Lou Feng felt the skin around the wound on his waist slowly closing.
The bleeding had already stopped.
He stood up and carefully examined his body before confirming that the injury wasn't serious.
His gaze then shifted toward the corpses scattered throughout the forest.
The battle had left several powerful martial artists dead.
Naturally, he wasn't going to waste the opportunity.
Lou Feng crouched beside the first corpse and began searching.
Before long, he found several small pouches hidden beneath the elders' robes.
He opened one.
Silver coins.
Another.
More silver.
After searching all the corpses and counting everything together, Lou Feng's eyes brightened slightly.
Nearly sixty thousand taels of silver.
That was an enormous fortune for an ordinary person.
Even for a martial artist, it wasn't a small amount.
Lou Feng couldn't help smiling.
At least the danger of tonight had brought him some compensation.
He put everything away before looking at the spear lying beside him.
His expression became slightly complicated.
The spear had accompanied him through numerous battles.
Its quality wasn't particularly high, but he had grown accustomed to its weight and balance.
Unfortunately...
It was already damaged.
The numerous clashes over the past few months had gradually pushed the weapon toward its limit.
His final throw against the gang elder had been the last stretch.
If he used it with that much force again...
The spear would probably break.
Lou Feng gently ran his fingers across the damaged shaft.
"I'll need another one."
After putting the spear away, he turned around and began walking deeper into the forest.
He had no intention of returning to Qinshan County.
Not tonight.
Several hours later, Lou Feng suddenly heard voices coming from ahead.
He slowed his footsteps.
Soon, several carriages appeared through the darkness.
There were dozens of them.
Some carried elderly people while others were filled with children and frightened women. Several carts were loaded with whatever belongings their owners had managed to take before fleeing the county.
They were refugees.
Lou Feng quietly observed the group before naturally joining the edge of the caravan.
Fortunately, he wasn't wearing his Yamen uniform.
Otherwise, his presence would probably attract unnecessary attention.
Nobody questioned him.
Everyone was too exhausted and frightened to care about another person joining the caravan.
The group continued travelling through the forest.
After nearly thirty miles, the caravan finally stopped.
The people leading it exchanged a few words before deciding to make camp.
Continuing through the forest at night with so many ordinary people would only attract fierce beasts.
It was safer to rest until morning.
Lou Feng looked back.
Even from this distance, Qinshan County remained visible.
A strange ghastly green light illuminated the distant horizon.
It came from the enormous tear beneath the county.
The sight made many refugees fall silent.
Some lowered their heads.
Others quietly prayed.
Lou Feng merely stared at the distant light.
That place...
Had already become a land of death.
He eventually found a relatively quiet tree and leaned his back against it.
His body relaxed slightly.
However, his senses remained alert.
Then...
He suddenly felt something.
Lou Feng raised his head.
Several figures were flying through the night sky.
His expression immediately became solemn.
Flying.
That alone meant they had reached a level far beyond ordinary martial artists.
Judging from the aura surrounding them...
At least Xuan Gang.
The group quickly noticed the caravan below.
They descended from the sky and landed several dozen metres away.
Only then did the people within the caravan clearly see them.
There were five people.
The person standing at the front appeared to be a middle-aged man in his forties.
A long scar extended along his left jawline, giving his already stern appearance an even more imposing quality.
The other four were considerably younger.
Most appeared to be in their twenties.
Yet all five wore the same uniform.
On the back of each uniform was a distinctive insignia.
明渊.
Lou Feng's eyes narrowed slightly.
They were clearly members of some powerful organisation.
One of the Acquired martial artists leading the caravan immediately stepped forward.
He cupped his fists respectfully.
"Senior."
The middle-aged man nodded.
"Where did you come from?"
The martial artist immediately answered.
"We came from Qinshan County."
"We were fleeing the county after..."
He hesitated.
How could he explain it?
Ghosts had emerged from a gigantic tear beneath the town.
People were being killed.
The dead were becoming monsters.
Anyone hearing such a story might think he had gone mad.
Yet the martial artist eventually forced himself to continue.
"Ghosts appeared inside the county."
"They came from a huge tear in the ground."
"Many people died."
"The Yamen couldn't stop them."
He finished speaking and nervously looked at the five strangers.
To his surprise...
None of them laughed.
None looked at him as though he were insane.
Instead...
The expressions of all five gradually became solemn.
The scarred middle-aged man exchanged a brief glance with the people behind him.
Something about the information clearly concerned them.
After a few breaths, he looked back toward the martial artist.
"Thank you for informing us."
The martial artist immediately bowed.
"It is this junior's duty."
The middle-aged man casually tossed a small pouch toward him.
"Take it."
The martial artist hurriedly caught it.
Before he could even open his mouth to thank him...
The five figures had already risen into the air.
Their bodies transformed into streaks of light before rapidly disappearing into the darkness.
The martial artist remained standing there, staring at the direction they had left.
Only after several breaths did he finally look down at the pouch in his hand.
Lou Feng silently watched the entire scene.
Those five people clearly knew something.
And judging from their reaction...
The disaster in Qinshan County was probably far more serious than ordinary people understood.
Lou Feng watched the five figures disappear into the horizon, their destination apparently being Qingshan County.
The people within the caravan gradually relaxed.
Some even began whispering among themselves.
"Those seniors should be able to deal with whatever happened to the county town."
"Exactly. They're Xuan Gang experts."
"As long as they're willing to help, the ghosts won't be able to cause much trouble."
The fear within the caravan slowly eased.
Lou Feng, however, wasn't thinking about that.
His thoughts were focused on Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang.
Fortunately, he had already sent them away before the disaster had reached its most dangerous stage.
His master had also told him not to worry.
Still...
He couldn't completely relax until he knew they were safe.
Lou Feng slowly leaned against the tree.
Whatever happened next...
He would deal with it tomorrow.
For tonight, he needed to recover his strength.
Meanwhile...
Qinshan County had already become a completely different place.
Above the ruined streets, the ghastly green light from the enormous tear illuminated the night.
The County Constable stood alone among the ruins.
His clothes were torn.
Blood covered one side of his body.
In each hand, he held a silver saber.
Unlike the weapons distributed to the ordinary Yamen officers, which were merely coated with silver, these two sabers were forged entirely from silver.
They were his final weapons.
And right now...
They were the only reason he was still alive.
Three terrifying ghosts surrounded him.
Their auras were close to his own. They are definitely at the Fierce Ghost level.
The County Constable's breathing became heavy as he cautiously watched them.
The three ghosts didn't attack immediately. They kept their distance. They had already recognised the threat posed by the silver sabers.
Instead, they circled him patiently.
Almost as though...
They were playing with their prey. The County Constable's eyes became cold.
Then his gaze shifted toward the nearby ruins. Several corpses lay scattered across the street.
Among them were two familiar figures. The leaders of two of the four major gangs.
Both were True Essence experts. People who had once controlled large portions of Qinshan County.
Yet now...
They were nothing more than food.
Several ghosts were already surrounding their corpses, greedily absorbing the essence within their bodies.
The County Constable's fists tightened.
Anger slowly rose within his chest.
These people might have been gang leaders.
They might have committed countless crimes.
But they had still been human.
Now they were being reduced to nourishment for these monsters.
"Enough."
His voice was low.
The three ghosts simultaneously turned toward him.
The County Constable suddenly moved.
His body exploded forward.
Two silver sabers crossed before him as he attacked one of the ghosts from both sides.
The ghost attempted to retreat.
Too late.
The silver sabers pierced directly through its semi-corporeal body.
For an instant...
The ghost froze.
Then its entire body violently twisted.
It felt as though its existence had been thrown onto burning metal.
Its Yin Qi rapidly evaporated.
A blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the ruined street.
The ghost desperately struggled.
But the silver sabers continued burning through its body.
Within several breaths...
Its entire form collapsed.
Black Yin Qi scattered into the air before completely disappearing.
Silence.
The other two ghosts stopped moving.
They stared at the empty space where their companion had disappeared.
Then...
They looked toward the County Constable.
For the first time...
Something resembling fear appeared within their distorted eyes.
The County Constable tightened his grip on the silver sabers.
His eyes were cold.
"Come."
The two ghosts instinctively retreated.
The County Constable didn't pursue.
Instead...
He suddenly turned around and ran in the opposite direction.
His speed erupted to its limit.
There was no way in hell he was staying here to fight to the death.
He had only remained until now because he believed the Mingyuan Division would arrive soon.
But the situation had changed.
The experts who could have supported him were already dead.
The ghosts were becoming stronger by the minute.
Staying behind would accomplish nothing.
He needed to survive.
At least...
The Yamen officers had managed to evacuate most of the civilians before the situation became completely uncontrollable.
If the higher-ups investigated afterward, he could at least say that he had done everything within his power.
The County Constable glanced back once.
The two remaining ghosts were still standing among the ruins.
Neither pursued him.
They seemed more interested in the countless living people still trapped within the county.
The County Constable's expression became grim.
"Good."
"Let them fight among themselves."
His figure disappeared into the darkness.
Behind him...
The ghastly green light continued illuminating Qinshan County.
The enormous tear remained open.
And from within its depths...
More ghostly silhouettes slowly emerged.