Chapter 78: A Small-Scale Battle About to Begin

"Strange? What's strange?" Commander Bi Xing rolled his eyes and questioned the group instead, "I was just sleepy at night and came to the town to rest. You attacked immediately upon seeing me—what's the logic?"

"Eh?" The embroiderer was stunned by his words and couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

Just now, when Commander Bi Xing emerged from the water wanting to enter the town, she had instinctively assumed he was the culprit. Without saying many words, they had started fighting, and she hadn't actually confirmed that he was the monster killing townsfolk these past days.

Could this be a misunderstanding?

However, seeing the flickering in Commander Bi Xing's eyes, the embroiderer quickly realized the truth. This was obvious; it was merely the other party's excuse now that he was restrained.

"Are you people from the Spirit Court?" Commander Bi Xing asked. "I know the Spirit Court values rules above all. Actually, I am also a Spirit Lord. Although I work in Bi'ang Palace, I have never harmed a life. There must be some misunderstanding between us. Please release me quickly so we can talk."

"By the way, do you have urgent business here? If you need help, I can summon friends and like-minded people to assist you!"

Commander Bi Xing claimed to be a Spirit Lord, but Gu Zhao and Daoist Yan Song both laughed.

The demons and ghosts of this world cannot see the killing qi, but they possess the Five Thunder Talisman and the Thunder Seed within their bodies, sensing it clearly. Commander Bi Xing's soul carried killing qi, and the killing qi was extremely heavy.

Gu Zhao pinched his right hand, and magic power flowed along an invisible line into Commander Bi Xing's body. The Fire Shield Method intensified, beginning to burn his flesh, blood, bones, and tendons.

"Ugh... ugh... ugh..."

Commander Bi Xing's eyes were bloodshot, and he screamed in pain, but his voice was like a mosquito's buzz, barely audible.

After burning for a moment, Gu Zhao relaxed slightly and asked again, "What strange scheme is Bi'ang Palace up to?"

Commander Bi Xing gasped for air and still tried to make excuses. "There really is nothing strange. May I ask what it takes for you to believe me?"

Gu Zhao scolded, "Anlin Town alone lost over two hundred people last night. If it wasn't you, who else could it be?"

Commander Bi Xing cried out in shock, "How could there be that many!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Commander Bi Xing saw Gu Zhao's expression, half-smiling and half-sneering, and immediately shut his mouth.

Gu Zhao extended his index finger, and a wisp of fire suddenly burned at his fingertip. Commander Bi Xing only felt the fire net within his body tremble slightly, vaguely merging with the fire at the other's fingertip.

"Secrets belong to others; life belongs to oneself," Gu Zhao said calmly.

Commander Bi Xing's eyes suddenly brightened. "Can you spare my life?"

Gu Zhao looked sincere. "If you are not the chief culprit, then I will not kill you."

"Fine! I'll speak!" Commander Bi Xing nodded decisively. "The Ancestor's cultivation has stalled at five hundred years with no progress. His lifespan is running low, so he decided to blood-sacrifice the Old A'ao's Primordial Pearl, which caused chaos in Wuhe County thirty years ago, to help himself break through the realm."

Although Commander Bi Xing had decades of cultivation, he was not a warrior with firm faith. After being tortured by Gu Zhao's Fire Shield Method, he decisively betrayed Bi'ang Ancestor.

Bi'ang Ancestor was also a demon formed from a turtle-turtle. Although his talent was not high, his lifespan was long, and he had cultivated his way to over four hundred years.

But now his lifespan was nearly exhausted. If he could not advance further, he would face death and the dissolution of his Dao.

Thirty years ago, chaos erupted in several prefectures across the Jiang Nan region of the Ten Thousand Spirits. Inside Wuhe County, an Old A'ao stirred up an endless sea of blood. Finally, the Xuanweishen Sect suppressed it with full force, and Bi'ang Ancestor happened to obtain the Primordial Pearl.

For thirty years, Bi'ang Ancestor had been absorbing this Primordial Pearl, but unfortunately, the effort yielded little result. Now that his lifespan was nearly up, he decided to make a desperate gamble using blood sacrifice.

"To fuse this Primordial Pearl into his body, the Ancestor has entered seclusion for deep cultivation, but he requires a large amount of fresh blood every day."

Commander Bi Xing said, "For the first thirty days, he needs the blood of a hundred people daily. After that, he needs the pure primordial blood of thirty pairs of young boys and girls, and then he will succeed."

Daoist Yan Song listened and couldn't help but bare his teeth. "Over three thousand people?"

"The numbers don't add up!" Gu Zhao narrowed his eyes. "The ones who acted weren't just in Anlin Town; there were other places too?"

Commander Bi Xing nodded. "The Ancestor publicly claimed he was celebrating his three-hundredth birthday. He sent us to act in villages and towns around Wuhe County. Killing few people in each village and town wouldn't cause much commotion, nor would it alert the Golden Wind Sect."

The four major powers of Changping Prefecture are the Golden Wind Sect, the Three Absolute Mountains, Bi'ang Palace, and Shi Wangdong. Among them, the Golden Wind Sect is the strongest, and Bi'ang Palace is the weakest.

However, Bi'ang Ancestor is a demon formed from a turtle-turtle. As long as he fights underwater, he holds the advantage of the home field. Even the Golden Wind God King rarely manages to capture him, so he tacitly accepted Bi'ang Palace's status.

"Why Wuhe County?" Daoist Yan Song asked. "Isn't Bi'ang Palace near Changping Prefecture?"

"The Ancestor is not in seclusion at Bi'ang Palace. Under the Changshui River in Wuhe County, there is a place where Yin and Yang merge, which is perfect for blood-sacrificing the Primordial Pearl," Commander Bi Xing said without holding back. "We send the collected human blood to him every day."

Gu Zhao immediately asked, "If you don't send it today, what will he do?"

Commander Bi Xing was slightly stunned. "I don't know. The Ancestor didn't say."

Speaking of this, Commander Bi Xing grew nervous. "I've told you everything I know. Please release me quickly. I will follow the Changshui River to Baishi Prefecture and never return."

Gu Zhao nodded. "One last question. Where is that place where Yin and Yang merge?"

"It is twenty li northeast of Wuhe County. The Changshui River forms a crescent-shaped loop there, and the place where Yin and Yang merge is thirty zhang underwater," Commander Bi Xing said hurriedly.

"Good!" Gu Zhao stood up, did as he said, waved his hand to dispel the Fire Shield Method, and also removed the seals on Commander Bi Xing's body.

Commander Bi Xing sighed in relief, slid his body out of the inn, and with a few swift steps on his feet, reached the banks of the Anqu River.

But before he could enter the water, he suddenly found someone standing before him. Judging by his figure and clothing, it was the old man who had just been with Gu Zhao, except now his face was covered by a red mask.

"You people have no honor!" Commander Bi Xing's eyes bulged with rage.

"The Sect Master said he wouldn't kill you, so he won't kill you. He even removed the seals on your body. One could say he not only kept his promise but even exceeded it."

Daoist Yan Song chuckled. "But your killing qi is so heavy. If I let you go, my Dao heart will not be at peace!"

In the next moment, Daoist Yan Song pursed his lips into a whistle and blew gently. Wild wind and fierce fire blew out from his mouth, instantly transforming into a tornado that engulfed Commander Bi Xing.

"Bi'ang Ancestor has less than five hundred years of cultivation. He is not in Bi'ang Palace but is refining the Old A'ao's Primordial Pearl in Wuhe County. There shouldn't be many people following him."

"The killing qi of that butcher and the Rain Concubine has been digested. My cultivation efficiency has been very high these past days."

"Blood sacrifice requires over thirty days. It is currently about halfway through. According to common sense, the blood sacrifice process cannot be interrupted, or else it will either be all for nothing or cause severe damage to one's vital energy."

"Opportunity knocks but once." Daoist Yan Song asked, "Shall we do it?"

"Then let's do it!" Gu Zhao rubbed his chin and said expectantly, "The talismans I prepared can finally be put to use!"