paranoianovel Chapter 64: Black Wind Cave
Chapter 64: Black Wind Cave
Outside the cave, the wind howled.
The wind blew along the dark cliff face, whipping up sand and gravel that stung the face. It carried an indescribable smell, a mixture of decaying leaves, damp earth, and the lingering stench of blood from the recent battle—thick and heavy, pressing down on the chest. The fog had thinned somewhat, but it was even more viscous, like a piece of wet gray silk, hanging softly among the withered branches and rocks, blurring the distant, jagged mountain silhouettes.
Lin Yan stood three zhang away from the cave entrance, his feet on slippery, dark green moss-covered pebbles. He didn't immediately take a step, nor did he even look back at his comrades behind him, who were holding their breath, gripping their weapons, waiting for his command to charge in. He simply raised his head slightly and closed his eyes.
The surrounding clamor—the muffled sound of water flowing in the distant ravine, the whistling of the wind through the crevices of the rocks, even the suppressed breathing of his companions beside him and the soft rustling of their armor plates—seemed to recede like a tide in that instant. He emptied his mind, no longer thinking about the potential dangers lurking within the cave, no longer calculating how many talismans and pills they had left, and no longer worrying about the venomous sting hidden beneath Liu Xiong's gentle and refined mask.
He simply and slowly, almost reverently, extended his left hand, which had not been holding a knife, toward the cave.
With fingers slightly spread and palms facing upward, I let the icy, fishy wind flow through my fingers, strand by strand.
Since that day in the Misty Ancient Forest, when he refined the wood core of the old locust tree demon and obtained the two supernatural power seeds of "Illusion" and "Awe-Inducing," Lin Yan felt that his five senses, especially his ethereal spiritual perception, were changing day by day. It wasn't just that they became more acute; it was as if a more subtle and real veil had been lifted beneath the "skin" of his usual perception. He could "hear" the whispers of the wind, not as a sound, but as the extremely subtle "tactile sensation" of the wind brushing against different objects—the stagnation, the smoothness, or the resistance; he could "see" the dim hues hidden in the flow of light and shadow, lingering traces of the emotions of living beings that were usually impossible to detect.
At this moment, he carefully, like the softest spider silk, probed this extraordinary spiritual sense into the deep, beast-like cave.
The cave was not entirely silent.
There were heavy, deliberately suppressed breaths, more than one, hidden in the shadows of the winding rock face. Hearts pounded rapidly and heavily, like the beating of a tattered drum covered with a damp cloth, thumping with a rhythm of tension and bloodlust. The air was thick with the smells of sweat, body odor, and a cold, earthy stench reminiscent of an ancient tomb, all intertwined to form a murky "field." Within this "field," an undisguised malice lurked, as viscous as congealed blood, firmly locking onto the small patch of light and shadow at the cave entrance.
They are waiting.
Waiting for a group of wounded and exhausted "prey," who thought they had overcome numerous dangers and finally found the "bandit's den," the moment their guard relaxed, they ran headlong into the poisoned net that had already been laid. The overly "clean" ground near the cave entrance, the few seemingly random but actually trickily angled stones that could trip them up, the slightly darker-colored protrusions on the rock wall that looked like they had been repeatedly rubbed... all these things, in Lin Yan's heightened senses, outlined a clear and dangerous contour.
As expected. Liu Xiong's "special mission" and the "demon bandits" of Black Wind Ravine were all part of a trap. The net had already been laid and the knife sharpened in this cave, just waiting for these "sacrifices" to stumble in unsuspectingly and run headlong into the long-prepared, fatal blow that could instantly crush an ordinary team.
To rush in rashly? That would be like walking into a trap, with no chance of survival.
Lin Yan opened his eyes. The two gray-black vortexes deep in his eyes slowly disappeared, returning to a calm, deep pool-like state. He didn't turn around, but simply raised his right hand to his side, palm down, fingers spread, making an extremely simple gesture—one of the pre-arranged codes: "Stop, be on guard, wait."
The team behind him seemed to have been instantly brought to a standstill by an invisible hand. All subtle sounds vanished completely, even breathing became almost nonexistent. Only gazes, like tangible steel needles, were fixed on Lin Yan's back, awaiting his next command.
Lin Yan raised his hand again. This time, the gesture was more complicated. He brought his index and middle fingers together, slowly drew an arc across his chest, and finally pointed at himself, then made a "gathering" motion.
Lu Ling was the first to understand. He frowned slightly, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes, but the trust that had developed over time made him carry out the order without hesitation. He quickly removed a small leather pouch hanging beside his quiver, which contained, besides arrows, three [Explosive Flame Talismans] given to him by Su Qingyao, drawn with cinnabar mixed with the blood of a special demon beast. He carefully took out the talismans, his movements as gentle as if handling fragile thin ice, then crouched down and silently moved forward a few steps, gently placing the talismans on a slightly dry stone surface at Lin Yan's feet.
Wang Dashan, Zhou Fu, Zhao Si… the rest of the team members also understood one after another. No one asked questions, no one hesitated. One by one, talismans that were either kept close to the body, tied to the inside of the arm armor, or hidden deep in the waist pouch were taken out—[Sharp Metal Talisman], [Gale Talisman], [Earth Spike Talisman], and even two more precious [Mist Talismans] used to create chaos… The golden and dark red talisman papers were stacked together, gradually forming a small pile at Lin Yan's feet. The vermilion patterns on each talisman gleamed faintly in the dim light, as if sealing within them ferocious beasts eager to be released.
Lin Yan bent down and picked up the talismans one by one. The edges of the talisman paper were rough and slightly cool to the touch. He could clearly feel the different spiritual energy fluctuations contained within each talisman. Su Qingyao's focused expression as she drew them, and the way the spiritual light flowed from her fingertips, seemed to be right before his eyes. These talismans were their most important reliance at this moment, besides the swords in their hands and the iron armor on their bodies, and their only possible chance to break out of their current predicament.
He gathered the talismans in his left palm and gently gripped the hilt of his sword with his right. The longsword had drunk countless lives; the rope binding the hilt was blackened with blood and sweat, yet it felt strangely solid to hold. Within his body, the gray-black Devouring Spirit True Essence began to surge silently, not with full force, but like a bowstring being slowly drawn taut, pouring its power into the meridians of his legs, accumulating for that earth-shattering moment.
The [Swiftness] talent is poised to be unleashed.
His gaze fell one last time on the deep cave entrance. In his spiritual perception, the fluctuations of those "beings" inside the cave seemed slightly restless due to their long inactivity, but the ambush formation remained firm, and their killing intent was like a fully drawn bowstring, taut even more.
Right now.
Lin Yan lightly touched the ground with the toe of his left foot, making no sound and not even stirring up a speck of dust. The next instant, he shot towards the cave entrance like an arrow shot from a powerful bow, or a streak of gray lightning tearing through the thick fog and darkness! His [Swiftness] talent was pushed to its limit, his speed so great that he left only a faint, lingering afterimage in his original position, while his true form had already covered several meters, heading straight for the cave entrance!
The evil cultivators and demonic beasts lying in ambush inside the cave clearly did not expect their target to linger at the cave entrance for so long before suddenly and swiftly charging in alone! The moment that gray figure entered their sight, most of them did not even have time to react.
What Lin Yan wanted was this moment of being caught off guard!
The instant he rushed into the cave entrance, his body suddenly twisted in mid-air in a completely illogical manner, transforming his forward momentum into a lateral drift. Using a protruding rock in the cave wall as a springboard, he spun like a top! At the same time, his left hand, tightly gripping the talismans, deftly and skillfully scattered the stack of talismans in his palm towards several locations within the cave where he sensed the most concentrated "existence" fluctuations and the strongest killing intent.
The talismans weren't just randomly tossed aside. Each talisman's trajectory subtly corresponded to the aura nodes he detected with his spiritual sense. The yellow paper and red patterns drew eerie arcs in the dim cave, like invitations from the Grim Reaper, precisely landing on the heads of the evil cultivators and demonic beasts lurking behind stalagmites, cowering in the shadows, and clinging to the cave ceiling!
"burst!"
Lin Yan gave a low shout in his heart, and a wisp of pure true essence that he had secretly infused into the talismans simultaneously activated all the talismans!
"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!"
"Hiss hiss hiss—!!!"
"Ugh—!!!"
In an instant, it seemed as if dozens of thunderbolts exploded simultaneously at the entrance of Black Wind Cave! The [Exploding Flame Talisman] transformed into countless blazing, roaring orange-red fireballs, slamming into the rock walls, the ground, and the unprepared evil cultivators. The shockwaves from the explosions, carrying debris and flames, raged wildly. The [Sharp Metal Talisman] transformed into countless golden blades of energy, almost invisible to the naked eye, shrieking as they tore through the air, slicing through bone blades and leather armor that tried to block, sending up sprays of blood. The [Gale Talisman] whipped up a violent gust of wind, not only dispersing some of the poisonous smoke and miasma but also knocking over some lighter demonic beasts. The [Earth Spike Talisman] caused sharp stalagmites to suddenly rise from the flat ground, piercing the feet or abdomens of several figures who were about to pounce, eliciting screams of agony. And the large clouds of grayish-white mist that exploded from the two [Mist Talismans] instantly shrouded the cave entrance area in chaos, completely depriving the ambushers of their vision and coordination!
The meticulously laid trap, the long-planned killing scheme, crumbled under the sudden, overwhelming bombardment of talismans! Screams, roars, the wails of monsters, the rumble of rocks collapsing... all sorts of sounds mingled together, gushing out from the smoke-shrouded cave entrance, even causing the fog outside the cave to churn violently.
It's now!
"Rush!"
Lin Yan's sharp shout pierced through the aftershocks of the explosion, like a sword drawn from its sheath. Without hesitation, he was the first to crash into the still-lingering smoke and chaos. A thin halo of gray-black Devouring Spirit Essence formed on his body, deflecting the flying pebbles, sparks, and scattered malevolent attacks. Like a reef cleaving through turbid waves, he charged straight towards the source of the most concentrated and chilling malevolent energy within the cave!
"Follow up! Protect the master!" Lu Ling's roar followed closely behind. The Black Stone Guards, who had been holding their breath for a long time, surged forward like a flood bursting its banks, following Lin Yan into the cave. The scene before them was chaotic: smoke filled the air, flames flickered, shadowy figures moved about, and there were rolling wounded and terrified monsters everywhere. But they were well-trained and did not hesitate. Following their pre-rehearsed formation, they advanced in groups of three, back to back.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The soft clicks of crossbows and the twang of bowstrings echoed through the smoke. Lu Ling stood in the relatively safe rear, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. With each twitch of the bowstring, an arrow pierced the smoke, precisely piercing the throat or eye socket of a rogue cultivator attempting a counterattack. Wang Dashan and his shield-wielding companion charged forward side by side, using their iron-clad wooden shields to smash through the rubble and wounded monsters blocking their path. Another member thrust his spear through the gaps in the shields, finishing off those who had been knocked down. Zhou Fu's other group focused on clearing the threats on the stone walls on both sides, their blades flashing as they cut down the monsters that had been thrown down by the explosions and were still trying to climb back up and attack.
The advance was incredibly rapid. The barrage of talismans disrupted the enemy's formation, causing immense chaos and casualties. More importantly, it destroyed the enemy's ambush rhythm and psychological advantage. Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, panic, and disorganized fighting, the Black Stone Guards, with their tight formation, precise long-range strikes, and fierce close combat, were like a red-hot iron, piercing deep into the enemy's chaotic ranks, relentlessly reaping lives, and rapidly advancing into the depths of the cave.
Smoke and dust filled the air, distorting light and shadow. Lin Yan, relying on his spiritual sense, ignored the scattered resistance and screams around him, his target clear: the core of the late-stage Profound Realm evil energy. He could sense that the core was located about twenty feet ahead, in the center of a relatively open cave. The opponent was clearly also thrown off balance by this sudden storm of talismans; its aura fluctuated violently, but its chilling and violent nature only intensified.
In just a few breaths, Lin Yan had broken through the last chaotic area, and a vast natural cave opened up before him. Stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling resembled the fangs of a giant beast, dripping dark red water droplets. In the center of the cave, an old man, clad in a tattered black robe and with a emaciated figure, slowly rose from a stone seat. Black energy surged around him, and his emerald green eyes shone eerily in the dim light, staring intently at the intruder Lin Yan. The resentment and fury in his eyes were almost tangible.
It was that evil cultivator and bandit leader who was in the late stage of the Profound Realm!
"Young man...you have some nerve!" The old man's voice was hoarse and unpleasant, like a rusty knife scraping bone.
Lin Yan didn't waste any words with him. He moved again, like a shadow, and rushed straight at the old man! On the blade, the gray-black Devouring Spirit True Essence flickered erratically, carrying a chilling aura of devouring and destruction.
"Stop him!" the old man shouted, and with a flick of his sleeve, a black shadow shot out, growing larger in the wind. It was a banner about a foot long, with an unknown beast bone as the handle and human skin as the surface, on which countless twisted and painful faces were drawn with dark red bloodstains—the Hundred Soul Banner!
The moment the banner appeared, the temperature inside the cave plummeted, a chilling wind howled, and countless mournful wails seemed to rise from the void, assaulting eardrums and disturbing the mind. The faces on the banner seemed to come alive, struggling and writhing, emanating a dense aura of resentment and icy coldness, transforming into translucent gray-black phantoms that shrieked as they pounced towards Lin Yan! These ghostly phantoms were formless and intangible, impervious to swords and blades, specifically targeting the soul and consciousness—a vicious tactic used by evil cultivators against righteous cultivators.
However, facing the onrushing vengeful spirit, Lin Yan showed no fear; instead, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. The mark on his chest warmed slightly, and his divine sense concentrated in his Niwan Palace. He did not choose to confront it head-on with his Devouring Spirit True Essence. Instead, with a thought, he quietly activated the "Soul-Suppressing" divine power he had obtained from the tree demon—not a large-scale intimidation, but rather condensing the pressure and impact that specialized in attacking the soul into an invisible yet sharp spiritual spike, which he then slammed into the onrushing vengeful spirit's phantom!
"Buzz—!"
Without a sound, an invisible ripple spread across the soul level. Those approaching ghostly phantoms were originally a condensation of resentment and remnant souls, lacking complete consciousness, driven entirely by the evil banner and instinctive malice. Now, struck by this "Soul-Suppressing" power specifically targeting the soul, they were instantly like snow splashed on boiling water, emitting a silent, mournful shriek. The phantoms instantly twisted, dissipated, and faded by more than half! Although they did not completely dissipate, the resentment and soul-interference power contained within them had already diminished by seven or eight tenths. When they landed on Lin Yan, they only caused a slight ripple in his sea of consciousness, and then had no further effect.
Just as the attack of the evil spirits was halted, Lin Yan's blade arrived!
The blade flashed like a startled swan, its gray-black trajectory so precise it chilled the heart. It wasn't aimed at the old man's body, but rather at the banner pole of the Hundred Soul Banner, which was suspended in mid-air and still radiating residual energy—that pale, seemingly fragile piece of beast bone that had been refined with evil magic!
"Snap!"
A crisp snapping sound echoed sharply within the cave. The longsword, imbued with the sharp, soul-devouring essence, effortlessly cleaved the banner pole in two! Deprived of its vessel and core drive, the tattered banner drifted down like a kite with a broken string. The pained faces on it instantly froze, dimmed, and finally dissipated into wisps of black smoke.
The old man's ferocious expression froze instantly, replaced by disbelief and horror. This Hundred Soul Banner was his prized magical artifact, forged with painstaking effort and the destruction of countless lives. He had wielded it with unparalleled power for many years, and even ordinary cultivators at the Transcendent Realm were wary of it. Yet today, the banner pole had been destroyed in a single encounter?
Lin Yan's movements did not falter in the slightest. The instant after severing the Hundred Soul Banner, he stomped his feet, his figure like a ghost, bypassing the old man's flank, whose mind was shaken and whose aura was momentarily disordered due to the destruction of his magical artifact. His blade spun, carrying an unwavering determination, and aimed straight at the old man's neck, which was slightly exposed due to shock and anger!
The old man was ultimately at the late stage of the Profound Realm. At the critical moment of life and death, he roared wildly, disregarding the turbulence of his true essence caused by the backlash from the magic weapon. His thin, bird-claw-like right hand emitted a dense, dark green evil light, his five fingers forming a claw, and with a hissing sound as it tore through the air, he forcefully grabbed at Lin Yan's blade! He actually intended to use his physical body to confront the sharp blade head-on!
"clang--!"
A deafening clang, like metal clashing against metal, exploded, sparks flying everywhere! The old man's seemingly withered hands were actually harder than iron, clashing head-on with Lin Yan's blade imbued with the Soul Devouring True Essence! A chilling force surged through the blade, causing Lin Yan's arm to tremble violently, his tiger's mouth to go numb, and his body to involuntarily slide back half a step.
But the old man was in even worse shape. The gray-black Devouring Spirit True Essence clinging to the blade, the moment it came into contact with the dark green evil light, was like a hungry wolf smelling blood, frantically eroding and devouring it! The old man felt a cold and domineering alien True Essence drill into his arm meridians along the point of contact. Wherever it passed, the evil True Essence he had painstakingly cultivated for many years melted away like ice and snow, being rapidly assimilated and plundered! Furthermore, a devouring and deathly intent that penetrated straight to his soul came, causing a great fear to rise in his heart for no reason.
"What kind of weird technique is this?!" The old man was shocked and furious. He suddenly activated his true energy to temporarily force back the invading force. At the same time, he used the recoil to rush backward, trying to create distance.
However, Lin Yan wouldn't give him a chance to breathe. His [Swiftness] talent erupted once more, relentlessly pursuing him like a persistent leech. The blade flashed again, no longer a simple slash, but transformed into layers upon layers of gray waves, both real and illusory, completely enveloping the space around the old man. Each strike carried the corrosive properties of Devouring Spirit True Essence, forcing the old man to expend even more True Essence to defend and dodge, making it impossible for him to mount an effective counterattack.
Meanwhile, the Black Stone Guards, led by Wang Dashan, Zhou Fu, and others, had formed a battle array and reached the center of the cave, quickly eliminating the remaining few evil cultivators and several ferocious demonic beasts. They did not rush to aid Lin Yan, but instead, with remarkable coordination, spread out on the perimeter, forming a loose encirclement. Blades and crossbow bolts pointed outwards, firmly blocking the scattered evil cultivators and demonic beasts who, recovering from the smoke of the explosion, attempted to rush in to rescue their leader. The sounds of crossbow bolts piercing the air, the clash of weapons, roars, and screams filled the area outside the encirclement, yet no one could break through the Black Stone Guards' defenses of flesh and steel, thus preventing any disruption to the decisive battle in the center.
In the center of the cave, it suddenly became a one-on-one duel arena between Lin Yan and the evil cultivator leader.
The old man grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. His opponent's cultivation was clearly a minor realm lower, yet his true essence was incredibly solid, possessing a strange attribute that specifically countered and even devoured his evil techniques. His own Yin Soul attack had been broken, his vicious magic weapon destroyed, and now he was constantly hampered in close combat, his true essence rapidly depleting. In contrast, his opponent, though also experiencing surging energy, had eyes that grew brighter and his swordplay more ferocious, seemingly tireless and growing stronger with each battle.
"We can't drag this out!" A fierce and resolute glint flashed in the old man's eyes. He bit his tongue sharply, spitting a mouthful of dark red, foul blood containing his primordial essence onto his hands. Instantly, his aura surged, the dark green evil light becoming viscous like liquid, emitting a nauseating stench. His fingernails grew several inches longer, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen, creating afterimages and piercing whistling sounds with each swing. His attacks suddenly became frenzied and violent, each strike carrying the intent of mutual destruction, and the corrosive and chilling power of his evil art increased several times over!
"Blood-Burning Evil Technique?!" Lin Yan's pupils constricted slightly as he recognized it as an evil method that severely damaged one's foundation and burned one's lifespan for a brief burst of power. He dared not take it head-on, pushing his [Swimming Dragon Eight Trigrams Step] to its limit, his figure like a willow catkin in the wind, weaving and dodging through the countless claw shadows, occasionally using his blade to parry and guide, deflecting the ferocious attacks. But the old man's strength and speed had greatly increased at this moment, his claw winds were fierce, and several times they grazed past Lin Yan's body. Even with true essence protecting his body, deep charred scratches were left on his leather armor, and the attached cold evil energy tried to penetrate his body, but he forcibly dispelled it with his Soul-Devouring True Essence.
The situation seemed to reverse in an instant, and Lin Yan was forced to retreat repeatedly, facing a perilous situation.
The Black Stone Guards on the perimeter were extremely anxious. Wang Dashan roared and tried to rush forward to help, but Lu Ling held him down, saying in a deep voice, "Trust the lord!"
Just as Lin Yan was forced to the side of a stalactite pillar, seemingly with nowhere to retreat, the old man's eyes blazed with ferocity. He believed the time was right, and with both claws out, dark green evil light condensed into two huge, intersecting ghostly claw phantoms. With a mournful ghostly howl, they sealed off all of Lin Yan's escape routes and slammed down! This attack concentrated most of the power he unleashed with his burning blood, determined to kill Lin Yan instantly with his claws!
However, just as the ghostly claws were about to strike, a terrifying glint suddenly flashed in Lin Yan's usually calm eyes! He wasn't trapped with nowhere to retreat; he was waiting—waiting for the crucial moment when the opponent's all-out attack had unleashed its old power and yet to generate new power!
His footwork shifted subtly, not backward, but forward and to the side—towards the relatively weak point where the ghostly claw phantom's power was connected—and he stomped out! At the same time, he abandoned defense and switched to offense. His left fist, which had been poised to strike, was clenched tightly, the knuckles white from the immense force. A layer of condensed, dark gray true essence enveloped his fist, making it resemble an iron cone that had been tempered a thousand times after being heated to a red-hot state. Without dodging or avoiding, he threw a punch at the center point of the intertwined ghostly claws!
Take a break!