As the last of the maddened commoners were subdued, the surviving Yamen officers slowly regrouped.
Many of them bore fresh wounds, while several silently carried the bodies of their fallen comrades away from the devastated streets.
The County Constable stood in the middle of the ruined execution grounds, his expression darker than ever before.
The Incense Fire Cult had succeeded.
Not only had they rescued several important members...
They had also released an unknown calamity upon Qinshan County.
This had never been their true objective.
The rescued prisoners had merely been a distraction.
The Constable looked towards the broken formation buried beneath the execution grounds before immediately issuing his orders.
"Prepare a Spirit Eagle."
One of the officers hurriedly obeyed.
The Constable personally wrote an emergency report before sealing it with the official Yamen insignia.
"This matter has exceeded the authority of Qinshan County."
"We must immediately notify the Demon Suppression Division."
He handed the message to the waiting Spirit Eagle.
The bird let out a sharp cry before spreading its wings and soaring toward the distant horizon.
Watching it disappear into the clouds, the Constable silently clenched his fists.
He only hoped...
The message would arrive in time.
---
Several days passed.
Rather than becoming calmer...
The atmosphere throughout Qinshan County grew increasingly oppressive.
The streets became unusually quiet.
Merchants closed their shops earlier than usual.
Many ordinary families no longer dared leave their homes after sunset.
Even more strangely...
The various gangs throughout the county suddenly became unusually well-behaved.
The Wind Tiger Gang, Thunder Wolf Gang, iron Bull Gang and Earth Bear Gang.
Their members almost completely disappeared from the streets.
It was as though every underground force had simultaneously chosen to lie low.
The peace should have reassured everyone.
Instead...
It made the county feel even more unsettling.
Those with experience all understood one thing.
This was the calm before the storm.
---
Deep within the Inner City...
Hidden beneath an abandoned manor, an enormous underground chamber lay illuminated by flickering crimson flames.
A massive ritual formation occupied almost the entire floor.
Its intricate patterns resembled twisting roots spreading in every direction, while countless strange symbols had been carved into the stone with astonishing precision.
Standing at the centre of the formation...
Was the City Lord.
His official robes remained immaculate.
His expression remained calm.
There was no trace of the upright official seen by ordinary citizens.
Instead...
His eyes quietly observed everyone present.
Around him stood dozens of crimson-robed cultists.
The City Lord slowly raised one hand.
"Begin."
Without the slightest hesitation...
Every cultist produced a sharp blade.
They calmly slit their own wrists.
Fresh blood immediately flowed down their arms before dripping onto the outer ring of the ritual formation.
The crimson lines greedily absorbed every drop.
Gradually...
The entire outer circle became filled with blood.
The City Lord slowly turned his gaze toward another group waiting silently nearby.
They were...
Ordinary commoners.
Men.
Women.
Even elderly people.
Their expressions were vacant.
Their movements stiff.
Each walked with an unnatural rhythm, as though invisible strings controlled every step.
Not one person spoke.
Not one person resisted.
Like puppets...
They silently entered the centre of the formation.
Thousands of lifeless eyes stared blankly ahead.
The City Lord slowly opened his mouth.
"The Great Fire..."
"...shall descend."
Instantly...
Every commoner repeated the exact same words.
"The Great Fire shall descend."
Their voices merged into one.
Cold, mechanical and completely devoid of emotion.
Then...
As though receiving a single command...
Every one of them slowly raised a small knife.
Without hesitation...
They drew the blades across their own throats.
Blood erupted in every direction.
Yet...
Not one scream escaped their mouths.
Even while their lives rapidly faded...
Their lips continued moving.
"The Great Fire shall descend."
"The Great Fire shall descend."
"The Great Fire shall descend."
Their voices gradually weakened.
But the chanting...
Never stopped.
As the blood flowed from the countless commoners, it did not spread randomly across the ground.
Instead, every drop was drawn toward the formation as though pulled by an invisible force.
The crimson lines rapidly brightened.
One line after another became saturated until the entire outer ring glowed with an eerie scarlet light.
Then...
The inner lines awakened.
The blood flowed inward through every carved groove before finally reaching the centre of the formation.
The entire ritual circle pulsed once.
The City Lord slowly raised his head.
A smile finally appeared on his face.
"...Now."
"...We wait."
---
At the hidden cave several dozen li away, Lin Sheng suddenly opened his eyes.
His expression became serious.
A faint sense of danger had lingered over the past few months.
Now...
It had become unmistakable.
It was no longer merely intuition.
Something was about to happen.
Without wasting another moment, he stood before the ancient Dharma Altar.
His hands moved rapidly as one rune after another appeared in the air.
Rather than cultivating...
He was sealing.
Layer after layer of runic formations spread throughout the underground chamber before sinking into the surrounding stone.
Concealment.
Isolation.
Spatial disturbance.
Qi suppression.
Every formation he currently understood was engraved into the cave.
Even if someone accidentally discovered this place, entering it would become extraordinarily difficult.
Only after completing the final seal did Lin Sheng stop.
He looked toward the ancient teleportation altar.
"If I'm right..."
"...this place cannot be exposed."
The last rune disappeared into the stone.
The entire cave returned to silence as though nothing had ever existed there.
---
By the time Lin Sheng returned to Qinshan County...
Night had already fallen.
The moon hung high above the sky.
A perfect full moon.
He intended to collect Lou Feng and the Wang couple at first light before leaving the county altogether.
Just as he stepped onto the outskirts of town...
His feet suddenly stopped.
Boom...
A dull vibration travelled beneath the earth.
It wasn't loud.
Most ordinary people failed to notice it.
But Lin Sheng clearly felt it through his Rank Four physique.
His brows knitted together.
"...Underground?"
The vibration came again.
Then again.
It resembled neither an earthquake nor the footsteps of some gigantic beast.
It was...
Rhythmic.
Almost as though something beneath the county was...
Beating.
For the next fifteen minutes the strange tremors continued.
Each pulse slightly stronger than the last.
Then...
Everything became silent.
The silence lasted only a single breath.
Midnight arrived.
The instant the moon reached its highest point...
The air changed.
A cold Yin wind swept across the entire county.
Every lantern flickered simultaneously.
Dogs began barking wildly.
Horses neighed in panic.
Even the insects that usually filled the summer night suddenly fell completely silent.
Lin Sheng slowly looked toward the Inner City.
His pupils narrowed.
"...Yin Qi."
It wasn't ordinary Yin Qi.
It was ancient.
Cold.
Resentful.
As though countless wronged souls had awakened together.
The next moment—
BOOM!!
The earth split apart.
A deafening roar echoed throughout Qinshan County as a massive crack tore across the Inner City, stretching nearly a mile before finally stopping.
Buildings collapsed.
Dust shot into the heavens.
From the endless darkness beneath the earth...
A chilling voice slowly echoed upward.
"The Great Fire..."
"...shall descend."
Every person in Qinshan County heard it.
And for the first time since arriving in this world...
Lin Sheng felt genuine danger approaching.