Perilous

The entire Five Spirits Cultivation City was like a blooming lotus, with the center occupied by wealthy and powerful cultivators, radiating outwards.

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

This was the simple, brutal, and ruthlessly realistic social structure of the Five Spirits Cultivation City.

As for the West Outer City and East Outer City, which were expansions built around the cultivation city and didn't even reach the petal edges, they were inhabited by struggling, bottom-tier loose cultivators.

The further out one lived, the lower the loose cultivators' strength, the poorer their means of survival, and the worse their ability to withstand risks. A minor risk could very well be a disaster of extinction for them.

New Virtue Alley and New Peace Alley were located at the very edge of the West Outer City. The loose cultivators living here were mostly in the early Qi Refining stage, and the exorbitant rent made survival a constant struggle.

When evil spirits appeared, the nearby loose cultivators lived in constant fear.

Against such elusive and treacherous beings, they could only place their hopes on the patrol squad.

The cultivators in the patrol squad were not disciples of Wuquan Mountain; they were busy cultivating and didn't have time for such duties. Like the housing, this task had been contracted out to some minor cultivation forces.

It had been two days since the evil spirit incident.

Two people had died.

Both were in New Peace Alley. By the time the patrol squad arrived, the evil spirit had already hidden itself.

Therefore, the patrol squad issued a notice, assuring the loose cultivators that they had dispatched personnel from other areas and would definitely eliminate the evil spirit, protecting everyone's safety.

Meanwhile, the price of Evil-Breaking Talismans had surged again, nearing the hundred-mark.

If one family couldn't afford it, what about ten families pooling their resources to buy one?

For the nearly ten thousand loose cultivators in the vicinity, Evil-Breaking Talismans were still in short supply.

Seeing this, Wu Tao couldn't help but feel fortunate for his foresight in buying one early. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to afford one now, and facing an evil spirit would be certain death.

As for entrusting his life to the patrol squad?

He had seen the continuous deaths over the past two days and understood.

Wu Tao gently pressed his temples, trying to relax his mind. He hadn't slept well these past two days, unable to relax for a moment, his head feeling as heavy as lead.

Moreover, the original owner had encountered an evil spirit in the mine, leaving him with psychological trauma. Last night, he had a nightmare, and his frantic state upon waking had greatly frightened Zhang Li.

Zhang Li sat on the bed, hugging her knees, her hair somewhat disheveled, her face haggard. She murmured, "If the evil spirit isn't eliminated, more people will die, and maybe one day it will be us. We pay rent, we pay taxes for whatever business we do, isn't it because this place is safe? But now that the evil spirit has appeared, the patrol squad is so slow, it doesn't seem like they intend to protect us at all..."

Wu Tao sighed and said, "Safety is a general concept. Chaos can exist even under order. Moreover, it's even more dangerous outside the cultivation city."

"I heard that people from the patrol squad are involved in the trading of Evil-Breaking Talismans. Li Mo, do you think they're not eliminating the evil spirit quickly because they want to take the opportunity to get rich?"

Wu Tao frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "There's nothing new under the sun. The deaths of a few loose cultivators mean nothing to them. All we can do is be careful. Let's not go out these few days, and ration our rice and meat at home. We can last a few more days..."

"Mm."

For the past two days, whether it was day or night, Wu Tao and Zhang Li had to stay awake alone, guarding not only against Evil Spirits but also against other Loose Cultivators who might retaliate under the high 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 the price of Evil-Breaking Talismans rose to one hundred and fifty each.

'We've reached New Virtue Alley. I hope it doesn't come for me. I'm not the type to attract trouble, am I? Damn it, it's possible. I'm a transmigrator...'

"Patrol Squad..."

Wu Tao's mood was extremely heavy, but he knew he couldn't break down. If he broke down, Zhang Li would also break down. He had to remain calm. They had five Evil-Breaking Talismans.

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

Wu Tao glanced at Zhang Li, who was sitting by the door. It was Zhang Li's turn to keep watch during the first half of the night. Zhang Li gripped her Iron Sword tightly, held an Evil-Breaking Talisman in her hand, her expression tense, not daring to relax for a moment.

He was the same. Even though he held a Spirit Stone in his right hand to absorb energy, he held an Evil-Breaking Talisman in his left. He even clutched an Evil-Breaking Talisman during light sleep.

The first half of the night passed quickly. It was quiet outside; nothing happened.

But judging by these past few nights, the Evil Spirits didn't miss a single night, coming out to harm people.

Seeing the exhausted Zhang Li, Wu Tao got up, went to her side, took the Iron Sword, and said softly, "Go get some sleep."

Zhang Li nodded, not saying a word. Gripping the Evil-Breaking Talisman tightly, she lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and forced herself to fall asleep.

Wu Tao looked at her, seeing her eyelashes tremble slightly. Both of them hadn't slept well for several consecutive days, their bodies and minds exhausted, yet they dared not truly fall into a deep sleep.

Time passed slowly, and Wu Tao grew increasingly weary. If he could hear screams, it would be better, as it would mean it wasn't their turn tonight.

The candlelight on the table flickered slightly. Suddenly, the candlelight swayed backward. Wu Tao's scalp tingled. The experience of the Original Owner encountering an evil in the mine flashed through his mind. Endless darkness surged, his heart skipped a beat, and fear engulfed him...

His pupils began to dilate, as if at this moment, he was losing focus...

Just then, Wu Tao bit his tongue sharply. The intense pain instantly brought him back to his senses. Almost without thinking, he activated the Evil-Breaking Talisman in his hand and pushed it forward...

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The Evil-Breaking Talisman immediately emitted black smoke and ignited, burning his hand with Flames.

A dark shadow finally revealed itself, like a mass of darkness. Within the darkness, there seemed to be a pair of eyes that wanted to devour him, looking at him indifferently. This gaze had a gravitational pull that made one fall into an abyss...

It was an Evil Spirit!

"Zhang Li, wake up quickly!"

Wu Tao shouted, and another Evil-Breaking Talisman was activated, flung towards the Evil Spirit...

Zhang Li was startled awake by the shout. She had been sleeping lightly, and as soon as she woke up, she instinctively activated the Evil-Breaking Talisman in her hand, shooting it towards the Evil Spirit.

After taking three Evil-Breaking Talismans in a row, black smoke continuously emanated from the Evil Spirit, its body becoming more and more dilapidated. It seemed to roar silently, and with a flick, it whipped its tail directly at Wu Tao's chest.

Wu Tao felt as if his chest had been hit with a heavy blow. His body flew backward, his throat felt sweet, and he spat out blood. With a loud bang, he crashed through the door, knocking it to the ground.

"Li Mo!" Zhang Li cried out, about to rush to his aid...

Wu Tao hurriedly suppressed the sweetness in his throat and said, "Don't mind me. While it's weak, kill it. Throw all the remaining Evil-Breaking Talismans at it..."

Hearing this, Zhang Li sobered up. With the two remaining Evil-Breaking Talismans, she activated them with both hands, leaped forward, and slapped them onto the Evil Spirit. Then, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and was uncontrollably thrown towards Wu Tao.

Wu Tao's internal organs were all injured. If he were hit by that, he would surely die. He hurriedly gathered his remaining Strength, rolled to the side.

Bang!

Zhang Li landed beside him, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, and let out a pained groan.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The Evil Spirit was burning. The Evil-Breaking Talismans were destroying its body. The black shadow grew smaller and smaller, and finally, a roar of unwillingness seemed to echo before the black shadow dissipated into the air. A fingernail-sized black crystal dropped down.

Wu Tao had originally planned to escape with Zhang Li if the five Evil-Breaking Talismans couldn't deal with the Evil Spirit. Seeing this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He crawled to Zhang Li's side and nudged her, saying 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 relaxed. He said, "The Evil Spirit is gone. The five Evil-Breaking Talismans were not wasted..."

"We're both alive..."

Zhang Li weakly uttered, "It's so good!"

Their eyes met, and then they smiled in understanding. This feeling of relief after a life-threatening situation was something only they could truly know.

"The Evil Spirit is over there..."

Just then, a voice rang out, and the sound of footsteps rapidly approached...