CHAPTER 263: CHAPTER 263 SOUL FALLING ARRAY

"It’s my fault? Uncle, back in Zhaoge, you heard that Yin Shou wanted to push a maid into a pit of vipers. You were so enraged that you couldn’t sleep, sharpening your sword in the middle of the night, desperate to kill him yourself. Yet now, just a few short years later, King Zhou is flaying people alive and inspecting their bones and entrails, and you tell me I shouldn’t kill him?"

Nezha’s gaze was like a sword, his voice resonating in his belly. Jiang Ziya was so ashamed of his words that he flushed and was at a loss for how to respond.

But at this moment, Yang Jian beside him spoke up, "Uncle is right, you indeed should not kill Yin Shou."

"Oh? What high opinion does Dao Brother have?" Nezha looked over coldly. For cultivators, half a year is but a moment, yet Yang Jian’s aura had grown stronger by three-tenths.

Moreover.

It carried a touch of malevolence.

Yang Jian said, "The Divine Enthronement war concerns the great enterprise of the Chan Sect. How can a few mortal lives disrupt the grand scheme? Yin Shou is unworthy, we naturally could raise an army to punish him. Yet if you kill him through assassination, wouldn’t future generations follow suit, murdering monarchs with short weapons at every grievance?"

"Yang Jian Senior Brother’s words aren’t right."

"In what way are they incorrect?"

Nezha laughed, "Even without short weapons, long weapons like bows and arrows can kill too."

"Hahaha, brilliant, simply brilliant, Uncle is indeed an extraordinary person."

Yang Jian’s expression was ashen, while Wei Hu beside him laughed heartily, unconcerned.

Yang Jian shot him a glance, and he returned it with a provocative look.

Beside them, Muzha, though not approving of Nezha’s actions, stood by his younger brother and said, "Enough, arguing won’t help. If we don’t quickly discuss our next steps, we’ll all be killed by these Jie Sect demons and end up merely as names on the Investiture of the Gods, living as puppets for eternity."

"Uncle, what should we do, Uncle?"

The most simple-hearted among them was Lei Zhenzi. Youngest of the group, his appearance had drastically changed after consuming a certain fruit. Despite his fierce demeanor, his thoughts were pure.

He called out two or three times but received no reply. When he looked over, he saw Jiang Ziya already sprawled on the table, snoring.

Yang Jian looked at Jiang Ziya, furrowing his brows.

Wei Hu laughed, "Uncle hasn’t formed a Golden Core, exhausted from days of labor. Even the toughest man would be tired now. Shall we go out first and call Aunt to take care of him, allowing Uncle to rest well?"

Everyone except Nezha and Yang Jian nodded.

Nezha frowned slightly, suddenly asking, "How is the battle situation now?"

Muzha said, "Master Wen of Chengtang gathered four generals at Yellow Flower Mountain and raised an army of 300,000 to attack Xiqi. Fortunately, Lei Zhenzi and Wei Hu assisted us in a recent victory, and even Master Wen was struck by Uncle’s God-Beating Whip and fell off his Jade Qilin, sustaining heavy injuries."

Wei Hu tapped the table with his finger, smiling indifferently, "For now, things are looking good, but the future is uncertain."

"I fear trouble has already arrived." Nezha reached out, shaking the sleeping Jiang Ziya awake. A cold wind blew, flinging open the doors and windows.

"Nezha! How dare you be impudent!" Muzha spoke with a hint of reproach, and everyone else turned their gaze towards Nezha.

Nezha said, "Uncle, this wind is ominous; I wonder what it portends."

Jiang Ziya rubbed his eyes, yawned, his mind still muddled. He calculated with his fingers when hearing Nezha’s question and said, "Nothing much, this wind was due today."

Nezha turned to Yang Jian, saying, "Yang Jian Senior Brother, could you use your Heavenly Eye to check if Uncle’s soul is intact?"

Yang Jian did as asked, but his expression suddenly changed.

"Not good, why is there such a disaster? Uncle’s three souls and seven spirits are missing two souls and four spirits!"

The crowd was shocked.

They examined Jiang Ziya, and indeed, despite hearing that his life was in grave danger, he maintained a composed demeanor, indifferent.

Then Wei Hu glanced at Nezha, saying, "Nezha, since you let Yang Jian check Uncle’s soul, you must have an idea of what’s happening."

Seeing everyone watching him, Nezha spoke, "Master Wen is a disciple of the Golden Spirit Saint Mother of the Jie Sect. You defeated him, so him seeking backup from his sect is expected. Have you heard of the Ten Heavenly Monarchs of Golden Turtle Island?"

"Of course we have," Muzha replied.

Wei Hu said, "If they are coming, it will be troublesome."

Lei Zhenzi said, "I’ve heard from my master that the Ten Heavenly Monarchs of Golden Turtle Island have been cultivating on the Overseas Immortal Mountain for years. They are well-known in the Jie Sect, all at the Golden Immortal Realm, especially skilled in array formation."

Wei Hu laughed, "Their cultivation isn’t the issue; it’s their arrays. One wrong step and even a true Taiyi Golden Immortal could perish within."

Yang Jian said, "We haven’t seen them yet, but Uncle’s soul is largely gone. In a few days, his life will be in jeopardy. This anomaly seems to be—"

Nezha interjected, "Soul Falling Array."

"Big trouble," Wei Hu sneered.

Nezha looked at his uncle and sighed. According to the Heavenly Dao, though Jiang Ziya faced disaster, he could still turn misfortune into fortune, trouble into auspiciousness.

But what shouldn’t have occurred was his own appearance.

Now even King Zhou and Daji are dead. Yin Jiao is heralded as a wise monarch. What more could happen in this world?

He murmured, "Uncle, Uncle, let me save you once more."

"Save, how?"

Nezha, having been absent for half a year, naturally became the center immediately upon reappearing. He said, "Uncle’s soul has been taken by the Ten Heavenly Monarchs. To save him, we must retrieve his soul from Chengtang’s camp. This cannot be done with brute force. Tonight, I will go to Chengtang’s camp. If unsuccessful, I will seek aid from Kunlun Mountain."

He volunteered, relieving the others from danger, so they had no objections.

Although Yang Jian was widely acknowledged by elders as the top disciple of the Chan Sect’s third generation, among themselves, none conceded superiority.

However, despite their pride, none were arrogant enough to believe they could challenge the Ten Heavenly Monarchs alone.

As night fell.

Nezha said nothing to anyone, found a secluded spot, transformed into a bird, and soared over Chengtang’s camp, circling several times until he found a ritual platform.

On the platform was a ritual table, before which sat a thin, long-bearded Taoist.

In the center of the platform was a lifelike straw effigy, bearing Jiang Shang’s name.

The effigy’s head had three lamps, and its feet had seven lamps: the three lamps above were called Soul-Pushing Lamps, and the seven lamps below were called Soul-Promoting Lamps.

"This Taoist must be Yao Tianjun among the Ten Heavenly Monarchs. Such a Soul Falling Array, by simply writing someone’s name on the effigy and worshipping thrice a day silently for twenty-one days, can claim a life. Truly dangerous."