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

Although the dishes were plentiful at the banquet held at the prefectural government, there was absolutely no festive atmosphere.

Zhou Chengye and a group of officials accompanied him, all of them with furrowed brows. The atmosphere at the banquet was silent and oppressive, with no one touching their chopsticks, a far cry from the usual lively atmosphere of banquets.

Li Xuancang sat upright in the main seat, observing the expressions of everyone, and understood the situation.

He immediately put down his wine glass, spoke in a deep voice, and got straight to the point.

"I have come to Huifeng County on the orders of Commandant Du to eradicate evil cultivators. Please feel free to speak about the current situation in the county."

As soon as he finished speaking, the faces of everyone at the table instantly turned even more grim, their worries evident, and a long sigh filled the room.

Zhou Chengye's hand, holding the wine glass, trembled slightly, filled with grief and helplessness, as he slowly spoke.

"General, you may not know this, but in recent times, Huifeng County has become a living hell."

"A group of elusive and sinister cultivators suddenly invaded my Huifeng territory. They were extremely cruel and ruthless, and slaughtered more than a dozen villages on the outskirts of the city. No one, whether male, female, or young, was spared."

At this point, Zhou Chengye's eyes showed some fear, and his body trembled slightly.

"What's even more terrifying is that these evil cultivators not only killed people, but also drained all the blood from the victims, leaving only withered corpses scattered on the ground, filled with resentment, a truly horrific sight..."

A county constable stood up, his face full of resentment, and added.

"Not only that, these evil cultivators also secretly collude with demons and monsters, conspiring to wreak havoc on surrounding cities and towns, plundering living beings and extracting their life essence to cultivate their evil techniques."

"Our forces are weak and we are no match for the evil cultivators and demons. We can only defend the city and watch helplessly as the people in the countryside are slaughtered, powerless to help them..."

"Now everyone in the county is living in fear, keeping their doors tightly shut, and not daring to make a sound at night."

"There are traces of evil cultivators and demons everywhere outside the city. No one dares to step out of the county town. If this continues, the entire Huifeng County will be completely destroyed by these evil spirits."

Everyone spoke with tears of blood, each sentence filled with grief and indignation.

The entire banquet was deathly silent, the atmosphere oppressive to the extreme.

Li Xuancang sat in the banquet hall, his body temperature plummeting, his eyes surging with boundless rage and chilling murderous intent.

Slaughtering entire villages, draining people's blood, colluding with demons... such heinous acts are utterly depraved and outrageous.

Liu Qingyun, standing to the side, had a gloomy face and felt uneasy.

This group of evil cultivators is more ruthless and powerful than those they have dealt with before. They even fought alongside demons, so his chances of survival on this trip are slim.

Liu Qingyun hated Li Xuancang to the core at this moment. If Li Xuancang hadn't volunteered, he wouldn't have been in such a dangerous situation.

It doesn't matter if Li Xuancang wants to die, but he ended up getting dragged into it.

"Does anyone have any leads regarding heretical practitioners?"

Li Xuancang wanted to finish the battle quickly and eliminate the evil cultivators as soon as possible.

Zhou Chengye and the others shook their heads helplessly. "The evil cultivators come and go without a trace. By the time we noticed them, they had already made their move and left."

Evil cultivators appear and disappear without a trace, and their attacks are completely unpredictable, which is why people are filled with fear and unease.

Li Xuancang frowned; the situation was more complicated than he had imagined.

After the banquet, Li Xuancang gained some understanding of the current situation in Huifeng County.

Huifeng County was not a remote border region like Xuanyang County, and with only a thousand soldiers, it could not provide much assistance to Li Xuancang.

Without a moment's delay, Li Xuancang immediately led five hundred elite soldiers, divided into several groups, to search for traces of the evil cultivators in the ruins of villages and towns around the county seat.

The soldiers were all seasoned border troops, and they carefully inspected every corner.

The village, slaughtered by the evil cultivators, has long been reduced to ruins. The broken walls and rubble are covered with dried bloodstains, a shocking and desolate sight.

Li Xuancang's five senses were astonishing; he sensed a faint, sinister aura.

Following the trail of the evil energy, the investigation became increasingly remote, with the surrounding yin energy growing ever stronger.

Arriving at a desolate mountain wilderness, the vegetation exuded a deathly grayness, and the chirping of insects and birds had all vanished, creating a chilling stillness.

"Lord Li, we've found nothing here. Let's head back!"

Liu Qingyun lied through his teeth. He could sense something unusual nearby, yet he advised Li Xuancang to leave.

He was afraid of dying, fearing that if he came to the evil cultivators' lair, he would alert them and die without a burial place.

Li Xuancang gave him a cold look, and Liu Qingyun immediately felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, daring not to utter another word.

The accompanying soldiers looked terrified; this bizarre sight was a sign that the evil cultivators had taken up residence there.

Yang Tiangang's personal guards stood solemnly, gripping their weapons tightly, following closely behind Li Xuancang without any intention of retreating.

They followed the trail into a vast wilderness, and beyond that lay a continuous, ancient forest with towering trees.

"Where is this?"

Li Xuancang summoned a soldier from Huifeng County to inquire.

"My lord, this is the Blackwood Forest, which is rarely visited by people."

Looking around, Li Xuancang saw ancient trees in the forest that blocked out the sun, their branches intertwined.

The dense canopy completely blocked out the sunlight. Outside the forest, the sky was clear, but inside it was as dark as dusk, shrouded in mist, and chillingly cold.

The closer one gets to the mountains and forests, the stronger the sinister aura belonging to the evil cultivators becomes, without any attempt to conceal it.

Li Xuancang's murderous aura was restrained, his gaze sharp as an eagle's, staring intently at the deep black forest before him.

The surrounding soldiers gripped their swords and spears tightly, holding their breath and focusing intently, their eyes grave.

The dark and deep forest, like a lurking beast, opens its jaws, waiting for its prey to step in.

The forest was silent, yet it concealed endless dangers.

The eerie aura and the stench of blood that permeated the air clearly indicated that this group of evil cultivators who were harming the people were hiding in this deep mountain forest.

A life-or-death battle is imminent.

Li Xuancang's eyes were icy cold, and a murderous intent surged within them. He gazed at the deep, dense forest and gave the order in a deep voice.

"Form ranks and proceed with caution."

Li Xuancang was fearless and wanted to enter the forest to find out what was going on.

Even if it's a den of dragons and tigers inside, he's still going to brave it.

"Damn Li Xuancang, you'll get me killed sooner or later."

Liu Qingyun looked anxious but helpless, his nerves on edge, as he followed Li Xuancang into the forest.

The moment the army entered the forest, several pairs of cold eyes secretly watched their every move.

"It arrived a little faster than expected."

One of the people, whose entire body was shrouded in black robes, spoke in a hoarse voice.

"It's alright, this is where they are buried."

One of the men, dressed as a scholar with strange runes painted on his face, spoke in a sinister tone.

"Sacrificing these soldiers should gather enough blood."

A burly man's voice boomed like thunder as he looked at the hundreds of soldiers in the forest, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty glint.