Xiao Ning didn't say anything more. No matter what kind of corruption, bribery, or collusion with evil people there was, it had nothing to do with him, Xiao Ning.
He turned his head and looked in the direction of the deer demon on the altar in the very center of Sanxian County.
"Where did this rogue Taoist priest come from, daring to make a move in the city?"
Startled by the sudden turn of events, the deer demon stopped its rain-seeking ritual, turned around furiously, and looked in this direction.
"Hiss... How is this possible? Third Brother was actually killed?"
When his gaze fell upon the cloud of blood mist and the shattered carriage on the street, he saw no sign of the goat demon. Instead, he saw an extremely handsome young Taoist priest and a woman in white standing in mid-air, and his face immediately showed a look of horror.
In the distance, on the altar in the central square of Lingyun County, a middle-aged Taoist priest witnessed the tragic scene on the street and couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
He leaped down from the high altar and rushed towards this side.
Then, he saw Xiao Ning manifest a thousand-foot-tall Dharma body and couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Holy crap, a Heavenly Lord descended to earth?!?"
He turned and ran, wishing his parents had two fewer legs, no longer caring about avenging his third brother.
"Trying to run? Come back here!"
Seeing the deer demon leap up and use its magic to escape, covering dozens of feet in a single step, Xiao Ning's expression turned cold, and he reached out his large hand to grab it.
Instantly, a giant hand made of magical power appeared, and in an instant, like a shooting star, it tore through the void, traversed space, and directly grabbed the deer demon hundreds of feet away, then pulled it back.
"Reveal your true form!"
Xiao Ning gave a cold shout, and the deer demon, having no chance to resist, involuntarily transformed into a sika deer, which was held in his palm.
"Whoosh!"
Upon witnessing this scene, the people in the city all showed expressions of terror, followed by relief at surviving the ordeal.
Just as the Heavenly Lord had said, this so-called immortal master was indeed a demon in disguise, and all of them were kept in the dark, allowing him to do as he pleased.
Xiao Ning flicked his hand, sealing the deer demon's entire demonic power, then threw it to the ground and demanded, "What is your origin? What is your purpose? Do you have any accomplices? Tell the truth!"
At the same time, a divine consciousness silently influenced the deer demon's thoughts, causing it to unknowingly reveal everything.
"My three brothers are named Tiger Power Immortal, Deer Power Immortal, and Sheep Power Immortal. I am the second oldest. Besides my third brother who was killed by the Heavenly Emperor, my eldest brother, Tiger Power Immortal, is still away and has not returned!"
"My two brothers and I were originally three little demons in Langya County of the Tang Dynasty. After we achieved some success in our cultivation, we traveled the world and came to this territory of the Song Dynasty!"
"Just when the world was suffering from a severe drought, I devised a plan. I pretended to be a Tang Dynasty immortal master, and under the pretense of praying for rain, I actually drained people's life essence to fuel our cultivation!"
These words caused an uproar among everyone.
It's confirmed!
The Heavenly Emperor's discerning eye was spot-on; these three so-called Tang Dynasty immortal masters were indeed demons in disguise, their purpose being to absorb human essence for their own cultivation.
"No wonder I've been so listless lately, it turns out I had my life force drained by a monster!"
"My lord, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have misunderstood you. I thought you went to such a brothel. When I get back, I'll kill an old hen to nourish you!"
"You ignorant woman, it's good that you know!"
People discussed it animatedly, all suddenly realizing the truth.
The essence and vital energy of the human body are the source of life. If one loses these essence and vital energy, one may fall ill and become bedridden, or even die suddenly.
Ignoring the whispers of the people, Xiao Ning looked at the trembling deer demon on the ground and demanded, "There's another tiger demon? Where is it? Speak quickly!"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, but my elder brother only said he had something to attend to and left Lingyun Manor. This little demon... this little demon doesn't know where he went either!"
The deer demon replied, its body trembling slightly.
Um?
They've left?
Xiao Ning frowned. Seeing that the deer demon's expression was strange, but there were too many people around, he waved his hand and put the deer demon away, turning it into a mini deer, which he held in his palm.
"This matter is settled. I will depart now. You all take care of yourselves!"
He glanced at the crowd around him, then turned to look at the county magistrate: "You can't even distinguish between a celestial master and a demon; you're unworthy to be the official in charge of this area!"
Watching the young Taoist priest disappear into the air, the magistrate of Lingyun County wore a bitter expression.
At first, he thought the three monsters were real immortal masters.
Therefore, they believed the other party and actively cooperated with the other party's prayer and rain-seeking actions, sparing no expense to build a large-scale altar.
Later, although they vaguely sensed something was wrong and the vitality of the people in the county town was gradually waning, there was nothing they could do.
They're in a bind!
Furthermore, there was another reason why he didn't make a fuss and let it continue.
That is the trade-off.
After all, is the people's vitality more important, or is rainwater more important?
This made it a difficult decision for him.
The people in the city could survive because they had lost some of their vital energy, but they could not survive without water.
The magistrate of Lingyun County looked up at the sky and saw a clear blue sky without a cloud in sight. The beautiful scenery was enough to lift his spirits and inspire him to compose a poem.