The thing that caused these Daoists to be possessed,

wasn't the Evil Qi!

Li Yan only realized this now.

The formation used by the Mystical Sect was the Liangyi Sword Formation, with which Li Yan was familiar, having faced it before.

This time, the opposing side launched a massive operation, with about a hundred people, seemingly forming the full Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha number, inevitably bringing more changes.

But it was precisely for this reason that they revealed their cards.

Evil Qi gathered on them, transforming into a visible black mist, twisting in the air and evolving into a Tai Chi pattern.

Condensed and not dispersed, it was like a living creature.

This was a manifestation only seen with Evil Spirits!

The Evil Spirit Qi was a mutation of Innate Astra Bane Qi, undying and undestroyable, only to be suppressed in famous mountains and rivers, gradually eroding away.

Moreover, it was incredibly dangerous.

Li Yan had only seen Situ Qian use it in small amounts.

Such a method wouldn't be part of the Mystical Sect's heritage.

The one commanding earlier must be the real mastermind!

"Hmph!"

As expected, upon hearing Li Yan's words, a cold laugh echoed in the Three Pure Ones Hall, "Knowing so much, what use does it have?"

"You can have fun here slowly..."

As the voice spoke, it quickly receded into the distance.

It seemed to have gone to the Doumu Temple.

Li Yan looked into the distance, feeling a sense of unease rising within him.

He initially thought he only needed to deal with the Mystical Sect, not expecting other forces would intervene and even be able to manipulate Evil Spirit Qi.

Even if the other side didn't say anything, he could make some guesses.

Previously, when he and Yang Chenghua came to investigate, they saw an altar outside the Doumu Institute carved with the Dragon Lady and River God Daijun.

And the Mystical Sect's plan was to draw on the power of Mortal Gods within the temple to suppress the Dragon Lady and revive the River God Daijun's strength.

They were enticed by Lu Sheng to participate in this matter.

And those taking action now were mostly the Dragon Worship Sect!

Clang clang clang!

Before Li Yan could think further, the Daoists below drew their swords in unison.

"Wu Ba!"

Li Yan likewise positioned his saber horizontally and gave a low command.

He had no time to break the array here.

"On it!"

Wu Ba landed behind them, shouldering the heavy Tiger Venerate Cannon, quickly loaded the ammunition, then forcefully jumped onto the wall.

"What a guy..."

The nearby "Yin Yang Pen" Wen Song quickly dodged aside.

He had seen the power of this weapon.

If it misfired, everyone nearby would die.

Wu Ba chuckled as he prepared to ignite the fuse with a torch.

His frame was massive, his fingers thick as carrots. Sha Lifei's Divine Fire Gun seemed like a toy in his hand, holding no interest for him.

Only this Tiger-Squat Cannon suited his tastes.

But just as the torch neared, "Earth Listening String," standing nearby, twitched his ear, face changing abruptly, "Quick, get down!"

Li Yan reacted swiftly, pulling Wu Ba down with a leap.

Boom!

A loud explosion followed, the wall where they had stood before suddenly shattered, bricks and stones raining down like a torrent.

The other side also had a gunman,

and they used Escape Technique for concealment!

Li Yan's sharp eyes caught sight of fire flashes on the rooftop near the Three Pure Ones Hall, revealing a figure surrounded by Array Flags amidst dispersing fog.

The Dragon Worship Sect had also arranged for gunmen!

Though Li Yan was infuriated, he was not surprised.

With the emergence of new gunpowder and its formidable display in the Southwestern War, such things had taken the stage and would alter the structure of the pugilistic world.

No matter how skilled a master is, negligence could result in being shot dead.

Such situations would become increasingly common in the future.

Other members of the Bamboo Forest Six Leisurely who had come with them, as well as Granny Jin, also leapt down from the wall in fright.

Before they could ponder, sword light already assailed them.

"Beware the hidden gun!"

Li Yan gave a warning, then moved forward with his saber.

"You break the formation, leave him to me!"

"Skin Painter" Cui Bai responded in a deep voice, then tore open the bundle behind him, drawing out a shadow puppet.

Unlike those commonly used in Shadow Puppetry, this puppet was almost child-sized, dressed in blue burial clothes, with a face painted white and cheeks with red circles, looking quite eerie.

Cui Bai, having the closest relationship with Situ Bo and coming from a side door, had a family history of running a coffin shop. Later, he was framed, his family fell, and at a young age, he ended up overseeing corpses at a morgue.

Despite his misfortunes, he eventually encountered someone in the morgue and learned the Skin Painter techniques, formally entering the Mystical Sect.

He picked up the shadow puppet, bit his middle finger to draw blood, painting talismans on it while muttering spells, eyes fixed on the figure on the roof of the Three Pure Ones Hall.

"Hehehe~"

A bizarre childish laughter echoed.

The puppet seemed to come alive, drifting with the wind, laying prone in the air, moving its arms to mimic gun-reloading movements.

It mirrored the actions of the figure atop the opposite roof almost exactly.

"Freeze!"

Cui Bai let out a cold snort, reversed his dagger, and pinned the puppet to the ground.

The puppet squealed and twitched crazily.

The figure on the opposite rooftop also trembled all over, unable to move.

This was a type of spell from the craftsmen's sect.

These kinds of folk magic veins, especially craftsmen, usually possessed some bizarre spells for protection. Though a side door, it was truly powerful.

Once the spell was cast, even if the opponent wasn't dead, they could no longer attack.

This effectively alleviated the group's concerns. Without the threat of the hidden gun, they could finally focus on tackling the sword array.

The sword array of the Mystical Sect was indeed challenging to deal with.

Although the Daoists setting up the formation, compared to any one of them, had far inferior Dao, the essence of a sword formation was to gather the strength of many.

Like in the Battle of Shennongjia, where the Wudang Daoists set up a sword formation that even blocked the reincarnated Sect Leader of the Heavenly Saint Sect outside.

Though the Mystical Sect wasn't as renowned as Wudang, its heritage was more ancient, and in the Sword Immortal Holy Land of Shu, its Swordsmanship was naturally different.

Numerous Daoists' robes billowed, their sword light flashing like rain, sweeping about; everyone felt dazzled, as if they were being attacked by dozens of swords simultaneously, without a moment's reprieve.

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