Volume Three – The Fox Spirit’s Tomb Chapter Thirteen – Encountering the Art of Insect Command

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A chill ran through me as I hastily positioned the Soul-Splitting Blade across my lower abdomen. To my surprise, Li Kun mirrored my move exactly. The clash of metal rang out sharply, and the man’s horizontal slash was blocked by us. Although we stopped the strike, we were forced to retreat step by step under the force of his attack.

The moment the military saber in the man’s hand met my Soul-Splitting Blade, a sharp crack echoed. The saber shattered abruptly, its upper half clattering to the ground. At that instant, the man’s previously indistinct face suddenly became clear—and it was ghastly. His features resembled those of a desiccated corpse, devoid of any blood, and even his exposed arms were shriveled and skeletal.

As the blade fell to the floor, the man expelled a mouthful of fresh blood. Clutching the saber’s hilt with one hand, he slammed it into the floor and slid backward several meters before finally coming to a slow stop.

His face was full of shock as he stared at the broken saber, muttering a string of incomprehensible Japanese. Then he lifted his head, his expression grave, fixing his gaze on my Soul-Splitting Blade.

Wiping the blood from his lips, he spoke slowly, “What is the name of this weapon? How can its power be so overwhelming? My Thousand Willow Saber, though not the greatest in my country, ranks among the top ten famed blades. Why—?”

Seeing him spitting blood, a thought struck me immediately. Could it be that this Japanese man’s Thousand Willow Saber was also a sentient magic weapon, one that had accepted him as its master? Otherwise, the blade’s breaking wouldn’t have affected him so profoundly.

Hearing his words, I replied calmly, “Don’t compare your small country to our vast empire. In forging craftsmanship, you’re merely a novice compared to us.”

My taunt made the man’s eyelids twitch, and he asked, “What is the name of your blade?”

I smiled faintly and said, “I’ll tell you when you’re close to death.”

No sooner had I spoken than Li Kun and I shouted and charged straight at him.

Sensing danger, the man retreated into the ancestral hall. Just as we prepared to follow, he stood before numerous memorial tablets, raised both hands high, and shouted. What followed utterly shattered our understanding.

The tablets behind him suddenly emitted waves of blood-red light, which surged into his body. The man continued chanting, and to our astonishment, his face and body began to swell slightly, ripples forming beneath his skin.

Within mere seconds, his pallid, corpse-like complexion visibly regained a healthy color, transforming before our eyes from a desiccated corpse into a living man.

Seeing this, Li Kun and I instinctively stepped back, reluctant to rush into the hall for fear that the tablets might unleash some other unforeseen power.

However, this was just our misconception. We later learned that had we interrupted his ritual then, he would have been as helpless as a lamb to the slaughter. His display was a mere bluff. But that is a story for another time.

This sequence was brief, but Li Kun and I couldn’t withdraw yet—High Peak and Tian Tian, two women, were still lying unconscious beside the man.

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Li Kun gritted his teeth and whispered, “Old Liu, this looks bad. What do we do?”

I thought for a moment and said, “Let’s try a provocation to lure him out. If we can draw him away, our odds improve. If not, he’ll keep retreating into the ancestral hall to recover. This guy is like a vampire—he can regenerate.”

Li Kun nodded. “Alright, I’m with you.”

The man slowly emerged, glanced at the broken Thousand Willow Saber in his hand, shook his head, and threw the saber to the ground. Then he looked up at Li Kun and me and said, “Since you’ve shattered my Thousand Willow Saber, you will pay with your lives.”

I burst out laughing. “A broken blade and you’re still so attached? Fine, if you want us to stay, then show us if you have the skill. This place is too cramped—do you dare to settle this with a life-or-death duel outside?”

He sneered, “No matter where, you will die. But don’t think of running. If you do, by tomorrow morning, two beautiful heads will be hanging on your door.”

His words were a clear threat—High Peak and Tian Tian were still his hostages.

I glanced at the two women behind him, snorted coldly, and said, “Run? You overestimate yourself. Tonight, your life ends here.”

With that, Li Kun and I turned and headed down the stairs.

Outside the attic, night had fully fallen. The moment we stepped out, the entire loft suddenly lit up brilliantly, illuminating the open ground below like daylight.

Seeing this, Li Kun and I tensed; this man was undoubtedly a Japanese onmyoji. No wonder he had so many tricks.

We scanned the area and saw him standing quietly on the open ground to our right.

As we emerged, the man said, “For fairness, I won’t use the cover of night to take advantage of you. Besides, I want you to see clearly how you will die.”

His words barely faded when he raised his right hand, producing a flute about twenty centimeters long.

Before we could react, he brought the flute to his lips and began to play.

The melody was enchanting—beautiful yet tinged with sadness, interwoven with a chilling sense of lethal intent. Had it been played by a woman, it would have been utterly exquisite. But coming from a man clad in military uniform, it felt profoundly eerie.

Li Kun and I were stunned by this move. At first, we thought the tune might induce hallucinations or some kind of mental assault, but after a while, we felt no adverse effects.

A crow flew overhead, seemingly mocking the man’s melody. Li Kun laughed and said, “Hey, are you playing a last song for yourself? But aren’t you playing it wrong? If you can’t manage, I can show you how.”

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The man glanced at Li Kun with a faint smile and then raised the volume of the flute’s notes.

Suddenly, a thought struck me—could it be that this man...

Before I could finish the thought, we heard a continuous rustling sound all around us. The instant I heard it, I confirmed what I had suspected.

I hurriedly told Li Kun, “Old Li, this is bad. This guy can also control insects!”

Hearing this, Li Kun jumped to his feet. He remembered the first day we visited the Ghost Market and met the Thousand Poison Taoist—we had heard the same sound then.

We quickly looked around and saw a black mass slowly moving towards us through the forest.

What froze us in place was the sight behind the man and not far from us—hill upon hill crawling with poisonous insects, snakes, and ants. The constant rustling and insect noises filled the air.

Most terrifying were the two giant centipedes behind the man—each nearly two meters long, their red armored bodies clearly visible, their legs countless. At first glance, a shiver ran down our spines.

I realized why the man had chosen this mountain for the attic and memorial tablets—this Japanese onmyoji had mastered the art of insect control. No matter what army or expert entered this forest, they would have no chance of victory.

Looking around, the dense swarm of poisonous insects, snakes, and ants covered the nearby area. It was a black, writhing mass. Anyone with trypophobia would be driven mad at the sight. And these poison creatures outnumbered those we had seen at the Ghost Market by many times over.

If I guessed right, all the poisonous insects in this mountain had been summoned here. Damn it, we were truly trapped with no way out. Could it be that Li Kun and I were doomed to die here?

The man continued playing the flute relentlessly. The poisonous creatures closed in steadily; in less than two minutes, they would engulf us completely.

Sweating profusely, Li Kun said, “Old Liu, these are many times more than those we encountered at the Ghost Market. What now? Should we try the fire attack from that day again?”

I clenched my teeth. “Escape? There’s no chance. Staying alive itself is a struggle for us now.”