They continued onward and reached the end of the street, where there was an abandoned residence.
The residence's main gate was tightly shut, and moss covered the walls, giving off a gloomy, sinister air.
"Why was this courtyard abandoned?" Qin Bo asked curiously.
Zhao Hu lowered his voice and said:
"The whole family who used to own this place vanished mysteriously overnight. Not a living soul was seen, nor a corpse found. Later, rumors of hauntings began spreading. As time passed, no one dared come near it."
Qin Bo's heart stirred. Could this residence be connected to the strange incidents happening lately? Just as he was about to move closer for a look, Zhao Hu grabbed him.
"Brother Qin, don't go. This place is extremely sinister. When we patrol after dark, try to stay as far away from here as possible."
Zhao Hu gave him a grave warning.
Qin Bo nodded and committed the matter to memory.
Before long, the sky gradually darkened. Zhao Hu glanced up and said to everyone:
"All right, it's about time. Let's get moving."
"Brother Qin, you're in charge of these two alleys. Wang Er and Mazi, the two of you will take that one... Everyone clear?"
Everyone nodded one after another, then dispersed and headed for their assigned areas.
Qin Bo entered the first alley under his charge. A faint stench of decay hung in the air.
As he walked, Qin Bo heard a soft rustling sound, as though someone was moving around in a corner.
He immediately stopped and listened intently. The sound seemed to be coming from a pile of miscellaneous objects deep in the alley.
Qin Bo slowly approached the pile. Just as he was about to reach it,
a black cat suddenly darted out, making him flinch slightly.
"Well, look who it is, Little Black Charcoal. Where have you been running off to these past two days?"
"Meow!"
Little Black Charcoal ran to Qin Bo's feet and rubbed against them.
Qin Bo grabbed him by the scruff.
"Stop running around. Stay here obediently."
But Little Black Charcoal was restless and struggled in his hands.
Just then, a tiny head poked out from the drainage ditch not far away.
It was a little white cat.
Qin Bo froze, then smacked Little Black Charcoal on the head.
"You little rascal. You've only been here two days, and you've already hit it off with a little female cat."
Little Black Charcoal let out an aggrieved cry, as though he were trying to defend himself.
Qin Bo shook his head helplessly and set Little Black Charcoal down.
Little Black Charcoal immediately ran over to the little white cat and rubbed against her affectionately.
Watching the two kittens, Qin Bo felt a trace of amusement rise in his heart.
With nothing else to do, Qin Bo found a place to sit and recover his strength.
After all, he believed tonight was merely a formality. There was no way an eerie creature would attack.
Night fell.
The sky was as pure as jade, and a full moon hung high overhead.
Cold moonlight spilled across the streets and alleys of Yunzhou City, adding even more mystery and eeriness to the city already shrouded in the shadow of danger.
At that moment, inside the Demon Suppressing Division,
a group of people had gathered there.
Beneath the Demon Suppressing Division's estate was a massive hollow.
Zhou Yunxuan, Zhao Ting, Old Taoist Songhe, and the others were waiting there.
An ancient, mysterious aura permeated the hollow.
The walls were covered in complex runes. They flickered with a faint light, as though recounting the vicissitudes of passing years.
From the depths at the bottom of the cavern came a low growl, faint and intermittent, as if a sleeping giant beast were slowly awakening.
"Brother Zhao, how much longer can this seal hold?"
Zhou Yunxuan's brows were tightly furrowed as he looked at Zhao Ting.
Zhao Ting's expression was solemn.
"Brother Zhou, to be frank, this seal was established several decades ago. After years of depletion, it's now far weaker than it used to be."
"Lately, it has also been repeatedly battered by external forces. I can't determine how much longer it will last."
"We can only hold on for as long as we can. If we still can't find a way to eliminate this great fiend, I'm afraid the people of all Yunzhou City will have no choice but to migrate."
Zhao Ting spoke helplessly.
"Then no one can directly kill the eerie creature beneath us?! Not even anyone in the Royal City?"
Zhou Yunxuan asked urgently.
"This great fiend is supposedly a tree demon that gained sentience. Its vitality is astonishingly powerful, and it's only one step away from entering the Royal level. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't have had to sacrifice their lives merely to seal it."
"As for the strongest member of my Demon Suppressing Division, he does possess the strength to do so. However, he guards the land between the two realms to maintain the balance between the eerie creatures and the Human Realm. He can't spare himself."
Zhou Yunxuan's brows knitted tightly as he sank into thought.
Yunzhou City now faced such a desperate situation. If the great fiend broke free, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He clenched his fists, then slowly loosened them.
"Strength! Everything comes down to insufficient strength. Otherwise, how could these eerie creatures run rampant through the human world?"
"Exactly, strength! As long as we're strong enough, everything will fall into place."
Zhao Ting echoed from the side.
At that moment, someone below called out:
"City Lord Zhou, Division Chief, everything is ready. We can begin at any time!"
Only then did the two of them enter the pit.
Inside the pit were Old Taoist Songhe and three others, along with a middle-aged man.
He was the final person.
The Demon Suppressing Jiang Family!
Jiang Tao!
They belonged to a faction of the Demon Suppressing Division.
At that moment, the four people each occupied one direction.
Zhou Yunxuan and Zhao Ting, meanwhile, came to the very center.
"Everyone, the sealing ritual will begin on time in a quarter of an hour. Adjust your condition first."
"Understood."
Old Taoist Songhe took out the "Fire Spirit Gourd" he carried with him.
Chen Song produced a long sword wrapped in cloth. When he opened it, it turned out to be a blood-red sword. The red seemed to have been stained by blood, which was why it had taken on that color.
Du Sanniang took out a long strip of cloth. It was black and white, covered in numerous runes.
The other middle-aged man lifted a stone tablet. At first glance, it appeared utterly ordinary, with only some characters carved into it.
But these items were spirit treasures left behind by the senior predecessors who had sacrificed themselves to seal this eerie creature back then.
"Fire Spirit Gourd"
"Evil Slaying Sword"
"Soul Refining Banner"
"Spirit Suppressing Stone Tablet"
Zhou Yunxuan looked at each of these supreme treasures, and the pressure in his heart eased somewhat.
After all, these were renowned demon-suppressing treasures with long-established reputations.
A quarter of an hour later, the group rose to their feet.
Zhou Yunxuan also lifted his head and looked at the enormous Mingyue in the sky.
"Prepare to begin the sealing. When lunar yin energy reaches its peak, the power of the sealing formation will greatly diminish. At that time, I'll have to trouble everyone to suppress the formation for a while."
Everyone nodded one after another, gripping their spirit treasures tightly and waiting with total concentration for that moment to arrive.
As the moon slowly moved, its light grew increasingly cold, and the yin energy in the air grew denser and denser.
Suddenly, the ground where the grand formation lay began to tremble.
It was just like an earth dragon turning over. One bulge after another continuously spread through the pit.
"It's coming. The suppression on the fiend is beginning to weaken. This is its true body!"
"A Fierce-level tree demon."
Zhou Yunxuan looked gravely at the scene below and spoke.
At that moment, a voice neither male nor female drifted up from the pit below.
"Ke ke ke..."
Before you continue