The child cried out in pain, pushing at them with his hands as he howled.
"Ah... let go of me! Weren't you going to take me home... let go...!"
"Yes, we're taking you home. We'll send you home in a moment!"
The child stopped resisting. He could no longer even make a sound. It had all happened too quickly, so quickly that even Yue Ling was powerless to help.
"Xuan Zi? Several powerful auras are rushing toward us. It seems... they aren't coming with good intentions."
"Oh?" Xuan Zi put away his wine gourd, his black eyes brightening.
It was a sign of his excitement.
As though he was surprised, as though he found it interesting.
"Good timing. Come on, let's go meet them!"
"Now?" Yan Shaozhe glanced hesitantly toward Yue Ling.
"Yue Ling isn't in very good shape either. If he runs into danger and we can't spare a hand, it'll be too late for regrets."
Xuan Zi gazed into the distance, struggling for a moment before seemingly making up his mind.
"Yes, right now." He paused. "We'll have to leave the villagers to Yue Ling. If we don't handle the situation on this side properly, that'll be the real danger. Understand?"
"You're right."
Yan Shaozhe nodded, his misgivings gone.
Xuan Zi swiftly left Yue Ling's vicinity and charged fearlessly toward those powerful auras.
"Slurp, slurp..."
As the sound of blood being sucked rang out, the Evil Soul Master's condition slowly began to recover.
The villagers stood there watching quietly. The children among them wanted to flee, but the older people held them firmly and shook their heads.
Run? Where could a group of old, weak, sick, and disabled people like them run?
Even Lingdou City, the nearest city, was still far away. With so many of