I have the face of a great demon.

Liu Xingchen stood on the bank of Xunzhou Wharf. The morning mist shrouded the river like a light veil, and the sunlight shone through the mist, sprinkling the shimmering water as if gilding the river with a layer of gold.

He had just stepped off a passenger ship that had carried him for a day, finally arriving at this picturesque place.

He was no longer dressed as a Taoist priest, but wore a simple blue robe with a dark belt casually tied around his waist. His long hair was loosely tied back with a wooden hairpin, making him look both simple and elegant.

His gaze swept across the dock, watching the busy boatmen, the vendors hawking their wares, and the hurried pedestrians, and a long-lost sense of tranquility welled up in his heart.

Liu Xingchen decided to experience the leisurely life of this mortal world like an ordinary mortal.

He walked toward the carriage shop by the dock, where rows of carriages of various decorations were parked, waiting for passengers to hire them.

He chose a rather comfortable-looking carriage, negotiated the price with the driver, got in, and set off towards Yuqing Mountain.

The carriage bumped along the stone road, and Liu Xingchen sat inside, admiring the scenery through the gaps in the curtains.

The streets of Xunzhou City were lined with shops, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares, chatting, and horses' hooves mingled together, creating a lively symphony of everyday life.

As the carriage gradually drove out of the city, the noise of the streets faded away, replaced by the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

The outline of Yuqing Mountain gradually became clear on the distant horizon, with clouds and mist swirling around the mountain, giving people a mysterious and tranquil feeling.

The carriage finally arrived at the foot of Yuqing Mountain. Liu Xingchen paid the fare, got off the carriage, and climbed the long stone steps towards Yuqing Temple at the top of the mountain.

Outside the main gate of Yuqing Temple, one can hear the bustling noise of people inside, clearly indicating that it is a Taoist temple with very strong incense offerings.

As Liu Xingchen stepped into the gate of Yuqing Temple, he was greeted by a bustling crowd of worshippers, shoulder to shoulder, creating a lively scene.

Sunlight filters through the upturned eaves of the Taoist temple, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone-paved courtyard.

In the incense burner in the center of the courtyard, wisps of smoke rise, mingling with the noisy voices of people, creating a vivid picture of everyday life.

Liu Xingchen observed everything around him with great interest.

Over here, several young Taoist boys are hawking various amulets and consecrated ritual implements, and their stalls are surrounded by curious worshippers and devout believers.

Over there, an old Taoist priest was sitting behind a table, interpreting the divination slips for worshippers, with a long queue in front of the table.

A little girl of seven or eight years old, holding the amulet she had just bought, ran excitedly toward her mother.

But unexpectedly, she tripped over a protruding stone slab, fell to the ground, and burst into tears.

Upon seeing this, Liu Xingchen quickly rushed over and helped the little girl up.

But his expressionless, cold face only made the little girl cry even harder.

Having no other choice, Liu Xingchen magically produced a lollipop, which finally cheered up the tearful little girl.

A woman came over, gave Liu Xingchen a deep bow, thanked him, and then took the little girl away.

Liu Xingchen watched all this with a smile; the world was so beautiful.

However, this beautiful thought had barely arisen when it was swept away by a gust of wind. The sky and earth changed color instantly, everything darkened, and the whole world seemed to have been put on pause.

The entire Taoist temple was instantly shrouded in darkness. Sandstorms arose, lightning flashed, and people panicked and scattered in all directions.

Suddenly sensing something, Liu Xingchen swiftly dodged a sudden burst of sword light.

Although he dodged the sword light, the crowd in the temple suffered. The sword light rushed into the crowd behind him, resulting in a tragedy.

People screamed in agony, blood gushed into the sky, and several people fell into pools of blood.

That wasn't the end of it; a second and third sword light followed in quick succession, flying across the Taoist temple.

More and more sword lights formed a sword net, mercilessly shredding the fleeing crowd in the Taoist temple, even turning every blade of grass and tree into powder.

Blood flowed like a river inside the Taoist temple.

"Oh no, we're trapped in a formation!" the spirit exclaimed.

Liu Xingchen gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn it, another formation. What did I do to deserve this? I came to this unfamiliar place and ran into someone who wants me dead."

"Young master, it seems your face has gotten you into trouble again. People are treating you like a big demon and have set up a trap to capture you."

"Stop talking, hurry up and think of a way to escape."

Liu Xingchen dashed around the Taoist temple like a caged beast struggling in a cage, dodging the omnipresent and ever-present sword light.

He tried to escape this hellish place, but the sword lights seemed to have eyes, relentlessly slashing at him, forcing him to dodge repeatedly. Several times he tried to rush towards the gate of the Taoist temple, but was forced back by the sword lights.

Just as he dodged a sword flash aimed at him, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the little girl from before, crying and running away, only a few steps away from him.

A sword light, like the scythe of death, slashed mercilessly toward the little girl.

Liu Xingchen was startled. Without thinking, he quickly used his movement technique and rushed to the little girl's side like lightning. He picked her up and narrowly avoided the deadly sword light.

With a "whoosh," a piece of his clothes was torn off by the sword light, startling him so much that he broke out in a cold sweat.

The sword light around him was dense and rapid, like a giant sword net, completely surrounding Liu Xingchen.

He was already overwhelmed with customers, and now that he was holding a little girl, it would be even harder for him to avoid them.

Liu Xingchen was extremely anxious, but if he abandoned the little girl, she would only face certain death.

He gritted his teeth, a resolute glint in his eyes, and simply tossed the little girl aside, trying to throw her off the temple walls so she could escape this dangerous place.

Although being thrown out like this might cause injury, it's much better than being shredded to pieces by the sword light.

Unexpectedly, the little girl was thrown high into the air, and just as she was about to clear the wall, she was bounced back by an invisible light curtain.

Before she even landed, she was mercilessly cleaved in two by a sword flash, blood splattering everywhere and staining the surrounding air red.

"No!" Liu Xingchen roared, his eyes wide open as if they were about to spit fire.

He couldn't accept this cruel reality, watching the little girl's life vanish before his very eyes.

What a living hell this is!

The sky was dark and the earth was covered in blood; despair and death permeated the air.

Liu Xingchen was the only one standing.