206: Exorcising demons

Li Pingan did not land directly on the battlefield below; instead, he landed behind a craggy rock, his eyes like torches as he took in the entire situation.

Ye Hao followed closely behind, quietly staying by his side.

Two flashes of spiritual light collided violently in the field, sending gravel flying like rain.

One side consisted of six Cultivators dressed in uniform green robes, formed into an orderly offensive and defensive Formation. Their sword light was as sharp as frost, and the ripples of Spiritual Qi around them were of the same origin and rhythm, clearly indicating they were from the same Sect.

The other side was two Cultivators in hemp clothes whose cultivation base had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. Although their Realm was slightly superior, they did not seem skilled in combat, their Moves scattered, and the two sides had fallen into a stalemate.

"Fellow Daoists, do not be so aggressive!"

The leader in green robes blocked a palm wind and said in a heavy voice,

"The Suifeng Ridge Yao Race has been entrenched for a long time. If they are not eliminated, the nearby commoners will not have peace for a single day. You two should prioritize the bigger picture!"

"Bullshit!"

The Cultivator in hemp spat out some bloody phlegm and cursed,

"If you want to exterminate demons, then exterminate them. What kind of skill is it to kidnap my younger sister to use as bait? I only want to take them away; I won't interfere with your actions at all!"

"Demonic Beasts are exceptionally cunning. They cannot be lured out without using a living person as bait!"

The green-robed Cultivator's gaze sharpened, his longsword pointing directly at the other party. "You Rogue Cultivators, how dare you continue to obstruct the Lingyun Sect's official demon-extermination business?"

"Then don't blame us for being impolite."

Before the words had even faded, two flashes of spiritual light collided violently again, sending airwaves sweeping in all directions.

After watching for a while, Ye Hao and the other had a general understanding of the situation.

This group of green-robed Cultivators had captured three young girls to use as demon-extermination bait, but they happened to run into the older brother of one of them.

The two Cultivators in hemp were trying to save their sister, leading to an endless dispute that finally turned into a fight.

"Junior Brother, I'm going to save them."

Li Pingan said in a low voice. Before his words finished, his figure swept like a bolt of lightning toward the three young girls tied up with thick hemp ropes.

Almost simultaneously, Ye Hao's figure flashed as he stepped directly into the chaotic battlefield.

Several attacks wrapped in sharp Spiritual Qi headed straight for him, but he ignored them, his expression indifferent.

"Fellow Daoists, could you give me some face and stop here?"

The moment the words fell, a majestic wave of Spiritual Qi suddenly erupted with Ye Hao as the center, sweeping across the field like an invisible giant wave.

Both sides of the battle were stunned, their movements freezing in place as they looked in astonishment at this young man who had suddenly intruded.

The faces of the six in green robes changed instantly.

That Spiritual Qi fluctuation was unfathomable, far exceeding the Realms they knew. It was definitely not something Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment could reach, making them feel a sense of awe as if looking up at a high mountain.

The two Cultivators in hemp also glanced at each other, their eyes full of suspicion and surprise. They subconsciously stopped and stared warily at Ye Hao.

"Disciples of the Suoyun Sect greet the Senior!"

The six green-robed men reacted very quickly, immediately sheathing their swords and bowing with cupped fists in unison. Their attitude was incredibly respectful, not daring to show the slightest negligence.

This was the benefit of having a Sect; when meeting an unknown expert, reporting one's Sect first served as both a deterrent and a sign of respect.

The two Rogue Cultivators in hemp could only remain unresponsive!

They prayed in their hearts that this person was not acquainted with the Suoyun Sect.

Of course, if the gap between the two sides was too large, it wouldn't matter.

Like right now!

Ye Hao had never heard of any Suoyun Sect, and even if he had, he wouldn't have taken it seriously.

His gaze swept over the six people. "What did you mean by exterminating demons earlier?"

The leading man in green robes paused, took a deep breath, and bowed as he replied:

"In response to Senior, some time ago, a member of the Yao Race occupied Suifeng Ridge, causing many casualties among the nearby villagers. The Sect sent us down the mountain to exterminate the demon."

"So, you kidnapped three young girls to use as bait?" Li Pingan interjected from the side.

"This..."

The green-robed man secretly peeked at Ye Hao, trying to gauge his attitude.

But Ye Hao's expression was calm, showing neither displeasure nor any sign of approval.

He had to brace himself and explain, "In response to Senior, the Yao Race at Suifeng Ridge is only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. We Juniors would certainly not have let the girls get hurt."

"What if they did get hurt?" Li Pingan pressed on.

They were just three mortal girls; if they died, they died. As long as the Sect's demon-extermination mission was successfully completed, who would care about such trifles?

Although he thought this in his mind, the green-robed man did not dare to say it.

These two experts who had suddenly appeared clearly did not agree with that line of reasoning.

He hurriedly bowed: "It was this Junior's lack of consideration!"

Ye Hao looked at the green-robed man bowing and admitting his mistake; he was truly clever.

He turned to look at Li Pingan:

"Senior Brother, what do you think?"

Li Pingan pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the three girls who were still in shock.

"Take us to Suifeng Ridge."

Since they had encountered the Yao Race committing evil, there was no reason to let it go.

Hearing this, the green-robed man felt as if he had been granted a great pardon, and a fawning smile immediately appeared on his face:

"It is this Junior's honor to lead the way for Senior!"

At this time, the Cultivator in hemp stepped forward and cupped his fists. "I am Wang Wu. Thank you, Senior, for your help in rescuing my younger sister."

Ye Hao waved his hand: "It was just a small effort, don't take it to heart."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Wu spat out a large mouthful of blood with a "pu" sound. His body swayed, and his aura instantly withered.

"Brother!" A young girl wearing a tattered hemp dress immediately rushed forward, supporting him with a face full of anxiety.

"What happened?"

Li Pingan frowned and asked in a deep voice.

The green-robed man from the Suoyun Sect was instantly startled.

Are you serious?

During the fight just now, we didn't even touch you.

You're pulling this trick now that the two Seniors are here?

"It has nothing to do with this Junior!"

The green-robed man's face turned pale with fear, and he hurriedly defended himself, terrified of incurring the mysterious Senior's wrath.

The other Cultivator in hemp beside Wang Wu also began to cough violently. His chest heaved, and his aura was as weak as a candle in the wind, exuding a sense of decay as if his oil had run dry.

Ye Hao narrowed his eyes slightly, a very faint strand of Spiritual Qi condensing on his fingertip.

While watching the battle earlier, he had noticed that their Spiritual Qi fluctuations were different from normal people. Now he suddenly realized: "Innate Spiritual Qi... it's a backlash of Innate Spiritual Qi!"

His sharp gaze swept over the two of them: "Did you Cultivate an evil technique, forcibly squeezing your own essence and blood to raise your Realm?"

Back at the Sect, his Eldest Senior Sister had mentioned the matters of the Qinglan Sect in Biyun City, where Cultivators took this shortcut and ended up with their essence and blood exhausted. He hadn't expected to encounter it himself today.

A trace of bitterness appeared on Wang Wu's face, and another bit of bloody phlegm leaked from the corner of his mouth:

"It seems that indeed, not everyone has the talent for immortal cultivation..."

"Brother! What exactly is going on? Don't scare me!"

The girl in the tattered hemp dress beside him was in tears, her youthful face filled with fear and anxiety as she clutched his sleeve tightly.

Ye Hao sighed softly, his tone full of regret.

"The previous fight has already made your already depleted body even worse. Now, you don't have much Lifespan left."

Wang Wu coughed with difficulty, but his eyes were exceptionally firm:

"If it weren't for forcibly raising my cultivation base with this Cultivation Technique, this Junior wouldn't have been able to hold out until Senior arrived to save us.

My younger sister would have likely been used as bait by these people long ago and ended up in the belly of a demon."

The green-robed man's face turned ashen, left speechless by these words.

Recalling the majestic Spiritual Qi Ye Hao had emitted earlier, how could the six from the Suoyun Sect dare to have any arrogance left? They could only bow and apologize:

"Fellow Daoist, it was our lack of consideration and reckless actions. We apologize to you!"

"We were also in a hurry to exterminate the demon and were momentarily confused. We hope Fellow Daoist can forgive us!"

Several people chimed in one after another, their attitude respectful to the extreme.

Ye Hao sighed softly as he watched this scene.

Whether in this vast Profound Realm or the former Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven, those who suffered the most were always the commoners at the bottom and the nameless Cultivators.

Even if there hadn't been a fight today, Wang Wu and the other had relied on an evil technique to squeeze their Qi and blood to forcibly Cultivate. Their bodies' foundations had long since been hollowed out.

With their eighth-level Qi Refining Realm, their Lifespan likely only had two or three years left.

Li Pingan did not want to dwell too much on this matter, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Lead the way. Let's go exterminate the demon."