At Zhang Jian’s feet, the collapsed entrance of the underground river was more than twice as wide as what Xing Yingzhu had seen before.
The rushing water of the underground river emitted a chilling whistle from the cracks, as if it were not just a river below, but a raging great river.
The water dragon couldn’t be seen for the moment, but Xing Yingzhu could feel that it was still down there, not having left even half a step.
Moreover, after a few days, the remaining chains on its body had been mostly broken, its condition better than when Xing Yingzhu last saw it.
However, it was clear that Zhang Jian had already done everything he could. The entrance of the underground river was densely covered with red threads, which intertwined and intersected in a very complex manner, fixed with Five Emperor Coins along the edges of the cracks. In this “array” formed by the red threads, almost every intersection of the main lines had a yellow talisman twisted on it. However, due to the heavy rain, most of the talisman papers had been soaked, clinging pitifully to the red threads.
Zhang Jian noticed Xing Yingzhu’s arrival, and he turned his head slightly, waiting for Xing Yingzhu to approach before he sighed.
Over the past few days, this disciple of a prestigious family had lost some of his arrogance. When he saw Xing Yingzhu again, he had learned to speak calmly and seek advice.
“I’ve been setting up this array for two days and nights, but it’s still like a drop in the bucket. My skills are too shallow. I can manage some small monsters and evil spirits, but I can’t handle such a big monster,” Zhang Jian said. “But I don’t know why. That thing clearly could escape, but it didn’t. It’s enduring the discomfort down there.”
“He’s injured,” Xing Yingzhu said.
“Because he broke the seal?” Zhang Jian asked.
The dragon’s aura was too strong. Over the past few days, Zhang Jian didn’t dare to go underwater or explore nearby. He could only use divination and spells to cautiously gather information nearby, and what he knew was quite limited.
“Not really,” Xing Yingzhu said casually, “I had a fight with him at that time and bit off his throat.”
Zhang Jian: “…”
The heir from a prestigious and orthodox family remained mysteriously silent for a moment, then cleared his throat and changed the subject automatically.
“What should we do now?” Zhang Jian said, “Look at this heavy rain, it’s likely that it will come out in the short term. Even if my master and senior brothers rush over, they may not make it in time.”
Xing Yingzhu put his hands in his pockets, and the whistling wind made the hem of his coat rustle loudly. He silently watched the crack for a while, then suddenly reached out to Zhang Jian.
“Give it to me,” Xing Yingzhu said.
Zhang Jian didn’t say much, and understandingly handed the broken golden chain in his hand to Xing Yingzhu.
It was unknown what material the chain was made of. After being buried underground for so many years, it did not appear worn out, and the inscriptions on it still looked fresh.
Xing Yingzhu used his thumb to wipe the inscriptions on it and had a rough idea in his mind.
—Facing this matter in front of him, he probably had to deal with it whether he liked it or not.
Indeed, he felt a familiar aura on this chain, vague yet perceptible. Although it wasn’t made from his own bones, Xing Yingzhu still took interest in it.
After thousands of years, encountering any clues was not easy at all, and if helping out a bit could lead to progress, he didn’t mind at all.
Having made up his mind, Xing Yingzhu casually wound the chain around and stuffed it into his pocket.
The thing still had a half-finished binding dragon formation inscribed on it. Logically, it would also affect a great demon like him, but he casually stuffed it in his pocket, treating it no differently than picking up a red string on the road.
Zhang Jian had originally wanted to stop him, but wisely refrained from doing so when he saw the situation.
“I can help you with this favor,” Xing Yingzhu said, “But I have a condition.”
“Go ahead,” Zhang Jian said.
Shanghai was not a remote mountainous area; it was one of the cities with the highest population density in the country. If the dragon underneath emerged and things got out of hand, it would be too late for any conditions.
“I remember, your Mountain has a Mirror of Origins, capable of tracing the origins of all things. Let me borrow it,” Xing Yingzhu said.
“That thing is kept by my master, so I can’t decide on this matter right now,” Zhang Jian said cautiously.
“Oh,” Xing Yingzhu said flatly, “Then good luck.”
“But the situation is urgent!” Zhang Jian reluctantly changed his tune, “I promise!”
Xing Yingzhu, having committed the evil deed of coercion and enticement in front of the rightful owner, then looked up at the dark clouds in the sky and asked in a tone that seemed like asking if he had breakfast, “Did you summon the thunder?”
“…Not yet,” Zhang Jian said, “If thunder is summoned, the dragon will definitely flee. I won’t be able to control it, and it will escape for nothing.”
“Summon it,” Xing Yingzhu said, “You are from the righteous sect, and summoning divine punishment is more effective than me.”
Zhang Jian looked at him, a bit unsure of his intentions.
“I’ll go down first to restrain it, then find an opportunity to withdraw,” Xing Yingzhu said, “Zhang Jian, you better be clever.”
With that, Xing Yingzhu casually unbuttoned his coat, took it off, rolled it in his hands, then turned around and threw it to Sheng Zhao.
Sheng Zhao had been staring at him not far away. Seeing this, he instinctively opened his hands and caught the coat, holding it carefully.
Xing Yingzhu’s coat, like him, carried a cool fragrance, heavy after being soaked in water. Sheng Zhao hurriedly gathered it up, narrowly avoiding letting the coat hem drag on the ground.
Sheng Zhao was about to ask Xing Yingzhu what he was planning, but saw him directly bend down, pick up a corner of the red line diagram like picking up a spider web, and forcefully tear a hole in the diagram.
Then, Sheng Zhao saw him jump down from that hole!
Sheng Zhao: “…”
Shocked, Sheng Zhao’s attempt to call out was stuck in his throat, nearly choking him.
What somewhat comforted him was that after following Xing Yingzhu for these few days, he seemed to have made some progress—because Hu Huanyang was even more surprised and alarmed than he was.
“How did the boss go down!” Hu Huanyang grabbed Sheng Zhao’s arm in panic, shocked, “Zhang Jian’s demon-sealing formation is still hanging at the entrance!”
“It’s okay,” Sheng Zhao didn’t expect to say this someday to someone else, “He knows what he’s doing.”
Hu Huanyang looked at him with extreme admiration, even more devoutly than before when he regarded him as a superior.
But before Sheng Zhao could finish this act, he heard a roar of dragon echoing, and the ground under his feet suddenly trembled greatly. Sheng Zhao stumbled and fell to the ground, embarrassedly painful all over.
Too preoccupied to care about himself, Hu Huanyang hurriedly tried to help him up, but with the ground shaking one after another, Sheng Zhao couldn’t get up, and even Hu Huanyang fell down.
“Oh my god,” Sheng Zhao said ungracefully, propping himself up on all fours, barely maintaining balance, shocked, “What is Xing Yingzhu doing down there?”
They both fell apart, but Zhang Jian had already reacted.
“Hu Huanyang—” Zhang Jian suddenly turned around, shouting hoarsely at him, “Quick, the thing I gave you! East, west, south, north, and center, two hundred meters away. Hurry up and block it!”
Sheng Zhao listened to the incomprehensible instructions, but Hu Huanyang seemed to have caught something important from his scattered orders. He hurriedly got up from the ground and quickly unzipped his combat jacket, taking out an oiled paper bundle from the inner pocket.
“What is this?” Sheng Zhao asked.
“Xiao Zhao, do me a favor.”
Hu Huanyang didn’t have time to explain, roughly tearing open the oil paper bundle and pulling out half a stack of talismans from inside, stuffing them into Sheng Zhao’s arms without even looking.
“Start running backward now, straight ahead. You’ll see a peach wood stick embedded in the ground after about two hundred meters. Stick these talismans on it, then turn right following the original direction. After another two hundred meters, you’ll see another stick. Repeat this process,” Hu Huanyang spoke rapidly, “The center of the formation is too close to the underground river. Don’t go there. I’ll be back soon. After you’re done, retreat to your original position, away from them.”
Sheng Zhao was completely puzzled, inexplicably entrusted with a heavy responsibility, feeling utterly bewildered.
But Hu Huanyang, being a half-hearted fellow, didn’t give clear instructions either. He just ran off with the remaining half-bundle of talismans, heading in the opposite direction.
“Wait—” Sheng Zhao shouted at the top of his lungs, “How many should I stick on each!”
“Stick as many as you can!” Hu Huanyang’s voice echoed from afar.
As the rain grew heavier, Hu Huanyang had already run to the first destination, and Sheng Zhao, looking at the talismans in his hand, gritted his teeth and threw away his umbrella, turning to run back.
—Forget about whatever it is, let’s just get it done first and ask questions later.
Sheng Zhao felt like he had reached a breaking point and no longer cared about the consequences. He thought, at least they had been living in the same building for several months, and Hu Huanyang probably wouldn’t harm him.
He found three peach wood sticks as directed by Hu Huanyang, then used the rainwater to paste the talismans on the sticks. He was extremely generous with the materials, layering them three or four times without blinking.
It was strange. Despite the heavy rain, the yellow paper became brittle, yet the red characters on it remained intact.
Having encountered too many situations contrary to his expectations, Sheng Zhao found himself uninterested in this small matter. He stumbled around the entrance of the underground river, running around in circles until he finally met up with Hu Huanyang at the last stop.
“What, what is this?” Sheng Zhao asked breathlessly, “What’s the use?”
“It’s a barrier,” Hu Huanyang said. “The boss and Zhang Jian are about to subdue the dragon. The commotion is too big, so we can’t let ordinary people outside see it. This is to create an illusion.”
As soon as Hu Huanyang finished speaking, Zhang Jian suddenly drew out his strange copper coin sword from behind and held it horizontally in his hand.
From Sheng Zhao’s perspective, he could only see Zhang Jian’s back but couldn’t see that he suddenly opened his eyes wide, his gaze piercing through the water’s surface like a sharp sword.
He took out a paper talisman from his pocket and slapped it on the blade, chanting something under his breath.
“Nine Heavens Mysterious Thunder, Dragon and Tiger Clash; Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Fire, Sun and Moon Illuminate; Those who receive this command, the talisman will act; Suppressing evil, upholding justice. If there are evil stars that refuse to submit, their souls will be scattered and perish.”
As Zhang Jian spoke, he supported the sword with his right hand, made a complex hand gesture with his left hand, and smeared his middle finger on the blade, using blood as ink to draw a stroke on the talisman paper.
“Open—!”
