Free Web NovelChapter 365: Chapter 206: Company Through Hardship, But No Share in the Fortune
Lu Yuan saw his trusted men all claiming they couldn’t see any army.
Lu Yuan smacked his forehead and muttered to himself, ’How could I forget I used camphor leaves to open my Celestial Eye?’
It turned out that while observing the Daoist Field of Death earlier, Lu Yuan had opened his Celestial Eye, which was why he could see these ethereal, nasty things.
Lu Yuan bellowed at everyone present, "Stop! Don’t run down the mountain!"
The townspeople, halted by his shout, also noticed many people collapsed on the ground not far ahead. They all stopped in their tracks and ran no further down the mountain.
The crowd broke into a flurry of discussion.
"What’s happening?"
"I don’t know!"
Su Liyan jumped down from him and said, "This ghostly wind must be blowing up from the base of the mountain. I don’t know what’s going on with this army of the dead."
Lu Yuan was even more bewildered. ’Why do all the "good" things happen to me? If I’d known, I would’ve just stayed in Taiping City and rotted there instead of coming out.’
’Being the richest man in the city was great. Why did I have to come out and venture into the world, just to run into this kind of mess?’
Lu Yuan took the camphor leaves from his robes, handed them to his trusted men, and gave them an on-the-spot lesson on how to open their Celestial Eye.
As Travelers, Lu Yuan’s men were skilled with both melee weapons and firearms, but they were lacking in the arts of the Celestial Masters.
Under their young master’s guidance, the men could finally see the army at the foot of the mountain clearly.
The army was made entirely of dead souls.
Lu Yuan studied the armor worn by the dead souls. ’Isn’t this the army of the Divine Ling Empire? Why is their resentment so heavy?’
At that moment, Lu Yuan had no time to ponder why these Imperial soldiers had become Xingzi, unable to enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
Lu Yuan handed a large stack of Talismans to his men for protection and ordered, "Quickly escort the townspeople inside Guyang Temple! Go, now!"
His men exchanged glances, then cupped their hands in acknowledgement. "Yes, Young Master!"
The dozen or so men began to evacuate the townspeople, guiding them up the mountain.
A few stubborn old men and women, not understanding what was happening, clamored to go back down.
Working in pairs, Lu Yuan’s men half-carried these elders up the mountain.
Two of his men remained by Lu Yuan’s side, not moving an inch. Although they knew they couldn’t be of much help, they were still willing to go through hell and high water for their young master.
As Lu Yuan stood there, still pondering the situation at the foot of the mountain,
the Daoists who had just been performing the Rituals rushed to the front. The Celestial Masters held their Celestial Master Swords in their right hands and shook copper bells with their left, staring warily down the mountain.
The three Grand Celestial Masters of Guyang Temple stood on a higher set of stairs behind the crowd, each holding a Duster.
Lu Yuan had even seen one of the Grand Celestial Masters in the Divine Martial Hall just yesterday.
It wasn’t that the Grand Celestial Masters were afraid of dying, of course. It was just that a higher position afforded a better view.
The Scholarly Daoists, who could only chant scriptures, ran back into Guyang Temple seeking shelter.
In an age of peace, a Scholarly Daoist who only chanted sutras might suffice, but they were no match for the Xingzi of a chaotic era.
The three Grand Celestial Masters gazed at the scene below. There were several hundred Xingzi.
A stalemate formed between the people on the mountain and the Xingzi below.
Suddenly, the Xingzi army below erupted into a frenzy, as if they had received some command, and began to charge up the mountain.
Lu Yuan stopped the men beside him. "You’re no match for these Void Body Practitioners. Get behind me. Don’t throw your lives away for nothing."
Of course, Lu Yuan had no intention of trying to stop the charging Xingzi army by himself. He chose to wait and see what would happen.
Soon, the Celestial Masters at the very front clashed with the Xingzi who had charged halfway up the mountain.
Fortunately, the mountain path was not wide. Although the Xingzi army was numerous, they couldn’t spread out into any real formation and could only charge straight ahead.
The three Grand Celestial Masters furiously threw Talismans and whipped their Dusters, providing long-range fire support for the other Celestial Masters.
However, with several hundred Xingzi, the current force of Celestial Masters was simply not enough to handle them.
One of the Grand Celestial Masters, his hands a blur of motion, shouted, "Quick, go get the Observatory Master of Guyang Temple!"
These Xingzi were all former soldiers, exceptional fighters, and they had the advantage in numbers.
The Celestial Masters were beaten back step by step. Lu Yuan was still hesitating about whether to lend a hand. After all, when the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact?
’In a situation like this, these Xingzi wouldn’t gather at the foot of the mountain for no reason, nor would they attack this place without cause.’
After thinking it over, Lu Yuan decided to play it safe and continue observing the situation before making a move.
Lu Yuan took Su Liyan’s hand and retreated further up the mountain.
Su Liyan said, "Even though there are a lot of these Xingzi, the two of us have a chance to punch a hole through them. But I sense a Da Xingzi nearby, though I can’t see it."
Lu Yuan replied, "Honey, your senses are never wrong. I have a faint feeling about it too. Let’s retreat up the mountain first and figure things out."
The Celestial Masters resisting on the mountain path were from different Daoist Temples, so they had practically no coordination and were all fighting for themselves.
In contrast, the Xingzi army was directed by its own minor commanders. Even though they couldn’t deploy in a large formation, their offense and defense were perfectly orderly.
"Fall back!" a powerful voice boomed. It was the Observatory Master of Guyang Temple.
Lu Yuan, now mixed in with the crowd, couldn’t see the speaker, only hearing the voice coming from higher up the mountain.
The Celestial Masters holding the path reached a surprising consensus and retreated to the ritual platform halfway up the mountain—the very spot where the Daoist Field of Death had been held.
Seizing the opportunity, the horde of Xingzi swarmed forward. They formed up on one side of the ritual platform, raised a shield wall, and solidified their position.
’Heh, what’s wrong with this Observatory Master? Why would he voluntarily make space for the Xingzi to get a foothold?’ Lu Yuan wondered. ’Don’t tell me this is a classic "Everyone get back, he’s about to show off" situation?’
