Greatly Profited! Silencing the Witnesses!

The night felt exceptionally long.

Lin Yan descended the mountain before the unconscious individuals had woken up.

He slowly made his way in the direction of Lin Jiang Ward.

He didn't have the Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp in his hand now, but he could still see the path ahead clearly.

However, on the mountain, that Mr. Jing, who carried the Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamp, likely couldn't see the path forward anymore.

"This Malevolent Spirit isn't powerful, but it's truly terrifying for Gao Liu City."

Lin Yan looked into the distance, thinking to himself, "A threat of the entire city's annihilation..."

On the city walls, one lamp after another illuminated the boundaries, repelling Demonic Evils.

If the Malevolent Spirits in the darkness were unafraid of Willow Venerate's might, what kind of scene would that be?

Last night, only some Wandering Spirits, the ones that slipped through, had caused the entire city unease tonight.

He took a deep breath and glanced back, seeing that the figures on Ox Horn Mountain were gradually increasing.

The reinforcements from Qing Shan Ward had arrived.

Furthermore, the six Temple envoys, city defense soldiers, Night Patrol Envoys, and others seemed to be gradually waking up as well.

"After tonight, there will surely be a storm."

Lin Yan thought to himself, "The sooner it blows up, the better it is for me!"

That new army drill instructor and the Chief Clerk were merely following orders, intending to use him as "material."

If they had targeted the solitary Banner Bearer, Wuchang, it would have been easier to handle.

But they had targeted the third son of the Lin family, Lin Yan!

One wrong move could endanger his family, how could he tolerate that?

"I need to find them quickly and wipe them all out!"

As Lin Yan thought this, he knew in his heart that the person behind this must hold a high position within Gao Liu City.

Moreover, there might be more than one mastermind behind the scenes.

Even though Lin Yan was a Martial Artist in the Essence Refining Realm, it would be difficult for him alone to uncover all these hidden figures pulling the strings from the shadows.

Therefore, regarding this matter, he had to stir up a huge commotion throughout the city!

"Creating a Malevolent Spirit that is unafraid of Willow Venerate alone is enough to shock and terrify everyone in the city."

"Zhao Jing last night was likely one of them, which is why they secretly attacked the city defense personnel, replaced the temple lamp oil, and quietly let Demonic Evils into the city, attempting to destroy the city defenses!"

"If it weren't for Zhao Jing last night, the city defenses wouldn't have had such a major oversight, and so many Demonic Evils wouldn't have entered the city, leading to tonight's events."

"These people, occupying high positions, their schemes endanger the entire city, even harboring the delusion of destroying Gao Liu City!"

Lin Yan thought this, and secretly told himself, "Furthermore, they are now targeting my true identity."

He closed his eyes slightly, sensing what he had gained tonight.

He had killed the new army drill instructor who possessed Inner Strength cultivation, annihilated the evil energy of twelve strands of Wandering Spirits, and finally destroyed the Evil Spirit.

In total, he had gained 66 strands of Malevolent Energy.

The largest portion of this was from the Evil Spirit that nearly caused the situation to spiral out of control.

"All in all, the gains were quite substantial."

Lin Yan thought this and channeled all the gained Malevolent Energy into his cultivation.

Cultivation: Essence Refining Realm (651/3650)

Divine Ability 1: Devour Fiend Qi!

Divine Ability 2: Demon Suppressing!

Techniques:

Lightning Blade First Level (100/100)

Paper Cut into Horse (100/100)

Disguise Technique (67/100) +

Breath Concealment Technique (31/100) +

Malevolent Energy: 0

"It's only been a few days since I reached the Essence Refining Realm, and I've already made such progress. If I could gain such a substantial amount of Malevolent Energy daily, I wouldn't have to wait until winter... I could reach the peak of the Essence Refining Realm."

Lin Yan thought this and told himself, "However, to get more Malevolent Energy, I need to find these guys and kill them one by one... it's not easy!"

He estimated that if he were more diligent in hunting Demonic Evils and killing powerful enemies, thereby increasing his Devour Fiend Qi, he could reach the peak of the Essence Refining Realm before winter next year.

If he could find a cultivation technique suitable for his own practice during this period, it might shorten the time.

The Essence Refining Realm cultivation techniques available in Gao Liu City were currently few and far between.

The power was entirely held by the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, the six great families, the Heavenly Supervision Department, and the temples.

Beyond that, perhaps only Duke Lu's side offered access to Essence Refining Realm cultivation methods.

"At the Heavenly Supervision Department, exchanging for cultivation methods requires three thousand merit points. I'm still far from that."

"And this would directly expose my Essence Refining Realm cultivation. Commander Han is trustworthy, but not everyone in the inner city's Heavenly Supervision Department can be fully trusted."

"As for Duke Lu..."

Lin Yan rubbed his temples.

He had known Duke Lu for a total of two meetings.

Up to this point, Duke Lu had been helping him, and he already owed Duke Lu some favors.

To proactively ask for Essence Refining Realm cultivation methods again now would seem rather greedy.

"The so-called exchange of favors requires give and take, mutual respect. If one only takes and reaps all the benefits, no one will be happy."

"Furthermore, there are many types of cultivation methods, and the ones Duke Lu possesses might not be suitable for me."

"It's more likely I'll have more options through other channels."

Lin Yan touched the saber in his hand and thought, If the Banner Commander Zhou Kui of the Outer Southwest Division has an Essence Refining Realm cultivation method that suits me... that would be incredibly fortunate.

As Lin Yan mused this, he returned to Lin Jiang Ward.

Before he could even reach the Lin Jiang Department, a person ran up to him.

Lin Yan recognized him.

He had been under Liang Hu's command yesterday, one of the original twelve junior banners of the Lin Jiang Department.

But last night, he hadn't left with Liang Hu. What's more, he had drawn his saber and struck first, assassinating the man named "Fang Yang."

This was because Fang Yang intended to report him, the newly appointed Banner Bearer, for the crime of dereliction of duty!

This was already considered a pledge of allegiance!

"Fifth Master!"

The young man approached, his expression still somewhat uneasy.

After all, yesterday afternoon, within the Lin Jiang Department, the twelve of them, under Liang Hu's instruction, had shown clear hostility towards this new Banner Bearer.

Today, switching allegiances, let alone gaining trust, it was uncertain if they would even be accepted back.

"Feng Hui?"

Lin Yan's tone was normal and calm. "This envoy knows about your situation. Chief Clerk Yang also spoke well of you today. Work hard from now on, and know when to advance and when to retreat, otherwise..."

Feng Hui's heart tightened. He remembered the reputation of this Killer Star and felt a chill.

He took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Yesterday, Liang Hu abandoned Lin Jiang Ward and abandoned us along with it. From now on, the three of us have no relation to Liang Hu!"

"And last night, we personally witnessed Fifth Master wield his saber to slay a demon, fearless of death, with unparalleled bravery, striving to protect the city inside and out, never wavering... We are all filled with admiration and respect. From now on, we will obey Fifth Master's commands without any disloyalty!"

Feng Hui said earnestly, "If I go against this, please, Fifth Master, draw your saber and take my head!"

"Remember your oath today."

Lin Yan's tone was calm, then he asked, "Just now, I had Chief Clerk Yang order you to report to the Outer South Prefecture Yamen. What was the result?"

"This..."

Feng Hui's expression changed, showing a hint of fear. "The four constables handling Liu Guangding's aftermath are all dead..."

"When did this happen?"

"Half an hour ago."

"How did they die?"

"Suicide."

"Oh?"

"They kept kowtowing to the ground... until their heads were smashed open."

Feng Hui's face was pale, and he trembled, "Their skulls were shattered, and blood and brain matter formed a pool."