55: Encountering Qingyun Sect disciples in a deserted village, a hunting moment begins.

Xuan Yin Mountain Range, southeast of the Xuan Yin Inn, a deserted village.

There was no Sect station here, nor did any Sect dare to establish one. There were only layers of Formation Restrictions around the periphery of the distant mountains.

These Formation Restrictions only worked against Evil Spirits above the Third Realm; they had no suppressing effect whatsoever on those below the Second Realm.

Jiang Yan casually found a courtyard that was more or less habitable and had Fang Wanrou tidy it up. Meanwhile, he personally inscribed a set of Suppressing Talismans around the perimeter to prevent Evil Spirits from invading the small courtyard when he went out at night.

When Fang Wanrou finished cleaning the house and walked out, she happened to see Jiang Yan entering the courtyard carrying two intact window frames.

“Senior Brother Su, what are you doing with those?” Fang Wanrou asked, puzzled.

“When it gets dark here, White Shadow Demons will appear. Those things can't pass through walls or travel underground, and they don't know how to smash windows or break down doors. As long as it's a complete room, they can't get in—but the premise is that no sound can be made inside the room,” Jiang Yan explained.

Hearing Jiang Yan's explanation, Fang Wanrou was somewhat shocked. “Senior Brother Su, you really know a lot.”

“Remember, when I go out at night, do not come out at all. Even if you hear my voice outside asking you to open the door, you must pretend you can't hear it!” Jiang Yan warned.

“What if the door is pushed open by an Evil Spirit?” Fang Wanrou asked.

“Don't worry, as long as you don't open it, the Evil Spirits cannot destroy this door,” Jiang Yan said as he installed the new windows.

Originally, he had wanted to seal the windows with stones, but he felt that was inappropriate. Moreover, since he had already inscribed Suppressing Talismans outside the courtyard, keeping two windows would be quite convenient for escaping if necessary.

He wasn't worried about the White Shadow Demons breaking the windows, but he was concerned about Wraiths and Zombies working together, so he had to be fully prepared regarding safety.

As the windows were installed with a tight fit, he quietly pressed a Suppressing Talisman beneath them.

“Go inside and rest. I'll call you when night falls,” Jiang Yan said.

“Yes, Senior Brother Su.” Fang Wanrou nodded and turned to walk into the house.

After Fang Wanrou entered, Jiang Yan immediately took out his spirit pen and quickly drew a Gravity Talisman and an Expulsion Talisman on the door.

After walking around the house and finding no issues, he finally left the small courtyard.

It was just noon, and there was still some time before dark, so Jiang Yan planned to explore this deserted village.

The village wasn't large, with roughly eighty to ninety households.

Jiang Yan removed some intact windows and door panels, preparing to replace them at any time. After all, no one knew if Wraiths or Zombies would appear, so he had to be as prepared as possible.

Just as he entered a large residence, a "thud-thud" sound came from an intact room.

“Who is it?” Jiang Yan looked toward the room alertly.

“Brother, don't misunderstand.” A Cultivator wearing a cyan-blue robe walked out quickly, followed by four others dressed in the same attire.

Upon seeing the cloud pattern insignia on their cuffs, his expression became a bit dazed.

“Qingyun Sect Disciples?” Jiang Yan asked.

“Brother, you recognize my Qingyun Sect?” The blue-robed Cultivator looked puzzled.

Jiang Yan ignored the other's expression and asked directly, “Are you Top 100 Outer Sect Disciples of the Qingyun Sect?”

Hearing Jiang Yan's words, the blue-robed Cultivator's expression became solemn.

One must know that very few Sects knew about the Top 100 Outer Sect Disciples of the Qingyun Sect. Most people thought the Qingyun Sect only had a division between inner and outer Sects, completely overlooking the existence of the Top 100 Outer Sect.

“Who are you?” At this moment, a clear-looking woman stepped forward and asked.

“Can't you see the clothing on my body?” Jiang Yan replied with a smile.

“Junior Sister, step back. He is a Blood Cloud Sect Disciple,” the blue-robed Cultivator warned.

Upon hearing this, the woman immediately retreated several steps.

Immortal Sect Disciples like them had a lot of experience in the world, and everyone knew very well that one could provoke anyone except a Blood Cloud Sect Disciple—unless you could suppress them. Otherwise, stay as far away as possible!

Even when facing Disciples of the three major Sects, at most they would bicker or trade blows; if you lost, you could just admit defeat, and at least no one would actually be killed. But Blood Cloud Sect Disciples were different; they wouldn't argue with you, they would only find ways to kill you.

“I am Su Chen, a Disciple of the Blood Heavy Peak of the Blood Cloud Sect.” Jiang Yan smiled and cupped his fists.

The blue-robed Cultivator did not relax his guard but introduced himself nonetheless: “I am Su Litian, indeed a Top 100 Outer Sect Disciple of the Qingyun Sect. I just don't know how Fellow Daoist Su knew?”

After getting a definitive answer, Jiang Yan wasn't in a hurry to reply. Instead, he looked at the four people behind Su Litian.

“Aren't you going to introduce yourselves?”

Seeing Jiang Yan's playful expression, Su Litian knew that if they didn't go along with him, no one would likely benefit today.

“Junior Brothers, Junior Sister, please introduce yourselves,” Su Litian commanded.

“I am Yang Yuhong.” The white-robed man cupped his fists in greeting.

“I am Zhou Junxiao.” Another white-robed man cupped his fists.

“I am Zhang Fenghua.” The woman from before bowed.

“I am Chen Tian.” A slightly younger male Disciple cupped his fists.

Jiang Yan nodded slightly. “My Junior Sister and I are staying at the east end of the village. If you need anything, you can find me.”

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Su.” Su Litian cupped his fists, but his vigilance did not slacken.

Jiang Yan also knew why Su Litian and the others were so wary; after all, his current identity was that of a sinister Blood Cloud Sect Disciple.

However, he didn't care at all. Meeting Qingyun Sect Disciples here was quite a coincidence!

“The Qingyun Sect is ten thousand miles away. I wonder what Brother Su is here for?” Jiang Yan asked.

It was impossible for Qingyun Sect Disciples to receive a mission in this area, so the appearance of Su Litian and the others was very subtle.

“To be honest, Fellow Daoist Su, we received a Sect mission to investigate the Xuan Yin Mountain Range,” Su Litian answered.

‘What a load of bull,’ Jiang Yan mentally complained.

But if the other party didn't want to tell the truth, so be it. As long as they didn't disturb him, everything would be fine.

“Since Brother Su is on a Sect mission, I won't disturb you further. Farewell.”

After Jiang Yan spoke, his figure flickered and instantly vanished before the five of them.

“Blood Shadow Ghost Evasion!”

Su Litian was shocked, and cold sweat unconsciously rolled down his forehead.

“Senior Brother Su, is this person very strong?” Zhang Fenghua asked.

“Stronger than me!” Su Litian said. “Be careful, do not provoke him under any circumstances.”

Hearing Su Litian's words, Yang Yuhong and the other four were filled with shock.

One must know that Su Litian was ranked twenty-seventh among the Top 100 Outer Sect Disciples. To be stronger than him—just how terrifying was that?

“As expected, the rumors are true. You can't afford to mess with any Blood Cloud Sect Disciple allowed to wander outside,” Zhou Junxiao remarked with emotion.

“Alright, let's hurry with our training so we can pass the inner Sect selection,” Su Litian said, turning around.

Hiding not far away, Jiang Yan understood what was going after hearing Su Litian's words.

The Qingyun Sect's inner Sect selection required one to independently eliminate a Second Realm Evil Spirit.

To travel so far, they were likely looking for Evil Spirits to practice on.

The Qingyun Sect's geographical location was exceptionally good, extremely far from dangerous lands.

Take Jiang Yan's former village, for example; it was just a small hill extending from the Xuan Yin Mountain Range. While it was said to belong to the range, it was over a hundred miles away and had almost nothing to do with it, though topographically it was considered part of it.

When Jiang Yan was taken to the Qingyun Sect, he had gone by flying boat. Based on his feeling, it was at least a thousand miles away.

What puzzled Jiang Yan, however, was why this group of people insisted on coming so far.

Could they not find Evil Spirits to practice on back in the southwest?

Setting aside his messy thoughts, Jiang Yan quickly returned to the farmhouse. After all, these weren't things for a Disciple like him to consider.

As the sun set behind the western mountains, several white figures slowly appeared on the outskirts of the Xuan Yin Mountain Range.

They were like drunkards, approaching the village in a blurred, overlapping fashion.

Then, hundreds more white figures emerged, like a marching army.

The daylight gradually faded, and the speed of the white figures increased. When night fell completely, those white shadows that had seemed like drunkards suddenly seemed to sober up, instantly shifting into a state of frenzied violent movement.

Jiang Yan stood on the roof, gazing at the approaching horde of White Shadow Demons.

‘This number... there are at least a hundred. I hope tonight is a good start.’

He landed softly on the ground and knocked on the door: “Junior Sister, it's dark. The White Shadow Demons are coming. Remember my instructions.”

“Please rest assured, Senior Brother Su. I will definitely not open the door.”

Hearing her reply, Jiang Yan nodded with satisfaction and immediately performed two hand seals.

Instantly, the door became as heavy as a thousand catties, and the two windows also emitted a faint golden light.