Chapter Twenty-Two: An Example Made of the Weak, the Evil Cultivator Trembles

"Why do you look at me, Daoist?"

"Your family affairs should be resolved by your own family. What does it have to do with me?"

Jiang Sheng’s expression remained unchanged. Whether Tian Ming'an stayed or not was truly of no consequence to him. If he stayed, it would simply mean one more person to talk to, bringing a bit more life to the temple; if he left, Jiang Sheng would simply return to his solitary cultivation, as he was accustomed to being alone anyway.

Tian Guofu looked at Jiang Sheng, then at his grandson, who remained kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, and finally sighed. "They say a child grows beyond their mother’s reach. If a grandson has his own mind, what can a grandfather say? If you can convince your parents when you go back, then everything is up to you."

Tian Guofu bowed to Jiang Sheng, his face filled with shame. "I hope you will forgive this, Daoist."

"It is of no concern. However, the repairs for this temple will require your diligence, Mayor Tian," Jiang Sheng said.

Tian Guofu quickly replied, "Do not worry, Daoist. We guarantee we will restore the temple to its original state."

Jiang Sheng nodded and turned toward the front courtyard. "In that case, I shall leave the temple in your care for the time being. I have business at the county magistrate's office."

Upon reaching the front courtyard, the young men who were cleaning up bowed immediately upon seeing him. "Greetings, Daoist Jiang."

Jiang Sheng nodded slightly, flicking his right hand. A surge of spiritual energy erupted, and a sudden, howling gale swept through, blowing away the accumulated snow across the entire courtyard.

Only then did the young men see how intense the battle had been.

Setting aside the traces of magical combat, the mere sight of the mangled, shattered body of the giant snake left many of the young men pale and trembling. After all, this was a venomous snake that had reached the Zifu realm upon merging; even in pieces, its thirty-zhang-long body still exuded a terrifying aura. Its monstrous form, hook-like scales, sharp fangs, and a head that could swallow a temple gate whole...

Though it was dead beyond any doubt, the sheer scale of the behemoth made these mortals feel incapable of even the slightest thought of resistance.

Jiang Sheng glanced at the corpses of the Eight Wolves of Dongjun. First, he gathered the shattered remains of the venomous snake—his magical weapon—and then he levitated the eight corpses, binding them with ropes woven from magical energy. With a leap, he soared out of the mountains and headed straight for the county town.

After a long while, the young men finally regained their senses, gasping for air in lingering fear, some still trembling.

"Daoist Jiang is truly a divine being! Such a terrifying demonic beast, and he slew it!"

"Indeed, indeed! That beast was the size of a small hill, yet it died under the Daoist's sword! Daoist Jiang is truly worthy of being the number one person in Qingshan County!"

"Who could say otherwise? Even dead, shattered into so many pieces, that beast still made me gasp for air. One can only imagine how powerful it was when alive. To be able to slay such a beast, Daoist Jiang is truly a high adept from Penglai!"

The men kept talking, as if trying to dispel the fear in their own hearts. Who could have imagined that Daoist Jiang had been battling such a terrifying creature last night? And those eight corpses—they were clearly no good men either! Did that not mean Daoist Jiang had fought eight evil cultivators and a fearsome beast all by himself?

Thinking back to the dragon's roar from the previous night, their imaginations ran wild. Before long, some speculated that Jiang Sheng had summoned a heavenly dragon to destroy the evil cultivators and the beast. Moments later, the rumor shifted, transforming into the belief that Jiang Sheng had turned into a heavenly dragon and torn the beast apart with his own hands.

It was only when Tian Guofu returned with Tian Ming'an that the discussions were halted; otherwise, there was no telling what kind of stories would have spread.

Meanwhile, Jiang Sheng was flying past Qingping Town, dragging the corpses of the Eight Wolves of Dongjun directly toward the county seat. People in the several towns along the way looked up to see a Daoist in green robes soaring through the sky, carrying a string of corpses behind him.

At noon, the gates of Qingshan County were wide open, with guards scrutinizing everyone entering. In recent days, evil cultivators had been stirring up trouble and taking lives, leaving the populace in a state of panic. While the cultivators invited by the County Magistrate were helping to patrol, they were inevitably stretched thin. Some of the more ruthless evil cultivators had even wounded several rogue cultivators, leaving the local gentry and merchants terrified.

Fortunately, Fairy Xu Xiao of the Lanyue Sect, a prestigious sect in Qingzhou, had intervened, slaying a Foundation Establishment-level evil cultivator and striking fear into the rest. Yet, many wondered how long she could keep them at bay.

In reality, Xu Xiao herself was struggling. She had no idea how many evil cultivators had infiltrated Qingshan County. Even if she had killed one, who knew how many others were hiding in the shadows? In a town of one hundred thousand people, she was the only cultivator at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

The thought frustrated her. Wen Renjie was away, Qiao Xuan was away, and the Young Master Kongxu was gone as well. As for that Penglai cultivator, Jiang Sheng, he had remained completely indifferent to the situation. The safety of the entire town rested on her shoulders. Even with the help of a few other rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators, how much could those mediocre individuals truly help? The county was full of contradictions and hidden undercurrents; without fellow sect members to assist her, how long could she hold on alone?

As Xu Xiao worried, she suddenly sensed a familiar fluctuation of spiritual energy coming from outside the city.

At the city gate, guards, merchants, commoners, and scholars alike looked up in astonishment to see the Daoist in green robes flying openly toward the center of town, trailing eight corpses. Jiang Sheng did not hide his aura; any cultivator could sense the vast, clear, and powerful fluctuation of his energy.

Jiang Sheng flew directly above the magistrate's office. By then, Xu Xiao had already arrived with Zhang Qingyun and Zhang Qing. Not only them, but rogue cultivators scattered throughout the city also turned their gaze toward the office, while the hidden evil cultivators observed Jiang Sheng, who was unleashing his aura without the slightest restraint, with grave expressions.

"Daoist Jiang, you..." Xu Xiao began, only to stop as she saw the eight corpses dangling from his hand.

Even though they were frozen gray by the wind and snow, and their vitality had been drained until they were mere husks, she could still perceive that these were eight genuine Foundation Establishment cultivators! Looking at their clothing and faces, her expression changed instantly. These appeared to be the corpses of those eight demons!

Could it be...?

A terrifying thought crossed her mind, but she dared not confirm it. If Jiang Sheng had truly slain those eight devils, it was simply too shocking. They were notorious evil cultivators across the entire Qingzhou region!

Jiang Sheng’s expression remained indifferent. He hung the eight corpses in front of the magistrate's office and spoke in a clear, ringing voice: "I am Jiang Sheng, a recluse of the Qingxuan Temple on Mount Qingping."

His voice echoed across Qingshan County, heard clearly by every rogue cultivator and practitioner of the demonic path alike.

"Last night, these eight individuals braved the snow to enter the mountains, attempting to assassinate me!"

"They called themselves the Eight Wolves of Dongjun. Not only did they disturb my cultivation, but they also destroyed my temple!"

"You see their fate now. Today, I hang their corpses before the magistrate's office to serve as a public warning!"

"I know many of you in this city harbor malicious intent, but I do not care about your goals, nor do I care what you intend to do."

"I leave only this one warning: dare to enter the mountains to disturb my cultivation again, and you shall be executed!"

The final sentence was imbued with a sliver of sword intent. The vast, chilling murderous aura made many with ill intentions break into a cold sweat, trembling with fear. Those who had been plotting to use human lives for their cultivation were struck with a sudden, sharp dread, as if a razor-sharp blade were pressed against their brows, making their hair stand on end.

With these words, the entire city was stunned!

Xu Xiao looked at the corpses hanging before the office, and after careful identification, she was filled with disbelief. "Hiss... they truly are the Eight Wolves of Dongjun!"

"Are they very powerful?" Zhang Qing asked in a low voice.

Xu Xiao explained, "The Eight Wolves of Dongjun are notorious evil cultivators throughout Qingzhou. The eight brothers practice demonic arts together. I don't know how many rogue cultivators they have slaughtered or how many cultivation families they have annihilated. Their crimes rank them among the top five in Qingzhou!"

"Their most famous achievement was the assassination of a direct disciple of the Qingyun Sect. That brother was a prodigy who had achieved a 'perfect' Foundation Establishment, his cultivation already at the late stage, ready to open his Zifu at any moment. He had few rivals in all of Qingzhou."

"Yet, these Eight Wolves besieged and killed him, and even managed to escape from a Zifu-realm elder of the Qingyun Sect."

"It is said that each of them possesses a magical artifact, and when they join forces, they can stand against a Zifu-realm cultivator!"

Zhang Qing gasped. "Daoist Jiang managed to kill all eight of them, and he appears completely unscathed. Does this not mean Daoist Jiang possesses the strength of the Zifu realm?!"

Xu Xiao looked at the young Daoist in the sky—clad in green robes, wearing a jade crown, and looking exceptionally handsome—and suddenly felt a sense of inadequacy. "I always prided myself on my intelligence, achieving Foundation Establishment by the age of twenty and joining the tutelage of a sect elder, gaining fame across Qingzhou."

"I even believed myself extraordinary, with the Golden Core within reach, destined for future renown."

"But now, it seems I have been a frog in a well."

"With the same level of cultivation, if I were to face the Eight Wolves of Dongjun, I would have no chance of winning!"

"Yet Daoist Jiang not only defeated them but did so without a scratch. Such strength... it makes one unable to even feel envy."

Sighing, Xu Xiao was thoroughly convinced. "Daoist Jiang is truly a high adept of Penglai; he is indeed extraordinary!"