Mr. Jing of the Temple of Lord Liu

The youth, whose face was ashen like a corpse, barely managed to stir his Blood Essence, suppressing the churning in his Five Viscera and Six Bowels.

If he hadn't already cultivated Inner Strength, making his internal organs tough and resilient, that kick just now would have been fatal.

"It doesn't make sense. Normally, even a peerless prodigy who has cultivated Inner Strength should only be at the very beginning of this realm. There's no way they could be this powerful..."

The youth's face was filled with shock, his breathing ragged.

The old man with the wine gourd's expression also turned extremely solemn, his gaze fixed on the swirling malevolent wind ahead.

"He didn't bring the Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp, nor does he have any incense ash or candles on him. Even with peak Inner Strength Blood Essence, he can't withstand the erosion of my Twelve Ghost Qi!"

"As long as he's not in the Essence Refining Realm, he'll die on Ox Horn Mountain today."

"We..."

Before he could finish speaking, a blade's edge suddenly appeared in front of him.

A cold glint cut through the darkness.

The malevolent wind dissipated.

The Twelve Ghost Qi was annihilated by a single saber strike.

"To offer one's own essence, spirit, and vitality day and night, shortening one's lifespan and diminishing blessings, in order to get Malevolent Spirits to do one's bidding... this rare self-harming evil method, is it the 'Worship of Evil Method' that has been banned for many years?"

Lin Yan slowly emerged from the malevolent wind, his eyes calm. He said, "No wonder the clearing of Demonic Evils in the south of the city today only eliminated a few wisps of evil energy. It turns out half of it gathered here..."

"You..."

The old man with the wine gourd's face suddenly changed drastically, revealing terror. "You're not in the Inner Strength realm!"

Although martial artists in the Inner Strength realm had robust physiques, their internal organs and blood were refined, their essence and spirit strong, and ordinary Malevolent Spirits would not dare to encroach upon them.

However, the Twelve Ghost Qi he prided himself on had already barely surpassed the category of ordinary Wandering Spirits.

Even a peak Inner Strength martial artist would fall here to this level of Malevolent Spirit.

Of course, if an Inner Strength martial artist were holding a Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp, along with incense ash, candles, and other restraining items, the outcome would be different.

But this Wuchang Banner Bearer only had a saber in his hand!

"Run!"

The youth, whose face was ashen like a corpse, had lost the will to fight. He let out a sudden roar and fled backward.

From the other side of the mountain, from the horse farm in Qing Shan Ward, two fine horses galloped over.

Puchi!

A crossbow bolt streaked across the sky!

The leading horse suddenly stumbled and rolled on the ground.

Half of the crossbow bolt was embedded in the horse's head, killing it instantly.

The youth, already pale, became completely stiff upon seeing this.

Even his attempt to flee stopped.

Because an intense killing intent had already enveloped him.

If he continued to flee, the next crossbow bolt would inevitably pierce his head.

What kind of crossbow was this?

Its power was so formidable?

"This is indeed a good spot. Relying on the horse farm behind us makes it convenient for escape."

Lin Yan loaded another crossbow bolt, casually raised it, and effortlessly shot down the other horse.

Then he slowly moved forward and said, "If this is all you've got, why don't you kneel down and chat with this envoy for a while?"

Tonight, in Lin Jiang Ward, every household had lit their Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamps.

And in front of their doors, a pair of candles were lit, with three incense sticks inserted.

The citizens of the city, in their homes, faced the inner city and sincerely bowed, praying to Willow Venerate for blessings, disaster relief, and the exorcism of demons.

Those from wealthier families had even prepared sacrificial offerings of wine and meat, as well as fruits and vegetables.

Today, they were offering sacrifices to Willow Venerate!

This was partly due to the notification from the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, and partly because the disaster caused by Demonic Evils in the outer ward last night had unsettled the populace.

The people were offering sacrifices to Willow Venerate, seeking peace and protection.

But more importantly, the vast Power of Incense accumulated in the Temple of Lord Liu had been given to powerful Demonic Creatures and Malevolent Spirits outside the city last night.

Now, the Temple of Lord Liu had only a small amount of Power of Incense remaining, and it urgently needed a grand sacrifice from the city's populace.

"There are still stragglers among the Demonic Creatures and Malevolent Spirits that entered the city last night who have not been completely eliminated. Be extremely careful and vigilant."

"Check yourselves and ensure you have your incense ash, candles, burning incense, and Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamps all prepared."

The speaker was a captain of the city's defense forces, named Meng Lu.

Because of his performance during the city's defense last night, he received praise from Grand Commander Zhao Zhou.

Furthermore, Zhao Jing, the captain of Grand Commander Zhao Zhou's personal guards, died last night. Various parties vaguely speculated that Meng Lu might take over Zhao Jing's position in the future.

Today, he was dispatched by Grand Commander Zhao Zhou to assist the Southern Gate of the Prefectural Governor's Mansion in clearing out the remaining Demonic Evils, which was a clear indication of his standing.

In the eyes of all parties, tonight's task of clearing out Demonic Evils was not solely the responsibility of the Southern Gate, but also involved personnel from the inner city's Temple.

For those living in the outer city, opportunities to connect with the Temple were few.

"Commander Meng, you defended the city last night, searched for Demonic Evils during the day, and are traveling with us tonight. You must be tired. I have a talisman here that can refresh your spirit and calm your qi. Please wear it."

A young man named Liu Jing arrived from the Temple.

His mentor was the twelfth Temple Priest of the Temple of Lord Liu, responsible for monitoring the city's evil qi and eliminating Demonic Evils.

As a direct disciple of the Temple Priest, Liu Jing held a high status and possessed considerable skill. He was accompanied by six envoys from the Temple.

"Mr. Jing is too kind."

Meng Lu bowed and politely declined.

Liu Jing let out a laugh and said, "All my skills come from Lord Liu's Divine Law. Although it can dispel evil and weaken demonic qi, my own martial arts cultivation is truly shallow. When facing ferocious beasts and monstrous demons, I still need Commander Meng to protect me. If you maintain your energy, my safety can be assured."

Upon hearing this, Meng Lu accepted the talisman and wore it.

The leader of the Night Patrol Envoy squad behind them couldn't help but show a look of envy.

Among this group, the esteemed disciple from the Temple was responsible for dealing with malevolent spirits and strange energies, while the city defense forces were responsible for ferocious birds, beasts, and other demonic creatures.

As for the Night Patrol Envoys under the Southern Gate, they were usually responsible for maintaining order within the city. In terms of martial arts attainment, most of them were inferior to the city defense forces.

With Demonic Evils now in the city, the Night Patrol Envoys were completely unable to handle the situation, so they had to seek the Temple's assistance, with the city defense forces providing support.

"Ultimately, we are only more familiar with the terrain of the various districts in the outer city. At best, we can act as guides."

The leader of the Night Patrol Envoy squad thought to himself, "If we encounter Demonic Evils, we'll even have to rely on them for our lives. I shouldn't be greedy and expect them to bestow divine talismans upon us."

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard the esteemed disciple from the Temple speak in a deep voice.

"There is a change in strange energy to the north."

"Hmm?"

Meng Lu tightened his saber, then looked at the leader of the Night Patrol Envoys and said, "Lead the way!"

The city had many buildings, with houses and pavilions standing in rows. They were unfamiliar with the terrain.

If they headed directly north, they would only run into walls and might even end up in a dead end.

Therefore, they needed the "Night Patrol Envoys" to lead the way so they could take the fastest route to the direction where the strange energy was moving.

The group hurried towards the direction of the changing energy at a very fast pace, until they left the streets of Lin Jiang Ward.

They could see Ox Horn Mountain in the distance.

Following Liu Jing's direction, Meng Lu took the lead up the mountain and rushed forward.

As they got closer, they saw three people on the mountain.

One of them was tall and slender, dressed in a black robe with gold threads, and raised his saber.

Meng Lu watched with his own eyes as the saber swung down.

Blood splattered.

The blade severed a head.

Then, the killer placed the saber at the neck of another person.

Afterward, the killer slowly turned his head, his eyes calm, and his tone as usual, "Are you with them?"