The night was deep, and the fishing lights drifted away.

Behind Ziyang County, the forest was lush.

There was a small path in the mountains, but since this area was close to the Tuojiang waterway, not many took the land route. The mountain path had collapsed due to autumn rains, and no one bothered to clear it.

In a valley behind the mountain stood a small Mountain God Temple.

The incense was sparse, and the temple was almost abandoned, directly facing a quarry, half of the mountain nearly hollowed out. Someone had carved a stone Buddha inside, but only the mold was made before construction halted.

A damaged Mountain God, a damaged stone Buddha.

They looked at each other, inexplicably giving off a comedic feeling.

In the main hall of the Mountain God Temple, the candlelight flickered eerily.

The paint-chipped Divine Statue had fallen to the ground, with clear footprints on it showing that it had been kicked off the platform.

In the center of the main hall, twenty-four candles were arranged into an Array, intertwined with red ropes that hung talismans with black characters on a white background.

At the center of the candle Array, a Divine Statue was enshrined.

This statue was rough in design, dressed in animal skins, with bulging muscles, eyes wide open, facial features fierce, one hand holding a sharp blade, and the other clutching a human head.

Two Daoists sat cross-legged before the statue.

Their faces looked grim, with dark blood seeping from the corners of their mouths, giving off a putrid stench. Both hands formed a mantra as they chanted incessantly.

Others circled outside the Array, holding short blades very similar to the one in the statue's hand. Their fingers flicked lightly, creating a tinkling melody like music.

Simultaneously, they shook their heads and swayed, appearing crazed.

The red ropes winding around the candles carried a pungent, bloody odor, as if soaked in blood.

When the candles burned to the area where the red ropes were, all the ropes snapped with a sound, and the white talismans tied to them instantly burned into ash.

The two Daoists in the center suddenly opened their eyes.

A distinct blood mark appeared on their necks, as if a sharp blade had circled their heads, cutting through the skin, causing blood to flow.

But strangely, their complexions began to improve.

After spitting out a mouthful of black blood, both exhaled in relief.

"What exactly was that thing?"

One of them wiped the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth, still feeling lingering fear.

When they found Du Ping, it was near dusk, and there were still pedestrians on the street, making it unsuitable to rush in openly to kill someone.

Seeing a guest approaching, they thought of using Puppetry Technique to control the guest and kill everyone inside.

That guest was a Chengdu Hero...

"Anyway, it certainly wasn't human!"

The other Daoist looked at the cracks on the statue, his expression uncertain, "It seems we've underestimated the Luo Family, who knows where they found such experts."

Apart from these Daoists, there were also over a dozen bladesmen sitting around, all dressed in short outfits, carrying long blades on their backs, with cold eyes.

Furthermore, there was a young man, although plainly dressed, his skin was fair, his appearance delicate, and his fingers adorned with a jade ring, subtly exuding a sense of wealth.

With a grim expression, he said, "Keeping Du Ping is ultimately a hidden danger."

"The main branch's people failed in their cultivation and probably won't survive for long. By the rules, the second branch should take over. Unaware of the truth, they will eventually uncover those accounts."

As Li Yan had suspected, the people of the Du Family were indeed hidden members of the Ghost Sect. After leaving the village years ago, they used Evil Skills to seize family properties, gradually becoming the largest liquor merchants in the Sichuan region.

But as hidden members remained in place for long, changes were bound to happen.

The Du Family expanded and proliferated, dividing into five branches.

Some possessed cultivation potential and were secretly recruited as members of the Ghost Sect, while others remained ignorant, serving as a facade.

But how many could awaken Divine Skills?

The reason Li Yan seemed to encounter so many was due to his line of work, dealing with similar people regularly.

Spread across various regions, they became relatively scarce.

Within a single family, they were even more rare.

As the population expanded, their power diluted along with it. If it weren't for the old Clan Leader being a member of the Ghost Sect, they wouldn't even maintain that meager control.

They had considered bringing the entire family into the sect.

But human nature varies, not everyone enjoys such pursuits, and they almost got reported in exchange for wealth.

Moreover, the family business relied on those people.

Thus, the Du Family split into two parts, light and dark.

And precisely because of this structure, they remained undiscovered.

The young man named Du Yuan Guang had two tasks on this outing.

The first was to eliminate Madam Luo of the Luo Family, and the second was ensuring Du Ping died in an "accident."

Originally, everything proceeded smoothly, but an urgent message from the Du Family suddenly arrived, requiring them to divert most of their forces to spread rumors across various places and raise Li Yan to fame.

As a result, neither task was completed.

When he thought of the possible punishments to come, resentment welled up in Du Yuan Guang's heart, "The ones Li Yan killed were from the Ezhou Ghost Sect. What does it have to do with our Du Family? I really can't understand why the Patriarch wants to meddle in this muddy water?"

"Yuan Guang, watch your words!"

At that, one of the Daoists' expressions immediately changed.

Du Yuan Guang hurriedly stopped speaking and quickly changed the subject, "Second Uncle, the Jade Emperor Sect sent a lot of people. They don't want to provoke us but will definitely protect that Madam Luo. What do you think we should do?"

The Daoist pondered for a moment before speaking, "Have the people in Yibin act more swiftly; we've already made arrangements with the officials. The Luo Family has already offended the Shu Prince Mansion, and no one will back them up."

"As long as things are accomplished, that woman returning won't change anything."

"As for Li Yan, we need not provoke him. As long as we keep leaking his whereabouts to the Shu Prince Mansion, we can use their hand to kill!"

Before the words were finished, a voice came from outside:

"You guys sure have it planned out beautifully!"

"Who?!?"

"Grab your weapons!"

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