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

"Joo Won!"

Ma Ling'er was startled and rushed in to support him.

"What's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly vomit blood?"

Zhou Yuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His face was pale, but his eyes were brighter than ever before.

That is the sharpness that comes from seeing through all the fog.

He gripped Ma Ling'er's wrist tightly, with an astonishing strength.

"Ling'er".

"We're in trouble."

"Big trouble."

Ma Ling'er was frightened by his appearance:

"What happened? Has Li Xiuwen come back again?"

Zhou Yuan shook his head, his gaze passing through the broken roof and looking up at the dark night sky.

It was as if, through the darkness, one could see a pair of enormous, malevolent eyes overlooking the entire city of Fengzhou.

"Li Xiuwen... is nothing but a dog."

"The real master hasn't shown up yet."

He slowly stood up. Although his magical power was exhausted, his fighting spirit burned even brighter.

"Qingyun Academy is just one step in the process."

"There are probably more than one such node in Fengzhou City."

"That old monster wants to turn the entire city of Fengzhou into his altar!"

Ma Ling'er only vaguely understood what she was hearing, but she did understand the last sentence.

"You mean, there's someone even more powerful?"

Zhou Yuan nodded, his expression extremely solemn.

"Ghost land."

"The true reliance behind the Wukong Sect."

"A...fallen god!"

He gripped the book "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters" tightly in his hand.

Although the enemy was far more powerful than imagined.

But Zhou Yuan, being the local deity of Fengzhou City, had already accepted the divine karma.

Then we will absolutely not sit idly by!

"You want to take over Fengzhou City?"

Zhou Yuan sneered, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes.

"That depends on whether you have good teeth!"

"Aren't you afraid of breaking your teeth!"

He turned to look at Ma Ling'er:

"Walk!"

"Where to?"

"Back to the city!"

"Although Li Xiuwen escaped, the mess he left behind is precisely where that old monster has given himself away!"

"Since he wants to play, let's play along!"

"Let's see if his evil magic is superior, or my blade is faster!"

A cold night wind blew across the ruins.

The ashes of the paper were swirled up and filled the air.

Zhou Yuan abruptly stopped in his tracks.

His gaze, almost tangible, suddenly pierced a shadowy spot in the corner of the lecture hall.

There, several wisps of dark energy were skimming the ground, trying to slip away into the cracks in the earth.

Those were a few vengeful scholar spirits who had miraculously survived the great battle just now.

Although the soul body had been shattered and nearly dissipated.

But that nauseating, resentful aura still lingers.

"Trying to run away?"

Zhou Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile.

That just so happens, he still has too many mysteries in his heart that he hasn't solved yet.

Although Li Xiuwen was a puppet, these vengeful spirits were "parts" that participated in the operation of the entire formation.

They definitely have something hidden inside!

"Get out here!"

Zhou Yuan gave a low shout.

The newly upgraded [Netherworld Eye] instantly erupted with a captivating ghostly light.

The two dark vortexes spun wildly in his eyes.

A terrifying pressure emanating from the deepest hell instantly enveloped that corner.

"squeak--!"

The vengeful spirits of the scholar let out mournful screams.

Like a rat burned by a red-hot iron.

Their attempts to burrow into the ground instantly froze.

Then, uncontrollably, they were pulled out by an invisible force.

A few "click" sounds.

The three distorted souls were slammed heavily in front of Zhou Yuan.

They trembled, too afraid to look up into those terrifying eyes.

That's a personality suppression from the depths of the soul!

In front of this boy, they felt as if they had encountered the emperor of ghosts!

"Immortal, spare me! Immortal, spare me!"

One of the more solidified-looking vengeful spirits was desperately kowtowing.

Although it was a spirit, it made a dull thud when it hit the ground.

Zhou Yuan remained expressionless, slightly lowering the Azure Lamp in his hand.

The flickering lights illuminated his cold, handsome profile.

"I ask, you answer."

"If you dare utter a single word of nonsense, I'll let you taste the soul-refining power of the Azure Nether Lamp."

"That's a punishment a hundred times more painful than going to the eighteenth level of hell."

The vengeful scholar trembled, and the ghostly fire in his eyes flickered wildly.

"My lord, please ask! I will answer to the best of my knowledge!"

Zhou Yuan crouched down, the eerie light in his eyes piercing the vengeful spirit's soul core.

"What exactly is Li Xiuwen's purpose in setting up this Nine Nether Dragon Locking Formation?"

"Don't tell me about taking revenge on the academy; that kind of nonsense might fool others."

"The underground root system connects to 108 earthen stakes. Such a massive undertaking is definitely not just for killing a few people!"

The vengeful scholar hesitated for a moment.

It seemed as if they were weighing the pros and cons, or perhaps they were fearing something even more terrifying.

"snort!"

Zhou Yuan snorted coldly.

On the Azure Lamp, the wisp of azure flame instantly surged.

"ah--!"

The vengeful spirit of the scholar let out a heart-wrenching scream.

Its left arm was touched by a wisp of lamplight, and instantly vanished into nothingness.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"Stop burning it! Stop burning it!"

It cried out in terror, no longer daring to hide anything.

"Yes...it's for the Ghost Festival!"

"The Ghost Festival is in three days!"

"The gates of hell are wide open; this is the time when yin energy is at its strongest!"

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed.

Ghost Festival!

How could he forget this day!

"Go on!"

The vengeful spirit scholar said tremblingly:

"Master... no, that madman Li Xiuwen."

"He plans to hold an unprecedented 'Hundred Ghosts and Evil Sacrifice' on the Ghost Festival!"

"He will use the evil spirits of the entire city, as well as the 136 vengeful souls of the academy, as a catalyst."

"Plus, there's the resentment of the earth's evil spirits that's been accumulating underground for half a year."

"Sacrifice them all!"

Ma Ling'er, who was listening nearby, gasped in shock.

She couldn't help but interject with a question:

"A sacrifice? For whom? That damned land deity?"

The vengeful scholar shook his head, then nodded, his expression crazed:

"It's a sacrifice for the Demon Land Lord, but also for his own sake!"

"His target is in the western suburbs!"

"The western suburbs?"

Zhou Yuan frowned, and the map of Fengzhou City flashed through his mind.

The western suburbs were a wasteland, dotted with graves, and rarely visited by people.

What could possibly be there that warrants such a fuss from Li Xiuwen?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Zhou Yuan.

He suddenly grabbed the vengeful spirit by the neck and lifted it into the air.

"The western suburbs...that's the site of the temple of the previous 'Li She Land God' of Fengzhou City!"

The vengeful scholar looked at Zhou Yuan in horror, seemingly not expecting that this young man knew so much.

"Yes...yes!"

"That's it!"

"Although the temple collapsed and the statues were shattered."

"But the divine personhood still exists there! The divine doctrines still exist!"

"Li Xiuwen intends to use this overwhelming resentment to corrupt that divine position!"

"He's trying to usurp my place!"

"He intends to take advantage of the heightened Yin energy during the Ghost Festival to forcibly merge with the divine position and cultivate himself into a Yin deity!"

"If he succeeds, he will no longer be a wandering ghost..."

"But rather, the spirits and deities of this land!"

boom!

This news struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving Zhou Yuan and Ma Ling'er speechless for a long time.

spirits!

That's a legendary existence!

In this age of the collapse of the divine order, some people actually dare to attempt to ascend to godhood through evil methods!

Ma Ling'er's face turned deathly pale.

She frantically pulled a crumpled yellow talisman from her bosom.

That was the Ma family's communication talisman, although direct communication was impossible due to the great distance.

However, it records the stories and observations of the Ma family's ancestors about gods and ghosts.

Her fingers flew across the talisman paper as she muttered incantations.

A moment later, the talisman spontaneously combusted without fire, turning into a wisp of green smoke that entered her brow.

Ma Ling'er's body jolted violently, and when she opened her eyes, they were filled with horror.

"Zhou Yuan... what this bastard is saying is true!"

"My second uncle told me about this before!"

"This is called 'The God of Thieves'!"

"In ancient times, heretical practitioners did this kind of thing!"

"Taking advantage of the fall of the true god and the vacancy of his position, they forcibly seized power by offering sacrifices to the resentment of the people!"

"Although a god who has been cultivated in this way has an unstable foundation, he will surely be punished by heaven."

"But as long as he gets into that position..."

"Within a radius of a hundred miles, he is heaven! He is earth!"

"With a single thought, he could turn Fengzhou City into a living hell!"

Ma Ling'er's voice was trembling.

Although she is usually carefree, she is aware of the implications.

Once Li Xiuwen gains power...

Not just the two of them, but all the people of Fengzhou City should be buried with him!

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath.

He released his grip, and the vengeful scholar, thinking he had escaped, turned to run away.

"Pfft!"

A flash of blue light appeared.

The Azure Lamp pierced directly through its soul.

"You know far too much about these harmful secrets."

"Just go die."

Zhou Yuan coldly watched as the vengeful spirit dissipated into the air, transforming into a wisp of pure Yin energy that was absorbed by "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters".

He showed no pity whatsoever.

These people aided and abetted evil, and deserve to die.

At this moment, his mind was completely absorbed in the book in his sea of ​​consciousness.

As yin energy was injected, the pages of the book turned.

Information about the "Nine-Rank Village Land God" clearly surfaced in his mind.

In the divine system of this world.

The hierarchy of deities was very strict.

From the lowest level of village land, to township land, and then to market town land, it progressed upwards.

Although the village head was only a lowly ninth-rank official.

But this is the cornerstone of Shinto!

Possessing this divine position allows one to harness the energy of the land and enjoy the offerings of incense from the people.

More importantly, it is a kind of "qualification".

A qualification to reach a higher realm, or even to touch the path to immortality!

Zhou Yuan looked at his palm.

His current identity is "Tu Gong".

To put it bluntly, they are unofficial members of the Shinto system, doing odd jobs.

Even so, he could still sense the profound mystery of controlling the earth's energy.

If Li Xiuwen were to truly seize the position of the true god...

The consequences would be unimaginable!

"This guy is no thief."

Zhou Yuan muttered to himself, a burning light flashing in his eyes.

"This is clearly a meteoric rise to power!"

"No wonder that madman Li Xiuwen was willing to turn himself into a monster just to do this."

"In this world of despair, this is a shortcut to the pinnacle of power!"

Although this road is a wrong road.

It was paved with the blood of countless people.

But this was enough for Zhou Yuan to glimpse the cruelty and grandeur of the path of divinity.

This also made him realize...

He possessed the "Tales of Gods and Monsters" and was able to bestow titles upon the gods.

The future may lie on these divine positions!

This is a crisis.

But for him, wasn't this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

"We must stop him!"

Zhou Yuan suddenly looked up, the confusion in his eyes vanishing instantly.

Instead, there was an unprecedented determination.

"Three more days."

"The decisive battle will take place in three days, on the Ghost Festival!"

"If he succeeds, we will all die."

"But if we could stop him..."

Zhou Yuan licked his slightly chapped lips.

"As for the fate of Fengzhou City, it remains to be seen who will ultimately prevail!"

Ma Ling'er was startled by the sudden burst of aura emanating from Zhou Yuan.

She felt that Zhou Yuan in front of her seemed to have suddenly become a different person.

It has become more dangerous, but also more reassuring.

"So what do we do now?"

"Should we head straight for the western suburbs?"

Ma Ling'er gripped the small bone knife in her hand tightly; she was ready to charge at Zhou Yuan's command at his word.

The panda was also waving its paws, as if to say that it could take on ten of them too.

Zhou Yuan shook his head and calmly analyzed:

"no."

"The western suburbs must now be as impregnable as an ironclad fortress thanks to Li Xiuwen's management."

"And that so-called 'ghost land' has yet to show up."

"If the two of us just rushed over like that, it would be no different from suicide."

He turned to look at the mess that was scattered all over Qingyun Academy.

I looked up again at the pitch-black night sky.

It was as if an invisible hand was enveloping the sky above Fengzhou City, slowly tightening.

"This is a setup."

"A deadly trap for the entire city of Fengzhou."

"The strength of the two of us alone is far from enough."

"We need help."

"We need official support even more!"

Ma Ling'er's eyes lit up:

"You mean...go to see Uncle Wang?"

Zhou Yuan nodded:

"Wang Bo is the clerk of the charitable estate. Although his official position is not high, he represents the government and the order of Fengzhou City."

"Moreover, Uncle Wang is knowledgeable and must know what the village's land god temple was all about back then."

"Most importantly..."

Zhou Yuan paused, his eyes becoming incredibly deep.

"The Wukong Sect is behind this incident."

"That damned local deity is definitely not some wild, powerful demon."

"To be able to set up such a complex array, one must be able to scheme against beings at the level of gods."

"There must be a huge organization pulling the strings behind this!"

"Even that legendary...Master Wukong!"

Mentioning the Wukong Sect.

Zhou Yuan then thought of his long-lost adoptive father, Uncle Liu.

Uncle Liu was once a protector of the Wukong Sect.

He has been living in seclusion here for so many years, has he already sensed something?

These clues, like a tangled mess, were tangled in Zhou Yuan's mind.

But he knew that now was not the time to dwell on these things.

The most urgent task is to get this earth-shattering news out!

"Walk!"

Zhou Yuan pulled Ma Ling'er up.

"Back to the mortuary!"

"Tonight, the weather in Fengzhou City is likely to change."

The two men and the bear dared not delay any longer.

His figure moved like lightning, quickly disappearing into the vast night.

Only the desolate Qingyun Academy remains.

It let out a mournful wail in the night wind.

It was as if a dirge was being played in advance for the impending catastrophe.

Deep underground.

After Zhou Yuan left, the black root suddenly twitched violently.

It was as if a giant eye was slowly opening in the darkness.

It was tinged with mockery, and with greed.

I watched the two figures walk away.

……