I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 120 Crossing the Yinshan Border, You're Actually a Great Evil Demon!!!
"How can it be……"

Tang Qi gasped when she saw Chen Mo's appearance.

As a scion of a powerful family, he naturally knew of many noble families who, out of necessity, would resort to demonic powers, such as demonic bones, demonic blood, and demonic claws. But that was merely using demonic power; ultimately, they were still human.

But the Chen Mo in front of me has completely changed.

He became a ghost.

Such a horrifying sight truly terrified Tang Qi.

The ghostly aura emanating from Chen Mo was simply too immense. So immense that Tang Qi felt even his own aristocratic bloodline power was being suppressed. No wonder Chen Rong'an and his family of three had fled in fear.

Tang Tongshan stared blankly at Chen Mo, speechless.

"Miss, Chen Mo... has completely turned into a ghost? Has he been devoured by a ghost?" Tang Qi rushed to Guo Ziyu and asked loudly in surprise.

Guo Ziyu stared intently at Chen Mo, also feeling utterly incredulous. "Although scions of noble families may also wield ghostly power, it's impossible for them to completely transform into ghosts. Once they do, it means they lose control of their humanity and completely lose consciousness. Let's see if Chen Mo can maintain his consciousness. If not... tonight we'll be facing five ghosts."

hiss!
Tang Qi took a deep breath and felt an indescribable chill throughout her body.

Guo Ziyu said, "Stop watching for now. Let's find a way to deal with Chen Rong'an and his family. If Young Master Mo loses control in the end, we'll be attacked by the Five Ghosts."

Upon hearing this, Tang Qi and Tang Tongshan both felt a chill run down their spines and nodded in agreement. They then grabbed their weapons and charged towards Chen Rong'an and his two companions.

The three scions of powerful families, relying on their unique skills and the power of their bloodlines, managed to turn the tide and gain the upper hand, even managing to split Chen Rong'an and his companions' bodies apart, making their corpses impossible to reassemble. Yet, even so, they would still revive.

No matter what you do, you can't kill it.

Moreover, each time they are resurrected, the three members of the Chen family become even stronger.

This caused the three scions of prominent families both a headache and a sense of unease.

"Miss, this can't go on. They become stronger every time they resurrect. If this continues, our bloodline power will be exhausted. Quickly use the Soul Binding Lock."

boom!
Guo Ziyu suddenly pulled out a rope from her belt and lashed it out at Chen Rong'an. The rope flew and lashed out like a whip, instantly binding Chen Rong'an.

After the ropes bound Chen Rong'an, they emitted bursts of bloody light, as if there were gaping maws that immediately sucked all of Chen Rong'an's life essence.

In an instant, Chen Rong'an turned into a withered, dried corpse and collapsed to the ground.

However, not far away, beside an oil lamp on the ground, stood another Chen Rong'an. He was giving a sinister smile, and his aura was even colder than before.

Tang Qi was stunned, a chill running down his spine: "Even the Soul-Binding Lock didn't work. This is impossible... What's going on?"

The three originally ferocious Chen Rong'an, perhaps because they were afraid of the ghostly aura emanating from Chen Mo, did not attack Guo Ziyu and her companions, but instead ran to a distance to watch.

Guo Ziyu didn't continue her attack, but instead asked Juan'er, "Juan'er, can you tell what's going on?"

Juan'er said, "There's a Soul Returning Array in this Chen residence. This Soul Returning Array has a wide range, covering Black Mountain Village and Wuqiao Town. Everyone is controlled by this Soul Returning Array. If the array's core isn't destroyed, these ghosts can't be killed."

A Soul-Returning Formation?
Guo Ziyu seemed to have thought of something terrible, and her face turned pale. "Can you tell where the array's core is?"

Juan'er raised her hand and pointed to the white cloth baby ghost in the living room, "It's on it. And... it seems that this soul-returning array has two array eyes, I don't know where the other array eye is."

what?
Two key points?

There's another one... but I don't know where it is?
Even Guo Ziyu, a young lady from a prestigious family, was shocked at this moment, but she couldn't care less about anything else and turned to look at the living room.

……

Meanwhile, a ghostly figure appeared outside Chen Mo's body, transforming into a gigantic, blood-red maw that viciously bit at the white-clothed infant.

Suddenly, the white cloth covering the baby unfurled, swelling in the wind like a floating ribbon, and wrapped around the gaping maw. This wrapping and pulling created a terrifying shockwave, blasting a huge hole in the roof. As the beams snapped, the house collapsed, kicking up clouds of dust.

The three members of the Tang family outside retreated more than ten meters away. Before they could react further, they saw a white streak of light fly out of the ruins with a "whoosh" and move around the yard like a snake, so fast that it was almost invisible to the naked eye.

However... a brown shadow relentlessly pursued the white figure.

All the people saw were two shadows moving as fast as light, chasing each other in the courtyard. Sometimes they would soar into the air more than ten meters high, sometimes they would flash and circle around the camphor tree branches in the courtyard, and sometimes they would glide close to the ground.

Wherever it goes, it cuts through gold and jade, and is indestructible.

Even Tang Qi and his two companions had never seen such speed.

How could anyone possibly catch up with that?

Even if they activated their own bloodline power, they could not reach such a speed.

If this white-clothed ghost infant were to attack me... I'm afraid I'd be instantly killed before I could even react. On the contrary, that young master Mo, who has become a ghost, is actually able to hold onto me tightly... terrifyingly!
Previously, when the three of them saw Chen Mo use the Two-Finger Lightning Strike and acquire the Ghost Bone, they regarded Chen Mo as someone slightly inferior to themselves.

Who would have thought... this guy would actually...

At this moment, Chen Mo felt extremely excited, as if every pore on his body had opened up, emitting a sinister laugh.

"Hehehe, you can't escape!"

In fact, Chen Mo still maintained a human appearance and physical body; he had simply activated the power of the ghost that had been forged within him.

The ghost that Chen Mo activated did not possess much power.

Only about one-tenth.

After all, that ghost was captured and imprisoned by Su Yuqing; it was a Yellow Pages Ghost, but it seemed exceptionally powerful among Yellow Pages Ghosts. Judging from Su Yuqing's tone, if that ghost were to gain more power, it might become a Shadow Ghost.

Even though he had only unleashed one-tenth of the ghost's power, Chen Mo already felt his physical body receive a tremendous boost, his speed was as fast as a streak of light, and he relentlessly pursued the white-clothed baby.

Both possessed the power of awareness, so Chen Mo was not disturbed by the other's awareness, nor did he experience any fear or other emotions. His blood-red eyes were fixed solely on the white infant.

'The enhancement effect of ghostly power is simply too abnormal; no wonder the disciples of aristocratic families can't resist using it.'

'This beast is extremely fast; I must catch up with it quickly to avoid any accidents.'

'Release more of the ghostly power.'

As the power of the ghost within him continued to be released, Chen Mo's speed increased significantly once again. He finally caught up with the white cloth, grabbed it, and slammed it hard into the ground.

"Get off here!"

boom!
The white cloth was slammed heavily to the ground, creating a huge dent.

"Woooo~"

Enraged, the white-clothed ghost infant let out a sinister roar. Before it could even recover, Chen Mo grabbed the white cloth and slammed it violently into the ground on the other side.

boom!
The white-clothed ghost infant's head was smashed open, and it screamed wildly. The next moment, the ghost infant abandoned the white cloth and transformed into a phantom, fleeing away. After the brief exchange, the white-clothed ghost infant was truly frightened by Chen Mo.

A perfectly healthy person suddenly turned into a ghost. The ghostly aura emanating from him was even stronger than his own.

How to fight this?
Without much thought, the white-clothed ghost baby chose to run away.

"Stop running!"

With a chilling aura, Chen Mo quickly caught up with the ghostly infant's phantom and grabbed it by the hand.

"Jie Jie Jie~"

"I am starving."

Chen Mo seemed to see an incredibly delicious meal, and he swallowed the phantom whole in one gulp.

Gulu.

After swallowing, the phantom of the white cloth ghost baby completely disappeared.

This terrified everyone present, both humans and ghosts, who stared wide-eyed at Chen Mo in disbelief, as if they were seeing a ghost far more terrifying than the white cloth ghost baby.

"Jie Jie Jie~"

Chen Mo ignored everyone's stares and focused on the changes in his body.

In fact, Chen Mo's thoughts were incredibly clear and calm. There was absolutely no sign of him losing control.

As for this white-cloth ghost infant... it's actually a spirit, a condensation of conscious ghostly energy. At most, it's a Yellow Pages Ghost with decent strength.

Chen Mo finished it without much warm-up.

After eating it, all you get is some ghostly energy.

The white-clothed ghost infant entered Chen Mo's body, initially struggling violently and emitting agonizing screams. However, it was quickly melted down by Chen Mo.

He benefited from spending ten years with Su Yuqing in that bridal chamber.

Chen Mo was skilled at smelting ghosts.

Soon, Chen Mo felt the ghostly power within his body increase slightly, but it was still under control.

Just then, the panel started to fluctuate.

[Original Solution Essence +8000]

"An extra eight thousand for a white cloth ghost baby... Not bad."

Having gathered the essence of the original solution, Chen Mo suddenly turned around and looked at Chen Rong'an and the other two in the corner of the courtyard. He walked towards them with a sinister smile.

Now that Chen Mo had activated his ghostly power, he could naturally see that... all three of them were possessed by ghosts. Their original bodies had long since decayed, and they were no longer human.

When Chen Rong'an and the other two saw Chen Mo approaching, they all showed expressions of extreme terror. Soon they realized that there was no way to retreat, so they also showed their ferocity and bared their teeth at Chen Mo.

boom!
Chen Mo took a step forward and instantly appeared in front of the three members of the Chen family. His hand, filled with a chilling ghostly aura, reached out and crushed the heads of the three of them in an instant.

Ghosts killing ghosts is straightforward and simple. There aren't so many complicated twists and turns.

Moreover, because the White Cloth Baby, the key element of the formation, was killed, the Soul Returning Formation was damaged, and the three people did not reappear after their deaths.

Chen Mo then absorbed all the ghostly energy from the three people into his own body.

My body felt a long-lost sense of satisfaction.

At the same time, the panel also changed.

[Original Solution Essence +4000]

[Original Solution Essence +4000]

[Original Solution Essence +4000]

……

[Currently available original solution essence: 20000]

Looking at the information on the panel, Chen Mo smiled.

Modifying one's own bloodline to be compatible with that of a noble family requires exactly 20,000 units of Original Essence. After several months of work, I've finally gathered enough.

wow~
Chen Mo let out a long sigh of relief. The ghostly aura emanating from his body receded like a tide, and his brown skin slowly returned to its pale white color. Apart from still appearing fierce and violent, he no longer possessed any ghostly aura.

As quickly as it came, it went as quickly as it came.

A short while later, a trembling voice came from behind.

"Young Master Mo?"

Chen Mo turned around and saw that the three members of the Tang family were still looking at him warily. It was Tang Qi who spoke, looking worried and scared.

Knowing what they were thinking, Chen Mo forced a reassuring smile and said, "Young Master Tang Qi."

Tang Qi was still uneasy. "Young Master Mo, are you alright?"

Chen Mo laughed and said, "It's nothing. I was just activating the power of the Ghost Bone. It just made me look ghostly. It's just a routine operation. It's fine."

Tang Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief, then leaned over and punched Chen Mo hard in the chest. "You're such a monster. You scared all of us young masters. I thought you'd completely lost control."

Chen Mo said, "I know what I'm doing, it's not that bad. Are you all alright?"

Everyone shook their heads, indicating that they were fine.

After chatting for a while, everyone's anxiety and worry subsided, and the atmosphere became very harmonious. The way everyone looked at Chen Mo was noticeably different.

Finally, Guo Ziyu added a reminder, "While the power of the Ghost Bone is indeed formidable, it must be used with caution. Each use intensifies the erosion of the Ghost Bone, and many scions of noble families have suffered as a result of overuse."

Chen Mo nodded in agreement.

Tang Tongshan thought that Chen Mo had avenged Tang Xiaoyu, so he came up to thank him.

Chen Mo wasn't so optimistic. Instead, he looked around and said, "Logically, after the white cloth ghost infant died, the maze around here should have dissipated, but it's still shrouded in mist. By the way, Juan'er, you just said that this Soul Returning Array has two array eyes?"

Juan'er observed her surroundings and nodded: "It should be. The array eye on the white cloth ghost baby is a secondary one; there is also a main array eye besides it."

Chen Mo dared not be careless. "Where is the main array's eye?"

Juan'er shook her head: "I didn't find it at the Chen residence. The range of this Soul Returning Array is very large. It may cover Wuqiao Town, Qinghe Town, and Heishan Village."

Such a huge soul-returning formation?

This was the first time Chen Mo had heard of it.

Tang Tongshan then spoke up, "So, we still haven't found the evil spirit that activated the curse within Xiaoyu?"

Juan'er said, "It should be."

Chen Mo looked around and felt that the surroundings were shrouded in mist and reeked of a foul stench.

Something just doesn't look right.

“There’s a cart at the entrance of this storage room, which is perfect for carrying the bodies of the disciples of the temple’s leaders up there so they can be taken away easily.”

Chen Mo took the lead, and the others followed suit, carrying the corpses onto the cart.

After the bodies were arranged, the observant Guo Ziyu spoke up: "The deaths of those temple masters and disciples were extremely bizarre. Their organs, eyes, and tongues were all gouged out, and they were burned like human lamps. They were all kneeling on the ground, as if they were worshipping something. Could it be that the villagers worshipped an evil god, and that's related to the way these corpses died?"

Chen Mo felt that Guo Ziyu's words made sense.

Lighting lamps for people and worshipping evil gods.

Every single corpse was in a kneeling posture.

They match in terms of shape.

I just don't know why this evil spirit wanted the incense masters to die in this way.

Chen Mo couldn't figure out the reason for a moment, so he said, "Burn down this Chen residence. Let's leave here first."

Everyone took torches, lit them, and threw them into various corners of the Chen residence, and soon the Chen residence was engulfed in flames.

Only then did everyone push the cart away from the Chen residence.

……

Meanwhile, He Miao, along with a group of incense masters, sat inside the tent waiting.

Liu Changchun, Zhou Bei, Xie Beichuan, and Lu Chengzhuang stayed inside the tent, while six incense masters patrolled outside with their disciples. Torches were lit everywhere, making the place brightly lit.

After what happened before, the incense hall unexpectedly lost three incense masters, and each of them died inexplicably. Everyone knew that something was amiss at the Chen residence, so they dared not be careless and remained on high alert.

Time passes minute by minute.

There was no commotion at the Chen residence, but a young man in a gray robe rushed in to report, "Right Envoy He, something terrible has happened."

He Miao raised an eyebrow: "What is it?"

The gray-robed disciple said, "For some reason, there were eerie howls coming from Wuqiao Town. I took a few disciples to investigate, and found that the villagers of Wuqiao Town were all leaving their houses and heading towards Qinghe Town. There were crowds of people everywhere. Even the residents of the countryside in Wuqiao Town were walking towards Qinghe Town from the ridges of the fields. I questioned a few villagers, but they all looked blank, as if they had lost their souls. I felt that something was wrong, so I rushed back to report."

He Miao remembered Chen Mo saying before: "Everyone in Wuqiao Town is infected with madness; there isn't a single normal person. It's alright during the day, but at night, anything unpredictable might happen."

It was already night.

He Miao rushed out of the tent, glanced at the sky, and then asked, "How many people went to Qinghe Town?"

The young man said, "There are so many people, I can't even count them all. I'm afraid there are over a thousand. Oh, by the way, all these villagers are holding incense sticks. I wonder what they've been up to."

Everyone was holding incense sticks?

They were all completely disoriented.

He Miao was no fool; he immediately realized something was amiss: it was already strange that villagers in Wuqiao Town had been openly worshipping an evil spirit, and later investigations revealed it was caused by madness. Now… thousands of people were going to Qinghe Town with incense sticks.

Such a grand scene?
What evil god are they worshipping?
He Miao instinctively realized that something terrible might be about to happen.

Maintaining the incense offerings for the goddess is the very duty of the incense hall. If this matter isn't thoroughly investigated, there will be no way to explain it back home.

With Chen Zuoshi absent, He Miao felt he had to do something.

"Zhou Bei and Xie Beichuan, you take a few men and come with me to take a look. Lu Chengzhuang and Liu Changchun, you stay here. Once Left Envoy Chen comes out, immediately report the situation and ask Left Envoy Chen to come and support me."

He Miao made arrangements, then led Xie Beichuan and Zhou Bei, the two incense masters, along with six disciples, away from the Chen residence. They quickly headed to the intersection east of Wuqiao Town.

really……

The situation was exactly the same as what that young man reported.

Countless villagers, carrying handfuls of incense sticks, came from all directions, heading towards Qinghe Town in a daze.

The sky was a hazy gray, and the scene looked quite terrifying.

Even He Miao, the Right Envoy of Incense Offerings, had never seen such a horrifying scene.

Zhou Bei shrank back: "Right Envoy He, this situation doesn't look right. It's possible that the villagers have started gathering to worship the real evil god. We shouldn't act in secret; let's wait for Left Envoy Chen to come out first."

Xie Beichuan quickly chimed in, "That's my suggestion too."

He Miao said, "Let's stop a villager and ask him."

"it is good."

Xie Beichuan readily agreed, then rushed to the roadside, grabbed a villager, and demanded, "What are you going to do?"

The villager was about forty years old, with bronze skin and well-developed muscles. His hands were covered in rough calluses from years of farm work, indicating that he was a local farmer.

But at this moment, the villager was in a daze, his eyes were lifeless, and he didn't answer. He just stared blankly at the incense stick in his hand.

He Miao stepped forward and grabbed the villager's arm, channeling his inner energy into him while simultaneously activating the Spirit Preservation Technique to try and keep the man's mind clear.

However, no matter what He Miao did, the villagers remained in a daze.

Zhou Bei sighed, "Right Envoy He, this villager is probably bewitched. We're not skilled enough to bring him back to his senses. Let's wait for Left Envoy Chen to come out first."

Xie Beichuan said, "That's right. I think Left Envoy Chen's martial arts are superb, and he has quite a knack for dealing with ghosts."

He Miao released the villager's hand, and the villager seemed dazed for a moment before joining the crowd with incense sticks, heading towards Qinghe Town. He Miao gritted his teeth and said, "Left Envoy Chen went to the Chen residence to exorcise evil spirits. I don't know when he'll be out. This matter is serious, and we can't just do nothing. If so many people worship evil gods, I'm afraid we won't be able to explain it to the Goddess. Let's follow them and find out what's going on."

Zhou Bei felt uneasy, "What if we get discovered?"

He Miao said, "We are from the incense hall, so it's our duty to do these things. It's no big deal if we snatch some incense sticks from the villagers, blend into the group, and go along to take a look."

Seeing He Miao's resolute attitude, Zhou Bei and Xie Beichuan didn't try to persuade her further. They quickly grabbed some incense sticks from the villagers, then mingled into the crowd, pretending to be dazed and confused, and followed the line of people.

At first, they just thought there were a lot of people, but when they arrived in Qinghe Town, they found there were even more people.

Groups of people, carrying incense sticks, entered the stone gate of Qinghe Town and headed straight for the Li residence.

The walls of the Li residence had been leveled by something, and a large crowd entered the Li residence.

He Miao led a few people through the crowd from the Li residence to the very end of Qinghe Town.

There is a river there called the Qinghe River.

The Qinghe River rushes down from the Dayin Mountain, its waters surging.

Across the Qinghe River lies the Dayin Mountain.

The elderly residents of Qinghe Town have a saying passed down through generations: strangers must not cross the Qinghe River, or they will attract evil spirits. It is said that countless evil spirits live in the Dayin Mountains, and everyone regards the Qinghe River as the boundary, and no one should cross it.

At this moment, over a thousand villagers had gathered on the banks of the Qinghe River. They remained silent, all in a daze.

He Miao led his people to the front of the crowd and saw the Qinghe River... A red bridge had been erected over the river at some point. There was also a stage next to the red bridge.

There was an incense burner on the stage.

A woman in a red robe knelt before the incense burner. To her left stood a woman in white robes and a tall white hat, holding a bell. To her right stood a man in black robes and a tall black hat, holding a flute.

A woman in white and a tall hat was shaking a bell, while a man in black and a tall hat was playing a flute, producing a mournful and eerie sound.

Zhou Bei felt a chill run down her spine, so she tugged at He Miao's sleeve and whispered, "Right Envoy He, we've seen the situation. This place is eerie and very strange. Let's leave."

Xie Beichuan quickly chimed in, "Yes. Let's go."

He Miao was also apprehensive, but she remained loyal to the Empress, so she said, "Let's see what tricks they're up to."

Zhou Bei and Xie Beichuan couldn't persuade them otherwise, so they had no choice but to stay.

A short while later, the woman in red lit incense and slowly stood up. She also took a white lantern from the side and held it in her hand.

Eh.

The woman in red walked to the front of the stage, looked at the more than a thousand villagers below, and sighed, "We live off the mountains and rivers. Our towns all depend on the Dayin Mountain and eat its food. Our lords have protected you, but you are ungrateful and have even worshipped the Red Lantern Goddess. Our lords were very angry when they found out. Now they have asked us to build the Red Bridge and set up the stage to welcome our lords down the mountain and across the Qinghe River so that they can receive your incense offerings and protect you."

Jingle Bell.

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman in white and a tall hat shook her bell, and all the villagers knelt down, lit incense sticks, raised them above their heads, and worshipped devoutly.

The woman in red then spoke, chuckling, "It's good that you all have some conscience and haven't disappointed the master. Today you paid your respects to the master, so he used your incense to pave a red bridge and pave the road. Now the master can go down the mountain easily. Little White and Little Black, quickly sing a play to welcome the master down the mountain and across the bridge."

"Okay~"

Upon hearing the woman in red's words, Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei began to wander around the stage, one shaking a bell and the other playing a flute. The sounds produced, however, were not melodious or pleasant; instead, they resembled the strains of a suona played for the dead.

The woman in red, with her fingers delicately poised, walked with small, quick steps, carrying a white lantern, pacing back and forth on the stage, waving her arms and legs, and singing in a theatrical voice.

"Yinshan has existed for countless years, a peaceful and secluded paradise. Why would anyone want to dig into it, disrupting our feng shui? And that visitor, he truly doesn't treat his master like a god. Today, a hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. The evil infant jade pendant is useless, deceiving the master and the master. He deserves to die with no one to claim his body..."

"And that Red Lantern Ghost, he came to Yinshan but didn't worship the Lord, he only cared about enjoying the incense offerings. There's no trust in him, it's all about transactions and interests."

"Today, the villagers gather by the Qinghe River, burn incense, kowtow, and listen to the opera. We must pave the way and build the bridge for our lord. Let us welcome our lord together, go down the mountain, cross the Red Bridge, and shatter this Qinghe boundary. From now on, the Red River... belongs to our lord."

puff!

The moment she finished speaking, the woman in red suddenly turned around and knelt down with a thud before the red bridge. Little White and Little Black also knelt down as well.

The woman in red shouted: "Welcome, sir, down the mountain! Welcome, sir, across the bridge! Welcome, sir, across the boundary!!!"

The sound was sharp and loud, echoing throughout both banks of the Qinghe River, its echoes seeming to reach deep into the Dayin Mountains.

Soon, a response came from the Dayin Mountain.

A hoarse, ethereal voice.

"My lord heard the call from beyond the border, hee hee hee, is that the Red Dancer beneath the Red Bridge?"

The woman in red answered loudly, "Grandma, it's me."

The old woman asked from across the mountain, "Is the bridge ready?"

The woman in red replied from across the mountain: "It's all set up."

"Is there incense burning to pave the road?"

"Have."

Are there any villagers guarding the boundary?

"Have."

"Hehe, let's find two sedan chair carriers to carry the master down the mountain."

Soon, a white light appeared, following the mountain path.

Getting closer.

Soon, two incredibly strong men, each three meters tall, wearing white robes, came down the mountain carrying a white sedan chair, one in front of the other.

The leader was an old woman in white, carrying a bamboo basket and scattering water as she went. In her other hand, she held a white banner that fluttered in the wind.

The old woman led the sedan chair bearers up the Red Bridge and slowly crossed the Qinghe River.

The woman in red knelt on the ground: "Welcome, sir, down from the mountain."

"A thousand men clear the way, the lord has arrived!" the old woman called out.

As the sedan chair continued to pass under the red bridge, the villagers below the stage also underwent changes. The incense sticks they held burned ever brighter, emitting white flames. Then, the villagers' life essence flowed into the incense sticks, transforming into incense smoke, which then flowed into the white sedan chair.

Before long, the villagers were drained dry, yet they still maintained their initial kneeling posture.

Just then, the old woman leading the group suddenly stopped and looked at the crowd: "Hey? Why are some villagers still disobeying orders? And running away?"

The red-clad dancer frowned and shouted, "Grandma, don't be anxious, there can't be any accidents. The soul-returning array I set up covers both surrounding towns, so it's no use if they escape. Little White and Little Black, go after them. Capture those people and light their candles, so as not to ruin the master's ceremony of descending the mountain."

"Yes."

Little White and Little Black immediately transformed into two wisps of green smoke and headed straight for the outside of the crowd.

……

"This is a terrible thing! Run! Go back and warn them!"

He Miao led the charge, with Zhou Bei and Xie Beichuan close behind, pushing their inner energy to its limit as they ran towards the outskirts of Qinghe Town.

After running for a while, Xie Beichuan said, "Right Envoy He, the six men couldn't catch up."

Without a second thought, He Miao said directly, "The matter is urgent, we can't worry about them now. Go and inform Left Envoy Chen quickly."

Xie Beichuan and Zhou Bei glared at He Miao, harboring resentment: "We told you not to stay and watch. If you had left earlier, there wouldn't have been so much trouble."

But the two knew the situation was urgent and it wasn't the time to argue. They couldn't afford to argue with their superior, so they said no more and quickly followed.

As they approached Shimen in Qinghe Town, the three of them suddenly stopped.

There were two people standing in front of me.

One was a woman in white with a white top hat, and the other was a man in black with a black top hat. They were strolling around leisurely, having waited there for some time.

The man in black, wearing a tall black hat, spoke in a sinister tone, "But you're Red Lantern's lackeys. My master hasn't even gone to find Red Lantern yet, and you've already come to cause trouble. Then we can't let you leave."

The woman in white, wearing a tall white hat, chuckled sinisterly, "That's right. That Red Lantern Ghost dared to do such a thing behind the master's back; he won't have a good end. The master's descent from the mountain ceremony cannot be without you few. Otherwise, the master's ceremony will not be complete."

Faced with the two men blocking their way, Xie Beichuan and his two companions were terrified.

Zhou Bei asked, "Right Envoy He, what should we do now?"

Xie Beichuan also looked at He Miao.

He Miao beckoned to the two men: "Come here, I have an idea."

The two of them moved closer...

Suddenly, He Miao grabbed the two of them and threw them towards Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai. Then, while Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai were busy dealing with the people rushing towards them, He Miao went crazy and rushed out of the stone gate.

Xie Beichuan: "..."

Zhou Bei: "..."

"You son of a bitch!"

"You bastard!!!"

……

As Chen Mo pushed the cart out of the back gate of the Chen residence, he parted ways with Guo Ziyu and the others. They agreed to meet again in the city to discuss the matter.

After all, Tang Qi and his companions had sensitive identities, and if the people of the Incense Hall saw them, there might be hidden dangers.

As for Juan'er, Chen Mo took her with him. After all, those who had visited the Li residence and seen Juan'er before were probably including the Lesser Master of Fate, the Greater Master of Fate, and the Red Lantern Goddess herself.

Even if they find out, it won't confirm that Chen Mo has joined a powerful family.

Most importantly, the Soul Returning Formation has not yet been broken, and Chen Mo still needs Juan'er.

And so, Chen Mo pushed the cart alone to the gate of the Chen residence, where he met a group of workers.

"Left Envoy Chen, you've finally returned safely." Lu Chengzhuang hurriedly greeted him, calling over a few men to take Chen Mo's cart, and then welcomed Chen Mo back to his tent.

Chen Mo led Juan'er to the head seat, glanced around, and noticed that quite a few people were missing: "Where are He Miao and the others?"

Lu Chengzhuang recounted the events truthfully.

Chen Mo was slightly stunned after hearing this.

Thousands of villagers went to Qinghe Town to offer incense and prayers.
Previously, only a few families openly worshipped evil gods. Now things have escalated to this point.

"How long have He Miao and the others been gone?"

Lu Chengzhuang said, "It's been a while."

Chen Mo considered for a moment and said, "This place is very strange, you can't handle it. Take the corpses and leave Wuqiao Town immediately, and go back to the city. I'll stay and take a look."

Everyone had sensed something was wrong with this place and had long intended to leave, but their positions prevented them from saying so. Hearing Chen Mo's words, they all breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for his consideration for his subordinates.

Lu Chengzhuang spoke up, "I'll stay and help Left Envoy Chen."

Chen Mo shook his head: "No need. You can't help me. Staying here will only cause trouble. Take your people and leave."

Lu Chengzhuang was embarrassed and didn't say much. He immediately joined forces with Liu Changchun and led everyone away.

Before long, the surrounding tents became quiet, leaving only Juan'er and Chen Mo.

With no outsiders around, Chen Mo actually felt much more at ease, so he led Juan'er around the main gate of the Chen residence to check. "Juan'er, can you find the key point of the other Soul Returning Array?"

Juan'er climbed onto the top of the courtyard wall, and Chen Mo followed her up.

Juan'er gazed at Wuqiao Town and Qinghe Town not far away, then said, "The key to the array in Wuqiao Town was in the Chen residence, which was just broken by Brother Mo. Since so many villagers went to Qinghe Town, I suspect that the other key to the Soul Returning Array, which is also the most crucial one, is in Qinghe Town."

It's Qinghe Town again!
Chen Mo couldn't help but look up at Qinghe Town, only to see it shrouded in mist.

Although Chen Mo has now become a ghost and his strength has increased dramatically, Qinghe Town is close to the Great Yin Mountain and has been designated a forbidden area by Shao Siming. Chen Mo really doesn't dare to enter alone.

After all, Shen Yujun has an evil god behind her, and that evil god comes from the Great Yin Mountain.

In addition, Su Yuqing also said that the powerful ghost curse was triggered when she went to visit relatives in Dayin Mountain with Jiang Hongyue.

Wuqiao Town is fine, but Qinghe Town should not be visited lightly.

Chen Mo decided to wait there for He Miao and the others to see if they had discovered any important information. If they hadn't arrived by dawn, then... He Miao and the others were probably in trouble. In that case, he would just head back to the city.

A short while later, Juan'er spoke up, "Someone is approaching."

Chen Mo stared wide-eyed at the direction Juan'er was pointing.

You know, everyone from Wuqiao Town has moved to Qinghe Town, and the whole town is empty. Where did these people come from?
However, Juan'er is a ghost puppet, extremely sensitive to formations. Within the formation, she can sense presences that Chen Mo cannot.

Not long after...

Sure enough, a person was seen running frantically toward the tent, yelling all the way, as if he had been frightened.

When the person got closer, Chen Mo realized it was He Miao.

He Miao was a peak ninth-level martial artist, but at this moment he seemed to have lost his soul. Because he was running too fast, or because he was too nervous and scared, he tripped and fell to the ground several times, but he did not dare to linger and quickly got up and continued running.

Chen Mo did not go down to greet him, but instead observed He Miao's back.

What could frighten He Miao so much must most likely be a ghost.

Chen Mo needs to observe the situation before making a decision.

If that ghost is too powerful, then I'll just pretend I'm not here. I can't care whether He Miao lives or dies. If that ghost is just so-so... well, hehe.

After waiting for a moment, Chen Mo's pupils contracted.

Suddenly, they saw the Black and White Impermanence chasing after them.

When Chen Mo visited the Li residence a few months ago, he saw the Black and White Impermanence at the entrance. After hearing Xiao Ti's explanation, he learned that the Black and White Impermanence would periodically come down from the Great Yin Mountain to find the evil infant.

However, Shen Yujun kept the evil infant hidden.

Unexpectedly, the Black and White Impermanence are now relentlessly pursuing He Miao.

Chen Mo slightly activated his ghostly energy and immediately sensed the intensity of the ghostly energy emanating from the Black and White Impermanence.

No... how is it?

It can be done.

But Chen Mo also guessed that the more than a thousand villagers who went to Qinghe Town to kneel and worship incense were not worshipping the Black and White Impermanence.

"Juan'er, you stay here and keep an eye on the direction of Qinghe Town. If any ghosts approach, report it immediately. I'm going to kill these Black and White Impermanence."

"Yes, Brother Mo, you need to hurry. I can sense that a very terrifying presence has appeared in Qinghe Town."

……

He Miao rushed into the tent in a frenzy, only to find it empty.

He immediately collapsed to the ground.

Desperate.

I originally intended to ask Left Envoy Chen for help, but unexpectedly, Left Envoy Chen... ran away.

He couldn't help but think of the incident where Xie Beichuan and Zhou Bei had just died in his place. Now, he too had been abandoned by Chen Zuoshi.

Retribution.

Just then, a chill approached from behind.

not good.

He Miao suddenly turned around and drew his sword to strike. But the dark figure beat him to it, striking him on the back of the head and knocking him unconscious.

"You'd be better off fainting."

It was Chen Mo who made the move.

The next moment, the Black and White Impermanence rushed into the tent and were delighted to see He Miao lying unconscious on the ground. But then they noticed there was another person there, and that he looked extremely violent and fierce, so they frowned.

Xiao Bai: "Hey, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

Xiao Hei said, "I saw him before at the entrance of the Li residence."

Chen Mo turned around, looking at the Black and White Impermanence with a sinister gaze, then pulled up the unconscious He Miao, "Are you two here looking for this fellow?"

Xiao Bai said, "Hmm. But since I've found you here, I don't mind dealing with one more of you and taking you as a gift to the master."

Chen Mo asked, "Your father? Was he one of the more than a thousand villagers who went to offer incense?"

Xiao Bai was taken aback. "How did you know?"

Chen Mo said, "He Miao just told me this. He asked me to save him. I thought about it and it's definitely not worth it. Saving him would mean offending both of you, and also offending the two powerful figures behind you. So I captured this scoundrel and handed him over to you. Please take me to see your lord; I want to pledge my allegiance to him."

Xiaobai and Xiaohei exchanged a glance.

Xiao Hei became more wary: "Who are you?"

Chen Mo said, “He Miao is the right envoy of the twenty-four incense halls of the Red Lantern Temple, and I am the left envoy. I have been oppressed by the Empress for many years and have long harbored rebellious intentions. Now that I have seen your extraordinary abilities, I have decided to seek refuge with you.”

Xiao Bai was overjoyed. "Excellent! You have a good eye. Hand over this He Miao to us to complete the lord's bridge-crossing ceremony. We'll take you to see the lord."

"Here you go." Chen Mo didn't waste any words and simply tossed He Miao over.

But it was thrown very high, just enough to block the eyes of the Black and White Impermanence.

Neither Hei Wuchang nor the Black and White Impermanence seemed to notice anything amiss and reached out to take He Miao's hand.

Just then——

puff!

A brown claw mark suddenly crushed Little Black's head, while another claw mark pierced Little White's chest.

Little White stared in disbelief, exclaiming, "My goodness...you're a monstrous demon!!!"

"go to hell!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: There's no long chapter today. I'll try my best to update before midnight.

(End of this chapter)