Chapter 61: The Luo Book (5)

This man is not a Tang person!
No Tang person has such deeply sunken eye sockets, nor does any Tang person neglect their hair so much.
This was supposed to be a place where Tibetan Buddhist monks taught the Dharma—so why was there a foreign warrior here? The young man was shocked. Suddenly, a sharp blade came at him. He drew his sword to block it, and though he used all his strength, the force still made his hand numb.
The man didn’t give the young man a chance to recover. He swung the blade at Li Kuo’s neck. With great force, Li Kuo didn’t dare to fight head-on and barely managed to dodge, but even so, his clothes were torn.
“The believers’ loss of sanity must be due to that holy water!”
Blood seeped from the corner of Li Kuo’s mouth as he asked with a bitter smile.
“You’re clever. You realized our intentions from the start.”
After a brief pause, the man in black continued, “But you’re also foolish. Anyone who enters this valley either sells their soul to the devil or becomes a dead man. So, everything you know is useless.”
With that, the man in black swung his sword, creating five sword shadows that attacked Li Kuo. At this moment, even though Li Kuo was quick-witted, he had no way to escape. He could only barely protect his face with his sword and defend passively.
“Overestimating yourself!”
A familiar, kind voice came from behind. Li Kuo’s eyes lit up—it was Brother Nan!
It turned out that Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun were worried that Li Kuo and the other young men would investigate alone, so they disguised themselves as pilgrims and mixed in with the crowd to enter the valley. As experienced warriors, they knew well that the so-called holy water and talismans shouldn’t be used carelessly. They planned to wait until the Tibetan Buddhist monks wearing green tooth masks revealed their true faces before taking action. But who would have thought that all the believers in the valley would suddenly turn into mindless zombies?
Seeing the man in black dare to attack Li Kuo directly, Nan Jiyun was furious. He was known for protecting his brothers fiercely—anyone who dared bully his brothers would face his wrath head-on!
Nan Jiyun shook his wrist, and his sword appeared in his hand. With rainwater mixing with the blade, he swung it at the man in black with tremendous force. This strike was for Li Kuo and the other young men, for the thousands of people who had lost their minds, and for the dignity of the Tang people!

The man in black was shocked. He had never seen such a desperate swordsmanship before. Not daring to engage head-on, he could only retreat under the pressure. Having reached a sheer cliff with nowhere to go or hide, he gritted his teeth and instead of retreating, charged forward, leaping to seize Nan Jiyun’s sword. This move was extremely risky; if successful, it could instantly give him a huge advantage. But if it failed, he would expose his entire body as a target.

“Not bad for a man!”
Nan Jiyun shouted and slashed at him head-on.

Hmph, just so-so! The man in black sneered inwardly. He had thought Nan Jiyun to be a brave and resourceful man, only to find him to be nothing but a reckless brute who relied solely on brute force.

He reached out and grabbed Nan Jiyun’s wrist, using force to take the blade from his hand. But unexpectedly, Nan Jiyun roared and struck the man in black in the chest with his elbow.

“Pfft!”

Blood gushed from the man in black’s mouth as he felt intense pain in his internal organs and was sent flying backward. Yet, as a skilled fighter by a Buddhist monk’s side, he adjusted himself mid-air and managed to stand firmly on the ground.

Nan Jiyun also felt a chill in his heart. His strike had been nearly all his strength—normally enough to kill a strong man. Yet the man in black only spat blood, proving his formidable skills.

Without giving the man in black a chance to recover, Nan Jiyun leaped into the air and slashed at him. His sword carried immense force, with a gust of wind and mist swirling around it as it rushed forward. The man in black retreated hastily, leaving two deep marks on the ground.

“Dying, you demon monk!”
Nan Jiyun shook his wrist, sending his sword toward the Buddhist monk wearing a green mask. What a clever tactic, blending offense and defense! Nan Jiyun used every brutal move possible, pushing the man in black to the brink. But his true target was the Tibetan mage guarded by several monks—the green-masked demon monk sitting on the giant rock!

The sword flew toward him, and just as it was about to touch the monk’s face, the green-masked monk’s eyes sharpened, and with a roar, he leaped into the air! His red robe billowed, creating a whirlwind. He stepped lightly on the sword, and with a swirl of his sleeve, he released a barrage of silver needles into the air. Like a heavy rain, the needles were coated in poison—Nan Jiyun clearly saw them turn instantly black! With no weapon left in his hand, how could he just sit and wait for death? He bent down and lifted a clump of embers from the fire pit, whose residual heat from being doused by the rain was still there. With a strong push, he reignited the fire, sending charred wood flying toward the silver needles!

“Sssh, sssh!”

A sound of cracking erupted in the air as silver needles pierced into the firewood, emitting a shrill wail. Nan Jiyun dodged this deadly strike and needed to catch his breath. Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly felt a tightness around his waist—a giant python had somehow climbed onto him! “Damn it!” Without a weapon in hand, Nan Jiyun couldn’t kill the python in time. The beast seemed to regard him as food, tightening its grip increasingly. By now, the sky over the mountain valley was completely covered by dark clouds, making it as dark as night. “Die!” A flash of lightning illuminated the masked face with its green complexion and sharp fangs. The Tibetan demon monk shot a short sword from his sleeve, aiming straight at Nan Jiyun’s heart! “Check behind you before killing!” Lei Wanchun had been fighting with his two bodyguards moments earlier and rushed to rescue his friend when he saw him in danger. It was now impossible to stop the demon monk’s attack head-on, so Lei Wanchun swung his circular sword at the monk’s waist. Confident in this tactic of saving one by attacking another, he believed even if the monk was a reincarnated deity, he would surely be defeated! “Naive!” The Tibetan demon monk smirked coldly and continued to thrust forward, ignoring the sword swinging at him from behind. “Thud!” Nan Jiyun was struck in the chest and collapsed, just as the sword arrived! There was no way the monk could dodge this strike—he had to avenge Nan Jiyun! Frenzied, Lei Wanchun swung his sword through the rain and mist, aiming straight at the monk’s waist! In a flash, three blue-and-white snakes rushed out from the monk’s blood-red robe and wrapped around Lei Wanchun’s powerful sword blade. But with such immense force behind his swing, how could he be stopped by just a few snakes? He continued to push, cutting the three snakes into pieces! “Sss!” A greenish liquid sprayed from the snakes and splashed into Lei Wanchun’s eyes. “Damn it!” His vision turned completely black. He hadn’t expected the snakes to be poisonous! No wonder that Buddhist monk had remained so calm—he must have had such a sinister backup plan! But it was too late to worry now; he had completely lost his fighting ability. Even without the Tibetan demon monk intervening, his two bodyguards could easily end his life. “Sss, sssss!” The giant python released the limp Nan Jiyun and, guided by its master, crawled toward Lei Wanchun. Compared to an unconscious prey, it preferred a struggling one. The python hissed, its bloody maw wide open! “Retreat fifteen steps southeast, turn left, then move right to the boulder!”

A clear cry came from afar—Yan Xu, the man in black, had already reached with his sword! The giant python was startled, turning its head and hissing angrily. “Heh, then I’ll end you first, you beast who aids the tiger!” Yan Xu roared as he leaped into the air. With skillful movements, he swung his sword, and with just a slight shake of his wrist, seven sword flowers appeared. Before anyone could react, the python’s head flew off, its blood spraying all over Yan Xu’s face. Soon after, its body split into six pieces, crashing to the ground. Yan Xu’s sword was truly that fast! The Buddhist monk wearing a mask with green face and sharp fangs darkened his eyes and muttered something. Then, a group of six men in black rushed forward from afar, each holding a strangely shaped device. These devices were peculiar—neither sharp enough to be weapons nor equipped with any mechanisms to be considered hidden weapons. “They’re musical instruments!” Li Kuo shouted, knocking over one of the black guards to warn Yan Xu. Yan Xu frowned. That fool was right—the objects in the black warriors’ hands were indeed musical instruments. The six warriors played, sang, and made eerie sounds that sounded like the wails of demons. The believers still fighting among themselves turned their heads and stared at Yan Xu with blank expressions. “Om—Ma—Ni—Pa—Mi—Hung—Kill—Kill—Kill!” The green-faced monk removed his mask and threw it at Yan Xu, uttering a six-character incantation. As if under a curse, the mask caused the believers to rush at Yan Xu like mad. With six sounds gathering soldiers, evil spirits urging death, and endless eerie noises, the entrance to Zhongnan Mountain resembled a hellish realm.