"But is there still a Star Evil in the west of the city?" After securing the Tiger Soul Talisman close to him, Liou Yuan took a sip of tea and glanced over the entire western district from his seat.

He had previously used the Fixed Star Compass to conduct several surveys, all in the western district.

In three months, he only found an old dog possessed by a Star Evil.

Liou Yuan couldn’t speak for the other areas, but as for the western district, it was definitely the safest of the four areas of Yanhe City.

Of course, there might still be some that slipped through the net.

But Liou Yuan was right above this tavern, and as soon as Mr. Xin sent a signal, he could see it immediately and rush to the scene.

"These pastries are good, I’ll take some back for Mother and Kong Yi." Liou Yuan found a moment to call the waiter and asked him to pack some pastries.

Time passed just like that.

Yanhe City finally reached midnight, the transition between day and night.

The stars in the night sky began to shift.

Liou Yuan put down his food, walked gravely to the window, looked up at the starry sky.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire city’s populace.

The vast sky of stars dimmed, leaving only four brightest stars.

The rhythm of heaven and earth seemed to change at this moment.

"Ji Su! Ominous," Liou Yuan murmured the name of this rotation’s constellation.

The entire city sighed in response.

Almost as soon as the Ji Su stars coalesced in the night sky.

Oooo~~~

A familiar, piercing ghostly wail, abruptly reverberated from outside the tall city walls, along the edge of the moat.

The sound carried overwhelming resentment, pulling the already icy, snowy world into an even colder abyss.

After the sound, a bone-chilling coldness arose in the hearts of the entire city’s populace, including Liou Yuan sitting atop the tavern.

"That damned thing, back again!" Liou Yuan shivered from the ghostly wail, cursed immediately, eyes filled with impatience, gazing toward the direction of the city walls from where the sound came.

Although the tavern was high, it wasn’t higher than the city walls, so he couldn’t see the situation outside the city.

Even though Liou Yuan cursed, deep down, he was still immensely wary of the existence of this Star Evil.

After all, more than a dozen skilled individuals from the Qinghe Division, including the powerful Mr. Wei, had all perished at the hands of this Star Evil.

Soon, Liou Yuan heard the familiar sound of flowing water after the ghostly wail.

If there were no surprises, the water soldiers in the moat had once again entangled with that Star Evil.

But this time, the commotion was far more intense than the past few months.

Rumble!

Deafening booms reverberated beyond the city walls.

The vibrations passed through the walls, even extending to the tavern where Liou Yuan was.

The tea on his table rippled slightly from the aftershock.

Liou Yuan placed his hands on the windowsill, feeling the tremors clearly through his body.

This commotion covered Liou Yuan’s previously calm face with astonishment, and he uttered, "Something’s not right!"

In previous attacks by the Star Evil, the water soldiers always blocked it.

Besides the sounds, the commotion never spread into the city.

This time, it was capable of affecting the city’s structures.

That’s why Liou Yuan thought something was off.

Then Liou Yuan recalled Mr. Ge’s words, about the suspected Calamity-level Star Evil, his expression grew heavier.

"This guy has gotten stronger!"

"Is it because of Mr. Wei and their deaths?"

Previously, Liou Yuan thought that even if it were a Calamity-level Star Evil, it wouldn’t be easy to breach the city moat fortified by arrays in Yanhe City.

After this disturbance, Liou Yuan’s confidence wavered.

He knew very well what it would mean for Yanhe City once the array was broken.

"No, I must go and see the situation to plan ahead!" Liou Yuan hesitated for just a couple of seconds before making his decision.

Fortunately, after Ji Su appeared, nothing unusual happened in the western district.

Liou Yuan’s brief departure wouldn’t affect anything.

Besides, even if Mr. Xin discovered something, Liou Yuan could still make it back in time upon seeing the signal.

With that thought, Liou Yuan no longer hesitated, dashed downstairs, and sprinted swiftly towards the city walls.

In just a moment.

Under the respectful gaze of the city guards, Liou Yuan ascended to the walls of Yanhe City.

Upon climbing the wall, Liou Yuan noticed he wasn’t the only one arriving there.

A girl in a light green gown, Wei Ying, had arrived on the city wall at the gate before him. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

When Liou Yuan came up, he witnessed her tear-streaked, beautiful face.

Her lovely face was drenched with tears, staring blankly at the scene below the walls, biting her lip to keep herself from crying.

Until she saw Liou Yuan arrive, she took a deep breath, held back her tears, wiped away the tear marks, and forced a smile, "You’re here."

Saying this, Wei Ying pointed below the city wall.

Liou Yuan followed her finger.

The scene he saw made him frown, and he understood why Wei Ying had been filled with sorrow a moment ago.

Beyond the flowing moat,

a man in a black tight suit, with a firm expression, was fiercely battling with dozens of water soldiers formed by the river.

His eyes were dull and empty, devoid of human emotions.

Occasionally, non-human wails escaped his mouth.

Black aura clung to his sides, following him closely.

The black aura sometimes turned into ghost faces devouring water soldiers, sometimes into compassionate Buddhas crushing them with a squeeze of their hand.

The ground beyond the city walls was pockmarked with enormous craters from the fierce battle.

And the man’s appearance, was none other than the deceased Mr. Wei.

Also Wei Ying’s father.

Not only had he died, but his flesh had been possessed by the Star Evil, transformed into this ghostly figure.

As a daughter, seeing her father turned into this eerie sight, no one could remain calm.

At such times, words were futile.

"My condolences," Liou Yuan could only softly say.

As his attention shifted to the battle outside the city, Liou Yuan grew increasingly solemn.

The power of that Star Evil was terrifyingly exceptional, reshaping Liou Yuan’s understanding.

A black aura-condensed Buddha stood near the height of the city walls, and with one slap, countless water soldiers disintegrated.

The black aura where it swept away, left massive craters on the ground, unleashing strong tremors.

Liou Yuan, standing on the nearest city wall to the battle’s center, could feel the wall shaking.

Moreover, the black aura emitted by the Star Evil caused Liou Yuan nausea, just a glance made him want to vomit the pastries he’d just eaten.

And that was with the moat’s array barrier, if fully exposed to that aura, Liou Yuan suspected even more horrifying things would occur.

"This is the Calamity-level Star Evil!" Liou Yuan remembered Mr. Ge’s mention of it, its potential to wipe out the city.

Though he was wary at the time, it was merely what others had told him, and he hadn’t truly understood a Calamity-level Star Evil.

Having witnessed with his own eyes, he now internally recognized Mr. Ge’s words as true.

Once this Star Evil broke through the moat, Yanhe City would be destroyed in an instant.