Jiang Family Hall.

Song Yan and Li Qingfeng returned to Qin Ying’s side, sitting upright.

"Is it an illusion?"

Li Qingfeng looked at the paper figure in Song Yan’s hand, his face full of shock: "Could it be a Demon Beast?"

Among humans, there are few Cultivators who specialize in illusion techniques.

"I don’t know."

Song Yan shook his head: "Previously, I encountered this kind of paper figure during a mission..."

"However, that time it was three demonic Cultivators; I killed them, and then the paper figures appeared."

"This time seems a bit different..."

Xiao He, in his sleeve, seemed to hear something new and secretly poked her head out from his collar, a pair of blue-gold snake eyes gazing outwards.

Suddenly, the people in the hall erupted in chaos.

"The auspicious hour has arrived!"

Someone in the hall shouted, and outside the house, in the village, a burst of suona music rang out.

Gongs and drums clanged, and flutes and pipes played in unison, creating a lively atmosphere.

Qin Ying suddenly stood up and walked out; Song Yan and Li Qingfeng naturally followed closely.

Without knowing when it started, a fog gradually rose over the village.

The moss on the eaves and corners of the walls began to grow damp, dew collected on the climbing vines, subtly showing signs of turning red.

"..."

Figures moved in the fog; a group of villagers, dressed in festive clothing, each holding suonas and gongs, slowly approached.

Every face was adorned with an exaggerated joyous expression.

Leading the way was the music, followed by eight sedan chair bearers carrying a flowery sedan chair.

Behind them were the accompanying village women.

The eight-bearer sedan chair steadily landed at the entrance of the Jiang Family.

"Eh?"

Xiao He let out a soft sound of surprise, tilted her small head, and her blue-gold eyes swirled with light.

The sedan chair’s curtain moved without wind, and a crimson mist seeped out from beneath the chair. Qin Ying’s fingertips condensed with frost, protecting Song Yan and Li Qingfeng behind her.

Thick blood slowly flowed downwards from the top, actually dissolving the entire flowery sedan chair!

Seated inside the sedan chair was not a bride, but a giant blood-red cocoon.

"Yan Yan, there’s a girl inside, her scent is very familiar... we might have met her."

"..."

Song Yan looked at the blood-red cocoon, his expression solemn.

Combining what Qin Ying said, Gu Qingqing came here alone to carry out a mission and then disappeared without a trace, so the girl inside should be Junior Sister Gu.

Swish—

Qin Ying’s fingertip frost transformed into an ice blade, slicing at one corner of the giant blood cocoon.

A corner of the blood cocoon was sliced off, revealing what was inside.

Dense, blood-red threads extended inwards, adhering to a layer of solid blue-white Spiritual Qi.

Gu Qingqing’s eyes were closed, her eyelashes trembling slightly, her gentle and serene face appearing out of place amidst the blood-red.

"Junior Sister Gu..."

The surrounding villagers encircled the three, their expressions ferocious, murmuring: "Indeed..."

"We knew you were here to cause trouble..."

The mouths of several middle-aged villagers opened stiffly, and a few hoarse tones rumbled from their throats.

"Uh..."

Lumps and irregular swellings of flesh rose on the middle-aged villager’s forehead, cheeks, and neck.

"Peach Blossom Dock..."

"Immortal... village..."

It was as if something was wriggling beneath his skin and veins.

"..."

"Ascend to Immortality..."

"Watch out!"

Boom!!!

In the night, blinding flashes of fire suddenly appeared, followed by deafening explosions that echoed across the entire Peach Blossom Dock, reaching the sky.

The roaring sound surged like a tide, spreading wildly in all directions.

"..."

Li Qingfeng spread his hands, and a scorching Fire Spiritual Qi enveloped the three of them.

The surrounding houses, unable to withstand the impact of the explosions, collapsed with a crash, sending bricks, stones, and debris flying everywhere.

Song Yan looked around through the transparent, flowing Spiritual Qi.

All the villagers in the entire Peach Blossom Dock were walking towards them like walking corpses, their eyes filled with a crimson hue.

Strangely, the recent anomaly had not stained any part of the area with blood.

Song Yan’s gaze sharpened, and he saw two paper figures left behind where the two individuals had originally been.

Several wisps of pure blood Qi slowly floated, drifting towards the direction of Xianglu Peak.

Blue frost surged in Qin Ying’s palm.

Om—

Her palm slightly opened, and a cold light spread in all directions.

As the frost swept past, all the villagers were frozen by the cold Qi, collapsing and stopping in place.

There wasn’t even a single scream.

Qin Ying’s brows furrowed even tighter; she gazed distantly in the direction of Xianglu Peak.

Amidst the thick smoke and flames, two figures were slowly walking towards them.

"I am Jiang Xiao, greetings to the three Fellow Daoists."

Jiang Xiao’s clothes were disheveled and loose, not at all resembling an Immortal Master... Beside him, Bai Yu Lu’s attire was revealing, her index fingertip placed between her lips, gently licking something.

"On such a joyful day, why do you want to attack the villagers for no reason? Could it be... that you want to snatch the bride?"

Om—

Qin Ying no longer concealed her majestic Spiritual Qi pressure, instantly sweeping across the entire Peach Blossom Dock, and at the same time, spiritual power rapidly condensed beside her, two ice-blue Sword Qi shooting towards Jiang Xiao’s face.

Jiang Xiao’s smile faded, but he did not panic; a mass of filthy blood condensed in his hand, and a blood-red light flashed at his fingertip.

The filthy blood, carrying the blue Sword Qi, spun around him and shot back, colliding with another Sword Qi and dissipating with a bang.

"Oh dear, the Cave Abyss Sect is also a renowned sect, why are you so bloodthirsty..."

Jiang Xiao suddenly laughed cruelly: "But don’t worry... I can make the villagers come back to life."

He gently formed a Dao hand seal.

"..."

The bodies of the villagers who had collapsed on the ground suddenly began to tremble, and then, one after another, they started to wriggle on the ground in an extremely bizarre posture.

The sound of bones shifting and flesh moving rose and fell.

Not long after, all the villagers stood up again.

Their skin gradually cracked, and fresh red blood began to burn.

Jiang Xiao’s lips curved into a dangerous smile.

Bang!

Among the crowd, a villager’s body suddenly exploded.

The moment the explosion spread, the bones and blood began to contract.

Qin Ying frowned, still having no intention of speaking, and several ice-blue Sword Qi simultaneously shot towards Jiang Xiao.

Jiang Xiao’s hands slightly lifted, and the floating blood condensed into a solid blood bead in his hand, like a Medicinal Pill.

A soaring aura of blood Qi suddenly erupted around him, and filthy blood swirled around him like quicksand, engulfing all the frosty Spiritual Qi.

The soaring blood-red light was oppressive, and a fishy smell stench submerged the entire Peach Blossom Dock... A Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator!

At this moment, all the zombie-like villagers suddenly dropped their weapons and knelt towards Jiang Xiao.

Crimson, rounded fresh blood, drop by drop, emerged from the brows and hearts of every kneeling villager, scattering outwards.

Jiang Xiao lightly tapped his fingertip.

A Flying Sword, entirely entwined with black flame waves, flew out from the bottom of the ancient well and hovered beside him.

"..."

Blood-red light erupted simultaneously from all four directions; a great blood Qi array enveloped the entire Peach Blossom Dock.

The center of the great array was precisely that ancient well.

"Blood Refining the Mortal World."

His eyes were crimson, filled with a wild, laughing expression.

"Help me ascend to Immortality."