Starting with the Earth God, the path to immortality is deduced!

His physical body swayed slightly, and a phantom figure exactly like him slowly rose from above his head.

The soul leaves the body!

This was the second time he had used the "walking in the underworld" technique.

But this time, the feeling was completely different.

With the blessing of the [Spirit-Seeking Technique], his soul's perception of the surrounding world became more than ten times more acute!

He could "see" countless invisible dust particles and spirits floating in the air.

He could "hear" the earth's energy flowing slowly deep beneath his feet.

He could even "smell" the unique "odor" of death, resentment, and decay that had accumulated over the years in this mass grave.

His soul, like a swimming fish, silently sank into the ground.

Through the soil, through the rock layers.

The entire underground landscape of the mass grave was laid bare before him.

Countless decaying coffins, a sea of ​​white bones.

Some lingering souls, not yet dissipated, huddled beside their own remains, dazed and confused.

Zhou Yuan ignored these comments.

His spiritual senses were like a vast net, spreading out in all directions from himself, meticulously searching for any unusual fluctuations of yin energy.

Time passed, second by second.

A stick of incense.

Two incense sticks.

Just as Zhou Yuan's soul power was about to be depleted by more than half, his spiritual sense suddenly jumped!

found it!

Directly below the main burial chamber of the general's tomb, about three zhang deep underground!

There, there was an extremely faint, yet incredibly pure, chilling aura!

That aura comes from the same source as the ghost market and the accountant!

Without hesitation, Zhou Yuan's soul immediately darted in that direction.

Soon, he "saw" the source of that wisp of yin energy.

It was a black copper coin.

It's definitely money from the underworld!

It was buried under a natural bluestone that resembled a human head, and the surrounding soil was an eerie dark red, as if it had been soaked in blood.

A wisp of pure Yin energy was emanating from the Yin coin, then being absorbed by the blue stone, and then connected to the earth veins of the entire mass grave through the blue stone!

This place has been tampered with!

Some kind of evil ritual was performed!

A tremendous wave of emotion surged within Zhou Yuan.

This coin, like a venomous fang, has deeply embedded itself in the earth's veins of Fengzhou City, silently absorbing the fortune of this land!

If every auspicious burial site is riddled with this kind of thing...

The consequences would be unimaginable!

Zhou Yuan dared not alert the enemy.

He carefully memorized everything here, and then his soul quietly returned to his body.

"call……"

Zhou Yuan suddenly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

"So? What did you find?"

Ma Ling'er immediately came over and asked nervously.

Zhou Yuan told her everything he had discovered underground.

Upon hearing this, Ma Ling'er's face turned pale instantly.

"Using yin coins as the array's core and human sacrifice blood as the catalyst, driving them into the earth's vein nodes... This is the opening move of the 'Nine Nether Dragon Locking Array'!"

Her voice trembled slightly.

"This...this is a forbidden technique! Once the array is set up, the earth's veins within a hundred miles will be locked, spiritual energy will be cut off, life will wither, and the entire city will become a dead city! Within three months, all the living people will turn into living corpses!"

"Is he insane?!"

Zhou Yuan's heart sank to the bottom.

The accountant's scheme was a hundred times more vicious than they imagined!

No!

We must stop him!

But how can we stop it?

The accountant was unfathomable, and the Ghost Market was teeming with experts.

For the two of them to force their way in would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

Moreover, no one knows exactly how many such array points he set up.

Rushing to sabotage one could alert the other side and allow them to accelerate their plans.

Zhou Yuan's brain was working at lightning speed.

He needs more power!

At the very least, there must be the power to counter those evil rituals!

His gaze involuntarily fell on his hands.

A spell to soothe the soul!

He used a soul-soothing spell to purify the jumping zombie.

However, the Soul-Soothing Spell can only deal with evil spirits whose resentment is not deep.

Faced with this evil formation set up using the power of the earth's veins, we are probably outmatched.

unless……

Zhou Yuan's mind once again sank into his sea of ​​consciousness.

That ancient book, "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters," floated silently in the air.

At the bottom of the book, there were still a few strands of Yin energy that had been obtained from the sacrifice at the Ghost Market and had not yet been used up.

Not much, but perhaps... enough!

"Deduction!"

A roar of anger erupted in Zhou Yuan's heart!

"Derivation of the [Soul-Soothing Incantation]!"

Those few remaining strands of Yin energy seemed to hear his resolute will, transforming into several black lightning bolts that fiercely struck into "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters"!

Om-!

This time, the light emanating from the pages was no longer a faint glow, but a solemn, dignified, and slightly compassionate golden light!

Every rune and every incantation of the [Soul-Soothing Incantation] exploded in Zhou Yuan's soul sea, and then recombine in a more profound and complex way!

The originally peaceful incantation now carries an added air of authority to suppress evil spirits!

The original intention of comforting people has been enhanced with a touch of compassion for the departed souls!

It was as if a highly virtuous monk was whispering scriptures for the salvation of all beings in his ear!

After an unknown amount of time, the golden light in the soul sea slowly receded.

On the pages of "Strange Tales of the Gods and Monsters," the small golden characters about the "Soul-Soothing Spell" began to twist and change.

In the end, it transformed into a brand new line of text, even more dazzling and brilliant!

[Deduction successful!]

[The Soul-Soothing Incantation has been upgraded to: The Soul-Soothing and Universal Salvation Incantation!]

[The Soul-Soothing and Salvation Mantra: A purification mantra imbued with a trace of Buddhist compassion, possessing a stronger purifying and liberating effect on deeply resentful evil spirits, formations, and impurities in the earth's veins!]

Become!

Zhou Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of golden light disappearing from them!

He could feel a new, solemn and compassionate power flowing deep within his soul.

"Ling'er, let's go!"

Zhou Yuan stood up, dusted himself off, and spoke with an unprecedented calmness.

Ma Ling'er looked at him, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"You...you seem a little different."

"Yeah?"

Zhou Yuan smiled faintly and did not offer any further explanation.

Some secrets belong only to him and that book, "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters".

"Leave here first; this place is not safe to stay any longer."

"What about the ghost money down there?"

Ma Ling'er pointed to the ground.

"Keep it for now."

Zhou Yuan's gaze was deep.

"Removing it rashly will only alert the enemy."

"That accountant, having set up this scheme, will definitely not have only one backup plan."

"What we need to do now is not destroy a single piece, but overturn his entire chessboard!"

Ma Ling'er nodded heavily, her childishness fading and replaced by a serious expression.

"I'll listen to you!"

The two had just stepped out of the mass grave area and hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath when they saw a young clerk dressed in the clothes of a mortuary servant running towards them, carrying a lantern and sweating profusely.

"Manager Zhou... Manager Zhou!"

When the young waiter saw Zhou Yuan, he looked at him as if he had seen a savior, and he stumbled and almost fell.

"Something...something terrible has happened!"

Zhou Yuan frowned.

"What's the panic? Speak slowly."

The young waiter, panting heavily, said breathlessly:

"The city...the city is in chaos!"

"Just as you and Miss Ma came out to investigate the case, several strange things happened in Fengzhou City!"

Ma Ling'er asked first:

"What strange thing is going on?"

"The leading actress of the 'Fengming Pavilion' opera troupe in the west of the city, that famous performer named 'Sai Mudan,' performed at a private event tonight and 'bewitched' the only son of the richest man in the Qian family to death!"

"I heard that the eldest son of the Qian family was like he was possessed, crying and laughing in the audience, and then he couldn't catch his breath and just... he passed away!"

"And then there's the man in the south of the city, Master Qian himself. He invited a deity to his mansion, claiming that the 'Five-Tongued God' could turn stones into gold! But instead of turning gold into gold, he tormented his concubines beyond recognition, and they're still insane now!"

The young man swallowed hard, lowered his voice even further, and his face was filled with fear.

"The most sinister place is the county government office!"

"This afternoon during the trial, the magistrate's gavel was practically worn out from pounding it, but Chief Constable Wang below acted as if he were possessed, insisting on releasing a murderer in court, even claiming that the man was a reincarnation of the God of Literature!"

"The government office is in an uproar!"

Zhou Yuan and Ma Ling'er exchanged a glance, both seeing the horror in each other's eyes.

Three incidents in one night!

Theater, wealthy merchant, county government office!

This is no coincidence!

"Has that thing been found again at the scene?"

Zhou Yuan asked in a deep voice.

The young man nodded vigorously and shakily pulled out something wrapped in cloth from his pocket.

"Manager Zhou, you're amazing!"

"This was found next to the body of the eldest son of the Qian family, on the incense table where Master Qian made offerings, and in the county government's case files!"

Zhou Yuan took the cloth bag and slowly opened it.

A jet-black copper coin lay quietly in the palm of my hand.

Money from the underworld!

It's money from the underworld again!

Ma Ling'er leaned over for a look, her little face tense.

"What exactly is this accountant trying to do?"

"He's declaring war on the entire city of Fengzhou!"

Zhou Yuan's fingers traced the cold lines on the coin, his mind racing.

"No, look at these people who got into trouble."

"The eldest son of the Qian family is a local tyrant who bullies the villagers and forcibly takes women from the countryside. He is the tyrant of Fengzhou City."

"His father, Master Qian, was a ruthless and heartless man who drove several people to their deaths by lending money at exorbitant interest rates."

"As for the murderer being tried in the county yamen, it's said he killed a tyrannical bully..."

A flash of understanding crossed Zhou Yuan's eyes.

"He's acting on behalf of Heaven!"

"What?"

Ma Ling'er was stunned.

"He used evil spirits to kill those wicked people that the government couldn't or wouldn't deal with!"

"In this way, the people will not only not be afraid, but will secretly applaud and even... worship him as some kind of 'righteous man'!"

"He wants to sow discord and undermine the authority of the government!"

"A madman! This guy is absolutely insane!"

Ma Ling'er gasped.

This move, this scheming, is absolutely terrifying!

"We can't let him continue like this."

Zhou Yuan's eyes became incredibly determined.

"We'll split up."

"The county government office is an important place for government officials, where the yang energy is strongest. Any evil spirit that dares to cause trouble there is definitely not simple. I will deal with it."

He looked at Ma Ling-er.

"The Phoenix Pavilion Theater area is a mixed bag, and the atmosphere is heavy with yin energy. Go and investigate that 'Peony Competition'."

"Be careful. Since that thing can bewitch people, its illusion techniques must be quite strong."

"rest assured!"

Ma Ling'er patted her chest and then touched the small cloth bag at her waist.

"I'm not one to be trifled with! My panda is best at dispelling illusions!"

"good!"

Zhou Yuan stopped talking nonsense.

"action!"

……

Fifteen minutes later, at the Fengzhou County Government Office.

The place is in complete chaos.

The constables, holding torches, looked at each other, none daring to approach the archive room where the case files were stored.

The county magistrate was sweating profusely with anxiety and was raging at his advisors and staff.

Zhou Yuan showed his badge as the deputy manager of the mortuary, and proceeded without hindrance.

"Manager Zhou, you've finally arrived!"

An old constable he knew well came forward, his face full of panic.

"Boss Wang... he's still inside. He won't listen to anyone's advice; he's just holding that pen, grinning like an idiot!"

Zhou Yuan looked in the direction he was pointing.

The door to the archives room was ajar, and through the crack, one could see an oil lamp flickering.

A strong sense of resentment, mixed with the musty smell of old paper, seeped out, making one want to vomit.

"You all stay outside. No one is allowed to come in without my order."

Zhou Yuan gave an instruction, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door to enter.

"Squeak—"

The door opened.

There sat a burly constable at his desk.

A foolish smile graced his face as he gripped a worn-out calligraphy brush tightly in his hand, writing furiously on a sheet of Xuan paper.

What was written was not words, but a jumble of meaningless, inky black hemp!

"Officer Wang?"

Zhou Yuan tentatively called out.

The constable ignored him and continued writing frantically.

Zhou Yuan noticed that the veins on the back of his hand were bulging, and his arm was trembling violently at an abnormal frequency.

He wasn't the one writing it.

It was that pen that guided his handwriting!

Ouija Board!

Zhou Yuan understood.

This is no ordinary Ouija board game; it is an evil spirit formed from endless grievances, resentment, and hatred!

It possessed Constable Wang, intending to tamper with the case files, distort the truth, and turn the laws of this world into a complete joke!

"You wretched creature, stop now!"

Zhou Yuan gave a low shout, and with his left hand forming a hand seal, a small bronze lamp appeared out of thin air in his palm.

【Azure Lamp】!

As soon as the lights came on, a soft, bluish glow instantly filled the entire room.

That intense resentment, like ice and snow meeting its nemesis, made a "sizzling" sound and melted away rapidly.

The writing brush in Constable Wang's hand trembled violently!

A thick, ink-black cloud suddenly exploded from the pen, transforming into a disheveled, faceless, illusory humanoid figure!

"Injustice...injustice!"

"This is unjust! Officials are protecting each other! I will die with my eyes open in disbelief!"

A sharp, piercing roar came straight at Zhou Yuan's soul!

For an ordinary person, the sheer force of this resentment would be enough to cause them to lose their composure and go insane on the spot.

But at this moment, Zhou Yuan's soul, having been cleansed by the [Soul-Soothing and Salvation Mantra], was as stable as Mount Tai.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes."

His expression remained unchanged as he began to chant the esoteric incantation in a low voice.

"All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows..."

This time, he no longer uttered peaceful words of reassurance.

Each word seemed to carry the compassion and majesty of the Buddha, transforming into a golden swastika symbol that suppressed the black aura!

【A Mantra for Soothing and Saving the Soul】!