One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

The setting sun is like blood.

As if to set the entire sky ablaze, the back of Longhu Mountain was enveloped in a crimson halo.

Even though it was the most beautiful time of day at dusk, there was an indescribable sense of oppression in the air.

Feng Baobao squatted by the well in the corner of the yard, holding the shovel that had buried countless people, and was carefully rubbing it on the whetstone, stroke by stroke.

Her gaze was terrifyingly focused, as if she were grinding not a shovel, but a priceless treasure.

With each stroke, a cold glint flashed from the edge of the shovel, reflecting on her expressionless face.

And at the other end of the courtyard.

Chen Duo was squatting by the flower bed, wearing an old Taoist robe that was clearly too small and had been altered.

She held a small watering can in her hand and carefully watered a few newly sprouted morning glories.

Glistening water droplets landed on the tender green leaves and slid down the veins.

The scene looked peaceful and serene, if you didn't see Zhang Chulan frantically scratching his hair next to him.

"Old Wang! This one! Just this one!"

Zhang Chulan pointed to a hand-drawn map spread out on the stone table, his fingers almost poking through the paper, spittle flying everywhere:

"This is a blind spot in the back mountains! If those Quanxing lunatics sneak up from here, our defenses will be breached!"

Sitting opposite him, Wang Ye, sporting huge dark circles under his eyes and holding a thermos, sighed with a look of utter despair.

"Zhang Chulan, elder brother, biological brother."

Wang Ye tilted his head back and gulped down a mouthful of goji berry water, then weakly pointed to the ground beneath his feet:

"Do you have some misunderstanding about Feng Hou Qi Men?"

"As long as I stand here, the five elements within this radius are under my control. Unless they can transform into Earth Spirits and emerge from the ground, or grow wings and fall from the sky."

"Otherwise, once you step into this area, whether you live or die is up to me."

Wang Ye rubbed his throbbing temples, glanced at Feng Baobao who was still sharpening her knife beside him, and his lips twitched slightly:

"Besides, even if a few manage to get in... do you think those people can get past Sister Bao'er?"

Ho ho—

The sound of sharpening knives rang out twice in perfect sync.

Feng Baobao stopped what she was doing, ran her thumb along the blade of the shovel, then nodded in satisfaction and muttered to herself:

"Yes, almost there. It'll be smooth to cut the meat then."

Zhang Chulan shuddered and instinctively shrank his neck.

"I'm just... not sure what to expect."

Zhang Chulan plopped down on the stone bench, grabbed the teapot on the table, and took a big gulp. His face, which was usually always adorned with a smooth smile, was now filled with anxiety.

"This time is different, Lao Wang."

"Just think about it, those are the Eight Extraordinary Skills! Every extraordinary person in the world with any skill would probably go crazy!"

"Plus, there's the Yaoxing Society stirring up trouble, and those mercenaries they hire overseas..."

Zhang Chulan bit his nails, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"If we're not careful, Longhu Mountain could become a mass grave!"

Wang Ye glanced at him and said irritably:

"Then go and talk to that man."

Wang Ye gestured with his chin, pointing to the old locust tree in the center of the courtyard:

"He organized this game, he posted the message, and we're all here frantically trying to catch our breath, while he..."

Following Wang Ye's finger, I looked in that direction.

On a creaking old bamboo recliner.

Zhang Taichu was lying sprawled out on it, his face covered by a tattered palm-leaf fan, rising and falling with his breath.

If it weren't for the occasional leg-shaking motion, one would really wonder if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

"Grandmaster Uncle..."

Looking at that leisurely old man's demeanor, Zhang Chulan couldn't resist any longer and leaned closer to whisper:

"Grandmaster Uncle? Wake up?"

"Um...should we check again? What if Qu Tong brought some high-tech weaponry..."

A lazy humming sound came from under the palm-leaf fan.

"It's so noisy."

Zhang Taichu didn't remove the palm-leaf fan; he simply turned over, turning his back to Zhang Chulan.

"If you're so bored, go help Chen Duo water the flowers, stop buzzing around here."

"No, Uncle-Master!"

Zhang Chulan stamped his feet in frustration and said in a low voice:

"This is a big event! We need to have a contingency plan, right? What if things get out of control? What if..."

call--

A gust of wind blew by.

The fan covering Zhang Taichu's face was blown open, revealing half of his face.

He slowly opened one eye, and there was no trace of sleepiness in that eye; on the contrary, it was frighteningly clear-headed.

"Zhang Chulan".

Zhang Taichu's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable chill:

"Have you ever seen anyone examine the tread pattern on their shoes before stepping on a cockroach to see if it fits?"

Zhang Chulan choked.

"But……"

"No buts."

Zhang Taichu interrupted him, closed his eyes again, and covered himself with the palm-leaf fan:

"In the face of absolute power, tactics, conspiracies, numbers... are all nothing but a joke."

"Your current tension stems from the fact that you still feel like you're fighting against someone."

"But today, this humble Taoist priest..."

Zhang Taichu's voice came through the palm-leaf fan, carrying a hint of mockery:

"Just cleaning."

Zhang Chulan opened his mouth, but in the end he could only sigh helplessly and shrug at Wang Ye.

Wang Ye rolled his eyes, giving off an "I knew it" look.

"Alright, alright, since we're here, let's make the best of it."

Wang Ye patted Zhang Chulan on the shoulder, but a hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes:

"But speaking of which... isn't the sky a bit strange?"

Zhang Chulan was taken aback and subconsciously looked up.

The sunset, which was just moments ago ablaze with crimson clouds, has somehow become somewhat dim.

Chen Duo, who was watering the flowers, suddenly stopped.

She slowly stood up, her eyes, which had been completely calm, now fixed on the path leading down the mountain, and the watering can in her hand fell to the ground with a thud.

The whooshing sound stopped.

Feng Baobao slowly stood up, carrying the shovel that was polished to a shine and whose blade gleamed coldly.

She hunched over slightly, like a wild beast that had sensed the presence of its prey, and let out a low growl.

"They're here."

Feng Baobao tilted her head, and her usually innocent face now exuded a chilling aura:

"So many...so many..."

Zhang Chulan and Wang Ye exchanged a glance, and the hairs on their heads stood on end instantly.

Even if they are far apart.

They could also clearly sense it.

On that winding mountain path leading to the back of the mountain, amidst the dense jungle, countless chaotic and turbulent auras, filled with greed and violence, were surging wildly toward this place.

The aura was so immense that it was like a flood bursting its banks, threatening to completely submerge the small courtyard.

"My goodness..."

Wang Ye swallowed hard, his hand trembling as he almost lost his grip on the thermos.

"Isn't this too much? It's like they've brought every monster and demon in the world!"

"This isn't fishing..." Zhang Chulan's face was deathly pale, his voice trembling, "This is like stirring up a hornet's nest!"

The ground began to tremble slightly.

The overwhelming malice was almost tangible, distorting the light in the courtyard.

Just as this suffocating oppression was about to reach its peak.

creak-

A jarring creak of a bamboo chair shaking shattered the silence.

Zhang Taichu, who had been lying under the tree, suddenly moved.

He extended his slender hand from under the palm-leaf fan, casually removed it, and tossed it onto the stone table to the side.

then.

He slowly sat up.

crackling-

A crackling sound, like popping beans, came from his seemingly frail body.

With that crisp sound.

The chill and oppression that had been hanging over everyone's hearts seemed to melt away completely, like snow meeting the blazing sun.

Zhang Taichu stood up.

He didn't look at the mountain road, nor at the enemies who were about to rush up.

He simply raised his head and glanced at the last rays of the setting sun that were about to disappear on the horizon.

That instant.

Zhang Chulan and Wang Ye were surprised to discover.

My master has changed.

The lazy Taoist priest who usually wore pajamas and flip-flops and spouted frivolous nonsense was gone.

Instead.

It is a... demon god that seems to have emerged from the primordial chaos.

He was standing there, without making any movement.

But the Qi of heaven and earth seemed to revolve around him, submitting to him.

Those deep eyes shone with a divine light that was even more dazzling than the sunset.

"finally……"

Zhang Taichu took a deep breath of the mountain air, which carried the scent of blood, and slowly smiled.

"Everyone's here."

He raised his right hand, palm up, fingers slowly spreading.

It was as if the entire Longhu Mountain, and the entire world, were in the palm of his hand.

"Those rats hiding in the gutter."

"Those mad dogs trying to steal the meat."

"And that self-righteous woman..."

Zhang Taichu's voice was not loud.

But every word was like a thunderclap, exploding deep within everyone's soul.

Even Feng Baobao and Chen Duo subconsciously took a step back, feeling that terrifying excitement.

The sun completely sank below the horizon.

The second before darkness fell.

Zhang Taichu clenched his fist tightly.

boom!

An invisible explosion seemed to resound in the air.

"Then..."

Zhang Taichu turned around and looked at the mountain path where countless ghostly figures had appeared, his eyes blazing with killing intent:

"Let's close the net."