In the world, birds and beasts that break the physical boundaries of their species transform into spirits and demons.
For cultivators of the Human Clan, transcending the limits of the human body and embracing the martial path lead to the Refining Essence Realm.
He had already surpassed the "normal human" category.
"Yet even so, he nearly met his demise in the darkness of the night..."
Lin Yan looked toward the direction of High Willow City, his face pale, and spoke in a low voice, "This place is no more than fifty miles from High Willow City!"
Far from High Willow City, even though Liu Venerate's fame and residual influence are weak, it is still there!
As the saying goes, a mountain cannot harbor two tigers. Within a hundred miles, powerful evil spirits will avoid Liu Venerate.
Compared to the wilds far away, this mountain near High Willow City within fifty miles is still relatively safe territory.
But in those endless wildernesses lies the real chaos and disorder, where demons dance wildly, and evil entities cover the land.
"Even in a relatively safe area..."
Lin Yan touched the spot where his arm had been severed and whispered, "Without the protection of High Willow City, my little ability is still not enough."
Today, he lost an arm in the dark.
Who knows if tomorrow he might lose his head.
For someone merely at the Refining Essence Realm, losing one's head means true death.
"I must continue to practice diligently!"
Thinking this, Lin Yan looked at the strange egg bathed in sunlight and hesitated for a moment.
And then he noticed... the ground beneath him was dry!
The tiger had previously exploded into flesh and blood, scattering like dust.
And he had severed his arm, blood spilling onto the dirt.
Yet there was no bloodstain on the ground.
"It is indeed the work of a demon!"
With that thought, Lin Yan no longer hesitated; beneath the sunlight, he swung his blade.
Perhaps this strange egg contained enormous opportunities!
But it could also hold immense danger!
If he had just crossed over, penniless and in adversity, he might have taken a risk and kept it, seeking the hope of defying fate!
However, as someone who possessed two Divine Skills, he already had overwhelming fortunes, a clear path in the Dao, and a boundless future!
There was no need to keep such potentially dangerous foreign objects!
The strange egg shattered instantly, dissipating without leaving even a trace of debris.
But Lin Yan's eyes took on a peculiar look.
Logically, destroying this evil spirit should have yielded some benefit!
Yet the amount of Evil Qi in him had not increased.
A sense of unease began to creep into his mind.
And at that moment, the wind suddenly picked up.
A piece of human skin, ragged and torn, was swept to his feet.
"..."
Lin Yan looked down, observing the dense and intricate patterns within the skin, resembling talismanic inscriptions.
In an instant, as if understanding something, he whispered, "A sacrifice?"
----
High Willow City.
The sun was high overhead, its yang energy at its peak.
Evil spirits hid from the world, while travelers bustled about.
And in the southern district of the outer city, the Observatory Branch, lies the Southern Star Tower.
A man in a light-colored robe stood with hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance through a window.
"General Flag Envoy, this is the registry of names of those who have entered the city in the past three days."
"Leave it there."
This General Flag Envoy of the southern district's observatory spoke in a cold tone, slowly turning his head.
A ferocious scar marred his previously handsome and clear-cut face.
Starting from the upper left forehead, across the center of the brow, running down past the right eye, and ending near the earlobe.
The frightful visage and icy gaze sent shivers down one's spine.
The young man who delivered the registry changed his expression slightly, bowing his head.
He knew why this usually gentle and kind-hearted General Flag Envoy seemed so frigid.
Because Han Commander, whom he greatly esteemed, was looking forward to the young martial artist who should have taken up the flag of Linjiang Square two days later.
But last night, that young martial artist, known as "Wu Chang," disappeared without a trace into the night.
The night symbolizes the underworld.
It is filled with endless evil spirits, ferocious ghosts, and bloodthirsty demons.
Although no body was found, everyone knew that even a peak warrior who had achieved great internal strength could not return unprepared from the depths of darkness.
And that boy had only just tempered his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones to the pinnacle of the first great threshold of martial arts.
He must be at the level of refining his blood by now.
Even as a prodigal genius, at best he would be able to complete the blood-refining step and begin marrow-cleansing.
This was still within the scope of the second great threshold of martial arts.
Martial arts had three great thresholds, and cultivating the internal organs and entrails to great strength is known as inner robustness.
One who has achieved peak inner robustness is called a peak-level Martial Artist, standing at the top of the mountain.
This young man named Wu Chang, though talented, barely stood at the mountainside.
"..."
Although the young man thought this within his heart, he still comforted him in a low voice, "After all, he went out carrying a willow branch Night Lamp and three incense sticks. Perhaps he was protected by the Liu Venerate and managed to survive, hiding in a Pure Land..."
Han Commander stood with his hands behind his back, his face expressionless and his tone solemn.
"The observatory inside the city has recorded that last night, within a hundred miles of High Willow City, a most terrifying evil spirit appeared, and not just one!"
"The closest one, dark like fog, devoured the light... According to the Divine Envoy in the Liu Venerate Temple, this should be the work of the same culprit behind last year's 'Ghostly Boat Mystery'!"
"Last night, within a hundred miles outside High Willow City, even I would not have been able to survive!"
"Unless he took refuge in the Pure Land in advance, but, judging from the timing of his departure from the city, he had no opportunity to enter the Pure Land."
As Han Commander spoke, the scar on his face twisted faintly like a centipede, becoming increasingly grotesque.
And that young man's face also changed for a moment.
The Ghostly Boat Mystery was a major case that occurred last autumn around the Prefecture City!
Six people left the city to receive offerings!
The leading young master had already transcended the limits of the human body, ranking above the peak Martial Artists in strength!
Refining Essence Realm!
Such cultivation, even if placed in the Prefecture City, would belong to a high-ranking official who wielded great power.
Among the remaining five, two had reached the third level of the martial path, possessing robust cultivation.
The other three had also started to refine their Qi-Blood, even cleanse their marrow, and could be called experts.
They met their deaths on the returning ghostly boat, within less than twenty miles from Qifeng Prefecture City, along the river.
With their bodies unharmed, but their souls entirely vanished.
Strong as those of the Refining Essence Realm were not spared either.
What was more terrifying was that on the ghostly boat, two Wutong Night Lamps were still hanging, and they did not extinguish until dawn.
"Was it the 'Ghostly Boat Mist' that approached the outside of High Willow City last night?"
The color drained slightly from the young man's face, and his heart sank.
The Ghostly Boat Mystery had occurred within twenty miles of Qifeng Prefecture City.
And "Wutong Divine Mother," worshipped within Qifeng Prefecture City, was subtly regarded as even higher than High Willow City's "Liu Venerate."
Within those twenty miles, with the two Wutong Night Lamps unextinguished, it was as if the Divine Mother herself had witnessed the terrible crime!
This Ghostly Boat Mist had already been listed as one of the most terrifying evil spirits in Qifeng Prefecture City this year!
"Hahaha... Out of my way! I've come to see Old Han, what business do you lowly lackeys have here?"
A ruckus suddenly arose outside, and a voice reveling in schadenfreude entered from outside.
With a bang!
The door was kicked open!
A burly figure strode in, laughing loudly, his beard thick, his demeanor utterly flamboyant.
"Old Han, I heard that the person you picked went crazy last night, rushed to his death?"
"Such a fool deserved to die, so as not to tarnish the reputation of our Observatory."
"Look at you, picking out such fools. I remember back in the day, my foster father's blade struck right through your forehead, but your eyes seem not to have been blinded, have they?"
This person was burly, making no effort to conceal his vigorous Qi-Blood.
He was the General Flag Envoy of the Observatory Branch in the southwest area of the outer city of High Willow City, Zhou Kui.
Han Commander's face turned ice-cold, and the scars on his face faintly reddened.
Everybody in the Observatory knew that whenever Han Commander was enraged, his blood would surge and his scars would turn red.
This was often a sign that he was on the verge of killing.
"Old Han, are you planning to attack a colleague?"
Zhou Kui spoke indifferently, "Nowadays, I'm also one of the General Flag Envoys of the Observatory, on equal footing with you... Just by showing your intent to kill right now, once I report this to Qifeng Prefecture City, you can be charged with a serious crime!"
The young man who had just delivered the roster was somewhat surprised.
By rights, the conflict between High Willow City's two outer city General Flag Envoys should be reported to the inner city.
Why directly bypass High Willow City and report to Qifeng Prefecture City?
"..."
Han Commander did not speak, his expression still cold as ice.
But he saw the General Flag Envoy from the southwest outer city area suddenly reach into his bosom and toss out a piece of paper.
"Old Han, as the General Flag Envoy of the southern sector of the outer city, it is within reason to approve the person you recommended as a Flag Commander within your jurisdiction."
"But now your candidate is dead, presumably, you won't be able to find another with sufficient qualifications, a clean family background, and a martial prowess that at least meets the 'second major threshold,' right?"
"I've found someone for you, submitted his name to the inner city Observatory headquarters, and the appointment should soon be approved."
"He's my foster son, just transfer him to Linjiang Square."
The General Flag Envoy of the southwest outer city sector spoke calmly, "The murderous intent you displayed just now, let's not pursue it."
"Did you provoke me just for this?"
Han Commander's face grew even colder.
After a moment, he sighed, his interest drained, waved his hand dismissively, and said in defeat, "Wu Chang's body hasn't even been found yet, listed at most as missing... If there are no results after a month's search, then he can be declared to have died in the line of duty."
"Died in the line of duty? You want to grant him financial compensation? He was clearly courting death, it should at most be considered suicide!"
Zhou Kui's tone was even, as he said, "The government's silver isn't your personal treasury! Besides, he went missing outside the city, isn't that as good as being dead? What use is your delaying for a month?"
Zhou Kui leisurely placed his hands behind his back, stepping forward twice.
He extended his hand, idly weighing the inkstone on Han Commander's desk, and snickered.
"If he can come back alive, I'll swallow this inkstone whole!"
"Subordinate Wu Chang, tasked with going out of the city and delayed in returning, please punish me, General Flag Envoy!"
Just then, a voice resonated from outside, cold in tone.
Instantly, the atmosphere in the room became tense and stagnant.
In an instant, everyone exchanged glances.
And Zhou Kui's face suddenly darkened, looking quite unpleasant.
Whereas the normally frosty-faced Han Commander, under the chill of that voice, now revealed a warm and tender smile.
"Come in."