Died with one kick? This trash doesn't count either.

"Presumptuous!"

A voice tinged with slight anger rang out within the main hall.

On that charming face, her peach-blossom eyes were like frozen deep pools, having completely lost all warmth.

"The affairs of Cangyun Ridge are not something a mere Demon-Suppressing Guard can manage."

"Leave this temple within three breaths, or suffer the consequences."

Lu Yuan laughed.

He discovered that when one is truly speechless, one really does laugh.

Could it be that this Longevity Cult is the orthodox sect of the Great Gan Dynasty?

They are clearly a crooked, evil path, yet one after another, they don't hold the Demon-Suppressing Guard in any regard.

He truly wanted to ask: if the Demon-Suppressing Guard isn't the one to manage the affairs of Cangyun Ridge, then who is?

Lu Yuan's gaze sharpened as he stepped toward the center of the main hall.

The Taoist nun's expression shifted slightly; she had not expected a young Demon-Suppressing Guard to dare confront her head-on.

A smile curled at the corners of her lips, but her eyes grew colder.

She raised her hand and traced a line in the air; visible Yin energy overflowed from her fingertips, condensing into a purple-black Yin-Evil Talisman that hovered in the void, glowing with a faint, eerie black light.

In an instant, a biting, chilly wind whipped through the hall, and the temperature plummeted.

"I said..."

Accompanied by the sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling, the purple-black talisman shot straight toward Lu Yuan's face.

The Taoist nun's eyes were as cold as frost. "Three breaths, or suffer the consequences."

The talisman erupted with a frigid, sinister wind, rushing directly at his face.

Lu Yuan's expression remained indifferent as a Sharp Crystal Spike shot from his hand.

A flash of crystal light streaked across the main hall; the purple-black talisman was as fragile as paper before the crystal spike, instantly shattered into powder, and the dense Yin power scattered and drifted away.

The Taoist nun's pupils contracted, her face filled with shock, only to see that Lu Yuan, who had been at the entrance of the main hall just a moment ago, had already vanished.

Suddenly, the sound of wind whistled by her ear. The Taoist nun instinctively raised her hands to block, but the next second, a powerful, heavy kick exploded directly against her charming side profile.

The wind howled!

That alluring, pretty face instantly twisted, and her voluptuous figure was smashed directly into the wall.

Bricks and stones shattered, and blood splattered everywhere.

Half of the Taoist nun's cheek on the wall was a bloody mess, and pain radiated through her entire body as if she had been shaken apart.

Her head buzzed, and her mouth was filled with the taste of blood. Just as she wanted to speak, a mouthful of bloody foam mixed with a few broken teeth was spat out.

How is this possible?

Her Yin-Evil Talisman had clearly been unleashed, yet it had been shattered directly by that crystal spike.

That was something she had condensed using the Yin energy of a Corpse Demon; let alone an Initial Realm practitioner, even a Mystic Realm martial artist might not necessarily be able to block it.

But the opponent—

Before she could finish her thought, a large hand suddenly clamped onto her head, yanked her from the wall, and slammed her heavily onto the ground.

A dull thud echoed.

The Taoist nun's face was covered in blood, and her eyes gradually lost focus.

Half of her face was embedded in the shattered bluestone floor, and blood spilled from her mouth and nose.

Immediately following this, another wave of intense pain struck.

She could feel an official boot stepping onto her face without a shred of mercy.

The footfall was heavy, pinning her firmly to the ground, leaving her unable to move.

At the same time, a cold, clear voice sounded from above her head.

"Tell me, regarding the affairs of Cangyun Ridge, can the Demon-Suppressing Guard manage them or not?"

The gravel pressed against her cheek, causing her to gasp in pain, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

With her mouth full of bloody foam and broken teeth, she couldn't even scream, only emitting vague, whimpering sounds.

She tried to pry the foot off her face with both hands, only to find that it felt as if it had taken root, remaining completely motionless.

She struggled desperately, her Taoist robe torn into large gashes by the rubble, revealing not fair, alluring skin, but bloody welts and bruises.

Despair couldn't help but rise in her heart; was she going to die at this man's hands today?

Just then, the main hall suddenly trembled violently.

The stone slabs on the ground flipped over with a roar, sending sand and rocks flying as eight Corpse Puppets crawled out from beneath the earth, instantly sealing off all his paths of retreat.

A gloomy voice sounded from all directions, echoing through the empty main hall.

"Young man, I advise you to let her go. If you dare to kill even one member of my Longevity Cult today, the outcome will be an endless, irreconcilable feud."

Lu Yuan's eyes flashed with golden light as he said indifferently, "Is that so? I already killed three of them before coming here."

"..."

The voice fell silent for a moment, but when it spoke again, a hint of anger was faintly discernible.

"Those three pieces of trash don't count. Let them die if they must; as long as you release her, I can overlook your previous offenses."

The woman looked up at Lu Yuan, her eyes filled with a desperate longing for life.

The next second, the foot pressing down on her face actually moved away.

A surge of unprecedented joy welled up in the woman's heart, but just as she was about to rise, a force far greater than before slammed into her head.

With a single stomp, her head exploded, spraying red and white everywhere.

The woman didn't even have time to struggle before her skull was crushed by that kick.

She was dead.

Lu Yuan's voice held a trace of mockery, "Dead in one kick? This piece of trash doesn't count either."

The main hall went silent for an instant, followed immediately by an explosive, furious roar.

"Scoundrel! You are courting death! Do you have any idea who she is?"

Eight Corpse Puppets moved in unison.

Unlike the low-level trash from before, they didn't just charge blindly; instead, they launched a seamless, omnidirectional assault with precise coordination.

The two in front reached out with withered claws, aiming straight for Lu Yuan's throat and chest.

One from each side lunged from the flanks, one claw sweeping toward his ribs, the other slashing at his knees.

The three behind him fanned out to surround him, sealing off all paths of retreat.

The last one leaped high into the air, descending from above with ten fingernails gleaming with a faint green light, aiming directly for the crown of his head.

Lu Yuan did not meet them head-on; instead, his figure flickered, and he appeared beside the Corpse Puppet behind him.

He extended his right arm and threw a punch.

This punch wasn't aimed at the Corpse Puppet, but at the wall beside it.

The brick wall exploded like paper, and amidst the swirling dust, a figure was dragged out by a large hand.

The man tumbled to the ground, his purple Daoist robe embroidered with golden runes.

He had a gaunt face with prominent cheekbones, and his eyes were filled with shock and rage.

"How did you find me?"

Lu Yuan didn't answer, a series of crystal lights flying from his hand.

Amidst the sound of piercing air, the eight Corpse Puppets had their heads blown apart one after another, collapsing in a heap on the floor.

[Killed Mortal Realm Corpse Puppet, obtained White Trait [Toughness] ×8]

The purple-robed man's face changed drastically, and he scrambled backward on his hands and feet.

"You... don't come over! My lord! Don't kill me, please don't kill me..."

"I confess! Isn't your Demon Suppression Bureau looking to make arrests? I confess to everything!"

Lu Yuan stood three steps away from him, looking down at him from above. "I ask, you answer. Tell the truth: who are you?"

The man shuddered and hurriedly spoke, "Reporting to you, my lord, this lowly one is named Liu Yun, the Vice Altar Master of the Longevity Cult."

"Why turn the Mountain God Temple into a corpse-raising ground?"

"In order to... in order to raise a Corpse Demon."

"Where is the Corpse Demon?"

"It is right beneath the base of the statue."

Liu Yun pointed toward the empty base of the statue, swallowing hard, his voice trembling.

"My lord may not know this, but this Mountain God Temple was built by the first leader of our Longevity Cult. He exhausted his life's work to set up a sealing formation, all to suppress the Corpse Demon beneath the earth."

A flicker of confusion crossed Lu Yuan's expression.

Wait, your founder built the Mountain God Temple to seal the Corpse Demon, and now that it's your turn to be in charge, you're using the Mountain God Temple as a corpse-raising ground?

Isn't that betraying your master and ancestors?

Liu Yun saw the doubt in Lu Yuan's heart and hurriedly spoke up.

"My lord, please let me explain, this Corpse Demon is extraordinary..."

"It is a thousand-year-old Corpse Demon!"