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

The painted skin shattered instantly, revealing a bloody and mangled skeleton underneath!

They shrieked and flew backward, crashing hard into the pillars of the teahouse, their ghostly forms becoming even more ethereal!

"Awoo!"

Rolling on, it pressed its advantage relentlessly. Like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, it opened its blood-red maw and swallowed half of the mangled body of a painted-skin ghost!

"Bang bang...knock bang..."

The teeth-grinding chewing sounds were especially terrifying in the quiet teahouse!

Upon seeing this, the remaining two vengeful spirit scholars, their empty will-o'-the-wisps flickering in their eyes, actually began to consider retreating.

Zhou Yuan's eyes sharpened, and the golden Sanskrit characters of the Soul-Soothing Mantra followed him like a shadow, instantly covering them!

"town!"

The Sanskrit characters shone with golden light, freezing the two vengeful scholar spirits in place, unable to move!

It only took a dozen or so breaths!

Of the five ferocious ghost servants, three were dead and two were wounded, and the army was completely routed!

"Is that all you've got?"

Ma Ling'er stepped on the head of the still struggling Painted Skin Ghost and raised her chin provocatively at Li Xiuwen.

"Your 'guests' aren't very resilient!"

Li Xiuwen's smile remained unchanged.

He even clapped his hands in praise.

"amazing."

"A minor local deity in the degenerate age of earth spirits, a descendant of a declining shamanistic religion."

"I can't believe they managed to tidy up my little gadgets so neatly."

He changed the subject, his voice revealing a condescending pity.

"Unfortunately..."

"You've dialed the wrong place."

"This is merely the stage where I've invited you to watch a play."

Zhou Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

"not good!"

Li Xiuwen raised his right hand, put his index and middle fingers together, and gently touched his brow.

"The real feast has only just begun."

"Gentlemen, would you dare... to follow me to my seat?"

Before he finished speaking, he transformed into a thick, dark, evil light, bursting through the roof of the teahouse and shooting towards the outskirts of the city!

The painted-skin ghost trampled underfoot and the two vengeful scholar spirits suppressed by the Soul-Soothing Curse also vanished in the same instant, turning into three wisps of black smoke.

"Trying to run away?!"

Ma Ling'er was so angry that she stomped her feet and was about to chase after him.

"Don't chase!"

Zhou Yuan grabbed her arm.

"Don't pursue a cornered enemy; he's leading us to his lair!"

Ma Ling'er said urgently:

"What do we do then? Just let him get away?!"

Zhou Yuan stared coldly in the direction where Li Xiuwen had disappeared.

"He can't escape."

He slowly closed his eyes, his mind sinking into his sea of ​​consciousness, communicating with the mysterious book of gods and monsters.

The pages of the book moved on their own without any wind, making a rustling sound.

After unlocking so many pages of evil spirits, a brand new supernatural power quietly emerged in Zhou Yuan's mind.

[Insight]!

This technique can reveal the origin of evil spirits and trace the remnants of Yin energy!

"open!"

Zhou Yuan let out a low shout and suddenly opened his eyes!

This time, his pupils no longer held a bluish light, but a deep, dark light that seemed to see through the illusion of all things!

In his insightful vision, the entire world is transformed into lines composed of countless air structures.

A faint, yet malevolent and sinister black line of energy was extending from the hole in the teahouse, winding its way towards the eastern outskirts of the city!

"Found it!"

Zhou Yuan withdrew his divine power, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"He's in the eastern suburbs of the city!"

"Walk!"

……

Fifteen minutes later.

The eastern suburbs of Fengzhou City.

A long-abandoned academy stands quietly amidst overgrown weeds and scattered graves.

The academy's plaque was already rotten and dilapidated, and only the four characters "Qingyun Academy" could be vaguely discerned.

This place was once a sacred place of learning that students from Fengzhou longed for.

Now, only ruins remain, swallowed up by weeds taller than a person.

Visible wisps of yin energy, like thick black fog, enveloped the entire academy.

Before you even get close, a bone-chilling cold hits you.

Ma Ling'er shivered, her pretty face turning pale.

"Such...such heavy yin energy!"

"This place is a veritable den of ghosts!"

Zhou Yuan nodded solemnly.

"It's not just a den of ghosts."

His gaze fell upon the black mist that shrouded the academy.

The mist appeared chaotic, but in fact it followed a certain pattern, slowly circulating and forming a huge evil array!

"He set up the entire academy as a formation!"

"All the resentment and ill-gotten gains we encountered before have probably converged here in the end!"

This is the true core of the "Nine Nether Dragon Locking Formation"!

Li Xiuwen's stronghold!

Just then, from deep within the academy, came Li Xiuwen's voice, tinged with laughter, like a ghostly whisper, ringing in their ears.

"Since you two are here, why don't you come in and have a chat?"

"My Qingyun Academy has prepared a great gift for you."

"A generous gift...composed of the 'enthusiasm' of hundreds of senior students!"

The words had barely left his mouth!

"boom--!"

The black mist that had enveloped the academy suddenly surged!

Countless pained, distorted, and resentful faces appeared and disappeared in the black mist!

"Waaaaah—"

The mournful wails of ghosts echoed through the heavens!

Exam papers drifted in the black fog, the words on them written in blood!

One by one, the brushes danced in the air, and what dripped from their tips was not ink, but viscous corpse oil!

【The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons】!

Li Xiuwen actually gathered all the resentful spirits of scholars who had died with regrets and unfulfilled ambitions over the past century and forged this ultimate killing formation here!

Within the formation, resentment soared to the heavens, and ghostly figures lurked everywhere!

These vengeful scholar spirits, taken individually, might not be as formidable as the three ghost servants from before.

But when hundreds or thousands gather together and are governed by an array, their power is layered upon layer, making them more than ten times stronger than before!

"That madman!"

Ma Ling'er gasped.

"How do we get in with so many spirits?"

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, his eyes becoming incredibly determined.

"Ling'er, protect me!"

"What?"

Ma Ling'er hadn't reacted yet.

Zhou Yuan had already sat down cross-legged.

"This formation is based on resentment and ghosts."

"Ordinary physical attacks are not very effective against it."

"To break through the formation, we must strike at its heart and dismantle it from within!"

He looked at Ma Ling'er and said solemnly:

"I want... my soul to leave my body!"

Ma Ling'er was horrified!

"Out-of-body experience?!"

"Zhou Yuan, have you gone mad! Your physical body is left unprotected. If it's invaded by evil spirits, you'll never come back!"

I believe you.

Zhou Yuan only said three words before closing his eyes.

A faint blue light emanated from his body.

The next moment, a translucent spirit identical to him slowly rose from the top of his head.

This is his Yin spirit!

In his soul form, Zhou Yuan held the Azure Lamp, and his aura became ethereal yet majestic!

"A mere hundred ghosts dare to call themselves night roamers?"

He snorted coldly, transformed into a streak of light, and without the slightest hesitation, plunged headlong into the churning black mist of the [Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Formation]!

"Joo Won!"

Ma Ling'er shouted anxiously, but dared not leave Zhou Yuan's body even for a moment, and could only worry anxiously outside.

……

Once inside the formation, the world transforms!

Zhou Yuan felt as if he had fallen into a world made up of resentment and despair!

All around, there were countless vengeful spirits of scholars!

They roared and howled, brandishing their resentful brushes, piercing the air with a piercing sound, and attacked Zhou Yuan from all directions!

That intense resentment was enough to make any cultivator lose their composure and their Dao heart collapse!

But Zhou Yuan's expression remained unchanged.

He is the master of "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters," and has seen more evil spirits than all these vengeful spirits combined!

"The lamp illuminates the path to the underworld, where the soul finds peace!"

He held the blue lamp aloft and chanted the "Soul-Soothing and Salvation Mantra"!

"Buzz—!"

At this moment, the light of the Azure Lamp seemed to transform into a blue sun!

The gentle yet majestic blue light spread out instantly, illuminating an area of ​​ten feet in radius as bright as day!

"ah--!"

"My eyes!"

"What kind of light is this?!"

Those vengeful scholar spirits at the forefront immediately let out extremely shrill screams upon contact with the blue light!

The resentment clinging to them was quickly purified and dissolved by the blue light, as if it had encountered its nemesis!

Zhou Yuan's Soul-Soothing Incantation was like a death knell!

Golden incantations floated in the blue light, each word containing the supreme power to suppress souls!

Wherever the incantation passed, the resentment and madness on the faces of the vengeful scholars began to fade, replaced by a sense of relief and bewilderment.

They all stopped attacking and bowed to the Azure Lamp in Zhou Yuan's hand.

Immediately, their bodies turned into specks of light and dissipated into the air.

This is... being sent to the afterlife!

The Azure Nether Lamp is specifically designed to ward off evil spirits!

A soothing spell, especially for vengeful spirits!

Zhou Yuan's methods are simply the perfect nemesis of this [Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Formation]!

Holding a blue ghost lamp and chanting a soothing incantation, he strolled leisurely through the array of a hundred ghosts, as if he were in an empty place!

It's like a tiger entering a flock of sheep!

In an instant, he purified and delivered countless vengeful spirits of the scholar!

However, Zhou Yuan's expression grew increasingly solemn.

Because he discovered that these vengeful spirits were endless!

Every time he purifies a batch, a new batch will immediately be born in the core of the array deep within the academy!

Endless!

If this continues, no matter how profound his magical power is, his Yin spirit power will eventually be exhausted!

……

Outside the formation.

Ma Ling'er watched the constantly moving blue light within the formation, continuously purifying the vengeful spirits, and her heart was filled with anxiety.

She could feel Zhou Yuan's aura slowly weakening!

"We can't wait any longer!"

Ma Ling'er gritted her teeth, a resolute look flashing across her face!

She pulled out an old-fashioned bone knife from her bosom and, without hesitation, cut her palm!

Blood flowed down the lines of her palm.

She pressed her bleeding hand heavily onto the head of Gun Gun, who had been squatting anxiously beside her.

"Ma Ling'er, a descendant of the Ma family!"

"With my blood, I solemnly beseech the immortals!"

"Please, celestial beings... reveal your true form!"

"Help me... vanquish the demons!"

She was muttering incantations in a voice that was ethereal and ancient, as if it came from the distant past!

This is a secret technique of witchcraft, invoking a deity to possess you!

No, it's even more domineering than invoking a deity to possess you!

This is a plea for the deities we worship to bestow their true power!

"Awooo—!!!"

The giant panda roared to the sky with a deafening roar!

Its body, under the influence of Ma Ling'er's blood and incantations, began to expand wildly at a visible speed!

One foot!

Three zhang!

Five feet!

In just a few breaths, the iron-eating beast that originally looked adorable transformed into a colossal prehistoric beast that was over three zhang tall and resembled a small mountain!

Its fur, black and white, shimmered with a metallic sheen in the moonlight!

Its eyes were no longer innocent and cute, but burned with wild golden flames!

A savage, domineering, and terrifying aura, capable of tearing the heavens and earth apart, suddenly erupted from its body!

This is the true face of the "Iron-Eating Beast," the deity worshipped by the Ma family of Beizhou!

"Get out!"

Ma Ling'er's face was pale, clearly indicating that using this technique had taken a huge toll on her.

She used all her strength to point at the academy shrouded in black mist!

"Smash it!"

"roar--!!!"

The giant beasts rolled on, and everyone understood!

It stood upright, its two enormous claws, which blotted out the sky, slammed down with the force of a thunderbolt towards the core of the [Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Formation], which was also the main building of the academy!

This strike used the purest, most primal, and most unreasonable... brute force!

"BOOM—!!!"

The earth is shaking!

The sturdy array of light was violently distorted under this attack, emitting a creaking sound as it struggled to withstand the pressure!

Countless vengeful scholars were directly shattered by this earth-shattering power!

The entire [Night Parade of One Hundred Demons] was shaken!

Zhou Yuan, who was inside the formation, felt the pressure suddenly decrease!

A glint of light flashed in his eyes as he seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

"Now!"

He poured all his Yin energy into the Azure Lamp!

"break!"

The Azure Lamp transformed into a dazzling azure beam of light, soaring into the sky and slamming into the crumbling core of the formation!

at the same time!

Outside the formation, the giant beast's second, rolling attack followed!

"boom--!!!"

A pincer attack from both inside and outside!

There was a crisp "snap" sound!

Like a shattered mirror, the [Hundred Ghosts Night Parade Formation] that enveloped the entire Qingyun Academy shattered with a deafening roar!

The resentment filled the sky, like a flood bursting its banks, spreading in all directions!

But under the light of the Azure Lamp, these resentments were quickly purified.

Heaven and earth regained their clarity.

"Huff... huff..."

Zhou Yuan's soul returned to his body, his face as pale as paper, and he was breathing heavily.

Ma Ling'er also stumbled and almost fell to the ground. The huge iron-eating beast's true form also quickly shrank back to its original simple and honest appearance, lying listlessly on the ground.

The two looked at each other and saw the exhaustion and lingering fear in each other's eyes.

But they won!

Zhou Yuan stood up, his gaze sharp as lightning, shooting towards the depths of the academy, which had been reduced to ruins.

"Li Xiuwen, come out and face your death!"

However, the ruins were utterly silent.

no respond.

The two cautiously entered the ruins, only to find them empty.

Only on a broken stone pillar, a line of small, flowing characters was carved with a sharp tool.

"The game has only just begun."

"Zhou Yuan, Ma Ling'er."

"We'll meet again."

The person had already calmly retreated through the secret passage.

Zhou Yuan looked at the line of text and slowly clenched his fist.

Li Xiuwen...