When Li Wenhe heard the voice, he was stunned. He jumped up and stared at the source of the sound.

Gu Xu raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, a faint smile appearing in his dark pupils.

"Zhuozhuo, welcome back."

The old man's expression hardened, and he turned to look at the person who had appeared in the darkness. "Ruan, Ming, Zhuo!"

The group of people who were about to make a move were shocked. What was going on? Ruan Mingzhuo had actually appeared!

Mingzhuo stepped forward and helped Gu Xu up, staring at the old man, "I didn't hear what you just said clearly, repeat it quickly."

Gu Xu felt the warmth of his fingertips instantly dissipate, and after a moment of surprise, he calmly said, "He just said that he wants to drain our blood."

He Wangyao: "..."

Ah-Xu, you stole my lines! Wait, Ah-Xu, how come you've learned to tattle too?

He stared wide-eyed at the upright and honest person, feeling his entire worldview shaken.

Mingzhuo laughed angrily: "Whose idea was this? Was it you, it was you, or you old geezer?"

She pointed around and those people, intimidated by her formidable reputation, instinctively took a few steps back.

This made the old man stand out.

Mingzhuo sized up the old man: "Looks like it's you. You're practically half-buried and still doing this bad deed. Is it because you have no descendants and aren't afraid of retribution?"

Before she finished speaking, the peach wood sword flew out, its sword aura chilling.

Gu Xu had just taken the opportunity to shove the peach wood sword into her hand. The peach wood sword had not seen its master for a long time. It drew a bloody mark on the old man's arm and then happily returned to Ming Zhuo's hand.

The old man clutched his bleeding arm, glaring venomously at Mingzhuo, "Don't push your luck!"

Mingzhuo: "I'm going to push my luck! Come and hit me if you dare!"

She wielded the peach wood sword, swiftly inflicting several cuts on the old man and the men behind him.

"Didn't you say you were going to drain my comrades' blood? Come on, what are you waiting for?"

The group was extremely humiliated; they had never seen such a reckless and arrogant cultivator!

Is she still a nun?

Most people wouldn't be able to bring themselves to harm such an elderly person, let alone a monk who should have even more compassion for all living beings.

Mingzhuo not only had the peach wood sword bleed these people, but also occasionally wreaked havoc, making a cut here and a blast there.

The old man sensed her intention and looked at her with a distorted expression. "You want to disrupt the ritual? Too late! The evil spirit has already emerged, and none of you will escape."

"You've exhausted your magic power, and these are all you can do? Who are you trying to scare?" The old man laughed loudly. "This trap was set for you today, and your death is just around the corner!"

Mingzhuo hated bad people being so arrogant in front of her. Just as she was about to take a step forward, her wrist was grabbed.

Li Wenhe had been staring intently at Ming Zhuo ever since she appeared. "Are you alright now?"

He Wangyao also said nervously, "Boss, if it really comes down to it, let's run. Saving our lives is the most important thing!"

I don't know if that man from before really left, or if he's lingering nearby, planning to be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

But tonight is undoubtedly a dangerous situation. They are here to support Mingzhuo and prevent her from being isolated and helpless.

If there is any danger, they will do everything in their power to escort Mingzhuo away.

Gu Xu also made a thorough contingency plan for this, which everyone kept in mind.

Gu Xu: "Xianze, take Zhuozhuo away!"

At his command, the others instinctively began to coordinate and prepare to block the pursuers.

Mingzhuo was taken aback, thinking to herself that Axu really did have a lot of presence. Then she realized something was wrong and grabbed Xianze, saying, "Wait! I'm fine, really fine!"

Xianze was forced to stop. The great demon's power was extraordinary, and his strength was much greater than that of an ordinary person. Even so, he still couldn't pull Mingzhuo away.

"You've fully recovered?" Xianze asked.

Mingzhuo: "Yes, I've fully recovered. I probably slept for three days. Not only have I recovered, but I'm even stronger now."

He Wangyao asked suspiciously, "Then why didn't you interrupt their summoning ritual?"

Although a few people were struck with swords and some offerings and incense were destroyed, they posed no real threat.

The most strange thing right now is the summoning ritual. He Wangyao can clearly sense that something is about to come out.

"Oh, I just wanted to see what exactly they summoned." Mingzhuo coughed lightly to cover up his misunderstanding.

She was curious because she saw that the old man was so confident, thinking that the thing he summoned would definitely be able to deal with her, and wanted to see for herself.

Of course, after seeing it all, if that thing still couldn't handle her, she would stab it with her sword.

To prevent these cultists from causing trouble every day and releasing evil spirits to harm others.

Old man: "Impossible! You can't even break the ritual, you must be talking big!"

Mingzhuo shrugged. "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."

Gu Xu walked over: "We still need to be careful. Something was attached to Zhang Xian just now. It must be very powerful. We were injured by it."

Mingzhuo suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."

She thought these fanatical cultists didn't have the ability, but sure enough, a third party intervened.

"Don't worry, there's no one else around," Mingzhuo said.

That person ran away beforehand to avoid confronting her, probably because he guessed that she had fully recovered.

The reason they poisoned and injured Gu Xu and the others was to hinder her, so that she would either ruin the summoning ritual or have to deal with the evil spirit.

Because apart from Xianze, who was a powerful demon and did not suffer serious internal injuries, everyone else vomited blood. The blood nourished the summoning array and also created a connection with the evil spirits.

This is why Mingzhuo had no choice but to stay.

However, Mingzhuo was very unhappy and bled the old man and his companions, so that none of them would have an easy time.

These people worship evil spirits and certainly wouldn't mind being swallowed whole by the summoned evil spirits.

Just then, the charlatans performing rituals within the formation began to shake wildly, their bodies convulsing as if they were having epilepsy, screaming "Ahhh!"

The cries were no longer devout, but filled with pain and fear!

Countless black yin energies began to crawl on their bodies, meandering like insects and ants, and burrowing into the mouths, noses, and ears of the group of people!

The scene was terrifying, yet the believers below seemed to be possessed, kneeling and worshipping frantically, each time banging their heads on the ground and prostrating themselves on the ground.

They were so devout that it was as if they were kneeling in worship of a real god.

The old man and several companions also knelt down, joyfully exclaiming, "Welcome the High Priest!"

Mingzhuo discovered the blind spot: the ordinary believers said they were welcoming the arrival of the Ghost King, but the old man said they were welcoming the arrival of the High Priest.

In a flash, she suddenly understood something, “You seem to have Shadowmoon Clan blood... but the bloodline is already very diluted.”

The old man burst into laughter, seemingly insane. "Ruan Mingzhuo! You didn't expect this, did you? You injured the High Priest in Xiangshi, and I went into hiding, just waiting for this day! Waiting for you to get your retribution and be torn to pieces by the High Priest!"

He glared at Mingzhuo with venomous hatred, the resentment in his eyes was shocking.