On the mountaintop, Lin Zitong shook the soul-summoning bell, using the unique magic of the Lushan Sect to summon all the wandering spirits and ghosts from several nearby peaks.
These lonely souls had roamed the mountains in a daze for decades. If they happened to encounter living people at night, they might have clung to them.
Therefore, Lin Zitong felt no burden in using these wandering spirits to deal with Boss Zhou.
Large numbers of lost souls surged towards the camp like a small army!
They bared their fangs and brandished their claws, like ferocious and hungry beasts, their eyes glowing red, as if they intended to devour the living in the camp!
Yet, they were under Lin Zitong's control and directly ignored the innocent villagers, attacking only Boss Zhou's subordinates.
For a time, the camp was in chaos. The unprepared cultivators were caught completely off guard, clutching their heads and rushing back to find their magical artifacts.
Just then, Long Feicheng emerged from some obscure corner and shouted to the villagers:
"Villagers, I'm here to save you! Those ghosts won't attack us, run quickly!!"
The villagers rejoiced upon hearing this and scrambled away in all directions, using both hands and feet.
The mountain terrain was already complex, and it was nighttime. The villagers simply had to find a patch of grass to hide in to disappear without a trace.
Even if Boss Zhou's subordinates wanted to find them, they were helpless now and could only watch them slip away.
Yan Shouyi, hidden in the shadows, was speechless. He had told Long Feicheng to act according to the situation, not to come out and stir up trouble!
Allowing the villagers to escape in the chaos was indeed Yan Shouyi's plan, but if Long Feicheng stood out and led the way, he would inevitably become the primary target for Boss Zhou and his men!
As expected, after the cultivators let the villagers escape, they, enraged, immediately turned their attention to Long Feicheng.
Could this kid be the mastermind?
The bastard who disrupted our plan?
He looks like an ordinary person, though?
No matter, let's catch him first!
Long Feicheng also sensed everyone looking at him, and the belated realization made his face stiffen.
He waved at the people in the camp and said through gritted teeth, "Actually, I was just passing by and playing a joke on you. Don't take it to heart, I'll be going now..."
Boss Zhou jumped out, pointed at Long Feicheng, and roared, "What are you waiting for? Arrest him!"
Now that the villagers were gone, you'll be the bait to lure out the snake!
Boss Zhou's subordinates immediately gave chase, and Long Feicheng, without a word, turned and fled.
As he ran, he shouted, "Brother Yan, save me! I promise I'll never show off again!!"
Yan Shouyi, hidden in the darkness, sighed and quietly scooped up a handful of yellow soil from the ground.
There was a very insidious yet practical move in the Lu Ban Book. By reciting an incantation while facing the yellow soil underfoot, one could make the target fall.
Yan Shouyi held the yellow soil, recited an incantation, and finally shouted "Chi." The ten or so cultivators chasing Long Feicheng all fell to the ground in unison.
Moreover, they fell in various poses, most of them face-planting, while some with weaker constitutions suffered fractures and dislocations on the spot.
For a moment, the ground was covered with Boss Zhou's subordinates, their groans and curses filling the air.
Seeing this, Yan Shouyi couldn't stop smiling.
He hadn't expected such a small prank spell to be so effective at this moment, instantly eliminating one-third of his opponents!
Long Feicheng also seized the opportunity to slip into the woods and disappear.
Seeing that the villagers had all escaped, Yan Shouyi knew it was time for him to retreat. But as he turned back, he suddenly felt a threat, and instinct made him duck.
Whoosh—
A whistling sound flew past Yan Shouyi's ear. He focused his gaze and saw that a flying knife had pierced through a bamboo stalk directly in front of his forehead!
The flying knife was as thin as a cicada's wing, exquisitely crafted without any superfluous patterns or embellishments. Only a small character "Ma" was engraved on the hilt.
Furthermore, less than three seconds after the flying knife pierced the bamboo, deep blue toxins spread around its blade, corroding even the bamboo.
"Such strong toxicity?!"
Yan Shouyi was startled. For a moment, he felt uncertain, wondering if his Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppet body could withstand the flying knife if it hit him.
He looked back and saw that Ma Jinxuan, the younger sister of the Ma family, had discovered him long ago.
At this moment, the Ma siblings guessed that Yan Shouyi was the mastermind. Without a word, they approached Yan Shouyi with grim expressions.
Yang Li, however, deliberately did not attack, crossing his arms and watching the spectacle.
After all, his mission was to find the treasures in King Jian's tomb for Boss Zhou. Any other unexpected events were not his concern.
Yang Li even wished that Yan Shouyi would charge over and eliminate Boss Zhou, to quell his own hatred!
Sensing the unfavorable situation, Yan Shouyi turned and ran. His objective had been achieved, and he didn't want any further conflict with Boss Zhou. Everything would be settled once his father arrived.
But the Ma siblings had no intention of letting him go.
Ma Xingping took out a small jar from his waist, opened it, and released several small flying insects. These insects resembled fireflies, but the light they emitted was much brighter.
They followed the direction of the airflow, doggedly tracking Yan Shouyi. No matter where Yan Shouyi hid, the small insects could always find him.
"They even brought in reinforcements?" Yan Shouyi frowned and let out a whistle into the sky.
The next second, San Yuan broke through the air and, with a dive, easily devoured one of the small flying insects.
"It's that wooden bird from earlier today!" Ma Jinxuan said coldly. "I wasn't mistaken, it really was a wooden bird!"
"Could it be a descendant of Lu Ban?!" Ma Xingping exclaimed. "They haven't appeared for many years. I didn't expect to encounter a descendant of Lu Ban here!"
Setting aside their positions, Ma Xingping was actually willing to be friends with a descendant of Lu Ban. They both originated from the common folk and had low social status in the past. They should have supported each other to resist the powerful.
But things were different now. The Ma siblings had a reason to obtain the flesh fungus, and anyone who obstructed or harmed them would be considered an enemy.
"We absolutely cannot let him go!" Ma Xingping shouted.
Ma Jinxuan then took out a small flute, placed it in her mouth, and blew. However, the sound was so faint that it was almost inaudible, like the fluttering of a mosquito's wings.
Yan Shouyi, running frantically ahead, thought that with San Yuan dealing with the glowing insects, he could escape quickly. To his surprise, a mass of black clouds flew towards him, accompanied by a skin-crawling buzzing sound!
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't black clouds at all, but a vast swarm of hornets!
The hornets' venom was potent. If such a large swarm stung Yan Shouyi, even if he didn't die, the pain would be worse than death.
While marveling at the Ma siblings' ruthless methods, Yan Shouyi didn't hold back and immediately formed the hand seal for "Palm Thunder."
"Essence of Jiao and Ji, divine spirit of Jia and Yi. Raise waves and beat drums, clouds and thunder swiftly rise. All demons wandering, dissolved by lightning. Thousands cut their heads, myriads their forms sheared. Those who follow me live, those who oppose me fall. Deviate from my command, and you defy the heavens. Hasten as the imperial decree!"
"To those two grave robbers, I'll send you an electrically grilled hornet swarm. Shall our grievances be settled then!"