I happened to pass by this place and noticed an overwhelming sinister aura. May I ask what has occurred here

Lord Anyang looked down at the panic-stricken faces below the platform. The gentleness on his face was gone, replaced by a morbid fanaticism.

"Everyone, there is no need to panic."

"This is the blessing I am bestowing upon you!"

"Your flesh and blood, your divine souls, will all become the stepping stones for my path to immortality!"

"Your sacrifice will cast my eternal glory!"

"And I am not an ungrateful man. I will surely fulfill your wishes and establish the Anyang Sect on this very land."

"To enjoy the worship of the masses!"

His voice was no longer warm and moist; it had become sharp and ear-piercing.

At the same time, around the square, the soldiers maintaining order drew the sabers at their waists in unison. Their cold blades aimed at the unarmed commoners, blocking all avenues of retreat.

It was not that they were incredibly loyal to this City Lord...

Quite the opposite; they were the first batch of victims.

Under their armor, what should have been mediocre faces were now nothing but flowing black ooze.

As they moved, the ooze dripped onto the ground from time to time, emitting a sizzling sound.

"Ahhh!"

A shrill scream pierced the deathly silence.

The crowd completely erupted into chaos.

The astonishment on the commoners' faces turned into bone-chilling terror.

They screamed, they cried, and they surged backward like madmen, trying to escape this hell on earth.

But what greeted them were the ruthless blades of the soldiers.

Fresh blood instantly dyed the ground red.

On the second platform, the gentry and wealthy merchants had long lost their previous composure. They collapsed in their chairs, their faces ashen. They could not understand how the City Lord, who had been chatting amiably with them just a moment ago, had suddenly become a life-claiming demon.

Lord Anyang stood on the high platform, spreading his arms and inhaling deeply with an intoxicated expression.

"What a beautiful sight..."

"Fear, despair... these are the best nutrients!"

Suddenly, a pitch-black, deep tide lit up beneath his feet.

It spread rapidly, covering the entire square like a spiderweb and enveloping everyone within it.

An invisible force began to extract the life essence from everyone's bodies.

Just as everyone fell into utter despair.

A streak of azure light cut through the dim sky.

The speed of the flowing light was extremely fast, carrying an indomitable and sharp momentum as it headed straight for the high platform.

Lord Anyang frowned and looked up, a trace of displeasure flashing across his face.

Which blind fool dared to disturb his good deed?

The flowing light came to a sudden halt in the air, ten zhang away from the high platform.

As the light dissipated, a tall, upright figure was revealed.

The newcomer was treading upon a flying sword.

All the desperate gazes in the square coincidentally converged on him.

Su Ji looked down at the chaotic dance of demons below, then glanced at the seemingly crazed Lord Anyang on the high platform.

He cleared his throat.

"I was unintentionally passing by when I saw the sky filled with evil energy."

"May I ask what is happening here?"

Lord Anyang narrowed his eyes, sizing up this young man who had appeared out of nowhere.

Foundation Establishment Level 1?

Lord Anyang smiled, a smile filled with incomparable contempt.

In recent days, even Golden Core cultivators had perished at his hands, and not just a few.

Mere Foundation Establishment.

He could destroy him with a snap of his fingers.

"Where did this yellow-mouthed child come from, daring to bark wildly in front of this City Lord?"

"Considering your cultivation does not come easily, leave quickly, and I may spare your life."

Su Ji did not respond to his words. He simply crossed his arms over his chest and smiled scornfully.

The commoners below, on the brink of despair, felt as if they had grasped the last life-saving straw. They fell to their knees, bowing towards Su Ji.

"Immortal Master, save us!"

"We beg the Immortal Master to uphold justice for us! Kill this evil demon!"

Below the stage, the commoners who had already sunk into despair felt like drowning men catching a piece of driftwood the moment they saw Su Ji arrive on his sword.

They crawled and scrambled to kneel in Su Ji's direction. Their cries and pleas merged into a single wave of sound. Their faces, stained with tears and dust, were written with the most humble entreaties.

They did not know who the newcomer was, nor did they know how strong he was.

But in this Anyang City, which was as dim as hell, that streak of azure light was the only light in their eyes.

Lord Anyang looked at the reaction of the commoners below, then looked up at Su Ji again, the contempt on his face deepening.

He extended a finger and tapped towards the kneeling commoners below, his tone full of mockery.

"Look at them. How pitiful, how humble."

"One second they were kneeling to me, and the next they start bowing to you."

"If you truly have the ability, then save them."

"If you don't... then become dust on my path to immortality alongside them."

Su Ji explained solemnly, "Your actions are cruel and against the natural order; you will inevitably face heavenly retribution."

"I am a kind-hearted person. I cannot stand the sight of corpses littering the fields."

"I have come to seek justice for the people of this city."

These words caused Lord Anyang to freeze for a moment, before he laughed so hard he leaned back and forth, tears nearly streaming from his eyes.

"I possess the inheritance of an Immortal and am about to ascend to immortality, to live as long as heaven and earth! You, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who hasn't even grown all his hair yet, dare to speak such nonsense in front of me?"

His laughter was filled with undisguised killing intent.

The pitch-black formation enveloping the entire square glowed with a deeper light. The speed at which it extracted life essence accelerated.

Below, dozens more commoners collapsed screaming, their bodies shriveling rapidly as they turned into nutrients for the formation.

Although the commoners below could not understand the dialogue between the two, they could feel an unprecedented sense of reassurance from Su Ji's calm and unhurried demeanor.

The formation, formed of black water, suddenly surged violently. It transformed into a hideous, giant pitch-black hand, carrying the force of ten thousand jun, and grabbed ruthlessly at Su Ji in mid-air!

Wherever the giant hand passed, the air emitted a wail of being overwhelmed.

Seeing this, the commoners below let out a gasp of alarm.

"Immortal Master, watch out!"

However, facing this earth-shattering strike, Su Ji did not even lift an eyelid.

He simply stood quietly on his flying sword, allowing the violent wind to blow his robes, making them flutter loudly.

Just as the giant pitch-black hand was about to touch him.

"Hum—"

A distant sword hum resonated through heaven and earth.

An invisible wind barrier appeared out of thin air in front of Su Ji.

The insufferably arrogant giant black hand, the moment it slammed into the barrier, was like crashing into an invisible wall. It collapsed with a bang, turning into a sky full of black rain that scattered down.

Lord Anyang's pupils constricted violently, his face written with disbelief.

That strike of his was enough to instantly kill any mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. Yet this kid at the first level of Foundation Establishment was actually... unharmed?

The formation across the entire square changed once again.

On the ground, the black water formed from the melted bodies of the dead commoners suddenly converged into pitch-black tentacles, sweeping toward Su Ji in an overwhelming tide!

This attack was more than ten times stronger than the giant hand from before!