Chapter 11: Heading Towards Tiger Mountain (Part 1)

  The night wind wails, sobbing and transforming into a rolling long river rushing towards the pitch-black mountains, where it passes through the layered forests and withered grasses surge.

  To the west of Tiger Leaping Gorge, there is a steep cliff that is difficult for monkeys to climb, with peaks rising thousands of feet into the clouds. Climbing up the mountain and heading east for five or six miles on a precipitous and rugged road, you will reach Tiger Leaping Gorge. This area is now completely covered by the Heavenly Net Array laid down by Bo Xun De.

  Xiao Si, Ye Fashan and Tang He Shang climbed up the cliff and went east, breaking through seven arrays of passes and arriving at a stone bridge less than two miles away from Hu Ge Village.

  This stone beam flies in the air between two steep cliffs, like a narrow and long single-plank bridge. There are iron chains on both sides for pedestrians to grasp, and hundreds of copper plates hang from the chain, which makes a pleasant sound when blown by the wind.

  On the middle section of the stone bridge, the eldest disciple of Beimang Mountain's Eagle Yang Laozu, You Shifan, stood proudly with his arms crossed, a cold smile on his face as he gazed at Xiao Si: "You little brat, this Suspended Yin Bridge will be your burial ground!"

  Xiao Si Hehe smiled and greeted: "You stinky footed guy, when did you change your ways and become a gentleman?"

  "He lowered his voice and said to Ye Fashan and Tang Hechuang: 'This is the old blind man's 'Fantasy Departure Realm'. As long as you step on the stone bridge, the 365 hanging yin plaques will emit a fantasy departure sound, causing people to fall into an endless killing magic barrier that cannot be escaped, until they go crazy and scatter their skills. You two deal with the gentleman on the bridge, protect my safety, I'll take care of removing the hanging yin plaques and opening up the path.'"

  After finishing speaking, he walked towards the Xuan Yin Bridge with an air of confidence, casually plucking a copper plate and flipping it over before hanging it back in its original position.

  Xiao Si was seen strolling on the Suspended Yin Bridge, as if taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard. He effortlessly flipped and rearranged the copper plates, changing their positions or replacing them with new ones, creating a dazzling display of acrobatic skills. In an instant, he had already advanced five or six zhang forward.

  He sternly exclaimed, "Bu Mangzi once said that if these hanging copper plaques are deciphered, the entire Phantom Shadow Realm will be rendered useless. We must immediately retreat into the Four-Faced Cavern to defend it, otherwise, our lives will be in danger."

  But seeing Xiao Si single-handedly advancing closer and closer, he couldn't help but raise his killing intent and say: "Why don't I take this opportunity to kill this little brat? Not only can I protect the Xuan Yin Bridge, but also avenge my past hatred. It's like killing two birds with one stone!"

  Thinking of this, Yu Xiuran suddenly let out a loud whistle and said: "Little dog, you've come just in time, I've been waiting for you!" He sprang up like a white cloud and pounced on Xiao Si.

  Xiao Si's entourage, with a sly smile, said: "What are you rushing over for? I'm not a stinky foot that needs to be held!" He then gestured with his hand and gave orders: "Old Dao, business has arrived!" He stepped aside two steps, making way for the thugs behind him to take action.

  Who would have thought that Ye Fashan shook his head and said: "Xiao San, my generation is too high, this guy will be handed over to you."

  Tang He's voice was cold and detached as he said, "Killing someone like him would be beneath me?"

  Xiao Si nearly fainted, and just as You Xianran rushed forward to retreat, it was already too late. He had no choice but to shout loudly: "You scoundrel, Tang Xiao San, if you don't take action now, I'll curse you!"

  The eagle claw double blade was already attacking in front of him, and Xiao Si's scalp was numb as he made a move with the Qinglong Claw. The power of the stars flowed and swallowed, making a "ding" sound, and You Xiyan's right hand Eagle Claw Blade unexpectedly deviated inward and collided with the one held in his left hand.

  Xiao Si took advantage of the momentum and leaned back, only to feel a gloomy wind above, two eagle-winged magic blades barely missing him. However, he heard Ye Fashan and Tang He Shang shouting loudly: "Good brothers!" "The first of the Five Chiefs!" It turned out that they were competing to see who would make the first move, and they started guessing each other's moves in a heated manner at the bridgehead.

  Xiao Si's anger ignited seven orifices, smoke rising from his body. Alas, preserving life is crucial. With a left-footed move, "Zhu Que Seven Linked Rings" step, he stomped and kicked, releasing his abdomen's seven vital points.

  You let out a low hum, lifted his right foot and countered with leg against leg, "Boom boom boom" the muffled sound was like plum blossoms among bamboo, the two exchanged three kicks in one breath.

  Yu Xianran only felt that Xiao Si's left leg was as unpredictable as the movement of the stars, completely unlike his usual moves. With just one right leg, he had a hard time keeping up and was shocked and enraged.

  He stared at Xiao Si, who was again kicked by one foot. His own left leg technique couldn't keep up with the opponent's stormy rhythm, and he could only jump out of his left foot to block.

  In this way, the two exchanged four kicks in a row, and anyone with discerning eyes could see that You Ruo was at a disadvantage in terms of technique. If not for Xue Xiao's insufficient strength, he could have kicked him off the bridge with one foot.

  Xiao Si was in so much pain that he was gritting his teeth and rolling his eyes, his entire left leg felt like it had been severed, and even his right foot was weak and numb. With a loud thud, he fell to the ground, hastily scrambling to roll backwards, not caring about losing face as long as he could save his life. He yelled loudly: "Immortal Master, Third Young Master, save me!"

  The feeling of being carefree was not pleasant, each leg of Xiao Si contained extremely intense and fierce energy, his own feet felt like they were constantly stepping on a scorching hot charcoal basin. Fortunately, his skills far surpassed the opponent's, otherwise he might have been roasted into two strips of bacon.

  He exhaled and shouted, forcing out the remaining flames from his body. He glanced at Ye Fashan and Tang Hechuang, who were seven or eight zhang away, and saw that they were engaged in a fierce battle with no time to spare for anything else. Immediately, he pointed his toes at the ground and his figure soared like a giant eagle, with a pair of eagle-winged magic blades heading straight for Xiao Si's back and brain.

  Xiao Si didn't expect that both Ze Lao Dao and Tang Xiao San would release their own pigeons. Tang Xiao San was born with a blank face, and when someone stole his wife, he vented his anger on himself without any help. But Ze Lao Dao, who eats and drinks well every day, actually played tricks at the critical moment, which is really unreasonable. Could it be that these two days of eating roasted goose meat have made them lose their taste? They should have said something earlier!

  He rolled and crawled in a sorry state, his ears hearing the sound of gold wind breaking through the air behind him. Suddenly, his soul flew out as he grabbed onto the iron chain with both hands, making a "zi liu" sound as he tumbled to the outside of the bridge. He cursed loudly: "You old Taoist priest, I've burned down your Pure Yang Temple!"

  "Whoosh——" A sudden, sharp whistling sound came from somewhere, and You Ruo Ran's body suddenly stiffened, falling from mid-air and landing heavily in front of Xiao Si.

  Xiao Si barely escaped with his life, still shaken by the close call. Just then, he saw that You Shi Ran's throat had a knife lodged in it at an angle, with bright red blood flowing out of the wound. He was already dead.

  At this time, a slender hand as white as jade stretched out from beside him, slowly pulling the dagger out of You Ruo's throat and then using a snow-white silk handkerchief to gently wipe it clean. It was Tang He Shang.

  Xiao Si glared at You Shi Ran, whose eyes were frozen in a mixture of shock and despair. He let out a cold breath and said: "This is your bad luck, running into this white-faced killing god. It's good that your old man had foresight and gave you the name 'Shi Ran', 'Shi Ran'. You can drink a few more bowls of Meng Po soup in the underworld and be at peace. Don't keep thinking about your old man."

  Suddenly, a round and chubby black face appeared in front of him, with kind eyebrows and eyes, smiling and holding a black dustpan, lightly tapping the iron lock: "Who was it that just said they wanted to set fire to the Pure Yang Temple?"

  Xiao Si couldn't help but shudder as he stared at the black duster in Lao Dao's hand, afraid that he would "accidentally" hit his own palm. He hastily laughed and said: "If the old doesn't go, the new won't come. One day when I've made a fortune, I'll build you a new temple, fill it with fine wine and delicacies, and make it even more luxurious and comfortable for you to live in, how about that?"

  Ye Fashan nodded and said, "Alright, when I get tired of living here, I'll find you to burn down the old temple and build a new one." With a flick of his sleeve, he wrapped Xiao Si's arm with his sleeve and lifted him up.

  Xiao Si's two feet were firmly on the ground, and his heart finally fell back into his stomach. He was afraid that Tang He would also learn from him and ask for benefits. The Taoist temple was nothing to worry about, but if he opened his mouth to build a brothel, wouldn't he have to learn to be a pimp for the rest of his life?

  He hastily said, "After crossing this suspension bridge, in front is the Four-Faced Cave. According to the formation chart, it should be the last pass of the Tianyun Formation. After rushing past, we will arrive at Hu Ge Stockade."

  As the three of them continued on their way across the suspension bridge, about a hundred feet away, a massive natural cave appeared. This cave was formed by hundreds of huge boulders piled up, and inside the cave, one couldn't see his own fingers when stretching out his hand, with countless forks in the road crisscrossing each other in complexity. If it weren't for the local guide leading the way, they might have wandered around for three days and nights without necessarily finding the exit.

  The divination drum is placed in the four-sided cave, with sixty-four faces of the Taiji drum arranged according to the eight trigrams to set up a killing formation that absolutely eliminates evil.

  However, with the death of You Xianyan, the Hu Ge tribe's Luoluo group was left without a leader, and they immediately became disorganized. They gathered in front of the large golden drums that were arranged according to the eight trigrams, staring blankly at the images of Xiao Si and others floating on the surface of the drums, unsure of how to activate the formation to resist the strong enemy.

  Suddenly, a faint "dang dang" sound was heard, and Bo Zhongzi walked in with a black bamboo stick.

  Tonight, the Zhendao heroes' army divided into eight routes to attack the Hundred Tigers and Thousand Spears Array, causing the Tiger Spears Camp to frequently send out warning signals and set off beacons. Among them, Geng Nanxing's troops had the most magnificent momentum, advancing steadily like breaking bamboo, forcing Cheng Xiantu and others to exhaust their strength before barely slowing down this route of soldiers in the Cangtian Array.

  In comparison, the four of them, standing in a row of three people, seemed completely unremarkable and didn't attract anyone's attention.

  Only Bozhi felt something was wrong and rushed alone to the quietest of the four caves, preparing to take matters into his own hands against Xiao Si.

  He placed his hand on the surface of a golden drum, and after a while, he felt a faint spiritual energy being transmitted from the drum. On the spiritual platform, a blurry picture emerged, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he gave a low command: "Qīng míng yí, zǒu dà zhuàng, kùn wèi sān xiǎng qū dà yǒu!"

  The crowd heard the words and their spirits shook, instantly having a backbone. Among them, four people took up drumsticks and walked to the golden drums under their control, exerting their strength to strike the Da Yi Golden Drums.

  "Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang——"

  The drumbeat is like thunder in the stone cave, rumbling and shaking, sometimes urgent, sometimes lingering, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes low and mysterious, with every beat containing unpredictable changes.

  All that can be seen is the scene projected onto the golden drums, which ripples and distorts like a whirlpool as the drum face vibrates, constantly changing into one unbelievable picture after another.

  At the same time, the symbols hidden in the dark depths of the four-sided cave suddenly lit up, emitting a dazzling golden-green glow. The rocks melted and flowed like lava, only to quickly change shape again, as if the landscape had been transformed overnight. Passages disappeared, and narrow crevices opened up, with Xiaoye and others at the center, within a hundred feet in all directions, the terrain was turned upside down, as if it had become a different world.

  "Ge Laozi, there's a mastermind in this cave, probably that old blind man! Xiao Si looked around at the constantly changing rocks and the flickering symbols, and exclaimed: "Not good, we're trapped in a predicament, now we've got some small trouble."

  Ye Fashan opened his wine gourd and took a sip, asking: "Little Fourth Brother, why do you look like a lost lamb?"

  Tang He shook his head and said, "He is not a sheep, because under heaven there has never been a sheep that can eat a wolf."

  Xiao Si snorted and said: "I'm not afraid of your provocation. Old blind man, just wait and see, I don't believe I'll lose to you!"

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