The roar was incredibly oppressive.
Lü Zhong felt his breath catch in his throat when he heard it.
He wanted to ask what had made that sound.
But just then, Li Dong put a finger to his lips, his expression grim as he pointed forward.
Seeing this, Lü Zhong quickly shut his mouth.
"THUD… THUD… THUD!"
The sound of heavy footsteps, accompanied by a wet, sloshing noise, approached for a few steps. After a moment, however, it seemed to be drawn away by a sound from elsewhere and faded into the distance.
Li Dong took his hand away from the young boy's mouth, glanced at Lü Zhong, and said in a cold voice:
"Don't talk. Follow me!"
After taking just a few steps, he reached into the Storage Bag at his waist, pulled out a long, refined steel saber, and tossed it to Lü Zhong without a word. Only then did he walk toward the alley ahead, still carrying the boy.
Lü Zhong caught the saber and hurried after him, wasting no words.
The thick stench of blood once again filled the air, now mingled with a foul, rotting odor.
They rounded a corner and a gruesome scene unfolded before them.
In a small clearing within the alley, splatters of blood were everywhere. The corpses of several Qingyang Sect disciples were embedded in the walls and eaves, each one twisted beyond recognition—so much so that comparing them to braided dough would be an understatement.
"Did that thing from before do this?"
Lü Zhong felt a wave of retrospective fear as he took in the sight.
At the same time, the gory scene made him extremely uncomfortable, and his stomach churned violently.
Lü Zhong clenched his jaw, forcing himself not to throw up.
Li Dong, in contrast, walked past with a calm expression, showing no change whatsoever. It was as if he were accustomed to such scenes.
As for the boy in his arms, he had fallen unconscious for some reason and was now in a deep sleep.
After leaving the blood-soaked clearing, the two of them suddenly stopped.
Lü Zhong tilted his head to listen and heard chewing noises up ahead. The sound of flesh and sinew being torn was incredibly clear.
Standing by the wall, he turned sideways and peeked out of the corner of his eye. He saw two living corpses gnawing on a body on the ground, their mouths and faces smeared with fresh blood. They didn't seem to have noticed them.
"One each. You take the left, I'll take the right," Li Dong said coldly.
When Lü Zhong nodded, he raised his sword and charged.
With a cultivator's physique, even without using Magic Skills, their hundred-meter dash was under ten seconds.
A cold light flashed. With a SQUELCH, one of the living corpses was instantly decapitated.
Foul blood sprayed a great distance, staining the green flagstones a purplish-black.
At the same time, Lü Zhong had also dealt with his target.
Although he was a novice, he relied on his near-superhuman Giant Strength to brutally hack through the living corpse's neck with the saber.
A head rolled away with a THUMP, and the headless body collapsed to the ground with a THUD.
Even Lü Zhong himself hadn't expected this outcome.
What was even more unexpected was that the two living corpses, as well as the body on the ground, were all carrying a good number of talismanic coins and Spirit Stones. It was a small windfall for the pair, and the tension in their hearts eased considerably.
As if acknowledging Lü Zhong's competence, Li Dong's expression finally lost some of its previous iciness. He said, "Let's keep moving. The fighting in the streets won't be over anytime soon. We need to find a safe place to hide."
With that, he set off, continuing toward the outskirts.
Qingliu Ruins was once again in chaos. Compared to last time, the turmoil had even spread to the residential areas.
There were clearly no safe places left within the Ruins Market. The only place that could be considered temporarily safe was the vast wilderness outside Qingliu Ruins. Finding a place to hide out there would be much safer.
"Do you know how to use the Qi Observation Skill?" Li Dong glanced at Lü Zhong and asked suddenly.
"I do," Lü Zhong nodded.
"Then why didn't you use it to check the path just now? Never mind, I'll teach you..." Li Dong remembered he was dealing with a novice—the kind who had probably never even killed anyone before. The anger that was about to flare in his voice subsided, and he said calmly, "The Qi Observation Skill has many uses. Don't be so rigid and use it exactly as described in the Magic Technique Book. When you have time, you should buy a book on experiential techniques compiled by others."
"Now, I'll teach you a trick. Cast the Qi Observation Skill..."
Hearing this, Lü Zhong immediately formed a hand seal and began Chanting, casting the Qi Observation Skill.
He completed it in one smooth, practiced motion.
"Heh, I underestimated you... Now, while maintaining the skill's effect, try to reduce the output of your Spiritual Power... Do it slowly. Don't let the Qi Observation Skill fade. Stop the moment you see a hint of color appear in your vision."
"I've stopped," Lü Zhong said.
"Good. Now look around. Do you see any Yin Qi anywhere?" Li Dong asked in a steady voice, holding his longsword and warily scanning his surroundings for potential threats while holding the boy.
Lü Zhong looked from side to side and saw no Yin Qi in the vicinity, so he reported as much.
Li Dong nodded upon hearing this and relaxed his guarded stance. "Good. Remember this useful little trick. If you see any Yin Qi, make sure to warn me. Now, let's keep moving."
Time passed, minute by minute. Using the little trick Li Dong had taught him, Lü Zhong was able to maintain the Qi Observation Skill for long periods while conserving Spiritual Power. Each time, he managed to bypass the living corpses blocking their path.
Even when they encountered ones they couldn't get around, they were able to strike first.
Every time this happened, they would acquire a good amount of valuables. All told, it added up to about five or six Spirit Stones.
'It's true what they say: a man can't get rich without a windfall. No wonder Evil Cultivators can never be completely wiped out,' Lü Zhong mused to himself.
At one point, he was even tempted to turn back and fight his way into Qingliu Ruins, where the treasures and wealth would be even greater.
It was a close call, but Lü Zhong managed to resist the urge.
...
Just as they were about to leave the Ruins Market, Lü Zhong, using the effects of his Qi Observation Skill, successfully avoided an armored zombie. It stood about ten feet tall, its body surging with Yin Qi, and its waist was adorned with a belt of corpses.
Escaping Qingliu Ruins, they emerged into a wilderness overgrown with weeds. The two of them no longer bothered with stealth and immediately broke into a full sprint.
They didn't stop until they had run for a mile or so, finally coming to a halt, gasping for breath.
Lü Zhong looked back at Qingliu Ruins and saw thick smoke rising everywhere. The fierce battle cries, far from diminishing, were actually growing louder. He couldn't help but feel relieved about their earlier decision to flee.
Perhaps because he respected him more now, Li Dong's expression was no longer as cold as before, and his tone had softened slightly.
"Come on. Let's find a place to lay low for a few days. We'll go back after the Qingyang Sect's reinforcements arrive."
He clearly believed that the Qingliu Ruins Law Enforcement Team alone was not strong enough to quell the unrest.
In the wilderness outside the Ruins Market, there were quite a few Loose Cultivators who had escaped just like them. When they encountered one another, they all wore wary expressions, afraid that the other party might have malicious intent and try to rob them.
An hour later, Li Dong led Lü Zhong to a valley.
The valley was not large, but it was extremely secluded. Without a guide, it would be impossible to find.
A small stream flowed through the valley, but it didn't run out of it. Instead, it disappeared underground halfway through.
"This is a place I used to hide out. You can use it to lay low in the future too, but remember not to tell anyone else. I'll take the thatched hut on the east side. You can have the cave to the west."
Li Dong tossed out these words and walked toward the only thatched hut in the valley.
Lü Zhong first looked around curiously before heading toward the cave on the west side of the valley.
Inside the cave was a simple stone bed and a stove built from stacked rocks.
There was also a full set of pots, bowls, and utensils.
Judging by the signs, someone had lived here for a long time.
Figuring he would only be hiding here for a few days, Lü Zhong couldn't be bothered to clean the dust. He simply wiped the stone bed with the corner of his sleeve, then sat cross-legged on it and began to circulate his energy to recover.