Free Web NovelChapter 893: Chapter 645: The Way Home_3
"You...how did you do it?" Jiang Qingluan stared at Yang Xiao, her gaze scrutinizing him with a sense of reevaluation.
Yang Xiao didn’t bother to explain. He tore a piece of cloth from the hem of his clothes and tied it swiftly outside the courtyard gate, then helped Jiang Qingluan up as they quickly headed out.
Leaving the cloth as a marker was to ensure that if Nalan Shuo came back, he would know that he was still alive. He also firmly believed that the Director was not that easy to kill.
Along the way, they encountered more Chang Ghosts, just like before. These Chang Ghosts all ignored Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan, which was odd because previously, when they had Life Incense, these ghosts would linger around to absorb the scent until the incense burned out and then proceed to kill.
"They can’t see us anymore?" Yang Xiao thought more about it and felt something was terribly wrong—he was sure there was a major issue.
"Follow them," Jiang Qingluan gritted her teeth, deciding to follow the ghosts.
Since the Life Incense was burning out quickly, they dared not get close and could only follow from a distance. Soon, they passed by a secluded small courtyard. Inside the courtyard, there were seven large pits lined up, with shattered wood pieces and a lot of black char marks around the pits. Yang Xiao deduced based on the position that this was where the lightning had struck earlier.
Bending down at the edge of the pit, Jiang Qingluan forcefully broke a charred piece of wood, "This is phoebe wood, these pits previously held coffins!"
There was no need for her to say it; Yang Xiao could also tell. The pits were rectangular and deep enough to fit a coffin, meaning the seven bolts of lightning had each struck a coffin buried here. More importantly, Yang Xiao found no remains in or near the pits.
These pits were new, likely dug recently. Connecting all this together, Yang Xiao naturally thought of those Feng Shui Masters who were killed—six in total. In addition, the effeminate man who had done such important work for Earl Mansion probably couldn’t have survived either. Killing to silence others was inevitable.
These seven coffins could very likely be those of the seven Feng Shui Masters. The coffins being struck by lightning was certainly not a good sign—could it be that these people had used some kind of Evil Technique?
"Look quickly!" Jiang Qingluan called out urgently.
Yang Xiao raised his head and saw the thunder cloud that had released the lightning was being torn apart, splitting into seven black clouds drifting in seven different directions, with sporadic flashes of lightning within them as if gathering strength. The rolling black clouds hid a daunting power.
"These clouds are drifting towards..." Yang Xiao stared at the clouds, a buzz in his mind, the trajectory of these clouds seemed to be heading towards those Land Temples.
"Can you still walk?" Yang Xiao looked at Jiang Qingluan.
"Yes!" Jiang Qingluan nodded firmly.
Supporting Jiang Qingluan, Yang Xiao picked up a broken cane on the road, and she insisted on walking with the cane, telling Yang Xiao not to worry about her.
The two chased out of Earl Mansion and caught up with a group of Chang Ghosts. This group was shrouded in a blurry black mist, with a black cloud just above them, consisting of more than a hundred Chang Ghosts clustered together, silently moving towards a specific direction.
At the very front of the group, there was a shaky figure who seemed to be the leader of this group, the ghosts behind were attracted to him.
Upon clearly seeing the leader, Yang Xiao was deeply shocked inside. It was a mangled corpse, its body broken and patched, filled in places with cloths or other things assembled into a roughly "human" shape.
But the head atop it was recognized—they had privately conversed with this very Great Mage in Cangchun Pavilion.
He was already dead, now one of the Chang Ghosts, though... a very special one. This was definitely some kind of Evil or Forbidden Technique.
The black cloud wrapped tightly around the Chang Ghosts beneath, storing up the tremendous power of thunder and lightning.
"Incredible!" Jiang Qingluan couldn’t help but exclaim loudly, "These... these people intend to use themselves as bait to draw the thunder cloud to the Land Temples, and use the power of Heavenly Thunder to destroy the Ancestor’s foundations!"
"These people had cast a Forbidden Technique on themselves before death, using the Evil Qi of sinister beings. Emerging from their coffins after death, they are Chang Ghosts alright, but different from ordinary ones, they had marked their targets long before death—those Land Temples!"
"Once the Land Temple is destroyed, it’s like cutting off the foundation of the evil creatures; naturally, this calamity will be resolved!" Jiang Qingluan excitedly lost coherence in her speech.
Indeed, the Great Mage in the form of a Chang Ghost leading the way showed no reaction to Yang Xiao and another getting close. He was only walking, eyes fixed ahead, his form swaying, but his steps were exceptionally firm, as if driven by some unfinished conviction.
However, the Chang Ghosts behind him were different. Yang Xiao had to maintain a safe distance from them. These Chang Ghosts were being drawn by the body of the Great Mage walking in front, just like walking a dog.
At this moment, there are seven Thunder Clouds hovering above Fushou Manor, which means there are seven teams of Chang Ghosts being drawn, each heading to different Land Temples.
"There are nine temples in total, and seven Thunder Clouds, which aren’t enough!" Yang Xiao suddenly thought. freeweɓnøvel.com
"To be precise, there are eight, as we are still alive, not all crammed into the statues in the ninth temple, so this temple is a damaged temple, and the remaining one..." Jiang Qingluan paused, "I think the real Divine Turtle Shell is hidden inside!"
At this moment, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but sigh; these people’s timing was excellent, saying they were meticulous wouldn’t be an exaggeration. The Ancestor of the evil creatures had already devoured the flesh and blood of all its kin and was now falling into a brief slumber; otherwise, these Chang Ghosts would not be so easily lured away.
Continuously, people killed turned into new Chang Ghosts, joining the ranks, making the troops grow stronger, and the Thunder Clouds above intensify dramatically.
The Chang Ghost troops walked faster and faster, and Yang Xiao and his companion couldn’t keep up anymore. The teams, engulfed in black mist, soon disappeared from sight.
Before long, Yang Xiao and his companion suddenly heard a loud noise. They turned to look back, and a thick bolt of lightning struck, leaving an afterimage in the sky for a few seconds. An explosive firelight erupted in the distance; a Land Temple was destroyed.
Subsequently, from the direction of Earl Mansion, there suddenly came a scream not unlike a human voice. The scream was so intense it almost burst their eardrums.
This was just the beginning. In the time that followed, one heavenly thunder after another fell, with booming noises coming from afar. Yang Xiao knew that the Magicians’ plan had succeeded, and among those calculated upon, not many had died.
It wasn’t until the seventh heavenly thunder fell that inside the Earl Mansion completely quieted down. This was not just a matter of sound, but also of sensation; the oppressive feeling that stifled breath had also vanished. freewebnσvel.cѳm
The clouds above dispersed, and a bright moon hung in the open night sky, its clear moonlight illuminating the earth.
"Hum~~"
At the same time, that familiar sense of calling emerged. Following that sensation, Yang Xiao and his companion returned to Earl Mansion. This time, the exit was surprisingly the door of the two-story Sleeping Gold Pavilion.
Standing in front of the door, the door continuously emitted a ghostly glow. They knew that beyond this door was the road home.
"Let’s go, the person you are waiting for won’t come." Standing in front of the door, Jiang Qingluan softly persuaded. After all, Fang Zhou and Lou Huixiang both died, and Nalan Shuo, being human and not divine, facing the Ancestor’s threat, would find survival difficult.
"He won’t die, I’ll go find him, he must still be on his way," Yang Xiao stubbornly insisted, turning to leave.
"No, wait!" Pushing the door open with one hand, Jiang Qingluan seemed to have discovered something terrifying and sharply stepped backward.
Hearing this, Yang Xiao turned around, "What’s wrong?"
"Look inside, this mist... Why does it seem like the mist from the Ancestor’s body?!" Jiang Qingluan’s voice changed in urgency.
Mentioning the Ancestor, Yang Xiao wasted no time and quickly stepped forward, approaching the door to check. Frankly speaking, he couldn’t see any problem, even sniffing closely, there was no pungent foul smell, "No, it’s similar to what I’ve seen before, how could you..."
Before Yang Xiao could turn around, he received a fierce kick on his backside, losing his balance and falling through the door. Once Yang Xiao’s figure completely disappeared, Jiang Qingluan gave one last look back, pursed her lips tightly, then turned and entered the door, vanishing from sight.
