In the central region of the Western Mountains, a colossal异鬼, mutated from a peak, moved with a rumble, causing rocks to cascade down like meteorites, obscuring the sky.
Within the Western Mountains, an even taller peak rose, and atop the highest tree on that peak stood a towering old man in a black robe.
The old man leaned on a noble scepter, exuding an aura of chilling evil, his eyes fixed on the valley below with murderous intent.
To the right of the Stone Mountain Great Demon, he had painstakingly crafted a three-stage pollution source.
To the left stood eleven red figures, all of them enforcers from the Demon Extermination Division.
Compared to the Stone Mountain Great Demon, the eleven figures were minuscule, but in the world of psychics, size had never been the sole determinant of strength.
Among the red robes, despite only one being a third-stage psychic, with the remaining ten being second-stage, he harbored no illusions.
Within the Demon Extermination Division, every psychic, regardless of rank, was not to be underestimated, for only the cream of the crop in their respective tiers could serve there.
Moreover, in the realm of the Strange Night, where the Demon Extermination Division held absolute sway, ten second-stage psychics might be enough to hold off an ordinary third-stage great demon.
What troubled Vilitan most was the leader of that group of psychics.
He held a compass in his hand, his expression devoid of panic. A long spear was slung across his back, and even from this distance, Vilitan could feel a pressure emanating from him as he moved.
Many psychics wielded spears as weapons, but there was only one who could lead a team into the Western Mountains to hunt for pollution sources.
That was the Director of the First Division of the Demon Extermination Division, Yin Zhongxiu.
Vilitan’s expression turned grim. He had known of this man for a long time and knew he patrolled the Western Mountains daily, but he hadn't expected him to actually find this place.
Because he was unsure if the pollution source in Fengqing Village had taken effect, he still needed to accumulate more energy through this pollution source and the formation.
Therefore, he needed time.
Vilitan gazed at the crowd below, pondered for a moment, and then waved his scepter.
The mountain peak roared in anger and charged towards the eleven figures.
...
"It should be just ahead, but this thing is difficult to bypass, somewhat troublesome,"
In a clearing within the forest, the eleven red-robed figures stopped in unison. A man in a Taoist robe, holding a scroll, pushed his nearsighted glasses up his nose and slowly said.
He was a rare psychic of the mental type, thus he could sense that besides the stone monster, there was also a dark fluctuation, as deep and profound as a still pool, exuding immense pressure.
That must be the pollution source.
Yin Zhongxiu, at the front of the team, put away his compass, and a smile flickered in his tired eyes. Their painstaking search had actually led them to it.
However, clearing the pollution source would take time, and it was best not to be disturbed.
"The third-stage formed post-formation, you should be able to handle it."
Yin Zhongxiu's tone was relaxed, and he paid no mind to the behemoth charging towards them.
He could tell at a glance that this Stone Mountain Great Demon was a post-formation pollution victim, as it lacked sentience.
Without sentience, it was like a puppet. Stone mountain spirits were not like wild beasts that hunted from birth. This creature's combat awareness was likely inferior to that of a three-year-old child.
"Yanyu, come with me to deal with the pollution source. The rest of you, handle the other strange spirits."
Yin Zhongxiu patted the shoulder of the middle-aged man behind him, who nodded slightly.
"Junior Brother Yanyu's sword is the fastest among all of us. It's naturally the best choice for him to accompany you to clear the pollution source."
Yanyu stood aside, his face frosty, offering no objection.
"Alright, since there are no objections, let's get started."
The small mountain was less than five hundred meters from their position, almost within reach. Yin Zhongxiu decisively veered off to the side.
Among their dozen people, excluding himself, the strongest, Tuoba Yuyuan and Bai Pu, had merely touched the threshold of the Huacai realm.
The rest were second-stage psychics. None of them could handle this third-stage strange spirit alone, so they had to stick together.
As for himself, he would take one second-stage psychic whom he could absolutely trust and who possessed immense strength to clear the pollution source. Yanyu was naturally the only choice.
Seeing Yin Zhongxiu charging towards the side of the forest, Yanyu's eyes narrowed, and he crouched low, quickly following the man's pace.
The remaining nine, facing the charging stone giant, simultaneously unleashed their fighting spirit.
...
"Your reaction is faster than mine, but still be careful. If anything happens later, you can retreat first."
As the two of them sprinted through the forest, Yin Zhongxiu raised his palm, and a strange spirit attempting to block their path was sent flying with a single palm strike from a distance.
"Although the pollution source causes monsters to mutate again, and the Strange Night's boost is not to be underestimated, this is not the core region of the Western Mountains."
Yanyu replied coldly. He disagreed with Yin Zhongxiu's words. What did he mean by retreating first if there was danger?
He had his own trump cards. Even a third-stage great demon might not be able to do anything to him. True great horrors would not descend here, so what was there to worry about?
Besides, he wasn't alone. Yin Zhongxiu, as the Director, was only half a step away from breaking through and becoming a fourth-stage cultivator.
The two of them working together to deal with a third-stage pollution source was more than enough.
"I don't think they, we, will have such an opportunity."
Yanyu's expression was calm, clearly referring to the matter of fleeing.
The man smiled slightly.
Just now, Yanyu had used the word "we."
This implied that he had already classified himself as a psychic of the same level.
He would not fall in rank, so Yanyu had implicitly assumed he was third-stage.
"Are you about to break through?"
"Not far."
Yanyu followed closely, saying indifferently.
Yin Zhongxiu fell silent. He recalled that Yanyu was only twenty-two years old and was about to enter the third stage.
He had rarely seen anyone like this even in the Imperial City back then, and those few individuals had now become the pillars of the Great Xia's younger generation.
Yin Zhongxiu said nothing, and Yanyu said no more. The two soon reached the end of the forest, only to be blocked by a dense cluster of stone pillars.
They stopped simultaneously. Ahead, each of the massive stone pillars was inscribed with obscure and difficult-to-understand runes.
"This is a formation, used to protect the pollution source."
Frost rained down on the surrounding space. In a moment, Yanyu had imprinted the entire stone forest into his mind.
He knew it was a defensive formation, but he couldn't decipher it.
...