I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 80: Cutting the grass requires eradicating the root!
Perhaps influenced by the ghost blood, or perhaps due to emotional fluctuations, Chen Mo sighed.

When Chen Mo first saw Chen Qingyan, his heart skipped a beat, thinking today was going to be a tough battle. But then Granny Li said... Chen Qingyan, through a ghost marriage, was going to eat him. He would then worship the spirit infant...

Then Chen Mo had an idea: perhaps using ghost blood could completely suppress them.

Later, Chen Mo secretly tested it and was shocked to find that he could sense the ghost curse aura in Li Hongxi, Granny Li and Xiaobaitang through the ghost blood.

And it can reduce the Victory.

Then that's not a problem at all.

Since the Ghost Curse can subdue the lower dimensions from the higher, then the Red Lantern Divine Preservation Method... should be the same.

Now... facts have proven that Chen Mo's predictions were all correct.

So this is how you can fight...

While Chen Mo was still in a daze, Chen Qingyan kowtowed deeply to the ground, "I beg Young Master Mo to show mercy and let me go. We... have no grudges against each other."

Chen Mo murmured, "You are the head of the Red Lantern Gang and a Red Lantern attendant. Why did you have to marry into the Li family?"

Chen Qing bowed deeply, his eyes brimming with tears. "I lack talent and I'm getting old. I've reached the end of my road in the Red Lanterns. The Red Lanterns are just too corrupt, there are too many geniuses, and if you don't advance, you fall behind. When I was the head of the gang, I offended too many people, and now that I'm getting older, my skills are starting to decline. Once I fail the examination of the court, I will be removed from my position as head of the gang. At that time, those enemies will not let me go. I really have no choice but to do this to save my life."

Chen Mo laughed, "You have no choice but to kill me and eat me? What have I done wrong?"

Chen Qing looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, unable to refute, "I...I know I was wrong."

"You did nothing wrong, so why are you apologizing? You just couldn't beat me. Go to hell!" Chen Mo was too lazy to argue with him and directly cleaved Chen Qingyan's head in two with a single blow.

With the combined suppression of true qi and the spirit-preserving technique, Chen Qingyan was utterly unable to resist. He could only watch helplessly as Chen Mo shattered his head, finally collapsing into a pool of blood.

Before he died, he reviewed his entire life in his mind.

Yes.

I did nothing wrong.

They just haven't fought before...

Who would have thought that Chen Mo would be such a terrifying existence?

Bad luck.

not reconciled...

Filled with resentment, Chen Qingyan ended his pathetic life.

The wind stopped, and the trees became still.

Chen Mo sat blankly on the threshold of the courtyard, dagger in hand. The paleness on his face and the crimson in his eyes... receded like the tide. The frenzied blood within him slowly returned to calm.

His mind was a bit muddled, and he had a headache.

Recalling the "hehehe" laughter that had just been emitted, a chill ran down my spine.

"How could I have made that kind of laugh? That voice didn't even sound like my own... I guess it's an added effect of the curse's power. I should be more careful with it in the future."

"Just now, I was too bloodthirsty. I had a feeling that I didn't want to stop at all. And this kind of impulse was consuming my consciousness. If it weren't for the fact that my bloodline is compatible with the blood of the Ghost Curse, I'm afraid I would have completely fallen into a state of madness."

Once Chen Mo's mind cleared, he couldn't help but feel a lingering fear when he looked back on the feeling he had just experienced.

But one fact cannot be denied: the power of the cursed blood is simply too overwhelming.

Speed, perception, strength... a complete transformation.

This in itself is extremely addictive.

Moreover, Chen Mo discovered another secret: higher dimensions suppress lower dimensions.

A high-level curse can suppress a low-level curse. The Red Lantern Goddess's Spirit Preservation Technique is similar. An Eight-Level Spirit Preservation Technique can suppress a Nine-Level Spirit Preservation Technique, and can even sever the source of a Nine-Level Spirit Preservation Technique's spiritual power.

This is a terrible thing.

Because... this means that the Red Lantern Goddess can easily manipulate, and even kill, any of the supervising disciples who have cultivated the Red Lantern Divine Preservation Technique. And the Spirit Infant can also easily manipulate any believer or servant who worships the Spirit Infant.

This is very disheartening.

Chen Mo also felt a sense of despair.

This is no longer a difference in the hierarchy of the food chain. Disparities in the food chain require struggle and involve risks. But this... is absolute suppression, requiring no risk whatsoever.

"If I continue to cultivate the Red Lantern Divine Preservation Technique and Ghost Blood... I will forever be a slave to the Spirit Infant and the Red Lantern Goddess, unable to escape in this lifetime, with no hope of ever getting out."

"Those red-light attendants may look impressive, but in reality... they're just slightly higher-ranking slaves. They have no say in their own lives."

In comparison, Chen Mo felt that he was no different.

During his two weeks in Black Mountain Village, Chen Mo seemed to have made great progress and would be promoted to manager after the New Year. In the eyes of others, Chen Mo was already an outstanding individual who had brought glory to the family.

However, Chen Mo already knew that this was nothing more than infighting among slaves.

The Red Lantern Goddess or the Spirit Infant always stands high on another level, watching the slaves at the bottom vie for power and resources.

This feeling... is really unpleasant.

Perhaps because of this, Chen Mo did not feel happy about killing Granny Li's family. Instead, he was worried about the future...

Chen Mo sat on the threshold for a long time before he could adjust his mindset.

"That's enough. Since we've embarked on this path, let's not think too much for now. The most important thing is to learn the skills. Even if a slave can break free from his master and regain his freedom, it will definitely belong to the strongest slave, not the others."

"Then let's focus on becoming the strongest slave first. Or we can find another way. It's always good to gain more power."

After some mental preparation, Chen Mo's gloom dissipated considerably.

Many things cannot be resolved by simply thinking about them.

Let's take action first, then talk.

"Let me check on Xiaobaitang's condition."

Chen Mo walked to Xiaobaitang's corpse and opened the panel.

[150g of absorbable original solution essence detected]

【Absorbed? 】

"absorb!"

With a sudden dizziness, I gained 150 points of Original Essence.

From this perspective, Xiaobaitang is quite impressive. At least more impressive than Li Binghui.

Chen Mo then absorbed Xiao Baitang's ghostly energy. As the ghostly energy entered his body, Chen Mo felt a chill and shivered involuntarily. Finally, he activated the intense heat of the Mingyu Gong to dispel the cold sensation.

"Not bad. What I need now is the original essence and ghost energy. As for what it will become in the future, we'll see."

Chen Mo walked over to Li Hongxi and opened the control panel.

[200g of absorbable original solution essence detected]

【Absorbed? 】

"absorb!"

After accepting Li Hongxi's original essence and ghostly energy, Chen Mo spent several breaths suppressing his physical discomfort. Finally, he went to Granny Li's side, and what he saw on the panel surprised him.

[250g of absorbable original solution essence detected]

【Absorbed? 】

"Logically speaking, Li Bingxiu should be the strongest. He was once a spirit infant attendant and learned many evil arts. He knows all the unpredictable techniques like resurrection. How come he only has 250 points of original essence? That doesn't make sense."

"Forget it, let's absorb it first. Otherwise, it'll be difficult to proceed when Guo Ziyu and the others arrive."

After absorbing the essence of the original solution twice, Chen Mo felt his body was under some strain, and his hands and feet felt tired. This time, when absorbing Li Bingxiu's essence of the original solution, Chen Mo was no longer in a hurry. Instead, he sat cross-legged and absorbed the essence while circulating the true energy of the Mingyu Gong.

It took several minutes to barely absorb Li Bingxiu's original essence and ghostly energy.

An extreme fatigue swept over my entire body.

It looked like her eyelids were about to close.

"It seems that the more ghostly energy and original essence one gets involved in in a short period of time, the greater the burden on the body will be. I need to be more careful in the future."

Chen Mo channeled his true energy into the Yangwei Meridian, circulating it through several cycles. Only then did he feel his fatigue dissipate considerably, and he felt more energetic.

"We still need to destroy the evidence."

Chen Mo gathered dry firewood from the yard and piled it up. Then he placed the four corpses on the firewood and lit a fire. The corpses were quickly burned, emitting a foul stench.

While waiting for the body to burn to ashes, Chen Mo went to the living room in the backyard. The living room was filled with bright red paper figures, and one of them had a whistle in its mouth. Every now and then, a gust of wind would blow, and the paper figure would whistle and make some "gurgling" sounds.

It seems that the person who said "bowing to heaven and earth first, and to the parents second" was this paper figure.

In the living room, against the wall at the head of the table, stood an altar laden with offerings of fruit and sacrificial meat. There was also an incense burner and candles. In the center of the altar was a shrine made of black wood, about two feet tall. The two doors were closed and locked.

"The Li Bingxiu family worships the Spirit Infant. Could it be that the image of the Spirit Infant is enshrined in this shrine?"

Previously, Chen Mo would not have dared to open someone else's shrine so rashly.

People have great respect for shrines. Opening a shrine is considered disrespectful, a taboo that will bring divine retribution and offend the gods.

But now that Chen Mo has been through so much, he has gained his own abilities and is no longer so afraid of breaking the rules.

"I'll open it and see what's going on."

He reached out, grasped the keyhole, subtly channeled his inner energy, and squeezed hard. Suddenly, with a "crack," the lock shattered.

Having lost the lock, Chen Mo pulled the two small doors of the candle shrine outwards with both hands.

"Squeak~"

Perhaps because the door hadn't been opened for so long, the wood rubbed against each other, producing an eerie sound in the deathly silent living room.

With a cloud of dust, the two doors opened.

Inside, there was a lifelike statue of a naked baby, carved from sandalwood. It even possessed a divine quality. Even Chen Mo, after looking at it for a while, felt his emotions affected and found himself involuntarily immersed in it, unable to extricate himself.

hiss!
Chen Mo bit his lip, shook his head, and finally regained his senses.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that this baby's appearance was somewhat different from the baby in the yellow robe. Instead, it resembled the white baby seen at Old Xie's house in the inner room last time.

"Huh, it's not the baby in the yellow robe?"

Chen Mo had a question in his mind.

"Could there really be two spirit infants in Qinghe Town?"

Chen Mo recalled the story told by Granny Li and felt it was increasingly possible: a spirit infant was born from Li Qing and Shen Yujun, grew up in just ten days, and actually escaped from Shen Yujun's belly during childbirth.

The other spirit infant was a dead baby that Shen Yujun and Li Qing dug out of the belly of a female corpse in a mass grave in the mountains, and it was enshrined in the family shrine.

Then the problem is coming.

Which is this naked infant spirit in front of me?
As Chen Mo paced around the living room, he carefully recalled all the information he had gathered and meticulously analyzed it.

First of all, both infant spirits came from the mother's womb and should not have been wearing clothes.

It's really hard to tell which one is which.

The only ones who probably know the truth are Li Qing and Shen Yujun. After all, sending a spirit child is a highly taboo and forbidden act. The couple probably haven't told anyone else.

"I wonder if Li Qing and Shen Yujun are still alive or dead. If we can find them, we'll know the answer. Also, Granny Li said that the Red Lantern Goddess took the Grand Master of Fate and the Junior Master of Fate to Qinghe Town to exorcise evil spirits. So these three people might also know about it."

"This is a headache. I've been targeted by a spirit infant, but I don't know which one. I need to find the source before I can figure out how to deal with it. If I can't even figure out the source, I really don't know where to start. I can't just eliminate both spirit infants, can I... Hmm? If I really can't find the source, this might be a solution."

Just then, Chen Mo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

It felt like someone was watching me from behind. And with a strong...malicious intent?
brush!
Chen Mo suddenly turned around and stared at the spirit infant statue in the shrine.

The statue was as it had been before, its large eyes staring out, incredibly captivating.

Chen Mo activated his spiritual energy storage, channeling his overflowing spiritual energy into the infant spirit statue. However, he detected nothing; it was clearly just an ordinary dharma image.

“This dharma image is not right, it should be burned.”

Chen Mo pulled the infant statue out of the shrine and found it unusually heavy. Despite being made of wood, it was much heavier than a block of iron.

"Has it gained divinity? And its weight has changed too?"

Chen Mo exerted a little force to take the statue out and rushed out of the living room to throw it into the fire.

I thought burning a statue wouldn't be a big deal, but... as the wooden carving was burned, thick black smoke immediately billowed out, along with the cries of a baby.

"Ahhh!!!"

The piercing screams were so tragic.

Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine.

The baby's cries continued for a long time before being slowly swallowed by the fire and finally turning to ashes.

The four corpses and the wooden carvings were all burned to ashes.

However, the ghostly aura permeating the village seemed to have intensified. Everywhere was damp and chilling. Chen Mo had to activate the true energy of his Mingyu Gong to alleviate this discomfort.

"What a ghostly and gloomy place."

"Grandma Li has lived in this eerie and gloomy place for decades; it's no wonder her family has encountered misfortune..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Mo realized something very serious:
Our Chen Family Ancestral Hall also enshrines this image.

But Li Yuanlong is problematic, and that Dharma Image may not be the moderate Red Lantern Goddess... If Granny Li's family is like this, then what about my Chen family?
“The statues in that ancestral hall must be destroyed and burned immediately. Otherwise, I fear our Chen family will be in grave danger.”

Chen Mo made up his mind and hurriedly went out.

"But before we go home, there's one more person who must die! We must nip this in the bud!"

……

Blood Ridge Hall.

hall.

After dealing with miscellaneous tasks all day, Zhou Kuan went to the courtyard to teach a group of men martial arts before returning to the living room to drink tea and rest.

He lay on the reclining chair, holding a small teapot in his hand, taking sips of hot tea every now and then, humming a little tune, looking quite content.

“I’ve been following Chen Qingyan for ten years, and I’m still just a manager. Our branch clearly has a spot for a branch leader, but Chen Qingyan won’t give it to me. He makes me do the work of a branch leader, but doesn’t give me the title. It’s really too much.”

"It just so happens that Chen Qingyan is away these past two days, so I've been filling in. I've really had my fill of being a hall master. It's really impressive. I'm hoping that bastard Chen Qingyan dies soon so I can take over his position. This kind of impressive life is what I've been longing for."

“My skills are not much worse than yours, and I am younger with greater potential. Why should I always have to be your slave? That’s just too unfair.”

As Zhou Kuan muttered to himself, he imagined himself succeeding as the head of the gang, and the smile between his brows grew even wider.

He is calculating.

Both he and Chen Qingyan had submitted to Granny Li. He also knew that Chen Qingyan was ostensibly a second wife, but in reality, he had married into Granny Li's family and become her son-in-law. And today was the day Granny Li would plot against Chen Mo.

However... Chen Qingyan and Granny Li were unaware that Guo Ziyu and Guo Songyang had arrived.

These two are from a major branch of the temple; although they are the temple leaders, they are very capable.

Logically, Zhou Kuan should have informed Chen Qingyan of Guo Songyang's arrival immediately. But he didn't, hoping they would both be severely injured, or that Chen Qingyan would die at Guo Songyang's hands. That way, his chance to rise to prominence would come.

"Hehe, it's getting dark. After dark, I'll go check out the Li family. Maybe I'll find Chen Qingyan's body. It would be best if they were all dead."

Just then, a waiter came in from outside and hurriedly reported.

"Manager Zhou, Master Chen wants you to go to Granny Li's house immediately."

what?
Master Chen is still alive?

Zhou Kuan suddenly stood up from his chair. "Who brought the message?"

The waiter said, "The girl who came in was eating candied hawthorn. I didn't recognize her, but she said she recognized you."

Little girl, candied hawthorn... Isn't that Grandma Li's goddaughter, Xiaobaitang?
Zhou Kuan thought this immediately, without any doubt. He only roared inwardly with resentment: "That Chen Qingyan is incredibly lucky. He actually managed to pull this off. It seems Chen Mo is dead. I can't escape it now; I have to face it. I'll just say I've only been temporarily in charge, and the affairs of the branch are too heavy for me to report Guo Songyang's matter in time. At most, I'll get a scolding from Chen Qingyan; it's no big deal."

After making up his mind, Zhou Kuan hurriedly left the hall, walked a long way, and arrived at Granny Li's door.

Thick smoke was billowing from inside, but Zhou Kuan didn't think much of it and went up to knock on the door.

Squeak.

The door opened.

But they didn't see Chen Qingyan; they only saw Chen Mo standing inside.

Why is it Chen Mo?
Wasn't Chen Qingyan teaming up with Granny Li to deal with him?
Since Chen Mo is not dead, then who is Chen Qingyan... and who is the little girl who just came to deliver the message?
Zhou Kuan sensed something was wrong, but Chen Mo grinned and said, "Manager Zhou, don't overthink it. I just gave a little girl some loose silver at the crossroads and asked her to buy candied hawthorns to go to the hall to deliver the message."

Zhou Kuan thought to himself, "You're really good at scheming," but said aloud, "What about Hall Master Chen?"

Chen Mo said, "Master Chen has already set off. He said he was very lonely on the road to the underworld and asked you to go down and keep him company."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Continuing with 10,000 words a day, please vote with monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)