Meng Qianfan stared wide-eyed at the scene ahead. The excitement stirred by the Demon Subduing Division's generous rewards had long since been replaced by dread.
Now, they finally understood why the Demon Subduing Division had been so lavish this time.
The sight before them was downright horrifying.
The entire Black Stone City was shrouded in a dense black fog, dark as ink!
The mist churned, cutting off the inside from the outside. Within its deathly stillness lurked a sinister aura that chilled one to the marrow.
The demons lurking within this city were likely far stronger than they had imagined!
Meng Qianfan's heart pounded like a drum. No matter how precious a Magic Tool or a technique might be, it was not worth gambling with his life!
He was unwilling to retreat, yet entering meant courting death.
Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, shut his eyes, and focused. His chest rose and fell violently several times.
When he opened his eyes again, a faint golden gleam shone within them as he stared fixedly into the black fog.
This was a secret Golden Eye art for breaking through obstructions that he had obtained from a fortuitous encounter in his early years. Though it was not top-tier, it had repeatedly helped him see through illusions and glimpse demons.
Even against the methods laid down by a Second-Order Demon, it could barely make out a few outlines.
Yet now, when his golden eyes peered ahead, the dark, heavy fog remained an unfathomable chaos.
Forget the sights within the city—he could not even find the slightest gap!
He could see nothing at all!
Meng Qianfan's face instantly turned deathly pale, cold sweat beading at his temples.
The dizziness caused by the backlash of his secret art only made his heart tremble harder.
Without the slightest hesitation, he abruptly turned around and cupped his hands toward Wei Qing.
"L-Lord Wei! Forgive me! Meng suddenly remembered that today is my eighty-year-old mother's birthday at home. I was in such a rush when I left that I actually forgot!"
"This is the grave sin of an unfilial son. I must return at once!"
"This time... I cannot be of assistance! Farewell!"
Before his words had even faded, he kicked off the ground and sprinted madly back the way he had come without looking back.
He was actually three parts faster than when he had arrived, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Wang Lang and the others were left staring in stunned silence.
Could that excuse about his mother's birthday have been any more perfunctory?
"Pah! A spineless coward with no balls!" Xiong Yue could not help spitting under his breath, his face filled with disdain.
Yet that curse made Zhou Xuantong's expression shift all the more uncertainly.
The moment he saw Black Stone City, he too had been filled with unease. Seeing Meng Qianfan flee so decisively only deepened his own urge to retreat.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Centurion Zhao seeming to watch him. Remembering how he had refused to offer aid earlier, his face burned hot.
If he ran now as well, would that not confirm his reputation for being greedy for life, afraid of death, and driven solely by profit?
And he would even be mocked by a brute like Xiong Yue?
He struggled inwardly. I, Zhou Xuantong, am at least a man of some standing within a hundred li... If I flee this time, how will I ever keep my footing afterward?
Besides, my Light Body art is refined. If true danger arises, slipping away will surely be easier for me than for that brute...
With that thought, he pretended to study the black fog intently and did not leave.
Wei Qing took everything in, but her expression showed little reaction.
Her gaze shifted to the six Demon Subduing Division patrolmen, most of whom were only at the early Qi Drawing stage.
Their faces were likewise full of nervous fear, but not one of them stepped back.
After a moment of silence, she said, "Fellow colleagues, the situation in Black Stone City is unclear. Your cultivation is still shallow. If you enter, there is a good chance that nine out of ten of you will die."
"I, Wei, promise you this: if anyone is unwilling to enter the city at this moment, you may remove your patrolman uniforms, leave the Demon Subduing Division, and depart on your own."
The six young patrolmen looked at one another. Some swallowed hard, while others pressed their lips tightly together.
Centurion Zhao and Patrolman Li beside him also exchanged a glance. Each saw resolve in the other's eyes.
Several breaths passed, yet no one from the Demon Subduing Division moved. No one took off their uniform.
Seeing this, Wei Qing nodded heavily. "Good! You are all fine men of the Demon Subduing Division!"
"If misfortune truly befalls us, the merits you earn today and the rewards you deserve will certainly be recorded by the Division and delivered in full to your relatives and descendants!"
This promise made the chests of several young patrolmen rise and fall slightly. The fear in their eyes had not faded, but it was now joined by a measure of resolve.
Wang Lang watched quietly from the side. Toward these Demon Subduing Division members, weak though they were yet daring to step toward certain doom, he could not help feeling a measure of admiration.
Wei Qing said no more. She took a deep breath, and the aura around her abruptly changed!
With a clear, sharp shout, surging azure energy poured from her body, rapidly gathering and taking form in the air behind her!
In the blink of an eye, a colossal phantom three zhang tall appeared proudly—a tortoise and serpent entwined together!
Its tortoise shell was heavy as a mountain, while the dark serpent raised its head and coiled around it, radiating a vast aura capable of suppressing all things!
"Black Tortoise Dharma Idol!"
"It is the Dharma Idol of a Spirit Condensation Realm cultivator!"
Xiong Yue, Zhou Xuantong, and the others were all utterly dazzled.
This was the power of the Spirit Condensation Realm!
Wang Lang also gazed at the Black Tortoise Dharma Idol, comparing it silently in his heart.
The Dharma Idol formed by his Vajra Subduing Demons Sutra drew upon Vajra Qi to transform into an angry-eyed Vajra.
Wei Qing's Dharma Idol, however, was a gigantic beastly phantom condensed from externalized spiritual power. It seemed to follow a different path.
With a thought from Wei Qing, the enormous tortoise foot of the Black Tortoise phantom behind her stomped fiercely toward the tightly shut gates of Black Stone City, shrouded in black fog!
BOOM!!
Amid the thunderous blast, the thick iron-bound city gates and part of the gatehouse wall instantly shattered into pieces!
A passage had been violently torn open.
"Enter the city!"
Wei Qing stepped in first. The azure light of the Black Tortoise Dharma Idol illuminated the three feet around her, forcing away the black mist that tried to close in.
Wang Lang followed close behind, faint golden light flickering across his body.
The others did not dare delay. They each activated their protective measures and filed in one after another.
The sight within the city was even more suffocating than what they had sensed outside.
Ghostly yin energy filled the air, and the cold wind cut to the bone.
The streets were empty and dead silent, while a thick stench of blood permeated the air.
Wei Qing walked at the front, her brows tightly furrowed. With a turn of her wrist, several talismans appeared between her fingers. Without even looking, she flung them behind her.
The talismans flew precisely toward Wang Lang, Zhou Xuantong, and every Demon Subduing Division patrolman.
"Take these, everyone. They are Purifying Miasma Talismans. They can slightly disperse the evil mist around you and keep your minds clear."
As she spoke, several more streaks of light flew out. "These are Bright Light Talismans. They can provide lasting illumination."
Wang Lang caught the two talismans flying toward him and thought to himself.
As expected of a Guard Pacifier. What a wealthy foundation...
The sheer number of talismans she had scattered in one throw was extraordinarily valuable.
With the talismans' aid, everyone's vision improved considerably.
Though Black Stone City was not a major city, it still had nearly ten thousand residents, with streets and alleys crisscrossing throughout it.
Searching blindly without a target would be like looking for a needle in the sea.
Wei Qing then asked, "Young Master Wang, you mentioned earlier that extensive construction was taking place in the west of the city. Were there any unusual buildings there?"
Wang Lang thought back briefly. "There seemed to be a rather tall stone platform in the central area."
"A high platform..." A sharp light flashed through Wei Qing's eyes. "Good. We will first investigate the western part of the city."
The group adjusted their direction and rushed onward under Wei Qing's lead.
The farther west they went, the stronger the stench of blood became.
Strangely, aside from the omnipresent black fog, they did not encounter a single living thing.
Neither demons nor city residents, not even insects or rats.
The entire city seemed like a tomb wrapped in black fog.
This oppressive calm made their scalps crawl even more than a direct battle would have.
At last, they neared the edge of the western district.
After passing through the final narrow alley, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
Yet when the light of the Bright Light Talismans illuminated the scene, everyone's minds shook violently, and they all sucked in sharp breaths!
As far as the eye could see, there was no empty ground at all. It was a slaughterhouse of Asura!
Countless corpses in varying states of decay were piled layer upon layer across the ground!
There were human men, women, elderly, and children, their bodies twisted together in tangled heaps.
There were also vast numbers of livestock carcasses—cattle, sheep, pigs, and more.
Most of the flesh had rotted black, exposing stark white bones.
Thick, nearly black blood seeped slowly through the grooves in the ground like little streams.
All of it converged in one direction, toward that towering massive stone structure.
It was a square stone platform more than ten zhang tall!
The platform was built from rough, massive stones.
At its base stood several enormous pools, into which the gathering bloody filth continuously flowed.
On the front of the high platform, three mottled characters could vaguely be seen: Star Gazing Platform.
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