A colossal blade of light slashed through the air, momentarily parting the dense fog.

Yet, the sight revealed within that fleeting glimpse was enough to inspire terror.

What secrets lay hidden within this fog? Why did wandering souls roam freely under the bright sky?

Where did so many ghosts come from? Even if the entire population of Xiaolin Town had transformed into vengeful spirits, there could not be so many, almost filling the horizon!

Of course, everyone now understood that with such a dense congregation of wandering souls, Xiaolin Town… was likely devoid of living souls!

One of the seven major towns under the jurisdiction of Mapleleaf City had fallen.

In this dire moment, Wei Yan’s calm voice rang out first, suppressing the growing chaos: “Those skilled in Fire-attribute Dao arts, establish a fire line fifty paces out from the formation as a warning. The rest, eliminate the wandering souls within the warning line as quickly as possible!”

The Five Elements Dao arts were fundamental, and many cultivators were proficient in the Fire element. Following Wei Yan’s command, clusters of flame ignited fifty paces away from the group. Guided by Wei Yan’s adjutant, these flames rapidly coalesced into a continuous circle of fire.

Beyond the ring of fire, the ghosts temporarily retreated. However, the wandering souls trapped within the fiery circle instantly became frenzied.

At this moment, Li Jianqiu abruptly sheathed his flame-infused sword, his hands forming a series of incantations before his chin, then decisively sweeping downwards to his side. Two blazing swords of pure fire materialized in his hands.

The twin swords danced like dragons, carrying him swiftly into the heart of the ghostly horde. One sword extinguished ghosts, two swords shattered souls.

Simultaneously, a sword gleam flashed, completing a full rotation in an instant, and countless ghosts gradually annihilated. As the sword light faded, Jiang Wang’s lithe figure was revealed.

The Purple Qi East Comes Sword Art, the first move of the killing technique!

Everyone gasped in surprise, never expecting that this cultivator, not yet having formed his Dao Whirlwind, could exterminate ghosts with pure swordsmanship, even surpassing many of them in efficiency.

As Jiang Wang moved, Zhao Rucheng also acted, his longsword flashing like lightning, cleaving a path through the ghosts.

Normally, no one saw him putting in the effort, but his execution of the Purple Qi East Comes Sword Art was almost on par with Jiang Wang.

Only Du Yehhu and Ling He exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. Their expertise in mundane martial arts was largely ineffective against otherworldly foes like ghosts. While they could temporarily burst their blood qi to shake and kill some ghosts, how much blood qi could they expend against such a vast horde?

Jiang Wang had not kept the Purple Qi East Comes Sword Art a secret from them. However, Du Yehhu stubbornly trusted his fists, disdaining external aids, and had no interest in swordsmanship. As for Ling He… perhaps due to his lack of talent, his progress was slow, and he had yet to master the killing moves for practical combat.

Back then, as the only one among them whose effort was comparable to Jiang Wang’s, his lack of falling behind was all thanks to his sweat.

The situation might seem favorable on the surface, but those with discerning eyes knew it was critical.

Currently, only ordinary wandering souls had appeared. But given the inexplicable gathering of so many ghosts in Xiaolin Town, there must be malevolent ghosts, ferocious ghosts, and perhaps even ghost generals among them!

This situation was beyond what the small team could handle. The best course of action was to retreat as quickly as possible.

However, having travelled for so long into the town they could not tell which direction was out. Encircled on the outside of the fire line, breaking out would not be easy.

Wei Yan stepped out of the fire circle, allowing the ghosts to swarm and tear at him. His worn, mottled armor vibrated gently, causing the ghosts clinging to him to dissipate.

But there was no joy on his face. Instead, he stepped back into the fire circle and said in a low voice: “Who is skilled in Wind-attribute Dao arts? Try to dispel this fog!”

Although he was addressing everyone, his gaze was fixed on Wang Changxiang.

Compared to the Five Elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, Wind-attribute Dao arts were relatively uncommon. But Wang Changxiang was a master of this path.

Without hesitation, Wang Changxiang swiftly traced a wind blade across in front of him, clearing the ghosts around him. Then, his hands moved like butterflies threading flowers, forming complex seals. Finally, he brought his hands together before his lips, joining his index and middle fingers, and closing his thumbs, ring fingers, and pinkies together respectively. He exhaled through the triangular space formed by his fingers.

The gentle breath passing through his fingers suddenly intensified, spinning and growing in size at a visible rate, and then slamming straight into the dense fog. It was like a furious dragon roaring in the heavy mist.

Wind-attribute Dao art, the Exhalation of the Dragon Tornado!

This wind was no ordinary wind, but the Brightly Distributed Eastern Wind of the Eight Winds.

The Brightly Distributed Wind represents the clear release of all things. Using it here was perfectly appropriate.

Such a powerful Dao art was not something every Sixth-Rank cultivator could master. Wang Changxiang’s ability to wield this technique before opening the Gate of Heaven and Earth was truly remarkable.

Having completed the Dao art, Wang Changxiang’s face was pale, indicating that the technique was a considerable burden to him. He barely managed to stand steady, “I’ll leave the rest to you all.”

Wherever the roaring tornado passed, the dense fog dispersed. For the first time since entering Xiaolin Town, they could see their surroundings clearly.

There were strings of candied haws leaning against the walls, rice stores connected to soy sauce shops, and the banners of restaurants still fluttering in the wind.

Everything seemed unchanged – if it weren’t for the presence of the wandering souls.

The wandering souls within the fire circle had been wiped out, but those outside still swarmed and lingered, instinctively fearing the flames, yet equally unwilling to give up on these Yuan Qi rich living people.

“Crap!”

This exclamation rang the alarm, as everyone saw that the distant fog had begun to gather again after the tornado just passed by. This fog could not even be completely blown away by Exhalation of the Dragon Tornado.

“Let’s take this chance to retreat,” Li Jianqiu suggested with a low voice, dual-wielding his flame-infused swords.

In the gap created by the Exhalation of the Dragon Tornado, they could now discern the way they had come. With the group’s strength, and in the absence of a ghost general, they could retreat while fighting, with a high chance of safely escaping.

Wei Yan gazed at the approaching fog with a knife in hand, as if deep in thought.

His adjutant grew anxious, “My lord, the situation in Xiaolin Town is beyond our capabilities! We’ll need to mobilize a larger force. Besides, everyone in Xiaolin Town is dead; there’s no point in us staying here. How about…”

Wei Yan interrupted him: “The ghosts we’ve seen so far are all ordinary wandering souls, none of them are sentient. Knowing there are so many ghosts here, this is unnatural.”

Wang Changxiang frowned, “The Mapleleaf City region doesn’t have any cultivators specializing in ghost control; this matter should be handled by the city guards. Once a large army arrives, their imposing Qi will disperse these wandering souls on their own.”

“The Clear River aquatic tribes are acting suspiciously, the city guards have gone to suppress them. By the time they return… it might be too late,” Wei Yan reluctantly revealed significant information.

The Clear River was a major river running through the entire Clear River Prefecture, and the Green Willow River outside Mapleleaf City was one of its tributaries. But why would the Clear River aquatic tribes, who had long ago made a pact with the State Court, suddenly become restless?

Jiang Wang considered this. “Restless” implied that the Clear River aquatic tribes were holding back. But an incident involving the entire Clear River Prefecture’s waterways was not something the authorities could ignore, so mobilizing the city guards was appropriate.

The Appearance of the Heart-Eating Demonic Human… the unusual activity of the Clear River Aquatic Tribes… the daylight haunting of Xiaolin Town. These events seemed unrelated, yet there seemed to be an invisible hand connecting them all.

“Something’s not right,” Wei Yan shook his head, having made his decision: “Everyone, follow me and charge forward. I won’t stop, and no one else can stop either! Those who fall behind are on their own!”

Without waiting for anyone to dissuade him, as soon as he finished speaking, he stepped out of the fire circle, leading the charge into the depths of Xiaolin Town.

As his adjutant, Zhao Lang naturally followed without hesitation. Then came Li Jianqiu and Wang Changxiang. All of them were experienced and knew that they could not separate their forces even though they might disagree with Wei Yan’s decision.

Eventually, the entire team mobilized quickly, with Wei Yan at the tip of the spearhead, piercing straight into the depths of Xiaolin Town!