The other elderly Attendant from Four Seas Pavilion let out a roar. His face instantly flushed crimson, dense Blood Fiend Qi surged from his body, and his frame swelled as if inflated.
He became swift as a flying leap and strong as an ox. Every punch that landed on a Corpse Dog left behind a deeply sunken, scorched fist mark. The killing power of fiendish qi could not be underestimated!
Amid the spray of severed limbs and blood, the two elderly merchant caravan Attendants radiated murderous qi, looking utterly crazed.
Now and then, they lost control, unable to fully suppress the savagery in their hearts. They even pulled out things like Rotten Wolf hearts and livers and gnawed on them right there, no longer seeming human!
Yet everyone had long since grown used to such sights and was not surprised.
Li Qingyun also knew that this was the norm for those who cultivated crooked side paths.
Back when he had practiced Yang Sha Refining, the sixteen-year Child's Art had already reached a certain level. When he used it, he resembled that red-faced old man somewhat: his blood and qi erupted, greatly boosting both strength and speed, while the Yang Sha aura blazing around him made even wandering souls afraid to approach.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The caravan guards and other travelers swung blades and fired arrows, relying on the protection of the Dao Lord Dharma Idol's clear radiance as they hacked down the Corpse Dogs and Rotten Wolves that dared charge at them.
Everyone used their own methods, taking advantage of the Dao Lord's clear light to kill one savage beast and wandering soul after another that dared crash into them.
The deaths of their companions also roused the viciousness of the Corpse Dogs and ghostly creatures, and they began charging the group of merchants and travelers without regard for anything else.
Several streams of yin qi seized the chance to mingle among the Corpse Dogs before suddenly lunging out. But the moment they touched Dao Lord Biluo's clear light, they were like lamp oil meeting flame. Amid shrill wails, they burned to ash in no time!
Under the forced clearing, great swathes of Corpse Dogs and Rotten Wolves fell, their corpses becoming food for the other wolves and dogs.
Amid roars and frenzied struggles for meat, the air became thick with blood.
Under the impacts of savage beasts and ghostly creatures, the clear light from the Dao Lord statues in their hands gradually dimmed.
They fought as they advanced, and people were wounded one after another.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a burly martial wanderer let out a miserable scream.
In the midst of battle, he accidentally stepped beyond the protective circle of the statue's clear light. A dense mass of black qi suddenly swept out of the darkness, wrapped around the big man, and carried him into the night sky!
His screams rang through the darkness. Amid a rain of blood, a ghastly skeleton fell from above, every scrap of flesh already devoured!
Heh heh heh!
The ghostly creature's sinister laughter echoed through the night sky, making everyone's scalps tingle!
"Wretched beast, die!"
Anger flashed in Wang Muyun's eyes. Fire qi exploded around her as she raised a hand and struck out.
The Vermilion Dharma Pearl flashed and shot into that dense cloud of black qi!
Bang!
Flames scattered, and the black qi dispersed.
Using that instant of light, Li Qingyun saw the true body within the black qi. It was a vicious ghost in tattered clothes, with a green face, protruding fangs, empty eye sockets devoid of eyeballs, and maggots crawling within them!
The Green-faced Ghost struck head-on with Wang Muyun's pearl using its claws, knocking the pearl away. Yet sparks of fire ignited across its body, and it swiftly turned into a burning torch.
It let out a resentful howl and turned to flee!
"Die!"
Li Qingyun, who had long been poised to strike, activated his thunder seal. With a thunderous boom, a dazzling bolt of lightning descended from the sky and exploded amid the flames and ghostly qi.
The thunder scattered the ghostly qi in all directions, and the Green-faced Ghost gave a shrill, resentful howl!
Yet this vicious ghost had not died outright. Instead, it hurriedly fled into the boundless darkness of night.
Its ghostly qi was already scattered, however, and less than one-tenth of its strength remained. It posed no threat for the time being!
This was the first vicious ghost the group had encountered!
Wandering souls, vicious ghosts, Redclads, sinister aberrations...
This green-haired ghost was, in some respects, comparable to a Dao Foundation Realm cultivator.
Yet upon meeting Wang Muyun, who cultivated true-fire arts, and Li Qingyun, who wielded the might of thunder, it had nearly been suppressed and killed outright!
Of course, the main reason was that Wang Muyun, the outstanding disciple of Biyou Palace, possessed exceptionally pure and domineering fire arts. She was very likely at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refinement!
Fighting as they traveled, and relying on the strength of Wang Muyun, Zhao Yifan, Li Qingyun, and the two elderly Four Seas Pavilion Attendants, the group finally endured the hardest stretch.
At last, the Corpse Dogs and ghostly creatures gradually dispersed.
No one knew how long passed before everyone's eyes suddenly brightened.
Ahead, amid the darkness, a blaze of glaring firelight emerged, illuminating the night sky over the wilderness.
Beneath the firelight stood a dilapidated ruined temple on a small hill beside the crossroads of two official roads.
A ring of torches had been planted around the ruined temple, and the air was filled with the smell of burning lamp oil.
Layers upon layers of Dao Talismans covered the broken walls on all four sides of the temple. Old and new talismans overlapped, giving off waves of majestic Daoist power sufficient to deter ordinary ghosts and demons. This was an important reason why merchants and travelers coming from north and south regarded the ruined temple as a reliable place to rest.
Many carriages and horses were parked before the temple, while guards and martial wanderers carrying swords patrolled back and forth.
Occasionally, the sounds of laughter and conversation drifted from inside the ruined temple.
"Thank you for your efforts, fellow Daoists!"
Upon seeing the ruined temple, Wang Muyun, whose aura had weakened somewhat, nodded to Li Qingyun and Zhao Yifan. She then took out a pill bottle and swallowed several Minor Grass Pills before narrowing her eyes and sitting cross-legged atop the carriage to regulate her breathing, saying no more.
Zhao Yifan's face was pale as well. His spiritual power had been drained rather severely, and he took out pills to swallow.
Li Qingyun had not actually expended much. He had used thunder only a few times, mainly stepping in at critical moments to save people or relieve dangerous situations.
Of course, Big Black Cat's share of the credit had also fallen upon him. All things considered, he had lived up to the identity of a Lingbao Temple disciple!
Steward Qian had only just settled his nerves when he stepped forward to negotiate with those people.
It turned out that those who had arrived at the ruined temple ahead of them were mainly the Cai Family of Luoshui, numbering more than thirty people, with the rest being scattered merchants and travelers.
"We are a caravan from Four Seas Pavilion. These two are outstanding disciples of Lingbao Temple. We also wish to rest here at the temple overnight. Sorry for the trouble, everyone!"
"Ah, so it is Steward Qian. No need for such courtesy!"
"Our Cai Family of Luoshui—our Young Madam went to Lingbao Temple today to burn incense and pray for a child. She is very tired now and is resting inside the temple, so please do not disturb her!"
"That is fine. We can rest right here before the temple and take turns keeping watch through the night..."
The inside of the ruined temple had already been occupied by the Young Madam of the Cai Family and the other female relatives. Neither Wang Muyun nor Qian Fuguan minded, and Li Qingyun and Zhao Yifan cared even less.
Still, upon hearing what the Cai Family guard captain said, Li Qingyun could not help but stir slightly inwardly.
The Young Madam of the Cai Family went to Lingbao Temple to burn incense and pray for a child. That should be proper enough, but who knows about that bastard He Xiao...
He had heard of the Cai Family of Luoshui. It was a Lineage whose influence was no weaker than Marquis Qinghe's Estate.
Luoshui County was rather close to Maple Mountain Lingbao Temple, and many wealthy households went to Lingbao Temple to burn incense, request talismans, perform rituals, and the like.
After fighting all the way here, the Four Seas Pavilion caravan and the others were exhausted. Once they reached the ruined temple, they hurried to boil water, cook food, tidy the grounds, pitch tents, or simply spread mats on the ground.
Everyone wolfed down their food to replenish their strength.
The two elderly practitioners of crooked paths from Four Seas Pavilion ate in a particularly startling manner. They had returned to normal human appearances, but their faces were pale and their auras weak. Like starving ghosts, they stuffed down mouthful after mouthful of food.
The caravan had even slaughtered two lambs. The two Attendants directly held up basins of blood and gulped down fresh sheep's blood like wild beasts, a truly frightening sight.
Li Qingyun also noticed that the old man who had transformed into a half-human, half-fox creature earlier went to a corner by the temple wall after eating. He secretly took out another bloody Rotten Wolf heart and greedily tore into it, swallowing it down.
After using extraordinary power, "crooked side paths" all carried one side effect or another. Drinking beast blood and eating demon flesh were considered mild; some even had to drink human blood!
Ordinary people could not touch the parts of ghosts or demons. Once contaminated by yin qi or demon qi, they would lose half their life even if they did not die!
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