Chapter 1548: Chapter 789: Night Chaos (Part 2)

"Woo——woo——woo——!"

Just as they were speaking, the sound of horns suddenly pierced through the night sky of Jinling.

Following that, the chaotic sound of gongs rang simultaneously from multiple directions in the city.

"Report——! Urgent report——!"

A Captain stumbled and burst through the interrogation room door, helmet askew and armor crooked, face marked with horror: "It’s not good, sir! Multiple riots have suddenly erupted in the city!"

"At the Three Mountains Gate Water Pass... People near the water gate have gone mad! The Qinhuai River Pier too... And people have seen white threads emerging from several wells in the east of the city!"

"Also... there’s the Ghost Theater Troupe’s demons, spreading... spreading that toxic white thread everywhere! They’re shouting things like ’Silkworm God is furious,’ ’the court is unrighteous,’ and ’offer the city to avoid disaster!’"

"What?!"

Qiu Mingyuan’s face changed dramatically.

Li Yan also furrowed his brows, "It’s the Silkworm Zombie Technique."

He looked towards the night sky, his expression grave:

"Let’s go, the demons have suddenly made their move, they might be coordinating with the Tai Lake..."

...

The night is as dark as ink, the watchman’s clappers mark the second watch.

Near the public well in the east of the city, the night watchman Wang the Fourth had just yawned when he suddenly heard a strange rustling sound at the wellhead.

He shone the dim lantern light over—between the cracks in the blue stone of the well rail, there were several strands of damp, slippery gray-white threads climbing up along the stone wall.

In the shadows nearby, an old woman wearing a washed-out dark blue opera costume resembling that for an elderly character role, hunched back, was stuffing a clump of wet, pungent-smelling white fibrous material into the well.

"What are you... What are you doing, quick, grab the demon!"

Wang the Fourth immediately began frantically beating his gong, simultaneously shouting at the top of his lungs.

He’s a night watchman, and knows more than ordinary folk.

In Jinling City, where outside enemies are eyeing it, demons are at work, the government has ordered them to issue warnings promptly upon discovering any anomalies.

The city patrol forces have also been tripled.

Sure enough, two City Patrol Camp soldiers carrying lanterns rushed over upon hearing the noise.

The elderly woman suddenly straightened up, her eyes cloudy yet fierce.

She gave a twisted grin, raised her skeletal hand, and the clump of white fibers spread with a "whirr," transforming into a mist of fine poisonous needles as thin as cow’s hair that rushed towards them!

"Watch out!"

The soldiers raised their shields to block, the shields were soon covered with a layer of writhing fine threads!

But before they could catch their breath, the old woman let out a shrill shout, and from the well and the shadows at the base of the wall, seven or eight townsfolk with dull eyes and unusually sleek skin sprang forth.

They foamed at the mouth, rushing at the soldiers like marionettes, clawing and biting. One soldier had his wrist scratched, and several threads started burrowing into his flesh through the wound!

Anywhere else, these people would surely die.

But Jinling City is different, originally the capital of the previous dynasty, there are two garrisons stationed because of the Tai Lake demon unrest, two more military detachments have been brought in.

Even the power of the Orthodox Sect is continuously increasing.

Whew~

Suddenly a fierce wind howled at the entrance of the alley.

As the dust settled, two Taoists wearing dark blue robes, with Peach Wood Swords strapped on their backs, appeared, wearing wooden crowns upon their heads, with tiger-shaped jade pendants hanging from their waists.

These two are Cultivators from the "Tiger Gate Order," a local Magic Veins in Jiangnan.

This sect is distinct, they specialize in studying lost spells recorded in various ancient texts, difficult to learn and master, their numbers are few.

Although all are masters, they only operate around Jinling.

"It’s the Ghost Theater Troupe!"

"Crazy demon hag!"

The two Taoists had their own formidable skills.

One held a spell, wielding the Peach Wood Sword, actually using Wudang Swordsmanship, but combined with the Tiger Gate Order Secret Technique, the wooden sword acted as a sharp weapon, slicing through the air, forcing back the eerie old woman.

Meanwhile, the other one swiftly took out a handful of vermillion rice, scattering it towards the manipulated townsfolk while chanting spells.

The white silk threads sizzled upon encountering the vermillion rice, emitting black smoke, and those townsfolk’s eyes briefly returned to clarity, collapsing to the ground...

...

Boom——!

A deafening explosion erupted near the massive stone sluice gate.

The Water Gate guards rushed toward the source of the disturbance with torches, seeing above the gate, a dozen stout men wearing brand new short-cut martial artist costumes, their faces painted with fierce oil-painted masks, flipping and jumping monkey-like across the stone walls and winches.

They wielded steel forks and poison-tipped hook and scythe spears! The blade gleamed in the torchlight, instantly toppling several of the forward guards!

Below the gate tower, a giant man nearly ten feet tall, painted with a dread red mask, towering like an iron tower, let out ferocious roars of "huh! ha!" as he swung a massively heavy eight-angled Mixed Element Hammer thicker than a man’s leg.

Clang! Thud!

He smashed the heavy iron-plated wooden sluice gate again and again.

Sparks flew, the bolt creaked, and wood chips and iron fragments scattered everywhere.

The Feathered Arrows shot by the defending soldiers were all deflected by his unusually inflated costume.

"Form ranks! Shield Soldiers to the front, Gunners!" the commander shouted with all his might.

The gunners in the back immediately moved forward and knelt on one knee to prepare to fire.

He was confident that no matter how powerful the Demon Art was, it couldn’t withstand firearms.

But just at this moment, several shadows slid down the Water Wall like bats; they were a few Qingyi Dans clad in tight black water suits, holding sophisticated crossbows, aiming to pull the trigger at the soldiers raising their guns!

"Fire!"

A sharp shout! A few Ganzhou Meishan Sect Masters wearing brown hemp clothes with colorful belts rushed out from the alley side like apparitions.

They sprayed intense smoke mixed with sulfur and Black Dog Blood from bamboo tubes, instantly obstructing vision!

At the same time, several Paper Talismans swooshed toward those Qingyi Dans.

With a bang, they exploded into fireballs.

With a muffled groan, two of the Qingyi Dans, seemingly struck hard, fell into the water.

Simultaneously, the guns roared continuously, and many Martial Artists atop the city wall were hit...

......

The Zhengyang Gate Street was likewise in chaos.

"Disasters of heaven and earth!"

"The government has incited the wrath of the Silkworm Goddess!"

A clown with a nose painted with white tofu, wearing a red beard hat, and walking on two-foot-high stilts, nimbly wove through the gaps in the fleeing crowd.

He beat on a ghost-faced drum while singing in a sharp, ear-piercing, bizarre tune.

The strange drumbeat thudded eerily, causing hearts to accelerate and Qi to surge!

"Behold! A demon star descends! Ghost Hair!"

Another Qingyi Dan, standing in the shadow under an eave, pinched strands of silk thread entwined with black Qi, blowing gently towards them.

Those threads, like live snakes with sight, whooshed into the nostrils and mouths of several fleeing pedestrians.

The panicked pedestrians’ faces contorted; their eyes expressed terror and dullness, and their throats emitted a "gurgle" sound, as worm-like protrusions began to wriggle under the skin of their necks, stumbling to bite those beside them.

At the same time, a mass of ghastly green toxic mist exploded from a shadowy street corner, spreading with a strong scent of decaying mulberry leaves.

The Silkworm Zombie Technique takes time to manifest.

Seeing it interrupted, the demons directly used Poisonous Gu.

"Heaven and earth are natural, banish the filthy Qi!"

Daoist sounds rang through the night sky like the clash of gold and iron.

Several figures, trailing Sword Qi, dashed across the rooftops.

It was the Cultivators of Maoshan arriving!

The leading old Daoist Nun’s expression was as solemn as water, slicing the air with her crimson Magic Sword with a "sizzle," accurately severing the drum rope of the clown!

Behind her, several disciples flung out five grains with raised hands, urgently reciting Purifying True Words, causing those whose nostrils and mouths had been entered by "Ghost Hair" to tremble violently.

"Ugh~ ugh~"

Accompanied by painful retching, several strands of broken and blackened threads were spit out.

Another young Taoist had already rushed toward the green mist, slapping a yellow Paper Talisman into the dark culvert of the street.

A thunderous explosion erupted, the green mist dissipating in swirling eddies...

When Li Yan and others arrived, they saw this scene.

He was somewhat surprised and didn’t join in.

A mighty dragon crossing the river has never been welcome; since arriving at Jinling City, the native Mystical Sect forces seemed to be deliberately avoiding contact with him.

Even from Locust Tree Village, only ordinary disciples were sent.

Now it seemed, their methods were quite exceptional.

No wonder Earth Immortal Zhou Yinyao trusted them so much.

"This must be Young Hero Li."

The leading old Daoist Nun of Maoshan stepped forward, offering a neutral salute, then looked at Qiu Mingyuan beside her, speaking indifferently, "With the Dragon Sacrifice Ceremony approaching, these demons are just making a final struggle, not worth mentioning."

Li Yan’s brow slightly furrowed, "Senior’s words are a bit premature..."

Rumble!

Before the words had left his mouth, the ground under everyone’s feet began to shake.

In the distance, the shingles of some unstable houses clattered and fell from the eaves.

"The Earth Dragon is rolling over!"

Panic-stricken shouts rang through the night sky...