“Have you all made up your minds?”
In the small courtyard of Cao Yan’s home, Zhao Yuansong looked at the two people before him.
Song Changsheng and Qian Dahai nodded solemnly without a second thought.
“As cultivators, seeking the Tao and longevity is one path, and using one’s cultivation to punish evil and eliminate demons is another.”
“What’s more, we are all of the human race. How can we stand by and watch these demons and monsters harm the common people like this?”
The two spoke in turn, expressing their thoughts.
They also believed that their fellow disciples who stayed behind to cover their escape and perish with the enemy would surely agree with their actions today.
If they chose to turn a blind eye and only care for their own lives, it would be a true betrayal of their fellow disciples’ sacrifice.
“Perhaps with our strength alone, we cannot change too much,” Qian Dahai said in a deep voice. “But if everyone thought that way and did nothing, that would truly be a mistake.”
Hearing this, Zhao Yuansong nodded gravely. In life, there are things one should and should not do. To witness monsters harm their own kind without speaking out would be a true waste of their cultivation.
What then was the point of cultivating immortality? What was the point of seeking the Tao?
A heartless immortal? A cowardly Taoist?
“Prepare yourselves well. Tonight, we strike to slay the demons!” Zhao Yuansong said with a grave expression.
For the entire day that followed, the few of them did not meditate. Instead, they used the vast amounts of materials collected through Cao Yan’s connections before he left to craft items that could aid in demon slaying. These included common folk remedies like black dog blood and rooster blood, as well as cinnabar, virgin boy urine, and the like.
Although the three of them hailed from immortal sects and had no particular ties to Taoism, they were aware of many widely circulated methods among cultivators for subduing demons and ghosts.
Their current preparations were born out of necessity. Their injuries had not yet fully healed, their spiritual power had only recovered to about seventy to eighty percent, and their condition was dire. Their pure and impure energies were mixed, making their spiritual power appear chaotic and impure.
In such a state, if they were to engage in combat, they would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage against cultivators of the same realm. Many of their usual techniques were difficult to employ, and having lost their defensive magical artifacts, they were effectively hobbled.
Generally, demons were far more powerful than human cultivators of the same realm, and their innate abilities were difficult for ordinary cultivators to resist.
With these disadvantages, they had no choice but to devise ways to prepare themselves thoroughly.
However, unbeknownst to them, while they were diligently preparing, a troop of city guards marched out from their camp, pursuing Cao Yan and his group who had left the city.
As night deepened, Zhao Yuansong and the others, fully prepared, quietly arrived outside the county yamen. They hid in the shadows, observing the area permeated with demonic energy.
Their plan was simple: stealthily infiltrate the yamen, track the demonic energy to its source, and swiftly eliminate the demonic entity. If all their efforts failed to kill it quickly, they would decisively withdraw and leave the county town as fast as possible.
While they genuinely desired to slay demons and eliminate monsters, it did not mean they were willing to throw away their lives for nothing. If the situation proved insurmountable, they would focus on breaking out and, if pursued, find an opportunity in the wilderness to eliminate their pursuers. Fighting prolonged battles within the city would inevitably endanger a large number of civilians, contradicting their original intention.
“Prepare to act,” Zhao Yuansong said softly.
However, just as the three were about to infiltrate the yamen, they noticed several dark figures flying out from within. These were several demons who made no attempt to conceal their aura, radiating dense demonic energy. Using the cover of night, they were heading in various directions within the city.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Yuansong’s face darkened. If these creatures were allowed to scatter, their small group would be absolutely incapable of intercepting them all. Even if they managed to kill a few demons, others would continue to harm the populace.
“Act!” he roared without hesitation, abandoning any pretense of concealment and charging towards the demons who had just left the yamen at top speed. Behind him, Song Changsheng and Qian Dahai leaped onto the eaves of houses along the street, darting out from both sides.
In a matter of breaths, Zhao Yuansong reached the main street, less than thirty feet from a nearby demon.
“Slash!” he roared, forming a sword finger and pointing forward. His long sword on his back immediately unsheathed, and surging spiritual power poured into it, causing the blade to emit a sound of being unable to bear the strain. Although this sword was considered a rare treasure in the eyes of mortals, it was ultimately forged from ordinary iron and could not withstand the infusion of spiritual power from a cultivator in the late second realm. Fortunately, a moment later, a surge of sword intent rose from within Zhao Yuansong, protecting the sword and preventing it from collapsing on the spot.
Then, beneath the darkness of night, a brilliant radiance cut through the sky. The earth-yellow sword light descended like a shooting star. Ten yards away, the seven demons who had just flown out of the county yamen and were about to disperse immediately felt the terrifying power contained within this sword light. Even from a distance, the demons could sense the sharp sword intent that seemed capable of tearing them apart!
In an instant, one of the demons let out a low growl and rolled on the ground. Its form instantly transformed amidst a burst of light into a brown giant bear, over ten feet tall! Dense demonic energy surged into the sky, and powerful spiritual force roared from within the brown giant bear, forming a thick armor around its body.
However, before it could make any move, as the earth-yellow sword light descended, an unimaginable force pressed down. At this moment, the brown giant bear felt as if a mountain had collapsed upon it. The immense gravity caused the armor, condensed from spiritual force, to rapidly disintegrate!
“Roar!!!” The demon struggled with all its might, managing to lift its head and let out a roar towards the sword light in the sky. But in the next instant, a long sword shot out from the sword light, instantly piercing its skull. The gleaming sword body then exploded! In a single strike, a demon of the early second realm had its head destroyed, and even its soul vanished into thin air!
Seeing this, Zhao Yuansong’s eyes showed no joy, but rather grew even more solemn. He raised his sword finger to the sky, and all the swords on his back unsheathed. Five streaks of sword light roared out, aiming to pierce the few demons ten yards away.
As they witnessed the death of their companion, the other demons showed no outward reaction. Instead, being attacked by human cultivators ignited a furious rage in their eyes. However, just as the demons were stirring their spiritual power to retaliate, over a dozen dark shadows descended from above them!