap is anything but a piece of clay!
"Wait! Master Lu!!"
Hu Huhu was startled and grabbed Lu Yuan's arm tightly with almost all his might.
He was incredibly strong, and Lu Yuan was caught off guard, so he was pulled back behind the bushes.
"What are you doing?!"
Lu Yuan turned around abruptly, a fierce glint in his eyes, and he was about to use his lightning magic to shake him off.
The old man is in critical condition; every second is crucial!
"We can't just barge in like this!"
'
Hu Huhu was panting heavily, his face covered in sweat and dirt, but his eyes were unusually anxious and determined.
"Listen to me!"
"Let me finish!"
Lu Yuanqiang suppressed his anxiety and anger, stared intently at him, and squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth: "Speak!"
Hu Huhu took a few deep breaths and quickly whispered, "Master Lu, think about it! Who is your master?"
"Before you and Shen Shulan, Li Xiuye was the most talented Celestial Master in the Daoist sects beyond the Great Wall!"
"This is the 'perfect material' that the Liu family has been dreaming of—the one for forging a top-tier evil god!"
"Why did the Liu family set up such a grand scheme, using the power of an evil god to trap him? Was it simply to kill him outright?"
Lu Yuan frowned.
Seeing that Lu Yuan was listening, Hu Huhu spoke even faster: "No! They can't bear to part with him!"
"Based on my understanding of the Ghost-Controlling Liu family, they're trying to 'wear him down'!"
"Exhaust his vital energy, extinguish his will, and strip away his soul!"
"Then—either use his physical body and cultivation as the core to forge an unprecedentedly powerful evil god!"
"Either we use his soul to nourish and strengthen one of their existing evil gods!"
"Regardless of the method, this process will not be quick, nor can it be accomplished overnight!"
"Your master is definitely still resisting!"
Hu Huhu pointed to the desolate village below: "Look at this village, so quiet, the evil energy is restrained, there's no sign of a large-scale battle, which means the tempering inside is still ongoing!"
"Your master is still persevering!"
"Otherwise, if he had really been subdued or killed, the Liu family would have already made a big commotion—either celebrating the eruption of the evil god's power or starting to relocate!"
Lu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly; Hu Huhu's analysis was indeed reasonable.
The old man was a formidable figure; even if he fell into a trap and was besieged by multiple evil gods, it would be impossible for him to be easily defeated.
The most likely scenario is that the Liu family wanted to "capture" and use the prisoners, rather than "kill" them.
"so!"
Hu Huhu gripped Lu Yuan's arm tightly, his voice lowered, carrying the calmness of an old hunter.
"If we break in now and make too much noise, or if the Liu family discovers it beforehand, they might become desperate and decide things are hopeless—"
"In order to prevent your master from being rescued, or to avoid greater losses, they will likely—go all out!"
""
"For example, we could forcibly destroy your master's physical body or forcibly extract his soul, even if the effect is greatly reduced, we would never leave it for you!"
"Even if you have extraordinary abilities, what you might save is just a corpse, or a broken soul!"
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Lu Yuan's feverish mind, which was already feverish with anxiety. He suddenly came to his senses.
Yes! It's true that you have a trump card to overturn the table at the crucial moment, but the premise is that the table is still there and the "old man" on the table has not been directly knocked down by the other party!
If my recklessness causes the Liu family to "ruin the vegetables" prematurely!
Even if Gu Qingwan came and wiped out the Liu family along with the evil god, what good would it do?
The old man is probably gone!
Hu Huhu was unaware of Gu Qingwan's existence; his concerns were entirely based on his analysis of the Liu family's style of doing things and the current situation.
But this concern unexpectedly highlighted the biggest potential risk in Lu Yuan's plan.
opportunity!
We must not alert the enemy, and we must not push the Liu family to the point where they must immediately "destroy" the old man.
The old man must be found before the other party realizes what's happening, or at least before they make the "destroy" decision.
And ensure that you can take control of the situation instantly, or — take the old man away instantly!
After all, even if the jade pendant is crushed and Qingwan can arrive immediately, there will still be at least ten seconds in between.
This is enough to make the Ghost-Controlling Liu family do some desperate things!
The impatience in Lu Yuan's eyes quickly faded, replaced by calmness and sharpness.
He glanced down at the eerily silent "Ghost Cry Village," then at Hu Huhu beside him, who was panting heavily, his face tense but his eyes resolute.
"What are you going to do?!"
Seeing that Lu Yuan had been persuaded, Hu Huhu visibly breathed a sigh of relief, released his grip on Lu Yuan's arm, and wiped the sweat from his face.
"We need to make preparations first."
As Hu Huhu spoke, he began to untie the heavy satchel from his back.
"There must be some kind of protective array or mechanism outside Liu Family Village."
"We need to find a way to sneak in quietly, at least to find the approximate location where your master is trapped, and then we can make further plans."
"Some of the gadgets I brought with me might be of some help."
He opened the satchel and began taking things out.
Those "soul-sustaining lamps" carefully wrapped in oilcloth, talisman paper, talisman brush, soul-guiding ink, copper bell, blood thread, and soul-nourishing stone—
"Master Lu, you are a true disciple of Taoism, and you are an expert in breaking formations and exorcising evil spirits."
"But many of the things the Liu family uses affect the level of soul perception, and Taoist methods are sometimes too open and aboveboard," making them easy to trigger.
"If I use the Tiger Clan's method, combined with your Taoist arts, we might be able to clear a path more discreetly."
While fiddling with the magical artifacts that exuded an eerie aura, Hu Huhu quickly said, "Give me half a day—no, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn—so I can set things up and at least temporarily conceal our presence!"
"To disrupt the perception of those 'eyes' on the periphery."
Lu Yuan frowned slightly as he watched Hu Huhu take out those artifacts that clearly did not belong to the righteous path and even carried a strong sinister aura.
But considering the old man's current situation and the enormous risks Hu Huhu had analyzed, Lu Yuan finally nodded.
There are many techniques in Taoism for concealing one's tracks, such as the one Lu Yuan used when he was tracking Hu Yangyang.
However, it is clear that Hu Huhu understands and knows the Ghost-Controlling Liu family better than Lu Yuan, so listening to Hu Huhu now is definitely the right thing to do.
"good!"
"What do you need me to do?"
After hearing Lu Yuan agree, Hu Huhu hurriedly whispered, "Please take a breath and recover your strength first."
"Once we go inside, there probably won't be time to rest."
As Hu Huhu spoke, he began to dip his dark red talisman brush into the pungent soul-guiding ink.
They quickly drew some twisted and bizarre runes on the specially made talisman paper.
"Once I'm done, we'll sneak in from the northwest corner of the village, to the place that looks the most dilapidated and has the darkest soul fire."
"The evil spirits are most 'slothed' there, and vigilance is likely to be at its lowest there."
Lu Yuan sat down as instructed, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, but fully opened his ears and senses.
Keep an eye on Hu Huhu's every move, as well as any disturbances in "Ghost Cry Village" below.
Lu Yuan didn't completely trust Hu Huhu, but the current situation was special, and he needed to rely on the other party's understanding of the Liu family's methods.
Hu Huhu quickly used a talisman brush and soul-guiding ink to draw seven or eight talismans on the stack of dark yellow yin talisman paper.
The runes were twisted and bizarre, not Taoist cloud and thunder patterns, but more like a combination of simplified and distorted ancient totems and grotesque symbols.
It exudes a savage and sinister aura.
Lu Yuan could sense that with each stroke, a faint, yin-attribute-oriented strange energy was gathered into the rune.
After drawing the talisman, Hu Huhu put down the talisman brush and picked up the "soul-continuing lamps" wrapped in oilcloth.
He carefully untied the oilcloth, revealing several ancient, dark blue lamps engraved with twisted runes.
The lamp was no bigger than a baby's fist, and it felt cold and heavy to the touch.
Instead of lighting the lamp wick, he dipped his fingertip into the pungent, fishy-smelling soul-guiding ink.
On the specific runes on the body of each lamp, a few strokes were redrawn and deepened.
As he sketched, the lamp seemed to light up slightly before quickly dimming again.
It was as if something inside had been "awakened," but was forcibly suppressed.
After doing all this, Hu Huhu took out the irregularly shaped "Soul Nourishing Stones" and "Soul Suppressing Stones" from the pagoda, and also took out the dark red bloodline.
He crouched down and began burying the stones along the edge of the bushes where the two were hiding, in a specific orientation and order.
He buried himself very deep, moved very lightly, and made almost no sound.
Each time he buried a stone, he would use that piece of blood thread to gently wrap around it a few times, tie a strange knot, and then cover it with soil.
Lu Yuan noticed that the location where he buried the stones vaguely formed an irregular, inward-shrinking circle.
These stones subtly "circled" the small area where the two were located.
This is not a defensive formation; it is more like a setup for "confusion" or "assimilation."
After burying the stones, Hu Huhu picked up the several talismans he had drawn and pasted them onto the branches of the bushes directly above the buried stones, with the talisman faces outwards.
Then, he picked up the rusty copper bells strung together with red rope and shook them gently.
The copper bell did not produce the clear, ringing sound that Lu Yuan had expected.
Instead, it emitted an extremely dull "humming" sound, as if it were directly striking the soul. The sound was not loud, but it had a very strong penetrating power.
Tiger Huhu shakes very slowly and rhythmically, pausing for a moment after every few shakes to listen attentively, as if adjusting some kind of "frequency".
Lu Yuan could sense that with the dull sound of the copper bell, the already gloomy woodland around him seemed to become even quieter.
It's not a silence in sound, but a kind of "blurring" in perception.
It was as if the location where the two of them were standing was being slowly "stripped away" or "covered up" from the normal "background" of this mountain forest by some force.
Even the foul, eerie aura wafting from the "Ghost Cry Village" below seemed to have faded somewhat, no longer directly stimulating one's senses.
This method—it's truly bizarre.
It's not like the Taoist techniques such as "breath-concealing talisman" or "invisibility spell," which directly affect oneself or distort light and sound.
It's more like changing the "field" of the surrounding environment.
Or rather, it is simulating a kind of "harmless", "same kind" or even "non-existent" illusion.
To deceive any existing warning mechanisms based on yin energy, spirits, or the perception of evil spirits.
Hu Hu shook the bell for about half a cup of tea's time before the dull sound of the copper bell finally stopped.
He carefully hung the copper bells on a low branch of an old tree next to him, letting them hang down naturally and no longer be touched.
Finally, he picked up the few treated "soul-restoring lamps".
This time, instead of using fire, he bit his right index finger.
A drop of bright red blood was dripped onto the wick of each lamp.
The drop of blood landed on the wick, but instead of sliding off, it was quickly absorbed.
Immediately afterwards, Hu Huhu began to chant an extremely strange incantation, with syllables that sounded like the low growl of a wild beast mixed with the whistling of the wind.
This incantation lacks the rhythm and power of Taoist incantations, yet it exudes a primal, wild, and eerie aura that resonates with something deep within this land.
As the incantation was chanted, a faint, dark green light slowly began to appear inside the lamps of those "soul-sustaining lamps"!
The light was not flame, but rather a cold, phosphorescent glow originating from the soul or some kind of yin energy.
The light was very faint, almost invisible in the darkness.
But Lu Yuan could clearly sense that a faint but persistent, chilling "light" carrying the bloodline aura of Hu Hu Hu was emanating from these lamps.
It intertwined with the "field" generated by the soul-nourishing stone, soul-suppressing stone, yin talisman, and copper bell that he had previously buried.
This has created a more complete and stable "disguise" field.
After doing all this, Hu Huhu was pale and his forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, clearly indicating that he had exhausted himself.
He let out a long sigh of relief, looked at Lu Yuan, and said in a low voice, "That's enough, Daoist Lu."
"I've temporarily covered this place with the Concealing Shadow and Hidden Soul Array."
"As long as we don't make too much noise, and don't directly run into the Liu family's night patrol zombies" or trigger the core warning restrictions.
"Within an hour, those 'eyes' on the perimeter that rely on yin energy and soul fire for perception should not be able to detect us."
"This formation simulates the aura of 'wandering ghosts and spirits passing by' and 'natural accumulation in yin areas.'"
"As long as we don't make any big movements, and don't emit too much of a living aura or Taoist energy, we can get away with it."
Hu Huhu pointed to the few most dilapidated houses in the northwest corner of the village below, where the spirit fire was also the dimmest.
"Let's sneak in from there."
"The evil energy is most stagnant there, probably on the edge of the village, or near some unimportant corpse-raising grounds or yin-gathering pools, where defenses are relatively lax."
"Once inside, we should try to avoid areas with soul fire or human activity, and first try to determine the exact location where your master is trapped."
Lu Yuan opened his eyes, stood up, and glanced at the seemingly simple yet strangely mysterious arrangement made by Hu Huhu. He nodded.
Although the methods were unorthodox and incompatible with Taoism, they were indeed useful at this moment.
"Walk."
Lu Yuan didn't ask any further questions, but simply said that he had completely suppressed his aura, even switching to the most restrained tortoise-like breathing state.
Only the most basic perception and action capabilities are retained.
Hu Huhu also took a deep breath and carried the significantly lighter satchel on his back.
Crouching low, they stealthily made their way down the hillside to the northwest corner of the eerily quiet "Ghost Cry Village."
Lu Yuan followed closely behind, and the two figures quickly blended into the shadows of the hillside and the faint gray-black mist.
It was as if they were truly two inconspicuous "wandering spirits" drifting towards the village that exuded an ominous aura.
Enter the village! Save the old man!