Chapter 158: Seven Stars in Alignment

As mentioned previously, directly beneath the blood spring lies a pool of blood. With the collapse of the bat cave, the large pit of the potter's field was now exposed right above. Baozi had jumped directly into this massive pit, which was filled entirely with rainwater, and nearly choked to death from the sudden immersion.

Baozi knew that popping his head up meant certain death, so he endured the burning pain in his eyes and searched frantically beneath the cave's water level. Miraculously, he managed to find a hollow straw stalk. After swallowing a couple of mouthfuls of murky water, he sucked in a breath of fresh air through the straw.

The Miao tribesmen had surrounded the entire pit with airtight security; the moment Baozi poked his head out, he would undoubtedly be greeted by a hail of gunfire. Not daring to surface, Baozi could only hide underwater and rely on the air supplied by the straw. He could only pray silently for Zhou Yi to come and rescue him soon. This underwater concealment lasted for several hours, until the fierce battle below shook and collapsed the rock layer above the bat cave, finally granting Baozi his release.

By this time, Gongyang Lingfeng had already reached the bottom of the pit. Seeing that Baozi still looked weak and frail, he paid him no mind and stepped forward, reaching out to grab Baozi by the collar.

"Hey now, big brother, are you picking up a little chick? Don't grab me by the collar!" Baozi shouted hurriedly.

"Cut the crap, or I'll kill you right now!" Gongyang Lingfeng possessed a proud and unyielding spirit, and having spent years without anyone daring to talk back to him, he was thoroughly unaccustomed to being addressed in such a manner by Baozi.

"Oh, damn it! You're choking your grandpa to death!" Baozi yelled while struggling, trying to break free from Gongyang Lingfeng's grip. He had no choice but to struggle, as his single mace was wedged against his belt and he couldn't pull it out.

Gongyang Lingfeng glanced sideways at Baozi without a word, lifting him as he walked toward the edge of the pit. If Gongyang Lingfeng hadn't been injured, he wouldn't have needed to carry Baozi like this for these few steps. Unfortunately, wounded as he was, he dared not force his internal energy. To be safe, walking to the bank before leaping up was the most reliable approach.

Unable to pull out his mace, Baozi grew anxious. In his panic, he exerted too much force, and with a sharp *rip*, his belt snapped completely. Seeing that Gongyang Lingfeng was still walking forward, Baozi grinned.

"Go to hell!" he cursed aloud, bringing the mace down hard against Gongyang Lingfeng's waist. Gongyang Lingfeng felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his side and instinctively released his grip. Just as he was about to retaliate, another blow from the mace met him head-on.

This strike landed squarely on Gongyang Lingfeng's arm. Although he possessed spiritual energy, his flesh and bones were not made of iron. With a dull *thud*, Gongyang Lingfeng winced and clutched his bruised arm in agony.

"Your grandpa told you not to grab my collar, but you insisted. You nearly choked me to death, you old hag's grandson, I'll beat you to a pulp!" Baozi roared, swinging the single mace directly toward Gongyang Lingfeng's head.

The elderly Miao woman had not expected Gongyang Lingfeng to be injured. Seeing him bullied by Baozi, she sprang forward and blocked Baozi's descending mace with her bare hand.

She raised her hand to strike Baozi, but knowing he was no match for the old woman, Baozi abandoned his mace and turned tail to run.

"Little brat, you think you can run? Stay here for your grandmother!" the old woman shouted as she gave chase. Before she had taken two steps, however, another bizarre turn of events occurred.

Everyone looked up at the sky. The sun, which had been right above their heads just a moment before, vanished instantly, plunging the world into sudden, gloomy darkness. "The Seven Stars in Alignment!" the elderly Miao woman exclaimed upon witnessing the celestial anomaly, turning her head sharply toward Gongyang Lingfeng.

"Where is the corpse?"

"It escaped!" Gongyang Lingfeng replied, shaking his head.

Hearing that the corpse had escaped, the old woman slapped her forehead in frustration. She frowned and pondered for a moment before setting her sights squarely on Gongyang Lingfeng.

"Lingfeng, you promised me three things in this lifetime. Resurging our Jiuli ancestors is the final favor Xiaocui asks of you. Do you honor your word?" the old woman asked expressionlessly, staring at Gongyang Lingfeng.

"What I, Lingfengzi, have promised, I will certainly fulfill!" Gongyang Lingfeng declared resolutely.

"Very well. Now that the corpse has escaped, our Jiuli ancestor, Chiyou, lacks a physical vessel for his resurrection. Your body will have to do!" With these words, the elderly Miao woman struck Gongyang Lingfeng downward with her palm.

Until the moment of his death, Gongyang Lingfeng never imagined that the old woman would turn a vicious hand against him, but by the time it happened, regret came too late.

"Xiaocui, you..." Before Gongyang Lingfeng could finish his sentence, blood began to stream from his seven facial orifices. His internal energy gradually dissipated, and his breath ceased entirely.

"Warriors of the Sava Miao Village, hear my command! The moment for the rebirth of our ancestor Chiyou has arrived!" Following this, the old woman—just like the four great elders of Sun, Moon, Star, and Constellation—sat cross-legged on the ground and began chanting an unfamiliar incantation.

Seeing this, Baozi thought to himself: *If I don't run now, what am I waiting for?* He vaulted out of the massive pit and fled without a trace.

Reverting to the time when Zhou Yi went in pursuit of the corpse after leaving the bat cave:

Upon exiting the bat cave, the corpse bolted southwestward because its lair lay in the region of Zhuolu—that was its true home!

Both Yuan Tingyu and Mingyu were severely wounded and naturally unable to join the pursuit, so they were left behind in the safety of the bat cave.

Since Zhou Yi and Muchen needed to tend to the infants, the heavy burden of hunting down the corpse fell squarely upon the shoulders of Greed-Cessation's two junior fellow apprentices, along with Muyang and Mufan. This lineup was formidable indeed: two Buddhist monks and two Taoist priests. As long as the corpse did not transform into a drought demon, the four of them possessed the capability to subdue it.

This was yet another cavern, populated by tens of thousands of bats. The creatures seemed curious about the infants, poking their heads forward to gaze at the sleeping babies.

Seeing that the infants were unharmed, Zhou Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief. The next problem to consider was how to return the babies safely to their respective homes. Since Zhou Yi had no idea whose child belonged to whom, the only solution was to have their parents come forward to claim them.

Turning around, Zhou Yi realized he wouldn't even need to worry about that logistical nightmare, because Ji Liang had arrived with over a hundred soldiers. From afar, Ji Liang barked orders for his men to maintain tactical readiness. A hundred-odd rifles were raised, bullets loaded; at the slightest aggressive movement from the three companions, they would undoubtedly be riddled into sieves.

"So it turns out that the child abduction cases plaguing me for days were your doing! Drop your weapons immediately, or I'll order my men to open fire!" Ji Liang shouted threateningly at the three men.

"Damn it all! Your grandpa didn't steal children; your grandpa saved them! I've got business to attend to today, so I'm leaving these kids in your hands—you can take all the credit!" Zhou Yi cursed and grumbled, holding not an ounce of goodwill toward Ji Liang.

Ji Liang let out a cold, disdainful scoff. "Still trying to sophisticate your way out of it? I've come specifically to rescue the infants. Not only am I taking the babies, but all three of you are coming with me. Move!"

With that, Ji Liang signaled his subordinates with a glance. Understanding instantly, the soldiers stepped forward, preparing to bind the three men.

"Amitabha. This poor monk is Greed-Cessation of Shaolin. We genuinely rescued these children; the benefactor arrived just as we pulled them out of danger. Please take charge of returning these infants to their respective families, as the three of us have urgent matters to attend to!" Greed-Cessation said, pressing his palms together with lowered eyes.

"You claim you rescued these children, but how would I know anything about that? Stop wasting breath, you can argue your case where you belong!" Drawing closer, Ji Liang had now recognized Zhou Yi, and naturally he refused to let the matter drop. Truly, enemies often cross paths on narrow roads.

"Your grandpa really doesn't have time to bicker with you. If you don't step aside right now, don't blame me for being unpolite!" Zhou Yi loathed Ji Liang to the core, rendering a polite tone utterly impossible.

Just as Ji Liang prepared to retort, the sky abruptly darkened. Zhou Yi and his two companions looked up to see that the alignment of the Seven Stars had begun...