The man, seemingly resigned to his fate, said with a mournful face, "If I speak to you, I'm as good as dead! The town mayor notified everyone the day before yesterday. Any stranger entering town is forbidden from speaking to them. Anyone caught will be reported immediately. Those who disobey will be executed!"
Chu Tianshu asked curiously, "Is your town mayor that fierce, to kill someone for such a small matter?"
"The town mayor is very powerful!"
The man shivered, stammering fearfully, "The town mayor is no ordinary person. He is a direct disciple of the Great Demon Lord Lieyan, with profound cultivation... He not only has many subordinates but also keeps a terrifying demonic pet. Everyone in town must obey him. Once someone makes a mistake, they are eaten by the town mayor's demonic pet..."
Before he could finish, shouts were heard from ahead.
A group of people, fully armed and wielding weapons, charged towards Su Luo and the others. They looked ferocious, clearly cultivators. They had even summoned their two demonic pets, shouting as they ran, "They are indeed strangers! Kill them all, don't let a single one escape!"
"My lord said each head is worth ten thousand spirit coins. We'll get rich by killing them! Charge!"
"Oh no, they're here!" The man was terrified out of his wits. He broke free from Lu Jixing's hand and ran.
Su Luo and the others took a step back, not expecting trouble to arrive so quickly.
This town actually prohibited the appearance of strangers, or they would be killed. Those who knew but didn't report would also die. It seemed this small town was indeed controlled by a demonic sect, establishing such rules. They were truly ruthless!
Shang Xie Shaoqing smiled faintly, gently fanning himself, "Good, let them come. We'll kill one that comes, and a group that comes. Are we afraid of these people? They don't look like good people. It's time to eliminate evil!"
"Du Wei, go!" he commanded.
"Awooo—" the dragon hound also stared at the approaching people, eager to fight.
Li Tianjue and Su Luo stood firm, protecting Bai Qi and the others, their gazes chilling. Although their initial intention was to quietly eat a meal in the town and leave, minimizing trouble, they hadn't expected to be noticed immediately.
Since trouble was inevitable, they would fight!
The opponent's two demonic pets charged the fastest. A swift wolf leaped high, lunging towards Lu Jixing at the front, brandishing its sharp claws. Above, a carrion vulture flapped its black wings, spewing wind blades from its mouth, and a gale enveloped everyone.
Before Lu Jixing could make a move, a black shadow shot out, accompanied by green vines resembling tentacles. Du Wei and the dragon hound attacked the swift wolf in front, while the latter leaped high, biting towards the three-eyed vulture.
Instantly, the green vines wrapped around the swift wolf, tightening relentlessly and digging deeply into its fur. The swift wolf roared in pain, then wailed as its bones snapped one by one, its body being torn apart. Blood flowed all over the ground.
The dragon hound bit into the three-eyed vulture. Its immense strength sent the fifth-tier demonic pet into a panic. It flapped its wings desperately, but with a crunch, its neck was broken. The headless corpse fell to the ground, feathers flying everywhere.
In the blink of an eye, both demonic pets were dead.
The group of ferocious people came to a halt, staring in shock at the group of unfamiliar men and women. Two of them cried out, "My demonic pets, how could this..." Their two demonic pets were fifth-tier demonic beasts, yet they died so quickly?!
After a brief moment of stunned silence, a burly man leading the group raised his hand, glaring angrily and shouting, "How arrogant! No matter who you are, you're dead if you dare to come to Zhulong Town. Kill!"
Relying on their numbers, these dozens of people swarmed forward. Spiritual light, fireballs, ice blades, hidden weapons – they came in an endless stream.
Shang Xie Shaoqing and Chu Tianshu calmly blocked the front. Su Luo and the others didn't even need to make a move. Coupled with Du Wei and the dragon hound, the battle was almost one-sided, and they quickly gained the upper hand. All of them had their cultivation greatly increased, and dealing with these insignificant individuals, even dozens more, would be effortless.
The strongest, a burly man, was only at the second-tier Venerable cultivation. Within three moves, Chu Tianshu severed his shoulder with a sword. The dragon hound rushed forward and directly clawed his throat. The others were utterly defeated, finally realizing they had encountered tough opponents.
It was too late to beg for mercy.
The dragon hound tore and pounced, like a joyful puppy just released from its cage. Screams and wails echoed everywhere it went. Before long, the ground was littered with corpses. The remaining seven or eight, seeing the unfavorable situation, their bodies covered in blood, were terrified and retreated, "Quick, quick, escape..."
They were no longer as fierce as before. They quickly turned and fled as if their buttocks were on fire.
Chu Tianshu didn't pursue. Gripping his blood-stained long sword, he said disdainfully, "Killing these lackeys is useless. We need to ask that town mayor directly. We can't leave without figuring this out."
He looked around. On the street, besides them, everyone else had disappeared. Doors and shops were tightly shut.
Du Wei grinned, "Young master, let me!"
He walked to a house, knocked on the door twice, and shouted loudly, "You don't have to come out, just tell me where the town mayor lives. If you don't tell me, I'll burn your house..."
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you, don't burn my house!"
Immediately, a man's panicked voice came from inside. He stammered out a location and then fell silent.
Du Wei then hooked his lips, turned back, and walked to Shang Xie Shaoqing. He immediately put on a smiling face and said, "I found out. Young master, the town mayor lives in the largest residence at the west end of town, with white walls and red tiles, and a century-old ginkgo tree at the entrance."
Shang Xie Shaoqing looked at Li Tianjue and Su Luo, gesturing with his eyes.
Li Tianjue said calmly, "Let's go. It's already like this, let's figure out what's going on first."
Zhulong Town was not large, with only a few streets. Li Tianjue and his party quickly found a residence located in the west. As expected, there was a ginkgo tree at the entrance, just beginning to sprout, its trunk as thick as an adult's body.
Before they even got close, the guards at the gate discovered them and rushed inside.
When Li Tianjue and the others reached the mansion gate, a large group of people rushed out from inside. At the forefront was a middle-aged man who looked like a steward. Behind him stood a man in brocade robes with a pale, refined face. He looked them up and down, his expression changing slightly, "You... are from Qingxu Heaven? Who is Li Tianjue?"
Li Tianjue frowned. They had disguised themselves, yet they were recognized so easily?
Did these demonic sect members have such sharp eyesight?
This refined man was the town mayor, Sun Biao. He scanned everyone, his gaze landing on Li Tianjue, and said darkly, "You are Li Tianjue, aren't you? And so many people from Qingxu Heaven. You're unlucky to have stumbled upon our Zhulong Town. My master said long ago that you would pass by here within ten days. As expected!"
Since they had been recognized, Li Tianjue did not deny it, saying coldly, "Are you a disciple of the Great Demon Lord Lieyan?"
Sun Biao said proudly, "That's right, my master is the Great Demon Lord Lieyan. He predicted you would pass by here long ago. Since you've been discovered, not a single one of you will escape. Attack!"