Severed at the Waist, Undying; Unending After Nightfall

The eastern horizon was tinged with a pale, fish-belly white.

Dawn had yet to break, but the sky was already brightening.

The world's scenery gradually came into focus.

The crowing of roosters could already be heard in the city, their calls rising and falling, quite clear.

By this hour, all malevolent spirits had retreated, and demonic creatures had fled into the forests.

"This night is finally over."

Lin Yan, carrying his long saber, walked slowly along the city wall.

Wherever he passed, a gentle tap was enough to turn the paper figures into dust, scattering them in the wind.

The three hundred and sixty paces of city defense belonging to the Lin Jiang Department remained unbroken by demonic evils.

However, beyond those three hundred and sixty paces, the smell of blood was extremely pungent.

This was because a six-hundred-pace gap had been torn open on both sides.

If he hadn't rushed forward with his saber to seal it, relight the Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp, and use paper figures to guard and deter the demonic evils, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Lin Yan looked at the mangled corpses on the ground, his expression a little heavy.

This was a young man, torn to shreds, his entrails spilled across the ground. Thick blood pooled around his mangled limbs, flesh and bone separated.

Not far away, a head with a ferocious, blood-soaked gaze rolled to the side.

A six-hundred-pace gap meant at least twenty soldiers defending the city had died in the night.

The patrolling squad that was supposed to provide support had also suffered many casualties at this section of the city wall's defense.

The soldier before him was just one of them.

"..."

Lin Yan bowed, then dispersed the paper figures he had left on the city wall the previous night.

He continued forward and saw a headless corpse on the ground not far away.

Its head had been severed by a sharp blade.

Looking closely at the wound, it appeared to be a surprise attack from behind while defending the city.

The chaos of last night hadn't come solely from the dark demonic evils.

Lin Yan remembered the person who had swung a saber at his back.

The attacker wore iron armor and was likely a high-ranking officer in the city's defense forces.

But what made Lin Yan's heart grow heavy was that the person was holding a Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp.

"He was holding a genuine Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp, the oil hadn't been replaced."

"He wasn't a malevolent spirit in disguise, nor was he possessed by an evil spirit. He was truly human."

"Why would a high-ranking official in the city defense forces, a top expert at the Inner Strength realm, betray the city, open a gap, and let the demonic evils in?"

Thinking this, he quickened his pace and arrived at the location where he had killed the man yesterday.

The lower half of the corpse still lay on the city wall, its life extinguished.

Lin Yan leaned over and looked down at the city below.

He saw only the corpses of slain birds, beasts, and minor monsters below.

These corpses were already rotten and decayed, consumed by other demonic evils from the darkness.

The upper half of the body he had cut off yesterday was nowhere to be seen.

This was normal. Human flesh was considered a great tonic by demonic evils, far more delicious than ordinary blood food.

He figured the upper half of the human body from yesterday had been completely devoured, leaving not even a shred of flesh, blood, or bone.

Just as Lin Yan was thinking this, he suddenly froze.

The city wall was sixty feet high.

Looking down from such a height, it was quite far.

But with his eyesight at the Essence Refining Realm, he could see with extreme clarity.

There were several bloody characters on the ground.

The characters were small, appearing like grains of sand when viewed from above.

The writing was messy, as if the person who wrote it was in great pain, their hand trembling.

"The revenge for being cut in half, I will repay it one day!"

"..."

Lin Yan's brow furrowed instantly.

He whispered, "Half a body, falling into the darkness, and it could still survive?"

Normally, even someone at the Essence Refining Realm wouldn't survive being cut in half, with only the upper body remaining.

Even more so, the person's upper body, having fallen from the six-zhang city wall, should have been smashed into a pulp.

Yet, a line of bloody words remained?

More importantly, after falling into the darkness, where demonic creatures and spirits gathered and malevolent spirits were endless, he wasn't devoured in an instant?

This was someone who could hold a high-ranking position in the city defense forces of Gao Liu City!

And someone who was unafraid of the Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp!

Furthermore, someone who could remain unharmed by demonic evils in the darkness?

Who exactly was this person?

Thinking this, Lin Yan's gaze fell to the lower half of the body at his feet.

"Last night, even with his body intact, I severed it with a single strike. Do I need to fear your severed half?"

The sun rose, and the dawn broke.

In the Inner City's Sky Gazing Tower, it was determined that the night's calamity had passed. Most of the threats to Gao Liu City within a hundred-mile radius had retreated far beyond.

Meanwhile, in the Outer City, various districts were carrying out cleanup operations according to the initial plan.

Personnel from all departments and yamen, night and day patrols, remaining guards, and branches of the Heavenly Supervision Department were all involved.

And at this moment, on the southern city wall.

Grand Commander Zhao Zhou, having removed his helmet and armor, and without time to change his soaked outer clothes, summoned the leaders responsible for the defense positions in the southern city.

"My department suffered twelve casualties, but the Patrolling Squad has completely sealed all breaches and cleared all demonic evils that intruded into the city."

"My department suffered eight casualties. One breach was not sealed in time, allowing two minor demons to enter the city. One has been killed, and the other is still at large. The city yamen has been dispatched to hunt it down."

"My department had two severely wounded and one lightly wounded. There were no breaches."

This person was around thirty years old, his face smudged with ash, his armor covered in scars, and his eyes showing fatigue.

Grand Commander Zhao Zhou couldn't help but look at him more closely.

This young man, named Meng Lu, was still at the Blood Refining stage half a month ago, but today he had reached Marrow Washing.

Clearly, he had used himself as bait to attract demonic evils, thereby easing the pressure on his subordinates and reducing casualties.

"He risks his own safety to lessen the burden on his soldiers. A commendable talent."

Zhao Zhou thought to himself, "He has been transferred from the Inner City for half a year. I have overlooked his talent in the past. I must cultivate him in the future."

As he thought this, he heard reports of casualties from other departments.

What was spoken were numbers, one after another.

Each number symbolized a life.

Grand Commander Zhao Zhou's expression darkened, and his mood grew heavy.

But the next moment, he frowned. "What about the Lin Jiang Department? I ordered Zhao Jing to take his men to reinforce them. Has he not returned to report yet?"

"Zhao Jing has not returned, and there is no news."

Just then, a chief clerk from the city defense forces, responsible for relaying messages, spoke up. "There is no news from the Lin Jiang Department's Banner Bearer either."

Everyone's expression changed slightly, and they exchanged glances.

"Could it be that the Lin Jiang Department has fallen?"

A captain couldn't help but whisper, his tone filled with disbelief.

This was not entirely unexpected.

Because something had happened at the Lin Jiang Department yesterday, and twelve junior banners had been withdrawn. The Banner Bearer, alone, had to defend three hundred and sixty paces.

Yet, the Grand Commander had already dispatched Zhao Jing with twenty personal guards to assist.

Logically, there should have been no issues at the Lin Jiang Department.

But why was there no news?

In an instant, a sense of unease arose in everyone's hearts.

"Report!"

Just then, a soldier hurried in from outside the door, his expression panicked. "At the location of the sixtieth Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp, a body has been discovered..."

Everyone frowned and looked over.

With the demonic evils attacking the city last night, there were corpses all over the city walls. Why would this cause such panic?

"The upper body is missing, only a severed torso remains. Based on the skirt armor, belt, and military boots, we can preliminarily determine..."

The soldier's face was pale, and he trembled as he said, "It's your personal guard captain, Zhao Jing!"