Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 187 Shocking Changes in the Earth's Veins, Unexpected Attack by Corpse Puppets

The King of Rice of the Wangchuan Clan says: Read this book!

The two worked together seamlessly; Jiang Yan closed his eyes to sense the movement, while Jiang Lei continuously adjusted the position of the metal ball.

A moment later, Jiang Yan suddenly opened his eyes, a look of horror flashing across them: "The earth's veins... have been forcibly diverted! More than one branch has been severed and twisted; all the yin energy and the earth's spiritual power have been directed to the deepest part of the valley!"

"The Yin Sha Acupoint?" Feng Changyuan gasped. "That's a breeding ground for the most evil things! What exactly are they trying to awaken?"

"No matter what it is, we can't let it out!" Zhang Nanshan said resolutely, taking the vermilion wine gourd from his back, uncorking it, and a rich, mellow aroma of wine mixed with pure yang energy spread out, slightly dispelling the surrounding chill. "Fifth Master Liu, can you pinpoint the exact location? We must find the exact location of the array's core to break this deadlock."

Master Liu nodded, signaling the cage bearers to follow. He himself stepped forward and lifted a corner of the black cloth covering the cage. Inside were two small greyhounds with fur as black as satin and only their four paws were snow-white. They weren't large, but their eyes gleamed with ferocity, drool dripping from their mouths, and they stared intently towards the valley. Master Liu chanted a spell in a low voice and flicked a small pinch of dark red powder with his finger. The powder landed on the noses of the two corpse-sniffing dogs, causing them to tremble violently and then emit a low, whimpering growl.

"Go!" Master Liu ordered, opening the cage door.

Two dark figures darted out like arrows, rushing straight into the thick fog, their speed so fast that they left only afterimages in everyone's sight.

"Keep up!" Master Liu was the first to chase after them, his figure elusive, not much slower than the two spirit dogs.

No one dared to be negligent, and they all used their own methods to follow closely behind. The warrior monks of the Vajra Temple chanted Buddhist mantras in unison, their bodies radiating a faint golden light. They formed a formation, protecting the core reconnaissance team in the center. Wherever the chanting passed, the fog receded slightly.

The deeper one ventures into the valley, the more horrifying the scene becomes. The trees are completely dead, their branches twisted into the shapes of people struggling in agony. Scattered skeletons, both human and animal, begin to appear on the ground, all pitch black in color.

The cold, resentful thoughts, like countless fine needles, tried to burrow into everyone's consciousness. Even with the protection of the "Soul-Stabilizing and Mind-Cleansing Talisman," one could still feel waves of palpitations and nausea.

Suddenly, the mournful shriek of a corpse-sniffing dog rang out from ahead, followed by a furious shout from Master Liu: "Watch out!"

Thick fog rolled in, and several dark figures emerged from it, heading straight for Master Liu and his two spirit dogs at the front of the group!

The dark figures approached with incredible speed, carrying a heavy stench of blood and decay; there were as many as seven or eight of them!

Master Liu swung his ebony snake staff horizontally, and the snake's mouth carved on the staff suddenly opened, spewing out a stream of eerie green flames that instantly ignited the two nearest dark figures. The dark figures let out inhuman howls, tumbling and twisting in mid-air, revealing their true forms—two mangled corpse puppets with bluish-black skin, empty eye sockets, and wisps of black energy swirling around them.

"It's a corpse puppet! Back off!" Master Liu shouted sharply, forming hand seals at the same time. The two corpse-sniffing dogs barked wildly as they returned to defend, one on each side of him, revealing their sharp white teeth.

The monks of Vajra Temple reacted extremely quickly. With a Buddhist chant from Master Haishan, the eighteen monks instantly formed a formation, unleashing crescent shovels and staffs, their golden light shining brightly, blocking the approaching black shadows.

"Amitabha! How dare these evil spirits act so violently!" Master Haishan's voice boomed like a bell. He brought down his crescent-shaped shovel, and a corpse puppet shattered in response, its rotting flesh and bones scattering everywhere. Before it hit the ground, it turned into black smoke and dissipated.

Qi Lan could no longer contain herself. In a flash, she was at the front of the formation, her amber pupils flashing coldly beneath her hat brim. She didn't use any obvious magic; her hands moved with lightning speed, fingers forming claws, nails suddenly extending three inches, gleaming with a metallic sheen. One claw gripped the head of a corpse puppet, and with a gentle twist—

"Click."

The head separated from the torso, black blood splattering. The corpse puppet twitched twice and turned into black smoke. Qi Lan shook her hand, and a few drops of black blood landed, corroding small pits. "Tsk, so dirty."

Feng Lie let out a low roar, and three jade talismans flew out from his waist, exploding in mid-air and transforming into three crimson fire rings that encircled the other two corpse puppets. The fire rings rapidly contracted, and the corpse puppets howled and struggled in the flames, instantly burning to ashes.

Feng Changyuan stood slightly behind, his medicine box open, a handful of pale golden powder in his hand. He flicked it out at the opportune moment. The golden powder ignited upon contact with the evil energy, turning into countless tiny sparks that adhered to the remaining corpse puppets. Although not fatal, they greatly slowed their movements.

Zhang Nanshan and Master Tianbao did not make a move directly, but instead stood in their positions and cautiously scanned the surrounding thick fog.

"The corpse puppet is just a decoy." Master Tianbao's compass needle swung wildly. "The real culprit is stalling for time."

Chen Anran stood protectively in front of Su Wan, his sharp gaze sweeping across the battlefield. He suddenly noticed that the black smoke from the dissipated corpse puppets had not completely dissipated, but instead drifted in wisps towards the depths of the valley, as if being drawn by something.

"Senior Sister, look at that smoke—" Chen Anran whispered.

Su Wan looked in the direction he pointed and said calmly, "They are 'giving back'... These corpse puppets are not only guards, but also nourishment. Every time one is destroyed, its remaining resentment is absorbed by the formation."

As they spoke, the last two corpse puppets were dealt with by Qi Lan and the Vajra Temple monks working together. The forest returned to silence for a moment, with only the two corpse-sniffing dogs still barking and baring their teeth as they faced the depths of the valley.

Master Liu recalled the spirit dogs, and after examining them, his expression became even more grim: "Their spiritual senses have been corrupted; if we go any further, they might lose control."

Elder Jiang Yan squatted on the ground, the bronze disc in his hand humming and trembling, its surface displaying flickering runes. "The point of distortion of the earth's veins is three hundred feet ahead, but there... there is an extremely strong spiritual energy barrier there, interfering with all detection."

"The key to the formation must be behind the barrier," Zhang Nanshan said in a deep voice. "Gentlemen, the real battle is about to begin. This barrier not only interferes with detection, but it also likely has illusion and offensive effects. We must break through it to see the true strength."

Master Tianbao took out a stack of yellow talismans from his satchel and distributed them to everyone: "These are 'Barrier-Breaking Talismans.' Stick them on your weapon or palm to temporarily weaken the barrier's effect. However, they will only last for about half an incense stick's time. We must find the array's core and destroy it before the talisman's power is exhausted."

Everyone accepted the talismans as instructed. Chen Anran placed the barrier-breaking talisman on his right palm; the talisman melted upon contact with his skin, transforming into a warm current that flowed along his meridians.

It can only be said that he truly deserves to be the current head of Maoshan Sect; the effects of the talismans he refines are at least two streets ahead of the half-baked Feng Xiaolu.

Qi Lan pressed the talisman onto the brim of her hat and curled her lip: "Half an incense stick? Enough to drag out the person who set up the formation and beat them up three times over."

Feng Lie examined his magic weapon pouch and said in a muffled voice, "Don't underestimate them. Anyone who can cause such a commotion can't be a simple character."

"Let's go," Su Wan said softly, taking the first step. "The longer we delay, the deeper the Yin energy will erode us."

The team regrouped and continued their journey deeper into the valley.