Chapter 137: Ox-Head and Horse-Face, The Lord of Black Mountain (Please Subscribe)

Bang!

Two figures landed in front of the caravan.

The man was young and handsome, clutching a broken longbow. Blood stained the corners of his mouth as he shielded a young woman firmly behind him.

The woman, who bore a striking resemblance to him, bit her lip, glaring hatefully at the sky.

Two figures hovered above. One was a strange, four-winged fish; the other was a crow.

"So, the people from the Rare Goods Firm dare to show their faces again," the crow spoke.

Fiery heat ignited around it, forming a ten-zhang-long cloud of flames. It was poised to descend at any second.

"Die!" The woman, filled with hatred, pulled back the bowstring. There was no arrow.

Twang!

A crisp sound echoed as a bolt of crimson flame shot forth.

Boom!

It exploded directly beside the two Yin spirits.

As the flames dissipated, the two remained unscathed.

"Stop struggling. Today, you all must die," the crow laughed viciously before turning its gaze to Yaoyue. "And you, you little slut."

Whoosh!

Lu Qian leaped from the carriage, turning to look at Yaoyue. "Are they the only two?"

The man beside her, realizing Lu Qian was the help they had hired, warned him with good intentions, "Fellow Daoist, these two wield fierce spells. You must be careful."

"The help you hired?" The crow sneered in disdain.

Despite its outward contempt, it scrutinized Lu Qian with caution.

Boom!

Striking first, the crow sent the sea of fire cascading down. The air warped, and the scorching heat wave caused the temperature to spike by dozens of degrees.

The strange fish beside it spat out a mouthful of black water. The liquid divided, forming tens of thousands of droplets that rained down upon them. Each drop contained enough energy to corrode steel; any divine sense attached to a magical artifact would be eroded away instantly.

Splash!

At that moment, Lu Qian moved.

His Yin spirit’s body slowly became covered in dark yellow scales, transforming into a flood dragon. A ten-zhang-long dragon, coiled in several loops, appeared before them. Its head and tail remained partially hidden within the cyan clouds, its golden pupils flashing with sinister, malicious intent.

"Oh no! It’s an expert who has condensed evil spirits!" The crow let out an incredulous shriek.

"Condensed Evil stage? No, this is the perfection of the stage," the man exclaimed in surprise.

Whoosh!

Deep, dark demonic energy surged from the dragon’s body. Within the reach of this energy, everyone heard a cacophony of wailing ghosts that gnawed at their resolve, causing a feeling of suffocation and slowing the flow of their true energy.

Boom!

The two in the air reacted instantly, attempting to flee.

A flash of disdain crossed the dragon’s eyes.

Boom!

Thunder flashed, illuminating the earth. A bolt of cyan lightning, as thick as a water barrel, detonated between the two. The cyan plasma overflowed, shattering their avatars and leaving their Yin spirits exposed.

How could Yin spirits withstand divine thunder? They were instantly reduced to ashes.

After finishing this, Lu Qian returned to his human form.

The gap between an ordinary expert at the Condensed Evil stage and one capable of Yin spirit manifestation is vast, and the gap between that and the early stage of Soul Nurturing is even greater. Not to mention that Lu Qian had reached the perfection of the Condensed Evil stage and possessed the ability to manifest his Yin spirit. He had dispatched the enemy in a single exchange.

"Xu Yuan of the Xu family and my younger sister, Xu Hong, pay our respects to the senior. Thank you for saving our lives," the young man knelt suddenly. Seeing Lu Qian’s cultivation, he no longer dared to call him a fellow Daoist.

"The Xu family? I recall your ancestors were at the late stage of Soul Nurturing. How did these two dare to provoke you?" Yaoyue asked.

The Xu family excelled in the art of Void God Bullets—the bows they wielded could unleash powerful attacks without the need for arrows. They were a formidable power in Bangshui City.

"Our ancestor passed away unexpectedly in a water eye, and our two elders at the Condensed Evil stage were severely injured. That gave these scoundrels the opportunity to extort us," Xu Yuan said with a bitter smile. "Your kindness will be repaid, Senior. We have pressing matters at home—could you leave us your address? We will certainly pay a formal visit another day."

Lu Qian stepped forward, picked up the weapons left behind by the two, and condensed a drop of Forget-Me-Not True Water at his fingertip, washing away the lingering spiritual aura.

He then turned to the siblings and said, "Come find us at the Suixin Trading Firm next time."

"Yes!" Xu Yuan bowed, sighing inwardly. The man before him was truly ruthless—the Suixin Trading Firm was finished. But then again, on Wanxiang Island, countless small factions rose and fell every day, often changing owners several times in a single day.

Suixin Trading Firm.

Unlike other small firms crowded into the noisy parts of the city, this one occupied an entire hill.

The night was hazy, and the air was thick with the scent of murder. Several figures appeared on the perimeter walls.

Inside the firm, dozens of Dao-soldiers were patrolling. These were not the common blood-branded soldiers; they were forged from souls—more aptly described as Yin soldiers.

Whoosh!

A five-zhang wave of Yin evil swept across, and the dozens of soldiers below were instantly frozen into ice sculptures.

The flood dragon’s form flew inside, circling once.

There were no living creatures left in the mansion. The firm had likely been a hobby project for those two Yin spirit cultivators; the organization was loose and lacked any vigilance.

The Yin spirit dragon looked down at the hill and the mansion, feeling a small sense of satisfaction. From now on, he would use the techniques of the Huangquan lineage to build his own faction.

Lu Qian returned to his human form and said to Yaoyue, "Tidy things up. Tomorrow, announce that we are closing the firm and sealing the mountain."

He had gathered information from Yaoyue before coming here. The Suixin Trading Firm had over three hundred people. By occupying this hill, they specialized in selling rare materials. Though small in number, the profits were immense, and they had nearly monopolized the entire Bangshui City. The Rare Goods Firm had overlapping business interests, which was why they had drawn such envy.

Entering the main hall, he found training rooms and alchemy chambers in the back.

Creeak!

He pushed the door open, his footsteps echoing in the empty, cold space.

The room was dim and desolate. Besides materials, there were various human remains, and a faint smell of blood lingered in the air. Beneath the alchemy room lay a deep basement.

Probing with his divine sense, he sensed several large trunks filled with Dharma coins and precious materials. He counted roughly twenty to thirty thousand Dharma coins—a pleasant surprise.

The next day.

Yaoyue walked in, holding some ledgers. "Master, we have finished the count. There are two hundred and fifty-one people in total: eighty at the Fetal Breath stage, ten at the Qi Refining stage, and the rest are servants. The mountain holds butterfly pears, Yin apricots, and ox-head fruits. There are no items from the Heaven and Earth Evil Spirit rankings."

"Keep the hill, but dismiss everyone except those at the Qi Refining stage," Lu Qian waved his hand. He didn't intend to run this place as a trading firm; having the Rare Goods Firm was enough.

"By the way, Master, after the announcement to seal the mountain, several firms and deacons from the Ghost Market came to pay their respects."

"Don't see them. We'll talk about that later."

The heavy gates slammed shut.

In the back mountain, the air was cold, damp, and shrouded in Yin energy. Through the hazy mist, strange plants began to emerge.

Whoosh!

A wave of golden energy swept out, clearing the vegetation for hundreds of zhang. Lu Qian took out a Sunflower Demon Flower and planted it.

Absorbing the earth’s energy, its roots began to grow frantically. Lu Qian activated his Taiyin Golden Eyes and saw countless wisps of smoke converging onto the flower's roots. Suddenly, the Yaksha demon face at the center of the flower opened its eyes, revealing terrifying red pupils.

"Heh heh..."

The demon face let out a laugh, spewing countless streams of Huangquan Yin energy from its mouth.

Pop!

The ground cracked as the Sunflower Demon Flower bloomed, followed by eight more until nine were in full flower. All the earth energy of the mountain was drawn away, causing the other plants to wither instantly.

However, the effect was clear: the Huangquan Yin energy had become much denser.

The next step was to create the Dao-soldiers of the Huangquan lineage. He would build his own powerful force before the coming great war.

Ox-heads and Horse-faces, Dog-heads and Three-bodies—the Huangquan lineage would soon make its mark on Wanxiang Island.

Half a month later.

In the back mountain, black mist swirled, and cold winds howled. Dark clouds obscured the sun, leaving the area pitch black. Ten demon flowers, each over a zhang tall, stood proudly, their "noses" spewing black mist.

A Daoist in black robes stood with his hands behind his back, his figure appearing ghostly within the illusion. Before him stood two nine-foot-tall figures.

On the left was a dark Ox-head with eyes like copper bells and long, jagged fangs, clutching a sharp soul-dropping mace. On the right was a jujube-red Horse-face with wide nostrils and a broad mouth, holding two soul-binding chains.

Both emanated a thick aura of slaughter and monstrous intent.

"We pay respects to the Yin Master!"

The roar of the Ox-head and Horse-face pierced through the black mist. With these two ferocious beings as his guard, the Daoist appeared truly sinister, flanked by paper Yin soldiers—he looked like a ghost king from the underworld.

"Rise!" Lu Qian smiled coldly. His craft was still lacking; of the ten Qi Refining cultivators he had used, only two had survived.

The cultivation of the Ox-head and Horse-face was roughly at the late Qi Refining stage. They were most effective when working in tandem: one would crush the skull, and the other would hook the soul. They could pass through walls and travel underground, and if they reached the Soul Nurturing stage, they would be able to fly.

The true strength of these soldiers lay in their ability to grow—a feat many other Dao-soldiers could not claim. By absorbing souls and demonic energy, they could increase their cultivation and even condense evil spirits.

Beneath the demon flowers, wooden stakes were driven into the ground, topped with twenty heads of oxen, horses, and dogs—the raw materials for creating more soldiers.

The method was titled "Summary of Huangquan Black Prison Yin Soldier Construction." As his proficiency increased, he could use higher-grade materials to create stronger soldiers. At perfection, he could even use the corpses of those at the late Soul Nurturing stage or even Dao Foundation experts.

Thinking of this, Lu Qian looked up at the Ox-head and Horse-face. "Go and capture ten bodies and souls of Qi Refining cultivators."

"Yes, Yin Master!"

Whoosh!

A gust of Yin wind swept by, and the two vanished without a sound.

"Yin Master?" Lu Qian chuckled softly, his expression shifting. "That’s a good title. I shall go by that name from now on."

Outside Bangshui City, three or four Daoists stood before a village.

"Is this where they found the rare herbs?" an old man asked.

"Yes. They say there are many. The village chief is a practitioner, and he tried to suppress the news, but I found out," a man replied with a sinister expression.

Whoosh!

The group charged into the village, slaughtering as they went, and soon the village was engulfed in flames. To Lu Qian, this level of combat was like children fighting, but to the mortals, it was an apocalypse. The village chief fought back against the three, and in the crossfire, the mortals were slaughtered indiscriminately. To cultivators, mortals were like ants, not worth a second thought.

Suddenly, a strange mist enveloped them.

"What is this?"

Before they could react, two monsters with the heads of an ox and a horse emerged from the fog.

"Who are you?"

"Ox-head and Horse-face, here by order to collect souls!"

Bang!

The Ox-head stepped forward, his mace whistling through the air as it smashed into the old man.

"Pfft!"

The old man coughed up blood, flying backward through several trees before his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness. The Horse-face flickered to his side, throwing a hook that snagged a semi-transparent shadow.

The Ox-head and Horse-face moved like phantoms, their agility defying their massive frames. Within moments, the group was incapacitated, their bodies and souls captured.

Soon after, Lu Qian spent his time cultivating at the Suixin Trading Firm, using his spare time to refine more soldiers.

One day, several luxurious carriages pulled by exotic beasts arrived at the mountain. A middle-aged man with a short beard and black robes stepped down, followed by two Qi Refining guards.

"Oh, if it isn't Shopkeeper An, what a pleasure," the man said to a chubby man in white robes stepping out of a carriage nearby.

"Greetings, Deacon Ma," the chubby man smiled and bowed.

The former was Ma Huang, a deacon of the Southern District's three Ghost Markets; the latter was Shopkeeper An of the Strange Goods Firm.

"I hear the Suixin Trading Firm has changed hands?" the deacon asked.

"Changed hands? I hear the name has changed to 'Nine Nether'."

The deacon stroked his beard with interest. "Those two brothers are likely dead then. Who is this Nine Nether Master?"

"Who knows? As long as there's business to be done," Shopkeeper An replied nonchalantly. He had once called the previous owners his brothers, but now that they were dead, he acted as if he had never known them.

The two ascended the mountain. Halfway up, they saw a black-robed Daoist sitting in a pavilion. Behind him stood twenty pale-faced paper figures. On either side, two small, wretched-looking dog-headed Daoists fanned him, their black eyes sizing the visitors up.

The scene was eerie. The Daoist stood, bowed, and smiled, "Welcome, fellow Daoists."