Peril

The entire Five Spirits Cultivation City was like a blooming lotus. At its heart, wealthy and powerful cultivators occupied the center, spreading outward from there.

All the way to the edges of the petals, which were the edges of the city.

This was the structure of cultivator society in Five Spirits Cultivation City—simple, brutal, and revealing a kind of merciless reality.

As for places like West Outer City and East Outer City, built by expanding outward from the Cultivation City and not even reaching the petal's edge, those who lived there were naturally low-level rogue cultivators struggling bitterly to survive.

The farther out one lived, the weaker the rogue cultivators were, the poorer their means of survival, and the less capable they were of weathering risks. When even minor dangers arose, they could very likely become catastrophic disasters.

New Virtue Alley and New Peace Alley lay at the very edge of West Outer City. Most of the rogue cultivators living there were in the early stages of Qi Refining, already surviving in the cracks beneath exorbitant rent.

Once the evil spirit appeared, every rogue cultivator living nearby lived in fear.

Against something as elusive and uncanny as an evil spirit, they could only place their hopes on the Patrol Squad.

The cultivators in the Patrol Squad were not Wuquan Mountain Disciples. Those disciples were busy cultivating; where would they find the time for this? Like the housing, the task had been contracted out to some minor cultivation factions.

Two days had passed since the evil spirit appeared.

Two people had died.

Both had died in New Peace Alley. By the time the Patrol Squad arrived, the evil spirit had already hidden itself away.

Thus, the Patrol Squad issued a notice, asking all rogue cultivators to rest assured. They had transferred additional manpower from elsewhere and would certainly eliminate the evil spirit and protect everyone's safety.

At the same time, Warding Talismans rose in price again, nearing the hundred mark.

A single family's savings might not be enough to buy one, but what if ten families pooled their money to buy a single talisman?

Among the nearly ten thousand rogue cultivators nearby, Evil-Breaking Talismans were still in short supply.

Seeing this, Wu Tao could not help feeling fortunate that he had had the foresight to buy them early. Otherwise, he could not afford even one now. If the evil spirit came, he would undoubtedly die.

As for entrusting his life to the Patrol Squad?

After the consecutive deaths of the past two days, he had seen the truth clearly.

Wu Tao gently pressed his temples to soothe his mind. He had not rested well these past two days, not daring to relax for even a moment. His head felt as heavy as though it had been filled with lead.

Moreover, the original owner had encountered an evil spirit in the mine before, leaving behind a psychological scar. Wu Tao had even had a nightmare last night. When he woke in that crazed state, he had frightened Zhang Li badly.

Zhang Li sat on the bed with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her hair was somewhat disheveled, and her face was haggard. She muttered, "If the evil spirit isn't eliminated, people will keep dying. Maybe one day, it will be you or me. We pay rent, and we pay taxes on whatever business we do—isn't that because this place is supposed to be safe? But now that this evil spirit has come, the Patrol Squad is taking its sweet time. They don't look like they mean to protect us at all..."

Wu Tao sighed. "Safety is only in the broad sense. Chaos still exists beneath order. Besides, outside the Cultivation City is even less safe."

"I heard that people from the Patrol Squad are involved in selling Evil-Breaking Talismans. Li Mo, do you think they're deliberately delaying the evil spirit's extermination so they can make a fortune?"

Wu Tao frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "There is nothing new under the sun. A few dead rogue cultivators mean nothing to them. All we can do is be more careful. Don't go out these next few days. Ration the rice and meat at home, and we can hold out a few more days..."

"Mm."

For the past two days, whether day or night, either Wu Tao or Zhang Li had to remain awake. What they guarded against was not only the evil spirit, but also other rogue cultivators snapping back under the pressure.

Another two nights passed.

Three people died in New Peace Alley.

A family of three died in New Virtue Alley.

The gloom in Wu Tao's heart grew heavier and heavier, while the price of Evil-Breaking Talismans rose to one hundred and fifty-one.

It's already reached New Virtue Alley. I hope it doesn't come looking for me. I'm not some misfortune magnet, am I? Damn it, maybe I am—I'm a transmigrator...

"The Patrol Squad..."

Wu Tao felt exceptionally burdened, but he knew he could not collapse. The moment he did, Zhang Li would collapse as well. He had to remain calm. They had Five Evil-Breaking Talismans, after all.

He needed to restore his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Wu Tao glanced at Zhang Li, who sat by the door. It was Zhang Li's turn to keep watch during the first half of the night. She gripped the Iron Sword tightly in one hand and clutched an Evil-Breaking Talisman in the other, her expression taut as she did not dare relax for even an instant.

He was the same. Even as his right hand held a Spirit Stone to absorb its energy, his left hand clutched an Evil-Breaking Talisman. Even in light sleep, he still held the talisman tight.

The first half of the night quickly passed. Outside, everything was quiet. Nothing happened.

But judging from the past few nights, the evil spirit never missed a night without coming out to harm someone.

Seeing the exhausted Zhang Li, Wu Tao rose and went to her. Taking the Iron Sword from her, he softly said, "Go get some sleep."

Zhang Li nodded without saying anything. Still gripping the Evil-Breaking Talisman, she lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and forced herself into sleep.

Wu Tao looked at her and could see her eyelashes trembling slightly. Neither of them had slept well for several days. Their bodies and minds were exhausted, yet neither dared truly fall into deep sleep.

Time slowly passed, and Wu Tao became increasingly weary. If he could hear screams, that would be good—it would mean that tonight, it would not be their turn.

The candle flame on the table flickered faintly. Suddenly, it swayed backward. Wu Tao's scalp went numb as the original owner's experience of encountering evil in the mine flashed through his sea of consciousness. Endless darkness swept over him. His heart shuddered, and fear drowned him...

His pupils began to dilate, as though at this very moment, he were about to lose focus...

Just then, Wu Tao bit through the tip of his tongue. The intense pain instantly snapped him awake. Without even thinking, he activated the Evil-Breaking Talisman in his hand and thrust it forward...

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The Evil-Breaking Talisman immediately gave off black smoke and began to burn. The flames scorched his hand as well.

A black shadow finally revealed itself. Its entire body was like a mass of darkness, and within that darkness seemed to be a pair of eyes poised to devour people. They gazed down at him with cold indifference, that stare carrying an attraction that seemed to drag one into an abyss...

It was the evil spirit!

"Zhang Li, wake up!"

Wu Tao shouted, activating another Evil-Breaking Talisman and slapping it toward the evil spirit...

Zhang Li woke with a start at his shout. She had been sleeping lightly to begin with. The instant she awoke, she instinctively activated the Evil-Breaking Talisman in her hand and shot it at the evil spirit.

After being struck by three Evil-Breaking Talismans in succession, black smoke continuously spilled from the evil spirit's body as its form grew increasingly battered. It seemed to let out a silent roar, then lashed its tail like a whip directly into Wu Tao's chest.

Wu Tao felt as if his chest had been struck by a heavy blow. His body flew backward, sweetness rising in his throat as blood spilled from his mouth. With a thunderous bang, he smashed the door panel to the ground.

"Li Mo!" Zhang Li cried out, about to rush over to save him...

Wu Tao hurriedly suppressed the bloody sweetness in his throat and said, "Don't worry about me. Strike while it's sick and take its life. Use all the remaining Evil-Breaking Talismans on it..."

Hearing this, Zhang Li came to her senses. She activated the two remaining Evil-Breaking Talismans, one in each hand, leaped forward, and slapped them onto the evil spirit. Then she felt a pain in her chest, and her body involuntarily flew toward Wu Tao.

Wu Tao's internal organs were all injured. If she crashed into him, he would definitely be finished. He hurriedly gathered his remaining strength and rolled to the side.

Bang!

Zhang Li crashed down beside him. A trace of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, and she let out a pained groan.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The evil spirit burned as the Evil-Breaking Talismans destroyed its body. The black shadow grew smaller and smaller. At last, an unwilling roar seemed to ring out, and the shadow dispersed into the air. A black crystal the size of a fingernail dropped to the ground.

Wu Tao had originally planned to grab Zhang Li and flee with her if even Five Evil-Breaking Talismans could not deal with the evil spirit. Seeing this, he finally let out a breath of relief.

He crawled to Zhang Li's side, nudged her, and asked with difficulty, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, how are you?"

Zhang Li turned her head to look at him. Seeing that she was not dead, Wu Tao's heart eased. "The evil spirit has been eliminated. The Five Evil-Breaking Talismans were not wasted..."

"We're both alive..."

Zhang Li weakly uttered, "That's wonderful!"

Their eyes met, and then they smiled in unspoken understanding. Only the two of them could understand the relief that came after surviving danger upon danger.

"The evil spirit is over there..."

Just then, voices rang out, followed by the sound of footsteps racing toward them...