The Lin Residence.
After Lin An killed a vengeful spirit with a talisman in a single blow, a large number of other spirits came rushing in.
Lin An had only a few offensive talismans left, so he could use only defensive talismans to temporarily hold back their attacks.
However, each defensive talisman could last for only fifteen minutes.
The defensive talismans he had would last four hours at most.
That was not much time. He had no idea whether Zhang Fan could make it back in time.
“Master, are we going to die?”
The servants stared at the spirits crashing against the protective barrier, their eyes filled with worry and fear.
The others were in much the same state.
Everyone looked at Lin An expectantly, hoping to hear some good news from him.
“No.”
“I’ve already sent a message to the Azure Profound Sect. Someone will come to rescue us soon.”
Lin An had no idea whether they could hold out, but he had to give these people some hope.
Time passed second by second.
Every fifteen minutes, Lin An would tear apart another defensive talisman.
The underground chamber was relatively safe for the time being, but the screams throughout the city had gradually faded away. By now, it was rare to hear any movement outside.
That was not a good sign.
Lin An’s expression was grave. He did not know how powerful that demonic cultivator was, but since he had already made his move, he probably did not intend to leave any survivors.
Now that the other places had been dealt with, they might be next.
Just as Lin An was worrying about this, a violent force of darkness suddenly descended from the sky and smashed into the Lin Residence.
In the next instant, the entire Lin Residence was flattened, leaving behind a huge crater.
At the bottom of the crater stood the protective barrier Lin An had raised, with the members of the Lin family inside it.
“I was wondering what kind of powerful cultivator you were. It turns out you’re relying entirely on talismans.”
The demonic cultivator slowly emerged from the black mist, staring at Lin An and the others with a sinister laugh.
“A mortal who possesses so many talismans must have a powerful cultivator backing him.”
“If that’s the case, then all of you must die here today.”
He had no intention of attracting the attention of some powerful cultivator. As long as he wiped them all out, no one would know that he had killed Lin An.
The servants of the Lin Residence stared at the frightening figure in the sky and began screaming in terror.
Lin An stared solemnly at the demonic cultivator overhead, several offensive talismans clenched tightly in his hand.
Zhang Fan had told him that these offensive talismans posed a threat even to Foundation Establishment cultivators. If he caught the enemy off guard, he might be able to injure the demonic cultivator in the sky.
Just as he was studying his opponent and waiting for the right moment to attack, the demonic cultivator raised his hand and summoned a huge banner wreathed in black qi.
“Mortals, all of you will enter my Ten-Thousand Souls Banner and become its nourishment!”
The demonic cultivator let out a loud laugh before activating the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner and releasing a large number of powerful vengeful spirits. They surged toward Lin An and the others like a tidal wave.
The spirits instantly engulfed the protective barrier, but because they were not strong enough, they could not break through it right away.
However, their constant collisions meant that the barrier, which could normally last fifteen minutes, would now hold for only a few minutes at most.
Once all the defensive talismans were used up, death would be close at hand.
“We can only risk it.”
Lin An took a deep breath. Through the gaps between the spirits, his gaze locked onto the demonic cultivator in the sky.
Then he decisively tore apart all the offensive talismans in his hand.
In the next instant, four or five bolts of lightning suddenly descended from the sky and struck the demonic cultivator.
“Ah!”
The demonic cultivator let out a miserable scream as his body fell stiffly from the sky.
“It worked!”
Joy appeared on Lin An’s face.
But in the next moment, the demonic cultivator stabilized himself in midair and glared at Lin An with bloodshot eyes.
If he had not sacrificed a large number of spirits to neutralize most of the lightning’s power, he might truly have been caught off guard and suffered a disastrous defeat.
Even so, he had still sustained serious injuries and needed to find a quiet place to recover as quickly as possible.
“Looks like I have to finish this quickly.”
“Now, all of you can die!”
A vicious look flashed through his eyes. He then began burning the low-level spirits within the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner with all his strength, preparing to unleash his full-powered attack.
Once this attack landed, the protective barrier and everyone inside it would be devoured in an instant.
“Ten Thousand Miles of Ice, break!”
At this critical moment, a soft shout rang out from beyond the black mist.
In the next instant, the black mist filling the sky froze over before shattering and dispersing piece by piece.
Yanan City once again welcomed the light. Yet beneath that light lay bloodstained ground and countless bones.
“Who are you? How dare you break my formation!”
The demonic cultivator’s eyes flashed with fury.
“You attempted to sacrifice an entire city in blood to help yourself break through your realm. You deserve to die.”
Li Yao slowly descended from the sky, looking at the demonic cultivator as if she were looking at a dead man.
“You’re… Fairy Xueyao of the Azure Profound Sect!”
When the demonic cultivator saw Li Yao’s face clearly, astonishment first appeared in his eyes, followed by panic.
Over the past three years, Li Yao had made quite a name for herself.
More importantly, Li Yao had already reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, while he was only at the peak of Qi Refining. The difference in strength between them was overwhelming.
And he was seriously injured on top of that.
“Run!”
There was only one thought in the demonic cultivator’s mind. In the next moment, his body transformed into black mist and fled into the distance at full speed.
“You think you can escape?”
Li Yao coldly waved her hand, sending countless ice crystals flying toward the demonic cultivator.
He had flown only a dozen meters before being engulfed by the countless ice crystals. In the end, he could utter only one miserable scream.
“Hmph. Since you’ve come here, you can all stay.”
After killing the demonic cultivator, Li Yao snorted coldly and sent a large number of ice crystals shooting toward two different directions.
Two screams rang out at the same time. The demonic cultivator’s accomplices, who had been hiding in the shadows, were killed by Li Yao as well.
At last, the incident was over.
Li Yao lowered her head and looked at the corpses covering the city, letting out a faint sigh. Yet her emotions remained completely undisturbed.
After entering the cultivation world, she had seen too many scenes like this. Over time, she had gradually grown used to them.
She slowly descended from the sky and landed in front of Lin An and the others.
With the demonic cultivator’s death, the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner lost control, and all the vengeful spirits dissipated as well.
“Father, Mother, are you all right?”
Li Yao carefully examined Lin An and her mother.
“We’re fine. But if you had arrived even a little later, you might never have seen us again.”
Lin An wiped the sweat from his forehead.
That had truly been a close call.
This world was simply too dangerous. Even a major city like Yanan City could be attacked by a demonic cultivator.
Sure enough, one had to possess strength of one’s own.
However, the system required an invested target to die before he could receive the returns from his investment.
Zhang Fan and Li Yao had no idea when they would die, and Foundation Establishment cultivators had a lifespan of two hundred years.
In other words, he might have to wait another two hundred years.
That was not something he wanted to see.
After what had happened today, he felt that he needed to increase his strength as quickly as possible.
“I’m fine, but the Lin Residence… Ah.”
Li Yao’s mother shook her head helplessly.
The entire Lin Residence had been flattened, and Yanan City had now become a living hell. They probably would not be able to stay here in the future.
Who knew what the future held for them?
“The Lin Residence can be rebuilt. As long as everyone is safe, that’s what matters.”
Li Yao softly comforted her mother.