Chapter 393

Chapter 393: The Killing Trap (Part 1)

As night fell over Shanglin Town, a colossal Fire Crow spread its wings across the night sky, trailing a cascade of fiery sparks as it descended toward the long street, its radiant glow illuminating the dark-shrouded houses.

Eerie, malevolent shadows revealed their true forms, writhing and trembling under the searing flames, letting out silent screams before dissolving into wisps of gray smoke.

The Fire Crow skimmed low over the ground, covering a distance of a hundred steps before crashing violently into a grotesque and hideous giant.

A deafening explosion echoed as roaring flames consumed the giant.

The intense heat scorched the giant’s scaly hide, forcing an agonized roar from its throat.

Evil energy surged skyward!

At that very moment, a flying sword streaked down like lightning, piercing through the giant’s skull and exiting through its chest.

Foul blood sprayed dozens of steps away!

“Roar!”

The grievously wounded giant descended into a frenzy, torrents of black smoke pouring from its torn wounds, spreading in all directions.

Countless specters rapidly emerged from the black smoke.

But suddenly, a massive net descended, ensnaring the bloated giant within its grasp.

The sound of “whoosh, whoosh, whoosh” filled the air!

Before the giant could react, the large net tightened abruptly, its ropes constricting the creature’s neck, waist, and limbs.

It twisted into grotesque and unnatural shapes!

Sensing impending doom, the giant thrashed wildly, but the more it struggled, the tighter the net became.

The dark forces within its body surged forth like a flood breaching a dam.

In mere moments, this giant of resentment seemed to have its spinal bone ripped away, collapsing to the ground like a heap of mud, its size reduced by at least three-quarters, a pitiful and grotesque sight.

In the next instant, Wang Chen landed on the ground, releasing the Heavenly Net for Exorcising Evil with a flick of his hand.

The giant, freed from the grip of death, shuddered as the scattered black mist swiftly reabsorbed into its body.

Its dull, flaking scales regained a faint glimmer.

But the giant’s life came to an abrupt end as a flash of sword light severed its head, sending it tumbling to the ground.

【Virtue +1360】

Clang!

The Chini Sword slid back into its sword sheath, its thunderous and fiery power completely subdued.

Wang Chen surveyed his surroundings, raising both hands as dozens of talismans shot out in all directions.

Bursts of spiritual light blossomed in the air, purging the filth from the small town.

He exhaled deeply and retrieved the Evil Soul Pearl from his pocket.

The talisman, provided by his sect, had turned a deep black, its weight now three times heavier than before.

From pure white to pitch black, Wang Chen had cleansed three towns and seven villages, slaying thousands of Evil Spirits, including four giants of resentment.

His total Virtue specific number had already reached seventy thousand!

But Wang Chen felt little joy in his heart.

Before arriving in Huai County, he had never imagined that the Evil Spirits would wreak havoc to such an extent in this central region.

Seven out of the eight towns in Huai Mountain had encountered Evil Spirits, with four towns turned into hellish grounds. The population was in chaos and fleeing, with countless villages suffering and thousands of innocent people killed.

If the situation in the central region was this dire, what about the four surrounding regions to the east, south, west, and north?

It would likely be even worse!

Wang Chen’s gaze turned toward Huai County City.

During this period of purging, he felt instinctively that this calamity of Evil Spirits was not simply a natural disaster, but rather that an invisible black hand was manipulating events behind the scenes.

And the root of this chaos was within the county city!

He hoped this plan would go smoothly…

Thinking of this, Wang Chen waved his sleeve and released the Yaoguang flying sword.

Enveloped by sword light, he soared into the sky, dashing away like a shooting star.

As the Evil Spirits wreaked havoc across much of Huai Mountain, Wang Chen’s task as a "firefighter" was far from over.

In the endless long night, he and his sword awaited the dawn.

Morning arrived.

Before the morning mist had dissipated, a long line of people appeared at the city gate of Huai County City.

This group numbered in the thousands—men, women, the elderly, and children—most bringing their families along, as well as many livestock.

Seeing such a scene, the city defense soldiers became tense immediately.

A battle cultivator stationed on the city walls shouted sharply, “Halt!”

Due to the turmoil caused by the Evil Spirits, Huai County had long been sealed off. Unless under special circumstances, entry was forbidden to prevent evil cultivators and bandits from mingling with the citizens and worsening the situation.

“Immortal Master!”

An elder in the crowd shouted, “We are the people from Zhao Family Town! Something happened in our town; please open the city gate and let us in!”

Zhao Family Town?

The battle cultivator on the wall gasped sharply.

Among the eight towns in Huai Mountain, Zhao Family Town had the largest population and strongest power. Not only did the town have many cultivators, but it also had drums that intimidated Evil Spirits.

During this chaos, Zhao Family Town had remained safe, but unexpectedly they had not escaped calamity!

If it were any other town, he would have hesitated to grant them entry, as the county city was already overwhelmed and struggling to accommodate so many refugees.

But the situation in Zhao Family Town was different; this small town was the ancestral land of the besieger, Zhao Hongyi!

Among these fleeing people, there must be many of Zhao Hongyi’s relatives.

“Please wait a moment.”

The battle cultivator thought for a moment before saying, “I will report this to the besieger.”

He immediately summoned his flying artifact and headed to the besieger’s office.

In just half a tea’s worth of time, Zhao Hongyi arrived driving his artifact, landing directly at the city gate.

Seeing the haggard-faced elder, his expression changed dramatically. “Brother Hongcheng, why are you here? Did I not send Xiao Qi there just a few days ago?”

This elder was the cousin of Zhao Hongyi. Though they appeared to be from different generations, the elder was only two years older than Zhao Hongyi.

As the besieger of the county city, Zhao Hongyi could not leave easily but had not forgotten his relatives living in Zhao Family Town. He had specifically sent his son with a team of cultivators and elite soldiers to provide support.

The elder’s face was wet with tears. “Hongyi, last night Evil Spirits invaded our town, and it was Xiao Qi who covered our escape.”

Zhao Hongyi felt icy cold hands and feet. “I didn’t receive any news here!”

The elder could only stand silent.

Zhao Hongyi’s expression shifted, his heart sinking.

Xiao Qi was his most beloved son, a descendant he had painstakingly nurtured, now at the Qi Training ninth level.

This time he sent him to Zhao Family Town; on one hand, he truly couldn’t spare more manpower, and on the other hand, it was for training.

How could a fledgling eagle soar in the sky without facing the wind and rain?

To ensure Xiao Qi’s safety, Zhao Hongyi specifically gave him several life-preserving artifacts and talismans.

He thought that even if he encountered powerful Evil Spirits, he could safely escape.

But now, Zhao Family Town had encountered disaster, and the only ones returning were a group of ordinary townsfolk.

His son was trapped in the town!

“Open the city gate!”

Zhao Hongyi was not the indecisive type; despite being anxious as if his heart were on fire, he did not lose his composure and immediately roared, “Activate the city defense formations!”