I Slay Gods and Demons in the Deceit Night Chapter 22 - 20: One Man Holds a Thousand Steps, Alone Guard

If one wanted to defend a stretch of city wall over a thousand steps long, making it imperable even by wind, and did so alone, even at the Refining Essence Realm, it would be beyond their capacity.

But Lin Yan had changed the approach!

Divine Skills! Demon Suppression!

With an overwhelming Evil Qi!

With a fierce and imposing presence!

Wherever he went, he slayed demons and eradicated evil, shattering the darkness!

The evil spirits within the darkness grew fearful and retreated!

With the Divine Power of Demon Suppression, which held a restraining effect, the evil spirits amidst the darkness dared not invade as soon as they saw his silhouette, the Flag Commander Wu Chang.

Thus, wherever he went, he left behind a decoy created by "cutting paper into horses," standing with a sword, deterring all directions.

Normally, even at the peak of the Refining Essence Realm, possessing the ability to "cut paper into horses," it would be difficult to achieve this extent.

But the Demon Suppression Divine Power that Lin Yan wielded was even more terrifying to the evil spirits in the darkness than the peak of the Refining Essence Realm.

"This stretch of the wall, over a thousand steps, is now secured," he said.

Lin Yan took a deep breath and looked down.

Here lay a soldier who had guarded the city, eroded by an evil spirit and consud in soul.

Though the body remained, the spirit had vanished.

From then on, he was rely a living dead.

With a sigh, Lin Yan extended his hand to light the last willow branch Night Lamp, whispering, "rely having this lamp does not assure peace and safety."

He recalled the man in armor who had claid to have been sent by the Great Commander Zhao Zhou to help him strengthen the city's defenses.

Yet, that man had suddenly drawn his sword against him.

Lin Yan had no ti to ask questions and had to strike him down.

But, reflecting on it now, it was still full of suspicious points.

However, at this mont, he still had no leisure to ponder over this matter thoroughly... After a brief rest, he looked behind him.

The direction of Linjiang Square.

The gongs were struck, and bells and drums sounded throughout the square.

In every household, a willow branch Night Lamp was lit.

But when evil spirits invaded the city, it ant their desire for the flesh and incense within the city walls had overco their reverence for the Venerate.

Though not entirely ineffective, the power of the willow branch Night Lamps seed extrely weak that night.

Lin Yan looked even more solemn.

Logically, every quarter in the city had prepared personnel to deal with the invading evil spirits.

But it now seed that the intruding evil spirits were more powerful than anticipated.

The patrolling squads that had been sent to reinforce Linjiang Square appeared to have been continuously defeated... Flares for help were being sent up one after another.

And the flares being sent up now had reached the second street of Linjiang Square.

This ant that the formidable demon had already invaded the first street of Linjiang Square.

...

Lin Yan wiped his sword, then suddenly leapt over the city wall, dropping from the sixty-foot height.

With a thud!

He landed safely, shattering the blue tiles beneath his feet!

In the blink of an eye, his figure had disappeared, leaving only dust flying.

—

The closest street to the city wall had been breached by evil spirits, and several nearby families had already suffered their cruelty.

And the several patrolling squads that had been tasked with clearing the intruding evil spirits within the square,

due to the heavy casualties up ahead, the southern district's city guard had ordered a retreat, essentially forsaking Linjiang Square.

"Retreat!" Liang Hu said solemnly.

He was the Flag Commander of Qing Mountain Square but had been ordered to support Linjiang Square.

Now that a bear demon comparable to the Refining Essence Realm, huge and unstoppable, had penetrated Linjiang Square,

he could only fall back to Qing Mountain Square to rebuild the defenses and wait for reinforcents from the inner city.

He thought to himself, "I wonder if that Wu Chang has died? If I have to take over Linjiang Square tomorrow..."

With the destruction tonight, starting tomorrow, the inner city side will inevitably reconstruct Linjiang Square.

With the huge interests involved, if he could just secure a portion of them, then his family would be secured for three generations!

What's more, today he had just handed over the authority of Linjiang Square to Wu Chang, so if there were any questions from above, it wouldn't concern him.

Instead, taking over again to handle the aftermath could be seen as averting disaster, garnering significant rit.

"This Wu Chang is indeed my lucky star,"

"With him here, all the responsibility for losing Linjiang Square falls on him."

"If he dies on the city walls, when I take over Linjiang Station tomorrow, all the benefits will fall straight into Liang's pocket."

"In that case, tomorrow Liang will personally go to retrieve his corpse."

Thinking this, Liang Hu felt a surge of secret joy and waved his hand, "Back to Qing Shan Fang!"

However, the middle-aged man behind him couldn't help but hesitate for a mont, "What about Linjiang Square?"

Under the light of the lamps, there were twelve junior flag bearers behind Liang Hu.

Normally speaking, as the Flag Commander of Qing Shan Fang, he should have brought six junior flag bearers from Qing Shan Fang to provide support.

The remaining six junior flag bearers would have stayed at Qing Shan Fang.

But originally, all twelve junior flag bearers from Linjiang Square were his subordinates.

Thus, he had co alone, not needing to mobilize people from Qing Shan Fang at all.

"Linjiang Square is finished."

Liang Hu said indifferently, "Once the city walls are breached, it ans that more Evil Spirits will surge in!"

"I know most of you are from Linjiang Square, but given the current situation..."

"Either stay and await death,"

"Or follow back to Qing Shan Fang!"

"If you can save your lives today, then tomorrow, under my command, you will enjoy inexhaustible riches and honor for a lifeti!"

His voice fell, and he turned and walked away without a backward glance.

Among the remaining twelve, after looking at each other, eventually seven or eight of them clenched their teeth and followed him.

The few who remained were silent.

They had families, children, all within Linjiang Square.

The night wind was chilling to the bone, causing uncontrollable shivering.

And at that mont, the silence seed to carry another layer of gloom, overshadowing everyone's hearts.

"Everyone go ho, move swiftly, take your families, and with so luck, you might make it safely to Qing Shan Fang."

After a mont of silence, a middle-aged man suddenly turned and left in the direction of his ho, moving very quickly.

Another person, a young man, who also had a wife and children, with his parents still alive, took a deep breath and finally made up his mind not to head ho but instead followed the direction in which Liang Hu and the others had left.

"Fang Yang has parents, a wife, and children at ho; it seems he's abandoning his family to follow Flag Commander Liang," said one of the three remaining n, the oldest, who was missing a piece of his left ear, looking troubled and turning his head to ask, "Xiao Hui, you're all alone, why don't you leave?"

"I grew up in the East Street of Linjiang Square, living on charity als."

The youth nad Xiao Hui, around twenty-four or twenty-five years old and with a scar on his right face, held a Night Lamp in one hand and gripped a steel knife in the other, his face unusually calm, he muttered, "It's just a worthless life with no prospects, watching my townsfolk die while I live on holds little appeal! To die with them, at least I might earn so fa..."

The middle-aged man with the missing ear then looked at another youth, "Zheng Liu, what about you?"

Zheng Liu, the youth, said with a sowhat hoarse voice, "My old mother is too frail to move, I have to go ho to protect her, and if luck isn't on our side... if Evil Spirits invade our house, then I'll go along with my mother."

After saying that, he tightened his grip on the knife, gritted his teeth, and was ready to leave.

But he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The person who had initially decided to abandon his family to follow Liang Hu had suddenly turned around and returned.

"Fang Yang?"

"Look over there..."

Fang Yang lowered his voice and said, "Isn't that the new Flag Commander?"

The people, hearing this, turned their heads to look.

They saw a figure swiftly running towards the city wall direction.

Dressed in a black robe, wielding a long sword.

Without a Night Lamp or any incense fla.

He moved like the wind, swiftly crossing the street.

With just one sword, he eliminated footprints of Evil Spirits along the way.

Even the Evil Spirits that were a handful for robust Martial Artists were instantly dispelled by his single strike!

At the sa ti, a fierce roar suddenly erupted ahead, sounding extrely vicious.

But the figure, known as Master Wu, did not stop his movent, darting into the long street, charging straight towards the source of the roar.

That was the position of a bear demon!

The giant bear was robust and strong, capable of tearing tigers and leopards with its bare strength, having already shredded two patrol teams into pieces earlier.

Flag Commander Liang Hu had just glanced from afar before turning pale and hastily leading them to retreat.

This new Flag Commander was actually charging directly towards the bear demon?

"He's abandoning his post!"

Fang Yang's eyes sparkled with excitent, "He's responsible for guarding the city wall, and now he's deserting in the face of battle. If we stay and gather evidence, tomorrow we could have the Observatory headquarters convict him!"

"Once his head falls, we would have made great achievents in Flag Commander Liang's eyes, in this way..."

Just then, with a pfft sound!

At that mont, the young man nad Xiao Hui suddenly showed a fierce expression, thrusting his knife into Fang Yang's chest.