The heavy rain poured down, enveloping the night in darkness.
Yet, a person walked calmly into this dilapidated temple!
This unusual and eerie scene immediately alerted Uncle Yong and the others, who wielded their weapons and remained on guard.
As the person approached, Su Yi and the others finally got a clear look at their appearance.
They saw a man wearing cloud-patterned boots, a feathered headpiece binding his hair, brows as dark as ink, a nose resembling a hanging gallbladder, and a folding fan in his hand.
His countenance was exceptionally handsome, dressed in a well-tailored jade robe. He seemed like a graceful nobleman, exuding an air of luxury.
"This person is truly beautiful," the young girl in military attire muttered subconsciously.
Describing a man as beautiful might be inappropriate, but she couldn't find a more fitting word.
"Miss, be careful. This person is no ordinary individual," Uncle Yong warned, his expression unusually serious. His eyes, like icy blades of lightning, stared intensely at the elegant gentleman walking towards them step by step in the courtyard.
"In this desolate and haunted place, this gentleman would be wise to leave quickly. Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!" one guard shouted with a cold and threatening tone, attempting to provoke a reaction.
The young gentleman stopped three steps away from the front of the hall, leisurely playing with the folding fan in his hand, and calmly spoke, "Impolite? Heh, if it weren't for my leniency earlier, you would have all been devoured by the ghosts and corpse insects, leaving nothing but a stinking husk behind."
"What?" Everyone was shocked, their hearts in turmoil.
"Are you a member of the Yin Sha Sect?" Uncle Yong asked in a deep voice.
"No, those people from the Yin Sha Sect are just my lackeys," the young gentleman shook his head. "The reason I have appeared before you is similar. As long as you all pledge allegiance to me, serving me loyally, you can survive."
He stood in the rain, and an invisible force seemed to dissipate the raindrops around him, leaving his garments dry. Far from looking disheveled, he exuded an inexplicable sense of mystery.
"Pledge allegiance to you? Who are you and what makes you qualified to make such grand claims?" the young girl in military attire sneered.
"Once you all submit to me, you will understand my identity," the young gentleman smiled faintly, looking towards the young girl in military attire.
In that instant, everyone saw that the young gentleman had a pair of crimson eyes, resembling a pair of blood moons, eerie and captivating.
Buzz!
The young girl in military attire's mind trembled, her eyes losing focus. Suddenly, she unsheathed her sword, preparing to strike.
With lightning speed, Uncle Yong pressed his hand on the young girl's shoulder and thundered, "Miss, clear your mind immediately!"
His words resounded like thunder, dispelling the demonic aura, causing the tiles on the roof to rattle.
The young girl's ears buzzed, and she abruptly snapped back to her senses.
When she looked at the beautiful and eerie young gentleman in the distance again, her expression carried a tinge of fear, and her pretty face turned pale.
Just now, she had been completely unconscious, as if under the influence of an evil spell!
"Oh, a Qi Gathering Realm expert at the peak of perfection. Your body seems to have been well tempered," the young gentleman appraised Uncle Yong with a hint of admiration. The feeling he gave off was as if he were selecting merchandise in a shop, making people extremely uncomfortable.
"So, if we refuse, you intend to use force?" Uncle Yong took a deep breath, his whole body emanating an imposing aura. His blood surged like billowing smoke, and even his words sounded like thunder, carrying a terrifying power that shook the hearts of others.
This was a Qi Gathering expert at the peak of perfection, with blood surging like billowing smoke and a momentum like thunder!
If ordinary evil spirits and ghosts were to see him, it would be like facing a scorching sun, and they would be suppressed and killed by the overwhelming power of his blood.
The young gentleman, however, seemed indifferent and said, "I am giving you a chance to stay alive. I advise you to cherish it. If you dare to make a move..."
His blood-red eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at Su Yi and the others before continuing, "I guarantee that none of you will leave this place alive."
His words sounded casual, but they revealed disdain and confidence.
Uncle Yong and the others felt their hearts sink, their expressions becoming even more solemn.
"Protect the young lady," Uncle Yong said, taking a deep breath and stepping forward.
In that instant, he was like a sharp sword unsheathed, his bones producing a thunderous roar, while his blood surged and roared like a mighty river.
Clang!
Uncle Yong unsheathed his sword and charged forward explosively.
In that moment, the pouring rain was shattered, countless water droplets burst open, turning into mist and dispersing. Uncle Yong's figure dashed forward like lightning.
This display of power and bravery left the young girl in military attire and the others amazed.
Only Su Yi shook his head inwardly.
The young gentleman stood still, casually tapping his folding fan.
Clang!
The earth-shattering collision resounded as Uncle Yong's furious strike was effortlessly blocked by the folding fan, unable to make any progress.
"You're not good enough," the young gentleman shook his head and lifted his folding fan.
Uncle Yong felt an unparalleled surge of chilling yin energy penetrate his sword through the folding fan, as if an endless cold current viciously collided with it. His grip trembled, and he stumbled back several steps.
His sword almost slipped from his hand.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With each step he took backward, the stone slabs on the ground shattered and exploded, filling the air with dust.
It can be imagined how terrifying the force of this attack was against Uncle Yong.
The young girl in military attire and the others were stunned, their minds trembling. How could this young gentleman be so terrifying?
It should be noted that Uncle Yong was the strongest among them, second only to the Grandmaster in the entire Yunhe County's nineteen cities!
But now, with a casual gesture, he was easily repelled by the young gentleman!
"The Grandmaster Realm!?" Uncle Yong's face turned ugly, filled with astonishment and doubt.
"The Grandmaster?" The young gentleman wore a pensive expression and said, "Those kinds of characters can only barely fight me. Not long ago, I just dealt with an old fellow, but unfortunately, he managed to escape in the end..."
His voice carried a hint of regret.
Everyone was horrified, feeling as if they had fallen into an icy abyss.
Even the Grandmaster was no match for this young gentleman?
Who was he, and why was he hiding in Guimu Ridge, where these evil creatures roamed?
Only Su Yi revealed a look of confirmation, as if he had already seen through the other party's identity.
The young gentleman glanced at the sky, let out a long sigh, and said, "Time is running out. I'll give you one last chance: submit or die."
"Uncle Yong, keep going!"
Suddenly, the girl in military attire took out a silver longsword and handed it to Uncle Yong.
The sword resembled silver frost, pure and translucent, engraved with obscure and twisted rune patterns that gleamed like snow and shone as brightly as the moon.
"It's an 'Elemental Dao Talisman Weapon'!"
Su Yi's eyes flashed with astonishment as he recognized the extraordinary nature of this sword.
This sword was forged from a spiritual material, making it a true spiritual weapon.
However, unlike ordinary spiritual weapons, this sword was also inscribed with rune patterns by a cultivator in the Yuan Realm. It was as if the power of a rune formation was attached to the sword, giving it a completely different utility than a regular spiritual weapon.
Therefore, it could be called an "Elemental Dao Talisman Weapon."
Such weapons were not rare in the vast wilderness of the Nine Provinces, but in the spiritually barren Da Zhou Dynasty, it was definitely considered a top-notch divine weapon!
The fact that the girl in military attire could carry such a treasure with her made her origin even more extraordinary.
With the sword in hand, Uncle Yong's momentum became solemn, exuding great confidence. His eyes, when looking at the sword, carried a hint of fanaticism.
The name of the sword was Frost Heaven, a treasure once possessed by a land immortal in the past!
Almost simultaneously, a trace of dread appeared in the young gentleman's eerie blood pupils. It was evident that he recognized the sword's power. Without further hesitation, he acted immediately.
Swish!
He stepped forward, almost flying through the void. His folding fan opened, depicting eighteen mountain ghost figures on it, emitting a surging black light and a dense aura of death.
As he raised his hand to strike, eighteen black mists billowed out from the fan, transforming into eighteen fierce ghosts, obscuring the sky with their malevolent presence.
In that instant, the heavens and earth seemed to descend into the depths of the underworld, resounding with the cries of ghosts and howls of wolves.
Uncle Yong charged forward, wielding the Frost Heaven sword horizontally, unleashing a brilliant and translucent silver radiance that resembled flowing mercury and pouring moonlight.
Swoosh!
As the sword energy traversed, whenever those eighteen fierce ghosts approached, their bodies were instantly wounded, emitting a foul stench and letting out desperate, painful roars as if they were being boiled in hot oil.
However, under the control of the young gentleman, these eighteen fierce ghosts did not retreat. They charged towards Uncle Yong like ferocious deities, ignoring everything.
In an instant, Uncle Yong seemed to be surrounded. Even though his sword energy was unparalleled and dazzling, he couldn't kill those creatures in a moment.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the young gentleman suddenly leaped forward, extremely cautious to avoid the sword energy, not daring to directly confront it.
Seizing the opportunity, the young gentleman struck his folding fan at Uncle Yong's sword.
Clang!
The clash of gold and iron resounded, shattering rocks and piercing through metal.
Uncle Yong trembled all over as the Frost Heaven sword vibrated intensely, almost being shaken away.
How could he not see that the young gentleman was trying to shake the Frost Heaven sword out of his hand?
He gritted his teeth and endured the terrifying power, tightly gripping the long sword and exerting all his martial strength to fight fiercely.
In just a few breaths, he killed three of the fierce ghosts, and the remaining ones were also heavily injured by the sword energy, dissipating their malevolent aura.
The young gentleman snorted coldly, his figure suddenly flashing and rushing towards the girl in military attire standing at the entrance of the main hall.
"Not good!"
Uncle Yong sensed the danger and immediately shouted, "Quick, use the Divine Shadow Crossbow to stop him from approaching!"
Beside the girl in military attire, a group of guards didn't hesitate to take out crossbow machines with unique designs, tensioning sharp arrows on the bowstrings one by one.
The Divine Shadow Crossbow!
The top-grade war crossbow equipped by the Da Zhou Dynasty's army, capable of shooting out dark iron arrows that could take the life of an average Qi-gathering realm expert. Even a Martial Dao Grandmaster would be injured if surrounded and attacked.
Of course, a Martial Dao Grandmaster wouldn't foolishly stand there to be surrounded...
Although the Divine Shadow Crossbow had formidable killing power, its lifespan was extremely short. After using up thirty arrows consecutively, it would become completely useless.
However, even so, the cost of a Divine Shadow Crossbow alone was worth ten thousand two silver taels, and if the dark iron arrows were included, the price would be even higher.
It's worth mentioning that the manufacturing and usage of Divine Shadow Crossbows were strictly controlled by one of the nine kings of the Da Zhou Dynasty, the "King of Swallowing Seas," who belonged to an external surname. They rarely circulated among the common people.
Any force that could obtain Divine Shadow Crossbows must have an extremely profound background!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
At this moment, as the guards pulled the triggers, a dense barrage of arrows shot out, accompanied by ear-piercing explosive whistles, all aimed at the charging young gentleman.