Chaos

The instant Lu Mian heard that laughter, his head felt as though it would split apart. Countless bloody specks appeared in his eyes, the blood vessels throughout his body swelled and writhed, and his heart seemed ready to leap out of his chest.

Lu Mian desperately clamped his hands over his ears.

Yet the laughter kept echoing in his mind.

"What evil creature dares!"

"The Burning Sun burns eternal, its radiance resplendent!"

An old, powerful voice suddenly thundered out.

Whoosh!

A beam of crimson-gold flame cut through the night over Thousand Chimes Commandery City.

Like the first ray of dawn from the rising sun, it was dazzlingly bright and filled people with warmth.

"Aaaah!!!"

A piercing scream rang out somewhere.

Then everything fell quiet again!

"Haah... haah..."

An eldritch horror!

A powerful eldritch horror!

I couldn't even withstand its voice!

Drenched in cold sweat, Lu Mian slumped to the ground.

Just now, he had truly felt as though his heart and eyes were about to burst.

The terror of feeling death draw ever closer was impossible to describe.

Fortunately, that final beam of crimson-gold flame had appeared, allowing him to survive by sheer luck.

After resting briefly, Lu Mian stood up, only to find that the entire Shed Quarantine Zone had descended into chaos.

Refugees poured out of their huts.

Their minds had clearly slipped into uncontrollable madness.

Some went berserk, attacking everyone around them.

Some wailed and sobbed.

Some repeatedly slammed their heads against the walls.

Some even held up braziers with both hands and set themselves ablaze...

Lu Mian watched these grotesque, frenzied scenes, at a loss.

"Kill!!!"

"You're all eldritch horrors! I'll kill every last one of you!"

A long-haired man charged furiously at Lu Mian.

Thud!

Lu Mian struck out with his palm.

The man's chest caved in, and he flew backward.

That strange laughter completely unleashed these refugees' pent-up emotions.

At this rate, the entire Shed Quarantine Zone will descend into utter chaos.

Lu Mian's expression shifted slightly.

There was nothing more to consider in a situation like this. Naturally, he had to protect himself and get out first.

He could already imagine the chain reaction that would follow.

If the Shed Quarantine Zone truly fell into chaos, who knew how many people would die?

With so much resentment, who knew what terrifying ghosts might be born?

Just then.

Another maddened refugee charged at Lu Mian.

Thud!

Lu Mian kicked the refugee aside, abandoned even his cart, and hurried toward the Refugee District.

Right now, the closer he was to Thousand Chimes Commandery City, the better.

After all, that beam of crimson-gold flame had clearly come from an expert of the Sunflame Sect.

Whoosh!

Lu Mian moved swiftly through the Shed Quarantine Zone like a gliding snake, dodging the refugees who had lost control.

With his minor mastery of the Tortoise-Snake Fist and his long, steady breathing, Lu Mian did not even need to stop to catch his breath.

When he rushed out of the Shed Quarantine Zone, he saw a large force of Patrol Guards approaching, clad in sturdy armor and carrying weapons.

They were tall and powerfully built, their blood and vitality vigorous. Gathered together, they radiated a dense aura of menace.

Looks like even the patrols from the outer and inner cities have been called in.

Lu Mian's eyes flickered.

Clearly, the Guard Hall also feared a major riot in the shed district and had sent forces specifically to suppress it.

The Patrol Guards had no time to spare for Lu Mian. Their expressions were cold as they rushed into the Shed Quarantine Zone.

Amid that vast force, Lu Mian spotted an unusually conspicuous figure.

He was an enormous fat man over two meters tall, with two massive chain hammers hanging around his neck. Clad in armor covered with spikes, he radiated scorching heat. As he walked, he resembled a volcano of flesh, making even the ground tremble slightly.

That fat man... he must already be a cultivator.

Lu Mian's eyes twitched.

Before long.

Wails and screams rose from the Shed Quarantine Zone.

They were accompanied by the thunderous crashes of countless huts collapsing.

The Guard Hall's patrols mercilessly cut down every refugee whose mind had slipped out of control.

Once someone's mind broke and spiraled out of control, recovery was almost impossible. Even if they calmed down, the slightest provocation would trigger another episode.

Leaving these people alive would only cause an even greater disaster.

Lu Mian did not go inside to join the commotion. He could only watch from outside.

Only after a full hour did the Shed Quarantine Zone finally grow quiet.

Even standing outside the Shed Quarantine Zone, Lu Mian could sense the thick reek of blood.

Such was the cruelty and horror of this world.

The mere laughter of some terrifying being could cause immense destruction.

"Lu Mian."

"I finally found you."

Chen Xiuzhu ran over from a distance, excitement written across his face.

An old hand like him had already escaped when the unrest broke out in the Shed Quarantine Zone.

But after working out the timing, he had figured Lu Mian might not have returned to the Refugee District yet, so he had kept searching around the perimeter.

After all, all his hopes of revenge rested on Lu Mian.

"Captain, what exactly was that laughter?"

Lu Mian could not help asking.

"I don't know either... something like this happened three months ago."

"That time, a strange mist spread through the area... many people in the Shed Quarantine Zone died mysterious deaths... in the end, an expert from the inner city intervened and dispersed the mist."

"No information was released afterward... it simply passed."

"It'll probably be the same this time."

Chen Xiuzhu shook his head.

This was also why more and more people fled to Thousand Chimes Commandery City.

Only cultivators of the Sunflame Sect could stand against those terrifying beings.

"All right..."

Lu Mian fell silent.

This was the world they lived in. Danger could descend at any moment.

Only by becoming strong himself, like the Sunflame Sect expert who had intervened, could he face these evil, eldritch horrors without fear!

"I'm afraid you won't get to slack off tonight."

"With so many dead, we'll have our hands full over the next few days."

Chen Xiuzhu sighed.

Over the next few days, the atmosphere in the Shed Quarantine Zone grew even more oppressive.

Since the Dust-Returning Courtyard was still short-staffed, even the Guard Hall's patrols had to help transport the bodies.

Lu Mian and Chen Xiuzhu worked from morning until night as well, constantly traveling back and forth between the Corpse-Burning Valley and the Shed Quarantine Zone.

That day, Lu Mian and Chen Xiuzhu arrived at the Corpse-Burning Valley, pushing a cart piled high with corpses.

By now, the Corpse-Burning Valley had been scorched black and turned into a natural furnace. The fires within it had burned for days and nights without stopping.

"Captain... who's that?"

As Lu Mian carried corpses over to throw them onto the flame stone, he suddenly noticed a man in his thirties in a corner of the valley.

The man had a fair, clean-cut face and wore a gold-threaded robe patterned with clouds. Seated cross-legged, he looked completely out of place in the Corpse-Burning Valley.

"One look tells you he's from the Demon Extermination Palace in the inner city."

"Thousands have died in the Shed Quarantine Zone these past two days. Even with the bodies burned to ash, their resentment still rises to the heavens. Once night falls, the valley fills with strange sounds of ghosts wailing and spirits howling."

"The higher-ups sent him here to keep watch and prevent anything from happening."

Chen Xiuzhu explained.

"The Demon Extermination Palace..."

Hearing Chen Xiuzhu's words, Lu Mian could not help giving the man another look.

"No need to envy him... with your talent..."

"I'm sure you'll join the Demon Extermination Palace sooner or later."

Chen Xiuzhu said with a smile.

"I'd better focus on preparing for the upcoming Guard Hall assessment."

Lu Mian did not set his sights beyond his reach.

Only by walking the road before him well could he look toward more distant horizons.