The Blade-Wielding Legend

Chapter 1591 - 808: The Hermit of the Wilderness (Part 2)

"Tsk, tsk, this creature is even more ferocious than recorded!"

"So it’s an ancient remnant..."

Li Yan examined closely, indeed it resembled the description very much.

He then looked around and whispered, "Though this is naturally an evil land, it seems to have traces of artificial transformation."

"Done very expertly, quite interesting."

"Indeed..."

Kong Shangzhao also nodded in agreement, carefully distinguished and then shook his head, "Can’t tell what method was used."

Just at that moment, the Wild Boar Beast suddenly stopped, its scarlet beast eyes fiercely stared at the location where the three were hiding!

Its nose twitched violently, a threatening growl squeezed from between its tusks, and its thick tail whipped like a steel whip, snapping the bamboo behind it as thick as a bowl.

"Its nose is quite keen..."

Li Yan coldly laughed, slowly drawing out the Duan Chen Blade.

No matter who trapped this fierce creature here, encountering it surely couldn’t be missed.

Firstly, it helps the local villagers by removing the menace, and secondly, creatures like these are usually full of treasures.

Having been discovered, he decided not to conceal himself anymore.

Clang!

The treasure sword unsheathed, he crossed the blade and left the grass, moving toward the exotic beast.

Bang, crackle!

The Arm Guard Thousand Thoughts Thunder Light flickered, converging on the Duan Chen Blade, the intent to kill continuously rising.

"Roar——!"

As if feeling the threat, the Wild Boar Beast became even more frenzied.

Just as Li Yan raised his blade, his pupils suddenly contracted.

A chilling sense of peril raced up his spine like a viper.

Without hesitation, he immediately deployed the North Emperor Divine Travel Technique, his toes aggressively touched the ground, his figure evaded rapidly backward like a phantom.

Boom!

At the instant he left the spot, the muddy ground ahead suddenly exploded!

The soil combined with the shattered bamboo roots soared into the sky, revealing a dark pit.

The edges retained scorching heat and a trace of an extremely faint, vermillion mingled sulphur Sha Qi masked by the scent of gunpowder.

Divine Fire Gun!

The bullet did not directly aim at him but accurately struck the ground a step in front of him.

It was both a warning and a display of terrifying marksmanship and control.

If the opponent had a murderous intent, this shot would not have missed.

Even with Sha Lifei’s years of experience with firearms, achieving such weightless, perfectly timed intimidation was impossible.

Li Yan pressed his back firmly against a thick, old bamboo, the cool texture of the bamboo nodes transmitted to him, the Duan Chen Blade crossed before him.

His gaze was icy, his body taut with power, while his left hand began to perform a mantra.

He was ready at any moment to deploy the North Emperor Mysterious Water Escape to circle around behind the opponent.

The crisis of being locked on, prickling his back like thorns, had not dissipated.

The opponent was clearly still hidden, the gun aimed steadfastly at his hiding area.

This bamboo forest illusion array naturally obstructed perception, yet the opponent was able to hide so perfectly, their marksmanship so cunning and aggressive, by no means ordinary.

Li Yan was about to take action when suddenly a spiritual light flashed through his mind, he spoke:

"Could it be a Daoist from Mei Mountain Magic Sect?"

His voice penetrated through the dense fog and the rustling sound of the bamboo, clearly carried out.

He had some associations with Mei Mountain Magic Sect, and it was inevitable that he would visit someday.

Before things were clarified, there was no need to indiscriminately make enemies.

Deep in the fog, dead silence.

Only the trapped Wild Boar Beast, due to the explosion, became more agitated and lowly growled, continuously turning in circles.

After a while, a low, slightly hoarse voice, as if honed by mountain winds for years, finally came from the oblique front among the foggy bamboo shadows:

"The mountains stand tall and the forest is dense, the path is difficult to tread, the water rushes and rocks are slippery, the tiger blocks the gate. Which immortal passes Mei Ling without first worshipping the mountain before moving troops?"

Li Yan feeling assured, indeed was a disciple from Mei Mountain!

He pondered briefly, then replied:

"When clouds disperse and mist clears, the truth is revealed, when water subsides and rocks surface, the Dragon King appears. Not a fierce dragon crosses the river, only to visit old friends in their homeland. Came without hearing the Mountain God’s wrath, only noticing the demonic aura shrouding the bamboo grove. The sword unsheathed is to slay demons and eradicate evils to protect the good, not to provoke the local king!"

The opponent was silent for a moment, then that chilling feeling confined to them finally receded.

The dense mist stirred slightly as a figure slowly stepped out from behind several thick bamboo stalks.

The newcomer was clad in a washed-out, patched indigo coarse cloth short jacket, with a straw rope fastened around the waist. His pant legs were rolled up high, speckled with mud, and on his feet were a pair of straw shoes polished to a shine, resembling nothing more than an old farmer from the mountains.

However, slung over his shoulder was a custom-made firearm, well-maintained and shining, with a barrel longer and thicker than the usual Divine Fire Guns, and the gunstock engraved with dense runes, the muzzle still faintly emitting smoke.

His face was dark and rugged, with wrinkles deep as ravines, yet his gaze was unusually sharp and bright, like a blade forged in fire.

This stark contrast formed an impressive image.

"Living Yin Messenger from Guanzhong, Li Yan?"

The hunter with the look of an old farmer glanced over Li Yan, Lv San, and Kong Shangzhao, his piercing gaze pausing momentarily on the Hook Paper at Li Yan’s waist and the Duan Chen Blade in his hand flickering with Thunder Light.

"That’s right."

Li Yan sheathed his blade and nodded, "Senior’s eyesight and marksmanship are remarkable. How should I address you?"

"Mountain folk, just call me Shi Laonian."

The hunter waved his hand, his gaze turning to the imprisoned Wild Boar Beast, eyes filled with complexity. The fierce killing intent subsided, replaced by a hint of heaviness and helplessness, "Forgive me, everyone. If I hadn’t acted, it would have died. Alas, it... it wasn’t like this before."

Shi Laonian’s voice turned low, "This old companion may have lived in this mountain for a century or more."

"In the days of my master’s master, it was already guarding this forest. Its nature is fierce yet it knows the rules, never harming the villages below. Instead, it often drove away truly harmful beasts and scared off wandering ghosts. When mountain villagers and woodcutters occasionally faced danger or lost their way, though it showed up frightfully, it always chased them down the mountain..."

"One could even call it the ’Mountain God’ protecting this area."

He pointed to the glowing moss around the Wild Boar Beast, "This ’Floating Jade Trapping Spirit Array,’ I set it up using the old moss and earth vein water energy of the mountain, leveraging the natural power of the Illusion Bamboo Forest to capture it. I intended to trap it, slowly finding a way to see if it could be awakened."

"But it’s been nearly a year... This mad affliction not only hasn’t improved but has worsened, its malice grows every day..."

Kong Shangzhao pondered, looking at the Wild Boar Beast thoughtfully, "The ’Classic of Mountains and Seas’ recorded its ’man-eating’. From your words, has it shown acts of harm recently?"

Shi Laonian nodded heavily, his gaze dim, "A few days ago, in the Qingxi Village at the foot of the mountain, two young men went missing while collecting herbs... Neither alive nor dead were they found. I followed the traces to this area... smelled blood and... the fresh human scent clinging to its body."

He gripped the gunstock of his firearm tightly, knuckles white, "I laid down this array, firstly to trap it from harming people, secondly... I was reluctant to harm it! Remembering its past deeds of protecting the mountain... But now it seems..."

Li Yan and his companions remained silent, unsure of what to say.

The hunters of the Mei Mountain Taoist were renowned across the realm, with many demon hunters stemming from their lineage.

To stir compassion in their hearts, his words were likely genuine.

Of course, true or false, they couldn’t be bothered.

"You are kind, Senior."

Li Yan casually flattered, then got straight to the point, "We have come to Tianmu Mountain to seek a reclusive elder in Qingxi Village, skilled in the Tattoo Secret Technique, known as ’Granny Qing’. Do you know her whereabouts? If you could guide us, we would be very grateful."

This old man clearly hid his identity, possessing such skills meant he was no mere nobody.

As a local expert, he must know Granny Qing.

They were pressed for time and couldn’t afford to waste it here.

"Granny Qing?"

Shi Laonian was taken aback, falling silent for several moments before letting out a long sigh, "Follow me."

Saying so, he shook his head, shouldered his firearm, and turned towards the direction of the back mountain of the village.

As expected, the Illusion Array here was his doing.

The dense fog seemed to part with his footsteps, automatically opening a narrow path.

Li Yan and his companions exchanged glances, a sense of foreboding rising in their hearts, hurriedly following.

Shi Laonian led them past village dwellings, along a hidden path straight towards a shadowed hillside behind the village.

On the hill, the bamboo forest thinned, replaced by a relatively open slope dotted with dozens of graves, old and new.

The mountain wind wove through the pines and cypresses between the graves, issuing low, mournful murmurs.

Shi Laonian stopped in front of a simple grave built with greenstone.

The grave had sprouted grass, a few white wildflowers swaying gently in the breeze.

No incense or offerings were placed before the grave, only a piece of unhewn natural greenstone stood erect, deeply engraved with words:

Granny Qing’s Tomb.

"The winter before last, before a heavy snow sealed the mountains... the elder passed away in her sleep."

Shi Laonian stood before the grave, his voice low, carrying the unique respect mountain folk hold for the deceased.

"Ah, this..."

Li Yan felt his head swell upon hearing this.

He had considered the possibility that Granny Qing would refuse to help out of resentment towards living Yin Constables.

But he hadn’t expected that she had already passed away.

"Did this senior leave any disciples?"

Li Yan, at a loss, could only probe with a question.

"There was indeed one disciple..."

Shi Laonian’s face turned grim, "But that person is a bad seed, now fallen to evil!"