The most prosperous district in Qianyu City was now utterly silent.
From the streets to the alleys, not only ordinary citizens but also those already driven mad by demonic energy were nowhere to be seen.
As the group arrived, their vision was met with utter devastation. Apart from blood and corpses, nothing else remained.
The entire district was deserted. The pervasive demonic energy and the black and grey halos emanating from the sky made the atmosphere even more chilling.
Ji Yuan and his companions, having returned to the ground from the rooftops, moved cautiously along the street, their gazes alertly scanning for anything suspicious.
However, even when the county office came into view, they found no trace of anything, as if both the ordinary citizens and the demon-possessed had vanished mysteriously.
"Something is not right. Everyone be careful," Xu Liuqing whispered, his expression growing more solemn.
At this point, they were about ten zhang away from the county office. For cultivators, this distance could be covered in about seven or eight breaths.
It was then that the gates of the county office suddenly swung open. From afar, the scene beyond was obscured, as if shrouded in shadow.
Instantly, everyone felt their hair stand on end, and a sense of dread crept upon them.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo!"
Bestial roars and cries erupted. The doors and windows on both sides shattered violently, and figures burst forth from shops and houses along the street, charging towards them with frenzied haste.
All the demon-possessed who had vanished from the district now appeared, emerging from shops, houses, even dark alleys and the surrounding rooftops.
From all directions, demon-possessed beings charged like beasts, their roars and cries echoing as they rushed towards the group, their eyes filled only with a madness for slaughter.
"Don't hold back... Kill!"
Ji Yuan shouted in a low voice and drew the long sword from his back.
He was the first to dart forward, facing the charging, demon-possessed citizens. Though a flicker of reluctance appeared in his eyes, he had no choice but to strike decisively.
In this situation, if they still considered holding back, not only would they fail to slay the demons and save the city's people, but they themselves would be torn to shreds first!
*Puff! Puff, puff, puff!!!*
Ji Yuan's sword flashed in rapid succession, severing heads. Yet, no blood splattered. Instead, streams of malevolent energy rose.
Seeing this, the others gritted their teeth and joined the fray, their weapons cleaving the heads of the demon-possessed before them.
After being possessed, vital organs like the heart were no longer fatal to these beings. Only by severing their heads could their lives be ended.
The weakest among them were martial artists who had cultivated for several years. They were not comparable to ordinary demon-possessed individuals. In just over ten breaths, twenty to thirty of them had fallen.
However, more demon-possessed emerged, surging from all directions. They charged fearlessly, and even as their companions fell beside them, they showed no hesitation.
"Ah!"
A disciple of the Three Blades Society suddenly cried out in pain, as a demon-possessed individual plunged a hand into his chest.
Blades swept in from either side, but the possessed being dodged them nimbly. With a leap, it then plunged directly into the crowd.
A potent wave of malevolent energy surged from this demon-possessed individual, already comparable to a martial artist in the initial stage of the Flesh and Bone realm!
His gaze was no longer solely focused on slaughter; a trace of cunning flickered within. After a surprise attack that killed a disciple of the Three Blades Society, he leaped into the midst of the crowd and reached out a blood-stained hand towards the nearest girl.
But with a flash of cold light, not only was the hand severed, but the demon-possessed being's head was also cleaved off by the sharp blade.
Xu Qiqi let out a cold snort. With a mere flicker of her body, she appeared at the edge of the crowd and thrust her sword through the head of an advanced demon-possessed individual attempting a surprise attack.
These demon-possessed beings, comparable to initial or even intermediate stage Flesh and Bone realm martial artists, must have been under some form of control. They were able to disguise themselves and blend in with the ordinary possessed, only to suddenly lash out when they got close.
In a mere few breaths, five disciples of the Three Blades Society were killed by these sudden bursts of ferocity, caught completely off guard.
Even their corpses could not be salvaged, dragged into the surging tide of the demon-possessed, and within moments, a thick scent of blood permeated the air.
Xu Liuqing's eyes burned with killing intent. Several times, he wanted to turn back and plunge into the demon-possessed to retrieve the bodies of those men.
These were not just his subordinates; they were his brothers. They had shared drinks and food together, and in times of danger, they had been each other's blades. They shared a bond forged through life and death.
However, he knew in his heart that even if he turned back now, nothing would change. It would only lead to more lives being sacrificed in vain.
"Charge forward with all your might!"
Ji Yuan’s sword sliced horizontally, and he immediately shouted.
As his voice rose, a tall figure charged forward, none other than his fifth senior brother!
Guo Tao, holding thick wooden clubs as thick as an arm in each hand, swung them without any discernible pattern, smashing those blocking his path aside.
In mere moments, he single-handedly cleared a path. His strength, far exceeding that of a late-stage Flesh and Bone realm martial artist, allowed no demon-possessed individual to withstand his blows.
Guo Tao carved a path with brute force, followed closely by Li Junxian and Jiang He. With sword and club, they cleared the converging demon-possessed, maintaining the path that had been opened.
"Conserve your strength as much as possible!"
Jiang He swept away several demon-possessed with a club and then called out to Ji Yuan and the others behind him.
At this moment, Zhao Yuansong and the others were protected in the center, their involvement minimized to preserve their spiritual energy.
Despite having an advantage in the number of second-realm cultivators, they could not afford to be overly cautious when facing an enemy that was willing to sacrifice an entire city's populace.
Under the onslaught of the seemingly endless, tide-like demon-possessed, the group took more than half a quarter of an hour to advance merely six or seven zhang.
When only about three zhang remained between them and the county office gates, heavy footsteps began to sound, as if each step landed on their hearts.
One by one, constables clad in armor emerged from the county office gates. Their skin was covered in black scales, with faint traces of red malevolent energy swirling upon them.
A total of seventeen constables, transformed into demon soldiers who feared no death and felt no pain under Sun Youfang's demonic secret techniques.
Though they were merely the lowest grade of demon soldiers, each possessed a physique far superior to martial artists of the same realm. Their strength reached at least the initial stage of the Flesh and Bone realm, with three or four constables even being forcibly elevated to the intermediate stage.
Coupled with their nigh-impenetrable scales and astonishing brute strength, they could even fight evenly against late-stage Flesh and Bone realm martial artists.
If these demon soldiers attacked together, they could even overwhelm two or three late-stage Flesh and Bone realm martial artists!
At this moment, with demon soldiers advancing oppressively before them and an endless tide of demon-possessed citizens behind, the group found themselves completely surrounded.
"You shall not wreak havoc!"
Suddenly, fifth senior brother Guo Tao roared!
Amidst the deafening shout, his skeletal frame erupted with a surge of robust vital energy. The sound of crashing waves could even be heard in the ears of the onlookers.
Then, he cast aside the wooden clubs, which were already largely broken, raised his fists, and charged forward with a powerful punch.
Billowing vital energy surged. As Guo Tao’s fist descended, with a resounding 'bang,' the steel armor of an initial stage Flesh and Bone realm demon soldier exploded.
A figure was sent flying backward, turning into streaks of afterimages as it crashed into the county office gates. Black scales and blood splattered in mid-air, only to fall to the ground moments later.
Witnessing this, Ji Yuan’s lips twitched. For a moment, he couldn’t quite discern whether it was the demon soldiers wreaking havoc, or his fifth senior brother.
"Kill!"
Two demon soldiers advanced in unison, their voices hoarse as they growled.
They swung their long sabers, but Guo Tao remained undeterred, allowing their sharp blades to hack at his body.
However, the blades, capable of piercing refined leather armor, could not even penetrate Guo Tao’s daoist robe, nor could they leave so much as a white mark on its faded fabric.
Fifth senior brother let out another low roar, and then his large hands grabbed the heads of the demon soldiers before him. He then began to swing them around!
He used the demon soldiers as weapons, swinging them to smash other demon soldiers flying. He suddenly exuded an aura of being an insurmountable barrier, capable of holding off ten thousand attackers alone!
"If your fifth senior brother were to go to the battlefield, he would absolutely be a fierce general!"
Zhao Yuansong subconsciously said to Ji Yuan beside him.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan nodded. He couldn't deny that. However, he then let out a cold laugh...
He knew that old scoundrel of a master must have secretly saved some private funds!
Otherwise, how could he explain the daoist robe on fifth senior brother Guo Tao's body that was impervious to swords and spears?
However, he also marveled inwardly. Although the Dragon Elephant Skill was common, and its cost in gold and silver was immense, its power, when supplied with sufficient resources, was truly terrifying.
Just like Guo Tao now, who had only been cultivating the Dragon Elephant Skill for two to three days, yet he was already fearless of the formidable demon soldiers. When he exerted his full strength, he could suppress eight or nine demon soldiers alone.
This sight astonished Jiang He and Li Junxian, and even Song He wore a look of surprise.
They knew Guo Tao's background. They had not expected him to possess such formidable combat power in just a few days. No wonder the complete Dragon Elephant Skill was a core inheritance of a major sect.
Even though what circulated outside was merely a simplified version of the original skill, lacking much of its core content, it still possessed extraordinary power.
In just a short while, Guo Tao, on his own, had managed to suppress the group of demon soldiers to the entrance of the county office.
Of the original seventeen demon soldiers, apart from the one he had sent flying at the beginning, and the two he used as weapons, only eight remained.
The other demon soldiers were either crushed to death by him or sent flying and buried under the rubble of high walls and houses, with no sign of movement for a long time.
"Senior brother, retreat quickly!"
Ji Yuan, who had been constantly on guard, suddenly exclaimed.
As his voice rose, Guo Tao unhesitatingly threw the two demon soldiers in his hands forward and then resolutely retreated.
Almost the instant he retreated, a demon soldier suddenly surged forward. Its aura instantly rose from the initial stage of the Flesh and Bone realm to the late stage.
It transformed into an afterimage, and a cold glint of its long saber swept out. The two demon soldiers blocking its path were instantly sliced into four pieces.
Then, with undiminished speed, it aimed the tip of its saber directly at Guo Tao's forehead, bypassing the daoist robe that was impervious to blades and spears.
At this moment, even the two closest to Guo Tao were too late to react or offer assistance.
Even Ji Yuan, who had foreseen the danger and cried out a warning, could not reach in time.
As Guo Tao's head was about to be pierced by the saber, a streak of light suddenly shot out from the crowd.
In a mere instant, this streak of light flew to Guo Tao's front, precisely colliding with the saber tip. Then, a chill swept out, engulfing the saber and the demon soldier wielding it.
A layer of frost rapidly condensed on the saber and the demon soldier's body, turning into a sheet of ice in a few breaths. In no time, the opponent became an ice sculpture.
Seeing this, Guo Tao immediately halted his retreat. With a low shout, he forcefully absorbed the momentum and then, in two or three steps, charged to the front of the demon soldier who had turned into an ice sculpture. Immediately, he delivered a heavy punch!