Atop the city wall.
These three hundred and sixty steps fell within the jurisdiction of Linjiang Station's guards.
Every thirty steps, a Liu branch Night Lamp was lit.
Logically, each Liu branch Night Lamp should have someone to tend it.
But today, there was only one person, sitting atop the city wall, surrounded by emptiness on both sides, the scene desolate.
The evening breeze always carried a desolate chill of autumn.
Lin Yan, his face expressionless, gathered his hair, tousled by the autumn wind, behind his ears and glanced back slowly.
Behind him lay High Willow City, with Linjiang Square coming into view first, followed by Green Mountain Square, Zuding Square, Nourishing Yuan Square...
As he looked out from his high vantage point, he couldn't even see the sights of the inner city, indicating just how massive High Willow City was and how vast its grounds were.
He withdrew his gaze, letting it fall on the palm of his hand.
The palm was still as before, with no abnormalities.
Yet, just now, when he had touched the "Haoyang Talisman," an imprint of that strange aspect had emerged on the palm of his hand.
"The Haoyang Talisman comes from Qifeng Prefecture City, originating from Wutong Temple, and has the effect of repelling evil,"
"But the Haoyang Talisman still has not dispelled this trace within my palm."
"What in the world is this?"
A shadow of gloom settled over Lin Yan's heart.
He turned his head, looking towards the west, his eyes solemn.
The setting sun dipped below the horizon, its afterglow fading away.
The last remnant of daylight seemed to struggle, then gradually dimmed until it left no trace.
Darkness enveloped the land.
It was as if purgatory had descended.
In the instant darkness fell, he saw something in the distance beyond the city.
A bird, failing to seek refuge in a "Pure Land" in time, let out a sudden, pitiful screech.
In the next moment, the sound ceased abruptly, leaving only the night wind passing by, without a trace.
The sound of the wind was piercing, like the wails of ghosts and howls of gods, chilling to the core.
Even Lin Yan, strong as he was in the Refining Essence Realm, felt goosebumps as the night wind blew past, prompting him to frown.
The darker the night sky, the brighter the glow of the Liu branch Night Lamps upon the city wall.
"How much Evil Qi will I obtain tonight?"
Thinking this, Lin Yan slowly stood up.
He unbuckled the sword at his waist, along with its sheath, and planted it in the ground, watching silently ahead.
By his side, there was a bag of incense ash.
Short and slender arrows, one after another, were stuck into the incense ash.
Next to his right hand, there was a small hand crossbow, already strung with an arrow, its sharp head coated in the incense ash.
The night breeze continued to blow, chilly and biting.
All seemed as usual.
Because the ritual altar in the inner city had not yet begun.
The Liu branch Night Lamps, more closely spaced than before, declared the border and indicated the presence of Liu Venerate.
Under normal circumstances, Evil Spirits and demons in the dark would be wary of the Qi Mechanism of Liu Venerate and not dare to approach lightly.
However, as the ritual altar was set up, the massive amount of incense energy contained within the inner city would attract the Evil Spirits and demons from beyond the city walls.
The lure of the grand incense from the altar would surpass their fear of Liu Venerate.
Therefore, when the ritual altar was activated, darkness was bound to invade.
As Linjiang Square, the outermost sector of the southern district of the Prefecture City, was on the front line,
close relatives and neighbors all resided within.
Lin Yan gently wiped his long sword, his gaze as tranquil as a still lake.
He paced slowly, leaving a stack of white paper every hundred steps.
Upon returning to his original spot and seeing no movement in the darkness, he merely closed his eyes slightly, his expression serene.
About half an hour passed.
The cold wind remained bitter, and the calmness in the darkness was just like any other night.
But now, an indescribable heavy gloom weighed upon the ramparts and in the hearts of all.
The calmer it was, the more unsettling it became.
"After tranquility comes the storm," Lin Yan mused as he abruptly opened his eyes, which sparkled with life.
With a sweep of his long sword, its fierce edge was revealed.
The sword light shone in the night.
Night had fallen, and demons roamed rampant!
Within these three hundred and sixty steps, my sword shall turn this night to day!
"They're coming!"
——
"The ritual altar in the inner city has been activated, and the Twelve Temple Priests have ascended the platform."
The Great Commander, Zhao Zhou, spoke in a heavy tone, slowly beginning.
Though advanced in years and holding a long halberd, he still exuded a fierce and awe-inspiring presence.
The armor he wore bore many marks of the years past.
The helmet, shoulder guards, breastplate, and backplate each carried many distinctly visible claw marks.
Especially on the backplate, there was a slender cut from a blade; though it had been mended, the scar was still visible.
And this suit of armor was filled with a rich scent of incense.
For decades, every three months, he would send this set of armor to the Liu Venerate Temple, consecrate it for three days, and imbibe the Divine Authority of the Liu Venerate God, ensuring that wandering spirits and Evil Spirits would not dare to approach.
He held his long halberd and personally climbed up the city wall, staring intently into the darkness ahead.
Behind him, six personal guards, all archers, were scattered to the left and right.
"You are only to shoot at the demons in the sky; not a single one must be missed!"
Zhao Zhou spoke in a grave tone, slowly saying, "Although I am advanced in years, I am still capable of wielding a Divine Weapon! I am confident that within six hundred steps to my left and right, anyone who dares climb the city walls will not get past the sharp edge of my halberd!"
In his eyes, there was a fierce sharpness.
It was as if he were no longer a man nearing the end of his life, but rather he had returned to thirty years earlier, in his prime, full of vigor and spirit.
Originally, he had more than a hundred personal guards, but they had all been dispersed to alleviate the pressure on various fronts, leaving behind only these six inexperienced archers.
First, they could serve as assistance, and second, he wished to train a few more elite city defenders before his time came.
"I've indeed grown old."
"In my younger days, with just one elite archer assisting me, I could defend six hundred steps of the city alone."
Zhao Zhou felt some nostalgia in his heart, but then his thoughts turned, and his heart sank a little more.
"Yet the new Flag Commander, still young with shallow cultivation, must defend three hundred and sixty steps alone."
"Perhaps the Outer South Bureau has given him some confidence, but the city's defense is not to be taken lightly; if a mistake is made, it could be disastrous for the civilians within the city."
Thinking this, he turned his head and asked, "Zhao Jing followed my orders and took twenty men to assist Wu Chang. Has he set out yet?"
"They departed a quarter of an hour ago and should almost be there by now," a young soldier replied solemnly.
"That is good. Zhao Jing's abilities are among the best of the younger generation; he should be able to hold his ground."
As his words fell, Zhao Zhou's eyes suddenly brightened, and his killing intent flashed.
With a swift swing of his halberd, a faint light split the darkness.
Then, not far away, it coalesced once more.
But, seemingly captured by his intent to kill, it fled back into the darkness.
"This is an Evil Spirit, skilled in invading the minds of men, harming their souls."
"However, it has no physical form; conventional blades cannot harm it, making it quite a challenge for Martial Artists."
"But this Divine Weapon of mine, blessed with Liu Venerate's Qi Mechanism and anointed with incense ash, can deal a heavy blow to such evil spirits!"
Before Zhao Zhou's words had ended, a dark shadow emerged under the willow branches illuminated by the Night Lamp, twenty steps to the left.
Normally, it would leap onto the city walls with incredible speed, but under the light of the Night Lamp, it couldn't help but feel fear, causing its movements to slow, becoming hesitant.
Zhao Zhou's expression turned grave as he suddenly stepped forward, moving twenty steps to the left and swinging his halberd to cleave a transformed fox demon in two.
"This demon, though it has grown powerful, is still made of flesh and blood and can be slain by weaponry!"
"The wild fox is not inherently strong, but once it transforms and becomes a demon, it undergoes a metamorphosis, far surpassing its kin."
"However, due to the physical limitations of its race, its strength is roughly equivalent to the second stage's pinnacle of the martial path, the Refining Essence Realm."
"Many transformed demons in the mountains and forests are even hunted and killed by non-sentient tigers, leopards, and vicious wolves because these beasts are naturally sturdy and strong!"
"For example, a tiger, once fully grown, is comparable to a human warrior at the peak of inner strength; if it gains sentience and transforms into a demon tiger, it's comparable to a great figure in the Refining Essence Realm."
"However, such high-level demons are appeased by a portion of the incense provided by the inner city's altars."
"So the wandering demons we face usually do not exceed this level."
Zhao Zhou, following the sound, took steps forward again, only taking three steps, he was ten-odd feet away, his long halberd fell, cleaving through a cloud of vapor.
"This is also a kind of wandering demon, born from the strange Qi in the water, relatively rarer."
He looked in the other directions, his voice low, "In the darkness, evil spirits and demons abound... Without the deterrence of the Liu Branch Night Lamp, without the flame of the incense of Liu Venerate Temple, and without the constraint of this incense ash, even at my peak, I would inevitably exhaust my strength and perish!"
He was at the peak of inner strength, and despite his advancing age and diminishing Qi-Blood, his cultivation was nevertheless extraordinary.
But at other defensive positions, it was often soldiers with merely a basic knowledge of martial arts leading the way, with most of them at the first stage of martial cultivation.
Those slightly stronger had tempered the four realms of skin, flesh, tendons, and bones, reaching the great accomplishment of the first stage.
Those slightly weaker had only just entered the realm of skin refining.
"I hope the inner city's magical array can be completed soon; otherwise, there will be heavy casualties tonight."
"But what worries me the most is the newly appointed Flag Commander."
Zhao Zhou, the Great Commander, thus spoke and reached into his bosom, retrieving the Haoyang charm that had been sent back.
He swung his long halberd as if with ease, but his breath had already become labored.
He passed the paper charm forward, igniting it in the fire of the Liu Branch Night Lamp.
Upon seeing this, the six archers' expressions subtly changed.
It signified that the Great Commander's Qi-Blood had been drained too much, and he had no choice but to use the Haoyang charm to boost his Yang Qi and stimulate his Qi-Blood.
For the old man, although the charm had great effects, it inevitably shortened his lifespan.
The Great Commander, in his prime of inner strength, felt fatigue defending this six hundred step wall.
Wouldn't Wu Chang, the Flag Commander, stationed at three hundred and sixty steps, be already exhausted to death?
"Don't get distracted, a demon bird in the sky!"
Zhao Zhou stomped his foot, sending a stick of incense flying into the sky, brightening a patch of darkness and revealing a large eagle.
Following that, three incense ash-covered arrows simultaneously pierced the eagle's belly!
"Good archery, but poor coordination, still needs practice!"
"Three arrows to shoot one eagle; among the personal troops I have trained, you are the worst."
"What I demonstrated to you before was the most direct method of confronting enemies, now, it's time to save some energy."
"Otherwise, we won't make it through the latter half of the night."
Zhao Zhou, the Great Commander, thought to himself with an inward sense of helplessness.
After all, when leading new recruits in their first battle, one must establish authority and show off the old man's own prowess to keep the young ones' spirits in check.
But now that he had established his authority, it was time to conserve his energy.
His Qi-Blood restored to its peak, he began to restrain his aura.
In the eyes of countless demons lurking in the dark, he gradually became not a powerful target, but a more delectable blood food compared to ordinary people!
Luring the evil spirits here, rather than running back and forth, was the relatively more energy-efficient way.
But for him personally, it was also relatively more dangerous.