Chapter 49: Ghost Trap and the Paper Ship!
Everyone gathered on the deck, their expressions solemn.
Suddenly, Head Constable Wang seemed to remember something. “Bring out the Five Lakes Gang members from below.”
However, Li Yanchu stopped him. “No need.”
Hearing this, Head Constable Wang frowned in confusion. “Why not?”
Li Yanchu’s lips curled into a cold smile. He said slowly, “Because those so-called gang members… were paper effigies all along. They were never real people.”
Gasp! Head Constable Wang drew in a sharp breath, and he felt the hairs on his body stand on end. At the same time, the officers exchanged glances in shock.
Li Yanchu said in a grave voice, “Isn’t that right, Elder Wu?”
There was no need for him to confirm it. Inside the room, the “Five Lakes Gang members” had all turned to stare at Li Yanchu, their faces now twisted into stiff, unnatural smiles. They all cocked their heads to the side in unison, staring at him.
The scene was utterly bone-chillingly grotesque and absurd.
The officers assigned to guard them were especially shaken. One of them nearly collapsed, his legs buckling beneath him. Even their hands, clenched around their blades, had begun to tremble.
At this time, Li Yanchu’s voice rang out like thunder in their ears, “You damned paper effigies never learn your lesson! Still trying to scare me?! Today, I’m going to utterly destroy all of you!”
Crack!
Suddenly, the solid wooden floor shattered beneath his foot, and a roaring surge of blood and qi burst from Li Yanchu like a blazing furnace. At the same time, the qi shield of his Primordial Chaos Technique flared to full strength.
The so-called Five Lakes Gang members inside the room suddenly surged out in unison, moving with twisted, unnatural speed. Their faces were still frozen in those eerie, stiff smiles, which made everyone’s scalp tingle.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Li Yanchu’s legs struck the ground like a dragon or elephant, while his blood and qi surged violently. With overwhelming brute force, he tore one of the gang members apart in an instant.
Bang!
As his both fists shot out, blood and qi bursted from his body!
The Forty-Two Divine Astral Hands! Overlord Lifts the Cauldron!
One of the Five Lakes Gang members had his chest smashed inward and was sent flying, crashing into two others behind him and knocking them down as well.
Whoosh!
A sharp gust of wind signaled an attack. It was Elder Wu, built like a tiger and as solid as a bear.
Seeing this, a fierce murderous qi surged from Li Yanchu’s body. He seized Elder Wu’s arm, and…
Crack!
He snapped it without hesitation; yet no bones broke, and no blood flowed.
Boom!
Li Yanchu swung Elder Wu by the arm and slammed him into the ground. With a surge of Six Yang Force, his veins bulged across his skin as his blood roared through his body.
Elder Wu instantly burst into flames where he lay, turning to ash in moments.
“Too weak! With this paltry level of skill, you dare to show off in front of me!?” Li Yanchu’s voice thundered like an explosion.
In just moments, he had wiped out several of the paper effigy gang members, yet he was completely unscathed. Instead, his blazing blood and qi was like a furnace, radiating warmth that made the surrounding officers and militiamen feel an unexpected comfort. It was as if that chilling, bone-piercing cold from before had completely vanished.
Seeing this, Zhang Zhiliang swallowed hard, trembling in fear. The sheer force behind Li Yanchu’s fists and kicks could shatter stone and split mountains, carrying the power of dragons and the might of elephants.
At this time, Wang Wanrong glanced at Li Yanchu, and for some reason, a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. Only after the fierce battle ended did everyone gradually begin to recover their senses.
“Did Daoist Master Yanchu just wipe out all the filth on this ship?”
In everyone's hearts, there was only one word to describe their impression of Li Yanchu: Fierce!
Forget jianghu duels or demon slaying. If this man were thrown onto a battlefield, he’d be a one-man army, the kind of invincible general who could cut down a hundred, or even a thousand soldiers!
On the battlefield, where chaos reigned and danger lurked at every turn, even the finest martial artists were only marginally more agile than common soldiers. Surrounded by blades, spears, and arrows from all sides, death could come in an instant.
But Li Yanchu’s performance… left them speechless with awe. Who would’ve imagined that such a clean-cut, refined-looking Daoist could be so ruthless and decisive in battle?
Head Constable Wang finally let out a long breath of relief and said warmly, “Daoist Master Yanchu, we really owe you for this one.”
Hearing this, Li Yanchu chuckled. “Head Constable Wang, I’ve heard that line so many times, my ears are getting calluses.”
Head Constable Wang froze for a second, then burst out laughing.
The two deliberately kept up a lighthearted conversation. Their calm demeanor helped ease the tension in everyone’s hearts.
Suddenly, Head Constable Wang lowered his voice and asked, “Daoist Master Yanchu, what should we do to get out of here?”
He had heard from the elders that once caught in a ghost trap, a person could spend an entire night running in circles, only to return to the same spot no matter what they did.
Li Yanchu remained composed and replied, “A ghost trap occurs when yin and ghostly qi become too dense, clouding the five senses. But the situation here is a bit different. This isn’t just a simple ghost trap; it’s likely a malicious formation deliberately set up.”
Head Constable Wang’s expression grew anxious. Just earlier, he had looked toward the riverbank and noticed that his comrades guarding the river's edge had completely vanished from view.
How could he not be worried?
After a brief pause, Li Yanchu said coldly, “Since the enemy used a paper ship to lay out this formation, then we’ll destroy the paper ship completely!”
Upon hearing this, Head Constable Wang raised his saber, but Li Yanchu immediately stopped him with a gesture.
Li Yanchu said calmly, “This place is saturated with wicked energy, so ordinary blades and swords won’t even touch its true form. It would be pointless.”
Then, with a sharp command, Li Yanchu focused his intent and shouted, “Come!”
In an instant, a long, ancient-looking saber appeared in his hand. It was the Jiaoslayer, which he had kept at his Daoist temple, where he had used talismans and spiritual resonance to refine the malevolent qi within it.
It was a method similar to Sword Cultivation Art. Once activated, its power would be greatly enhanced. This time, he had initially chosen not to bring it along.
Head Constable Wang’s eyes narrowed; he recognized that saber instantly.
“With divine methods like this, it’s no wonder Daoist Master Yanchu can wield such a blade.”
This Jiaoslayer, when stored at the yamen, had absorbed a portion of the governmental qi and authority. But ordinary martial artists could never hope to wield such a vessel of suppression. Attempting to do so would only bring harm upon themselves.
“Paper ship puppets… I’d like to see just how many more tricks the one behind all this has left,” Li Yanchu said coldly.
Shing!
With a flash of the saber, the saber’s dense malevolent qi carved a black rift through the very air of the room.
“Break!” Li Yanchu barked a harsh command.
Brilliant saber light tore through space, ripping open one black crack after another, as though reality itself were being shattered. It was as if someone were tearing apart a painted scroll by hand!
Shing!
Shing!
Shing!
The flurry of saber strikes surged like a tornado, sweeping through the entire space.
At last, with a deafening BOOM, the scene before them changed completely. To their astonishment, they were once again by the riverbank.
At this time, a massive ship lay to the southeast. On the docks, a large group of officers and local militiamen could just barely be seen, wandering in circles in confusion.
“We're out!” Head Constable Wang cried in joy.
After regrouping, they realized that the group left behind at the riverbank had all been blinded by ghosts.
The great ship sat docked at the riverside, but it was in ruins. Corpses and shattered wood were scattered everywhere, and the stench of blood was so overpowering that even the veteran officers were struggling to bear it. Severed limbs lay strewn across the area.
A naked, withered old man was impaled through the body by a sharpened wooden stake, pinned upright at the river’s edge. His entire body was bruised and greenish-blue, and his head was shaved bald. His skin was carved with densely packed talismanic runes, which were cut deep enough to expose bone.
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