Jade Dynasty: I am the master of the Burning Sword, my swordsmanship is unparalleled.

Chapter 49 Blood Bats, Displaying Their Power in the Underworld
The next day, Zhang Xiaofan and the others got up, washed up, and went to settle their bills to prepare for their departure. However, they were told that You Ji had already paid for their rooms. Qi Hao then asked about it and learned that the group had set off late the night before.

Without further hesitation, Zhang Xiaofan and his companions left the city, found a forest, and used their magical artifacts to head straight for Mount Kongsang.

Kongsang Mountain is three thousand miles away from Heyang City. It took Zhang Xiaofan and his group eight days to finally arrive at Kongsang Mountain at night on the eighth day.

"Junior Brother Zhang, shall we go up the mountain now to search for the Ten Thousand Bats Cave? And find a suitable place to rest while we're at it?"

Under the dim moonlight, Qi Hao looked at the desolate surroundings and couldn't help but speak softly. Zhang Xiaofan shook his head slightly upon hearing this.

"The records in the sect's files state that in the past, the Black-Hearted Old Man kept a large group of vampire bats in the Ten Thousand Bat Cave of Kongsang Mountain. Judging from the desolation outside Kongsang Mountain now, that group of bats must have been countless. Bats are naturally nocturnal, and those vampire bats were even more yin and evil creatures. They feared the yang energy during the day and only became active at night."

At night, the countless vampire bats in the Ten Thousand Bat Cave are the best spies on Mount Kongsang. The Blood Refining Hall only needs to stand guard during the day. After all, the Blood Refining Hall doesn't have many people to begin with, so there's no need for two shifts to stand guard.

This is why Zhang Xiaofan chose to travel quickly at night when he approached Kongsang Mountain, which could reduce the risk of exposure and allow him to explore the outer area of ​​Kongsang Mountain in advance.

As he spoke, Zhang Xiaofan couldn't help but look up at the stars overhead, then frowned and looked around, wondering what was going on.

"But for some reason, we can't see any trace of bats right now, which is quite strange."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Shushu nodded quickly and echoed the words, then said something rather strange.

"Xiao Fan, now that you mention this, I do remember. It's true that vampire bats are extremely ferocious at night, but they like to sleep during the day and are particularly attracted to light. But it's nighttime now, so logically, this should be the domain of these vampire bats. How come there's not a trace of them at all?"

"Could it be that the vampire bats flew away because there was a lack of food here?"

Lu Xueqi guessed softly that among the four, Zeng Shushu was knowledgeable and had a good memory, Zhang Xiaofan had even read through the ancient books and scrolls of Qingyun, and Qi Hao often went down the mountain to train. Only Lu Xueqi was the only one who devoted herself to cultivation.

"No, these vampire bats were raised by the black-hearted old man to guard the Blood Refining Hall. Moreover, if those bats had flown away, vegetation should have grown here, but it is desolate right now."

Zhang Xiaofan slowly shook his head, feeling quite strange. According to the records, these vampire bats were extremely sensitive to the smell of living creatures and there were a great many of them, so it was impossible that they would not encounter a single one.

Could it be that Biyao and Youji's group arrived first and used some special means to temporarily quiet down the group of vampire bats?
But Zhang Xiaofan felt that it didn't seem so. If the Ghost King Sect had such means, it could have taken down the Blood Refining Hall directly. With only a handful of people in the Blood Refining Hall, it would be impossible for them to stop them.

"Investigate carefully first..."

Before Zhang Xiaofan could finish speaking, Lu Xueqi and the others' expressions changed, and they all looked in a certain direction, their eyes filled with astonishment.

"There seems to be some noise coming from over there."

Lu Xueqi spoke with some surprise and uncertainty, saying, "How could such a commotion come from this desolate wilderness? It's quite strange."

Zeng Shushu and Qi Hao exchanged a glance, and Qi Hao whispered a guess.

"Could it be fellow Daoists from Tianyin Temple and Fenxiang Valley?"

Normally, an investigation would be conducted at night, since visibility is poor at night, making it easier to conceal one's presence and figure, which is more conducive to infiltration. If discovered, it is also easier to escape.

These are all experiences and common sense for traveling the world, and Qi Hao's previous suggestion was based on these.

“Let’s go and see. If they are righteous people, we will naturally lend a helping hand. If they are demonic cultists…”

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Xiaofan's eyes, and Lu Xueqi's face also showed a hint of murderous intent upon hearing this. She nodded solemnly.

Immediately, the four of them abandoned all concern for concealing themselves and avoiding the vampire bats, and flew on their swords toward the direction from which the commotion was coming.

A moment later, Zhang Xiaofan and his companions spotted some unusual activity in the distance.

Under the moonlight, on the desolate mountain, countless dark shadows rushed towards the faint light below, like moths to a flame. Using the faint light from the ground, Zhang Xiaofan and the others could see that a thick layer of something unknown was spread around the light.

Above that radiant light, the countless dark shadows that blotted out the moon were actually giant bats, each more than twice the size of an ordinary bat.

Within the light, four figures could be vaguely seen. Two of them were dressed in kasaya robes and were clearly two monks who had been ordained. One of them was tall, while the other was slightly thinner.

The other two were a man and a woman, whose clothing and appearance were somewhat different from those of the Central Plains, suggesting they were not from the Central Plains.

"Junior Brother Zhang, judging from their appearance, they are probably fellow Daoists from Tianyin Temple and Fenxiang Valley. Let's go!"

Zeng Shushu recognized it almost immediately. At this moment, what was desperately resisting the endless blood-sucking bats was the supreme Dharma of Tianyin Temple, the Mahayana Buddhism of Great Brahma Prajna.

Qi Hao and Lu Xueqi, who were standing to the side, did not say anything upon hearing this, but they had already formed hand seals, clearly ready to rescue the person, just waiting for Zhang Xiaofan's order.

"I'll land first and see if I can drive away these vampire bats."

Zhang Xiaofan reached out and touched the Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs at his waist. A strange light flashed in his eyes as he looked at the group of vampire bats. He then deliberately landed.

When Lu Xueqi and the others saw Zhang Xiaofan take out the flute tucked at his waist, they were taken aback. However, based on their trust in Zhang Xiaofan, the three of them separated and protected him in the middle.

“Woo—woo—”

Under Zhang Xiaofan's playing, the distant and melodious sound of the flute drifted out from the depths of the underworld and echoed on the desolate Kongsang Mountain, evoking a sense of desolation and the vicissitudes of life, which made people sigh with emotion.

As the sound of the flute rang out, the countless vampire bats seemed to be stimulated by something, and they all soared into the sky, transforming into a large net that covered the entire sky in the blink of an eye.

Lu Xueqi, Zeng Shushu, and the other two were also greatly surprised when they saw this. They all looked up at the swarm of bats flying overhead, completely obscuring the waning moon and the remaining stars.

"Woooo!!"

Zhang Xiaofan stepped out of the encirclement of the three and strolled on the desolate rocks like a lonely traveler. The swarms of vampire bats seemed to be summoned, flying around in the air and gradually surrounding Zhang Xiaofan.

Standing behind her, Lu Xueqi looked up and saw Zhang Xiaofan's figure quickly swallowed by the darkness. Her heart tightened, and she subconsciously wanted to chase after him, but Zeng Shushu reached out and pulled her back in time.

Seeing this, Qi Hao, who was standing to the side, spoke up in surprise.

"Junior Brother Zhang seems to be able to control these vampire bats through the sound of his flute?"

"boom!!"

At that moment, the vampire bats surrounding Zhang Xiaofan suddenly soared into the sky.

"Squeak-squeak-"

Immediately afterwards, a sharp and piercing shriek came from the mouths of the countless vampire bats, causing Lu Xueqi and the others to feel pain in their eardrums and their faces to show signs of pain.

Zhang Xiaofan gently pressed the xiao flute with both hands, and the melodious sound of the flute was like a soul returning from the past, calling softly, making people's hair stand on end involuntarily.

Beneath the sound of the flute, the shrieks of countless bats grew even more mournful, while drops of ink-black rain fell from the sky.

"squeak--"

Finally, with a shriek that seemed to pierce the night, all the vampire bats stopped shrieking and then transformed into a massive black torrent, flying towards a certain place on Mount Kongsang.

(End of this chapter)