Chapter 796: 妖魔掳人

That night, Daoist Qingsong constantly watched for changes in the star banner.

That same night, Ji Yuan, far away in a small temple in Nanhang Prefecture, slept soundly.

That night, Yan Fei and Lu Chengfeng both felt that after half a night of fierce combat with demons, they had, to some extent, broken through their own limitations. Not only did their martial arts show signs of improvement, but their comprehension of the martial way also advanced to a higher level.

That night, far away in the land of Dazhen in Dongtu Yunzhou, the Divine Constable Wang Ke was summoned to the palace late at night to meet the current Dazhen Emperor. He was also appointed Inspector of the Three Judicial Yamen: the Ministry of Justice, Dali Temple, and the Censorate. Since each of these three yamen had two departments, the imperial decree officially conferred upon him the title of Chief Constable of the Six Doors, granting him the authority to establish his own bureau.

That night, Du Heng sat silently with his saber at a river mouth upstream on the Tongtian River, observing the turbulent currents. Feeling a sudden inspiration, he performed a furious saber dance on the riverbank under the night sky.

That night, Zuo Wuji, however, tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. The struggle with the demons and the eyes of those whose family pillars had died because of the demons constantly replayed in his mind. Finally, Zuo Wuji simply threw off his covers, pulled on his trousers, and, armed with his staff, went to the inn's backyard. There, he furiously swung his staff bare-chested in the freezing snow.

Swish... swish... whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...

The staff became a blur in Zuo Wuji's hands. Beneath the staff were techniques of staff, spear, sword, and even hammer, while his hands and feet executed techniques of fist, claw, palm, and leg.

All the martial arts, honed to instinct, were unleashed in succession by Zuo Wuji. His extraordinary talent allowed him to master and integrate everything.

He continued his frantic movements for half the night without tiring. Finally, the staff spun several times above his head before he gripped it and plunged it forcefully into the ground beside him.

Thud...

The frozen ground beneath his feet was dented by the staff. Zuo Wuji's bare upper body was like a formidable figure, enveloped in rolling steam above his flushed skin. Even the staff in his hand had become scorching hot.

Nearly half of the inn's backyard stable area was completely clear. The thick snow had been swept away around Zuo Wuji, leaving only residual snow outside the cleared circular perimeter.

Zuo Wuji stood there motionless, staff in hand. The night sky was covered by clouds, and it began to snow again. As snowflakes landed on his body, they melted instantly...

On the second floor of the inn, Yan Fei and Lu Chengfeng had also remained awake all night. For as long as Zuo Wuji practiced his martial arts in the backyard, his two masters secretly watched from their respective room windows.

Although Zuo Wuji below still appeared slightly immature, he had already displayed astonishing talent in martial arts on more than one occasion. Yan Fei looked at Zuo Wuji standing still in the snow, then glanced at the longsword in his own hand, feeling a faint sense of defeat. But it was only for a moment before he grinned, revealing a smile, and returned to bed to sleep.

In the room on the other side, Lu Chengfeng also watched Zuo Wuji, his eyes a mix of complexity and satisfaction. He then uncorked the wine gourd in his hand, intending to drink but paused. He peered into the gourd, then shook it, realizing there was probably only a mouthful of wine left.

After a moment's thought, Lu Chengfeng tossed the wine gourd in his hand, then threw it out the window. The gourd arced gracefully through the air and landed softly about ten feet in front of Zuo Wuji. The entire process was silent, not a single sound was made.

After doing this, Lu Chengfeng clenched his fist and lay back down on his bed.

At dawn, a faint light appeared on the horizon. In some corners of the city, the roosters that had cowered in their coops, trembling with fear of the demons all night, now strutted out proudly. They stretched their necks and crowed, greeting the distant morning glow that was just appearing.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

The crowing of roosters echoed one after another. As the morning light touched Zuo Wuji's face, his eyes slowly opened. He shook off the accumulated snow from his body and looked down to see his Fourth Master's wine gourd not far away.

"Agh, I'm feeling a bit cold."

Zuo Wuji stretched his limbs, walked over, picked up the wine gourd, uncorked it, and tilted it to his mouth. But after only a single gulp, the wine stopped flowing.

Zuo Wuji shook the gourd and peered into its mouth.

"No way, just one sip?"

Shaking his head, Zuo Wuji flung the now-empty wine gourd behind him. Then, with a kick to the staff beside him, he sent it flipping up to his shoulder. At that moment, the gourd also tumbled a few times in the air, its hemp rope precisely hooking onto the end of the staff.

With the staff on his shoulder and the wine gourd dangling from it, Zuo Wuji casually made his way towards the inn building.

At the Mud-Dust Temple in Nanhang Prefecture, Ji Yuan slowly opened his eyes as the morning light touched his face. He sat up from his humble bedroll, but instead of immediately folding his bedding, he remained sitting in quiet meditation for a long time. After a considerable while, Ji Yuan gently raised his right hand, as if holding a chess piece, and lightly pressed it into the empty space before him.

"Lying in a small mud-dust temple, yet completing a game of chess across a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a stroke of genius, would it?"

After murmuring this, Ji Yuan then rose and got dressed.

The night Yan Fei and his companions arrived in Tianyu Prefecture was, for Ji Yuan, Yunshan Temple, and Zuo Wuji, a significant event in the city. However, for the overall balance of good and evil in Tianyu Prefecture, it was merely a small ripple, barely noticeable, at least in the eyes of both righteous and evil factions.

Mortals have their own hardships and struggles, but even immortals, who reside in the clouds in the eyes of mortals, face their own difficulties.

After the Taiyun Flying Pavilion returned to Tianyu Prefecture, the entire Taiyun Sect became increasingly active in the region. This immortal sect once held a reputation in Tianyu Prefecture no less than that of the Qianyuan Sect. Although it no longer commands the same renown in the immortal cultivation world as the Qianyuan Sect, it remains a prestigious immortal lineage.

Being located within Tianyu Prefecture, the Taiyun Sect naturally did not stand idly by. They joined forces with other immortal and Buddhist sects in Tianyu Prefecture to combat evil demons.

Rumbling...

Thunder rumbled in the sky again; it was the season for spring thunder. Yet, the ground across Tianyu Prefecture remained frozen. Fortunately, temperatures seemed to have risen slightly compared to the peak of winter, suggesting the cold would not last indefinitely. This, combined with prophecies from temple deities, brought a sigh of relief to the people of the land.

Over a dozen Taiyun Sect cultivators were currently flying on clouds. Standing together on a single mystical cloud, they soared above the cloud layers, where they could see lightning flashing within the clouds. This was natural spring thunder, not conjured by any spell.

"The timely sound of spring thunder indicates that the seasonal weather is gradually returning to its normal course."

A middle-aged Taiyun Sect cultivator said this, and a slightly younger cultivator beside him echoed in agreement.

"Indeed. However, the full combat might of True Immortals is truly terrifying. I wonder when I'll be able to cultivate to the True Immortal realm..."

"You?" "Senior Brother, you..."

Hahahaha...

Some of the Taiyun Sect cultivators nearby wanted to laugh, and some already were. The cultivator, however, wasn't annoyed. He simply looked at his fellow disciples and said calmly,

"Without the resolve to achieve enlightenment, how can you truly achieve it? All of you will be left far behind by me within two hundred years."

"Yes, Senior Brother, your aspirations are lofty!"

"Duly noted!"

"Alright, pay attention. We're almost there."

As soon as the middle-aged cultivator leading the flight spoke, everyone immediately fell silent. A small mountain range appeared ahead, with vast dark clouds behind it. The clouds hung very low, preventing the Taiyun Sect cultivators from seeing what lay beyond the mountains.

Their immortal light swiftly passed over the small mountains. The cultivator who aspired to become a True Immortal formed hand seals and cast a spell, mobilizing all his spiritual power. Then, he pressed his palms together, stretched his arms forward, and, concentrating for a breath, spoke.

"Separate the clouds, disperse the mist."

The moment the words fell, the cultivator's joined hands parted left and right. The dark clouds in the distance below, pulled by the spell, began to slowly separate to both sides, gradually dissipating in the process.

Sunlight from the sky streamed down through the parting and dissipating clouds. Yet, the Taiyun Sect cultivators remained silent behind it. All of them stood on their cloud, flying silently towards that direction.

In the eyes of the Taiyun Sect cultivators, there was a city of considerable size below. It was already broad daylight, but the city was eerily silent. Far from the bustling sounds of people in the streets and alleys, there wasn't even the bark of a dog.

Even from high in the sky, the city appeared somewhat dilapidated, with many tall pavilions collapsed. Many areas of the city's streets and houses were stained with red. The Taiyun Sect cultivators were well aware of the origin of these colors.

"No corpses..."

"Let's go down and take a look. Senior and Junior Brothers, let's each investigate our surroundings."

"Agreed." "Yes."

After these brief responses, the Taiyun Sect cultivators, who had been standing on the same mystical cloud, dispersed. Some flew on clouds, others rode the wind, heading in various directions within the city. Some also landed directly on the ground, stepping onto the city streets.

The cultivator who had been leading the cloud flight, along with the remaining male and female cultivators, flew to the location of the City God Temple before descending.

The temple before them was already severely dilapidated. After taking a few steps inside, they saw divine statues toppled over in disarray, some with broken limbs, others with shattered heads or cracked bodies. Not a single one was intact.

"Alas, it seems many demons have come. Recently, there have been more and more instances of entire small cities being ravaged by them..."

"But, but this city has at least tens of thousands of people! Such a large city..."

While the two cultivators stood in shock and sighed, the cultivator who aspired to become a True Immortal frowned and fell silent in thought. After a long while, he finally said,

"Tens of thousands of people in this city... could the demons have devoured them all in such a short time? That seems unlikely!"

Demons and fiends don't actually have bottomless stomachs; even they would feel full after eating people.

"Junior Brother, are you saying..."

"It's likely that many mortals were abducted."

"Abducted?"

The seemingly younger cultivator nodded and continued,

"These recent demons might be connected to the Black Wastes. Perhaps these people..."

His words trailed off here, but the female cultivator beside him picked up the sentence through gritted teeth.

"The Human... Beast... Kingdom!"