Elian's pupils contracted as he silently connected with his Azure Leaf Sword, preparing to strike at any moment.
Carefully creeping forward, he soon came upon a team of corpses clad in black armor.
There were ten bodies in total, their expressions frozen in shock, as though they had been killed in an instant before they could even react.
"Not beasts."
The thought flashed through Elian's mind, and he quickly came to a conclusion.
The Black Armored Riders were elite warriors carefully trained by the Chen family. Equipped with heavy armor and possessing great strength, a hundred of them working together could take down a low-tier Rank 1 beast.
Ordinary beasts couldn't possibly have killed them all in an instant without leaving signs of struggle or consuming their flesh—a valuable resource for such creatures. These corpses bore no bite marks or other signs of being devoured.
"It's demonic cultivators."
"After three years of our clan leader being injured, the demonic cultivators couldn't resist taking a bite, could they?"
Elian's gaze turned icy, a flicker of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
But he quickly suppressed it, realizing the protective formation of Pingyuan Town ahead had already been breached. The stationed cultivators and Black Armored Riders were likely all dead.
Standing just outside Pingyuan Town, Elian hesitated for a moment, deciding to turn back and seek reinforcements.
But then he heard cries coming from within the town, and his steps faltered.
"There are survivors."
In an instant, he steeled himself and strode into Pingyuan Town.
The vast town was filled with corpses, their foreheads darkened, clearly drained of their souls.
As he reached the town square, Elian could no longer suppress the fury in his eyes.
In the central training ground, piles of Chen clan corpses were heaped together. On a high platform, a black-robed elder was conducting a ritual, refining a black banner.
Seven ghostly heads swirled around the banner, devouring the souls of thousands of mortals.
"Hahaha, my Seven Souls Evil Ghost Banner…"
"It's almost complete!"
The elder's face was alight with ecstatic joy.
The Seven Souls Evil Ghost Banner was an insidious demonic artifact capable of nurturing seven powerful ghosts by devouring mortal souls.
Once completed, it would become a top-tier Rank 1 artifact. The seven ghosts would each possess the strength of a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.
With his late-stage Qi Refinement cultivation, the elder, wielding this banner, could contend with several late-stage cultivators simultaneously. Not even Elian at the ninth level of Qi Refinement would be able to defeat him, and only the clan leader could pose a threat.
"If this artifact is completed, it will become a grave threat."
Elian's eyes turned cold as he decisively attacked.
The Azure Leaf Sword transformed into a radiant streak of light, shooting directly at the elder.
Caught off guard by the sudden assault, the demonic cultivator barely had time to react. A green shield on his body emitted a light barrier, blocking the Azure Leaf Sword.
The elder's face flashed with confusion, then recognition as his eyes landed on Elian.
"So, it's just a brat?"
"Has the Chen family fallen so low that they send children to fight me?"
Mocking as he spoke, the elder activated a black awl artifact, which turned into a streak of black light and shot toward Elian.
Elian narrowed his eyes, summoning his Golden Light Blade—a top-tier Rank 1 artifact gifted to him by the clan leader, Chen Changxuan, upon reaching the seventh level of Qi Refinement.
The Golden Light Blade wasn't as fast as the Azure Leaf Sword but was three times more powerful. With a sharp strike, it deflected the black awl artifact.
In moments, Elian seized the advantage. Wielding both artifacts simultaneously, he pressed the elder relentlessly.
As a ninth-level Qi Refinement cultivator equipped with two top-tier Rank 1 artifacts, Elian overwhelmed the demonic cultivator, who was only at the seventh level and had only a single top-tier shield artifact. The black awl was merely a mid-tier Rank 1 artifact.
The Chen family, despite its decline, remained a formidable Foundation Establishment clan, a dominant power within thousands of miles of Yuyang County.
Had the demonic cultivator not been greedy for the Seven Souls Evil Ghost Banner, he wouldn't have dared provoke the Chen family.
Sweating profusely under the pressure, the elder finally resorted to his trump card. He activated the Seven Souls Evil Ghost Banner, sending seven ghostly heads hurtling toward Elian.
The seven ghosts weren't fully formed. Only two had reached the late stage of Qi Refinement, while the rest were at the mid-stage. Even so, if they managed to swarm their target, they could drain the life force of even a peak-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.
In this critical moment, Elian remained composed. He first activated a Golden Armor Talisman to shield himself, then used a Swift Talisman to increase his speed, evading the ghosts' attacks. Finally, he launched a Fireball Spell, incinerating one of the weaker ghosts into nothingness.
But that wasn't enough. In a flash, Elian's Golden Light Blade struck the black awl aside and shot directly at the demonic cultivator.
Panicking, the elder recalled the ghosts to shield himself from the incoming blade.
At that moment, Elian leaped into the air, revealing his trump card.
"Scarlet Flame Talisman!"
The Scarlet Flame Talisman, a masterpiece left by his Seventh Granduncle, was powerful enough to make even ninth-level Qi Refinement cultivators wary.
With its activation, flames engulfed the sky, scattering the ghostly heads. In the same instant, the Azure Leaf Sword pierced through the elder's protective shield, decapitating him with a sharp hiss.
"Phew…"
With the battle concluded, Elian exhaled deeply.
Though it seemed a straightforward victory, it had been perilous. Had he arrived even half a day later, the completed Seven Souls Evil Ghost Banner would have rendered him powerless.
After ensuring the elder was dead, Elian scavenged the demonic cultivator's treasures before surveying the devastation in Pingyuan Town.
The massacre had claimed almost all 3,000 residents. As Elian searched the area, he found only two surviving children hidden in the central hall of the guardian shrine.
The two, a pair of twins, clung to Elian and wept uncontrollably.
After soothing them, Elian learned their names: the boy was Chen Ling, and the girl was Chen Yan. Both had just turned six. They were the sole survivors of the town.