Chapter 134 – Clever Tactic

“Master Ruan, are you saying there’s an issue in the west? Should we go take a look first?” Song Yao whispered to the short, dark, and skinny Vietnamese man beside him, who resembled a monkey.

The man surnamed Ruan didn’t respond, but his slightly taller companion snorted and said in broken Chinese, “Of course we’re going. Our formation won’t make mistakes, unlike yours.”

The words didn’t sound particularly pleasant, but Song Yao showed no sign of annoyance. Instead, he nodded politely, “Since both of you say so, let’s get moving.”

These two Vietnamese men had been invited by his master and were quite renowned masters from northern Vietnam. Although their methods of casting spells were a bit peculiar, their skills were not to be underestimated. They had been assigned to guard the outer mountains, and many of the traps had been set up by them personally. However, what had happened tonight was a slap in the face. Whoever had destroyed the Nightmare Wood Formation, and however many of them there were, they had managed to bypass the traps set by these two without triggering any alarms. For the two Vietnamese men who prided themselves on their expertise, this was a great humiliation.

Song Yao was well aware of this but chose not to point it out. Tonight’s events were too bizarre, and even his master was on high alert, let alone him, a junior who had only joined the sect two years ago. With the enemy’s intentions unclear and these two Vietnamese men still needed, it was best to keep them calm for now.

His slightly deferential attitude improved the expressions on the faces of the two Vietnamese men. The man surnamed Ruan snorted coldly, bent down to pick up a handful of soil, rubbed it between his fingers, muttered a convoluted incantation, and then nodded to the people behind him before striding forward. Although Song Yao couldn’t guess what he was doing, he didn’t ask any questions and quickly followed.

The further west they went, the closer they got to the scenic area, which was densely populated and thus a key area for protection. However, the formations set up around the scenic area were relatively mild, designed to cause symptoms like headaches or diarrhea to make people leave quickly. More advanced ones were only designed to cause disorientation, creating the effect of a “ghost wall.” Master Ruan and his companions hadn’t focused much on protecting this area.

Yet, it was precisely these low-level formations that had been tampered with. It was the middle of the night, and even if some tourists had wandered in by mistake, they shouldn’t have entered the mountains at this hour. Therefore, the most likely explanation was that these were companions of the group they were after. The powerful ones, capable of casting spells, were being tracked by the man surnamed Luo, while those who had triggered the low-level formations were undoubtedly not strong opponents. But capturing one or two of them would still be useful, as they could be interrogated about their intentions.

Ruan Zhengqian’s face was gloomy, but he had already made up his mind. They had been hired at a high price, and with the presence of skilled Chinese Jiangtou, they didn’t want to lose face in front of their counterparts. Naturally, they wouldn’t miss this opportunity to show their skills.

He bent down again to pick up a handful of soil and muttered another incantation. This was a continuation of the poison curse technique. He had set up many curse formations along the way, and as long as they kept activating them, the power of the formations would stack up one by one, making it difficult for the enemy to escape. After casting the curse, he tossed the soil aside and was about to step forward when his companion suddenly stopped.

“Senior Brother Ruan, there’s something strange over there!” Li Mu said quickly and urgently in Vietnamese.

Ruan Zhengqian immediately stopped and looked in the direction his junior brother was pointing. He specialized in poison and insect curses, while his junior brother focused on soul curses and had a stronger sense of danger. However, when he looked over, he was stunned. In the forest not far away, a pale green figure was wandering in place. It was a Yin Soldier clad in armor, holding a long wooden spear. It seemed to be patrolling, or perhaps just drifting aimlessly. But Yin Soldiers usually appeared in formations—how could there be a lone Yin Soldier here?

Ruan Zhengqian immediately turned to Song Yao and asked, “Your formation, wasn’t it destroyed?”

He had some understanding of the Nightmare Wood Formation’s effects—it was designed to gather Yin Soldiers and use them as guards. The Chinese Jiangtou had been so confident in their methods that they hadn’t allowed him to set up formations around the Nightmare Wood Formation. But now that the formation had been destroyed, why was there still a Yin Soldier here?

Song Yao had also noticed the lone Yin Soldier and frowned. He had personally participated in setting up the Nightmare Wood Formation, even helping to bury the bodyguards used as Yin Coffins. He knew exactly how the formation worked, but this was the first time he had seen such a situation. Not wanting to lose face in front of the Vietnamese men, Song Yao hesitated for a moment before saying, “There have always been Yin Soldiers in these mountains. The formation just gathered them together. Now that there’s no restraint, these ghost soldiers are naturally wandering around. It’s not a big deal…”

But before he could finish, the Yin Soldier suddenly raised its head, its ghostly eyes glowing as it looked at the three of them. Its gaze didn’t resemble that of a wandering spirit but more like a real soldier. A chill ran down Song Yao’s back, and he was about to do something when the Yin Soldier suddenly flashed forward, covering hundreds of meters in an instant, and thrust its long wooden spear like lightning!

The attack came too suddenly. Song Yao only managed to take half a step back and didn’t completely avoid the Yin Soldier’s strike. However, whether it was because the spear’s tip was broken or the Yin energy wasn’t strong enough, Song Yao only felt a cold sensation in his chest, followed by a bone-chilling cold that shot up his spine. But there was no piercing pain from the Yin energy attacking his heart. He swallowed the scream that was about to escape his lips and quickly threw out a blood talisman, which stuck to the Yin Soldier’s forehead.

With a sizzling sound, the talisman turned to ash, and the Yin Soldier disappeared. Song Yao’s face turned pale, and a thin layer of frost formed on his eyebrows and face. But since he was still alive, he shivered and stammered, “Master Ruan, my skills aren’t up to par. I’ll need your help…”

Ruan Zhengqian, who had been holding a small porcelain jar high in his hand, finally lowered it and snorted, “Your formation only causes trouble. It’s no match for our curses! Li Mu, check if there are any more stray ghost soldiers around!”

Li Mu had been waiting for this. He had already taken out a dry, root-like object from his inner pocket and pressed it against his forehead, murmuring softly. A green shadow shot out from the wood—a monkey-like ghostly figure. However, it lacked the agility and cuteness of a monkey. Instead, it had bared fangs and black, bloodshot eyes, resembling a crazed demon. This was Li Mu’s Monkey Puppet, his life-bound ritual instrument.

After saying something to the ghostly figure, the monkey let out two sharp laughs and disappeared. In less than half a minute, Li Mu opened his eyes and exhaled, “Senior Brother Ruan, there doesn’t seem to be anything unusual nearby.”

Ruan Zhengqian had always trusted his junior brother’s soul curse techniques. Hearing this, he nodded and sneered at Song Yao, “It’s fine.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the forest, as if a large group of small animals were moving through the grass. This was a mountain forest at night, and with several living people standing right there, how could there be such a large-scale animal migration? The three of them all turned pale. Ruan Zhengqian had already raised the porcelain jar in his hand, and a swarm of tiny flying insects flew out.

At the same time, the creatures running through the grass emerged—a group of red-eyed rats, each with a ferocious expression, charging at the three of them like mad. In the blink of an eye, the flying insects collided with the rats, and a series of crisp popping sounds rang out. The ghostly rats burst like bubbles hit by needles, turning into wisps of green smoke.

Ruan Zhengqian’s expression was filled with doubt. The power of these spirit puppets was much weaker than he had imagined. But the current situation was undeniable—there was undoubtedly a skilled Daoist nearby. Whether it was the Yin Soldier earlier or these spirit puppets now, it all meant they had fallen into a trap. He shouted to the other two, “Let’s get out of here!”

Li Mu looked even more anxious than him. As he retreated, he kept shaking the soul artifact in his hand. His spirit monkey hadn’t returned yet—could it have encountered some danger? Neither the Yin Soldier nor these spirit puppets seemed particularly strong, so how could his spirit monkey have been delayed?

Despite their anxiety, their retreat was swift. Ruan Zhengqian didn’t panic and flee aimlessly. Instead, as he moved, he activated all the curse formations he had set up earlier. Although these poison curses weren’t particularly strong, when combined, they were no less powerful than a high-level flying curse. Anyone who fell victim to these curses would likely die on the spot. No matter how many people they managed to kill, it would certainly throw the enemy into disarray.

A sharp ghostly wail sounded, and Li Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief. His spirit monkey hadn’t suffered much damage and had managed to escape, heading back toward them. The rats chasing them were also dwindling in number, gradually being cleared out by the flying insects. In the face of absolute strength, no matter what tricks the enemy tried to play, they would all be crushed one by one!

Just as his heart began to settle, the ugly monkey appeared in his line of sight, and a flash of light suddenly lit up. A cold wind blew in reverse, and Ruan Zhengqian abruptly stopped.

In front of him was a fully armed army of soldiers, shrouded in Yin energy and exuding an eerie aura. Each Yin Soldier stared at the three intruders who had entered their formation. The neighing of warhorses echoed in their ears, carrying with it the killing intent left behind from ancient battlefields. This was a formation that had appeared out of nowhere, and the three of them had walked right into a trap.

“Impossible!” Song Yao let out a scream. The injury he had sustained earlier hadn’t fully healed, and now his face was deathly pale. But the scene before him was too horrifying. This was clearly the kind of formation that the Nightmare Wood Formation was supposed to summon. The Yin Coffins had been destroyed—how could they still summon so many Yin Soldiers?

But the Yin Soldiers didn’t give them any time to prepare. The cold blades of their weapons were already upon them!

In the mountains, a series of frantic screams rang out. Yao Wei, who was stroking his incomplete beard, grinned at the man beside him, “Brother Xuan, can we make our move now?”

Zeng Jingxuan’s face showed a hint of coldness as he inserted the last chicken throat into the soil. With this action, the earth’s energy surged out like a roaring dragon, and the Tiger Talisman at the center of the formation emitted a faint golden light. The sound of metal clashing echoed around the formation. This was a remote pathway created using the formation. As long as someone triggered the Yin Soldier scouts they had set up, the formation would immediately activate. However, since the direction of the formation’s power wasn’t easy to control, Yao Wei’s bean rats had become tools to drive the enemy.

With their seamless cooperation, those guys would naturally be surrounded by the Yin Soldier army.

But this wasn’t enough. Zeng Jingxuan sneered coldly and walked over to the activated curse formation. There were indeed many curse formations along the way, but with Yao Wei’s spiritual vision, they had easily avoided these small traps without stepping on any of them. Activating the formation’s power this time was just a tactic to lure the enemy. However, the curse formations set up by those people weren’t simple—they could form a chain of overlapping formations. If they hadn’t been careful, they could have been seriously injured or even killed.

And the simplest way to deal with a curse master was to break their curse formations.

Zeng Jingxuan held a few talismans in his hand and leisurely walked along the activated curse formation, placing the Black Bird Mirror on the ground. As he did so, a silver light descended from the sky and entered the mirror. Immediately, the image of a Vermilion Bird appeared at the center of the talisman formation. The moment the fiery bird appeared, the yellow talismans burst into flames. The fire seemed to have a life of its own, rolling like waves and engulfing the Yin energy within the curse formation. The sound of heaven breaking rang out!

From deep within the mountains, another scream echoed, but Zeng Jingxuan didn’t bother to look. With the curse formation broken and the Yin Soldiers surrounding them, no matter how skilled the enemy was, they wouldn’t be able to escape.

Having dealt with the ambush on the road, he wondered how Xiao Qi was doing.

At that moment, Yao Wei suddenly exclaimed, “Brother Xuan! Xiao Qi has sent a signal!”