Blood is Coming

Lin Mo took no part in their exclamations.

The farther they went, the more ferocious each formation core became, and the greater the cost the one who had set up the formation had paid.

But in turn, the baleful energy accumulated throughout the formation was being siphoned away by the Human Emperor Banner.

The formation could still function, but it had already lost the oppressive force it had possessed at the beginning.

Unfortunately for the formation, the Human Emperor Banner was the natural bane of all baleful and sinister energy.

The group continued forward.

After passing through a narrow corridor, they found a pharmaceutical warehouse ahead.

One row of metal shelving had collapsed, and glass bottles lay shattered across the floor. The labels had long since yellowed, yet there was surprisingly little medicinal odor in the air.

Lin Mo stopped at the entrance.

“The final formation core.”

Liu Zheng turned to look at him. “How can you be sure?”

Lin Mo did not answer. He simply stared toward the center of the warehouse.

The coffin had no superfluous markings. Only four corners were fitted with black metal plaques.

Neon characters were carved into the plaques. The strokes were deep. They did not look written so much as hacked in, one line at a time, with a knife.

When Wang Xincheng saw the four metal plaques, his pace slowed.

“This is the main core.”

“The main core?” Liu Zheng asked.

“The previous ones were all meant to lock it down.”

Wang Xincheng forced the words out through clenched teeth. “This is the thing truly suppressing the formation.”

“Wait, lock it down?!” Liu Zheng failed to understand.

The coffins they had passed earlier had been used to seal this coffin?

And this coffin was sealing something even farther inside?

What kind of chain reaction was this?!

The moment he finished speaking, the iron coffin’s lid flew open on its own.

It was not pushed aside slowly.

The entire lid shot into the air and slammed into the ceiling, sending dust cascading to the floor.

Liu Zheng glanced up. “That’s some impressive strength. The movers would love him.”

No one responded.

A humanoid figure crawled out of the coffin.

He wore an ornate robe. His skin was gray and pale, and his features were still fairly handsome.

But there was no warmth of life in his eyes. Every time they opened and closed, they revealed nothing but resentment.

He stepped onto the floor and rolled his neck, the joints making a faint series of cracking sounds.

“Has the seal been broken?”

Liu Zheng could not understand him, so he turned and asked, “What did he say?”

As the group’s translator, Ning Qingcheng took the initiative to explain. “He asked whether the seal has been broken.”

The man raised his head. His gaze swept over the group before finally settling on Lin Mo.

“That’s right! Someone told me that as long as the seal was broken, I would regain my freedom.”

Lin Mo could understand Japanese. What he had not expected was that the creature serving as the formation’s final suppressing force would still possess his intellect.

The man stared at Lin Mo, striking an imposing pose.

“In that case, today shall be the day this emperor regains his freedom.”

He stepped out of the iron coffin. Blood-red markings lit up beneath his feet.

The metal shelves in the warehouse began to tremble. Shards of medicine bottles quivered on the floor as the baleful energy was drawn in by the formation patterns and converged upon him.

“I am Taira no Masakado, the New Emperor of Nippon. I am in a good mood today. If you are willing to submit, you may be spared—”

Before he could finish, Lin Mo had already raised his hand.

The Human Emperor Banner was just about to descend when Wang Xincheng suddenly took a step forward.

“Mr. Lin.”

Lin Mo turned his head toward him.

Wang Xincheng stood where he was, his back a little straighter than before.

He looked at the evil creature calling himself Taira no Masakado. Fear still lingered on his face, but his feet did not retreat.

“My son and daughter have run into trouble. If we’re going to save them, something has to be done.”

He spoke slowly.

“Young Master Lin took care of the first few. Could you leave this last one to me?”

Liu Zheng froze for a moment. “Master Wang, don’t try to be a hero. Anyone can see this isn’t an ordinary thing.”

Wang Xincheng gave a bitter smile. “All my life, I’ve read feng shui for people, relocated graves, located auspicious burial sites, and helped others avoid misfortune and seek good fortune. When it comes down to it, I’ve mostly made a living with my mouth. I’ve rarely had to take action myself. But if I still hide behind everyone today, then the Five Calamities and Three Deficiencies will be set in stone.”

Wang Keting, who had remained silent all this time, thought it over before stepping to his father’s side. As a son, and for the sake of his utterly unreasonable older sister, he had to stand up no matter what.

The warehouse fell silent for a moment.

Taira no Masakado couldn’t understand Chinese, but he could read their expressions. With a scoff, he said, “Are you planning to obstruct this Emperor?”

Wang Xincheng ignored him and waited only for Lin Mo’s word.

Lin Mo withdrew his hand and took half a step back.

“Go.”

Wang Xincheng had just let out half a sigh of relief when Lin Mo added,

“You won’t die.”

Those words were more effective than any protective talisman.

Liu Zheng stepped back as well, not forgetting to remind him, “Master Wang, retreat if you can’t win. Don’t worry about honor or martial etiquette. We’ve got an expert on our side.”

Wang Xincheng nearly broke character at that.

He opened the bundle he carried with him and took out a wooden box.

The box wasn’t large. Its corners had been polished smooth and bright, a sign that it had seen many years of use.

When he lifted the lid, a short blade lay inside, wrapped in black cloth.

Beneath the cloth, the blade was trembling.

It wasn’t some evil weapon running wild.

The tremor was restrained, like an old dog locked inside its sheath, enduring for years until it finally caught the scent of something worth biting.

Wang Xincheng held the blade in both hands, lowering his back as he began reciting the exorcism formula passed down through his family.

“The heavens preserve righteous energy; profound light protects my body.”

“Let all evil retreat, let all demons draw no nearer!”

Wang Xincheng raised a hand and pulled away the black cloth.

Half the short blade was revealed.

Its edge was dull and dark, its body short. Dense, tiny talismans had been carved across its surface.

The talismans were so old they had turned gray. Yet the moment they sensed Taira no Masakado, they began lighting up one after another.

“Though I am only a minor feng shui geomancer…”

He pulled away the black cloth.

Half the short blade was revealed, its dark edge covered in tiny talismans.

It did not shine.

But it bore down on them.

“I am only a minor feng shui geomancer.”

Wang Xincheng tossed the black cloth aside. His voice was not loud, but everyone in the warehouse heard him clearly.

“But the art of suppressing evil is a trade my ancestors practiced. I haven’t let them down.”

Taira no Masakado had still been smiling.

Then, halfway through, his smile stopped.

The short blade let out a soft hum.

The next moment, it gave another soft hum, and the remnants of the formation markings on the warehouse floor were forcibly pressed down by half an inch.

Liu Zheng’s brows twitched as he watched. Unable to hold back, he asked, “What kind of thing is that? It looks pretty powerful.”

Lin Mo examined the runes on the short blade and answered casually, “It’s only a half-step spirit artifact. It’s a level below Qing Cheng’s Sky-Rending Arrow. But this blade specializes in suppressing evil, so it’s more useful than the Sky-Rending Arrow in a situation like this.”

Liu Zheng nodded.

“Got it. The right tool for the job.”

Wang Xincheng had no time to deal with them. With a twist of his wrist, he held the short blade horizontally before his palm.

“Blood, come!”

Wang Keting reacted quickly. He pulled out a small knife and was about to cut his hand.

Wang Xincheng turned and glared at him.

But then he looked at his idiot son instead.

“You little bastard, what happened to the blood you drew earlier?”

Wang Keting’s hand froze.

“Oh, right. I forgot.”

He pulled a blood bag from his pocket, looking completely innocent.

Wang Xincheng nearly kicked him.

How could he forget something like that at a time like this?

He snatched the blood bag, plunged the short blade into it, and watched as the bag quickly deflated. The blood was sucked completely into the blade.

The talismans etched along the blade glowed red, but the light was murky and lacked clarity. It only lit up halfway before starting to fade.

Wang Xincheng glanced at it and immediately lost his temper.

He looked up at his son.

“You little punk, just how many times have you been fooling around?!”

Wang Keting looked thoroughly aggrieved.

“I’m over thirty. Isn’t it normal for me to fool around a little? Besides, I haven’t broken any laws.”

“You’ve even got an argument ready!”