Ox Horn Mountain.
The mountain was covered in dense forests.
Looking down, vast stretches of fertile farmland had already been planted, with green seedlings swaying in the breeze.
This was still within Gao Liu City, situated between Lin Jiang Ward and Qing Shan Ward.
The farmland on this side of the mountain, where grain was cultivated, fell under the jurisdiction of Lin Jiang Ward.
On the other side, the Outer Southern Prefecture Office had established a horse ranch, where over a hundred fine steeds were kept. The area fell under the jurisdiction of Qing Shan Ward.
Even though it was within Gao Liu City, this remote area was practically wilderness. After nightfall, the city's commoners did not dare come here.
Yet at this very moment, two people were sitting idly on the mountainside.
An old man and a young man.
The old man's hair had already gone gray, and he was over sixty years old. A wine flask hung from his waist.
The young man's face was rigid and utterly bloodless, resembling a corpse. He held a knife in his hand.
"What a fine place. If this were outside Gao Liu City, the two of us would've been swallowed by a great demon by now... Of course, we might also have been destroyed by an evil spirit."
The old man took a sip of wine and said, "It's only because we're in the city. Though this place counts as the wilderness, at least it's safe and worry-free."
"Cut the nonsense."
The young man with the knife spoke hoarsely. "The two of us have to gather twenty 'materials' before we can report back! When are you bringing the last 'material'?"
The old man held the wine flask in one hand and waved the other, answering casually, "Don't worry. It's only a boy. Though he's slaughtered pigs for a few days and has a bit of killing intent, he won't escape our Ancestral Grandmother's grasp."
"The Wandering Soul you had before could only confuse the sick and weak. Are you sure about it now?"
"Chaos broke out everywhere last night. I took advantage of it and obtained several souls of the newly dead, then fed them to her. Today, she no longer fears sturdy men with vigorous blood and qi or butchers who possess killing intent."
"I heard a Incense Burner came to the shrine tonight, the shrine priest's direct disciple. Aren't you afraid your Wandering Soul will be destroyed by him?"
"The Prefectural Governor's Mansion inspected that broken house today, dragged away the corpse, and put up a seal. The shrine won't investigate it again."
At this point, the old man set down his wine flask and clicked his tongue. "I hid our Ancestral Grandmother in that house, just waiting for that boy to return home so she could possess him."
The young man with the knife wore a grave expression. "The chaos from last night has continued into tonight. This opportunity is hard to come by. We can't afford to fail."
"I understand. Taking advantage of this night, once that boy named Lin Yan disappears without a trace, everyone will only think he had bad luck and was killed by some demon or evil spirit."
The old man chuckled. "Once tonight passes and peace returns, if anyone else disappears in the city, the Outer Southern Prefecture Office will investigate the case thoroughly. With the Heavenly Supervision Department around as well, it'll be difficult to fish in troubled waters."
"Last night, demons and evil spirits attacked the city. Those idiots in the eastern section of the Outer City wanted to collect 'materials' amid the chaos, but the Banner Commander overseeing the eastern section of the Outer City under the Heavenly Supervision Department noticed something was amiss."
The young man with the knife said solemnly, "They've already been silenced in advance. I don't want to be silenced too just because you old bastard weren't careful enough."
"Relax. I've made inquiries. The Banner Bearer of the Lin Jiang Department is new here, fresh off the boat and completely clueless. He won't be able to catch us."
After saying this, the old man looked rather helpless.
It was only on the afternoon three days ago that he had obtained the "Material List."
He had found the residence of the "Lin Yan" ranked sixth on the list, only to discover that the man had not been home that night.
He had been in a hurry to collect the other materials, so he temporarily set this one aside.
When he prepared to act the night before last, someone had interfered again.
Then last night, demons and evil spirits attacked the city, and the Sky Gazing Tower had mobilized all its forces and every divine mirror to monitor the entire city.
He could only wait until tonight and fish in troubled waters again.
But this time, he expected everything to go smoothly.
Just as he was thinking this, an "Evil Wind" suddenly blew out of the darkness.
The old man's spirits lifted, and he exclaimed happily, "You're back."
He pulled the stopper from the wine flask and drew the "Evil Wind" inside, then peered into it.
"Huh? Ancestral Grandmother, how did you become so much thinner?"
The old man's face filled with heartache. He was just about to speak when the young man beside him spoke coldly.
"Where's the material?"
"..."
The old man froze.
Then, slightly bewildered, he hurriedly shouted into the wine flask, "Ancestral Grandmother, where's the material? Why didn't you return after possessing someone?"
"It's right here."
In the silent night, a third voice rang out from atop the mountain.
The old man and the young man suddenly felt a chill throughout their bodies, and their expressions instantly turned grave.
From the direction of the voice, a person slowly walked up from the foot of the mountain.
He wore a Golden Silk Black Robe and had a tall, straight figure.
A knife sheath hung on his left side, and a crossbow and arrows hung on his right.
In his right hand, he carried a knife of unusual material. Its color was somewhat dark, and it was three feet three inches long.
The new Banner Bearer of the Lin Jiang Department—Impermanence!
"Was it you again, stirring things up?"
The old man's face darkened.
The bloodless young man with the rigid face drew the long knife from his hand, his expression solemn.
"People outside speculate that the new Banner Bearer, Impermanence, is at most in the second Martial Arts stage, and is probably still in the Blood Refining stage. It's also possible that he possesses extraordinary talent and has reached Marrow Cleansing."
"But last night, you guarded the city alone, covering three hundred and sixty paces."
"Even with the aid of the Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp, incense, candles, and ash, that still wasn't something someone in the second Martial Arts stage could withstand."
"You must possess Inner Strength Cultivation. At such a young age, your abilities are astonishing."
"Such talent is something I have seen only once in my life. In the future, you may break through the limits of the Human Body and have hope of reaching the Essence Refining Realm!"
"What a pity that you think too highly of yourself, coming here to die and throwing away your glorious future."
As he spoke, he walked forward and took the initiative to meet Lin Yan, saying coldly, "I'll send you on your way!"
He, too, possessed Inner Strength Cultivation. It was just that he had made consecutive mistakes in the "heart and kidney" stages, damaging his internal organs and turning himself into this rigid, corpse-like state.
But after swallowing medicinal pills, he was able to maintain it.
He had cultivated Inner Strength for six years. Among those at his current level, he could not claim to be among the strongest, but he was at least above average.
Facing a newly advanced Banner Bearer of the Lin Jiang Department in the Inner Strength stage, he was brimming with confidence.
He approached, then suddenly quickened his pace.
Gathering his strength, he unleashed a ruthless strike, bringing his knife crashing down!
He was certain that this blow could sever metal and split jade, break steles and cleave rocks, and slice iron as easily as mud!
"..."
Lin Yan's expression remained cold.
He swung the knife in his right hand.
The blades clashed!
Sparks flew!
The corpse-faced young man's pupils suddenly contracted. He felt an overwhelming force surge through his knife, crushing everything before it with unstoppable momentum.
In an instant, the web between his thumb and forefinger split open, and blood sprayed out.
Then Lin Yan kicked him in the chest and abdomen.
The supremely confident rigid young man felt a sharp pain in his chest and abdomen, followed by his entire body suddenly going light.
His whole person was kicked into the air and sent tumbling three to five zhang away.
In a single exchange, he had been utterly powerless to fight back.
"Old man, are you still not moving?"
The rigid young man climbed up from the ground. His internal organs churned like rivers and seas, and he spat out blood as he shouted at the old man in terror.
In an instant, an Evil Wind rose violently atop Ox Horn Mountain.
Ghosts wailed and wolves howled, chilling the soul.
Twelve streams of Evil Wind circled the mountaintop.
In the blink of an eye, the stars and moon were completely hidden.
Even the lights of the distant wards seemed to vanish, plunging everything into darkness.
Between heaven and earth, it seemed that Lin Yan alone remained, standing here in utter isolation.
Boundless darkness and ethereal nothingness spread out, and an endless loneliness and desolation immediately filled the air.
Within the darkness beside him, something twisted like ink, gradually forming one "gentle and kind" face after another, each wearing a sincere, familiar smile.
Beneath those smiling faces, one tentacle after another stretched out—dense, countless, and impossible to number.
All the tentacles slowly approached Lin Yan from every direction, as if extending an invitation.
Yet within that invitation lay the threat of binding him completely and dragging him into the darkness.
"Come... come... Become our family, and you won't have to be so lonely anymore."
"We'll merge into one and become even stronger, protecting one another."
"We..."
Squelch!
A flash of blade light swept past!
The source of the voice abruptly fell silent.
"Annoying."
Lin Yan's expressionless face remained unchanged as he swept his knife horizontally.
All the tentacles around him shattered and vanished completely.
Feeling his killing intent increase, he frowned slightly and sighed, "Too weak."
Before you continue