The young man, whose face was stiff as a zombie's, barely managed to mobilize his Qi-Blood to suppress his churning organs.
If he hadn't already reached the Inner Strength Realm, making his organs resilient, that kick just now would have claimed his life.
"It doesn't make sense. Normally, even if one is a prodigy who has reached the Inner Strength Realm, they should only be at the initial stage of this realm and shouldn't be strong enough to this extent..."
The young man's face was filled with shock as he gasped for breath.
The expression of the old man with the liquor pot also became extremely grave as he gazed at the evil wind swirling ahead.
"He didn't carry a Liu Zun Temple Night Lamp, nor does he have ash or incense on him, even the peak of Inner Strength Realm Qi-Blood can't withstand the erosion of my Twelve Ghost Qi!"
"As long as he is not in the Refining Essence Realm, he must die here at Bull Horn Mountain today."
"We..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a blade flashed suddenly ahead.
A cold light streaked through the night.
The evil wind disappeared.
The Twelve Ghost Qi was destroyed by a single stroke of the blade.
"Offering oneself day and night, sacrificing longevity and fortune to seek the service of Evil Spirits… Is this the rare self-mutilating evil method, the 'Worshiping Evil Method' that has been banned for many years?"
Lin Yan slowly emerged from the evil wind, his expression placid, and said, "No wonder this morning in the southern part of the city when purging evil, only a few evil Qi were eradicated. It turns out that half were gathered here…"
"You..."
The face of the old man with the liquor pot suddenly changed drastically, showing a look of horror, "You are not at the Inner Strength Realm!"
Although a Martial Artist at the level of Inner Strength Realm has a robust physique, trained internal organs, blood marrow, and strong Qi, ordinary Evil Spirits dare not invade.
But his Twelve Ghost Qi, which he took pride in, was barely beyond the category of ordinary haunting spirits.
Such a level of Evil Spirit would cause even a peak Inner Strength Realm Martial Artist to fall here.
Of course, if the Martial Artist had a Liu Zun Temple Night Lamp, and was equipped with restraining items like ash and incense, the outcome would have been different.
However, this Wu Chang, holding only a blade in his hands!
"Run!"
The young man, whose face looked like a zombie's, had already lost the will to fight, and with a sudden howl, he fled backward.
From the other side of the mountain, inside the Linjiang Square horse field, two fine horses were seen galloping towards them.
With a pfft!
The crossbow arrow streaked across the sky!
Just as one horse was about to collapse suddenly, it rolled on the ground.
Above the horse's head, a crossbow arrow had entered through more than half, immediately killing it.
The young man, already pale-faced, saw this scene and became even more rigid.
Even the action of fleeing paused for a moment.
Because a strong killing intent had enveloped him.
If he continued to flee, then the next crossbow arrow would inevitably pierce through his head.
What kind of crossbow was this?
Its power was so formidable?
"This is indeed a good place, relying on the horse field behind for easy escape."
Lin Yan loaded another crossbow arrow, casually lifted it, and nonchalantly shot the other horse dead.
Then he slowly advanced forward and said, "If that's all you've got, why don't you kneel down and chat with me for a while?"
——
Tonight in Linjiang Square, every household had already lit up the Liu Zun Temple Night Lamp.
And in front of their doors, they lighted a pair of incense candles, with three sticks of incense inserted.
The residents of the city, staying at home, faced the direction of the inner city and sincerely knelt to pray, asking Liu Venerate to bless them, ward off disasters and exorcise evil, and remove demonic troubles.
Those with better family circumstances had also prepared offerings of wine and animal sacrifices, melons, fruits, and vegetables.
Today they worship Liu Venerate!
One, because of the alerts from the City Guard Mansion, and two, because of last night's calamity of demons and evil in the outer quarters, the people were restless.
The citizens worshiped Liu Venerate, seeking peace and hoping for protection.
But more importantly, the immense incense power stored in the Liu Venerate Temple had, in the course of last night, been given to the powerful demons and evil spirits outside the city.
Now, the incense power of Liu Venerate Temple was minimal, urgently requiring the city's citizens to come for a grand ritual.
"The demons and evil spirits that entered the city last night, along with the escapees yet to be cleaned up, must be dealt with carefully and cautiously."
"Ensure on your own that your incense ash, incense candles, incense burners, and Night Lamps are all prepared," he instructed.
The speaker was a Colonel from the City Defense Army, named Meng Lu.
Because of his performance during last night's city defense, he had received praise from the Great Commander, Zhao Zhou.
Moreover, Zhao Zhou's personal bodyguard captain, Zhao Jing, had died last night, and various parties faintly speculated that Meng Lu might succeed Zhao Jing's position in the future.
Today, he was dispatched by the Great Commander Zhao Zhou to assist the Outer South Government Office in exterminating the remaining demons and evil, signifying a particular stance.
Because in everyone's eyes, those responsible for exterminating the demons and evil tonight were not only from the Outer South Government Office but also personnel from the inner-city temples.
People from the outer city rarely had the opportunity to connect with the temple side.
"Colonel Meng defended the city last night and hunted demons during the day, and tonight you join us again, you must be tired. Here is a talisman to refresh and settle your spirit; you should wear it."
A young man from the temple, named Liu Jing, had arrived.
His mentor was the twelfth temple priest of Liu Venerate Temple, responsible for monitoring the city's evil energies and eliminating demons.
Liu Jing, as a direct disciple of the temple priest, held a high status and was quite capable, accompanied by six envoys from the temple.
"Mr. Jing is too kind," Meng Lu said, giving a bow, but he declined the offer promptly.
Liu Jing smiled and said, "My abilities come entirely from the rituals of Liu Venerate God. Although they can drive away evil and weaken the demonic aura, when it comes to personal martial cultivation, I am relatively inexperienced. Facing fierce beasts and fierce demons, I still need Colonel Meng's protection. Keep your energy up, and my safety is assured."
Meng Lu, upon hearing this, accepted the talisman and wore it.
The patrol squad leader following him couldn't help but show envy.
In this group, the temple disciples handled the evil spirits and strange energies, while the City Defense Army dealt with the ferocious animals and other demonic beings.
As for the day and night patrol envoys under the Outer South Government Office, who usually maintained order within the city, their martial arts skills were generally not as good as those of the City Defense Army.
With demons and evil now in the city, the day and night patrol envoys were completely overwhelmed, so they had to request help from the temple, with the City Defense Army supporting them.
"After all, we are only more familiar with the layout of the outer city's various squares; at most, we can serve as guides."
This patrol squad leader thought to himself, "If we encounter demons or even need to be saved by others, don't be greedy and fantasize about others bestowing magical charms on us."
He was thinking this when suddenly he heard the temple disciple speak in a grave tone.
"There's a disturbance in the energy to the north."
"Hmm?"
Meng Lu gripped his long knife, then immediately turned to the patrol lead and said, "Lead the way!"
There were many buildings in the city, with houses and pavilions standing tall, and they did not know the terrain.
If they would just head directly north, they would only run into walls, possibly even wandering into dead ends.
So they needed the "patrol envoy" to lead the way to take the quickest shortcut towards the disturbance in the energy.
In extreme haste, the group headed towards the disturbance, until they were out of Linjiang Square's streets.
From a distance, they saw Bull Horn Mountain.
Following Liu Jing's direction, Meng Lu rushed up the mountain first.
Upon arriving close, they saw three people on the mountain.
One of them, tall and in a golden-threaded black robe, raised a knife.
Meng Lu watched as the knife swung down.
Blood splattered.
The blade chopped off a head.
Then, it was placed against another person's neck.
Afterward, the murderer slowly turned his head around, his eyes indifferent, his tone normal, "Are you guys together?"