Backstage.
"Terrifying cultivators?"
The moment Ye Ling stepped into the backstage area, his expression changed, his tone returning to normal.
"You…"
Leng Qingqiu had been about to say something, but the words caught in her throat. She shot him an annoyed look.
"I thought you didn't realize how serious this is."
"No matter what expression I showed out there, the crowd would've overinterpreted it."
Ye Ling pulled out a chair at random and sat down, his face turning solemn.
"How terrifying?"
"Eve said—"
Leng Qingqiu moistened her lips.
"Run!"
"…"
Ye Ling froze.
He knew Eve already regarded him as a God.
But if Eve was telling this "God" to run, then the opponent was clearly another God.
You've got to be kidding.
Was something beyond that level really going to pop out here?
Ye Ling reached into his robes and touched the two Nine Heavens Jade Pendants. For a moment, he regretted bringing them at all.
But it was too late for regrets. No matter what he said now, it wouldn't change anything. He would have to face it head-on.
If it really came down to it, he could retreat to the Heavenly Gate Sect, bring reinforcements, and return to settle the score.
"Then take Eve and leave first."
After a brief pause, he said to Leng Qingqiu, "Eve has lost her power. Staying here won't help in this situation. You might as well go somewhere safe and protect her for me."
He knew how proud Leng Qingqiu was. If he simply told her to hide, she would likely refuse. So he deliberately framed it around protecting Eve.
"I know I can't help here anyway."
To Ye Ling's surprise, Leng Qingqiu looked unusually calm. Her beautiful emerald-green eyes held none of the resentment he had expected.
Hmm. She's grown quickly. Seems I was too anxious earlier.
Ye Ling glanced at her with a faintly teasing look.
"Good. As long as you understand."
Since she had accepted reality, there was no need for him to waste more words.
"But are you really going to be fine?"
Leng Qingqiu didn't leave immediately. She asked the question with a serious expression.
"Relax."
Ye Ling stood up and lightly tapped her forehead with a finger, putting on an air of depth.
"I'm stronger than you think."
"…"
Leng Qingqiu rolled her eyes at him. She had no idea what that gesture meant, but she had the distinct feeling he was treating her like a younger brother.
"Go."
Ye Ling patted her shoulder, urging her to move.
He didn't dare say too many parting words. It felt too much like setting a flag.
Besides, he was carrying the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant. Even if he wasn't a jinx, he might become one. Better to watch what he said.
"Alright. Then be careful."
Leng Qingqiu hesitated, then took out a ring from her Storage Ring. It emitted a strong Dao Resonance.
"Take this—"
Before she could finish, Ye Ling pushed her hand back.
"Look after yourself first."
With the Nine Heavens Jade Pendant on him, Ye Ling didn't think he needed any life-saving artifact from her.
He could tell the ring was extraordinary, clearly one of Leng Qingqiu's most treasured items.
Something that valuable was better kept by her. In his hands, it would only end up gathering dust.
Still, the fact that she was willing to take it out made the talisman he had just left her worthwhile.
In truth, when he tapped her forehead earlier, it wasn't just some playful gesture. More importantly, he had embedded a Calming Mind Talisman into her sea of consciousness.
This Calming Mind Talisman wasn't a simplified character but an ancient script brimming with Dao Resonance. To avoid drawing attention, he had layered it with concealment. Leng Qingqiu hadn't noticed a thing—she had only felt her thoughts grow clearer.
Compared to attacks on the body, assaults on the mind were far harder to guard against.
More importantly, the attacks of Demonic Cultivators carried Baleful Qi. Ordinary people exposed to it would descend into madness and begin slaughtering everything around them.
Cultivators fared slightly better, but if they inhaled too much Baleful Qi, they too would lose their sanity. That was one of the reasons Demonic Cultivators were so troublesome.
That was why Ye Ling had prepared the Calming Mind Talisman for Leng Qingqiu, in case she encountered danger.
If nothing unexpected happened, she might very well be the strongest among the retreating group. If they ran into Demonic Cultivators, she would have to hold things together.
"Mm… I guess I was worrying too much."
Seeing how serious Ye Ling looked, Leng Qingqiu didn't insist and put the ring away.
"Just take good care of Eve. Leave everything else to me."
Ye Ling guided her toward the exit backstage, then turned and walked in the direction of Elder Wang.
"…"
Watching his departing figure, Leng Qingqiu bit her lip and headed toward the evacuation tunnel.
Don't die.
She prayed silently in her heart.
...
"Elder Wang, how is the situation?"
Ye Ling stepped up beside Elder Wang and asked in a low voice.
"Very strange."
Elder Wang's brows were tightly knit. Even now, he couldn't make sense of what the Demonic Cultivators were doing.
Under normal circumstances, fighting should have already broken out. Yet not only had the battle failed to start, not a single Demonic Cultivator had shown himself.
If not for the occasional screams and clashes echoing through the city, and the fact that the City Lord had yet to return, he might have thought no attack had happened at all.
"Not a single enemy in sight. That's what makes it strange."
"This…"
Ye Ling was uncertain as well, but recalling the information Leng Qingqiu had passed on, a bold guess surfaced in his mind.
Were they trying to locate every evacuation point and wipe them out one by one?
That terrifying cultivator still hadn't made a move. The only explanation was that he was waiting, waiting until everyone had gathered at the safe zone before beginning the slaughter.
If that was true…
Ye Ling's expression shifted. He suddenly realized how serious the situation was.
He could no longer afford to hold back.
"Search." "Conceal."
Ancient characters radiating Dao Resonance rose into the air. Threads of light extended from them, connecting to people in the crowd below.
Under the effect of "Conceal," however, the crowd saw nothing.
Elder Wang, standing right beside Ye Ling, saw everything clearly. As a Talisman Master, how could he fail to recognize what Ye Ling had done?
He inhaled sharply, like a fish thrown onto dry land.
Ancient characters.
Forming Talismans with bare hands.
How was that even possible?
Of course Elder Wang recognized ancient characters. But with his experience, he couldn't tell how Ye Ling had condensed them at all.
"None?"
Before Elder Wang could speak, Ye Ling's brows furrowed deeply.
Every person linked by the light was someone he had already sealed earlier. Not a single exception.
Was it because he had only searched for Baleful Qi, making it inaccurate?
Uncertain, Ye Ling expanded the range and added Evil Qi to the search.
As great fiends, even if they suppressed their Baleful Qi, they would surely carry traces of crooked, heretical power.
Sure enough, more people were linked this time.
Ye Ling didn't hesitate. One by one, he threw out sealing Talismans.
Before leaving backstage, he had already secretly summoned the avatar of the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden. He wasn't afraid of resistance. If anything, he was worried no one would resist.
Yet even after sealing the last person, no one made a move.
Instead, his method of grabbing people caused a small wave of panic in the crowd.
"They're carrying heretical demonic items. Detain them all first."
Elder Wang's voice rang out, steady and authoritative. The crowd quickly calmed down. Compared to the young-faced Ye Ling, they naturally trusted Elder Wang more.
"Elder Wang, I'll leave things here to you. I'm going inside to take a look."
Ye Ling's frown deepened. If no one was here, then the intruder was likely hiding among the women, children, and elderly.
The evacuation had been underway for a while. Most people had already entered the underground tunnel, and some might even have reached the safe point by now.
He couldn't afford to waste time.
Elder Wang wanted to ask about the ancient characters, but he knew this wasn't the moment. He nodded.
"Go. We'll hold things here."
Watching Ye Ling stride away, Elder Wang shook his head and sighed softly.
"I misjudged him. He's a true dragon."
He had once witnessed naturally formed ancient characters and knew how powerful they were.
Someone who could condense ancient characters with his bare hands was no weaker than him, perhaps even stronger. Looking back now, it was he who had overestimated himself.
...
On the other side of the underground tunnel, the group was nearing the end.
"Hey, should we make a move?"
A frail old man, walking with a limp, asked the toddler in his arms.
"Idiot."
The child snapped in a tone completely at odds with his appearance.
"Stop thinking about fighting and killing all day. Use your brain."
These two were none other than the Old and Young among the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons' so-called old, young, sick, and cripple.
"But we're far enough from that brat now. Why not kill a few people and pin it on those idiots from the Heavenly Demon Sect?"
Perhaps it was because he had just taken over the Old's position, but the Old couldn't stay still for long.
"You think it's that easy to frame them?"
The Young cast him a sideways glance.
"I don't know what trick that kid used, but the fools from the Heavenly Demon Sect were all taken down while they were still outside. If we act now, wouldn't we just expose ourselves?"
Despite his irritable demeanor, the Old had far better emotional control than the greenhorns of the Heavenly Demon Sect. That was why Ye Ling hadn't noticed anything unusual about him.
What puzzled the Young was something else entirely.
The Heavenly Demon Sect was left with nothing but rookies, yet even he hadn't detected their true identities until Ye Ling had "pointed" them out.
How had that kid managed it?
Until he figured out Ye Ling's background, he didn't dare make a move against him.
But even if he didn't want to deal with Ye Ling—
"Young, what the hell is this light thread?"
The Old's voice reached his ears.