Chapter Forty-Three: The Twin Fiends of the Book Demons

In a whirlwind of motion, two black-robed cultivators fell before the rest could even react. Yet the scholar named Feng showed little panic; instead, he calmly dusted off his robes and, with a faint smile, addressed Liang Yan:

“What a cunning ruse—mending the plank road in the open while sneaking through the darkness. Outwardly you came to investigate the matter of Yongle Town, but in truth you’d already infiltrated our ranks. We truly underestimated the both of you!” With these words, he cupped his hands in a scholar’s salute, his demeanor refined, and continued, “I am Feng Kun. May I ask for your esteemed name, fellow cultivator?”

Liang Yan shot him a cold glance but did not reply.

The scholar took no offense and turned instead to “Number One,” saying, “To think that two esteemed disciples of the Chess Star Pavilion would stoop to trickery rather than face us honorably! It is truly beneath contempt. Especially you, young lady, with such beauty gracing the world—how could you resort to such shameful acts? It truly sullies the elegance you possess.”

Since their identities had been exposed, there was no point in hiding any longer. “Number One” reached out and pulled away her black mask, revealing herself in white garments—it was none other than Tang Diexian.

Feng Kun’s eyes lit up. Shaking his folding fan, he sighed, “A beauty by nature, yet a thief by choice?”

Liang Yan found it odd that, faced with an overwhelming enemy, Feng Kun showed not the slightest fear. Instead, he babbled on, as if probing for something. Liang Yan’s eyes swept the surroundings, suspicion growing.

Suddenly, he recalled that the black-robed cultivator known as “Number Six” hadn’t moved since earlier. Looking again at the eyes visible through the man’s mask, Liang Yan noticed they were utterly vacant, as if lifeless.

A chill ran through him. “This is bad!” he thought.

With a flash of intent, Liang Yan gathered spiritual power into his feet. Feng Kun was still smiling, about to say more, when Liang Yan suddenly leapt into the air. With a loud crack, a shadow burst forth from where he’d just stood, a spectral claw on its hand slashing toward him.

In midair, Liang Yan flipped nimbly, narrowly avoiding the attack. Landing, he sprang backward, widening the distance.

“Earth Escape Technique!” Liang Yan’s eyes narrowed. Among the Five Elements Escape Arts, Earth Escape was the easiest to cultivate but, in low-level duels, also the most effective for ambushes since it didn’t allow for flying on artifacts.

The figure that emerged from the ground was another “Number Six.” The original body standing in place suddenly burst into flames for no apparent reason; when the fire died out, it revealed a skeleton.

Feng Kun watched as Liang Yan dodged the ambush, inwardly sighing at the missed opportunity. Yet he swiftly regained his composure, no longer wasting words. His gaze now fixed coldly on Liang Yan, as if staring at a dead man.

Meanwhile, the “Number Six” who’d launched the ambush ignored everything else. His hands moved rapidly in a series of seals, then pressed to the ground. The earth rumbled, and black smoke erupted from the four cardinal directions.

The swirling smoke was soon scattered by the wind, revealing four skeletons wielding axes, identical to the decoy skeleton left behind earlier.

“Ghost Summoning Art! Be careful, that man practices the Ghost Path,” Tang Diexian called out urgently.

Liang Yan dared not be careless. He raised the Nine-Dragon Staff, eyes locked on the five skeletons. Spiritual power surged through his body as he silently activated the “Aura-Seeing Technique.” A faint blue glow rose from the Twin Fish Array within him, coursing to his eyes.

With his vision enhanced, Liang Yan saw spiritual energy roiling within each skeleton, each on par with a fourth-level Qi Condensation cultivator. Behind them, black threads—normally invisible—extended from their skulls and converged in “Number Six’s” left hand, now faintly visible thanks to the Aura-Seeing Technique.

“Number Six” formed a seal with his right hand and tugged with his left. The black threads tightened, and the skeletons’ vigor surged—they raised their axes and charged at Liang Yan.

The first skeleton leapt high, swinging its axe down at him. Liang Yan raised the Nine-Dragon Staff to block. The impact sent a fierce jolt through his arms, but his powerful physique absorbed the blow with little more than a tremor.

Before he could catch his breath, another skeleton attacked from the front, while two more swung at his flanks, sealing off any chance to dodge.

Liang Yan shifted the staff to his left hand and punched at the skeleton on his right, his speed astonishing. Before its axe could land, his fist struck its chest, sending it staggering back and missing its swing. At the same time, he flicked the staff forward, knocking the front skeleton’s axe aside.

In an instant, he had neutralized the assault of three skeletons. As the skeleton to his left brought its axe down toward his waist, Liang Yan advanced instead of retreating, stepping onto the shoulders of the disarmed skeleton and flipping backward in the air, deftly evading the blow. As he landed, he swung the Nine-Dragon Staff in a sweeping arc at the fifth skeleton behind him.

The attack was so swift and unexpected that the skeleton, axe still raised, took a crushing blow to the skull. Liang Yan had expected to shatter its head, but to his surprise, it only cracked a few bones. The skeleton staggered back, shook its head, then lunged forward with its axe as if nothing had happened.

“These skeletons are astonishingly resilient!” Liang Yan realized. In his brief hesitation, the five skeletons regrouped and pressed the attack.

“Number Six,” focused on controlling the skeletons, had not expected Liang Yan to be a body cultivator, capable of withstanding the close-quarters onslaught of his Netherworld Skeletons. He exchanged a glance with Feng Kun.

Understanding instantly, Feng Kun snapped open his folding fan, summoning a fierce wind. He chanted softly, then pointed with his right hand. The howling wind gathered before him, forming two enormous blades of air.

Pointing at Liang Yan, Feng Kun shouted, “Go!”

The two wind blades shot forth with a terrifying shriek, slicing toward Liang Yan.

Liang Yan, already wary of the scholar’s actions, now saw him unleash such a devastating wind spell. He focused seventy percent of his attention on dodging the incoming blades, relying on his body’s instincts to fend off the skeletons.

While Liang Yan was forced into a desperate struggle against two foes, “Number Two” and Tang Diexian had also engaged in combat.

“Number Two” was reputedly the strongest among the six, his Daoist arts formidable, especially the Five Elements spells, which he wielded with flawless mastery—fireballs, ice spikes, earthen walls, and more erupted in quick succession. Yet, no matter how powerful his attacks, whenever they were about to strike Tang Diexian, a white jade pixiu would leap from the pendant on her chest and swallow them whole, leaving her unharmed.

“If she’s not a direct disciple of a sect elder, she must be from a distinguished family. How else could she possess such a precious treasure?” he thought bitterly. With the pixiu pendant, Tang Diexian was effectively invincible; seizing her in one stroke was impossible.

Tang Diexian, seeing Liang Yan beset on all sides and the situation dire, grew agitated. Gripping her Hundred Blossom Sword, she moved with precise steps, muttering incantations under her breath.

Suddenly, a sea of radiant flowers blossomed across the ground around “Number Two.” Petals of every hue rose into the air, swirling with her gestures. Wanting to finish quickly and aid Liang Yan, she unleashed the divine art she had used to slay the fortune-teller—the “Realm of a Hundred Blossoms.”

With a wave of her slender hand, countless petals slashed toward “Number Two.” He had never seen such a bizarre, deadly spectacle; each petal radiated murderous intent. Alarmed, he hastily conjured a black shield, biting his tongue and spitting a mouthful of blood onto it.

Instantly, the shield glowed with an inky radiance, forming a curtain of darkness around him. Petals struck the barrier, sending ripples across its surface. The light wavered, flickering as if on the verge of collapse.

Face pale, “Number Two” suddenly raised his left hand, slicing off his own wrist with a blade-shaped gesture from his right. Blood gushed forth, splattering onto the shield, which roared with power. The barrier solidified, stabilizing under the relentless floral assault.

Seeing his defense hold, “Number Two” regained his composure. “I’ll keep this girl busy. Once those two deal with that brat, we’ll surround her together. No matter how skilled she is, she won’t escape my grasp!”

He knew that “Number Three” and “Number Six” were notorious as the “Scholar and Ghost Fiends” among the loose cultivators of Zhao—experts at deadly teamwork, infamous for murder and theft. Even if facing him one-on-one, they were formidable; together, they were terrifying. He glanced over and saw their attacks driving Liang Yan into pure defense—victory seemed only a matter of time. He sneered to himself, vowing to exact bloody revenge for his severed wrist.

Tang Diexian, too, noticed Liang Yan’s worsening predicament. She pushed her techniques to the limit, spiritual power surging within her, but “Number Two’s” black shield held fast, like a tortoise shell, impenetrable. He continued to unleash Five Element spells, evidently determined to keep her occupied and prevent her from helping Liang Yan.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more anxious she grew. Suddenly, a piercing howl echoed from the other side, followed by the sound of shattering bone. Her heart leapt in alarm—she looked over and saw Liang Yan smash a skeleton’s arm with his staff, only to be sliced by a wind blade. Even with his powerful body, blood sprayed into the air!