Within Ten Days, Enter the Mountain and Slay the Wolf Demon!

"I've heard there's a Wolf Demon rampaging through Thousand Wolf Mountain, bringing calamity upon the people."

"Since you are My Temple Keeper, you must slay demons and exorcise evil, ridding the people of harm."

"Within ten days, enter the mountain and slay the Wolf Demon."

A vast, majestic voice rang out.

Li Youming bowed reverently, his voice devout:

"Li Youming humbly obeys Lord Zhangyue's Divine Oracle!"

As soon as the words fell,

the dream world before him shattered at once.

In his room, Li Youming awoke.

The majestic voice still echoed in his mind: "Within ten days, enter the mountain and slay the Wolf Demon."

That voice was imbued with immeasurable Divine Might.

Just hearing it was enough to banish every stray thought!

"This is the second Divine Oracle Lord Zhangyue has given..."

"I must carry it out flawlessly."

Li Youming's eyes gleamed as he clenched his fist slightly.

As a Temple Keeper, carrying out the Divine Oracles given by a Deity was his highest priority!

Everything he had—

came from the Deity.

For now, he was the only Temple Keeper.

Would there be other Temple Keepers in the future?

The more perfectly he carried out Lord Zhangyue's commands now, the less likely his position would be shaken even if other Temple Keepers appeared someday.

He would remain the Temple Keeper Lord Zhangyue valued most!

Prepare for danger in times of peace.

He had always understood that principle.

As for how to carry out this Divine Oracle flawlessly—

after a moment's thought, he already had a plan.

He opened the door and looked at his eldest son, who was still waiting outside.

"Go call the village chief and deputy chief over."

The village chief of Four Seas Village was still Li Deyang, while the deputy chief was Chen Mazi, the former village chief of Chen Family Village.

Before long—

Li Deyang and Chen Mazi hurried over.

"Uncle Youming, what is it?"

The three sat down in the room, and Li Deyang asked gravely.

Chen Mazi also looked at Li Youming.

They both knew that Li Youming rarely summoned them unless something important had happened.

As for the affairs of the village,

Li Youming only concerned himself with matters of faith and left everything else alone.

Yet in the village,

there was no doubt that Li Youming held the highest status!

"Lord Zhangyue has given a Divine Oracle!"

Li Youming's expression was solemn.

A Divine Oracle!

Li Deyang's face immediately turned serious, and he even rose to his feet.

Chen Mazi stood up as well.

Seven days had passed since his village joined Four Seas Village. Three days earlier, he had witnessed a Deity's blessing with his own eyes.

A middle-aged man who had been an ordinary person knelt before the Land God Temple to offer incense.

A beam of white light flew out of the Land God's statue, and in the blink of an eye, the man became a first-tier, middle-stage Body Refining Realm Martial Artist!

Having seen it firsthand, he could no longer doubt Lord Zhangyue's existence.

So—

he was also deeply excited by Lord Zhangyue's Divine Oracle.

He yearned

to receive Lord Zhangyue's blessing and become a first-tier, peak-stage Martial Artist like Li Deyang!

Even—

a faint ambition had risen in his heart: to become a second-tier True Qi Realm martial master!

"Lord Zhangyue has ordered me to climb Thousand Wolf Mountain and slay the Wolf Demon within ten days!"

Li Youming declared solemnly.

At that—

Li Deyang and Chen Mazi both sucked in a sharp breath.

Go slay the Wolf Demon?

Fear and excitement showed in their eyes.

After all, the Wolf Demon of Thousand Wolf Mountain had existed even before they were born!

Every three years, the Wolf Demon devoured nine people from the four villages. It had been happening for as long as they could remember.

And now—

they were finally going to start killing the Wolf Demon?

The three-year mark was drawing near. If they killed the Wolf Demon, they would no longer lose nine people to it every three years!

As for their fear,

that was naturally because of the Wolf Demon's strength.

But when they thought of Lord Zhangyue, a Deity, their fear vanished.

What was a Wolf Demon before a Deity?

"Then, Uncle Youming, why did you ask me to come...?"

Li Deyang asked, his heart surging.

"Thousand Wolf Mountain threatens more than just Four Seas Village."

"It also threatens Zhang Family Village and Liao Family Village."

"Go to those two villages and notify their village chiefs and villagers—"

"Tell them that I, Li Youming, Temple Keeper appointed by Lord Zhangyue, will enter Thousand Wolf Mountain to slay the demon seven days from now, in accordance with Lord Zhangyue's Divine Oracle!"

"Tell them they're welcome to enter the mountain and watch."

"If they don't dare enter the mountain—"

"Afterward, we'll drag the Wolf Demon's corpse back to the village, and they'll be welcome to come see it."

Li Youming's eyes gleamed.

What was the point of merely entering Thousand Wolf Mountain to slay the Wolf Demon?

This was Lord Zhangyue's Divine Oracle, and he had to carry it out brilliantly. He could also use this opportunity to bring Zhang Family Village and Liao Family Village into Four Seas Village!

He would make the people of both villages believers of Lord Zhangyue!

And by notifying them in advance—

he would ensure that word of his journey into the mountain to slay the demon seven days later spread like wildfire through Zhang Family Village and Liao Family Village.

The more people doubted him and refused to believe, the better.

Once he had slain the demon, his prestige would soar to the top in both villages!

"I understand."

"I'll go take care of it myself right away."

Li Deyang nodded, then hurried off with Chen Mazi.

Watching them leave, Li Youming sat cross-legged and continued his cultivation.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

During those seven days, word that Li Youming planned to enter Thousand Wolf Mountain and slay the Wolf Demon spread like wildfire through Zhang Family Village and Liao Family Village.

Even five-year-old children knew about it.

Hardly anyone believed it.

After all—

that was the Wolf Demon of Thousand Wolf Mountain!

According to the village elders, this terrifying demon had plagued the four villages for more than sixty years!

Who could slay a demon like that?

"Impossible."

"Years ago, a few martial masters came from the county seat and entered the mountain, saying they were going to slay the Wolf Demon."

"And what happened?"

"Not one of them came back out. The Wolf Demon ate them all!"

"After that, no one from the county seat ever came again."

Zhang Ronggui, the village chief of Zhang Family Village, shook his head with a rueful sigh.

He didn't believe for a moment that Li Youming could slay the demon.

Although Zhang Family Village was some distance from Li Family Village—five or six li along the mountain road—he knew Li Youming fairly well.

After all, he had been a Martial Artist in his younger days.

There were only a handful of Martial Artists among the four villages, so they all knew one another.

And now an old man, with his blood and vigor spent just like Zhang Ronggui's, dared to boast about ridding them of a demon?

He might as well be delivering himself to the Wolf Demon on a platter.

"Granduncle, I heard that the Land God of Li Family Village... no, they call it Four Seas Village now, appeared in their village."

"Li Youming even became a Temple Keeper. They say he received the Land God's blessing and grew young again!"

A young man beside him spoke up.

"Do you believe it?"

Zhang Ronggui curled his lip and sneered.

The Land God appearing?

Growing young again?

He must have listened to too many folktales!

"Of course I don't."

"But it's being told as if it really happened, isn't it?"

The young man chuckled.

"If Li Youming can slay the Wolf Demon, I'll be his father from now on!"

Zhang Ronggui gave a cold snort.

Just then,

several young men came running over. Gasping for breath, they hurriedly called out:

"Granduncle Ronggui! Li Youming has entered Thousand Wolf Mountain!"

Everyone jolted.

Zhang Ronggui was especially stunned.

He really had entered the mountain?

Had Li Youming lost his mind?

In all these years, not a single person who entered Thousand Wolf Mountain had ever come back alive!