Chapter 16 When night falls and evil spirits come, my sword shines as brightly as day! On top of the city wall. These three hundred and sixty steps are within the guard range of Linjiangsi. Every thirty steps, a willow branch night lamp is lit. Logically speaking, every willow branch night lamp needs a lampkeeper. But today, there is only one person, sitting on the city wall, with nothingness on both sides, very desolate. The evening wind always makes people feel the bleakness of autumn. Lin Yan had a blank expression on his face. He gathered his hair that was blown away by the autumn wind behind his ears and looked back slowly. Behind him was Gaoliu City. The first thing that caught his eye was Linjiangfang, followed by Qingshanfang, Zhudingfang, and Yangyuanfang... At this moment, even if you look from a high place, you can't see the inner city, which shows how huge the overall scale of Gaoliu City is and how vast its area is. He withdrew his gaze and placed it on the palm of his hand.

The palm of my hand remains the same as before, nothing unusual. But when he took the "Haoyang Talisman" just now, the trace of the alien egg appeared on his palm. "The Haoyang Talisman comes from the Qifeng Prefecture City and originated from the Wutong Temple. It has the effect of exorcising evil spirits." “But the Haoyang Talisman still failed to dispel the trace in my palm.” "What on earth is this?" Lin Yan's heart was shrouded in a layer of haze. He tilted his head and looked to the west with a serious look in his eyes. The setting sun has fallen and the glow of the sunset has disappeared. The last ray of light in the day seemed to be struggling, gradually dimming and disappearing without a trace. Darkness enveloped the earth. It was as if purgatory had arrived. At the moment he fell into darkness, he saw the distance outside the city. A bird that didn't have time to hide in the "pure land" suddenly let out a miserable scream. The next moment, the sound stopped abruptly, and only the night wind blew past, leaving no trace. The sound of the wind was so shrill, like the howling of ghosts, which made people shudder. Even someone as strong as Lin Yan, who was at the Jing Refining Stage, felt the night wind blowing across his skin, causing bumps to appear and he couldn't help but frown. The darker the sky, the brighter the light from the willow branch night lamps on the city wall. "How much evil energy can you get tonight?" Lin Yan thought this in his heart and slowly stood up.

He took off the sword from his waist, along with the scabbard, and stood on the ground, looking quietly ahead. Beside him, there was a bag of incense ash. Short and thin arrows, one after another, were stuck in the incense ashes. On his right hand side was a small crossbow with an arrow already strung, the sharp arrow head covered with incense ash. The night wind was still blowing and it felt quite cold. It all seems to be business as usual. Because the altar in the inner city has not yet begun. At this moment, the willow branches illuminate the night, denser than before, declaring the boundary and showing where Liu Zun is. Under normal circumstances, the demons in the darkness would be afraid of Liu Zun's aura and would generally not approach easily. But as the altar rose up, the huge amount of incense stored in the inner city began to attract evil spirits and monsters outside the city. The temptation of the huge incense at the altar will be greater than their fear of Liu Zun. Therefore, when the altar is opened, darkness will surely invade. Linjiangfang, as the outermost ward in the southern area of ​​the outer city, was the first to be hit. All the closest relatives and neighbors are among them. Lin Yan wiped the long sword gently, his eyes as calm as a lake. He paced slowly, leaving a stack of white paper every hundred steps. When he returned to the original place, he saw that there was still no movement in the darkness, so he just closed his eyes slightly with a calm expression. About half an hour passed. The cold wind was still biting, and the calmness in the darkness was no different from previous nights. But at this moment, an indescribable heavy haze was weighing on the city and everyone's heart. The calmer it is, the more unsettling it is. "After the calm, there will be a storm." Lin Yan suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes sparkling. He swept his long sword, revealing its sharp edge. The knife light appeared in the darkness. When night falls, evil spirits run rampant! Within three hundred and sixty steps, I will use the knife in my hand to make this night as bright as day! "coming!" - "The altar in the inner city has been opened, and the twelve temple priests have come on stage together."

Commander-in-chief Zhaozhou spoke slowly with a heavy tone. Although he is old, he still looks fierce and powerful with a long spear in hand. The armor on his body has left many marks after many years. There are many obvious claw marks on the helmet, shoulder pads, breastplate, back armor and other places. Especially on the carapace, there is a long and thin knife mark, and although it has been repaired, the mark can still be seen. And this set of armor is filled with the rich aroma of incense. For decades, every three months, he would send this set of armor to the Liu Zun Temple and offer it for three days. In order to absorb the power of Liu Zun, it would prevent wandering spirits and evil spirits from approaching him. Holding a halberd, he climbed to the top of the city wall himself and looked straight into the darkness ahead. Behind him were six personal soldiers, all archers, scattered on the left and right. "You only shoot the demons in the sky, don't miss a single one!" Zhaozhou spoke slowly and solemnly, "Although I am old, I can still wield my magic weapon! I am confident that I can make it move about 600 steps. Anyone who climbs to the top of the city will not be able to surpass the sharp edge of my halberd!" His eyes were filled with a fiery sharpness. He seemed to no longer be an old man, but had returned to thirty years ago, when he was at the peak of his career and full of vigor and vitality. He originally had more than a hundred personal soldiers, but in order to reduce the pressure from all sides, they had all dispersed, leaving only these six young archers. Firstly, they can serve as an assist, and secondly, I also want to train a few more elite soldiers to defend the city before I get old. "Still old." "Back then, I only needed one elite soldier with a bow to help me defend the city for 600 steps." Zhaozhou still felt a little emotional, but when he thought about it, his heart sank even more. "But the new flag bearer is still young and has little cultivation, but he has to guard 360 steps alone." “Perhaps the Wai Nan Si gave him some confidence, but the city defense cannot be left to chance. If something goes wrong, it will harm the people in the city.” Thinking of this, he turned his head and asked, "Zhao Jing followed my order to select 20 people to assist Wuchang Flag Bearer. Has he set out yet?" "We set out half a quarter of an hour ago. Logically, we should be arriving soon." A young soldier said this in a serious tone. "That's good. Zhao Jing's ability is outstanding among the younger generation. I think he can hold on." As the voice fell, Zhaozhou's eyes suddenly lit up and murderous intent flashed in his eyes. The long spear was swung suddenly, and a faint light appeared, and it split in an instant. But not far away, it re-condensed. But as if she was captivated by his murderous intent, she actually fled into the darkness. "This is a wandering ghost, good at invading people's minds and harming their souls."

"But it has no shape, and ordinary swords and sharp blades cannot hurt it. It is very difficult for warriors to deal with it." "But my magic weapon, blessed by the energy of Master Liu and stained with incense ash, can severely injure the wandering evil spirits!" Before Zhaozhou finished speaking, he saw a black shadow appear under the willow branches and night lights twenty steps away on the left. Originally, he jumped onto the top of the city wall at a very fast speed, but under the light of the willow branch night lamp, he couldn't help but feel fear, so his movements slowed down and he was delayed. Zhaozhou's face became solemn. He stepped forward and moved twenty steps to the left. He swung his halberd and cut a wild fox into two pieces. "This is a demon that has become a spirit. Although it is powerful, it is still a flesh and blood body and can be killed by weapons!" "The wild fox itself is not very powerful. It is only after it becomes a spirit and a demon that it is able to transform and become far superior to its peers." "But due to the limitations of the physical body of the innate race, it is roughly equivalent to the peak of the second level of martial arts, marrow cleansing!" "Many demons in the mountains and forests are even hunted and killed by tigers, leopards and wolves that have not yet awakened their spirits. This is because these beasts are naturally strong!" "For example, a tiger, once it reaches adulthood, can be comparable to a human warrior at the peak of his inner strength. If it can awaken its spirit and become a spirit, turning into a demon tiger, it can be comparable to a great figure at the Refining Essence Realm." "However, for monsters of this level, the altar in the inner city will offer some incense to appease them." "So the roaming monsters we deal with usually don't exceed this level." Following the sound, Zhaozhou took another step. After only three steps, he was more than ten feet away. His long spear fell down and cut away a cloud of water vapor. "This is also a type of wandering monster, generated by strange air in the water. It is relatively rare." He looked in other directions and said in a low voice, "In the darkness, there are countless evil spirits and monsters... If there were no willow branches to light the night lamp to deter, if there were no incense and candles in the Liuzun Temple, and if there were no incense ash to restrain, even if I was at my peak, I would inevitably die of exhaustion!" He has reached the peak of his internal strength, and although his energy and blood have declined due to his old age, his cultivation is still impressive after all. However, those in other defensive positions are often just soldiers with a basic knowledge of martial arts, and the leaders are mostly those who have reached the first level of martial arts. Those who are slightly more advanced have tempered the four levels of skin, flesh, tendons and bones, and reached the great success level of the first level. Those who are slightly worse off are just at the beginning of leather refining. "We hope that the altar in the inner city will be completed as soon as possible, otherwise there will be many casualties tonight." "But what I am most worried about is the new flag bearer." Having said this, the great commander of Zhaozhou reached into his bosom and took out the Haoyang Talisman that had been sent back. He swung the halberd seemingly easily, but his breathing had become heavy. He handed the talisman paper forward and used the flame of the willow branch as a night lamp to burn the talisman. When the six archers saw this, their expressions changed slightly. This meant that the commander-in-chief had lost too much energy and blood, and had to use the Haoyang Talisman to increase his Yang energy and stimulate his blood. For the elderly, although this talisman is very effective, it will inevitably shorten their lifespan. The commander-in-chief, who was at the peak of his internal strength, felt exhausted even after guarding the 600-step city wall.

That Wuchang flag bearer, who was guarding 360 steps, should have died of exhaustion by now? "Don't be distracted, there are evil birds in the sky!" Zhaozhou stepped on the ground and a stick of incense was kicked up into the sky, illuminating the darkness and revealing a huge eagle. Following that, three arrows covered in incense ash pierced the eagle's belly! "Your archery skills are good, but your coordination is not good. You need to practice more!" "Three arrows, one eagle. You are the worst of all the soldiers I have ever led." "What I demonstrated to you earlier was the most direct way to deal with the enemy. From now on, it's time to save some energy." "Otherwise, you won't make it through the second half of the night." The commander-in-chief of Zhaozhou felt helpless when he heard this. After all, when leading new recruits in the first battle, one must establish his authority and show off one's abilities as an old man in order to suppress the arrogance of the youngsters. But now that you have established your authority, you should save yourself some energy. His energy and blood returned to their peak, but he began to restrain his power. In the darkness, in the eyes of countless evil spirits, he gradually turned into a blood food that was not powerful but more delicious than ordinary people! Luring the evil spirits here so that they don't have to run back and forth is a relatively labor-saving way. But it is also relatively dangerous for oneself. (End of this chapter)