The zombie-faced young man barely managed to circulate his qi and blood, suppressing his churning internal organs.
Had he not already cultivated Internal Strength, toughening his organs, that kick just now would have taken his life outright.
"It makes no sense. Normally, even a heaven-blessed genius who has cultivated Internal Strength should only be a beginner in that realm. It's impossible for him to be this powerful..."
The young man's face was filled with shock, and his breathing was ragged.
The old man with the wine gourd also turned extremely solemn, his eyes fixed on the Evil Wind billowing ahead.
"He didn't bring the Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp. He has neither incense ash nor incense candles on him. Even the qi and blood of someone at the peak of Internal Strength couldn't withstand the erosion of my Twelve Ghost Qi!"
"As long as he isn't in the Essence Refining Realm, he'll die on Ox Horn Mountain today."
"We..."
Before he could finish, a blade suddenly flashed ahead.
A cold gleam streaked through the darkness.
The Evil Wind dispersed completely.
The Twelve Ghost Qi was annihilated by a single slash.
"Using one's own essence, qi, and spirit to offer worship day and night, damaging one's lifespan and forfeiting one's blessings in exchange for having evil spirits do one's bidding... This rare, self-mutilating evil method was the 'Worship of Evil Method,' sealed away for many years?"
Lin Yan slowly walked out of the Evil Wind. His eyes were calm as he said, "No wonder today's purge of demons and evil in the southern part of the city only destroyed a few strands of evil qi. It turns out half of them had gathered here..."
"You..."
The old man with the wine gourd's expression changed drastically, and terror appeared in his eyes. "You're not in the Internal Strength realm!"
Though martial artists in the Internal Strength realm possessed powerful physiques, having tempered their internal organs, blood, and marrow, their abundant essence and qi made ordinary evil spirits afraid to invade them.
But the Twelve Ghost Qi he took pride in had already barely surpassed the boundaries of ordinary Wandering Spirits.
Against evil spirits of this level, even a martial artist at the peak of Internal Strength would fall here.
Of course, if an Internal Strength martial artist held a Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp and possessed incense ash, incense candles, and other restraining objects, the result would be different.
But this Banner Bearer of Impermanence had only a blade in his hand!
"Run!"
The zombie-faced young man had already lost all will to fight. With a sudden long howl, he fled backward.
From the other side of the mountain, two fine steeds came charging from the horse ranch in Qing Shan Ward.
With a sharp puff!
A crossbow bolt cut through the sky!
The horse in front suddenly collapsed and rolled across the ground.
A crossbow bolt had sunk more than halfway into its head, killing it instantly.
The young man's face was already bloodless. Seeing this, his entire body stiffened.
Even his fleeing movements ground to a halt.
A powerful killing intent had already locked onto him.
If he continued running, the next crossbow bolt would surely pierce his head.
What kind of crossbow was this?
How could its power be so formidable?
"This really is a good place. With the horse ranch behind you, it's convenient for making an escape."
Lin Yan loaded another crossbow bolt, casually raised the weapon, and shot the other horse dead.
Then he slowly walked forward and said, "If that's all you've got, why don't you kneel first and keep me company while we chat for a while?"
Tonight, every household in Lin Jiang Ward had lit a Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp.
They had also lit a pair of incense candles before their doors, with three sticks of incense inserted between them.
The people in the city stayed in their homes, facing toward the Inner City. They sincerely kowtowed in worship, asking Willow Venerable to bestow blessings, dispel disasters and evil, destroy demons, and remove calamity.
Those from relatively better-off families had even prepared sacrificial animals, wine, melons, fruits, and vegetables.
Today, they were making offerings to Willow Venerable!
One reason was the Prefectural Governor's Mansion's announcement. The other was the disaster caused by demons and evil spirits in the Outer City wards last night, which had left the people uneasy.
The citizens worshiped Willow Venerable to seek peace and hope for protection.
But more importantly, the vast Power of Incense accumulated at Willow Venerable's Temple had been given to powerful demons and evil spirits outside the city last night.
Now, only a little Power of Incense remained at Willow Venerable's Temple. The people of the city urgently needed to hold a grand sacrificial ceremony.
"The demons and evil spirits that entered the city last night include some that haven't been completely eradicated and slipped through the net. You must be careful."
"Check for yourselves. Have you prepared all the incense ash, incense candles, burning incense, and Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamps in your hands?"
The speaker was Captain Meng of the City Defense Army.
Because of his performance while guarding the city last night, he had earned the praise of Grand Commander Zhao Zhou.
Moreover, Zhao Zhou's personal guard captain, Zhao Jing, had died last night. The various factions vaguely guessed that Meng Lu might take Zhao Jing's place in the future.
Today, Zhao Zhou had dispatched him to assist the Outer Southern Prefecture Office under the Prefectural Governor's Mansion in eradicating the remaining demons and evil spirits. This itself was a show of his attitude.
Because in the eyes of the various factions, those responsible for tonight's purge were not only the Outer Southern Prefecture Office, but also temple personnel from the Inner City.
People from the Outer City rarely had opportunities to establish ties with the temples.
"Captain Meng guarded the city last night, hunted demons and evil spirits by day, and is accompanying us again tonight. You must be exhausted. I have a talisman here that can refresh the spirit and stabilize the qi. Please wear it."
A young man had come from the temple. His name was Liu Jing.
His teacher was the twelfth abbot of Willow Venerable's Temple, responsible for monitoring the evil qi throughout the city and personally eradicating demons and evil spirits.
As the abbot's direct disciple, Liu Jing had a lofty status and considerable ability. Six temple envoys had been assigned to accompany him.
"Mr. Jing, you're too kind."
Meng Lu saluted and politely declined on the spot.
Liu Jing merely laughed and said, "All my abilities come from Lord Liu's Divine Law. Though I can drive away evil, dispel calamity, and weaken demonic qi, my own Martial Arts cultivation is truly shallow. When facing fierce beasts and vicious demons, I still need Captain Meng's protection. Only if you remain full of energy can my safety be guaranteed."
Hearing this, Meng Lu accepted the talisman and put it on.
The leader of the Night Patrol Envoy squad behind him could not help revealing an envious look.
Among this group, the temple's elite disciples were responsible for dealing with evil spirits and strange qi, while the City Defense Army handled Fierce Birds, Fierce Beasts, and other demons.
As for the day-and-night patrol envoys under the Outer Southern Prefecture Office, they had previously been responsible for maintaining order within the city. In terms of martial attainments, most were inferior to the City Defense Army.
Now that demons and evil spirits were in the city, the day-and-night patrol envoys could not deal with them at all. Thus, they could only request the temple's intervention, with the City Defense Army providing assistance.
"Ultimately, we're merely more familiar with the terrain of the various wards in the Outer City. At most, we're acting as guides."
The leader of this Night Patrol Envoy squad thought to himself, If we encounter demons and evil spirits, we may even have to rely on them to save our lives. We shouldn't be greedy and foolishly hope they'll bestow a divine talisman on us.
Just as he thought this, he suddenly heard the temple's elite disciple speak in a deep voice.
"There's a change in strange qi to the due north."
"Hmm?"
Meng Lu gripped his long blade tightly, then looked at the leader of the Night Patrol Envoys and said, "Lead the way!"
There were many buildings in the city, with houses and towers standing row upon row. They did not know the terrain.
If they headed directly north, they would only crash into walls along the way and might even circle into a dead end.
Thus, they needed the "Night Patrol Envoy" to lead the way so they could take shortcuts at the fastest possible speed and head toward the source of the strange qi.
This group hurried toward the change in strange qi at astonishing speed, until they left the streets of Lin Jiang Ward.
In the distance, they saw Ox Horn Mountain.
Following Liu Jing's direction, Meng Lu charged up the mountain first.
As they drew nearer, they saw three people on the mountain.
One of them was tall and slender, dressed in a Golden Silk Black Robe, with his blade raised.
Meng Lu watched with his own eyes as the blade came slashing down.
Blood sprayed through the air.
The blade cleaved off one person's head.
Then he set the blade against another person's neck.
Afterward, the killer slowly turned his head. His eyes were calm, and his tone was as casual as ever. "Are you all together?"
Before you continue