My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

Du Tianfeng's personal guards soon arrived in Liuyun County, bringing Du Tianfeng's handwritten letter.

In his letter, Du Tianfeng warned Li Xuancang to be careful and guard against retaliation from the Jianghu forces.

This also relieved him of any worries about his home, as Du Tianfeng would personally take care of it.

"If you want revenge, then bring it on!"

Li Xuancang's eyes were resolute, showing no fear whatsoever.

His current strength is comparable to that of a late-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator, making him unafraid of retaliation from people in the martial arts world.

These martial arts figures who made a move were simply walking into a trap, which became his credit for their exploits.

The next few days were uneventful, and nothing happened.

Before he knew it, Li Xuancang had been in Liuyun County for a month.

"My lord, pregnant women have been missing in Liuyun County for the past six months, and the government has requested our assistance."

Nangong Zhan came to report.

In the past six months, many pregnant women in Liuyun County have mysteriously disappeared.

Previously, Liuyun County was dominated by martial arts forces, and the government was struggling to protect itself, so it couldn't afford to pay attention to this matter.

Now that the Jianghu forces have been wiped out by Li Xuancang, the disappearance of the pregnant woman has become an urgent problem for the government to solve.

Li Xuancang frowned. The disappearance of so many pregnant women without any reason was very likely the work of evil cultivators.

The practices of these heretical cultivators are appalling. These pregnant women may have been abducted by them and used to cultivate their evil arts.

"Investigate with all our might and find the mastermind behind this."

A surge of anger welled up in Li Xuancang's heart.

Although he was ruthless, he couldn't help but feel angry when he heard about such heinous acts.

"Yes, ma'am."

The army began its operation, and Nangong Zhan and others split into several teams to search for traces of the evil cultivators.

Even with the military's investigation, they were unable to stop the pregnant woman from disappearing.

The situation escalated rapidly, and fear spread throughout the city.

In an ordinary family in the west of the city, a pregnant woman was resting at home during the day. However, after a short while without anyone watching her, she vanished without a trace.

The doors and windows of the house were intact, and the house was clean and tidy. There were no signs of a struggle or intrusion.

A pregnant woman, several months along, disappeared without a trace, mysteriously.

Family members cried out and searched everywhere, and neighbors helped search, turning over the entire street and alley, but they couldn't find a trace of him.

In just a few days, multiple cases of pregnant women going missing occurred in the streets and alleys of the East City, South City, and North Suburbs, all with the same bizarre circumstances.

All of them mysteriously disappeared from their homes, without any trace or movement, and without any witnesses.

They were all pregnant women who had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of their lives or bodies.

As the news spread, the recently stabilized Liuyun County was once again plunged into panic and silence.

The people of the city were filled with fear and unease, and every household was filled with anxiety.

Ordinary women stay indoors, especially pregnant women who are six months pregnant, who dare not leave their homes day or night and dare not walk alone for even a moment.

Rumors spread like wildfire among the common people, growing ever more fantastical with each passing tale.

"This is too bizarre. How could a perfectly healthy person just disappear into thin air?"

"There were no signs of kidnappers, no signs of a struggle, not even footprints."

"This is definitely not man-made; it's more like we've encountered evil spirits or something supernatural."

"..."

The government was at a loss. The constables and yamen runners searched the entire city, turning over every street, alley, abandoned house, river, and forest, but found nothing.

All the cases seemed to have sunk without a trace, leaving no clues or leads whatsoever.

The more bizarre something is, the more terrified people become.

After a few days of peace, Liuyun County was once again shrouded in gloom.

Inside the military camp, Li Xuancang sat in the main seat. After listening to Nangong Zhan's report, a murderous aura surged in his eyes.

"Pass on the order!"

Li Xuancang's eyes were sharp as he gave the order in a deep voice.

"Dispatch manpower to cooperate with government officials and yamen runners to search every street, alley, abandoned courtyard, old house, cellar, culvert, deserted temple in the suburbs, and abandoned cave, leaving no stone unturned."

"A citywide curfew was imposed. After nightfall, families with pregnant women were required to send someone to stand guard, and soldiers patrolled the streets and alleys throughout the night."

"Report immediately any unusual signs, strange traces, or eerie marks you discover."

The military order was issued, and three thousand soldiers were deployed throughout the city.

The military conducted a thorough investigation, leaving no blind spot or any abnormality unchecked.

Li Xuancang knew that evil cultivators were extremely well-hidden, skilled at concealing their forms and abilities, and proficient in the art of hiding their tracks, making them virtually undetectable by ordinary searches.

He personally led a team to travel throughout the city, using his keen senses to explore the hidden atmosphere in all directions.

For seven consecutive days, they investigated day and night, searching the entire city, but found no trace of them.

However, it wasn't a complete loss; at least no more pregnant women in the city have gone missing in the past few days.

"This can't go on. Perhaps the evil cultivators have already left the county town and are causing trouble in other cities."

Li Xuancang immediately felt the situation was tricky.

This constant mobilization won't solve the problem; he can't keep sending troops to protect these pregnant women indefinitely.

But if he withdraws the army, the evil cultivators might strike again, putting him in a dilemma.

It is also possible that the evil cultivators, seeing the city was heavily guarded, have already left and gone to other cities to harm the people.

With him in charge in the city, evil cultivators dared not act recklessly.

However, other cities were completely powerless to resist the evil cultivators.

Just as Li Xuancang was at a loss, three unexpected guests arrived.

"Huang Huayuan of the Bi'an Division greets Lord Li."

"Liu Qingyao of Bi'an Division greets Lord Li."

"Zhang Tianxuan of the Bi'an Division greets Lord Li."

The three members of the Bi'an Division bowed to Li Xuancang.

"Please, everyone, do not stand on ceremony and have a seat."

Because of Shen Qingshan, Li Xuancang had a good impression of Bi'an Si, and out of affection for Shen Qingshan, he treated the group very politely.

After taking their seats, Huang Huayuan, who was in the lead, got straight to the point.

"Lord Li, we have come here without permission because we have a favor to ask of you."

Li Xuancang said with a serious expression, "Fellow Daoist Huang, please speak. As long as it is within my power, I will do my utmost to help and will never refuse."

With Li Xuancang's assurance, the group felt relieved.

"Lord Li, we are tracking down the evil cultivator, Elder Tiancan. He is currently hiding in Liuyun County. We are short-handed and need your help."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuancang was startled, connecting the incident to the pregnant woman's disappearance, and pressed, "Fellow Daoist Huang, does the Old Man Tiancan specifically target pregnant women?"

Huang Huayuan and the other two were somewhat surprised, not expecting that Li Xuancang knew about the Heavenly Crippled Elder.

Huang Huayuan nodded slightly: "That's right. The old man Tiancan is heartless and ruthless. He specializes in harming pregnant women. We must kill him, otherwise we don't know how many innocent people will suffer at his hands."

The three men's eyes flashed with overwhelming killing intent; they wished they could tear this beast, Tiancan Laoren, to pieces.

"Fellow Daoists, in the past six months, several incidents have occurred in Liuyun County..."

Li Xuancang informed everyone about the disappearance of the pregnant woman in Liuyun County, and he had confirmed that the evil cultivator who had made the move was the Old Man Tiancan.

Even without Bi'an Si's request, he would not have let this person go.

With the help of Bi'an Si and his companions, there is a great chance of finding the remnant old man Tiancan who is hiding in the shadows.