Slaughter

Chen Bin understood as soon as he heard it and slowly nodded.

A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall—and for small figures like them struggling to survive, knowing when to keep out of harm's way was even more essential.

"Honored officials, all the villagers of Nanxi Village are here."

The Village Chief stepped forward cautiously, a fawning expression on his face.

"Are you sure everyone's here?" Chen Chong spoke first, his eyes fixed tightly on the Village Chief.

"They're all here!" The Village Chief raised a hand to wipe his forehead, which seemed covered in fine beads of sweat.

But there was no trace of actual sweat anywhere on his body.

"Nephew, what do you want to do?"

Chen Chong turned to look at Chen Bin, his eyes full of inquiry.

Chen Bin's expression was grave as he spoke methodically: "Line up in order. I need to check each one of you. Uncle Chong, ask everyone to help."

At that moment, Chen Bin swept his gaze across the crowd before him.

He thought to himself, staring at the sea of Red Names before his eyes, that he only wanted to find someone who hadn't been possessed—even if it was just one person.

Those who had already been possessed bore the words "Ghoul" or "Ghoul Soul Fragment" above their Red Names.

This meant they had been completely devoured by the evil spirit, and now only a ghoul was controlling their movements.

"Hurry up, hurry up—we need to do the check!"

The officers had traveled all the way without even a sip of water, so they were in no mood to be polite now.

They shouted at the top of their lungs, their voices echoing across the Threshing Ground.

The wooden, possessed villagers, urged on by the officers, began to slowly line up, filing one by one past Chen Bin and Chen Chong.

Then they reformed the line.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chen Chong skillfully divided this group of "ghosts" into two parts based on the Red Name prompts.

According to the numbers, those above 3 were grouped together, and those below were placed in another group.

By the time the division was complete, Chen Bin's heart had turned completely cold.

The Red Names above their heads clearly showed that there really wasn't a single living person among them.

Most of them were Ghoul Soul Fragments, with those below 3 accounting for fully ninety percent.

As for those above 3, there were over twenty full ghouls, including the Village Chief himself.

As for the seven ghouls in the coffin with merit values between nine and ten, Chen Bin planned to deal with them last.

At this moment, the sun in the sky had already sunk halfway to the horizon.

"Sir, no abnormalities have been found. Everything is fine," the Village Chief wiped his forehead again, the gesture becoming frequent, as if he were unbearably hot. "Why not let us go back?"

"Nephew, what next?" Chen Chong turned his gaze back to Chen Bin, his eyes full of trust in him.

After all, Chen Bin was at a higher realm—if even he couldn't find a problem, then there probably wasn't one.

Chen Bin leaned sideways and whispered something to Chen Chong.

Upon hearing it, Chen Chong's eyes flew wide open, his face full of disbelief as he stared straight at Chen Bin.

Chen Bin nodded solemnly.

Then, Chen Bin turned his gaze to the Village Chief and said coldly, "In that case, then—"

In that instant, Chen Bin's body moved. He took a single step forward like a black bolt of lightning, simultaneously drawing the long blade at his waist.

The blade was pitch-black like ink, radiating waves of chilling cold. "Kill!"

With this explosive shout, the jet-black blade edge shot forth like a streak of black silk, instantly splitting the old Village Chief's head in two, cleaving him in half.

As the blade light flashed like a shooting star, a piercing ghostly wail emerged from the Village Chief's skin-sack, then quickly dissipated into the air.

Chen Bin glanced at the Village Chief's collapsed, empty skin-sack. It was as if all vitality had been drained from it, leaving it utterly withered.

Black, viscous fluid slowly seeped from the dry, hollow skin-sack, and instantly, a thick, nauseating stench spread through the air.

On the surface of the Soul Suppressing Blade, crimson blade patterns flared to life—an unmistakable sign of demonic presence.

Sure enough, all these people with Red Names had already been devoured by ghouls.

[Killed Ghoul Zhang Zhantang, Merit +9, Remaining: 11.]

Having killed the ghoul inhabiting the Village Chief's body, Chen Bin turned into a black whirlwind, instantly charging toward the still-unresponsive wooden villagers, cutting them down like chopping vegetables.

Chen Chong glanced at the stinking skin-sack on the ground, his face instantly turning extremely grim. Without hesitation, he drew his blade and shouted at the officers: "Draw your blades! Kill these ghouls!"

Just as the officers were about to draw their weapons and charge, Chen Bin's angry shout cut them off: "These things aren't something you can handle. Protect yourselves!"

In the distance, as Chen Bin's slaughter began, the originally wooden villagers underwent a startling transformation.

Their skin, which had still held some flesh tone, instantly turned dry, brown, and hard, covered in dense mottled spots.

Their eyes turned pitch-black, as if soaked in thick ink, and fangs protruded from their mouths, looking utterly ferocious.

Their nails turned black, growing long and sharp like daggers.

Their limbs became abnormally agile, their movements swift as they charged toward Chen Bin in droves.

It was two in the afternoon, the sun blazing fiercely.

The yang energy lingering between heaven and earth had reached its peak.

Those Ghouls whose shell-like protection had been shattered, even if they hadn't died under the Demon Suppression Blade, were now dissipating completely under the intense sunlight.

"This nephew of mine is way too fierce!" Chen Chong exclaimed in awe as he watched Chen Bin. With just one man and one blade, he moved through the surging horde of Ghouls as if entering an empty land.

One slash after another, he cut down Ghouls and Ghoul Soul Fragments alike.

In just a quarter of an hour, the ground was already covered in black, muddy sludge—the traces left behind by the slain Ghouls.

Only a dozen or so Ghouls remained in the Threshing Ground, scattering as they lunged at Chen Bin.

These Ghouls had no brains, no thoughts—they could only rely on instinct to attack.

Chen Bin needed only a few moves to knock them to the ground.

[Killed Ghoul Soul Fragment Zhang Shitou, gained Karma +1, remaining Karma 871]

This man's skin hadn't fully blackened yet. When Chen Bin cut into him, he could still feel a slight texture of chopping flesh.

A black, foul-smelling slime mixed with red threads oozed out from the skin.

As Chen Bin pulled out his blade, he saw Zhang Shitou's face carrying a look of confusion mixed with a hint of relief as he slowly fell.

Chen Bin knew in his heart that all these Ghouls had to die.

And the South Mountain Lord behind them could not be spared either.

The Officers from the County Office had long been watching in stunned silence. Throughout the entire slaughter, they couldn't even get a hand in.

Midway, because too much black, foul liquid had flowed out of the Threshing Ground, some of them felt nauseous, others couldn't stand the stench, and they all retreated to the edges.

Having seen much in their daily work, they naturally understood that these villagers had been possessed by Ghouls.

Earlier, they had resented Chen Bin for setting off alone, but now they were completely overcome with fear.

After all, if you had to face a ruthless character who had just cut down four hundred people, how could you not be afraid?

All done?

Chen Chong was just about to call out "nephew."

Just then, "Dong dong dong!" A dull knocking sound came drifting from afar.

Chen Bin, blade in hand, spun around sharply, his eyes blazing as he stared straight at the seven coffins.