Monk White was disheveled; shock and rage filled his eyes.

  He couldn't grasp why Stirling's Virl-Force was so strong that his own Virl-Malice couldn't handle even one exchange.

  He couldn't understand how he, a powerful cultivator at the Nascent stage and a peak master in the city, could be beaten by a young junior.

  At this moment, his faith crumbled, and he questioned the meaning of life.

  Stirling pressed one hand against Monk White's head. Then, he unleashed a suction force from his palm. This, surprisingly, pulled Monk White's Virl-Malice out of his body. After his Virl-Malice was neutralized, it turned into a familiar force that entered his body.

  [You have refined a trace of blood malice, lifespan +0.1 days]

  [You have refined a trace of blood malice, lifespan +0.1 days]

  ...

  Holy crap! It worked! The moment Stirling saw the prompt, his eyes lit up. He looked at Monk White with a kinder gaze.

  What he held in his hands wasn't a demon that everyone hates; it was indeed a living treasure!

  However, after a few breaths, Stirling's smile, bit by bit, faded.

  The Malice-refining Technique could absorb the Virl-Malice from Monk White and then turn it into his own Virl-Force after refining. However, Monk White's Virl-Malice was not endless.

  Once Monk White's Virl-Malice ran out, he became nearly useless, like a basic cultivator in the Garbha stage.

  Cultivators in the Garbha stage have a malice aura. However, it stays in their blood vessels and meridians. It cannot spread like the Virl-Malice. This meant Stirling couldn't absorb malice aura from them.

  Monk White, having just entered the Nascent stage, possessed little Virl-Malice. After his fight with Stirling, he ran out of oil. Stirling absorbed his Virl-Malice for cultivation, leaving him with none.

  Frustrated with his slow progress in draining Monk White's Virl-Malice, Stirling slapped his head and said,

  "Resist! You rubbish. Why don't you resist?! Show me where your god is. When you're beaten like a stray dog with a broken spine on the roadside, where is your blood god?"

  "Waaaaah! Bully too much! Too much! You, blasphemer, divine punishment will descend!"

  Monk White looked wild, like a mad dog. He was near death. All four of his limbs were broken, and his Virl-Malice was gone. Faced with Stirling's humiliating actions, he could only lie on the ground and roar.

  Stirling saw the villagers with torches gathered around. He pulled Monk White to his feet and shouted to the crowd: "This man is a sorcerer monk of the Blood God Temple! He committed heinous crimes, slaughtering the entire Rock Village a few days ago! I'm the night watchman William of Farfield City. After tracking for ages, I've finally caught this criminal here!"

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  The villagers, hearing Stirling's words, murmured among themselves. They had seen the crimson tentacles coming from Monk White's chest. So, they rather believed Stirling.

  "I knew those two merchants were suspicious! There's no such thing as an old man with a child!"

  "Yes, I heard that wherever a calamity goes, not even a blade of grass grows. Sigh, we should urge the village chief to move!"

  "By the way, where's the village chief? Let's call him over and let him see!"

  Stirling, hearing the surrounding commotion, realized something.

  "A child? Which child?" Stirling asked.

  "Sir, that old man came with a dwarf about this tall."

  Someone gestured with their hand.

  "Damn it!"

  Stirling suddenly recalled the two-headed dwarf who had come into the room that night and cursed quietly. He then drew Monk White's longsword and rushed towards the other room.

  At this moment, a dwarf was rapidly crossing the wasteland behind Stream Village, running away from Farfield City.

  His face was now full of venom. The bulge on his spine was gone, replaced by another head on his shoulder. This head had a grin.

  "Run! Run! Hehe!"

  "What the hell are you laughing at! Master's dying, and you're still laughing!"

  "Perfect! He restricted us so much; now we're free!"

  "Yeah, so much flesh and blood, Master ate it all himself, now..."

  The two heads spoke simultaneously, licking their lips.

  "No, we had better hurry back to the temple and tell the uncles!"

  "By the way, what was that person's name?"

  "William!! I heard him clearly!!".

  "Exactly, William baby; let's see!"

  The two heads spoke as they hurried ahead, their tiny shadows stretching out in the moonlight.

  Stirling stood inside the house, his face grim. He stared at the open window behind the wall. He inwardly regretted forgetting about the two-headed dwarf.

  "It seems I need to find someone trustworthy to go with me in the future. If I always spread myself too thin, then it's inevitable that something will be ignored."

  Stirling sighed, then turned to look at the three corpses on the ground. He paused for a moment. Then, he stabbed the old man's heart with his longsword. He also struck the heads of the man and woman several more times. Finally, he turned and left the house.

  Outside, Monk White was still kneeling there, surrounded by a large group of villagers. They looked at Monk White, some with curiosity, some with anger, but no one dared to step forward.

  Stirling walked over and pressed his longsword against Monk White's shoulder. He then shouted to the crowd:

  "The evil monk has killed the village chief! He should be beheaded in public!"

  Monk White's face paled upon hearing this; then he opened his mouth to shout:

  "Bulls..."

  Stirling's eyes glinted coldly. Before the monk could finish, he swung his longsword sharply with his right hand. Next, a round head dropped to the ground. It rolled away with blood bursting, causing gasps from the crowd nearby.

  [Killed the evil Monk White of the Blood Temple; lifespan increased by 34 years and 267 days!]

  Looking at the notification, Stirling suppressed a smile at the corner of his mouth. He walked to the back and pulled his blade from the ground. Stirling shook the mucus off his blade. He sheathed his blade and then tossed Monk White's sword to the ground.

  "Mighty William!"

  "Hero William!"

  "William saved our Stream Village!"

  A shout echoed from the crowd, quickly bringing all the villagers around Stirling. They raised their arms in celebration.

  Stirling nodded slightly.

  "Fellow villagers, capturing the real culprit and getting rid of the demons is our Night Watch's job. Please tell us once you've found any traces of cultists." With that, he turned and left.

  This time, Stirling gained over thirty extra years of lifespan and learned something important.

  Worshippers provide lifespan even when they are alive. Plus, it's a sustainable and eco-friendly practice.

  This immediately sparked some thoughts in Stirling's mind.

  "If worshippers can breed mortals in captivity, why can't I breed worshippers in captivity?"

  The ancient temples and shrines are rampant throughout the world. And people fear them like tigers.

  But in Stirling's eyes at that moment, they were almost walking nutrient bags!

  "This matter needs careful thought and planning. If the deities find out, I will be destroyed with no chance of recovery."

  Stirling sighed inside. He realized he had set himself against all the deities. From now on, he would be a one-man army. The road ahead was long and hard. It was full of danger, like walking on thin ice or standing at the edge of an abyss.