Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 253 Like fire and water, what can be done?

As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was shocked.

Feng Xiao's expression changed drastically. He grabbed the soldier by the collar and shouted, "Nonsense! Our men are guarding the main hall of the government office. Not even a fly can get in. How could dozens of healthy people all be dead? Did you see clearly?!"

"Sir... it's true!" The soldier was so frightened he was almost crying. "It was Magistrate Sun who sent someone to report that... that there was no sound in the main hall, and he felt something was wrong, so he dared to go in and take a look, and then... and then..."

"Tell me! What was the result?"

"They all sat in the chairs as if they were asleep, and no matter how much we called them, we couldn't wake them up. The key thing was that they didn't have any wounds on their bodies, but... they weren't breathing!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye's heart sank. Almost instantly, he realized a certain possibility. Then, ignoring Wang Delin who was slumped on the ground, he immediately stood up and said, "Back to the government office!"

……

When Chen Ye and his party hurried back to the Pingyang Prefectural Government Office, the main hall, which should have been brightly lit, was now pitch black, with only a few torches flickering at the entrance, illuminating the pale and terrified faces of the guards.

A faint, indescribable, sweet fragrance filled the air, somewhat similar to the scent I had smelled in the Wang family temple, but even more mysterious and eerie.

Sun Mao, who was temporarily acting as the prefect, was slumped on the steps outside the main hall, trembling like a leaf. When he saw Chen Ye return, he rushed over as if he had seen a savior, grabbed Chen Ye's leg and wailed.

"My lord, you're finally back! Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"

"Shut up!" Chen Ye coldly silenced his wailing. "What's going on inside?"

“They’re all dead…” Sun Mao stammered, pointing at the dark hall, his eyes filled with extreme fear. “I saw that they hadn’t moved for a long time, so… so I went in to take a look, and they… they were just sitting there, even smiling…”

Chen Ye's expression grew increasingly serious. He pushed aside Sun Mao, who was blocking his way, and strode up the steps.

"My lord, you mustn't!" Feng Xiao stepped in front of him, his expression tense as he urged, "The situation inside is unknown, and there may be danger! Let me go in and investigate first!"

"No need." Chen Ye waved his hand, his steps not faltering at all. "I'm not that weak."

As he spoke, he was the first to step into the lobby.

Hou En and Qian Yi exchanged a glance. Although they were also a little scared, they drew their swords without hesitation and followed Chen Ye on either side.

"ignition!"

At Feng Xiao's command, dozens of torches were lit simultaneously, instantly illuminating the entire hall as bright as day.

When the scene inside the hall was clearly presented to everyone, even these seasoned soldiers of the Beijing Garrison, who were used to life and death, couldn't help but gasp.

Inside the main hall, the dozens of Pingyang Prefecture officials imprisoned there maintained the same postures they had when they were alive.

Some sat upright in their chairs, as if resting with their eyes closed; others huddled together in small groups, seemingly talking in hushed tones; and there were even two people with relaxed smiles on their faces, as if they were discussing something interesting.

Everything seemed so peaceful.

But it is precisely this tranquility that is unsettling.

Chen Ye didn't speak, but stepped inside, his gaze sweeping over the peaceful faces of the deceased.

At the same time, his divine sense, like an invisible net, slowly unfolded, carefully examining each corpse.

There were no external injuries, no signs of poisoning, and not even the slightest trace of struggle.

These people's lives were like a candle flame, gently extinguished by an invisible hand.

Chen Ye walked to the body of Prefect Li Yuan, gently placed his hand on Li Yuan's wrist, and sent a wisp of spiritual energy into Li Yuan's body.

His meridians were intact, but the moment his spiritual energy traveled up along the meridians and entered his head, Chen Ye's pupils suddenly contracted.

empty!

The cranial cavity, which should have contained the brain, was empty, with only some sticky, spiderweb-like strange substances remaining.

"Coroner!" Chen Ye's voice broke the suffocating silence in the hall.

An elderly coroner who had followed him responded tremblingly and walked over carrying his examination kit.

"Perform an autopsy." Chen Ye's order was simple and direct.

"My lord... this..." The old coroner looked at the room full of corpses, his legs trembling.

“Let’s start with him.” Chen Ye pointed to an official next to him. “Open his head and let me take a look.”

"Yes...yes!" The coroner dared not disobey and could only tremblingly take out the special bone saw and chisel from the box, and then operate them on the official's head in front of everyone's horrified gaze.

Finally, with a soft click, a piece of the skullcap was completely removed.

When the coroner saw the scene inside the skull, his eyes rolled back, and he was so frightened that he fainted.

The opened skull was completely empty. The inner walls of the skull looked as if they had been carefully licked by something, with only some translucent, sweet-smelling mucus clinging to them.

The soldiers around were so horrified by what they saw that they retreated in fear, and many of them even bent over and vomited on the spot.

"What the hell is this thing?" Hou En's face turned green, and his stomach churned.

Chen Ye's face also turned extremely gloomy.

He stepped forward, squatted down, and personally dipped his finger in the viscous liquid, then smelled it.

It's that kind of eerie sweet scent.

He then closed his eyes and extended his divine sense again, this time probing not for life, but for the soul.

No.

Nothing at all.

The corpses of these officials had not left behind any trace of their souls, let alone their spirits.

Their souls, along with their brains, were completely devoured by something!

Such ruthless methods! Such evil demonic arts!
Without a doubt, it was members of the Demonic Sect who made the move.

Their purpose in doing this was to issue a warning!

They are demonstrating against themselves by displaying the empty heads of these officials!
Chen Ye clenched his fist silently in his sleeve, a chilling killing intent rising from the bottom of his heart. He then turned around and swept his gaze over the crowd.

"It seems our friends hiding in the shadows can't wait to greet me."

Chen Ye surveyed the hall, which resembled a battlefield, and coldly said, "Pass down the order to burn all the corpses on the spot, and do not let a word of it leak out."

"Captain Feng, immediately seal off the entire city! Conduct a thorough search of all inns and residences within the city, and detain anyone acting suspiciously!"

"Yes!" Feng Xiao accepted the order, but a trace of worry remained on his face. "Sir, the other party's methods are so strange that ordinary investigations will probably be ineffective, and we probably don't have enough manpower to completely control such a large city."

“I know,” Chen Ye said in a deep voice, “I did this not to capture them, but to appease the people in the city.”

He paused, then continued, "With so many officials dead in the city, the news will inevitably cause great panic once it gets out. So we must now take a strong stance to show everyone that there is still order here."

"Yes, I understand!" Feng Xiao accepted the order and left.

Chen Ye stood in the hall, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

In fact, he had already figured it out: the great disaster in Nanhe County was not a natural disaster at all, but a trap set up by those demonic sects.

First, a severe drought displaced the people, who gathered around the city. Then, they colluded with local officials to close the city gates and watch the disaster victims starve to death outside the city.

In this way, emotions such as despair, hunger, and resentment become the best nourishment for vengeful spirits.

It can be said that the entire Nanhe County is a huge soul-refining field in the eyes of these demonic sects!
"Truly... a remarkable tactic!" Chen Ye murmured, his voice as cold as ice.

Meanwhile, undercurrents were swirling and dangers were lurking within Pingyang City.

Hundreds of miles away, a major battle was also reaching its climax.

A huge black banner swept across, stirring up a storm of eerie winds and ghostly energy, instantly tearing to shreds more than a dozen wildly growing demonic flowers with alluring human faces.

Xia Ling Shuang hovered in mid-air, her black palace dress fluttering without wind, her pure black eyes devoid of any emotion, like a god who held the reins of death.

On the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in her hand, countless agonizing and distorted human faces emitted shrill screams, transforming into streaks of gray-black soul shadows that swept down upon the white figure below.

These spirits, tempered and refined day and night by resentment within the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls, possess terrifying strength.

However, Bai Yingluo, standing beneath the altar, showed no fear in the face of the surging army of demons.

There was even a faint, amused smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Xia Lingshuang, after all these years, you still only know these stupid tricks? You're just as boring as you are."

She murmured softly, her voice not loud, but clearly reaching Xia Ling Shuang's ears.

The moment she finished speaking, she lightly stomped her foot. *Whoosh!*
An invisible, alluring pink ripple suddenly spread out from her center!
Nine Netherworld Secrets: Enchanting Words of the Mortal World!

This is a secret technique passed down by the Nine Nether Sect. When cultivated to its peak, every word, action, frown, and smile can bewitch all living beings and turn the mortal world upside down.

Those originally fierce and malevolent spirits, filled with resentment and bloodlust, seemed to be injected with a powerful drug the moment they came into contact with the pink ripples.

Their forward momentum suddenly halted, and a hint of intoxication and madness appeared on their ferocious and distorted faces.

They seemed to see what they had longed for and clung to most in their lives.

Power, wealth, beautiful women, supernatural abilities...

All resentment and murderous intent were replaced by endless desire at this moment.

"Kill! Kill her! That peerless martial arts manual will be mine!"

"Get out of my way! That woman is mine! Nobody can take her from me!"

The army of soul shadows instantly fell into chaos. They stopped attacking Bai Yingluo and instead turned to pounce on their companions, tearing and devouring each other, creating a chaotic scene.

Upon seeing this, Xia Lingshuang finally revealed a hint of anger on her perpetually icy face.

She hadn't expected that Bai Yingluo's charm techniques had reached such a profound level, capable of even influencing souls whose minds had been corrupted by resentment.

She suddenly shook the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in her hand, and an even more powerful Yin energy poured into it.

The main spirit on the banner—a general's spirit clad in tattered armor—let out a deafening roar, forcefully suppressing the chaotic spirit shadows.

But in that brief moment of delay, Bai Yingluo seized the opportunity.

"It's my turn, Shuangshuang."

She let out a soft, bell-like laugh, and with a sway of her body, she charged towards Xia Ling Shuang, who was in mid-air.

During the charge, her hands quickly formed hand seals, and mysterious runes condensed in front of her.

In the valley, the remains of the demonic flowers destroyed by the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls seemed to be summoned by some force, and they broke through the soil again, growing in an even more frenzied manner.

This time, instead of blooming with alluring human faces, they gathered pink seeds of love, beating like hearts, within the flower's stamens.

"Go, my little darlings."

Bai Yingluo flicked her finger.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
Dozens of lovebirds shot towards Xia Lingshuang from all directions like cannonballs.

Xia Lingshuang's expression changed. As Bai Yingluo's old rival, she naturally recognized this thing.

He is a mortal lover from the Nine Nether Sect!
Once struck by this thing, the seed of passion will instantly take root and sprout within the body, frantically absorbing the host's essence and spiritual power, while simultaneously arousing the deepest emotions and desires within their heart, causing them to sink into endless illusions, and ultimately be drained dry.

It was absolutely vicious.

Xia Ling Shuang dared not delay and immediately waved the Myriad Soul Banner, setting up a black barrier composed of countless souls in front of her.

boom! boom! boom!
One after another, passionate lovers crashed into the barrier of the soul, exploding into clouds of pink mist.

From within the mist emanated seductive and alluring music. The souls forming the barrier, upon being touched even a trace of it, immediately let out painful howls, as if enduring immense torment.

The soul barrier then began to thin at a visible rate.

Xia Ling Shuang's eyes grew even colder upon seeing this.

She knew that if she continued to defend passively like this, she would eventually be worn down and killed by Bai Yingluo.

"Since you're courting death, don't blame me!"

Xia Ling Shuang let out a cold snort, bit her tongue hard, and spat a mouthful of blood onto the Myriad Soul Banner.

boom!
After absorbing her essence and blood, the Myriad Souls Banner shone brightly with black light, and two crimson lights suddenly appeared in the eyes of the general's main soul on the banner.

An aura far more terrifying and violent than before surged into the sky from the banner!

"Wraith Soul Secret Technique: General's Command!"

Xia Lingshuang suddenly pointed the banner downwards.

The general's main spirit roared and leaped out from the banner, transforming into a huge ghostly figure three zhang tall, wielding a blood-red halberd, and charged towards Bai Yingluo.

This attack gathered nearly half of the soul power from the Myriad Soul Banner, as well as Xia Ling Shuang's own essence blood, and its power was comparable to the full-force attack of a great demonic cultivator.

Faced with this attack, Bai Yingluo's smile vanished, replaced by an excitement and solemnity of having met her match.

She took a deep breath and clasped her hands together in front of her chest.

"Nine Netherworlds... Flower Burial!"

In an instant, all the flowers, grasses, and trees in the entire valley lost all vitality and withered and died at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Their life essence transformed into streams of multicolored light, which flowed into Bai Yingluo's body.

Bai Yingluo's aura surged instantly!
Behind her, an enormous, nine-colored lotus flower, composed of countless petals, slowly bloomed.

The lotus slowly rotated, emanating a holy yet eerie aura, as if it could bury all things in the world within it.

"go with!"

Bai Yingluo gently pushed forward with her delicate hand.

The enormous nine-colored lotus flower, carrying a resolute intent to annihilate the mortal world and end everything, faced the general's ghostly figure, whose murderous aura was overwhelming.

boom--!
A deafening roar exploded in the valley, and terrifying energy shockwaves swept outwards in all directions.

The entire valley was trembling violently, countless boulders were rolling down the mountainside, the streams were flowing backward, and ancient trees were being broken, as if the end of the world had come.

At the center of the energy storm, Xia Ling Shuang groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. Her body was thrown back dozens of meters before she could finally regain her footing.

The light of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in her hand had dimmed considerably.

Meanwhile, Bai Yingluo was also in bad shape. Her face was pale, her breathing was disordered, and the nine-colored lotus behind her had shattered and dissipated.

In this fierce battle, the two fought to a standstill, resulting in both being severely injured, with neither gaining the upper hand.

Xia Ling Shuang steadied herself and looked at Bai Yingluo, who was also panting, with a complicated expression.

Bai Yingluo looked at her, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and suddenly laughed again.

"This is pointless, I'm not playing anymore."

After saying that, she dusted herself off and decisively withdrew all her cultivation techniques, then turned to leave.

Xia Ling frowned, her voice icy: "Bai Yingluo, what exactly do you mean?"

"Hehe, it's nothing. I just don't like you and wanted to fight you, but I couldn't do anything to you. Now I'm a little tired, so I'm not playing with you anymore!" Bai Yingluo, who had already flown dozens of feet away, turned around and smiled at Xia Ling Shuang. After saying that, her figure flashed a few times and disappeared completely into the valley, leaving only a faint fragrance of flowers.

Xia Lingshuang stood there, her brows furrowed even more.

She and Bai Yingluo are both among the top young figures of the six major sects of the demonic path, and their rivalry has been going on for a long time.

She despised Bai Yingluo's despicable practice of cultivating herself by toying with men's feelings and lingering in the mortal world.

Bai Yingluo mocked her for abandoning all emotions and desires, living with ghosts, and becoming a monster who was neither male nor female.

Different road non-phase plan.

Therefore, the two can be described as being at loggerheads, like fire and water.

But Bai Yingluo's appearance today is too strange.

The Ten Thousand Souls Purgatory Project in Nanhe County was a major event that the Wrathful Soul Sect had been planning for a long time. It had nothing to do with the Nine Nether Sect. In fact, in a sense, weakening the power of the Great Chen Dynasty was beneficial to all demonic sects.

Bai Yingluo had no reason to stop herself.

So what exactly is going on, and what does Bai Yingluo mean by this?
No, there must be something I don't know about this.

A glint of light flashed in Xia Lingshuang's dark eyes, and then with a wave of his hand, a ghost appeared before him.

"Check what Bai Yingluo has been doing lately, who she has been in contact with, and don't overlook any details."

"Yes, Your Majesty." A hoarse voice rang out, and then the ghostly figure merged directly into the darkness and disappeared.

(End of this chapter)