In the dark corners, figures clad in Blood Robes emerged one after another. Their movements were stealthy and methodical as they spread toward every corner of Luoxia City under the cover of night and chaos.

They took out scarlet Long Spears, one by one, and inserted them into predetermined nodes according to some profound and mysterious pattern.

From a bird’s-eye view above Luoxia City, connecting the positions of these people would reveal an immense Array, one that nearly enveloped the entire city...

"Who’s there?"

A patrol team spotted them and shouted a sharp challenge.

But the Blood-robed Person seemed oblivious, continuing to thrust the Long Spear in his hand into the hard earth. His movements were slow, but incredibly determined.

"Stop him!"

The disciples of the patrol team swarmed forward and quickly tore the Blood-robed Person to pieces.

From start to finish, the Blood-robed Person offered no resistance, only silently doing his utmost to drive the Blood Spear into the ground.

Blood flowed across the ground, slowly converging on the Blood Spear and making a strange GULP sound that was strikingly clear amidst the clamor of the night.

After devouring the blood, the Blood Spear emitted a dazzling, scarlet light that was chilling to the bone.

"What the hell is this thing?" A patrol disciple swallowed hard. In the presence of the Blood Spear, he felt as if his own blood had stopped flowing.

"Whatever it is, we have to destroy it immediately!" the patrol leader commanded.

A dozen or so Cultivators used a Combined Attack Skill in an attempt to destroy the Blood Spear.

However, when their Magic struck the Blood Spear, not only did it fail to cause any damage, but it was absorbed, causing the spear to emit an even more intense bloody glow.

The disciples of Luoxia City were instantly dumbfounded...

The same scene played out in every corner of the city. Some of the Blood-robed People escaped unscathed, while others sacrificed themselves to the Blood Spears.

But regardless of the outcome, the disciples of Luoxia City discovered to their horror that they were completely unable to deal with these bizarre Blood Spears.

They could neither be destroyed nor removed. Anyone who touched one was, without exception, sucked dry into a withered husk, becoming its nourishment.

In an instant, a dense flurry of distress signals shot into the sky. The entirety of Luoxia City descended into a massive panic. Some tried to flee, while others sought to take advantage of the chaos.

Zhuang Yuechan hovered in mid-air, watching the city descend into chaos. A look of anguish surfaced in her eyes. ’After so many days of anxiety, of walking on eggshells, it has still come to this.’

She looked to her fellow disciples, took a deep breath, and commanded, "Relay my orders! All who take advantage of the chaos are to be executed on the spot!"

"And the zombie?"

"I’ll handle the zombie. You must quell the unrest in the city as quickly as possible, at any cost!" Zhuang Yuechan said, her voice firm and unyielding.

"As you command!"

As the others transformed into streaks of light and scattered in all directions, Zhuang Yuechan also gave chase in the direction Wuy Luochuan had fled.

But Wuy Luochuan, having already completed his mission, had no intention of getting entangled with her further. He melted into a patch of shadow and vanished...

When Xu Yunhe, who was a step behind, caught up, he found only Zhuang Yuechan standing poised on her sword in mid-air. He was puzzled. ’Has Wuy Luochuan already been brought to justice?’

"Fellow Daoist Zhuang?"

"Fellow Daoist Xu... I was useless. I still let him escape." Zhuang Yuechan looked despondent.

’Martial Uncle entrusted me with the crucial task of maintaining stability in Luoxia City, but I failed to live up to his expectations.’

’Not only did I allow the Blood Demons to slip in, but I couldn’t even capture a single zombie in the end.’ The failure filled her with frustration.

"Wuy Luochuan’s methods are bizarre; he’s not like any ordinary zombie. Back when Luoxia City issued the Warrant, countless masters hunted him down, but he still managed to escape. There’s no need for you to blame yourself, Fellow Daoist Zhuang."

"You bear a heavy responsibility. Right now, the most important thing is for you to command from a central position, coordinating the city’s forces to quell this chaos as quickly as possible." Seeing her spirits were low, Xu Yunhe quickly offered his encouragement.

’Among the four of them, Zhuang Yuechan is the youngest and has the most privileged background. But her temperament is gentle, lacking a certain steeliness, and she’s short on experience. It’s her first time shouldering such a heavy burden, so some oversights are inevitable.’

’She just needs to learn from this setback. It would be a real problem if this ordeal left her with a Heart Demon or affected her Dao Heart.’

At his words, the light returned to Zhuang Yuechan’s eyes. ’It’s not too late to salvage the situation. A mistake has been made, but I can’t let it spiral into complete disaster!’

She gave Xu Yunhe a solemn, cupped-fist salute. "Thank you for snapping me out of it, Fellow Daoist. I was getting lost in my own head."

With her resolve renewed, Zhuang Yuechan immediately threw herself back into her duties. A rapid stream of orders was issued, mobilizing Law Enforcement Disciples across the city to begin methodically quelling the unrest.

She also dispatched a team to hunt for the Blood Demons throughout the city.

In an instant, the city descended into a bloodbath.

Seeing this, Xu Yunhe nodded in satisfaction and returned to his inn...

After they had both departed, a figure appeared where they had been standing. He gazed at the fires of war consuming the city and sighed. ’Second Senior Brother miscalculated. In the end, Yuechan still lacks real-world experience. If it had been Yinn Shang or one of the other juniors today, it never would have come to this.’

’It seems I’ll need to find time to speak with First Senior Brother. A flower raised in a greenhouse cannot survive in this cruel world.’

The man suddenly broke into a silent laugh and shook his head. ’But why am I thinking about this now? The job isn’t done yet. It’s about time this farce came to an end.’

As his words faded, the man’s figure gradually grew indistinct, eventually vanishing completely...

At the foot of Celestial Sound Mountain, the chaos in the city seemed to have had no effect; everything was as it always was.