I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 121: Side Effects of Ghost Transformation, Modification of Aristocratic Bloodlines!!

Little White is dead.

He was killed by Chen Mo tearing apart Japanese soldiers with his bare hands.

All of this happened so fast and so suddenly. So much so that neither Little White nor Little Black could send out a distress signal before they perished.

Chen Mo killed the two ghosts, but felt little excitement. Instead, the second transformation into a ghost caused him to experience an unprecedented exhaustion, as if his spirit and soul had been completely drained.

"It seems to be a powerful side effect of transforming into a ghost too frequently. I need to leave here quickly. If I encounter another ghost, I'm afraid my body won't be able to withstand the burden of transforming into a ghost for the third time."

Chen Mo shook his head, forcibly suppressing the splitting headache.

He wanted to absorb the ghostly energy of the Black and White Impermanence.

But my head was really hurting terribly, and I felt mentally exhausted, so I hesitated for a moment.

"Ghosts are hard to find, and I can't let a few go to waste. Besides, the Black and White Impermanence are about to come out of the mountains, and Wuqiao Town will probably become a forbidden area in the future. It will be difficult for me to find another ghost."

With this in mind, Chen Mo no longer hesitated.

absorb.

He activated the ghostly power within his body once more, instantly absorbing all the ghostly power from Black and White Impermanence, turning them into dried-up corpses.

[Original Solution Essence +7000]

[Original Solution Essence +7000]

[Currently available original solution essence: 34000]

Chen Mo didn't bother to study the information on the panel. He grabbed the unconscious He Miao and rushed out of the tent. He led a horse, put He Miao on it, and then called out to Juan'er, who was standing on the roof tiles of the courtyard wall, "Juan'er, hurry up."

"Brother Mo is here."

Upon hearing Chen Mo's words, Juan'er immediately rushed down from the courtyard wall, leaped onto Chen Mo's horse, and galloped away with it.

Perhaps because he had absorbed the ghostly energy of the Black and White Impermanence again, Chen Mo clearly felt strong side effects in his body.

My body was trembling, my bones and muscles were churning, and I experienced a slight reverse flow of blood and qi, especially in my head... which was throbbing with pain.

But Chen Mo gritted his teeth and stayed awake. "Juan'er, can you see anything coming from the direction of Qinghe Town?"

Juan'er said expressionlessly, "Nothing came over. I just sensed something terrifying appearing deep within Qinghe Town..."

"Let's talk about it when we get back."

"drive!"

A blue-maned horse galloped wildly through the deserted streets of Wuqiao Town, kicking up clouds of dust. In no time, it had broken out of the town and was heading straight for the county seat.

……

Meanwhile, on the banks of the Qinghe River, thousands of villagers had been drained of their life force, turning into incense smoke and essence, all of which flowed into the white sedan chair on the Red Bridge.

However… the two three-meter-tall giants carrying the sedan chair stopped, instead of carrying it across the Red Bridge. They stopped right in the middle of the bridge.

wow~
The old woman leading the group was still holding up a white banner, carrying a bamboo basket in one hand. Every now and then, she would pull out a handful of paper money from the basket and throw it into the air, where it would be blown by the wind and scattered in all directions.

After a while, the Black and White Impermanence still hadn't returned with the captured person. The old woman glanced at the woman in red on the other side of the Red Bridge and shouted angrily, "Hongwu, what have you done? You sent a few villagers to run away and ruined the ceremony of the adults crossing the bridge. Although this damage is not very important to the ceremony, it is still not perfect. It is not very auspicious."

Hongwu knelt respectfully on the ground and said humbly, "Don't worry, Mother. The Black and White Impermanence are quite skilled. They will definitely be able to catch those villagers who ran away. They will not ruin your ceremony."

The old woman added, "But the auspicious time is almost over."

"Please wait a moment, Mother-in-law. I'll go there myself."

"Go and come back quickly, don't make the adults angry, or the consequences will be severe."

“Hongwu knows.”

The moment she finished speaking, Hongwu transformed into a red ribbon and sped away into the distance.

"Oh, what a useless fellow." The old woman scolded Hongwu a couple of times, then turned and bent down towards the white sedan chair, smiling obsequiously: "My lord, please don't be in a hurry, just wait a moment. If the ceremony can be completed successfully, it will bring you good luck when you leave the mountain."

There was a dark figure vaguely inside the sedan chair. It moved slightly and made a hoarse sound, "Hmm."

……

Meanwhile, Hongwu rushed out of the Li residence and arrived on the streets of Qinghe Town. There she saw six men who had been drained of their life force and turned into dried-up human corpses.

Hongwu paused briefly: "The life essence of these six people was drained and turned into incense, which was then absorbed by the adults. It doesn't really ruin the ritual. But there are still three guys, I don't know what the Black and White Impermanence are doing."

Hongwu continued on her way until she reached the stone gate in Qinghe Town, where she saw Zhou Bei and Xie Beichuan, who had been drained of their life force.

Hongwu nodded. "These two were also drained dry. Their essence and blood were used as incense for the master. So only one is left. That guy seems to be a ninth-level martial artist. Logically speaking, there aren't many experts like that in Honghe County. He's probably just a lackey of that Red Lantern Ghost. Normally, we would give that Red Lantern Ghost face and let a dog go. But this person came to the scene. If we don't kill him, the master's coming-of-age ceremony won't be complete."

brush!
Hongwu rushed out of the stone gate and followed the path taken by the Black and White Impermanence, heading straight for Wuqiao Town.

They soon arrived near the Chen residence in Wuqiao Town.

They saw that the Chen residence had been burned to ashes, with ruins and rubble everywhere.

Hongwu's eyes turned cold. "Find that scoundrel first."

Before long, Hongwu followed the trail and found a tent.

A flickering light still shone inside the tent. The figures of the Black and White Impermanence could be vaguely seen.

The reason we could tell they were Black and White Impermanence was mainly because their hats were so tall.

"Little Black and Little White, what are you doing standing in there?"

Hongwu called out from afar, but received no response, so she ran into the tent.

hiss!
Hongwu took a deep breath.

These Black and White Impermanence... were actually drained of their life force and turned into dried corpses!!

I've always been the one who drains others dry, when did I end up being drained into a dried-up corpse?
You should know that only ghosts and spirits drain people's blood. Where do you find ghosts being drained of their blood?
There's only one possibility that could do that: an even more powerful ghost.

The question is... where did this ghost come from?
Aristocratic family?

There are no aristocratic families in Honghe County.

Red Lantern Ghost?
That's impossible.

Hongwu knew that the Red Lantern Ghost had always stayed in the Red Lantern Temple.

Where did this ghost come from?
"Fine, fine, fine! The master hasn't even left the mountain yet, and you, you ghost, have already drained the life out of the master's little black and white servants. You really don't give the master any face. You ghost... you're finished!" Hongwu kicked the Black and White Impermanence hard and shouted, "You two are also useless, what use are you!?"

After venting her frustration, Hongwu left the tent and rushed into the Chen residence.

Corpses littered the ground; the decomposed bodies of Chen Rong'an and the other two lay scattered about, and the white cloth covering the shadow window was also torn to shreds. Even one of the array's key points was damaged.

Hongwu immediately knew what had happened: the four little devils guarding the key point of the formation had also been killed by that devil.

"Very well, you little devil are quite interesting. I, Hongwu, will remember you. You just wait!"

Without hesitation, Hongwu transformed into a streak of light and quickly returned to the red bridge on the banks of the Qinghe River. She bent down and said, "Grandma... something unexpected happened..."

She recounted everything she had seen and heard along the way in detail, and concluded by saying, "The Red Lantern Ghost's henchman has probably run off to the city, and another ghost has also disappeared. Should I go and catch that henchman first, or should I let the master cross the bridge first?"

Eh.

The old woman sighed, turned around and bowed towards the white sedan chair, "It's all up to you, sir."

A gust of cold wind swept by, causing the curtains on the sedan chair to flutter and rustle.

A moment later, a girl's hoarse voice rang out from inside the sedan chair, "Back then, that man cleaved the Qinghe River with his sword, and from then on, the rules were established. As the saying goes... the Qinghe River is divided into two parts, Yin and Yang, and the crossing ceremony cannot be taken lightly. No imperfect detail can be wrong. That lackey must die before I can cross the bridge."

The old woman straightened up and shouted at the woman in red, "Hongwu, the full moon a month from now is an auspicious day. I'm giving you a month to kill that lackey. Otherwise, you'll have to bring me your head."

Hongwu replied, "Yes."

The old woman instructed the sedan chair bearers to turn around and head back towards the direction of the Great Yin Mountain, saying, "The master has returned to the mountain!"

Hongwu knelt on the ground, watching the white sedan chair disappear into the depths of the Dayin Mountain before standing up, her eyes revealing a fierce and savage light. "A ghost, a lackey... hehe."

……

Meanwhile, Liu Changchun and Lu Chengzhuang returned to the incense hall with a group of men and countless corpses.

The staff at the incense hall were horrified when they saw the truckload of corpses.

Liu Changchun ordered the news to be kept secret and summoned several trusted disciples to move the body to a special room for safekeeping.

Afterwards, Liu Changchun sought out Lu Chengzhuang to discuss the matter, saying, "Master Lu, what happened tonight is too great. So many masters and fellow members have died at once. Since I joined the Incense Hall, I have never encountered such a disaster. What should we do now?"

Lu Chengzhuang was also at a loss, still somewhat shaken. "What ideas does Master Liu have?"

Liu Changchun said, "This matter is extremely serious. Right Envoy He is likely in grave danger, and Left Envoy Chen has not yet returned. I suggest we immediately report to the Junior Master of Fate and let her make the decision."

After a moment's thought, Lu Chengzhuang realized that this was the safest option.

But Lu Chengzhuang, mindful of Chen Mo's patronage and high regard, said, "I'm afraid that's not appropriate. Our Incense Hall has been involved in such a huge incident for no reason. We have no explanation. If the Junior Master holds us accountable, how will we respond? And if the Junior Master punishes us, can you and I bear the consequences?"

Liu Changchun took a deep breath, feeling quite guilty, "So, what does Master Lu mean?"

Lu Chengzhuang said, "Let's keep the news under wraps for now and wait for Left Envoy Chen to return before discussing anything else."

Liu Changchun nodded: "Master Lu is indeed very thoughtful. Then let it be so."

……

Chen Mo hurried back to Shuiyun Residence under the cover of night and knocked on the door.

Ma Tie opened the door and saw Chen Mo standing shakily at the door, his body trembling and his face pale. He anxiously came up to help him up and immediately felt Chen Mo's cold body.

"Young Master, are you injured?"

"A minor injury, nothing serious. He Miao is coming up next; take him to his room to rest. This is Juan'er, a friend of mine. Please look after her as well; I need to go into seclusion."

Chen Mo glanced at a sentence, then hurriedly entered the main room. He only greeted Qiu Lan when he encountered her, and then closed the door.

Hu Hu Hu.

Chen Mo sat in the chair, panting heavily.

My body reacted violently; my muscles and bones twitched, and I had a splitting headache.

Chen Mo hurriedly endured the pain and sat down cross-legged, circulating the Mingyu Gong to harmonize Yin and Yang, attempting to suppress the churning blood energy within his body. However, the effect was not very good.

"I didn't expect the side effects of consecutive battles involving demon transformation to be so severe. I'll try using the Thunderclap Force."

Chen Mo put down the Mingyu Gong and immediately activated the Beng Lei Jin. He urged his internal energy to circulate through the eight extraordinary meridians and twelve regular meridians, clearing the channels and unblocking the flow of qi and blood.

But they found that... the effect was not obvious.

"Let's try Ghost Bone next."

Left with no other choice, Chen Mo had to activate his blood circulation, directing it along the spine to circulate the blood in the ghost bone.

Chen Mo's current Ghost Bone Fusion Rate has reached 44/100.

During the previous battle, in order to end the fight quickly, Chen Mo did not activate the power of the Ghost Bone, but instead chose the more violent method... directly transforming into a ghost. In fact, the power of the Ghost Bone was gentler, after all, it had been fused for so long, so the damage to Chen Mo himself would not be so great.

However, the power of the Ghost Bone comes slowly, and its peak combat strength is not as good as that of the Ghost Transformation.

The situation was urgent, and there were four ghosts.

Chen Mo naturally chose a more violent approach.

wow~
As the demon blood flowed through his body, the churning and turbulent blood finally began to calm down. After the demon blood had circulated throughout his body four or five times, the churning sensation finally subsided.

Chen Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense body relaxed.

"No wonder the aristocratic families are so cautious in using the power of ghosts... It seems that the backlash from the power of ghosts is still quite strong. I have modified my bone meridians and blood to be compatible with the Shadow Ghost Bones, so activating the ghost bones is unlikely to cause backlash. However, opening the power of that ghost within my body does have a backlash. After all, I haven't modified my body to be compatible with that ghost."

Chen Mo now roughly understands.

Each ghost is different.

You can only modify bloodline and bone structure to make it compatible with a specific ghost at a time. This does not work with other ghosts.

Adding to this, Chen Mo melted down six ghosts in one go tonight. This shows just how terrifying the backlash he suffered was.

"Smelting ghosts is good, but the backlash is also great. I need to be more gentle and proceed gradually in the future. I can't afford any accidents. Fortunately, the ghost bones in my body are strong enough to stabilize my foundation. This is also the reason why I was able to melt six ghosts in one go."

Chen Mo pondered for a while, and soon a question arose in his mind:
"I forged a powerful Yellow Pages Demon in the mirror, and tonight I forged six more ordinary Yellow Pages Demons. I wonder what I am now? Can I deconstruct myself?"

Before this, Chen Mo had never thought of deconstructing himself.

After all, he subconsciously felt that he was a person and did not need to be deconstructed.

But after tonight's battle with the ghosts, experiencing the thrill of killing them, and also feeling the powerful backlash from melting them... Chen Mo felt it was necessary to deconstruct himself and rediscover himself.

With this in mind, Chen Mo walked to the full-length bronze mirror in the room.

In this world, bronze mirrors were the primary material, and glass also existed, but it was mainly concentrated in large cities with convenient trade routes and among the wealthy nobility. Honghe County was located in a remote area, and trade was congested. Therefore, it did not have such precious items as glass.

But this bronze mirror is very different from the bronze mirrors in TV dramas from my previous life that couldn't reflect people clearly; those were all misconceptions.

The craftsmanship of ancient bronze mirror making was actually quite advanced. The mirrors were polished smooth, and metals like tin and lead were added to give them a shimmering, silvery sheen. They could clearly reflect a person's image. If a mirror polisher were to refine them, even the fine hairs on the skin could be seen.

Chen Mo looked at himself in the mirror for a moment, then opened the control panel.

A white box... appeared.

There are also densely packed white poles.

[A deconstructable object detected?]

[Should we deconstruct it?]

Chen Mo stroked his chin. "Deconstruct."

Deconstructing myself... doesn't hurt, and I don't experience any dizziness or other discomfort.

In the blink of an eye, lines of subtitles appeared in the box.

Name: Chen Mo

[Type: Half-human, half-ghost]

Chen Mo: "..."

Read on.

[Level: Three Yellow Pages Ghost]

[Note: The Taoist practice of Jiazi (甲子) has reached a certain level, and evil spirits are seeking revenge.]

[Ingredients: Smelting a three-stick yellow-page ghost with sixty years of cultivation yielded seventy percent of its cultivation. Six more yellow-page ghosts without sticks were then smelted to complete the three-stick cultivation.]

[Qualitative Analysis: You have fused with a highly promising Shadow Ghost Bone, a symbiotic bridge between humans and ghosts, forming your foundation. You have further refined other ghosts, creating your ghostly aspect. You are half-human, or perhaps half-ghost. As long as this balance remains intact, your foundation is relatively stable, and you will not completely transform into a ghost. However, the ghosts' influence on you is increasing, and the balance is currently being disrupted.]

[Note: The corruption of the demonic entity is not limited to essence and soul, but also includes the power of awareness, the power of attraction, and so on. The corruption process is irreversible!]

[Note: You need to possess a noble lineage and cultivate the Bloodline True Fire to restore the balance between your half-human, half-ghost form. Once this balance is broken, your path to becoming a ghost will be irreversible and lead to utter destruction.]

This was the first time Chen Mo had learned about the Yellow Pages Ghost's level.

Previously, he distinguished them based on color-coded bars. However, these bars were merely Chen Mo's own distinguishing information and didn't delve into the underlying principles. Now, by entering the deconstruction level, he understands the strength and hierarchy of the Yellow Pages Ghost.

"Three sticks of incense as a Yellow Page Ghost? 'Stick' probably means incense sticks. Does that mean I'm a Yellow Page Ghost with three sticks of incense sticks? And the Black and White Impermanence and the others are Yellow Page Ghosts without sticks?"

This reminds me of how powerful ghosts care a lot about incense offerings.

The Red Lantern Goddess is like this, the Black God of Tangjiabao is like this, and even the evil god that came out of Dayin Mountain tonight had thousands of people going to offer incense... Clearly, they also care a lot about incense offerings.

Powerful ghosts can absorb incense offerings. It's unclear what specific function incense offerings serve for these ghosts.

"Now that I'm a ghost with an incense stick, I wonder if I can absorb some incense and see what it feels like?"

Here comes the problem...

Who will light incense and offer prayers for me?
You can't exactly light incense and worship yourself, can you?

Should we send Qiulan?

Never mind, lest I scare Qiulan.

Asking Qiulan to come and pay respects to a living person like herself... I'm afraid Qiulan would be scared half to death.

Chen Mo cleared his mind of distractions and began to focus on the problem of the broken balance.

“I just experienced a powerful side effect, which should be a sign that the balance has been broken. I need to obtain the bloodline of a noble family and cultivate the bloodline true fire... to restore the balance. I have enough original essence. When Tang Xiaoyu left before, she left me the original blood from her spine, which can be used.”

Chen Mo went to the drawer next to him and took out the small bottle left by Tang Xiaoyu.

I opened the bottle and smelled it.

It is special blood, containing the power of a demonic curse.

This made Chen Mo hesitate.

The power of the curse...

Although all the madness and illness curses in Honghe County originate from the same lineage of ghosts, they vary in strength. The highest level of curses arises from listening to ghost stories, and that is precisely Tang Xiaoyu's curse.

If you take it, you'll likely be tainted by the highest level of evil curse, which carries a great risk.

Although Chen Mo had previously possessed the blood of the Ghost Curse, the original owner of this body died after hearing the ghost story. Therefore, the Ghost Curse that remained was likely a remnant and not as powerful as Tang Xiaoyu's Ghost Curse.

"Furthermore, I only modified my own bloodline to be compatible with the bloodlines of aristocratic families. I did not modify the bloodlines of aristocratic families. In other words, the purer the bloodline of aristocratic families I obtained, the higher its level. After compatibility, the level of my bloodline will also be higher... Tang Xiaoyu and the others call Guo Ziyu Miss... It can be seen that Guo Ziyu should be a direct descendant of Tang Family Fortress, and her bloodline level should be even higher."

"My current solution is only good enough for one revision, so I can't be careless."

Thinking of this, Chen Mo put down the small bottle in his hand and put it back in the drawer. Then he asked Qiu Lan to boil water, took a hot bath, and changed into a new robe before going out.

After taking only two steps, Chen Mo felt a shiver run through his body and his head spin.

Countless bizarre images flashed through his mind: the baby in the white cloth, Chen Rong'an's family, and the Black and White Impermanence.

The erosion of the power of awareness?

Chen Mo gritted his teeth and took two more steps, only to find that the images flashing through his mind were becoming more and more numerous and chaotic. It felt as if he might fall into an abyss at any moment.

Qiu Lan noticed that Chen Mo was not in a good state, so she stepped forward to support him and asked with concern, "Young Master, what's wrong?"

Chen Mo glanced back at Qiu Lan and immediately mistook her for the baby in the white cloth. His eyes widened, and he instinctively channeled his inner energy to strangle Qiu Lan. Just as his hand touched Qiu Lan's neck, Chen Mo suddenly came to his senses.

This startled Qiu Lan, and her voice became hoarse, "Young Master, are you... alright?"

hiss!
Chen Mo shook his head violently, then bent down to help Qiu Lan up. "Perhaps I encountered a ghost while out tonight, and because I was overworked, I mistook you for a ghost. Did I scare you?"

Qiu Lan understood the reason and was no longer afraid. She even gave Chen Mo a speechless glare, "I am Qiu Lan, how could I be a ghost? Young Master, please don't talk nonsense and scare people."

"Hahaha."

Chen Mo smiled and said, "I'm fine now. I need to go out late at night. You can go back now."

After saying that, Chen Mo pushed Qiu Lan away and stumbled out.

As Qiu Lan watched Chen Mo's eerie departing figure, she felt that Chen Mo had become different from usual, exuding an indescribable chill and eeriness.

A short while later, Ma Tie came over and asked, "Qiu Lan, what are you looking at?"

Qiulan shrank back. "Ma Tie, don't you think the young master is different today?"

Ma Tie recalled the scene of welcoming Chen Mo into the family, "Young Master was probably injured, and he's stubborn, so he wouldn't tell us to avoid losing face. But Young Master's martial arts are unparalleled, so he should be fine."

Qiulan said, "Just now, the young master reached out and grabbed my neck. His cold eyes clearly showed that he wanted to strangle me. Later, the young master recovered and even said that he thought I was a ghost."

Upon hearing this, Ma Tie also became uneasy and said, "Early this morning, He Miao from the Incense Hall came to report that all the incense hall leaders in Wuqiao Town were dead, and even Black Mountain Village had been massacred. It was probably the work of ghosts, and Young Master rushed to deal with it. Did you get some ghostly energy on yourself?"

Qiulan took two steps back. "Don't scare me."

Ma Tie laughed heartily: "You're overthinking it. Young Master was just teasing you. Don't forget, our young master is the Left Envoy of the Red Lantern Incense Hall, the fourth most important figure. With the Empress's protection, how could he be tainted by ghostly energy?"

Hearing the Empress's blessing, Qiulan finally calmed down. "Yes, I must have been overthinking it. Perhaps the young master was just teasing me and making fun of me."

Ma Tie said, "It's good that you know. Did you offer incense to that mirror tonight?"

"I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it. I'll go right now." Qiu Lan slapped her forehead and hurriedly went to the backyard.

The backyard was deserted. Qiulan was not a timid maid, so she went to the back room, came to the incense table, looked at the oval bronze mirror, took three incense sticks, gathered them together, and lit them in the flame of the candle.

She muttered to herself, "The young master has been acting strangely lately. He was lighting incense in front of the mirror for no reason and wouldn't let me tell anyone. I really don't know what he's up to. It's kind of scary."

Although she said that, Qiulan didn't slack off on her work. In her heart, she respected and trusted the young master. She wasn't thinking about anything else.

After lighting three incense sticks, Qiulan bowed respectfully and placed them in the incense burner in front of the mirror. Seeing that the mirror was covered in dust, she took a rag and wiped it clean.

Just as Qiulan wiped the mirror, she suddenly saw a shadow in it.

At first, I didn't pay attention, thinking that it was a reflection of myself.

She soon realized something was wrong.

I'm moving, and my reflection in the mirror is moving too, but that's okay.

But the color is wrong.

Qiulan was wearing a gray dress, and the shadow inside was a very glaring scarlet.

brush!
Qiulan suddenly stopped what she was doing and abruptly turned to look in the mirror.

The mirror reflected a bridal chamber, and a woman dressed in a bright red traditional Chinese wedding dress, her head covered by a red veil, sat in front of the dressing mirror, getting ready...

"what!!!"

Qiu Lan was so frightened that she fell to the ground with a thud, frantically shouting, "Ma Tie, Ma Tie!!!"

Soon Ma Tie rushed in, knife in hand. "Qiu Lan, what's wrong?"

Ma Tie and Qiu Lan had been taking care of Chen Mo together for a long time. They spent a lot of time together, and although there wasn't any romantic relationship between them, their relationship was excellent. Qiu Lan would often add extra dishes to Ma Tie's meals, especially meat. She would even wash Ma Tie's clothes when she had time.

Ma Tie naturally protected Qiu Lan, and now, hearing Qiu Lan's pitiful screams, Ma Tie was worried.

Upon seeing Ma Tie, Qiu Lan threw herself into his arms, crying out, "A ghost! A ghost!!!"

Clang!

Ma Tie drew his sword, looked around, and shouted, "Where are the ghosts?"

Qiulan hugged Ma Tie tightly, not daring to turn around, "There's a female ghost in red in that mirror."

"I gonna go see."

Ma Tie, gripping his broadsword, rushed to the mirror, examined it closely, and found nothing unusual: "Qiu Lan, you're probably hallucinating. This mirror is perfectly fine; there's no ghost there."

"Really?"

"Come and see for yourself."

Encouraged by Ma Tie and hearing his confident words, Qiu Lan dared to tiptoe back and look at the mirror again. Sure enough, her reflection was perfectly normal.

Ma Tie comforted you, saying, "Perhaps you were frightened by the young master's teasing just now. Now you have a guilty conscience and are suspicious of everything. You see ghosts in everything you do."

Qiulan scratched her head, realizing that she was being paranoid.

Ma Tie continued to comfort him: "From now on, I ask the young master not to tease you anymore, lest you be frightened into something bad."

Qiulan, however, was quite thoughtful. "It's not appropriate for you to say this, lest the young master think there's something going on between us. I'll go and say it myself."

Qiulan had been taking care of people in the Chen family since she was a child, working as a maid. She knew that the masters of wealthy families were most wary of their maids and servants colluding with each other. This was a taboo, and one had to be careful.

Upon hearing this, Ma Tie felt a slight sense of disappointment...

……

After leaving Shuiyunju, Chen Mo stumbled and staggered down the street.

Although the power of the ghost bone had suppressed the turbulent blood and qi within his body, the side effects were not as severe as before. However, Chen Mo still experienced hallucinations from time to time, especially with bizarre images constantly flashing through his mind, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Chen Mo had a strong enough will and excellent physical fitness, so he was able to remain clear-headed.

He had come to the profound realization that if he didn't immediately improve his situation and restore balance... he feared he would collapse and completely lose his humanity. In the end, he wouldn't even know what he was anymore.

"Ghosts are ferocious, it's no joke. Becoming a ghost is a very serious matter, the slightest carelessness can lead to utter destruction."

Chen Mo gritted his teeth and endured the pain, making his way to Qingfu Residence. He knocked on the door.

dong dong dong.

Squeak.

Tang Qi opened the door.

Upon seeing Chen Mo, Tang Qi was overjoyed and punched Chen Mo in the chest again, saying, "You've finally arrived! Everyone's been waiting for you. Come in quickly."

He led Chen Mo through the door and into the living room.

Tang Tongshan and Guo Ziyu were also waiting there. When they saw that Chen Mo's expression was not good, Guo Ziyu noticed something was wrong. "Young Master Mo, is it because you are experiencing side effects from using the power of ghosts?"

Chen Mo didn't try to be brave. "There are indeed some side effects. But it's alright. They'll go away after a while. Have you found Guo Songyang and Qingniu?"

Guo Ziyu shook her head: "No. Uncle Guo knows about this stronghold. If he escaped, he should come to Qingfuju. By the way, what happened in Wuqiao Town afterwards?"

Chen Mo told the truth.

Tang Qi gasped: "A thousand people have been bewitched, and they're gathering in Qinghe Town to burn incense? This is openly provoking the Goddess! Could it be that a powerful and ferocious ghost has emerged from the Great Yin Mountain?"

Tang Tongshan's face also turned a bit paler. "Young Master Mo was able to kill the Black and White Impermanence, that's truly remarkable. It makes us young masters from aristocratic families look incompetent."

Chen Mo received the praise but felt no emotional fluctuation. He simply said, "Miss Ziyu, do you know about the Three Yellow Pages Ghost?"

Guo Ziyu nodded. "I understand. Only starting with the Yellow Page Ghost can one be considered a true ghost. The lowest-level Yellow Page Ghost has no incense and cannot absorb incense independently. However, powerful Yellow Page Ghosts can absorb incense on their own, and the more incense they absorb, the more their cultivation will increase. If they cultivate a stick of natal incense within their body, they become a Yellow Page Ghost. And so on. The most powerful Yellow Page Ghost I know has nine sticks of incense. Once they have cultivated nine sticks of natal incense, their cultivation is complete. If they obtain a fortuitous opportunity from heaven and earth, they may be able to transform into an even more powerful Shadow Ghost."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo understood. "Ghosts actually nourish their natal incense and strengthen their cultivation by absorbing incense offerings. That's quite remarkable. So, is there a color system for natal incense?"

Guo Ziyu said, "Yes. The Yellow Pages Ghost's natal incense is white. No matter what kind of incense is lit, even if it's from the Twenty-Four Incense Manual, after being absorbed by the Yellow Pages Ghost, it will become its natal incense, and it will always be white."

Chen Mo became more and more interested as he listened: "What color is the Shadow Ghost's natal incense?"

Guo Ziyu said, "Silver element. A Yellow Page Ghost that takes three incense sticks to burn is already quite powerful. The ghosts we encountered today were probably all small ghosts without incense sticks, and they were already so difficult to deal with. If we encounter a Yellow Page Ghost that takes three incense sticks to burn, it will be even more troublesome. Even if I fight with my life on the line, I have no chance of winning. There is a saying among aristocratic families about ghosts: it takes ten years of cultivation to cultivate one incense stick of one's natal incense. After three incense sticks, with each additional incense stick, the strength will undergo a transformative improvement. It is difficult to surpass. If we encounter a Shadow Ghost... with a flick of the wrist, the entire Honghe County will be wiped out."

Chen Mo nodded repeatedly.

Now, we finally have a clear understanding of the power levels of ghosts.

I am a half-ghost, a mere three-stick yellowed page ghost. I've only just entered the realm of ghosts and cannot use this skill too much, otherwise it will disrupt the balance between being half-ghost and half-human, leading to utter and irreversible destruction.

It seems that transforming into a ghost is ultimately not a reliable way to increase strength.

It's safer to obtain the bloodline of a prestigious family and follow their path.

Walking on two legs is always better than being a one-legged beast!

Chen Mo then asked, "Has Miss Ziyu ever heard of the power of inspiration?"

Chen Mo first heard the term "inspiration" from Su Yuqing. Su Yuqing had used the power of inspiration to pull him into the mirror world. The cheat system had also mentioned the power of inspiration just now.

Previously, Chen Mo thought that the power of inspiration was a branch of the power of awakening, but now it seems that it is not that simple.

Guo Ziyu was clearly surprised by Chen Mo's question, seemingly not expecting that a mere mortal like Chen Mo could speak of the power of summoning. She paused for a moment before speaking, "I've also heard Elder Tang mention it. The power of summoning, also known as the power of summoning or the power of calling, is a terrifying power that surpasses the power of awareness. I don't know much about it, only that even shadow ghosts have difficulty generating the power of summoning. If we encounter a ghost with the power of summoning, none of us will be able to resist, and we might not even know how we died."

Chen Mo was slightly startled.

Su Yuqing... she was terrifyingly powerful!
Even such a terrifying ghost was suppressed by that curse for over a hundred years.

What exactly is this curse?

Ghost stories...

Chen Mo became increasingly curious about the ghost story, but he knew it wasn't something he should listen to in his current state.

After chatting for a while, Guo Ziyu noticed Chen Mo's troubled expression and waved her hand, saying, "It's getting late, everyone should go back and rest early. Let's give Young Master Mo some time to rest as well. Also, Young Master Mo just mentioned that the Black and White Impermanence came to capture He Miao to complete some kind of ritual. Although I don't know the reason, I'm afraid He Miao has been targeted by them. Young Master Mo, you need to be careful. Honghe County is probably going to suffer a great disaster."

After a night of fierce fighting, Tang Tongshan and Tang Qi were both exhausted, so they nodded and left.

In the large living room, only Chen Mo and Guo Ziyu remained.

Guo Ziyu's expression softened considerably, and she stepped forward to help Chen Mo up. "We owe you a lot for tonight's events, Young Master Mo. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for the few of us to leave the Chen residence. Come with me, I have some healing pills for you."

Following Guo Ziyu to the room, Chen Mo saw Guo Ziyu take out a blue pill and hand it to him, saying, "This is a bloodline pill unique to my Tang Family Fortress. It incorporates a portion of the bloodline of a noble family. Taking it will be of great use to you."

Chen Mo knew the pills weren't very useful, but he still thanked him and accepted them. Then he explained his purpose, "Miss Ziyu, are you a direct descendant of the Tang Family Fortress?"

Although these words were somewhat abrupt, Guo Ziyu had spent so much time with Chen Mo that she didn't find them strange, so she said, "My father is the fifth leader of Tangjiabao, so I am considered a direct descendant."

Having gained some confidence, Chen Mo spoke up: "To be honest, Miss Ziyu, the side effects of the ghost after I made my move tonight exceeded my expectations. I'm afraid this pill won't be very effective. Could I borrow a few drops of Miss Ziyu's blood?"

Borrowing a few drops of blood is certainly not a big deal.

However, Guo Ziyu's blood is from the direct line of the Tang Family Fortress. Although it's not the purest, it's definitely in the top three. It's still very precious.

Guo Ziyu said, "Although my blood is still relatively pure, it won't be of any use to you. This elixir is much more effective."

Chen Mo said, "To be honest, Miss Ziyu, I bought a strange herb on the black market by chance many years ago. It was similar to ginseng, but it wasn't ginseng. At the time, I just thought it was a rare item and planned to buy it to admire and play with. I didn't expect that after eating it, my strength would increase, which is why my martial arts have improved so quickly."

Guo Ziyu had long been astonished by Chen Mo's abnormally rapid progress, but upon hearing this, she suddenly understood, "I see. But what does this have to do with my blood?"

Chen Mo said, "Besides enhancing my power, this miraculous herb has other wonderful uses. It can help me fuse with other objects. The reason I was able to fuse with the ghost bone was also thanks to this herb."

Guo Ziyu was greatly surprised, then revealed an expression of "I knew it," and said, "You want to use this herb to fuse with my blood in an attempt to cultivate the Ghost Bone Fusion Technique and alleviate the side effects of the ghost's power?"

Chen Mo said, "Miss Ziyu is intelligent."

stab.

Guo Ziyu was no fool. She immediately grabbed a large bowl, then used her longsword to vertically slit the artery in her wrist, releasing about half a bowl of blood before stopping. She then bandaged the wound with gauze. "Young Master Mo is no stranger. Since you are fortunate enough to have obtained such a miraculous herb, I, Guo Ziyu, will naturally help you. Take this. If it's not enough, come back to me. I will continue to draw blood from you."

Chen Mo had originally planned to use only a few drops, but unexpectedly...

"That should be enough. Thank you, Miss Ziyu. If there's nothing else, I'll return to my room next door." Chen Mo carried the large bowl of blood donation back to his room, then lit an oil lamp and examined the bowl in front of it for a while.

It was red, but not very viscous; it had excellent fluidity, and when I reached out to touch it, it felt almost like water. However, it was very heavy, and it seemed as if there was an invisible energy flowing inside it. Even after a long time, it remained quite warm.

It is extremely mysterious.

"So this is the bloodline of aristocratic families. It is said that there is a heaven-shaking barrier between aristocratic families and ordinary people. Aristocratic families are born at a height that ordinary people can never reach in their entire lives. In this world, ghosts and aristocratic families also call the shots. The root of everything lies in this bloodline."

Staring at the half-bowl of blood before him, Chen Mo seemed to see two completely different worlds.

"Tonight I modified my bloodline to be compatible with it. From now on, I can also step into the ranks of aristocratic families and witness their glory and saga. However, before modifying my bloodline, I will first deconstruct it. I want to see what mysteries lie in the aristocratic bloodlines that separate the mortal and the heavenly realms."

With this in mind, Chen Mo opened the control panel.

[Deconstructable material detected]

[Should we deconstruct it?]

Chen Mo had an idea:

Deconstruct!

(End of this chapter)