The district where Zhao Xuanqi and the others were located.
Because the guardian Evil Spirit of this district had already been eliminated, and with top-tier experts of the Blood Strengthening realm like Zhao Xuanqi, Zhuang Li, and He Xijun present, the pressure from the Evil Spirits was actually the least of all the districts.
Under Zhao Xuanqi’s leadership, dozens of Evil Spirits in the district were slain. Nearly half of all the Evil Spirits in the area were purged, clearing out a large section of the district. Almost all the Martial Artists who had been swept into the Ghost City and randomly teleported to this district had gathered with them. There were more than a dozen people in total, all of whom possessed a certain degree of strength.
Or rather, without a certain degree of strength, they wouldn’t have been able to last this long. The ordinary living people who were swept in had all died long ago when the Night Parade of Hundred Demons first began, unable to hide from the tide of Evil Spirits and lacking the power to resist.
As such, with more than a dozen survivors, this district could be considered the one with the lowest casualties.
At this very moment, the group had formed a defensive formation. All who had survived this long were elite experts from various sects. Their attack and defense were coordinated, their advances and retreats orderly. As long as a guardian-level Evil Spirit didn’t appear, they would generally not suffer any casualties.
Yet one person charged ahead of the formation, separate from the group. His figure was as light as a swallow, his movements like a dance. As his arms fluttered, golden flames burned along his Qi Force, resembling threads of gold. He alone drew the attention of nearly half the surrounding Evil Spirits.
This situation had persisted for a full Quarter Hour. Without him, the group’s response would have been far from this relaxed.
His movements were incredible, as if he could react with foresight. His formidable Physical Ability and Primordial Qi seemed as if they would never run out.
Even the strongest experts dispatched by the various sects this time were likely only on par with this man.
The newly joined disciples from other sects did not know Zhao Xuanqi’s identity and were now filled with curiosity about him.
"Who in the world is he? Is that the Red Heart Sect’s Golden Fire he’s using? Since when did the Red Heart Sect produce such a figure?"
"I heard the strongest person in the Red Heart Sect’s Blood Strengthening realm is named Lu Dong. Could that be him? Did he recently cultivate Golden Fire?"
"That can’t be right. I heard Lu Dong of the Red Heart Sect has the natural bearing of a Spirit General—his frame is remarkable, his presence imposing. His attacks are known for their Overbearing Fury, wide and sweeping. This man seems to specialize in agility; they’re not the same style at all."
"..."
Amid their discussions, some disciples took a moment during the fight to ask the Red Heart Sect disciples next to them.
Unexpectedly, the Red Heart Sect disciples looked just as bewildered. They had no idea who the man wielding Golden Fire and drawing away nearly half the Evil Spirits was.
Someone secretly asked He Xijun, but she simply gave an evasive look.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xuanqi had abandoned his signature Walking Beast Form and was consistently using the Flying Bird Technique. ’This is to conserve as much Physical Ability as possible. After all, I can’t be sure how long this Night Parade of Hundred Demons will last. If it goes on for a full two hours, even with the Life Primordial Qi from the Rebirth Jade to replenish my energy, I’ll still need to control the rate of my Primordial Qi consumption.’
However, what he didn’t expect was that after just a Quarter Hour, the Night Parade of Hundred Demons came to an end. The Blood Moon in the sky moved past its zenith, its scarlet light dimmed, and the aura of the living that had been drawn out from everyone’s bodies gradually subsided.
The Night Parade of Hundred Demons was over.
However, the group had not escaped the Ghost City. The Blood Moon reversed its course, slowly beginning to climb back toward the zenith, signifying that the next Night Parade of Hundred Demons was coming.
’This Ghost City incident has indeed undergone an unknown transformation. Will there be multiple Night Parades of Hundred Demons?’
Zhao Xuanqi narrowed his eyes. He looked at the group behind him and said, "I’ll keep the surrounding Evil Spirits busy. You all break away first, find a place to hide, and then we’ll figure out what to do next."
Hearing this, He Xijun and the others nodded slightly. Understanding Zhao Xuanqi’s strength, they said no more and immediately led the group to break through the blockade of Evil Spirits. After putting some distance between them, they suppressed their auras.
With Zhao Xuanqi holding the enemy’s attention alone, the group’s escape went smoothly. After confirming that their auras had vanished, Zhao Xuanqi broke out of the Evil Spirits’ encirclement, suppressed his own aura, and disappeared into the darkness, heading in the direction where the others’ auras had faded.
「Meanwhile.」
Somewhere else in the district, a human-shaped silhouette emerged from the shadows. The figure was so perfectly blended with the darkness that it was nearly impossible to discern without getting close. Even Evil Spirits that passed right in front of it could not perceive its existence.
"Oh? The Blood Moon has shifted?"
Pu Xiangrong, who had just rushed over from a neighboring district, looked up at the sky with a hint of surprise on his face.
"It seems the Night Parade of Hundred Demons won’t last until the Ghost City event ends, but it will probably reoccur. Hmm, the fighting over there has stopped too. I wonder how many people in this district survived. I’ll go take a look."
Pu Xiangrong muttered to himself from the shadows, a look of interest in his eyes. Then, he saw a final flash of golden light break through the encirclement of Evil Spirits and disappear into the distance.
"Golden light? It doesn’t look like a technique from my organization’s Geng Metal Hall. Someone from the Government Office? I heard their strongest is that guy Xu Jingtian, a figure who mastered the power of ’Virtue’ from the Incense and Candle Dao while still in the Blood Strengthening realm. A person like that is qualified to become a City God after death and protect a region. I’d quite like to meet a character like that for myself."