A faint smile played on my face, though I had anticipated the matter, the actual realization still brought a strong sense of emptiness to my heart.
I pressed down that emotion with great difficulty.
After all, my strength was insufficient. Being able to leave the High Heavenly Way Observatory was purely luck, and there was no way I could get anything without paying a price.
No death, no disability, just the cost of a magical artifact, which is actually a minor loss.
Bowing slightly, my hand touched the copper pestle, and the heat slightly weakened. It was just barely within my grasp, so it wouldn't burn my hands.
The most pressing matter is to capture the Five Hellish Demons.
Even though the copper pestle was slightly weakened, it still managed to injure the Five Hellish Demons. This is an excellent opportunity.
Lifting the copper pestle, I swept my gaze toward the spot where the previous mourning dogs had been driven back.
When I looked around, there was not even a shadow of a dog.
These mourning dogs were also strange. After being subdued, they had turned into human flesh and blood.
It couldn't help but make me wonder about the relationship between these mourning dogs and the Five Hellish Demons.
When the Five Hellish Demons appeared, the missing parts on them were those mourning dogs?
There doesn't seem to be a logical connection between dogs and ghosts. What is their relationship, and why would they be "combined" together?
My gaze swept over the city god temple once again. The statue of the god was still not visible.
My gaze swept back to the city god temple, but the deities remained absent. With a steady pace, I walked towards the row of rooms.
As I approached, I found that the room was empty, just like the others. There were no signs of ghosts at all.
An odd occurrence took place.
The sunlight gradually appeared, piercing through the courtyard and casting itself on the ground, illuminating me.
Unbeknownst to me, it was already dusk, and the light had lost its warmth, instead carrying a hint of coolness.
The Five Hellish Demons... have they retrieved the Hellish Jail?
I squinted my eyes and twisted my head to stare at the gate of the City God Temple courtyard.
There are two possibilities: She is still inside, having retrieved the Hellish Jail and created the illusion that she is no longer there.
Or, in a silent and unobtrusive manner, she has already left?
I searched the room thoroughly again.
Theoretically, the Five Hellish Demons do not need to hide within their hosts because the existence of the Hellish Jail makes them unafraid of daylight and the scorching yang. Now that she has been injured and hiding fits the logic.
Yet, it took me half an hour to look through almost everything in every room, and none of them were the hosts.
I turned and went inside the City God Temple, even checking the bases under the statues, but still found nothing.
It must be mentioned that there were many broken pieces of mud and stone, as well as some with paint on the bases under the statues. Indeed, the city god statue had indeed cracked.
That old man, Zhou, was quite bold and whimsical in carving the statue of the city god into the shape of the Five Hellish Demons.
It was because I didn't notice in time that she got away?
For a moment, a sense of annoyance welled up in my heart.
Still, the Five Hellish Demons are not easy to deal with. I didn't use all my abilities, but I did frequently employ Daoist techniques, relying on the power of the magical artifact to subdue her.
Where could she have gone?
This is certainly not good news. If we cannot catch her in time, she might choose any place in the village to settle down, which could lead to casualties.
The footsteps approached, and Jiao Ying returned. She was holding a rope in her hand.
The rope was still tied to Zhou's hands. His face had several bruises, and his clothes were even dirtier, suggesting he had fallen.
Jiao Ying had been expressionless, but upon seeing me unharmed, a sudden joy appeared on her face.
I walked up to Jiao Ying and said in a low voice, "She ran away."
“This…” Jiao Ying slightly faltered, but soon regained her smile: "It doesn't matter that she ran away. At least we managed to drive her off, didn't we?"
Zhou's hand trembled as he lifted his head, his eyes showing more joy.
I couldn't help but smile. I stared coldly at Zhou Lao Han.
"We can't just let her run away like that. We need to catch her. The impact the Five Hellish Demons could cause would not be small." I spoke as if I were talking to Jiao Ying, although I didn't look at her.
For a moment, Jiao Ying showed a thoughtful expression.
Zhou Lao Han, on the other hand, showed a hint of anxiety.
"What kind of people are you! Do you have to kill someone for no reason!?" Zhou Lao Han exclaimed, his voice filled with frustration.
I furrowed my brow, the coldness in my face wasn't hidden.
You really want to kill someone?
Actually, many people could question me, but Zhou Lao Han couldn't.
For a person to become a Five Hellish Demon, they must commit five thousand evil acts; for six thousand, they become prisoners in twenty-eight hells.
With five thousand evil acts, the Five Hellish Demons must have committed numerous wrongdoings in their previous lives.
Zhou Lao Han and his scoundrel, they have also done a lot of harm to others!
"Is she there?" I asked without any emotion.
Zhou Lao Han, however, pursed his lips, his eyes filled with evasion, but remained silent.
"Say!" The tone suddenly became more stern, I lifted the copper pestle and pressed it directly on Zhou Lao Han's shoulder!
Zhou Lao Han grunted softly, his body leaning forward, but he still didn't utter a word.
I exerted a bit more force, and Zhou Lao Han fell to his knees with a thud, pain flashing across his face.
Suddenly, he fumbled with his body and produced a sharp spring knife.
A crisp sound, the blade of the knife was released!
Zhou Lao Han slashed savagely at his own neck!
I noticed, and Jiao Ying reacted as well, kicking Zhou Lao Han's injured leg. The spring knife flew out with a clang.
I furrowed my brow.
I shook my head immediately and said, "You are quite decisive, and you treat her well, but what good is that?"
"Even if it's now broad daylight and she's far away, unable to feel what's happening here, as soon as night falls, I will start breaking your bones. I'm not afraid she won't show up."
To deal with evil, one must use evil to suppress evil; the more severe the means, the better.
"You!" Zhou Lao Han shook his head weakly, unable to say anything more.
After a standoff of about a minute, Zhou Lao Han suddenly bowed heavily to the ground!
He hit his head against the ground with great force. The sound of his skull crashing down was deafening, and I felt as if his bones might shatter.
"Please, spare her, spare her. Is that okay?"
From the former ruthlessness and decisiveness, Zhou Lao Han's face became filled with supplication, as if he was seeking sympathy.
"Spare her? Who will spare those killed by her?" I shook my head, my tone cold.
"People she killed?" Zhou Lao Han's face was filled with grief, trembling as he said, "What did Xiao Qiu kill? Only people who hurt her."
"In this life, Xiao Qiu has never actively harmed anyone……She couldn't possibly do that!"
For a moment, Zhou Lao Han seemed incredibly painful, clenching his heart tightly as if it was about to break.
I narrowed my pupils, and Jiao Ying looked at me with great confusion and helplessness.
I actually didn't understand either, as Zhou Lao Han was saying something that was impossible to happen!
Without harming others or committing evil, how could she become a Five Hellish Demon? How did she become so fierce?
I continued to gaze at Zhou Lao Han with cold eyes, the pressure in my demeanor growing stronger.
Jiao Ying removed the confusion on her face, took a deep breath, and said, "You shouldn't try to deceive us by spreading false rumors. The Five Hellish Demons are indeed Five Hellish Demons. They harm others and commit evil, regardless of whether they have a hellish jail or not. She has a hellish jail, and she is far from innocent."
"Not innocent?!"
Zhou Lao Han's eyeballs bulged even more, with blood vessels protruding prominently, as if they were about to burst.
"You know what it feels like to be torn apart by a dog, limb from limb?"
"You know what it feels like to have your bones crushed by a hammer blow, one after another?"
"She's just a girl who couldn't even tie a chicken!"
"She has never killed a person. She hasn't even killed a single chicken!"
"Where did she harm anyone? What do you mean by talking nonsense?!"
"Even in the village, Xiao Qiu protected people!"
"You all are talking nonsense!" Zhou Lao Han's voice was hoarse, his throat almost broke.
