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

A loud shout, like a thunderclap, exploded above everyone's heads.

Zhou Yuan took a sudden step forward.

The blue light of the blue lamp in his hand shone brightly.

A terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire mortuary.

That's the malevolent energy accumulated from slaying countless evil spirits!

The butcher who ran to the door felt his legs go weak and he knelt down on the ground with a thud.

He turned around in horror, looking at the boy who now resembled a god of death.

Zhou Yuan's gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping across everyone's faces.

"run?"

"Where can you run to?"

"This great formation has already locked down the earth's veins in Fengzhou City."

"Fengzhou City now is like a cage where you can only get in but never out!"

"You think you can survive by not resisting?"

"That's a joke!"

"Exposing your back to a vengeful ghost will only hasten your death!"

Zhou Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but every word was piercing.

"Besides, your families are all in the city."

"Your wives and children are all here."

"You ran away, what will happen to them?"

"Are we just going to stand by and watch them be torn apart by vengeful ghosts and turn into dried-up corpses?!"

The lobby was deathly silent.

Many lowered their heads in shame.

The butcher knelt on the ground and slapped himself hard.

"Damn it! Brother Zhou is right!"

"My wife is still at home taking care of the kids!"

"Either way, we're going to die!"

"Let's fight these damned evil bastards!"

The butcher picked up the pig-slaughtering knife, got up from the ground, and his eyes were bloodshot.

With one person taking the lead, the fighting spirit of the others was gradually ignited.

"Count me in! I may not be very skilled, but I can still draw a few exorcism talismans!"

"I'll stay too! My ancestral coffin nail has long yearned to taste the flavor of a vengeful ghost!"

Seeing the excited crowd, Wang Bo breathed a sigh of relief.

He gave Zhou Yuan a grateful look.

This young man is not only incredibly strong, but his character and methods are also rare.

Just then, Ma Ling'er, who was in the corner, suddenly sighed.

She looked at the talisman in her hand, which had already burned to ashes, and a bitter expression appeared on her face.

"How's it going? Did you get in touch?"

Zhou Yuan asked in a low voice.

Ma Ling'er shook her head, her eyes slightly red:

"Unable to contact."

"Just a moment ago, I sensed a response from my family."

"But there are only four words."

"A great calamity is coming; pray for your own good fortune."

"It seems that not only here, but the entire Great Ling Dynasty is probably in trouble."

Zhou Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.

It seems the situation is worse than he imagined.

There is no outside help.

Fengzhou City has truly become an isolated island.

"fine."

Zhou Yuan patted Ma Ling'er on the shoulder, his eyes resolute.

"It's better to rely on yourself than on others."

"Since there is no savior, then we'll be our own savior!"

After calming everyone down and assigning tasks,

Zhou Yuan arrived at the morgue alone.

This place has the heaviest yin energy, making it the most suitable place for him to cultivate.

Since you've decided to go all out, you must push yourself to the limit.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, his mind absorbed in "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters".

The pages turned, releasing the yin energy obtained from slaying the three hundred and sixty remnants of vengeful spirits.

At this moment, it surges between the pages like a vast ocean.

"Three thousand six hundred strands of yin energy..."

Zhou Yuan muttered to himself.

"That's enough."

"Deduce it for me!"

"Target: [Sturdy] Divine Power!"

Following Zhou Yuan's will.

The massive amount of Yin energy instantly burned, transforming into mysterious golden runes that entered his body.

The previous "Sturdiness" only strengthened the physical body, making his skin as tough as cowhide.

But this is far from enough to face the upcoming battle at the level of demons and gods.

Because true spirits and demons attack the soul!

"Buzz—!"

A faint golden light suddenly shone from Zhou Yuan's body.

Not just the skin.

Even the little soul figure in his sea of ​​consciousness was now clad in a layer of golden armor.

This feeling is like being completely encased in molten iron.

indestructible!

[Deduction successful!]

[The Solid (Supernatural Power) has advanced to—Indestructible Vajra Body (Fragment)!]

[Effect: The physical body becomes as hard as iron, impervious to all evil, and the soul is firmly protected, capable of withstanding soul attacks at the level of a Yin God!]

Zhou Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

A golden glint flashed in his eyes.

He clenched his fist, feeling the explosive power within his body.

Now, even if he were to face Li Xiuwen's true form, he would be confident that he could shatter it with a single punch!

The next two days.

The entire city of Fengzhou was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.

Although it is still the height of summer.

But the pedestrians on the street were all wrapped up tightly in their clothes, their faces pale and their expressions hurried.

A faint musty smell permeated the air.

It's like a corpse that's been left out for too long.

At night, every household closed their doors and dared not light any lamps.

Zhou Yuan stood on the roof of the mortuary, looking down at the crumbling city.

It was already the eve of the Ghost Festival.

The concentration of yin energy within the city has reached an alarming level.

The previously unseen wandering ghosts now even dare to appear in broad daylight.

Although the people cannot see it, the instinctive fear is almost overwhelming them.

"We can't wait any longer."

Zhou Yuan looked towards the western suburbs where dark clouds loomed over the city.

"Li Xiuwen is speeding up."

"He's drawing all the life out of the city in advance."

"If we wait until tomorrow night, we might not even have a chance to make a move."

Ma Ling'er held Gun Gun in her arms, standing behind him, playing with two newly polished animal bone knives in her hands.

"What do you want to do?"

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes.

"Cut off his supply lines!"

"The yin energy in this entire city gathers here through the underground veins."

"But before the convergence, there is a transit station."

"That's—the ghost market!"

"If the Yin-gathering array of the Ghost Market is destroyed, Li Xiuwen's power will be weakened by at least 30%!"

Ma Ling'er's eyes lit up.

"That's a ruthless move! It cuts off their supply lines!"

"Shall we leave now?"

Zhou Yuan nodded and was about to leave.

Suddenly, something came to mind.

He turned and jumped off the roof, quickly returning to his small coffin shop in the east of the city.

Push open the door.

A familiar, desolate atmosphere washed over me.

"Come out."

Zhou Yuan spoke softly to the empty counter.

A gust of cold wind swept by.

A little ghost, dressed in a blue burial shroud and with a deathly pale face, timidly poked its head out from an urn.

That's the "ghost" of this shop.

He is usually timid as a mouse and hides from people.

"The...the shopkeeper."

The ghost looked at Zhou Yuan with trembling eyes, clearly frightened by the fierce aura emanating from him.

"I need to go out on some errands."

"He might die out there."

Zhou Yuan looked at the kid who had been with him for several years, and his tone softened for once.

"You can leave now."

"Take whatever you like from this shop."

"Find a secluded mountain forest to hide in, lest you be captured and forced into cultivation."

The otaku was stunned for a moment.

It looked at Zhou Yuan's young yet resolute face.

Suddenly, it made a move that Zhou Yuan didn't expect.

It crawled out of the urn.

He knelt down with a thud.

"Shopkeeper... I'm not leaving."

Although the otaku's voice was still trembling, it was unusually firm.

"You are a good person."

"You don't see me as a monster."

"I'll stay here."

"If...if anyone dares to come and smash up the shop."

The ghost revealed a set of sharp fangs, which, although somewhat comical against its pale face, exuded a fierce aura.

"I'll bite him to death!"

"You're fighting on the front lines, and I... I can help you guard the house!"

Zhou Yuan was stunned.

He looked at the brat in front of him who didn't even dare to kill a chicken.

A warm feeling suddenly welled up in my heart.

In this cold and chaotic world.

In this dog-eat-dog world.

It turned out to be a ghost, who gave him a final glimmer of warmth.

"it is good."

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath and nodded heavily.

"Keep an eye on the house."

"Wait for me to come back."

After saying that, he resolutely turned around and strode into the vast night.

This time.

He didn't turn around.

Because he knew there was a light behind him that would always be shining for him.

Even if it's just a faint will-o'-the-wisp.

Outside the mortuary.

Ma Ling'er and Uncle Wang were already fully prepared to depart.

Zhou Yuan strode forward, the Azure Lamp in his hand blazing with a blue light that illuminated the road ahead.

"Set off!"

"Target—The Ghost Market!"

Zhou Yuan stood under a withered old locust tree.

He reached up and wiped his face.

That once handsome and resolute young face instantly turned bluish-black.

lifeless.

It's like a zombie that just crawled out of the ground.

He deliberately suppressed the yang fire in his body to the extreme.

Instead, there is the cold, gloomy atmosphere unique to "Earth God".

"call--"

A gust of cold wind swept by.

Startled, the crows on the withered tree cawed and flew into the night sky.

Zhou Yuan tightened his wide black robe.

Take a step forward.

The soil beneath my feet seemed to have turned into quicksand.

He vanished from the spot in an instant.

When they reappeared, the desolate mass grave was no longer in front of them.

Instead, it was a long street decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, yet exuding a sinister and eerie atmosphere.

Fengzhou Ghost Market.

The noise here is more than ten times louder than when I last came.

Everywhere there were eerie, shadowy figures.

There was a headless ghost missing half its head.

A hanged ghost with its tongue dragging on the ground.

There are also monsters with animal heads and human bodies.

They huddled together, shoulder to shoulder, on this not-so-wide street.

The air was filled with a nauseating, sweet, fishy smell.

That was the smell of incense and candles mixed with the smell of rotting flesh.

"Come on in, take a look!"

"Fresh human hearts, just dug out, still warm!"

"The finest skulls of young boys are top-grade materials for crafting magical artifacts!"

The cries of vendors rose and fell in waves.

It sounded like steel needles pricking my eardrums.

Zhou Yuan walked through the crowd with a blank expression.

His gaze was icy, and his hands, hidden beneath his black robe, were clenched into tight fists.

This is the Ghost Market.

This is hell on earth!

Every single "goods" displayed on the stalls was stained with the blood and tears of living people.

But he couldn't have an attack.

Not at least not now.

A small leak will sink a great ship.

Zhou Yuanqiang suppressed his murderous intent and quickly scanned the shops on both sides of the street.

Previously, most of these shops were closed.

Or they might engage in shady small businesses.

But today.

All the shops had their doors wide open.

Countless little devils came and went like porters.

They were carrying heavy boxes.

Zhou Yuan moved a little closer.

Through the crack, he could see what was inside the box.

That's—ghost money!

Not only is there money from the underworld.

There were also sealed earthenware jars.

A red talisman was pasted on the mouth of the jar, and faint, mournful wails could be heard coming from inside.

That's resentment!

It is the purest resentment produced by the souls of those who were tortured to death!

"Hurry up! Everyone, move faster!"

A monster dressed as a butler with a rat's head was wielding a whip and lashing the little devils carrying loads.

"You've ruined the scholar's important business! I'll fry you all in oil!"

"This is the provisions for tomorrow's grand festival!"

"Give it your all, everyone!"

Zhou Yuan felt a chill run down his spine.

really.

That beast Li Xiuwen is making his final preparations.

Such a massive amount of yin money and resentment, once all of it is injected into the earth's veins...

The "Hundred Ghosts and Evil Sacrifice" formation tomorrow night will be terrifyingly powerful!

We must stop him!

Even if only a part is destroyed, it can give us a glimmer of hope for tomorrow night.

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath.

His eyes were slightly closed, then suddenly opened.

[Supernatural Power: Insight!]

hum!

A faint, eerie light instantly flickered deep within his pupils.

The world has changed.

Those noisy ghosts and bustling shops all vanished into nothingness in his eyes.

Instead.

They are crisscrossing black lines.

That's the flow of air.

It is an entanglement of cause and effect.

Zhou Yuan saw it.

The yin energy in the entire ghost market is not as scattered as it appears on the surface.

Instead, like rivers flowing into the sea, they are drawn together by several invisible forces.

It flows slowly toward several specific locations.

"Found it."

Zhou Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile.

That's the node of this Ghost Market Formation!

It is also a transit altar used by Li Xiuwen to collect resentment!

There are three locations in total.

They are located in the east, west, and north corners of the ghost market, respectively.

The closest one to him was deep in a dead-end alley on his left.

The fluctuations of yin energy are most intense there.

It even formed a small vortex.

"I'll use you as an example!"

Zhou Yuan's figure swayed.

Under the cover of the surrounding ghosts and monsters, they silently slipped into the dead end.

The alley was pitch black.

The further you go in, the stronger the smell of blood becomes.

go to the end.

It was a tightly closed vermilion gate.

There was no lock on the door.

But there were two pale white human skin talismans pasted on them.

The surface was covered with eerie runes drawn in blood, emanating a chilling aura.

If an ordinary person were to take a single glance at it, their very soul would probably be sucked in.

But Zhou Yuan is no ordinary person.

He is a local deity!

He is a divine cultivator who controls a region of land!

"Walking into the underworld!"

Zhou Yuan silently recited in his heart.

His body instantly became ethereal.

It seemed to have turned into a shadow without any physical form.

This is a heretical and unorthodox technique recorded in "Strange Tales of Gods and Monsters".

But in such situations, it is more effective than orthodox Taoist methods.

He was like a gust of wind, passing directly through the two human skin talismans and floating into the gate.

The scene behind the door instantly brought tears to Zhou Yuan's eyes.

This is a huge courtyard.

In the very center of the courtyard stood a three-zhang-high altar of white bones.

On the altar.

There were 81 black pottery jars on display.

Each earthenware jar contained a soul-guiding banner.

And below the altar.

It is a huge pool of blood.

What's churning in the pool isn't water.

It was thick, fresh blood!

Several evil spirits dressed in tattered Taoist robes and with ferocious faces were surrounding the blood pool.

They were holding sharp knives.

They are forcibly pushing the newly captured souls into the blood pool to soak.