Upon getting closer, Zi Ling said, "There are several people here who have been marked by the demonic spirit."

Rong Jiaojiao said, "Could this be some fallen mortal cultivation family? Otherwise, given the way demonic spirits operate, they wouldn't leave a mark on ordinary people."

Elder Li took out a concealment talisman and affixed it to the two people and the beast, instantly blending their aura into the surrounding environment.

"We'll find out what's going on once we go in. Stay close to me and don't alert them," Elder Li whispered in his ear.

They walked along the village path and soon came to a dilapidated wooden house on the east side.

The doors and windows of the wooden cabin were tightly closed, but faint low groans could be heard coming from inside.

Zi Ling's fur stood on end slightly, indicating that she was extremely vigilant.

Rong Jiaojiao sensed its unease and gently stroked its back to comfort it.

Elder Li gestured for the two to step back, then stepped forward, gathering a ray of spiritual light at his fingertips and gently touching the door latch.

The latch silently turned to dust. He pushed open the door, and a chilling aura rushed out.

The room was dimly lit, and a thin man was curled up in the corner, his face pale and his eyes bloodshot.

Hearing the noise, he suddenly looked up and let out a beast-like growl.

Zi Ling exclaimed, "Master, his soul has been almost completely absorbed, and his body has become a breeding vessel for the Soul-Devouring Demon Seed. If we don't discover it, the demon seed will absorb all his essence and blood and break out of his body in less than two days."

Zi Ling transmitted her voice to both Rong Jiaojiao and Elder Li simultaneously. Rong Jiaojiao sealed off their small space halfway through her sentence.

Before the man could make a move, Elder Li beheaded him with a single sword stroke and then quickly took out a golden talisman and affixed it to the corpse.

The talisman ignited with a ghostly blue flame, instantly incinerating the corpse along with the nascent demonic seed within it.

"It's too late to save him." Elder Li's voice was low. "The demonic seed has already eroded his internal organs. Delaying it will only cause him more pain."

Rong Jiaojiao clenched her fists, a sharp pain shooting through her heart.

Although she knew it was a last resort, she still found it hard to remain calm as she watched a life slip away before her eyes.

Zi Ling jumped onto her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek with her head, offering silent comfort.

Elder Li sheathed his longsword, looked around, and found a tattered notebook on the bedside table. The notebook was filled with distorted characters and strange symbols.

Elder Li opened his notebook, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper: "This is... a sacrificial ritual?"

Rong Jiaojiao leaned closer and saw that the notebook recorded a ritual to summon "gods," which required the essence and blood of living people as a catalyst to obtain the power of "eternal life."

"Absurd!" Elder Li sneered. "This is clearly a demonic bewitching technique. How could ordinary people understand such things?"

Rong Jiaojiao turned to the last page and found a line of words scrawled on it: "On the night of the full moon, at the ancient well in the eastern suburbs, He will grant us new life."

"The ancient well in the eastern suburbs?" She looked up at Elder Li. "The people in this village may have been tricked into making sacrifices by a demon!"

Elder Li closed his notebook, a cold glint in his eyes: "Let's go, to the eastern suburbs!"

The three quickly left the cabin and headed straight for the east of the village.

On the way, Zi Ling suddenly stopped, her ears twitching: "Master, there are still people over there who have been marked with the demonic seed!"

It points to an ancestral hall in the center of the village.

Elder Li pondered for a moment, then said, "We'll split into two groups. I'll go to the ancient well in the eastern suburbs, and you go to the ancestral hall to rescue people. If there's any danger, send word immediately."

After saying that, he took out a jade slip and handed it to Rong Jiaojiao: "Crush it, and I will come immediately."

Rong Jiaojiao took the jade slip and said solemnly, "Senior, please be careful."

Elder Li nodded, and with a flash, disappeared from Rong Jiaojiao's sight.

Rong Jiaojiao led Zi Ling stealthily toward the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall's main gate was tightly closed, but the faint sound of chanting could be heard coming from inside.

Zi Ling whispered, "There are five people inside, all of whom have been marked with the Demon Seed, but it's not beyond redemption yet."

Rong Jiaojiao gently pushed open the crack in the door and saw that the candlelight inside the ancestral hall was flickering, and five villagers were kneeling on prayer cushions with a ferocious black statue in front of them.

Their eyes were lifeless, they were muttering incantations, and a faint black aura surrounded them.

"It's a soul-capturing technique!" Zi Ling exclaimed. "They're willingly sacrificing their souls to the demonic seed!"

Without further hesitation, Rong Jiaojiao kicked open the ancestral hall door, made a hand seal, and threw out five calming talismans that turned into golden light and enveloped the five villagers.

"Wake up! You've been bewitched by evil magic!" she shouted sternly.

The golden light entered the villagers' bodies, causing them to shudder, their eyes to churn violently with black energy, and they let out painful roars.

One of them suddenly looked up, his face contorted, and a non-human voice slurred from his throat: "Those who...obstruct...the...gift of...God...die..."

His fingernails suddenly grew longer, like sharp claws, and reached out to grab Rong Jiaojiao!

If they weren't so deaf to reason, Rong Jiaojiao would have loved to yell, "What a load of rubbish about divine gifts! The real gift is for you to die!"

His hands moved swiftly, and the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman flashed, striking the first person who rushed forward on the forehead.

Zi Ling leaped out like lightning, slamming her claw onto the man's forehead, unleashing a burst of lightning! "Break!"

"Ah—!" The villager screamed as a cloud of black energy shot out from his seven orifices, condensing in mid-air into a hideous ghost face that roared as it lunged at Rong Jiaojiao.

Rong Jiaojiao was prepared, and threw out the Heavenly Thunder Talisman in her hand: "Destroy!"

The Heavenly Thunder Talisman collided with the black energy, unleashing a blinding light.

The ghostly face let out a shrill scream before finally vanishing without a trace.

The villager collapsed to the ground, pale-faced and unconscious.

Seeing this, the black energy in the eyes of the remaining four people struggled even more frantically, and they suddenly burst forth at the same time!

Their bodies were twisted in a strange way, and their joints made a "crackling" sound, clearly indicating that they had been completely controlled by the demonic seed.

Rong Jiaojiao's eyes sharpened, and she quickly formed hand seals, pulling out four demon-suppressing talismans from her bosom.

Golden flames ignited at her fingertips, and she uttered a low shout: "Go!"

Four golden beams shot towards the four people like sharp arrows, accurately landing between their eyebrows.

The villagers struck by the talisman froze on the spot, their bodies convulsing, and black energy continuously overflowing from their seven orifices.

"Purple Spirit, Thunder Net!" Rong Jiaojiao shouted.

Zi Ling understood, leaped into the air, and burst forth with dazzling lightning.

With a flick of its little claws, lightning wove into a net, completely enveloping the overflowing black mist.

"Withdraw!" Rong Jiaojiao made a hand seal and pointed her finger. The lightning net suddenly contracted, compressing the black energy into a ball, which was finally burned to ashes by the lightning.

However, at that moment, the black statue in the center of the ancestral hall suddenly cracked open with a "crack".

A crimson beam of light shot straight toward Rong Jiaojiao.

"Not good!" Rong Jiaojiao hurriedly retreated, while simultaneously throwing out five Vajra Defense Talismans, forming a golden barrier in front of her.

One by one, the defensive talismans shattered, and Rong Jiaojiao pasted a few more. The defensive talismans continued to be consumed one after another, while the blood-red pillar of light seemed endless.