The Unruly Immortals

The sky had completely darkened, and they took out their green fluorescent stones, illuminating everything around them. Li Huowang did not call for a halt, and everyone's expression was tense as they continued to hurry along.

Gradually, only a thin crescent moon began to rise and hang in the sky, casting silver light upon the earth.

Li Huowang, standing on the roof of the cart, occasionally looked back. He realized that the black mass he had noticed before had mysteriously vanished.

"Gone? What exactly was that? What attracted it? Was it me? Or... was it the newborn child?"

His expression flickered uncertainly as he speculated wildly.

Just then, Li Huowang suddenly felt the ox cart stop beneath him. "Don't stop! Keep going!"

But unusually, his command did not make the ox cart start moving again.

When Li Huowang turned his head to look ahead, he finally understood why they had stopped—the black mass that had disappeared was now blocking their path!

At that moment, Li Huowang also finally saw clearly what the black circle actually was.

The blackness was actually a large flock of black sheep, silent as if they were puppets standing still in their black fur.

And a lama clad in black hide stood wordlessly in the very center of the flock of black sheep.

The lama had a small yellowish drum hanging from his waist, and he wore necklaces made of small bone discs around his neck and on both wrists.

Beneath the cock's-comb-shaped lama hat were a pair of entirely black pupils, free of any impurities, as he stared morosely at Li Huowang with those eyes.

The lama's face appeared strange—yellow in some areas and black in others, and Li Huowang realized upon closer inspection that it was actually liver spots.

Just by appearances, Li Huowang knew that the newcomer was up to no good.

Suddenly, the lama gently lifted his emaciated right hand, and an old vulture with hardly any feathers left and sagging skin descended from the sky, landing on his arm.

For some reason, when Li Huowang saw this vulture, he was reminded of the woman in the mountains who watched the sky burial with Bai Lingmiao and the flock of man-eating vultures.

"Brother Li, this lama..." Chun Xiaoman, whose expression fluctuated, pulled out a bell with a hesitant look.

"Don't panic, you guys go ahead, just pretend he's not here."

At Li Huowang's command, everyone bowed their heads and slowly walked past the black sheep with the cart.

Li Huowang stood on the roof of the cart, intently staring at the enemy before him.

Getting closer, Li Huowang could see even more clearly; all these black sheep were old, having lost all their teeth.

Li Huowang felt an indescribably awkward sensation emanating from the lama and the sheep.

In a daze, Li Huowang suddenly saw everything change before his eyes; there were no black sheep, only a group of white-haired, senile old people with black sheepskins draped over their backs!

This sensation was fleeting and quickly disappeared; the black sheep were still black sheep, and nothing had changed.

Li Huowang found it difficult to determine whether his feeling just then was real or a hallucination.

"Baa~" The black sheep beside the lama bleated in unison, and in response, Li Huowang's flock of white sheep also started calling out simultaneously.

The sheep on both sides kept bleating, with the sound seeming never-ending and driving people to irritation.

"Enough!" With a roar from Li Huowang, his tongue against his lower jaw, the bleating stopped.

Whether it's a fortune or a disaster, it cannot be avoided. Looking at the elderly lama in the midst of the black sheep, Li Huowang decided to speak up first.

"Esteemed elder, I am a cultivator from the Ao Jing Sect, Er Jiu. I happened upon your esteemed territory by chance. If there has been any offense, I hope for your magnanimity!"

Regardless of whether it would work or not, Li Huowang decided to try a false identity first, betting that the other party had not yet discovered his Xinsu identity.

It was also a form of threat, indicating he was from the Ao Jing Sect and not a rogue cultivator without affiliation, suggesting they think twice before starting a conflict.

Hearing Li Huowang's resolute words, the old lama stood still, showing no response whatsoever.

Li Huowang's expression shifted, and he waved to the others again. "Let's go!"

He did not know what the lama was thinking. In this situation where the strength of friends and foes was unclear, Li Huowang really did not want to provoke a conflict with the lama.

The wheels started rolling again, carrying everyone slowly away from the black-clothed lama. For the time that followed, no one spoke, moving onward in sheer terror.

Li Huowang could feel a sensation as if needles were pricking his back, his whole body tensed, and his mind raced with all sorts of possibilities.

Suddenly, that inexplicable aura appeared again, but this time it was not in the distance but right behind Li Huowang!

Li Huowang planted his feet firmly and whirled around, only to be shocked to find the lama a mere two meters behind him.

At this moment, he finally got a clear view of the age spots on the old man's face. He had seen age spots before, but he had never seen them cover an entire face.

The lama's mouth appeared toothless, or perhaps only had a few teeth left; the lips, like some old people, were drawn inward, giving the impression of extreme old age.

Seeing such a horrifying face appear before him, Li Huowang nearly struck out with his sword, but he forcefully halted himself.

His gaze slowly traveled downward, and Li Huowang then realized that the legs the other had kept hidden among the black sheep were fleshless, his entire lower half replaced by bony prosthetics.

The strange sensation emanating from the other party kept assaulting Li Huowang, attempting to soothe his spirit, bidding him to calm down and close his eyes.

However, Li Huowang simply could not comply. His hand gripped the sword hilt, his expression so tense it bordered on ferocious. "Elder, I don't believe I've offended you. If you continue this way, don't blame me for being rude!"

With the sword drawn, a dense killing intent instantly washed away everything else.

The old lama's completely black pupils narrowed slightly, eyeing the sword hilt wrapped in cloth that Li Huowang held.

The tense atmosphere was suffocating everyone; even Scholar Lv was so frightened that he wet his pants.

Li Huowang exerted strength in his hand, ready to unsheathe his sword and go down fighting with the person in front of him when the standoff suddenly shifted.

"Boom!" With the old lama's single strike on his small wax-yellow drum at his waist, a drum sound similarly came from behind Li Huowang, produced by Bai Lingmiao's drum used for spirit dances.

"Boom boom boom~ Boom boom boom~"

The two drum sounds rose rhythmically at the same time, like an otherworldly duet, as if different beings were communicating through the beat of their drums.

After a period of time passed, the drumming gradually ceased, and the heavy atmosphere that had filled the air like a tangible entity also dissipated.

As the lama's vulture soared into the sky, the distant black sheep swept over like clouds, covering his terrifying lower half and slowly carried him backward.

Watching the lama leave, Li Huowang did not dare to relax, continuing to lead the others forward.

They walked through the night, and by the time the sun came up, when Li Huowang called for a stop, everyone collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted, breathing heavily—half from fatigue and half from fear.

The lama from last night was simply too creepy; calling him a living person would be less frightening than calling him a specter.

Li Huowang looked around, seeing no trace of any lamas, then turned to Bai Lingmiao, whose lips were somewhat pale. "Did that lama communicate something to you using the drum?"

Bai Lingmiao nodded. "He said... he's from the Astrological Bureau, and this time it'll be overlooked, but not to let it happen again."