Devastated

Outside Wuzhou City, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

A sliver of pale light broke through the edge of the grayish-blue canopy, casting the distant mountains in faint, hazy silhouettes.

Morning mist blanketed the suburban fields. There was no sign of Chen He or the other two medical cultivator senior brothers and sisters in sight.

Not far away, the Antong Shrine looked significantly more dilapidated.

Yesterday, it had looked brand new, but now it seemed to have faded overnight. The off-white walls were mottled and peeling, and even the open double doors had several cracks running through them like deep and shallow wrinkles etched beneath the lacquer.

The only difference was that the front of the temple was now bustling and packed with people.

Townspeople pouring in from all directions surrounded the Antong Shrine, sealing it tight. Every single face wore the exact same expression.

Devout, eager, and a nearly frantic yearning.

“Out of the way, out of the way! I was here first!”

“These are all the spirit stones my family has! Please accept them, Goddess!”

“Mine too! This is a token of my respect!”

Dust filled the air amidst the clamor of voices.

Ming Ran and the others rushed over, their brows furrowing into tight knots. “What's going on here?”

Cheng Yue walked up quickly and reached out to grab an elderly man who was about to squeeze his way inside.

The old man looked to be in his sixties or seventies. He wore a semi-new blue cloth tunic and trousers, holding two hens with their feet tied in one hand, and clutching a handful of spirit stone fragments in the other.

Pulled back by Cheng Yue, he turned around, his cloudy eyes flashing with irritation at being interrupted. He hastily shook her off. “What are you doing? What are you doing? Don't block my way!”

Cheng Yue's expression remained unchanged, her voice steady. “Old Uncle, may I ask why there are suddenly so many people here so early in the morning?”

The old man's eyes lit up instantly, a near-fanatical light bursting from his cloudy pupils.

He pointed a withered finger toward the Antong Shrine, his voice rising an octave. “Oh, you don't know! I heard this temple is incredibly effective! Someone prayed for a child last night and got pregnant today! I'm rushing to pray for one for my grandson's wife!”

“And I heard it's not just effective for children; praying for other things works too! You guys should hurry up as well!”

As he spoke, he squeezed forward with all his might again.

The two hens flapped wildly from being squeezed, clucking loudly and shedding feathers all over the ground.

Ming Ran and the others exchanged looks, seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.

The demon infants in Wuzhou City had been burned to ashes, yet this Child-Protecting Goddess actually dared to redouble her efforts to lure people into offering incense.

Song Yao arrived late with a sullen face, plopping herself down on a rock and yawning repeatedly. “Relax. The Child-Protecting Goddess is in such a rush to draw in incense and prayers precisely because she's about to run out of fuel.”

Ming Ran murmured, “But... but there are just too many people.”

They had originally thought they could just set the Antong Shrine on fire.

But with so many townspeople crammed inside, they had to think twice even if they wanted to make a move.

Furthermore...

From the main roads, the woods, and the ridges of the fields, a continuous stream of people was still converging on this place.

Just how powerful was this demon's mind-controlling ability?

Even they felt a sudden urge to walk into the shrine and offer another prayer.

It seemed as though a single prayer could solve all their problems...

A crisp snap of fingers diverted their increasingly groggy attention. Song Yao sat cross-legged, tilting her head. “What are you thinking about? Do you want to go pray too?”

The group snapped awake instantly, each pinching themselves.

Ming Ran reached into her spatial pouch and pulled out a talisman paper drawn with the mark of the Nine Saints Hall. “This is a transmission talisman my master gave me. He said that in case of an emergency, I can contact nearby disciples of the Nine Saints Hall. We need to find people to help evacuate these townspeople first...”

“No need.”

Song Yao interrupted her, looking up as she sensed something. “Help has arrived.”

Several figures came flying on swords from the horizon.

The sword light was sharp and fierce, painting beautiful streaks of light across the grayish-blue sky.

Ming Ran took a glance and said in surprise, “People from the Beiyao Sect and the Taiqing Pavilion?”

The sword lights landed nearby, their sword qi rippling outward in visible waves, kicking up dust three feet high in front of the Antong Shrine.

Disciples wearing two different sets of Daoist robes descended from their swords. Each of them was spirited and elegant, their sleeves fluttering in the wind, presenting quite an impressive presence.

Leading them was none other than Chen Qingqiu.

Perhaps because the gazes of Song Yao's group were too intense, Chen Qingqiu's cheeks flushed slightly, and she tilted her head to give a look.

The Beiyao Sect disciples behind her immediately dispersed, running toward the townspeople who were shoving and fighting to get in, swiftly starting to disperse and block the crowd.

Ye Chang'an brought up the rear, dressed in luxurious silk robes, with white jade hanging from his waist and a golden crown binding his hair. The curve of his lips was incredibly irritating.

With a look of utter disgust, he stepped forward, raised his hand, and barked irritably at the remaining Taiqing Pavilion disciples, “What are you standing there dazed for? Go help already!”

The Taiqing Pavilion disciples cupped their hands and dispersed to join the others.

Seeing the situation brought under slight control, Chen Qingqiu finally withdrew her gaze and walked toward Song Yao's group.

She walked slowly, the blush on her cheeks deepening. Clearly, her social anxiety was flaring up, and she was mentally preparing herself to communicate with others.

Song Yao found it amusing and took the initiative to greet her, “Long time no see, Saintess Sister.”

Not expecting to be addressed this way, Chen Qingqiu's face flushed bright red instantly. She didn't even dare to take another step forward, hesitating on the spot. She opened her mouth for a long while but couldn't squeeze out a single sound.

Beside her, Ye Chang'an's brow twitched violently.

Why did this brat call Chen Qingqiu ‘Saintess Sister’ the moment she saw her, but beat him to a pulp when she saw him?

His face was dark, but when he looked up, the little girl sitting cross-legged on the rock happened to be staring right at him, smiling. “Young Master Ye, don't you recognize me anymore?”

His gaze cleared up instantly. Unwillingly but having no choice, he bowed to her. “What a... what a coincidence, Senior Sister Lin.”

Cheng Yue and Ming Ran had already witnessed this absolute terror of a troublemaker acting so respectfully toward Song Yao back at the Beiyao Sect, so they didn't think much of it now.

This was Ning Zhou's first time seeing it, and he nearly failed to control his expression.

Wait.

Something was wrong.

Wasn't it rumored outside that the young master of the Taiqing Pavilion was the most tyrannical and profligate playboy?

Who was this person acting so respectfully toward Lin Mu right now?

He turned to look at Lin Mu, feeling a sense of despair.

Didn't we agree to be poor students together?

Setting aside how incredibly effective her pills were, her swordsmanship was also ridiculously strong—she had single-handedly defeated the fake Ming Ran, whom the three of them combined couldn't even beat. And now, even the young master of the Taiqing Pavilion was bowing to her in respect.

He was completely devastated.

She must have been secretly studying behind his back!

He immediately resolved to learn from this painful lesson and vowed to cultivate properly once he returned.

Ming Ran asked from the side, “Why did the Saintess and Young Master Ye come here?”

“Why else?”

Ye Chang'an clicked his tongue. “The entire Wuzhou City is trapped in a demon realm. Of course we came to eliminate the demon.”

The cultivator standing beside Chen Qingqiu took half a step forward and said respectfully, “Sect Master Feng said we cannot just stand by and watch. May I ask what the situation is now? What is going on with these townspeople and this temple?”

Ming Ran briefly explained the situation. Just then, a Beiyao Sect disciple came jogging back. “These townspeople are acting like they're possessed. They say if we don't let them offer prayers, they'll kill themselves. We've temporarily brought them under control, but I'm afraid it won't hold for long.”