Outside Fulong Town, Ye Ling sat on a large rock, watching the girl lying in front of him, quietly waiting for her to wake up.
During the time he had settled Feng Ke, Ye Ling had also healed all the injuries within the girl, repaired her severed meridians, and restored her cultivation.
A fourth-rank异士 (Yi Shi - special ability user).
Her injuries were too severe, and her soul had also been wounded. Even after healing all her injuries, she still needed to sleep for a period of time. Only after her soul had self-repaired could she slowly awaken.
However, a dignified fourth-rank Yi Shi had been struck down by ordinary people's moves. This Fulong Town was too strange.
As for Feng Ke, Ye Ling had set up a barrier in her room. Anyone who trespassed into that room would be suppressed by the barrier immediately.
There was no need to worry about Feng Ke's safety.
After a long while, the girl slowly woke up, her eyes still showing a hint of confusion.
"Am I... still alive?"
She sat up, looked at her unharmed hands, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Her meridians were completely severed, and her heart meridian was damaged. She had suffered inhuman torture...
In such a desperate environment, it was impossible to survive.
"You're finally awake."
"Who are you?" The girl looked at Ye Ling, a flicker of doubt in her eyes, then her eyes lit up. "You're the person I saw in my dream!"
"You saved me?"
It was then that she remembered that when her consciousness was blurry, she had cried out for help to someone. However, she had always thought it was a dream, but she never expected to be truly saved!
Thinking of this, the girl quickly got up and respectfully bowed to Ye Ling, saying, "Junior Xu Xiaoqing from Shu Mountain, thank you, Divine Doctor Senior, for saving me!"
"Divine Doctor?"
Hearing Xu Xiaoqing's words, Ye Ling was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected to receive such a title.
"Although my medical skills are not refined, I know how severe my injuries were."
"My meridians were completely severed, and my heart meridian was damaged. I should have been a dead person on my way to the gates of hell, yet I was saved by Senior..."
"Junior Xiaoqing will never forget Senior's great kindness!"
Seeing Xu Xiaoqing's demeanor, Ye Ling chuckled and shook his head repeatedly. "There's no need to call me Divine Doctor. My surname is Ye. Just call me Ye Ling."
Xu Xiaoqing said nervously, "Junior dares not overstep. How could I dare to call Divine Doctor Senior by his name directly?"
Although Ye Ling looked about her age, she knew that many divine doctors possessed techniques for maintaining youth. Ye Ling might look like he was in his early twenties, but he could actually be seventy or eighty years old!
Seeing that Xu Xiaoqing was still so reserved, Ye Ling did not insist further and returned to the main topic, "Isn't your Shu Mountain in the Xichuan region? How did you end up in Kunlun?"
Xu Xiaoqing quickly replied, "Junior was ordered by my master to descend the mountain to travel and eliminate demons. I traveled all the way to this place and saw that Fulong Town was filled with dense demonic energy, so I wanted to investigate. I didn't expect to fall into the innkeeper's trap and be poisoned..."
"It's shameful to say, but if I hadn't met Senior Ye, I would have died in Fulong Town."
"Dense demonic energy?"
Hearing Xu Xiaoqing's words, Ye Ling raised an eyebrow slightly. He hadn't sensed any demonic energy in Fulong Town.
Here, there was only endless resentment and the aura of evil spirits.
Xu Xiaoqing nodded, "Yes, Junior sensed a particularly powerful demon in Fulong Town."
"Junior originally intended to ask my master or elders from the sect to come and capture the demon. However, after sending a message to my master, I never received a response."
"Is it the work of monsters..."
Ye Ling murmured, pondered for a moment, and then said to Xu Xiaoqing, "Have you found any useful information in Fulong Town?"
"Now that the evil entity is no longer here, the townspeople of Fulong Town have all been massacred, and their souls are trapped within the town."
"Fulong Town was massacred?"
Xu Xiaoqing was startled at first, but then she quickly calmed down and murmured, "It's not very surprising that they were killed..."
"You seem to know something secret?"
Ye Ling raised an eyebrow slightly. "I happen to be investigating matters in Fulong Town. If you have any information, you can share it."
Xu Xiaoqing asked Ye Ling, "Does Senior know the secret hidden behind Fulong Town?"
Ye Ling replied, "Are you talking about something like the basement beneath the inn?"
"I know that most households in Fulong Town have such private prisons and are engaged in dealings unknown to outsiders."
Xu Xiaoqing nodded and continued, "It seems Senior has already investigated this far. When I first followed the demonic energy to Fulong Town, I stayed at the Yingbin Inn."
"At first, Fulong Town was normal, especially their hot springs, which were excellent. After just one soak, not only did one feel refreshed, but their cultivation would also be consolidated a bit."
"However, as my investigation deepened, I discovered that many people in Fulong Town harbored secrets unknown to anyone. Moreover, in such a large town, there were mostly elderly people, with few young people."
"I initially thought those young people had gone out to adventure and didn't pay much attention to it. But later, I realized that the reason for the scarcity of young people in this town was not that they had gone out to adventure, but that most of them were imprisoned in the basement, with their vital energy being siphoned by those elderly people!"
"Is that so?"
Hearing Xu Xiaoqing's words, Ye Ling was also somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the elderly people in this town to be doing such things.
After all, those elderly people were not Yi Shi, but completely ordinary people. Yet they could subdue young and strong adults and engage in practices usually done by evil cultivators...
This was truly bizarre.
Xu Xiaoqing said solemnly, "I didn't believe it at first, but as my investigation deepened, I found that this was not an isolated incident. Most households in the town were doing such things, and some people even specifically bought people from outside to siphon their vital energy..."
"Their sins are truly too grave!"
Ye Ling then asked, "But I still don't understand why you are not surprised that they were all massacred?"
Xu Xiaoqing replied, "Does Senior remember what I said earlier about Fulong Town having demonic energy?"
"Yes." Ye Ling's eyes narrowed slightly. "You mean, these people in Fulong Town were all killed by that demon?"
Xu Xiaoqing nodded, "It should be... I also investigated at the time that the townspeople secretly held a sacrificial ceremony every half a month. They would sacrifice the souls of the young people who died after being tortured in the mountains, in order to suppress the great demon beneath Fulong Town."
"When I discovered the sealing formation, I saw that the sealing barrier had signs of loosening. Now that the people of Fulong Town have been massacred, I think it must be that the great demon has broken free from the seal and is taking revenge on the townspeople of Fulong Town."
"For mortals to use evil formations to seal a great demon is not a long-term solution. It is also expected that the great demon would break free from the seal and bring disaster."
"Mortals sealing a great demon..."
Ye Ling murmured, then asked Xu Xiaoqing, "Can you take me to see the sealing location?"
Xu Xiaoqing quickly bowed, "Junior will lead the way now!"