Inside, there must have been skilled practitioners from the Law Enforcent Hall, and they had interacted before, so how could they have easily fallen, it was simply unimaginable.
Seeing that the matter had been exposed, a trace of panic flashed in the Daoist’s eyes, and a small black bottle appeared in his hand from under the wide sleeve of his Daoist robe.
But before he had a chance to act, he scread and fell to the ground; it was Li Yan who had flicked his wrist and cut off his arm with a knife.
The Daoist’s one arm was broken, and the other arm was severed, completely depriving him of the ability to resist, his face ashen.
"Search, everyone put on the vinegar cloths!"
Without needing further instructions from Li Yan, Wu Dehai quickly gave the order, and the people of the Captain Bureau tightly covered their faces with vinegar cloths and rushed into the City God Temple.
Earlier, the City God Temple had released news that they had gone out to investigate and had accidentally contracted the plague, and now they were undergoing treatnt behind closed doors.
With the entrance being in such a state, no one was coming out, and everyone had already predicted this.
Indeed, as they charged into each side hall, they imdiately made a discovery.
On the beds lay many Daoists and novice monks, but they were already pale with death, their chests cut open, their internal organs removed, the stench of fresh blood assailing the nostrils.
The entire City God Temple no longer had any living people!
At this mont, a Deputy Magistrate from the governnt office had also arrived, and seeing the scene before him, his face turned deathly pale, "What, what is happening?"
Li Yan’s eyes were cold as he looked at the old Daoist before him, "Of course, it’s an inside traitor colluding with external bandits. The City God Temple was tampered with long ago. I sensed sothing was wrong as I approached."
Wu Dehai also frowned deeply, "Yu Chenzi Daoist, you are supposed to be a disciple of the orthodox sect, and soon to be a temple priest, why would you want to harm these disciples?"
The old Daoist’s face remained ashen, he sighed, and remained silent.
It looked like he wouldn’t confess anyti soon.
Li Yan could not afford to ask more, and he went straight to the main hall.
The City God is the guardian deity of the city, prominent in the national rites to the true gods, and also stationed with troops.
The enemy must have had a major conspiracy by capturing this place.
After entering the hall, Li Yan gasped even more.
He saw in the broad hall, an elder in Han Dynasty official attire was enshrined, holding a Vermilion Pen, wearing a high crown, with white hair and beard, and flanked by two military officers.
Xiangyang, always a renowned city since ancient tis, naturally had no ordinary City God; it was the famous early Han statesman, Xiao He.
Besides, on either side, stair-like wooden racks were filled with densely packed black soul jars, surrounded by oil lamps and plastered with Yellow Talismans.
But now, the City God and two divine statues’ eyes were wrapped with blood-stained talismans, and the rich scent of incense also took on a layer of bloodiness.
And on the altar, piles of internal organs were amassed.
"What kind of evil technique is this?"
Seeing this, Wu Dehai felt a chill on his scalp.
Li Yan, however, remained silent, pinching the spell and activating two Divine Skills simultaneously, various slls filled his nostrils, and many strange sounds were heard around his ears.
From the City God’s divine statue, ca a continuous angry voice, "Chi i Wang Liang, behead! Behead! Behead!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The two servant deities by the side, equally frenzied.
And there was a rustling sound persistently coming from the pile of bloody organs, with a sibilant tone, seemingly chanting so ancient spell.
Simultaneously, the Hook Paper also heated up.
In just an instant, Li Yan’s expression changed, and he shouted, "Everyone, leave the main hall imdiately!"
"Quick quick quick, retreat!"
Although Wu Dehai did not understand the reason, upon hearing Li Yan’s urgent voice, he knew sothing major had happened and quickly led everyone out.
At the sa ti, within the great hall, Li Yan imdiately took out the Hook Paper, pinched the spell, and loudly proclaid, "Heaven keeps the record, Earth keeps the contours, Yin Bureau commands the souls, living people, step back!"
Outside the hall, Lv San heard and hurriedly reprimanded, "Turn around, don’t look back if you don’t wish to die!"
The people of the Captain Bureau felt it was all very strange, but seeing Wu Dehai also nodding orders, they all turned around.
Soon, a horrifying sensation rose from their backs.
The entire City God Hall was plunged into complete darkness.
The rattling of chains, the sound of breaking jars and bottles, so kind of wild beast’s roar... all lded together.
Everyone listened with trepidation, none daring to look back.
After a long while, as the noise gradually faded, they heard Li Yan speak from inside the hall, "Alright, co in."
Wu Dehai sneakily turned his head, saw that nothing had occurred, and then led a few subordinates back into the City God Temple.
Inside, everything was in disarray. All the jars on the shelves were shattered, as if swept by a violent storm, even the towering columns were covered in claw marks.
"What... What happened?"
Wu Dehai swallowed and asked cautiously.
Li Yan casually picked up a stick and scraped aside the flesh and organs on the altar, revealing a small black divine statue inside.
The statue was of a middle-aged man with a white beard and black eyebrows, dressed in black, with bare feet showing a pair of enormous chicken claws. Previously wrapped by organs, it was sared with blood.
And on its chest and abdon, large cracks had appeared.
"This is a Demon God of the Ghost Sect!"
Li Yan looked around, his heart still pounding, "This thing, skilled in disguise, can steal incense. The Ghost Sect offers the internal organs of cultivators in their practices to corrupt the City God and control the local soldiers and horses."
"Once they succeed, Xiangyang City will fall!"
Just now, he had triggered another task from the Yin Bureau.
Previously in Wuchang City, when he had slain ’Lady Liu’, he learned about the true Demon God worshipped by the Ghost Sect.
Its na was Ran Tong, originally an Ancient Mountain God transford by an Ancient Witch, later becoming a Demon God and suppressed after the Battle of Sealing Gods.
This Demon God was extrely cunning, passing down the "Tongyou Longevity Technique" and capable of changing its identity, either claiming to be a True God or stealing incense by changing its identity.
The major ghosts worshipped by the Ghost Sect in various places, whether the "Raging Sentry God" in Ezhou or the "Twisting Stare God" in the forr Capital, were all its avatars.
This guy had escaped from the Yin Bureau with five strands of Demonic Qi. Back in Wuchang City, one was captured, and unexpectedly, another was hidden here.
"No wonder."
Wu Dehai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, "Using the plague to cut off the water supply to Xiangyang City, causing surrounding villages to fall into chaos, Baokang County’s garrison to co to aid, and Xiangyang’s local soldiers and horses to be mobilized... What a ticulous plan!"
They were all sharp-minded and imdiately understood the Ghost Sect’s arrangent.
Li Yan then looked towards the City God statue and shook his head, "The local soldiers and horses of Xiangyang City are already corrupted; once they erge, they will create havoc. They have been dealt with, but the City God is still lucid."
"Imdiately send a ssage to Wudang Mountain for reinforcents!"
"Right!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Dehai hurriedly went to make arrangents.
With such a major incident occurring, the high-ranking officials who had rushed over to lay bla imdiately dared not speak further, after giving instructions, they helped with the arrangents.
They all internally lanted; not only was there a plague, but such a major incident had occurred, they probably could not avoid the cri of negligence this ti.
Li Yan, however, could not bother with them, sighed lightly, and took out three sticks of incense to offer to the City God statue.
Inside the Hook Paper, a rich stream of Divine Astral from the Yin Bureau surged into his body.
His Daluo Dharma Body, originally filled with wounds and on the verge of collapse, was imdiately mostly repaired, and the length of the Soul Hook also increased significantly.
With such an incident, they naturally had to wait for the outco.
Li Yan and Lv San returned to the Captain Bureau to rest.
Subsequently, various reports ca in one after another.
The officer in charge of the garrison of Xiangyang, Zhou Qianhu, led his n to burst into those villages; the villagers, already bewitched by the demon, led by the monsters of the Heavenly Saint Sect, fiercely fought them wielding knives, spears, and clubs.
These villagers had all been infected with the plague, resembling walking corpses. Although the soldiers of the garrison managed to subdue the villages, several also contracted the disease...
In Nanzhang County, Chunqiu Fort, receiving so undisclosed information and realizing their exposure, directly took action, descending from the mountains to seize the county city.
Currently, the roads to Baokang County were already severed.
The only piece of good news was that they had located one of the sources of the plague, a resentful piece of Phoebe wood.
The Taixuan Orthodox Sect, which had rituals to eliminate the plague, now had this item; at least the plague within Xiangyang City could be resolved.
As evening approached, the reinforcents from Wudang Mountain finally arrived.
The incident at the City God Temple in Xiangyang City had clearly infuriated the officials from Zhenwu Palace, who directly sent nearly a hundred Daoists.
Leading them, strikingly, was Yu Longzi from the Five Dragons Palace, accompanied by the Five Dragon Sons...
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