"Is that Old Demon really so powerful?" Shou's expression was grave.

He was well aware of his young master's talent.

His young master was only a step away from the Blood-Stained Realm.

Just what level of Cultivation did that Wrathful Killing Arhat possess to injure his young master so grievously?

"It should be the Second Realm of the Blood-Stained Realm. Otherwise, the Demon Blood wouldn't have eroded so deeply."

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Li Jiufang pulled open his robe at the chest.

On his left breast, a piece of flesh the size of a bowl's mouth had been torn away. Upon this wound, densely packed Buddha heads were leering with eerie, grotesque smiles.

They even seemed to sense Li Jiufang's gaze. These Buddha heads all craned upwards and began to chant those heretical scriptures once more.

"Is it truly the Blood-Stained Realm? This demon is truly audacious!" Gazing at the horrific wound on Li Jiufang's chest, Shou's face turned slightly colder.

"A mere local demon dares to call itself an Arhat. It just so happens that Second Master is well acquainted with Dachan Temple. Let him use his influence to request a true Arhat to come. That will teach this wild demon that there are people it cannot afford to injure."

Shaking his head and waving his hand, Li Jiufang closed his robe and said softly, "It's a minor injury, not yet at the point where I need to ask the family for help. The Wrathful Killing Arhat may be powerful, but it wouldn't dare brazenly attack my Qingliu County. If a Blood-Stained Realm entity personally intervenes, it knows the consequences. At most, it will dispatch its underling Demons to assist the Golden Flower Maternal Sect. What we truly need to guard against are those cultists."

"So many have died, yet they still haven't learned their lesson. These cultists are truly a bunch of madmen."

"The one who came this time is the Chiling Saintess, one of the twelve holy maidens of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect. Although this person has Initiate Realm cultivation, she has already achieved Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and is only a layer of window paper away from the Blood-Stained Realm. I suspect she deliberately suppresses her cultivation to keep herself in the Dao-Entering Realm, just so she can personally lead the heretical rebel army to attack Qingliu. My injuries will take at least two months to heal. During this time, we can only defend our position. I just wonder... if we can hold out."

His expression grave, Li Jiufang stroked the corner of the table.

The Saintess of Chiling who had arrived this time was completely different from the previous bishops of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect. This person was calculating and highly skilled in strategy. Shengzhou County had fallen, concealed by a heavy fog—a trap laid specifically for him by the Saintess of Chiling, luring him into a trap. Shengzhou County had been intentionally set up to mirror the earlier situation at Banqiao Town. The Saintess of Chiling knew that, given his cautious nature, he would undoubtedly attempt to enter the city personally to investigate. Once he arrived using the Cave God Order, the Wrathful Killing Arhat would then grievously injure him. Without him, the County Magistrate at the Peak of Dao Entry, the Golden Flower Maternal Sect would have a much greater chance of success when they attacked the city.

"Shou, pass the word for all the Lv Shuai to meet me in the council hall early tomorrow morning. Remember, all of them."

The night was heavy, darkness enveloping the entire sky, making it impossible to discern direction or distance. The streets became blurred, losing their usual familiarity and warmth in the shadows.

In the Sky Dome, thick with clouds, countless tiny insects, pale pink and resembling winged tadpoles, flew unnoticed towards Qingliu County in the dead of night. They arrived silently at this large county, home to 800,000 people. These strange insects then scattered, spreading in all directions.

Pecking through the not-so-sturdy window paper, a strange insect easily entered a common house.

In the dark, quiet inner room, a man and woman, deep in slumber, were completely unaware that an uninvited guest had entered.

It wobbled to the face of the lightly snoring man. The insect paused briefly, then viciously burrowed through the skin on his forehead, digging its way completely inside.

"HISS!" Feeling a sharp pain on his forehead, the man abruptly awoke and sat up. But after waking and feeling his forehead, it seemed as if nothing was there.

"What's wrong, dear?" his drowsy wife, also awakened, asked in confusion as she watched her husband repeatedly touch his forehead.

"Nothing, it felt like a bug bit me."

"Where would bugs come from in the dead of winter? You must have had a nightmare." Seeing her husband was all right, the wife turned over, pulled the covers up, and fell asleep again.

A nightmare? Unsure if it was truly a dream, the man muttered to himself and lay back down, falling asleep again before long.

Yet, in this deep sleep, the man didn't realize that a certain part of his body was slowly withering while another part was gradually swelling.

「The Qi Family courtyard.」

Having just finished practicing his calligraphy, Qi Xiu sat in a rocking chair, resting with his eyes closed. After becoming a Cultivator of Dao, his life force had grown stronger, and his abundant energy meant he only needed to sleep once every few days. But out of habit, he would sit in this rocking chair at night, resting with his eyes closed, sorting out the gains from his cultivation that day and planning for tomorrow.

In just over half a month, the "Minor Five Elements Water Patrol Evasion Skill" will advance to the First Realm. The progress of the "Formless Sword Skill" is significantly slower. After all, the Mo Jiao can cultivate the "Minor Five Elements Water Patrol Evasion Skill" all day long, tirelessly, while the sword technique doesn't have this luxury. It's a pity that the Mo Jiao can only cultivate techniques and cannot engage in the Martial Path. If only...

HUMMM—

Suddenly, a golden light blazed, exceptionally dazzling in the midnight darkness.

Something has triggered the [Suppression Talisman Barrier] I laid down!

Qi Xiu's eyes snapped open. His form twisted in an instant, flickering between tangible and intangible as he rode the Water Patrol Escape Light, arriving at the location where the barrier had been triggered in the blink of an eye.

This is... With a pinch of his fingers, a strange insect, half its body shattered by the Suppression Talisman, fell into Qi Xiu's hand.

This bug contains a very wicked Divine Marvel aura. Why would such things be flying all over the sky in the dead of night? Could it be...

His expression shifted slightly. Qi Xiu circulated his vital energy. The purple tiger, slumbering within the Purple Mansion of his Dantian, awakened, its tiger eyes, glinting with a purple light, slowly opening. The next instant, Qi Xiu's pupils transformed to resemble the tiger's eyes. He slowly shifted his gaze, surveying the deep, ink-black night sky. Qi Xiu's brow gradually furrowed.

Bugs! Sparse, yet covering the entire Sky Dome. There must be at least several thousand of these strange insects.

It looks like something is about to happen.

Having discovered that strange insects were descending upon the city, Qi Xiu returned to his room. He was about to pack his belongings and leave when an indescribable feeling suddenly arose in his heart. This city is home to 600,000 or 700,000 civilians! During my year of cultivation, I've witnessed countless cruel methods used by Demons on living people—the pitiful cries of agony, those glances of despair... They were all etched into my mind.

Understanding the source of that indescribable feeling in his heart, Qi Xiu's gaze became resolute.

To stand by while hundreds of thousands of my compatriots suffer the torment of Demons, and for me to leave indifferently without a word... I'm not a Holy Mother, but if I don't overcome this, it will surely become my Heart Demon in the future.

Born human, one must remember humanity. It's impossible for me to help directly, but warning them shouldn't take much effort.

He pursed his lips and nodded, put down his satchel, donned the Hundred Faces Mask, and leaped into the air, transforming into a faint mist and heading straight for the Qingliu County government office.

「In the back hall of the Qingliu County government office.」

Wearing a fur robe and working by lamplight at his desk, Li Jiufang furrowed his brows, one hand propping up his forehead. He was deep in thought, pondering how to respond if the Golden Flower Maternal Sect attacked.

Suddenly, the candlelight flickered, and the lamp flame danced. Li Jiufang glanced at the now-steady candle flame and slowly set down his brush.

"Since you're here, why bother hiding?"

"Li, I have intruded upon your residence tonight because I have urgent news to impart. Please do not take offense."

The faint mist dissipated. A distorted, ethereal figure stepped out from the shadows. This person had long, disheveled hair, a tall frame, and wore a dark red Evil Ghost mask. His voice was deep and resonant.

"Oh?" Li Jiufang looked calm as he faced the masked stranger. This person slipped into the county yamen's back hall and reached my study unnoticed, apparently just to tell me something.

"If it's truly a matter of importance, I, the County Magistrate, will certainly not blame you."

"Heh heh, then please, County Magistrate, take a look at this." With a flick of his finger, the strange insect, with only half its body remaining, shot straight toward Li Jiufang.

"This is..." Catching the strange insect, Li Jiufang looked down, and his face suddenly changed. "Female Bone Demon Bug? Who exactly are you!"

He shot to his feet, his aura billowing. The terrifying amount of Gang Qi within him, a Cultivator of Dao at the Peak of Dao Entry, threatened to destroy the entire room.

"Calm down. I'm just here to tell you that this kind of strange bug is now all over Qingliu County."

Feeling the volcanic, overwhelming power erupting from Li Jiufang, I, behind the mask, secretly marveled. This County Magistrate Li truly can't be judged by appearances. Such vast Gang Qi—at least a thousand strands! Could he be a Cultivator of Dao at the Peak of Dao Entry who has achieved Three Flowers Gathering at the Top?

"All over the sky?" Pupils constricting, Li Jiufang waved his hand, and the window suddenly shattered. His eyes burst with Divine Light, within which faint ancient patterns coalesced. Clearly, he had employed some kind of ocular Dharma Gate.

Clearly seeing the Female Bone Demon Bugs fluttering in the sky, Li Jiufang flipped his hand, produced a copper bell, and crushed it between his palms.

「The next instant.」

At the military barracks in the northern part of Qingliu County, a bronze chime suddenly boomed. The deafening sound awakened half the city in an instant.

"What's going on? The bronze chime is sounding! Are bandits attacking the city?"

"I didn't hear any disturbance, did you?"

"Could it be a false alarm?"

"Impossible! Only Li Jiufang possesses the Bronze Chime Bell; he wouldn't trigger it by mistake!"

"Lv Shuai! Look, what's that?"

"Hmm? Not good! Female Bone Demon Bugs! Beat the drums! Sound the horns! All troops, listen to orders! Absolutely do not let these bugs enter your bodies! Use virgin boy's urine! Use virgin boy's urine!"

Instantly, throughout the entire military camp, all soldiers who were still virgins untied their trouser belts. Buckets of steaming, orange-yellow virgin boy's urine were continuously brought out. And those Female Bone Demon Bugs, which ordinary methods couldn't kill, immediately lost their strength upon smelling the virgin boy's urine, falling to the ground like rain. With a splash of the urine, they shrieked strangely and dissolved into dregs.

"That was truly perilous... This time, we truly owe it to you, sir. May I ask the esteemed name of this righteous hero..." I never expected the Golden Flower Maternal Sect's methods to be deployed so quickly! Li Jiufang, still shaken, was about to turn and thank this righteous hero who had come to warn them.

But by the time he turned around, the person had already vanished without a trace.

He had truly finished his task and left without a trace, hiding his deeds and fame.

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