txolops Chapter 225 The Pursuers!
Chapter 225 The Pursuers!
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Lin Yuan and An Xin traveled day and night without rest, following the corpse-transportation route map and speeding towards the next supply point.
As before, Lin Yuan was responsible for determining the direction of travel and controlling the paper horse.
Anxin remained highly vigilant. During the day, she was responsible for guarding the surroundings and taking care of the zombie team and the blood coffin. When traveling at night, she would sit on the side of the carriage with a sniper rifle in hand, her eyes like an eagle's, scanning the mountain road ahead and the forests on both sides. No slightest movement could escape her eyes.
The blood coffin was placed securely on the carriage. Its crimson body gleamed with a warm glow, and the sealing patterns were clear and firm. The blood zombie inside remained silent, without the slightest disturbance.
For five days, they avoided all areas with villages and towns, choosing instead to travel along the most remote and desolate mountain paths.
The night was deep, with leaden clouds obscuring the stars and moon, plunging the world into pitch blackness. Only the sound of paper horses' hooves, the stiff throbbing of zombies, and the gentle ringing of the corpse-controlling bell in An Xin's hand echoed through the silent forest, sounding exceptionally lonely and vigilant.
The mountain wind grew increasingly fierce in the dead of night, carrying the chill of the mountains. It felt like a knife cutting into your face. The bare branches of the roadside trees swayed in the wind, their shadows flickering like lurking ghosts.
Lin Yuan leaned against the front of the carriage, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly meditating, but in reality, his aura was tense. The Yin Qi compass in his palm rotated slightly, constantly sensing the fluctuations in the surrounding aura. The bloodline of the Ancient Dragon King was quietly circulating, and it could unleash its power instantly if there was any unusual movement.
"Lin Yuan, the road ahead is treacherous, mostly cliffs and precipices. Let's slow down and drive carefully." An Xin lowered his voice, his eyes warily fixed on the dark mountain road ahead. He slightly raised his sniper rifle, the crosshairs sweeping across the forests on both sides. A strange unease rose in his heart—this unease did not come from ahead, but from something rapidly approaching from behind.
Lin Yuan opened his eyes instantly, a sharp glint flashing within them. His aura suddenly became fierce. He turned to look at the mountains and forests behind him, lightning quietly gathering in his palm: "I sensed it too. Two powerful auras, moving very fast. Their target should be us."
"They're here!"
As soon as the words were spoken, two figures in cyan robes shot out from the forest behind them like arrows, whistling through the air, and instantly landed on the road in front of the carriage, blocking their path.
The two figures stood tall and straight, dressed in gray Taoist robes with Bagua belts around their waists. Their faces were cold and stern, their eyes filled with ruthlessness and killing intent. They were surrounded by a rich Taoist spiritual energy, yet mixed with a trace of sinister energy, just like the middle-aged Taoist priest of Xuanzhen Temple.
It was the two Taoists, Lingtai and Lingyu.
For five days, the two followed the residual scent on the fragments of the dragon jade pendant, traveling day and night without daring to delay for even a moment. Finally, they caught up with Lin Yuan and An Xin on this treacherous mountain path.
The moment they landed, a sharp aura emanated from them, causing the surrounding air to stagnate slightly. Even the withered branches by the roadside stopped swaying, and the seven or eight zombies beside the carriage instantly became restless, their yellow talismans on their foreheads flickering slightly, suppressed by this aura and unable to move.
The paper horse sensed the danger, its four hooves trembled slightly, it stopped, and anxiously pawed at the ground, making a soft sound.
Lingtai stepped forward, his gaze sharp as a knife, locking onto Lin Yuan and An Xin. His tone was icy and sharp, carrying an undeniable question: "Stop! You two, didn't you recently slay a dragon in the Xuan Yin Cold Pool?"
Upon hearing the words "Mysterious Yin Cold Pool" and "Dragon," Lin Yuan and An Xin both felt a chill run down their spines, their expressions changed slightly, and they exchanged a glance, both seeing vigilance and solemnity in each other's eyes.
They really came for the evil dragon! It seems that the master of that evil dragon has indeed come knocking.
The two had long harbored doubts, sensing that the evil dragon was not as simple as it seemed; now it appeared they were right...
Lin Yuan slowly stood up, the lightning around him receding. He remained calm, his gaze serene as he looked at Lingtai and Lingyu. His tone was flat and even: "Daoist Master, you jest. We are just two ordinary corpse drivers. When we passed the Xuan Yin Cold Pool, we did encounter a vicious dragon, but that dragon was extremely ferocious. We barely managed to escape with all our might. How could we possibly have the ability to kill it? Daoist Master must have mistaken us for someone else."
"We're too busy running away to possibly do something as horrifying as slaying a dragon..."
An Xin also put away her sniper rifle, her face expressionless, and said in coordination with Lin Yuan, "Yes, that evil dragon is incredibly powerful. It can spew out icy mist and condense ice blades. We are already lucky to have survived. We dare not confront it head-on, let alone kill it. You two Taoist priests have come to the wrong people. So many days have passed by the cold pool. Taoist priests, you should go and look elsewhere."
The two spoke naturally and calmly, without the slightest panic, as if they had only narrowly escaped from the evil dragon's clutches, rather than being the murderers who killed it.
They knew that admitting it would inevitably lead to a battle. Since their opponents were able to track them down to this point, their strength must be considerable. Moreover, they had a powerful figure behind them who could raise evil dragons. It would be best if they could just get away with it. If all else failed, they would kill the two of them.
Ling Yu sneered, her eyes flashing with even more ruthlessness. She stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Lin Yuan and An Xin, her tone full of mockery: "Wrong people? Who are you trying to fool?"
"Within a hundred miles of the Xuan Yin Cold Pool, there is no trace of anyone else besides you. Moreover, the aura of the murderer on the jade pendant fragment faintly resonates with the aura on your bodies. Do you still want to deny it?"
As she spoke, Lingyu took out the largest fragment of the dragon jade pendant from her bosom. The fragment still retained a faint aura of the evil dragon, as well as a faint trace of lightning and the aura of the ancient dragon king—that was the aura left over from when Lin Yuan killed the evil dragon, which resonated with the life connection on the jade pendant fragment.
Lingtai raised his hand, gesturing for Lingyu to hand over the jade pendant fragment. He took the fragment, held it up with both hands, and muttered obscure Taoist incantations.
As the incantation was recited, a faint, shimmering white light slowly emanated from the jade pendant fragments. Within the light, a blurry phantom of a dragon slowly emerged, letting out a weak roar towards Lin Yuan, its eyes filled with resentment and killing intent.
Immediately afterwards, the light from the jade pendant fragments intensified, resonating strongly with the remaining aura of the evil dragon and lightning on Lin Yuan's body. The light locked onto Lin Yuan tightly, without wavering in the slightest.
Clearly, the jade pendant fragments have been confirmed, and Lin Yuan and An Xin are indeed the murderers who slew the evil dragon.