Chapter 168
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Chapter 168: Searching for Evil
In Huangni Village,
stepping through the filthy puddles on the ground, Wang Chen came to a halt in front of a stone fortress.
This marked the seventh day of his participation in the Yunyang Sect’s "Clearing the Demons" operation.
Over the past days, his team had inspected four loose cultivator towns.
Huangni Village was the fifth.
This village was quite remote, and the surrounding environment was harsh.
Inside the village, a large number of commoners lived together, and the various buildings were chaotic and disorderly, resembling a slum in the world of cultivation.
The dusty roads were littered with garbage and emitted a foul odor!
In contrast, the outer sect of the Yunyang Sect seemed like paradise.
Wang Chen raised his hand and knocked on the tightly closed door: “Yunyang disciple, here to check for evil cultivators, please open the door!”
Unlike Wuhuzhai, although many cultivators resided in Huangni Village, their overall strength was much weaker.
This village didn’t even have a defensive formation.
Therefore, when faced with the oppressive force of the Yunyang flying ship, the leader of the cultivators controlling Huangni Village immediately knelt down.
There was no resistance or escape; he simply submitted!
Wang Chen and the other disciples from Sunset Peak were tasked with inspecting each house in the village for hidden evil cultivators.
After a moment, the thick door creaked open, and a pale-faced woman bowed to Wang Chen: “Greetings, Higher Steward.”
A Blade-like Gleam flashed in Wang Chen’s eyes as he asked, “Are you the only one home?”
The woman was also a Qi Training cultivator,
but at only the second layer of cultivation, she appeared exhausted and weak, likely suffering from an illness.
At that moment, a six or seven-year-old little girl timidly peeked out from behind the female cultivator.
With a heart-shaped face, big eyes, red lips, and white teeth, she had two little braids.
If she changed into proper clothes, she would be a beautiful girl.
As soon as she met Wang Chen’s gaze, she quickly withdrew her head.
The female cultivator looked somewhat anxious and did not answer Wang Chen’s question.
She simply kept her daughter protected behind her.
Wang Chen felt a stir in his heart and stepped into the house.
The stone fortress was a common structure in loose cultivator towns, made of piled-up soil and formed into a semicircle, with several small windows for ventilation and light.
It was similar to a bunker.
The advantage of this type of house was that it was easy to build, solidified with the Earth and Stone Technique, making it very durable, with good defensive capabilities.
Most importantly, it was low-cost.
Of course, the living experience was quite poor; it was dark and damp inside, with a strange odor.
The house of the pale-faced female cultivator was very small.
Wang Chen searched inside and out but did not find anyone else present.
This home was very poor, with hardly any decent furniture.
Wang Chen retracted his gaze and looked at the mother and daughter huddled in the corner of the room.
He flicked his hand and cast a detection talisman!
The purpose of the detection talisman was to sense dark forces, effective against Evil Spirits and evil cultivators.
The detection talisman in Wang Chen’s hand was issued by the sect, specifically for this inspection mission!
As the talisman silently exploded, tiny lights infused with pure yang energy instantly enveloped the pale-faced female cultivator and the little girl behind her.
Neither of them showed any signs of unusualness.
This indicated they were both normal.
However, Wang Chen sharply noticed that the pale-faced female cultivator displayed an expression of relief.
Although she quickly realized something was off and immediately controlled her expression, her inner emotions still showed through.
Wang Chen calmly asked, “Do you have a hidden chamber here?”
The pale-faced female cultivator hurriedly replied, “N-no.”
Lying!
Loose Cultivators often faced threats from Evil Spirits, magical beasts, and bandits. They built fortifications and stone fortresses for safety, so how could they not dig hidden chambers and tunnels for hiding and escape?
During the previous inspection of Wuhuzhai, they had uncovered many evil cultivators and bandits hidden underground!
Wang Chen did not directly expose her lie but suddenly lifted his foot and stomped heavily on the ground.
Boom!
With a muffled sound, the entire stone fortress violently shook, and countless dust particles fell.
In the next moment, a stone slab a few steps away from Wang Chen lifted high, revealing a dark tunnel beneath!
When it came to digging tunnels and building hidden chambers, Wang Chen would claim second place, and no one in the entire Yunyang Sect could claim first.
Thus, the woman’s lie was meaningless, instead exposing her guilt.
“Ah!”
Seeing this scene, the pale-faced female cultivator couldn’t help but exclaim, her face turning pale instantly.
Wang Chen reached out to push the stone slab aside and called into the hole in a deep voice, “Are you planning to hide down there for a lifetime?”
He had already sensed the presence of a third person below!
As soon as Wang Chen’s voice fell, a dark shadow shot out from underground, launching an attack with glimmering cold light.
Wang Chen certainly was the primary target.
Yet, the mother and daughter beside him were also within the range of the hidden weapon’s attack.
Truly ruthless to the extreme!
“Die!”
Wang Chen instinctively countered the incoming hidden weapon with a Vajra Fist!
His Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method had already reached the fourth realm, and his body cultivation was comparable to that of a Purple Palace cultivator. Paired with his master-level Vajra Fist, he was nearly unstoppable in Close Combat.
Regular weapon-grade hidden weapons might be formidable against ordinary cultivators.
But against Wang Chen, who had reached the advanced level in body cultivation, they didn’t even have the qualification to tickle him. His fist power surged with energy, extinguishing the cold light and sending all the attacks back!
Bang!
The attacker felt like they were struck by a heavy hammer and curled up like a cooked shrimp, their chest and abdomen caved in, surely breaking many root bones.
Wang Chen sent the attacker flying back into the tunnel with a single punch!
“Don’t!”
The pale-faced female cultivator seemed to wake from a dream, crying out as she fell to her knees before Wang Chen, pleading, “Higher Steward, spare his life! He didn’t mean to offend. Please show mercy!”
As she spoke, she hurriedly opened her storage bag: “I have spirit stones, I can give them all to you…”
Wang Chen shook his head in speechless disbelief and immediately activated his magical armor, diving into the tunnel ahead.
This tunnel was short, connecting to an underground hidden chamber.
Wang Chen descended into the hidden chamber and flicked his hand, casting a detection talisman.
Using the exploded spiritual light, he clearly saw the situation in the hidden chamber.
The chamber was small, furnished with a bed, and on the floor lay a middle-aged man with a twisted face.
Blood flowed from his mouth and nose, and he had a look of deep resentment in his eyes.
As the spirit light from the detection talisman fell upon the middle-aged man, gray mist began to rise from his body surface.
This situation meant he was either possessed by an Evil Spirit or had been long corrupted by dark forces!
The detection talisman was not harmful, but the middle-aged man reacted as if he had suffered immense pain, involuntarily letting out a piercing scream.
He suddenly leapt up and lunged at Wang Chen like lightning, with his ten fingers extending claws several inches long!
Yet, a large net suddenly unfolded in front of Wang Chen, enveloping the dark and evil middle-aged man within.
Another scream rang out.
It was even more terrifying!