I Grind to Martial Saint

”A sacrificial ritual?”

Han Yuan, his head still bowed, was startled by the words.

He quietly raised his head and looked forward.

He saw a Wangling Sect Priest holding a large yellow banner and planting it directly into an incense burner.

FLAP FLAP FLAP~~~

The great banner was painted with the image of the Yellow Springs Saint Mother. Her eyes were closed, her likeness so vivid it was as if she were alive. It began to flutter on its own, rising up without any wind.

For a moment, it seemed as if the Yellow Springs Saint Mother herself would fly out of the banner, which emanated a sinister and bizarre aura.

Wu Guangtian, several Wangling Sect Priests, and a crowd of the sect’s followers all began chanting scriptures.

”Yellow Springs Saint Mother, deliver us from this sea of suffering...”

At that moment, the image of the Yellow Springs Saint Mother on the banner seemed to activate, her painted eyes suddenly snapping open!

In an instant, a sinister wind began to howl.

The commoners kneeling on the ground seemed to sense something and began to tremble uncontrollably.

It was the primal fear living beings have in the face of death.

But their minds were suppressed by an Evil Technique, leaving them in a daze. Even in their fear, they could do nothing.

A young man closest to the great banner suddenly had his qi and blood seemingly absorbed by some unknown power. His body rapidly withered until he was nothing but a desiccated corpse, which then toppled to the ground.

Han Yuan clearly saw a streak of red light and a streak of white light fly out of the young man’s corpse and into the yellow banner.

’The red light must be his qi and blood... and the white light, his soul.’

This yellow banner was more terrifying than any technique that boiled bones for their marrow; it devoured even the soul.

One after another, more figures collapsed.

Their qi, blood, and souls were all absorbed by the yellow banner.

Wu Guangtian watched for a moment before turning and walking into the temple.

All that was left was to wait for the banner to finish absorbing the people’s souls and vital essence. He didn’t need to stay and watch.

The number of sacrifices for tonight was set to double, and he had to arrange for his men to go out and capture more people.

Han Yuan watched Wu Guangtian’s back disappear from view, then waited a little longer.

By now, nearly half the people in the courtyard had collapsed.

Han Yuan narrowed his eyes and suddenly shot up from the ground.

SWOOSH~

He moved as fast as lightning, appearing before the incense burner in an instant. Before anyone could react, he wrapped his hands in Great Demon Qi, yanked the yellow banner out of the burner, and brought his knee up.

CRACK!

The yellow banner, being a Dharma Artifact for collecting souls and blood qi, wasn’t particularly sturdy. It shattered instantly.

Han Yuan then tore the flag’s fabric to shreds for good measure.

”Someone’s infiltrated us!!”

”What are you doing?!”

”How dare you desecrate the Yellow Springs Saint Mother!”

At that moment, the members of the Wangling Sect finally reacted.

An incredibly terrifying and gloomy aura erupted from the depths of the temple and rushed toward him!

Han Yuan stomped his feet and bolted, rushing out of the Yellow Springs Saint Mother Temple.

As he fled, he let out a great roar: ”Wake up, all of you!!!”

His voice boomed like thunder.

The sound jolted the kneeling commoners awake.

Seeing the desiccated corpses in front of them, they panicked, even without understanding what had happened.

”Run!”

”They’re trying to kill us!!!”

The terrified commoners scrambled to escape the square.

The temple square descended into chaos.

Screams of terror, panicked shouts, and angry rebukes filled the air.

Sensing the disturbance, Wu Guangtian rushed out from the depths of the temple. He saw the chaotic scene, but instead of trying to control it, he immediately gave chase in the direction Han Yuan had fled.

Beneath the bright moon.

Two figures leaped madly across the rooftops of Tongming County Town.

”Who the hell are you?!”

”You can’t escape!!!”

Wu Guangtian was beyond furious, his face twisted like a demon’s.

Wei Wuning had specifically left him in charge of the sacrifice at the temple.

He never imagined something would go wrong the moment he turned his back.

If he failed to capture this intruder, he had no idea how he would face Wei Wuning.

But Han Yuan had his Seven Stars Step at the Perfection level, and with his own terrifying explosive power, there was no way Wu Guangtian could catch him.

Soon, he couldn’t even see Han Yuan’s back.

But Wu Guangtian refused to give up and pursued him relentlessly.

BOOM!!!

A massive explosion suddenly rang in his ears.

By the time Wu Guangtian reached the West City Gate, he saw that a huge hole had been punched right through it.

As for Han Yuan, he was long gone.

”High Priest!”

”We don’t know what happened!”

”We just saw a figure rush over, shatter the city gate with a single punch, and escape.”

The Priest guarding the city gate saw Wu Guangtian and hurried over to explain.

’This guy...’

Wu Guangtian’s heart seethed with frustration and anger.

Once outside the city, it was no longer Wangling Sect territory.

He didn’t dare give chase.

If the intruder had an ambush waiting, it would be a huge problem.

SWOOSH~

Wei Wuning, having heard the commotion, rushed over from another direction. Seeing the collapsed city wall, he frowned. ”What happened?”

”Sect Leader... I was negligent,” Wu Guangtian said, recounting the events.

”It was entirely my fault. I didn’t even realize someone had infiltrated our ranks, and I let him get away.”

”Please, Sect Leader, punish me for my negligence.”

Wu Guangtian said, cupping his fist.

”What’s the use of saying that now?”

”Since we’ve been exposed, we’ll just have to do things openly.”

”It’s only a few days ahead of schedule.”

Wei Wuning said nonchalantly.

Under the circumstances, there was no longer any need to worry about causing a panic.

”Sect Leader, you mean...?” Wu Guangtian asked with a frown.

”Bring out... the Statue of the Netherworld Saint Mother.”

”I will offer the entire city as a blood sacrifice!”

Wei Wuning licked his lips.

Having come this far, he no longer had any reservations.

...

After retreating from Tongming County Town, Han Yuan made his way back to the Jianghe Province Soldiers’ encampment.

Ling Yun and Zhao Mengtian were waiting for him inside a command tent.

Even Tong Gu had forced himself to stay awake, refusing to sleep.

The three of them breathed a collective sigh of relief upon seeing Han Yuan return unharmed.

”General Ling, Director Zhao.”

”We must attack Tongming County Town at once. We can’t delay any longer.”

Han Yuan’s expression was grim.

”Director Han, did you discover something in Tongming County Town?”

Hearing this, Ling Yun knew Han Yuan must have made a significant discovery during his infiltration.

”Yes...”

”The Wangling Sect has lost its mind. They’ve begun sacrificing the commoners... several thousand at a time.”

Han Yuan recounted what he had discovered that night.

”Those monsters!!!”

”A pack of monsters!!!”

Ling Tian couldn’t help but curse after hearing the report.

”Han Yuan is right,” Zhao Mengtian said, remaining relatively calm. ”We can’t delay any longer. Who knows what changes these sacrifices will bring if they continue.”

”We must conquer Tongming County Town as soon as possible.”

He had practiced the sword for decades, and his heart was as cold as ice.

Even hearing about the Wangling Sect’s atrocities didn’t cause his emotions to stir.

Ling Yun, knowing he had lost his composure, exhaled sharply. ”We’ll begin preparations now. The moment the sun rises tomorrow, we attack Tongming County Town!”