Two Venerables

After confirming his own status, Ming Shu noticed that everyone around him, including Old Zhao, had gained effects similar to his own.

This was a group buff. And because of the power of the Demonic Spirit, he had gained even more benefits.

Li Jixu didn't rush forward. He had his personal guards take the other yamen runners, as well as the guards and servants from each family, to follow the Demon Hunter team and help control the group of out-of-control people on the street.

While they were suppressed by the power of the Word Spirit and fell unconscious.

Li Jixu came to Kong Sansanshi and the Kirin.

"Teacher!" He respectfully bowed to the elder.

"We misjudged the situation. Times have changed," the elder said slowly, the knot of frustration in his chest easing slightly.

Their opponents were no longer willing to play by the old rules. Disrupting the rules like this meant they were flipping the table.

Master Ximen had already retreated into the mansion.

Chong Li, Ren Yuan, and Ming Shu arrived at the main gate. Ren Yuan kicked open the tightly shut door.

The front courtyard they saw after entering was a spacious yard, empty of people.

They bypassed the corridors and passed several unoccupied rooms, finally arriving at the backyard of their home.

Pavilions, towers, rock gardens, and ponds—everything was there.

In the center of the garden was a lotus pond, and in the pond, a small pavilion.

The pavilion was elegant, surrounded by a circle of red lotuses. On top of the pavilion was a large pearl containing a pink lotus, blooming vibrantly.

It looked like it was dancing within the pearl.

A man and a woman were sitting in the pavilion at that moment.

The other Demon Hunters dared not approach first. They split up to search the surroundings, finding no one else.

All the maids and servants inside the mansion were gone.

Chong Li waited for the Kirin behind to bring Kong Sansanshi and Li Jixu over before signaling Ren Yuan to lead people to test the waters.

Ren Yuan, who attacked first, was sent flying back by a surge of immense power as soon as he got close to the pavilion.

He was stopped by several people who helped him.

The others no longer dared to approach.

After coughing up blood, Ren Yuan finally recovered. The opponent's strength was preliminarily judged to be capable of crushing a fifth-tier Martial Artist.

There was a huge watershed between the fifth and sixth tiers. The essence of their power was already the difference between mortal and extraordinary.

Kong Sansanshi spoke again, "The Master said: 'To attack what is different is harmful.'"

The barrier of Demonic Spirit power around the pavilion instantly dissolved.

It shook the lotus flowers on the water surface, causing them all to break.

Ripples spread across the water.

Ming Shu finally truly felt the powerful Demonic Spirit energy, and there was more than one kind.

In his mind, he silently opened the Fate Book and indeed saw two new pages of content.

[Demonic Spirit: Commander Ximen], male, dissolute, lecherous, cunning, and sly. His ability is to erode and influence the minds of local ruffians, villains, and thugs within a certain range.

Prolonged erosion would also plant the seeds of inner demons, gradually controlling their actions.

The negative side effect is an extreme craving for the opposite sex. If they don't receive help and comfort from the opposite sex for a long time, their power will weaken.

A Demonic Spirit that is extremely prone to losing control.

The other female beside Commander Ximen was also a Demonic Spirit.

[Demonic Spirit: Moldy Bottle Spirit], a combination of three Demonic Spirits, formed from the fusion of a spirit lotus, a demonic bottle, and mold. Its characteristic is enchanting and cunning.

Its specialty is the erosion and bewitchment of desires.

The negative side effect is an extreme craving for yang energy; it must absorb a large amount of yang energy daily.

A Demonic Spirit that is extremely prone to losing control.

These two Demonic Spirits seemed like a perfect match. They definitely didn't form spontaneously here; it was more likely that someone arranged them deliberately.

To make them restrain and depend on each other. Demonic Spirits that were originally easy to lose control could achieve balance by simply replenishing their consumption regularly after being paired.

For so many years, they had hidden in Qing Shui County and done so many major things, yet they had never been discovered. It was likely because someone was helping to cover for them from behind the scenes.

The County Magistrate's strength was limited, making him easy to deceive. The passing Demon Hunters were not strong, and those who were sharp enough to discover them were likely unable to defeat them and were easily dealt with.

If someone hadn't deliberately set up this situation, they probably wouldn't have discovered this problem, right?

As Ming Shu was shocked by the content he saw in his mind, Old Zhao gently nudged his shoulder. He snapped back to reality to see Ren Yuan return. He and Chong Li were discussing whether everyone should go all out and attack together.

Ren Yuan had made a preliminary judgment during his recent probe, but he wasn't sure yet. Moreover, the teacher from the academy had already made a move to suppress them.

Scholars generally only had this much effect.

If a Martial Artist got close, the scholar would be useless. Unlike Sorcerers, who were more versatile.

"The night is long and full of dreams, let's act quickly," the Kirin urged.

Several other Demon Hunters with stronger forces also unleashed the power of the Demonic Spirits within them, leaping directly over the pool to attack the two figures in the pavilion—those two Demonic Spirits.

Ren Yuan and Chong Li also charged across the only winding bridge.

Behind them followed a few Demon Hunters who weren't afraid of death.

Old Zhao and Ming Shu were also pushed along by them, forced to charge over together.

Ming Shu's attention was still divided, focused on the Fate Book, continuing to search for any method to break the enemy.

Even though he had borrowed the power of the Word Spirit and the Demonic Spirit, increasing his strength somewhat, he was still just a child.

Was it really okay to just throw him onto the front lines?

He didn't know who was thrown out again; the pavilion in the pool was already extremely crowded, with over a dozen Demon Hunters attacking the two Demonic Spirits simultaneously.

Squeezed in the middle of the winding bridge, Ming Shu relied on Old Zhao's protection. Without using the power of his Demonic Spirit, he barely managed to avoid falling into the pond.

Waves of fierce winds, like blades scraping past, swept over, nearly making everyone on the winding bridge lose their footing.

From behind, Grand Scholar Kong once again used the power of the Word Spirit, amplified by the scroll in his hand.

Finally, they managed to suppress the power of the two Demonic Spirits.

And relying on Ren Yuan and a few other reckless Demon Hunters, they finally managed to separate the two Demonic Spirits to deal with them individually.

When they were together, their complementarity was too strong.

After several rounds of ineffective attacks, Chong Li thought of this method. After trying it, they finally achieved a partial victory.

The sounds of weapons clashing echoed. Ming Shu could only rely on his hearing to pinpoint the battlefield. His body was still squeezed in the middle of the winding bridge, with no chance to even look up.

The two Demonic Spirits had now been separated and were being dealt with individually.

They had each flown to one side.

After leaving the pavilion in the pool, Li Jixu also used a Word Spirit attack on one of them, affecting its ability to use its power.

As the battle escalated, not only the pavilion was blasted apart, but the winding bridge also became unstable.

Old Zhao threw Ming Shu out, then leaped out himself. Only then did the two of them finally escape their dazed state.

Who exactly had dragged him along just now? Was it intentional? Did they have ulterior motives? A hidden agenda?

Ming Shu didn't have the energy to discern this for the moment, as he was also focused on the battle to encircle the two Demonic Spirits.