Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 581 The Throat-Stealing Demon

With a wave of his hand, Shang Lu channeled his vital energy, which, like a nimble tentacle, reached into the foul-smelling, viscous sewage.

With a soft hissing sound, the vital energy released by the pokeweed was corroded and polluted.

Just as Shang Lu had predicted, the pool of sewage that the monster had transformed into was indeed poisonous.

With a muffled groan, the essence burst forth with even greater power, unfazed by the corrosion, and directly pulled two things from the sewage.

An air sac that looked like bone emitted a faint "whooshing" sound when the essence enveloped it, like crying or howling ghosts.

As soon as the "whooshing" sound came out, new pollution appeared in Shang Lu's sea of ​​consciousness, which was burned away by the flames released by the mental image.

"Still a remnant spirit?"

Shang Lu raised an eyebrow, not expecting such an unexpected gain.

It seems that the illusions created by the strange creature were all caused by the sounds emitted by this thing, which corrupted the mind.

Another object that emerged from the sewage was a swirling mass of ink-black glue, which could be considered blood from the ghost.

"It is the throat-stealing demon's vocal sac and yin blood."

Third Sister introduced Shang Lu briefly before answering his question:
"In Senior Chu Yun's notes, this kind of strange creature was mentioned. It is said that it was born from the resentment caused by the world's gossip and slander."

It prefers to lurk in the shadows, using its voice to confuse and disturb the mind. Though it resembles a human, it is like a ghost, its body dripping with a slippery, foul-smelling saliva. Its favorite pastime is murder by stealing throats, hence its name.

"Saliva? Drool? No wonder it smells so bad."

Shang Lu waved his hand in disgust, using his Wind Follows the Tiger technique to summon a gust of wind that blew away all the foul-smelling saliva clinging to the vocal sac and the yin blood.

He asked in surprise, "This thing is edible? Senior Chu Yun has eaten it too?"

It's no wonder he was surprised; the monsters that appeared in Chu Yun's notes all had methods of preparation and consumption.

Third Sister shook her head and said, "Senior Chu Yun did eat the Throat-Stealing Demon, but that one was uncontaminated. This Throat-Stealing Demon that appeared in the eerie mist exudes chaos and strangeness. Obviously, the method taught by Senior Chu Yun will not work."

She paused, then added, "And if you want to eat a Throat Thief, you have to sprinkle it with salt when you kill it so that its saliva can solidify into a lump before you can cook it. If you really want to eat one, remember to sprinkle salt on it when you kill a Throat Thief next time you encounter one."

"No, no, no, I didn't want to eat this stuff." Shang Lu shook his head like a rattle drum.

Saliva sounds nice, but it's just drool, and it stinks. Just thinking about it makes me sick. Eat it? Even a dog wouldn't... well, unless it's really good for you, even a dog wouldn't eat it.

As his thoughts raced, Shang Lu asked again, "What is the use of this sound pouch and yin blood?"

Third Sister quickly explained: "The vocal sac is the source of all the power of the throat-stealing demon. It can not only produce sounds and create illusions, but also help to spread rumors and drive people mad..."

The illusion, Shang Lu has just experienced.

Does it help spread rumors? Wouldn't that help the sophistry of the School of Names? Just like the "Tongue of Taste" that Pokeweed obtained before?
He's now got all the "words" to his name, hasn't he?
Third Sister continued her explanation: "Yin blood has many uses. It can be used to draw talismans, make artifacts, refine elixirs... It also helps to temper the mind and strengthen the soul, and is of great help in breaking through to the Mingxin realm."

"It's a good thing too."

Shang Lu clicked his tongue in admiration, "The two paper figures given by the imperial patrol were at least not 'dead' in vain."

Those two paper figures were mainly for deception and didn't have much ability. In addition, paper figures are afraid of fire. When Shang Lu swung his witch knife and slashed around with the fire blade, the two paper figures were also set on fire.

Of course, they did not die in vain. They were controlled by Shang Lu to rush into the Eye Fiend and the Nightmare of Mist, burning and killing many of the strange creatures.

Since both the vocal sac and the yin blood were useful, Shang Lu didn't stand on ceremony and put them into the Impermanence Token. Just as he was about to continue towards Wanshun Ward, he heard Third Sister's warning: "The Black-Clad Guards are surrounding us... Go into the alley on the right."

Without hesitation, Shang Lu turned around and entered a small alley on the right. At the same time, he waved his hand and blew a gust of qi wind to scatter the ashes from the burning paper figures on the ground.

San Niang could have led Shang Lu out of the way, but he didn't. Instead, he hid in a corner of the alley, listening intently to hear what the Black-Clad Guards had to say.

We're also considering whether we should do a thorough "cleanup."

Just as the pokeweed hid and concealed the firelight, he heard a series of hurried footsteps.

There were more than three people who came.

According to the custom of the Black-Clad Guards working in groups of three, the commotion and fluctuations of witchcraft and demonic energy here must have attracted at least three teams of Black-Clad Guards.

After the three teams of black-clad guards met, they first exchanged passwords and then verified each other's tokens—although some of them knew each other, they did not let their guard down.

The Eye Demon can not only transform into various ferocious and terrifying forms, but it can also take advantage of the mist to transform into the appearance of an acquaintance.

Having learned their lesson, they naturally developed corresponding rules.

Soon, the black-clad guards, having confirmed each other's identities, began a search of the vicinity.

A guard in black robes raised his hand and struck a small drum hanging at his waist. The "thump thump thump" of the drum spread out like ripples, startling the surrounding night fog, which seemed to come alive and retreated in panic, instantly retreating dozens of feet away.

At the same time, on the ground, the eye demons burned by the flames, the ashes left by the mist demons, and the sewage turned into filth by the throat-stealing demons all gathered rapidly to the sound of the drums, revealing their traces.

Another guard in black robes raised his hand to form a hand seal, pointed around, and shouted in a Legalist style: "The incident will repeat itself!"

The traces left by the Eye Demon, the Mist Nightmare, and the Throat Thief immediately came to life, reenacting their "life" experiences once again.

Although they didn't see Shang Lu, the black-clad guards immediately drew a conclusion from the actions of these strange creatures:
"A 'giant rat' has escaped, but it was unlucky and encountered an unknown monster!"

"This guy is quite strong and reacts extremely quickly. Although he was ambushed by an unknown monster, he managed to kill it..."

"The 'big rat' is definitely injured and hasn't gone far. Quickly, send out a signal to warn the brothers to immediately seal off the surrounding streets and launch a full-scale search! Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must drag this 'big rat' out!"

These black-clad guards were also very experienced. After seeing the traces at the scene, they immediately made a judgment and took action.

There was even a Black-Clad Guard who was skilled in Legalist principles, who attempted to trace Shang Lu by starting with the traces and aura left at the scene.

Unfortunately, with Third Sister around, all traces and clues were completely erased, rendering his "tracing the trail" useless.

If they were to actually seal off the surrounding neighborhoods and launch a full-scale search... even with San Niang's help, it would still take a lot of time for Shang Lu to bypass their search.

Moreover, if this matter is reported, it will definitely alert the enemy.

At that time, not only will security at the pedestrian station be even tighter, but security in Chu Duli and other places will definitely be significantly upgraded.

This is not a good thing for the subsequent actions!
The only solution now is to wipe out this group of Black-Clad Guards and then frame the unknown monster in the night fog!

As long as the deaths of these black-clad guards are strange and bizarre enough, no one will suspect anything!
Hidden in the shadows, Shang Lu made up his mind in an instant.

At the same time, he was also glad that he had been cautious and stayed, otherwise things would have been troublesome!

The guards in black robes were unaware that they were being watched, and immediately tried to send a message to their comrades.

However, they discovered that an invisible, twisted force was shrouding the area, interfering with their magical artifacts and spells, preventing their messages from being transmitted.

Although the situation was somewhat dire, the group of black-clad guards did not panic; instead, they were still grinning maliciously.
"Looks like the 'big rat' is hiding nearby!" "They've managed to isolate communication; they've got some skills!"

"Hehe, now they've confessed without being asked!"

"Find him immediately, arrest him, and bring him to justice!"

Several black-clad guards, skilled in Legalist principles, each displayed their unique abilities, shouting in unison:

"The demon has appeared!"

"No place for scoundrels to hide!"

As one Legalist decree after another was executed, the Black-Clad Guards immediately sensed an aura rushing towards them.

"Hehe, I found you!"

Several guards in black robes turned around in unison and rushed towards the direction from which the aura was coming, each forming hand seals, casting spells, and drawing their swords—

At the same time, the black-clad guards, who carried the morning drums at their waists, played the drums again.

The rapid drumbeats were like a battle horn, not only stirring up the fighting spirit of their comrades and giving them buffs, but also dispelling the night fog around the target.

then……

The expressions on the faces of the several guards in black robes froze instantly.

"Then...what is that?!"

As the eerie mist receded, a dark, twisted, and strange road appeared before the group of black-clad guards.

This strange road floats in mid-air, as if it leads to another world.

One person after another walked slowly along the road, their steps stiff and dazed.

Hearing the Black-Clad Guards' exclamation, everyone on the strange road turned their heads to look at them.

Their faces were ashen, and their eyes were vacant.

The strangest thing is that... these people look exactly like the Black-Clad Guards present!
"Playing tricks! You think you can scare us with this? Destroy it!"

A military strategist in black armor roared like thunder, his hands unleashing a golden aura as he wielded his spear, tearing through the night sky with the force of splitting mountains and overturning seas, and thrusting it toward the strange path!

next moment.

That military strategist, along with his gun, stumbled into the strange path and became one of the walking corpses.

The other guards in black robes all changed their expressions upon seeing this.

They suddenly realized that this strange path hovering in mid-air was probably not some kind of illusion or trickery!

However, before they could even start running, the strange path in mid-air suddenly twisted and spun... In an instant, it seemed to transform into a giant eye, staring at them.

The guards in black robes froze, standing motionless for a moment, their faces blank, as if they had all lost their souls...

"Oh oh oh-"

Before long, it was dawn, and the roosters in the chicken coops of each hamlet began to crow.

These roosters are all specially raised by each farm, and special chicken coops have been built for them.

Because after the rooster crowed three times, the eerie night fog that had enveloped the capital of Chu receded like the tide and drifted back into the Yunmeng Marsh outside.

The people in each neighborhood were unsure whether the departure of the mysterious mist was directly related to the rooster's crowing, but they still kept roosters.

Not only are they fed and cared for, but when some people fall ill or are possessed by evil spirits, they will even take a feather from these roosters to take home, saying that it has the effect of warding off evil spirits and suppressing evil.

Whether it's effective or not is unknown, but if it weren't for Fang Zheng keeping an eye on them, these roosters would probably have been plucked bald long ago.

After the eerie fog dissipated, and a short while later, the sound of gongs rang out in the neighborhood—signifying that the eerie fog had completely cleared and people could go out.

At this moment, Shang Lu had transformed into Feng Ping's appearance.

He pushed open the door, followed the procedure he had learned from Feng Ping, washed up briefly in the courtyard, and then left home. He was going to have breakfast at the widow's place before heading to the Public Security Bureau.

This is almost Feng Ping's daily routine.

As soon as I stepped outside, I ran into my neighbors, and we greeted each other with "Good morning."

Some people joked, "Feng Ping, going to the widow's again? When are you going to marry her?"

"It'll be soon, it'll be soon, it's just a matter of time." Shang Lu answered in accordance with Feng Ping's personality, which made the neighbors burst into laughter, all saying they were looking forward to his wedding.

Shang Lu learned what these neighbors looked like from Feng Ping's words. With a combination of coincidences and sophistry, he managed to cover up any mistakes he made along the way without arousing any suspicion.

As they were leaving Wanshun Ward, the ward head stopped Shang Lu and whispered, "Feng Ping, you work in the yamen, do you know what new strange creatures have appeared in the night fog lately?"

Shang Lu said in Feng Ping's tone, "Master Ma, you think too highly of me. I'm just a lowly clerk serving people in the Bureau of Justice. How would I know anything about new and strange things? But why did you suddenly think of asking about this?"

Ma Fangzheng lowered his voice and said, "Just now, a shaman came to ask if there was anything unusual in our ward last night... I didn't even dare to leave the house, so even if there was something unusual last night, I wouldn't know."

Shang Lu feigned surprise: "Why would a shaman ask this?"

Ma Fangzheng lowered his voice and said, "They say that last night, a night patrolman in black armor died in Xiuping Ward... You must keep this a secret and don't tell anyone else."

Shang Lu patted his chest and replied, "Don't worry, Master Ma, I will definitely keep my mouth shut."

Ma Fangzheng nodded, then stopped another neighbor and asked the same question.

Shang Lu was speechless: Well, I'm keeping this a secret, but you're telling everyone, huh?
After leaving Wanshunfang, Shanglu passed through Xiupingfang.

The bodies of the several guards in black robes whose souls were taken away last night have already been moved away from this place.

Several Chu shamans who also practiced Legalism were diligently searching for clues here.

But after searching high and low, they found nothing but the ashes and sewage of the Eyefiend, the Fog Nightmare, and the Throat Thief...

However, there were no signs of fighting on those black-clad guards. The Chu witches in charge of the on-site investigation all suspected that an unknown monster had appeared in the mysterious fog, which was good at capturing souls and was extremely dangerous.

Seeing Shang Lu and the others peeking and discussing from a distance, the Chu shamans were very annoyed and immediately ordered the soldiers who were on guard around the area to drive them away.

They clearly hadn't studied criminal psychology and didn't know that "criminals" like to revisit crime scenes.

And so, they missed the real culprit...

(End of this chapter)