How did I, who just ascended to heaven, become an evil spirit?

Li Hu stayed in the tent for a long time. He could have come out much earlier, but Li Bai not only wanted to read by himself, but also for no apparent reason, he insisted on keeping Li Hu in the tent with him.

They've almost completely neglected their sleep and meals.

Every time Li Hu tried to leave, they stopped him, as if he were going to be imprisoned.

Finally, after Li Bai finished reading the book and let out a long breath, Li Hu himself suddenly felt as if he had been cleansed of all worldly impurities, as if he had comprehended the Three Corpses Dao and read through all the Daoist scriptures in the world in just a few days. His temperament was even better than before.

But Li Hu himself did nothing.

He was just quietly lounging in a corner, doing nothing, while observing the two of them.

When I lifted the curtain and stepped outside, I was shocked to find the outside world in such a mess.

So they rushed as fast as they could and finally caught up with Duanmu Hai at the original market entrance of Qingyuan County.

Li Hu gazed at Duanmu Hai from afar, who was radiating steam and exuding murderous intent like a restless bull. He turned sideways and waved to him from a distance.

He had the air of a grandmaster.

Duanmu Hai sensed this slight contempt and was instantly enraged. He swung the bronze axe around his body, and the dragon that crossed his shoulder circled around him. With a roar, it charged towards Li Hu.

"Even the smallest mudfish dares to call itself a power cultivator."

Li Bai revealed a disdainful expression. Although he was small, he only took two steps and instantly appeared above Duanmu Hai's head.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his feet resting on Duanmu Hai's hair, looking completely at ease, as if he had always been there.

Duanmu Hai became even angrier and reached out to grab him, but Li Bai stomped his foot slightly, and the ground where Duanmu Hai was standing suddenly sank down, as if something was pressing down on him, forcing Duanmu Hai to kneel down with a thud, smashing a large area of ​​the floor tiles.

"how?"

Li Bai suddenly appeared in front of Duanmu Hai, his elegant posture like that of a bullfighter, looking at the burly bandit in front of him with a hint of mockery.

Duanmu Hai sensed the strangeness of the person in front of him and felt a sense of dread.

But he remained silent, only taking out a red pill from his pocket and swallowing it.

After taking the pill, Duanmu Hai's aura surged instantly, his muscles bulged, and he stood on the street like a small hill, almost filling the street wide enough for five or six people to walk side by side.

Even a humanoid mountain of flesh is nothing more than this.

Seeing this, Li Hei lowered his head and stepped out from behind Li Hu, saying, "It's not easy to survive in chaotic times, I understand you."

"But since I earn my living with my skills, I can't let my fellow villagers die at the hands of you, you black bastard."

Duanmu Hai frowned slightly as he looked at Li Hu, who was rambling incoherently, wondering what the sudden change in attitude meant.

But Duanmu Hai, having absorbed the effects of the medicine, did not hesitate at all. With a wave of his hand, the dragon that had crossed his shoulder burst out from his body and attacked Li Hu directly.

Boom!

Li Hei remained expressionless, enduring the blow without retreating an inch.

"Hey, Li Hei, are you sure you can handle this? Do you need my help?" Li Bai appeared on the roof of a half-collapsed house at some point. He sat on the far side of the eaves, crossed his legs, and leisurely watched the commotion.

"It's acceptable."

Li Hei responded with a shout, stretched out his large, fan-like hand, grabbed the dragon's horn, and slammed it to the ground.

The dragon immediately let out a mournful cry and writhed and struggled on the ground like an earthworm.

It discovered that, despite being a spirit companion to a physical cultivator, it was completely outmatched in strength by the scholar-like man before it.

Without any hesitation, Li Hei extended two fingers from his free hand and forcefully inserted them into the back of the dragon's neck, groping around inside for a moment.

brush--

He pulled out a resilient, crystal-clear dragon tendon completely.

The dragon, its eyes wide open and blood trickling from its mouth, lay motionless on the ground, utterly silent.

"Good stuff, let me try it." Li Bai smiled upon seeing this, and suddenly jumped down from the eaves. He couldn't wait to stuff the dragon tendon into his mouth and chew it. He seemed quite satisfied with the taste of this thing.

Upon seeing this scene, Duanmu Hai immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered on the ground, appearing both tragic and terrifying.

"You, you, you..."

Duanmu Hai was weak and listless, as if he had lost his backbone, and aged more than a hundred years in that instant.

For an ordinary cultivator, being able to refine a companion spirit object is already the pinnacle of skill. He was only one step away from ascension. The reason he hadn't ascended yet was simply because the Giant Spirit God of Baiyujing still existed, and it wasn't his turn yet.

To exaggerate a bit, Duanmu Hai was already among the top tier of ordinary people in the martial arts world, no less than Li Hu before his ascension.

But now… Duanmu Hai stared at the dead dragon, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot.

"I'll kill you!" He raised his axe and charged towards Li Hu with surging steps, as if he were determined to fight to the death.

"Come on! Li Hei! Kill him!" Li Bai shouted excitedly from the side.

Li Hei remained calm and composed, saying nothing, but simply taking a step forward.

Duanmu Hai swung his axe down, but Li Hei caught it with a single, effortless motion, his footing perfectly steady. It was as if the devastating force was as light as a feather in his hands, easily manipulated.

Li Hei's hand gripped the axe blade like a pair of pliers, and no matter how hard Duanmu Hai tried, he couldn't budge it an inch.

Click.

The bronze axe was crushed by Li Hei with one hand. Duanmu Hai looked at Li Hu in disbelief, his eyes filled with deep confusion.

May you be a good person in your next life.

Li Hei muttered something under his breath, then punched Duanmu Hai through the chest, gently catching his limp body and slowly placing him on the ground.

"You... what exactly are you?" Duanmu Hai asked weakly, choking on blood, with some resentment.

"I am Li Hei, a mere wandering soul." Li Hei reached out and placed his hand on Duanmu Hai's neck, then continued, "You have no reason to be wronged by losing to me. Just accept this result."

With that, Li Hei exerted a little force in his palm and twisted Duanmu Hai to death.

"Why all this ceremony for killing bandits?" Li Bai, standing to the side, seemed somewhat unsatisfied and even muttered something.

After this incident, Zong Shanyue and Huang Daxian, who had been watching from the sidelines, both stared wide-eyed. In their eyes, it was Li Hu himself who had caught the axe blade with one hand and pierced Duanmu Hai with one punch.

The two exchanged bewildered glances. They had expected this battle to be a close and evenly matched contest, but why had Li Hu suddenly become...?

Huang Daxian stared blankly as Li Hu approached, still somewhat bewildered, when Li Hu grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the crowd.

"Quick, save them!" Li Hu shouted.

Having dealt with the most troublesome of the bandits, there were still many smaller bandits left. Li Hu hurried forward, determined to rescue as many Qingyuan people as possible.

Li Hu arrived at the area with the most people in the tents, only to find sounds of burning, killing, and looting everywhere. He regretted that he was overwhelmed and didn't even know where to begin.

Just as they were getting anxious, Li Bai slowly walked out from behind Li Hu. He appeared on a high place where the bandits had gathered their supplies, and a bloody human head appeared in his hand at some point.

That head belonged to Duanmu Hai; no one knew when he had cut it off.

"The bandit leader is here! Anyone who refuses to surrender will be executed!"

Li Bai roared, and his voice was quite intimidating.

Immediately, some of the bandits who had come to their senses were thrown into chaos. When they looked up, they saw that Zong Shanyue's Taoist robe, which he had spread out, was still covering the sky, but their leader had already taken his leave.

It seems our group has met its match today.

The bandits, in twos and threes, dropped their knives. But then, Li Bai quietly turned around, his face grim, and whispered something to Li Hei:

"Surrender my ass! Kill them all!"

Li Bai made a throat-slitting gesture, and Li Hei immediately understood.

Then a bloody storm swept through the area. Li Hei was like a judge of life and death wherever he went. He led Zong Shanyue and the others, charging left and right. The wails of the bandits were even more miserable than those of the people who had been robbed earlier.

In about half an incense stick's time, all the bandits with blood on their hands were killed by Li Hei.

However, Li Hei still felt a little reluctant and only killed those whose knives were stained with blood.

The fact that blood was spilled meant that at least someone had been injured. An eye for an eye, Li Hu wanted to get rid of him, and he had to get rid of him too.

The rest were the weaker, less malicious bandits among the mountain bandits. They all dropped their clean weapons and were driven together by Huang Daxian, Zong Shanyue, and the others.

Most of them were dressed in tattered clothes, which were not very warm in the dark. They came here just to get some supplies and a hot meal. They were used to being timid and submissive, and they didn't have the courage to hurt anyone.

Li Hu sat atop the pile of supplies, and when all the remaining bandits had gathered, he announced loudly:

"If you have no food, you are welcome to come here, after all, the feeling of being hungry is not pleasant."

"But if you harm or kill, your fate will be the same as theirs—death!"

"Right now, Qingyuan County is relying on collective farming and is short of manpower. If you are willing to stay and repair houses and participate in the reconstruction of the city, you can stay and have a meal."

"Those who are unwilling to work and only think about getting something for nothing, forcibly taking what belongs to others, will only face death!"

Li Hei's face was cold as he reached out and pressed down hard on Li Bai, who was filled with murderous intent, and continued to ask loudly:

Tell me, what's your choice?

The remaining bandits had no blood on their hands and were forced to join the bandits. Upon seeing this, they all kowtowed to thank Li Hu for sparing their lives.

Judging by the number of people, there were roughly several dozen young and middle-aged laborers. Li Hu nodded upon seeing this and instructed Huang Daxian to recruit them.

Qingyuan has suffered heavy losses. Although there is no shortage of food and drink, there are many elderly, women and children, and the injured, disabled and sick. Li Sujin and the logistics team she built are no longer able to take care of them.

Li Hu, who was squatting in the tent, heard whispers outside several times. At least half of the able-bodied men in Qingyuan County had been lost, and now was the time when they needed manpower.

Yuan Sou, Huang Daxian, and others did as instructed, thoroughly searching each of the bandits they recruited and then calling the local people over to identify them and confirm whether their hands were clean.

If the conditions are met, clothing will be issued, information will be registered, and work will be assigned. In the future, food will be provided based on the amount of work done.

If the conditions are not met, or if there is still a change of heart, then Wong Tai Sin's fish-killing knife will come in handy.

Everything is proceeding smoothly.

Just as the bandits were lining up to register their names, hometowns, and ages, an ugly-looking man slipped through the crowd and found Li Hu.

He didn't ask for directions, as if he already knew Li Hu.

"Your Excellency, I am Liang Er. I have heard that you became famous at a young age and are exceptionally handsome. Seeing you today, I can confirm it is true." Liang Er bowed to Li Hu with a fawning expression on his face.

"Why aren't you registering? What do you need me for?" Li Hu asked, somewhat annoyed.

"Yes," Liang Er chuckled, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"My lord, there is something I am not sure if I should say. I have heard that the Queen Mother of the West has made a pact with the mortal world: whoever takes your life will have the opportunity to ascend to immortality."

Liang Er's face still wore that smile, but now it appeared somewhat sinister.

"I am but a lowly bandit, and I would like to try my luck."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu frowned. After realizing what the person in front of him was talking about, he nodded and pondered, "I understand."

"Then make your move. Don't say I didn't give you a chance."

All of this was within Li Hu's expectations. In the dead of night, there were just as many people who couldn't get enough to eat as there were people who wanted to kill Li Hu.

"I have already made my move," Liang Er said with a smile, his expression unchanged.

Li Hu was startled, realizing that he hadn't changed much. He looked left and right, then looked puzzled, wondering what Liang Er meant.

"Look at the ground."

Liang Er pointed to the ground in front of Li Hu, and Li Hu lowered his head, his pupils immediately contracting.

The sky was dark, and the only light came from torches and lanterns, so most people cast flickering shadows beneath their feet.

But when Li Hu looked down, he found that his shadow had disappeared.

He was spotless, as if all the light had passed through him and shone directly on the ground at his feet.

That's really strange.

"To be honest, I am a shadow cultivator from Qianzhou. With just a little magic, I can erase a person's shadow," Liang Er introduced himself.

"I have been keeping an eye on you for a long time, but unfortunately you have been hiding and never showing yourself. So I had to lure a group of bandits here to force you out and meet me, so that I could have the opportunity to make my move."

"Today, I, Liang, thank you for your generous reward. If I am ever granted an ascension to immortality, I will never forget your kindness today."

After saying this, Liang Er knelt down and bowed deeply to Li Hu.

After getting up, Liang Er's smile became even more cruel, and he spoke politely, as if Li Hu's life was already in his grasp.

"Oh?"

Li Bai then laughed and asked with great interest, "And what about the person whose shadow has been taken away?"

"He will die," Liang Er said succinctly.

One was a scheming assassin, and the other was a target who had already been ambushed. Yet, standing face to face, they exchanged polite smiles, as if they had known each other for a long time and were old friends.

Liang Er laughed because he had succeeded, but he didn't know why Li Hu, this lamb to the slaughter, had the right to laugh. He couldn't help but shudder and looked at Li Hu suspiciously.