Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

The motley crew of independent cultivators was led by the Sword Immortal.

Seeing Yi Chen approach, the Sword Immortal's expression brightened slightly, but she did not come over to greet him.

Faced with this situation, Yi Chen naturally did not offer his warm face to the Sword Immortal's cold backside; he would not run over eagerly and end up feeling displeased.

With a slight increase in speed, his whole body trembled with Pure Yang Inner Qi, and in just a few steps, he caught up with Kong Xiang in the middle of the group, subtly making eye contact with him.

The meaning was clear: did the Sword Immortal know the inside story as well?

The mad monk Kong Xiang quietly shook his head.

After receiving the response from Kong Xiang, Yi Chen stayed in the middle of the group, watching the front where several extravagantly dressed cultivators surrounded the Sword Immortal like butterflies, finding the scene quite amusing.

He quietly transmitted a message to Kong Xiang: "Master, why does the Sword Immortal have so many followers?"

Bowing his head, Kong Xiang quietly replied, "Firstly, the Sword Immortal is pure and beautiful, with an approachable character; secondly, naturally, is the substantial family wealth and astonishing cultivation of the Sword Immortal. It's not out of the question that she could become a True Monarch in the future. The third reason... I've heard that the Sword Immortal has a unique constitution, and being with her as a Dao companion has great benefits."

"However, the top contenders on the Dragon-Tiger List are all True Monarch seeds, and Stop-killing Sword Lodge would never allow the Sword Immortal to marry out. The only option would be to bring in a son-in-law."

"Don't let this slip outside, Daoist..."

"Understood." After a bit of gossip, Yi Chen glanced at the young men at the front of the group and couldn't help but curl his lip.

Isn't the Sword Immortal just a naive rich lady freshly emerged into society?

The ethos of the cultivation world has degraded.

Everyone seems unwilling to make an effort.

Perhaps sensing Yi Chen's gaze, several young nobles of unknown family silently looked at each other, aligned themselves in a row, and completely obscured the Sword Immortal from view.

"Oh, they're guarding their turf," Yi Chen laughed upon seeing this.

However, given his ferocious killing of Chen Liu and the Tyrant Blade and the fierce reputation it netted him, no fool came forth to challenge him, which he found quite regrettable.

Yi Chen's gaze then moved to the direction of Ping'an County. Leading the group was a middle-aged scholar with profound and majestic features, a faint smile on his face that immediately engendered goodwill in those who saw him.

But unfortunately, appearances may be deceiving.

Reeling in his thoughts, Yi Chen raised his guard subtly and focused on the journey.

Everyone present was a cultivator with skills at their disposal, advancing fiercely like an aggressive fire. After rushing for nearly an hour, a city slightly inferior to Ping'an County appeared on the horizon.

Yi Chen was initially surprised.

Being so close to Wujang Prefecture, why was it like this?

Upon further thought, it became clear to him that this was logical.

It was simply because of its proximity to Wujang Prefecture.

Too far from heaven and too close to Wujang, constantly siphoned of blood, how could it flourish?

People work in Wujang Prefecture; they live their lives in Wujang Prefecture.

All the wealthy individuals and talented cultivators must have gone to Wujang Prefecture to buy property and add bricks to its walls, right?

With endless fertile lands nearby, serving as a complement to Wujang Prefecture was the inevitable fate of the entire region.

"Ladies and gentlemen, follow me into the city. My Ping'an Bureau has already secretly arranged a big formation in a certain location. With the help of all you righteous heroes, we will surely be able to eradicate the demon Hu Bugui from the Infernal Demon Sect." Zhu Buqun said with a smile, looking very distinguished.

"Your names will be spread across the world following this battle, and my Ping'an Bureau will certainly have thank-you gifts for your heroic deeds."

A qualified leader is adept at enticing people with visions at any given moment.

Even Yi Chen developed a measure of respect for Zhu Buqun at this moment.

That's the beauty of the art of language.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

In just a few words, Zhu Buqun not only pre-empted those with special techniques and meticulousness from discovering the formation's traces but also moved them with sentiment and enticed them with benefits, leading the crowd into his pocket without spending a dime.

"Zhu Town Protector is forthright. As long as it's against the demon cult villains, the Seven Eccentrics of Duanyang will definitely come to lend a hand!" said an old man with a black cloth band wrapped around his forehead and blind eyes, coming forward to express support.

This statement sparked a chorus of agreement from numerous people, with some using the art of language to make a name for themselves and others simply echoing the sentiment, while also flattering Zhu Buqun and the Sword Immortal.

For example, a few sycophants crowded around the Sword Immortal just like that.

Of course, among the crowd, there were also those with a sense of justice and astuteness who remained silent, taking in the surrounding environment.

In a moment, a spectrum of human behaviors unfolded before Yi Chen.

In response, Yi Chen frowned slightly and moved to the back of the group, becoming increasingly vigilant.

When you're out in the world, you can't afford to harbor malicious intent, nor can you forget to be cautious of others.

Even for people like Kong Xiang and Ma Tianyuan, Yi Chen did not have complete trust. If things were to take a turn for the worse, he would undoubtedly flee without looking back, employing the Soul Ignition Technique to its fullest and making his getaway.

Even a second's delay would be disrespectful to Daozun.

"Bravo, everybody! Time is of the essence, and delays can lead to complications. Let us quickly enter the city," Zhu Buqun motioned with his hands for people to stop talking and then took the lead into the city at Wujang Prefecture.

One by one, the crowd followed suit.

Yi Chen entered, and as he looked up at the massive characters "Mu Yang" on the city walls, he couldn't help but sigh.

Mu Yang, Mu Yang.

Was it "Mu Yang" or "herding sheep"?

Over these years, with internal experts and external ghosts, how many aggrieved souls in this city of suffering have lamented.

Those without the power to control their fate lead such tragic lives.

Born without knowing their end, dying without knowing their enemies.

After entering the city, the vigilant expressions of the cultivators in the team became notably apparent; disregard their earlier grand words and lofty aspirations. Upon entering the city, their bodies were all very honest.

Yi Chen surveyed the city left and right.

All that met his eyes was lifelessness.

There were flat-roofed houses with red and yellow tiles everywhere, as well as spire-topped houses enclosed by walls.

On some of the spire-topped houses' roofs, there hung faintly a lot of white silk.

From time to time, a funeral procession could be seen walking by, with filial sons and grandsons wearing sackcloth and holding white cloth banner poles adorned with various strange runes.

As someone well-versed in the funeral business, Yi Chen naturally recognized these as texts of mourning.

Although there were not a few pedestrians on the streets, each of them lived like the walking dead, their eyes lacking any sparkle, even less lively than the people in Ping'an County.

Yi Chen couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Mu Yang, Mu Yang.

Who knows how long it has been since this city last bathed in sunlight.

When a place is deprived of sunlight for a long time, it naturally turns moldy and foul, teeming with flies and roaches.

"Big brother, big brother, buy a fried cake, they're really tasty," suddenly, a milky voice of a little girl halted Yi Chen.

Yi Chen looked up and saw a little girl about four or five years old.

She was wearing overalls, but the straps were black, her hair tied into two high buns, and she had a red cloth wrapped around her neck.

The clothes were washed white and were somewhat worn out, but they were very clean, showing that although the little girl's family wasn't wealthy, they cherished her a lot.

"Give me ten fried cakes to start with," Yi Chen found it interesting and decided to support the little girl's business.

"Grandpa, ten fried cakes," said the little girl to the thin old man beside her who was constantly frying food in oil.

"Big Brother, you're so strong. I'm full after just one fried cake." The little girl stretched out her chubby little hand and made a circle the size of a fried cake.

"That's right, Big Brother is strong and eats more. I once punched a wild boar to death with a single fist; it was over three meters long. If your fried cakes aren't tasty, Big Brother will have to pinch your cheeks," Yi Chen said, smiling as he gestured to show his biceps.

"Jone doo jake doo, a three-meter-long wild zhu?"

The little girl might have been too young, as some words were not pronounced clearly.

She cutely widened her eyes and hugged the small leg of her grandfather, who was busy frying food, as if she were scared.

Just then, the little girl felt her grandfather beside her shake violently. Her grandfather's body suddenly went limp, like a noodle dropped into boiling water, and sagged.

If not for Yi Chen's quick reflexes, the old man's hand would have dropped into the frying vat.

The moment he supported the old man's body, Yi Chen was startled.

He hadn't noticed before, but now with contact, he abruptly realized that the life force of the old man before him was already faint, his breath thin like a thread, a strange force lurking deep in the old man's body, devouring his vitality.

"Hua Hua, grandpa... grandpa can't go on. I... I was hoping to hold out a bit longer to take care of you, you...." The old man struggled to utter a few words but failed to finish. His head tilted, and suddenly, he lay motionless.

At that moment, something squirming seemed to be moving beneath the skin of the old man's corpse. His flesh rapidly disappeared, leaving only a layer of desiccated skin clinging to the bones. The eye sockets sank into two great hollows, looking exceptionally terrifying.

"God, it's that strange illness again; I didn't expect Old Vegetable Head to be infected too," exclaimed a middle-aged stall owner selling wonton noodles nearby.

Yi Chen's face turned an iron-gray color: "Boss, how long has this strange illness been around in Mu Yang County, is it serious?"

"Eh, probably about eleven years or so, I guess. It wasn't too bad at first, but it got more severe later. Every once in a while, it comes back. The duration between outbreaks is getting shorter and shorter. People have been sent from above to investigate, saying it's an epidemic, some kind of bug infection, but we ordinary folks don't understand."

"Life is getting tougher."

"Poor Old Vegetable Head. His son died, his daughter-in-law died, and his spouse died earlier, and now he himself is gone too, leaving little Hua Hua all alone. How is she to survive now," the middle-aged stall owner stated grimly.

He was Old Vegetable Head's neighbor, and his own family wasn't well-off either; otherwise, he would have really considered adopting Hua Hua.

A blood-colored moth suddenly crawled out of the old man's eye socket and attempted to fly away. Little Miao's eyes sparked with electricity, and with a big swipe, it brought down the blood-colored moth, extinguishing it.

It was a strange parasite, with a bizarre human face and blood-red in color, existing between a spirit and a physical entity. It could suck human blood and absorb the power of human souls, extremely malicious, unseen by those without mana within them.

"Coming back every now and then, treating people like chives to be harvested? Is Mu Yang County truly herding sheep?"

"What do they take people for?"

"Zhu Buqun, you bastard!!!"

"Infernal Demon Sect, you pack of fiends!!!"

At this moment, outrage surged within Yi Chen.