8mi Chapter 63: Black Wind Ravine
Chapter 63: Black Wind Ravine
At 3:45 AM, Willow Branch Lane was still shrouded in a thin morning mist.
The black lacquered wooden door deep in the alley creaked open halfway, and Aunt Zhou, carrying an empty bamboo basket, poked her head out. She glanced around briefly before hurrying towards the morning market at the alley entrance. Her footsteps pattered softly on the damp flagstones, a clear sound in the quiet morning. Only after she disappeared into the alley did the door of the seemingly long-abandoned house next door silently open a crack.
Su Qingyao stood in the shadows inside the doorway, wearing a slightly worn lotus-root-colored pleated skirt, loosely draped with a moon-white vest. Her long hair was simply tied up with a plain silver hairpin, a few stray strands clinging to her fair forehead. In her hands, she held a blue cloth bundle, the cloth faded from washing, yet the edges were finely stitched. Inside were the last batch of talismans she had hastily made the night before. Her gaze passed through the crack in the door and landed on the black lacquered gate of the three-courtyard house opposite—the gate was tightly shut, new cobwebs covered the eaves, and the window paper was torn in several places without being repaired, truly a desolate sight of an empty house.
"Brother Lin's 'three burrows for a cunning rabbit' method is indeed thorough," Li Tie said in a low, hoarse voice behind her. The wound on his right shoulder had been re-dressed, wrapped in layers of clean cloth, and hung in front of his chest. His movements were still somewhat hesitant, but his complexion was much better than a few days ago. Behind him were four Black Stone Guards whose injuries were slightly less severe. Each of them had a solemn expression, their hands on the hilts of their swords, and their eyes, like those of hawks, scanned the empty alley.
Su Qingyao gave a soft "hmm," a complex expression flashing across her eyes. She recalled what Lin Yan had said to her last night before he left, when he handed her the key to the empty house next door—
"Qingyao, the journey to Black Wind Ravine is fraught with peril. Since Liu Xiong harbors evil intentions, it's hard to guarantee he won't come looking for us here while we're away from the city. This three-courtyard house is too conspicuous; you should move to the next house temporarily. I've already spoken with the broker; that house has been vacant for years and no one has noticed it. We'll have Aunt Zhou deliver our daily necessities discreetly in installments. We'll leave some old belongings in the courtyard to create the illusion of a hasty departure. If someone does come to investigate, they'll find nothing there."
She was slightly startled and blurted out, "Brother Lin's thinking is so meticulous..."
In the candlelight, Lin Yan's face was half-lit and half-shadowed. Hearing this, he only gave a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth, but there was no smile in his eyes: "It's just that he's well-versed in history and knows too many old examples of 'having one's base wiped out.' In chaotic times, it's always good to have a backup plan."
The world-weariness and insight in his tone left Su Qingyao stunned for a long while. She suddenly felt that there were too many things about this young man that she couldn't see through—not only his mysterious Soul-Devouring Body, but also a kind of caution and scheming that far exceeded his age and was almost ruthless. This caution, however, made her feel inexplicably at ease at this moment.
Pulling herself back to reality, Su Qingyao handed the bundle to Li Tie: "These are newly made 'Vajra Talismans' and 'Swift Travel Talismans,' thirty percent more effective than the previous ones. You two stay here and be extra careful. Don't go out easily during the day, and be vigilant at night..."
Li Tie nodded emphatically, his one hand firmly gripping the bundle as he took it: "Don't worry, Miss Su. As long as I have a breath left, I will never let any villains get near you."
Su Qingyao said no more, took one last look at the quiet courtyard across the way, turned and gently closed the door. The moment the wooden door closed, the last sound in the alley disappeared, leaving only the silent flow of morning mist, enveloping both houses in a hazy tranquility. To anyone else, it would have seemed like just another ordinary morning in this old alley in the east of the city.
***
Three days later, at the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), at the entrance to Black Wind Ravine.
The sun was setting, yet it couldn't penetrate the perpetual gray-white mist that clung to the mouth of the ravine. Here, the light seemed to be seized by an invisible hand, sparingly letting down only a few pale, cold, white halos, barely outlining the jagged contours of the cliffs on either side. The cliffs were a somber gray-black, their rock layers twisted and fractured, like claw marks left by ancient giants in battle, splattered with thick ink by time, exuding a sinister, deathly aura. The ravine mouth was no more than ten zhang wide, yet it resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast; looking inside, one could only see the churning mist, bottomless and so deep that even sounds swallowed up were muffled and echoless.
The wind was the only living thing here, yet its liveliness was chilling. It swept out from the depths of the ravine, hissing and whistling along the ground, carrying a damp, musty smell mixed with a faint, sweet, metallic rust—the smell of years of blood seeping into the cracks of the rocks and being released by the dampness. The wind on the face didn't feel like a knife cutting, but rather like countless ice needles piercing through the pores, making one's cheekbones numb, and even one's breath carried white vapor, which would soon dissipate into the mist.
Lin Yan stood three zhang away from the ravine, with fifteen Black Stone Iron Guards behind him. They had all changed their attire; their inner garments were fine cotton undergarments soaked in herbal liquid by Su Qingyao, and their outer garments were half-new leather armors bought from the West Market, with dark iron plates adorning their vital points; their waist pouches were bulging, filled with divided pills and talismans; their weapons were polished to a gleaming shine, the blades reflecting the pale light of the day, gleaming with a cold, eerie quality. Three days of rapid march had etched their faces with the marks of time, but a silent flame burned in their eyes—a fierce, pent-up energy, ready to be drawn and draw blood.
Wang Dashan carried the specially made iron-clad wooden shield, its surface freshly coated with tung oil, gleaming with a dark, somber light in the dim light. He squinted at the mist, his Adam's apple bobbing, and whispered, "Brother Yan, this place...it's eerie. This smell in the wind...I've smelled something similar when I was keeping watch at the mass grave."
Lu Ling didn't speak, but instead reached behind his back and took the hunting bow from his back, his fingertips slowly stroking the bowstring. It was an old bow, one that had accompanied him in hunting countless mountain beasts, but now the string was exceptionally taut, the three armor-piercing arrows nocked on it gleaming coldly, their fletching perfectly trimmed. He listened intently; the whistling of the mountain wind through the crevices of the rocks, the faint sound of flowing water in the distance, even the slight rustling of the moving mist, all entered his ears, but the sounds of any living creature were missing—not even a bird's song.
Zhou Fu squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil from the ravine, and rubbed it between his fingers. The soil was dark red, mixed with fine, rounded bone fragments. He frowned and looked up at Lin Yan: "There's blood seeping into the soil, and the bones are shattered like this... It hasn't been going on for just a day or two."
Lin Yan nodded slightly, his mid-stage Profound Realm spiritual sense already spreading out like mercury. The dark gray Devouring Spirit True Essence flowed slowly through his meridians, and the ancient mark on his chest emitted a warm sensation, pushing his spiritual sense to its limit. The mist gradually became transparent in his "eyes," revealing the pervasive, wispy, chilling aura within—not pure demonic energy, but more like a filthy substance mixed with death energy, resentment, and distorted true essence, like a suffocatingly thick, accumulated swamp. And deep within that filth, several more condensed, sinister auras lurked, carrying a greedy malice, silently "watching" the mouth of the ravine.
"These are no ordinary demon bandits." Lin Yan's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "They are evil cultivators, and... there are more than just one or two. Their auras are mixed and cold, and their cultivation methods are similar, like they're from the same group." He paused, then added, "There's also the stench of living creatures inside; they're domesticated demon beasts, and they're very ferocious."
Everyone's expression hardened, but no one retreated a single step. During the three-day trek, Lin Yan had meticulously explained the potential dangers of Black Wind Ravine, Liu Xiong's schemes, and even the characteristics of the evil cultivators and demonic beasts, several times over. Now that they had finally arrived, the instinctive fear in their hearts was suppressed by the fighting spirit that had accumulated over the past few days.
"Advance using the second formation," Lin Yan ordered, his tone calm and even. "Lu Ling, lead Zhao Si and Liu Zheng as scouts, ten zhang apart, to observe the enemy's movements. Wang Dashan will be on the left flank, Zhou Fu on the right, and the rest of you will follow me in the center. Keep the talismans at hand; if attacked, do not ask for permission. Your priority is to survive and annihilate the enemy."
"Yes!" the fifteen people responded in low voices, their voices like muffled thunder.
The group, like a sharp arrow, pierced through the thick fog. The path narrowed beneath their feet, the gravel increased, and the thick moss made it wet and slippery. The fog grew even thicker; figures became indistinct every few steps, and the air they breathed was icy cold, making their throats itch. A chilling wind swirled through the narrow passage, making strange sounds like a woman's sobs, blowing close to their ears and making the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.
After walking about a hundred paces, Lu Ling suddenly crouched down ahead, raising his fist—stopping on guard. Everyone immediately stopped, holding their breath. In Lin Yanling's spiritual sense, those lurking, sinister auras began to stir slightly, like hyenas smelling blood.
Sure enough, before Lu Ling could even finish his hand gesture, the sound of something cutting through the air arrived!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
It wasn't the twang of a bowstring, but the dull, trembling sound of a trigger mechanism. Seven or eight short arrows shot out from a very concealed crack in the left-hand rock wall, their shafts black, but their arrowheads gleaming with a dark blue light, like the flicking tongues of venomous snakes, heading straight for the middle of the column!
"Shields!" Wang Dashan roared like thunder, his and his shield bearers' already taut nerves responding instantly. They both took a half-step forward, their ironwood shields held high like walls, sealing them with a resounding "click!" "Thud, thud, thud!" Black arrows struck the shields, producing a series of muffled thuds. The dark blue arrowheads sizzled where they met the iron, etching tiny dents. Almost simultaneously, several cold stars shot towards the group's lower body from behind the rocks on their right!
"Right wing, defend!" Zhou Fu reacted swiftly, brandishing his newly acquired broadsword and deflecting two arrows with two sharp clangs. Another team member quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding them. However, a cunning arrow still grazed the edge of the shield and pierced the outside of Li San's thigh with a "thud!" Li San groaned and staggered, the blood gushing from his wound instantly turning black!
"There's a sinkhole underfoot!" Lu Ling's sharp shout rang out almost simultaneously! His eyesight was excellent; he had already spotted the slight crack in the stone slabs ahead. Before his words even finished, three stone slabs suddenly sank in, revealing sharpened wooden stakes underneath! Two outpost members cried out in alarm and slipped!
In a flash, Lin Yan's figure had already darted to the edge of the pit like a ghost. His left hand swiftly reached out, and his gray-black true essence condensed into a rope of energy, which wrapped around the waists of the two people before they could react. With a forceful pull, he forcefully dragged them back to solid ground! His right hand, with fingers pointing like a knife, unleashed a sharp blade of energy towards the boulder on the right. The dark figure behind the rock had just peeked out when the blade of energy ripped open its chest, causing it to stagger and fall to the ground, still clutching a strange short crossbow in its hand.
"It's an evil cultivator!" Lu Ling quickly examined the corpse and found a wooden plaque engraved with twisted patterns. "The arrows were poisoned, and the crossbow was specially made for surprise attacks."
Zhao Si rushed to Li San's side and quickly sprinkled on the antidote powder specially made by Su Qingyao. The powder hissed when it came into contact with the poisoned blood, and the black aura was slightly suppressed, but Li San's entire lower leg was already swollen and black, and he was covered in cold sweat.
Lin Yanling scanned his surroundings; the sinister auras were growing even more restless, converging from multiple directions. "Don't stop!" his voice was icy. "Zhao Si, bandage Li San, the two of you support each other as you move forward! Everyone, watch your step, your head, and the cracks in the rocks! Move!"
The group advanced again, the atmosphere growing even more tense. The wounded Li San was being carried along, and everyone was on edge, eyes wide open and ears at the ready. Sure enough, they hadn't gone far when a trap snapped open beneath their feet, rocks tumbled down from above, and a leather pouch hidden in a crevice burst open, splattering foul-smelling venom. The attackers remained hidden in the fog, striking and disappearing in a vicious and insidious manner, constantly draining the group's strength and mental fortitude.
"Brother Yan, we don't have much antidote left..." Zhao Si whispered anxiously during a break.
Lin Yan raised her hand to stop him, her gaze fixed on the slightly thinner mist ahead—where lay a gentle slope of jagged rocks. At the end of the slope, a deep, dark cave opened menacingly like the maw of a colossal beast. Scattered around the cave were piles of white bones, and dewdrops like blood clung to the tips of dark red ferns. A powerful, cold, and indifferent aura of late-stage Profound Realm cultivation emanated from within the cave.
"The source is right there." Lin Yan pointed to the cave, his voice resolute. "If we don't eradicate it completely, we won't be able to get out of Black Wind Ravine. Only by fighting our way in will we have a chance of survival."
The crowd gazed ahead at the cave that resembled the entrance to hell, their desperate situation fueling their fighting spirit. Rather than be slowly ground to death, they decided to fight to the death!
Just as the team finished lining up and was preparing to charge into the cave—
"Awooo—!" A hoarse, frenzied roar suddenly came from the fog on the left! Three dark red shadows darted out like ghosts, rushing straight for the left flank! They were **carnivorous jackals**, resembling jackals, with pale green eyes, dripping saliva that sizzled and corroded the ground, and venomous claws and teeth, moving as fast as the wind!
Almost simultaneously, from the shadows of the cliff face to the right, a series of shrill screams crashed down like a tidal wave! A massive swarm of shadow bats, their wings almost transparent, flew silently, and emitted high-frequency sonic booms that pierced the eardrums, leaving people disoriented and their vital energy stagnant!
Following the demonic beasts, seven or eight evil cultivators, clad in identical dark red leather armor and with their faces painted with bluish-black greasepaint, slowly emerged from the mist. They wielded strange blades, their eyes were numb and crazed, and most possessed the aura of late-stage Body Tempering, with the two leaders even faintly revealing the fluctuations of those newly entering the Profound Realm! With the demonic beasts causing chaos in front and the evil cultivators closing in from behind, the long-planned deadly attack finally erupted at this moment!
"Form the 'Three Talents Exorcising Formation'! Hold the line!" Lin Yan's roar boomed like thunder, instantly stabilizing the formation. "Wang Dashan! Hold off the jackal demons on the left flank! Lu Ling! Shoot the bat swarm leader with the Exorcising Arrow! The rest of you, follow me to engage the evil cultivators! Tighten the formation, support each other from the sides!"
"Roar!" Wang Dashan roared, slamming his shield heavily to the ground, as he and his fellow shield bearers held off the first carnivorous jackal that pounced! The jackal's claws scratched at the shield, making a "sizzling" sound and sending sparks flying! Another team member thrust his spear through a gap in the shield, the evil-dispelling runes on the tip glowing faintly, and "plop" it pierced the jackal's belly! Black blood spurted out!
Lu Ling had already abandoned ordinary arrows, and instead drew out a specially made "Demon-Slaying Arrow". The bow was drawn as full as a full moon, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. He instantly locked onto the dark red leader bat in the swarm, which was slightly larger and was leading the formation! The bowstring twanged, and the arrow flew like a meteor, carrying a faint golden light, and accurately pierced the leader bat's head!
"Squeak—!" The leader bat shrieked shrilly and exploded into a cloud of blood mist! The swarm of bats was immediately thrown into chaos, and the power of the sonic wave was greatly reduced!
The instant Lin Yan issued the command, his figure shot forward like an arrow, heading straight for the two leaders of the Xuan-level evil cultivators! The evil cultivator on the left slashed with his curved blade, a foul stench filling the air! Lin Yan moved half a foot to the side with a mysterious step, dodging the blade, and his left hand shot out like lightning, his five fingers gripping the wrist of the man holding the blade!
"Let go!" With a cold shout, the Soul Devouring True Essence surged in!
"Ah—!" The evil cultivator screamed in agony, his arm feeling as if it were being pierced by a thousand needles. The icy true essence in his meridians melted away rapidly, like snow meeting boiling water! His tiger's mouth split open, and the curved blade flew out of his hand!
Enraged, the evil cultivator threw another punch at Lin Yan's face. Lin Yan's right-hand longsword, already transformed into a gray-black crescent moon, struck first, slashing at the cultivator's wrist joint!
"Crack!" The sound of bone breaking was clear! The evil cultivator's arm went limp, his madness turning into fear in his eyes, and he staggered backward.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the leader of the evil cultivators on the right pounced to Lin Yan's side, his snake-shaped bone sword twisting and coiling, transforming into several points of eerie green stars that enveloped Lin Yan's back, waist, and ribs! The sword wind was sinister and cunning, with a putrid stench!
As if Lin Yan had eyes in the back of his head, he slashed through the air with his left hand and precisely grasped the bone sword! The gray-black true energy emanating from his fingertips clashed fiercely with the sinister poison on the sword, making a hissing sound!
The evil cultivator leader was horrified. He tried to reclaim the sword, but it remained completely still! A cold, corrosive force surged upwards along the sword! He decisively abandoned the sword and retreated swiftly.
How could Lin Yan allow him to escape? With a shift in his steps, he pursued him relentlessly, his right hand wielding a long sword that transformed into a chilling arc of light, aiming straight for the man's chest and abdomen! The sword intent sealed off all evasion, and a destructive aura descended upon him!
The evil cultivator leader was terrified. He bit his tongue and spat out blood mixed with black energy. At the same time, he pulled out a handful of lime powder mixed with iron filings with his left hand and threw it at Lin Yan's head and face!
Lin Yan frowned slightly, and with a flick of his left sleeve, a wall of true energy erupted, scattering and swirling the lime and iron sand, which then lashed out at the evil cultivator's head and face! In this fleeting moment of interference, the blade struck the evil cultivator's left shoulder acupoint, Jianjing!
With a muffled thud, the evil cultivator's left shoulder bone shattered, and he flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the rock wall before sliding to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, his breath weak and feeble.
Just as Lin Yan instantly severely injured two Tongxuan leaders, the Black Stone Iron Guards behind him also displayed amazing teamwork and formidable combat power.
On the left flank, where Wang Dashan was positioned, the three ferocious carnivorous jackals did not passively defend themselves. After their shields blocked the first wave of attacks, the three team members immediately changed formation. The shield-bearer held the front firmly, while another member wielding a spear moved nimbly from the flank, aiming for the jackals' vulnerable spots such as joints and eye sockets. The remaining member, wielding a short blade, used the "Swimming Dragon Eight Trigrams Step" to weave like a fish between the jackals' attacks, his short blade, coated with exorcising powder, leaving deep, bloody gashes on the jackals with each strike. The Three Talents Formation rotated smoothly, combining offense and defense seamlessly. In no time, one of the three carnivorous jackals was dead and two were wounded, howling as they retreated into the mist.
On the right flank, Zhou Fu and his men felt significantly less pressure after Lu Ling shot down the bat swarm leader and disrupted its formation. The three stood back-to-back, their weapons flashing like a curtain of light. Zhou Fu's broadsword was powerful and heavy, each strike accompanied by a whooshing sound, cleaving the swooping shadow bats in two. Another member wielded a repeating crossbow, its bolts adorned with shimmering "exorcising talismans." While not as lethal as Lu Ling's demon-slaying arrows, the barrage kept the bats at bay. The third man covered any gaps in their defenses and remained vigilant against potential ground attacks. Their seamless coordination meant that although occasional bat claws grazed their ranks, leaving bloodstains, no one was seriously injured. They managed to maintain their footing despite the sonic interference from the bat swarm.
Meanwhile, Zhao Si, Liu Zheng, and others, who were providing support from the center, made full use of the power of the talismans that Su Qingyao had been working on for days. Seeing several evil cultivators in the late stage of Body Tempering rushing towards them with strange cries, Zhao Si did not hesitate and raised his hand to throw three "Exploding Flame Talismans"!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A blazing orange-red fireball suddenly exploded in the path of the evil cultivators' charge! This flame was no ordinary fire; it contained the power of the Exorcising Yang Flame, naturally restraining these cultivators who practiced yin and evil techniques. The two evil cultivators at the forefront were caught off guard and struck head-on by the fireball. Their dark red leather armor instantly charred and curled, their flesh sizzling and burning. They screamed and rolled to the ground, black smoke still rising from their bodies.
Liu Zhengze led two other team members, each wielding a spear adorned with "Sharp Gold Talismans," forming a small assault triangle. They didn't engage the evil cultivators head-on, but rather, like venomous snakes, specifically harassed those whose formations were disrupted by the talismans or who attempted to flank them. The spear tips, enhanced by the "Sharp Gold Talismans," were incredibly sharp, easily piercing the evil cultivators' leather armor; each precise thrust sent a spray of blood. Even better, they coordinated with Wang Dashan and Zhou Fu's teams on the left and right flanks, providing mutual cover and preventing the evil cultivators from forming an effective encirclement.
The entire battle, after Lin Yan swiftly eliminated the enemy's high-end combat forces and the Black Stone Iron Guards displayed equipment levels, formation coordination, and talisman power far exceeding the enemy's expectations, began to develop in Lin Yan's favor. Those originally fierce and crazed evil cultivators, seeing their companions fall one after another, witnessing the raging flames of talismans, and seeing the formations proving indestructible, finally showed hesitation and fear in their eyes. They were accustomed to using terrain and insidious methods to slaughter unprepared, individual intruders; they had never seen such a well-trained, perfectly coordinated, and heavily armed force.
"Hold on! Push forward!" Lin Yan keenly sensed the wavering morale of the enemy and immediately shouted the order. He knew the importance of striking while the iron was hot, and this was the best opportunity to expand the gains and completely crush the enemy.
Upon receiving the order, the Blackstone Iron Guards were greatly encouraged. Wang Dashan roared and charged forward with his shield raised, smashing a wounded carnivorous jackal until its bones were broken; Zhou Fu's blade flashed even brighter, scattering the remaining Shadow Bats into pieces; Zhao Si and Liu Zheng led their assault team, driving their way into the somewhat chaotic evil cultivator formation like a wedge.
Seeing his side retreating steadily, the leader of the Xuanxun evil cultivators, who had been severely injured by Lin Yan and was paralyzed at the foot of the rock wall, had a look of mad despair and ruthlessness in his eyes. He suddenly used his still-functioning right hand to pull out a dark bone whistle covered with strange runes from his pocket, and with his last bit of strength, he blew it out fiercely!
"Ugh—!"
The whistle was sharp and mournful, piercing through the noise of the battlefield, rising straight to the top of the ravine, and echoing repeatedly between the cliffs on both sides, carrying an ominous rhythm that made one's heart pound.
In just a few breaths, outside the cave, on the battlefield, apart from the scattered corpses, the twitching remains of demonic beasts, and the lingering stench of blood and smoke, there was not a single enemy figure still standing.
A sense of alarm rose in Lin Yan's heart. Deep within the cave, the lingering, chilling evil energy of the late-stage Transcendent Realm suddenly surged violently the instant the whistle sounded! Like a slumbering beast, it was utterly awakened!