Chapter 148 — Internal Strife

Cangyan Daoren promptly stepped back and nodded. "Then all is well. Letting your master pass his seventh day in peace—that, too, may count as my heartfelt intention."

Qin Wujiu was taken aback. Before he could grasp the meaning, Cangyan Daoren's figure suddenly shifted; in a flash he was at the door of the mourning hall. He drew breath and raised his voice: "Eh—the sect master's seal ... ah ..." The first words were full of astonishment, and halfway through, though he still stood there perfectly unharmed, Cangyan Daoren suddenly cried out in pain as if gravely wounded, as though ambushed by someone.

Qin Wujiu's face changed at once, but it was too late to stop him. Cangyan Daoren's voice was already echoing over the silent, deep Venomous Snake Valley; moments later, echoes seemed to rebound from the distance, and faint "ah" sounds were everywhere through the valley.

For the first instant, Venomous Snake Valley seemed startled into a stillness even deeper than before—but only for a moment. Countless clamorous sounds surged up from every corner of the valley, roaring like waves. Countless men who had long been waiting weapons in hand sprang forth; questions, curses, shouts, commands blended into one, turning into an invisible tide that came pouring toward the mourning hall from every direction.

Cangyan Daoren turned his head and smiled, waving at the ashen-faced Qin Wujiu. "Good nephew, your uncle has given you a hand. If one day you manage to sit on the sect master's throne, do not forget today's kindness!" He said no more; his figure blurred, and an instant before Qin Wujiu reached the doorway he flew swiftly into the darkness beyond and vanished.

Qin Wujiu clung to the doorframe, gasping, eyes full of fury. Clearly Cangyan Daoren's sudden move had completely wrecked his careful plans. Around him the noise was now a boiling tumult; the mourning hall was about to be surrounded by the countless men of his three senior brothers. Qin Wujiu stamped his foot hard, made his decision on the spot, and like Cangyan Daoren threw himself into the darkness outside. Moments later his figure was gone.

The next instant, countless Venomous Sect disciples, torches and blades in hand and murder in their hearts, came charging savagely into the Venom God's mourning hall under the leadership of the Venom God's three chief disciples.

And after a moment's silence, furious cries of kill rang out through Venomous Snake Valley under the night sky, sweeping the whole valley in an instant.

The night grew deeper still.

When the rising sun cast its first light upon the earth, Cangyan Daoren, who had slipped unnoticed out of Venomous Snake Valley, was already riding his sword high in the air above a small town four hundred li northeast of the valley. He surveyed the town and its surroundings carefully from the sky, then, as though spotting something, immediately descended toward a small hill north of the town.

The nameless hill was mostly covered in wild maples; seen from the sky it was a single sheet of red, very beautiful. Before the maple grove stood three men and one woman—none other than the King of the Underworld, Mr. Ghost, Ming Li, and You Si.

Seeing Cangsong descend, the King of the Underworld showed a trace of a smile and went to meet him. "Well? Did it go smoothly?"

Cangyan Daoren nodded. "Just as the Sect Master anticipated. Qin Wujiu's injuries have indeed healed, and he has tampered with the box holding the Ten Thousand Venoms Sect master's seal—most likely by placing the Seven-Tailed Centipede inside. Whoever opens that box, so long as Qin Wujiu works it from the shadows, no one can escape the centipede's bite. With the Seven-Tailed Centipede's uncanny venom, the man would most likely be dead on the spot."

The King of the Underworld laughed aloud and turned to Mr. Ghost and the others. "You see? These crude old tricks, used who knows how many times already, and still someone is using them!"

Ming Li's face was indifferent; he said nothing. You Si likewise kept silent. Only Mr. Ghost said mildly, "The method is indeed a little outdated and crude—but so long as it works, it is a good method."

The King of the Underworld nodded. "True enough. Speaking of it, Senior Venom God was a formidable figure of his generation in our Holy Sect—how is it that every disciple he took is this sort of creature? Truly disappointing."

Cangyan Daoren smiled from the side. "Still, that Qin Wujiu is really quite a character. A pity."

The King of the Underworld glanced at him and could not help laughing again. For a moment no one spoke. Ming Li stood to one side, silently watching the King of the Underworld, and frowned. Somehow, he felt that the King of the Underworld was strange today.

Yet Mingli's thoughts did not travel far down that road, for very soon, in the small town ahead that had only just awakened in the morning light, a heart-rending shriek suddenly burst forth. Swiftly, countless screams rose on every side, and among them one could clearly hear someone crying out in utter terror: "Beast demons, the beast demons are here..."

A shrill and cruel whistling sound came from the south of the town. Out on the distant, peaceful plain, clouds of dust suddenly rose, as though charging warriors had formed an army of thousands, surging forward irresistibly. That cry, sweeping from far to near and laced with excited roars, rushed in with a craving for blood. The five of the Ghost King Sect standing at the other end of the town all leapt into the air and flew toward the town.

As they drew near, even these people who had witnessed countless great scenes could not help but change color at the sight before them. Countless monsters and mutated beasts came howling and roaring out of the dust clouds on the plain—enormous frames, vigorous bodies, sharp teeth and talons—radiating a dense aura of death in the morning light. Meanwhile the townsfolk on the other side were thrown into panic, running madly in every direction, yet no one knew where safety lay.

The dense drumming of running feet grew nearer and louder, until at last it became deafening. More and more beast demons poured in from the south, charging at the town. The ancient roads across the plain and the broad land on either side had become a playground for these creatures; with reddened eyes, the demons howled earth-shakingly and encircled the town. Those poor souls who could not make it inside were swallowed in an instant by the dust the beasts kicked up; in the grey haze blood flashed, screams rang out, and then were extinguished.

On the town walls, some who still clung to the will to live desperately hauled up the drawbridge at the gate, holding the fierce and cruel beasts outside for the moment. But the beast demons seemed to pour endlessly from the south, encircling the town completely.

The five in the sky all drew a sharp breath.

From the wilderness in the distance came a fierce shriek, sharp and piercing to the ear, with a certain clangor to it, seeming to pierce through the dust-filled air and come rushing from afar. The Ghost King's expression changed, and he said in a low voice, "It's here. This must be the beast demon. Everyone be careful, act according to the plan."

The others nodded slightly and then dispersed, leaving only the Ghost King in the air. He cast a few more glances toward the source of the shriek, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, then rose upward, vanished into the clouds of the sky, and was seen no more.

As the shriek grew louder and louder, the countless monsters that had tightly surrounded the town all raised their heads and roared at once. The various piercing sounds mingled together, mixed with the reek of wild beasts and the faint smell of blood on the wind, enough to make one's hair stand on end.