Chapter 22: Death of the Eight Wolves, Panic Among the Evil Cultivators

“Why are you looking at this poor Taoist?”

“Your own matters should be resolved by yourselves. What does it have to do with me?”

Jiang Sheng’s expression remained unchanged; whether Tian Ming'an stayed or left truly did not matter to him.

If he stayed, it would merely mean one more person to talk and bring more life to this Taoist temple; if he left, Jiang Sheng would simply continue his solitary cultivation, as he was already accustomed to being alone.

Tian Guofu looked at Jiang Sheng, then at his own grandson kneeling on the ground, refusing to even lift his head, and finally let out a sigh. “They say children grow beyond their parents' control. Now that this grandson has his own ideas, what can a grandfather even say? If you can persuade your parents when you return, then everything shall be up to you.”

Tian Guofu cupped his hands toward Jiang Sheng, his face full of shame. “The Taoist makes me laugh.”

“It is no matter. However, the repairs to this temple will require Mayor Tian’s hard work,” Jiang Sheng said.

Tian Guofu hurriedly replied, “Rest assured, Taoist. We guarantee that we will restore the temple to its original state.”

Jiang Sheng nodded and turned to walk toward the front courtyard. “In that case, I shall leave the temple in Mayor Tian’s hands for the time being. This poor Taoist must visit the county magistrate's office.”

Upon reaching the front courtyard, the young men who were cleaning saw Jiang Sheng and immediately bowed. “Greetings, Taoist Jiang.”

Jiang Sheng gave a slight nod and waved his right hand. Spiritual power surged, and a gust of violent wind howled forth, blowing away the accumulated snow in the courtyard.

Only then did the young men see how fierce their "battlefield" had been.

Setting aside the traces of magical combat, the sight of the gruesome, severed segments of the giant snake body alone was enough to turn many of them pale, their legs trembling.

After all, it was a venomous snake that possessed the Purple Mansion realm after its fusion. Even though its thirty-zhang body lay shattered across the ground, it still carried a terrifying aura. Its hideous, frightening form, its hook-like scales, its sharp fangs, and a snake head large enough to swallow a mountain gate...

Though it was as dead as could be, the presence of such a behemoth still left these mortals without the slightest desire to resist.

Jiang Sheng glanced at the corpses of the Eight Wolves of East County. He first collected all the shattered remains of the magical artifact snake, then summoned the eight corpses to him, bound them with ropes condensed from his spiritual power, and leaped into the air, heading straight for the county town.

It took a long while for the young men to snap out of it. They gasped for breath, filled with lingering fear; some were still trembling uncontrollably.

“Taoist Jiang is truly a celestial being! Even such a terrifying demon beast was slain by him!”

“Indeed, indeed! That beast was as large as a small mountain, yet it still died under the Taoist's sword! Taoist Jiang truly deserves to be the number one man in Qingshan County!”

“Who could say otherwise? Even though that beast is dead and broken into so many pieces, it still makes my breath catch just looking at it. It shows how powerful it must have been while alive. To be able to slay such a beast, Taoist Jiang truly lives up to his reputation as a High Merit practitioner of Penglai!”

The young men discussed incessantly, as if trying to dispel the fear in their hearts. Who could have imagined that last night, Taoist Jiang had been engaged in a fierce battle with such a terrifying creature?

And those eight corpses clearly weren't good people either!

Does this mean Taoist Jiang fought eight evil cultivators and a terrifying demon beast all by himself?

Thinking back to that dragon's roar from last night, the young men's imaginations ran even wilder.

Before long, someone speculated that Jiang Sheng had summoned a Heavenly Dragon to exterminate the evil cultivators and the beast.

A moment later, the speculation evolved into Jiang Sheng transforming into a Heavenly Dragon to tear the beast apart.

It was only because Tian Guofu had brought Tian Ming'an back that the discussion was halted; otherwise, there was no telling how far the rumors would spread.

Meanwhile, Jiang Sheng carried the corpses of the Eight Wolves of East County, flying straight through Qingping Town toward the county town. Along the way, the people in several towns they passed saw a Taoist in green flying overhead, carrying a string of corpses.

At noon, the gates of Qingshan County were wide open, with guards checking the identities of everyone entering.

In recent days, evil cultivators had frequently caused trouble in the city, taking lives and causing widespread panic.

Although the cultivators sent by the County Magistrate to assist were helping with patrols, it was inevitable that some areas would be neglected.

Furthermore, some evil cultivators possessed high levels of skill and had even injured several rogue cultivators, leaving the local gentry and wealthy merchants trembling with fear.

Fortunately, Fairy Xu Xiao of the Moon-Embracing Sect, a famous sect in Qingzhou, had stepped in. After slaying a Foundation Establishment evil cultivator, she had intimidated the rest.

However, many were wondering: how much longer could Fairy Xu Xiao maintain this deterrence?

In reality, even Xu Xiao herself was feeling the pressure.

She had no idea how many evil cultivators had infiltrated Qingshan County. Even if she had killed one Foundation Establishment evil cultivator, heaven only knew how many more were hiding in the shadows.

One had to realize that in this county of a hundred thousand people, she was the only mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

At this thought, Xu Xiao felt a surge of irritation. Wenren Jie was gone, Qiao Xuan was gone, and even Young Master Kongxu was absent. As for that Penglai cultivator, Jiang Sheng, he was completely indifferent to the matter!

The safety of the entire city rested on her shoulders. Even with the help of a few other Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators, how much help could those with mediocre skills actually provide?

Currently, Qingshan County was rife with conflict and undercurrents. Without the help of her fellow disciples, how long could she hold out alone?

As Xu Xiao was worrying, she suddenly sensed a familiar ripple of spiritual power coming from outside the city.

At that moment, beneath the gates of Qingshan County, whether they were guards, merchants, commoners, gentry, or scholars, everyone looked up in astonishment. They watched as the green-robed Taoist flew toward Qingshan County, brazenly carrying eight corpses.

Jiang Sheng made no effort to hide his spiritual fluctuations. His spiritual aura was pure and vast; any cultivator could sense it, and anyone who looked up could see him flying through the sky.

Jiang Sheng flew directly above the county magistrate's office. By this time, Xu Xiao had already arrived at the office, accompanied by Zhang Qingyun and Zhang Qing.

Not just them—rogue cultivators scattered throughout the city also turned their gaze toward the magistrate's office. The hidden evil cultivators watched Jiang Sheng, who was recklessly releasing his aura, with heavy expressions.

“Taoist Jiang, you...” As soon as Xu Xiao spoke, she saw the eight corpses hanging from Jiang Sheng's hand.

Even though the corpses were ashen-grey from the wind and snow, and even though they had been drained of blood and essence to become mummified, she could still sense that these were the corpses of eight genuine Foundation Establishment cultivators!

Looking at their clothing and their faces, Xu Xiao's expression changed instantly. These appeared to be the corpses of those eight demons!

Could it be...

A terrifying thought flashed through Xu Xiao's mind, but she didn't dare confirm it. If Jiang Sheng had truly slain those eight demons, it would be too staggering.

Those were evil cultivators notorious throughout the entire Qingzhou!

With an indifferent expression, Jiang Sheng casually hung the eight corpses in front of the magistrate's office and then announced loudly: “This poor Taoist, Jiang Sheng, resides at the Qingxuan Temple on Qingping Mountain.”

Jiang Sheng's voice echoed over Qingshan County. Whether they were rogue cultivators or practitioners of the demonic path, everyone heard him clearly.

“Last night, these eight individuals entered the mountains amidst the snow, attempting to assassinate this poor Taoist!”

“They called themselves the Eight Wolves of East County. Not only did they disturb my solitary cultivation, but they also destroyed my temple!”

“You have seen the fate of these eight. Today, I hang their corpses before the magistrate's office to serve as a public warning!”

“I know there are many in this city harboring malicious intent, but I do not care about your motives, nor do I care what you intend to do.”

“I leave only one warning: anyone who dares to enter the mountains again to disturb my cultivation shall be slain!”

Jiang Sheng's final sentence carried a hint of sword intent.

That vast, grim killing intent caused many with impure hearts to break into a cold sweat and tremble.

As for the evil cultivators who were still dreaming of killing people to practice their arts, they were jolted by his words, as if a sharp sword had been pressed against their brows, making their hair stand on end.

With a single declaration, the entire city was shaken!

Xu Xiao hurriedly looked at the eight corpses hanging before the magistrate's office. After careful identification, she was filled with disbelief. “Hiss... it really is the Eight Wolves of East County!”

Zhang Qing asked in a low voice, “Were these eight very powerful?”

Xu Xiao explained, “The Eight Wolves of East County are evil cultivators notorious throughout all of Qingzhou. The eight brothers practice evil arts together; they have killed countless rogue cultivators and destroyed many cultivation families. Their evil deeds rank among the top five in Qingzhou!”

“Their most famous feat was the slaying of a true disciple from the Qingyun Sect. That fellow Taoist was a genuine prodigy of the Foundation Establishment realm, with his cultivation having reached the late stage, ready to open a Purple Mansion at any time. He had few rivals in all of Qingzhou.”

“Yet, the Eight Wolves of East County besieged and killed him, and even managed to escape from the hands of a Purple Mansion Elder of the Qingyun Sect.”

“It is said that each of the eight possesses a magical artifact. Once they unite, they can contend directly with a Purple Mansion cultivator!”

Hearing this, Zhang Qing couldn't help but click her tongue. “Taoist Jiang was able to slay all eight of them and appears to be completely unharmed. Does this mean Taoist Jiang possesses the strength of the Purple Mansion realm?!”

Looking up at the green-robed, jade-crowned, and handsome young Taoist in the sky, Xu Xiao suddenly felt a sense of self-reproach. “I pride myself on my intelligence, having reached Foundation Establishment at twenty and entered the service of a sect elder, making my name known in Qingzhou.”

“Even I thought myself extraordinary, with prospects for the Golden Core realm, destined to make a name for myself in the world.”

“But looking at it now, I was merely a frog in a well.”

“At the same level of cultivation, if I were to face the Eight Wolves of East County, I would have no chance of winning!”

“Yet Taoist Jiang not only fought and won, but remained unscathed. Such strength truly leaves one with no room for jealousy.”

As she spoke, Xu Xiao sighed, completely convinced. “Taoist Jiang truly lives up to his reputation as a High Merit practitioner of Penglai. Truly extraordinary!”