I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 129 I entered the temple shrine and received incense offerings!!!
“This Lord Wolf isn’t quite dead yet; he left behind a lot of ghostly energy. I need to deal with this ghostly energy to prevent it from affecting you. No one is allowed to enter without my order.”

Before absorbing the energy, Chen Mo shouted angrily at everyone.

The children, recovering from their shock, screamed and ran outside. Zhou Ziliang, witnessing Chen Mo's incredible bravery and ferocity in killing even the Wolf Lord, was utterly dumbfounded. He dared not linger any longer and immediately led the children out of the backyard, ordering two guards to stand watch at the back gate and forbid anyone from entering.

Meanwhile, Zhou Ziliang ordered the guards to detain the children in the courtyard, and paced anxiously back and forth in the hall.

"It's all over, it's all over! Master Wolf is dead in my Zhou family. If his men find out, will my Zhou family even have a chance to survive?"

"And that young bandit, how could he be so ferocious... He's brought disaster upon my Zhou family!"

"Heavens above, how is my Zhou family supposed to survive now..."

Just then, a beautiful middle-aged woman rushed over, her face full of worry. "Master, what happened? Why was there such a commotion in the backyard? I'll take some people to check it out..."

Zhou Ziliang quickly grabbed the woman, "My goodness... please don't cause me any more trouble. You absolutely mustn't go into the backyard."

This was the first time the woman had seen her husband so panicked, and she immediately became flustered as well. "What's wrong? Say something! Is Master Wolf angry in the back?"

"Master Wolf is dead..." Zhou Ziliang recounted what had happened.

"My goodness... Our new deity of Dayu County was actually... killed by a wicked young bandit!?" The woman cried out, her blood rushing to her head, and she fainted.

Zhou Ziliang was already panicked, and seeing the woman faint made him feel even more that the Zhou family was doomed...

……

After driving everyone away, Chen Mo focused on absorbing the Wolf Lord's natal ghost fragrance.

Chen Mo was very familiar with absorbing ghost energy.

However, the ghost energy absorbed before was just ghost energy.

The most essential element of a ghost is its natal ghost incense. This is the source of all its power. At the moment of death, the natal ghost incense does not immediately dissipate but lingers for a period of time, which is then used for absorption.

hum!
As the Wolf Lord's natal ghost incense flowed into Chen Mo's body, Chen Mo clearly felt a tremendous tremor in his sea of ​​consciousness. Immediately afterward, his entire body trembled, and his muscles and bones twitched.

Blood energy, flow!
Chen Mo immediately circulated his blood energy throughout his body, helping to suppress the Wolf Lord's innate ghost incense and prevent it from getting out of control.

After all, this was Chen Mo's first time absorbing a Yellow Page Ghost that surpassed his own, so he couldn't afford to be careless at all.

It was because the Red Lantern Lady was pushing him too hard that Chen Mo felt an unimaginable sense of oppression.

boom!
The first stick of the Wolf Lord's natal incense flowed into Chen Mo's body and merged with his own natal incense. This caused each stick of natal incense to grow significantly thicker, and his cultivation level was increasing at a visible rate.

A feeling of comfort I've never experienced before.

Chen Mo was secretly surprised.

Ghosts can gain power by eating other ghosts.

This is very good.

But it seems there are side effects as well.

Having just absorbed a stick of Wolf Lord's natal incense, Chen Mo felt a slight disturbance in his consciousness, with countless terrifying and hazy images flashing through his mind. It was similar to his previous experience.

This is a sign that the balance is beginning to be broken.

But it's still under control.

"continue!"

Chen Mo used his willpower to suppress the chaotic thoughts in his mind and began to absorb the second stick of the Wolf Lord's natal ghost incense.

The second stick of natal incense possessed a significantly stronger ghostly aura than the first. Absorbing it was also quite difficult, forcing Chen Mo to proceed with extreme care.

After absorbing the second stick of his natal incense, Chen Mo clearly noticed that his four natal incense sticks had become thicker and more robust. Even his fourth natal incense stick had grown much longer, as if he had instantly gained several years of cultivation.

"As expected of the magistrate of Dayu County, he has accepted the incense offerings of an entire county. This natal incense is pure and robust, much stronger than the ones Hongwu and the others had before."

Last time, after absorbing the life essence of Hongwu and a few others, I didn't gain any significant power.

Clearly, one must absorb ghosts of equal or greater strength to significantly increase one's cultivation.

"I feel fine right now, let's continue."

Chen Mo absorbed two more sticks of the Wolf Master's natal incense, and at this time, his own fourth stick of natal incense had reached the point of perfection.

The four fundamental ghost incense sticks were complete, thick, and perfectly arranged in the sea of ​​consciousness.

The ghostly energy within his body far exceeded that of the past, surging and flowing, making Chen Mo's six senses and six perceptions exceptionally sharp, and greatly enhancing his physical functions.

"I thought I needed to absorb all of the Wolf Lord's natal incense to reach the Four Sticks Perfection. Now it seems... I underestimated the Wolf Lord's strength. Absorbing only four sticks has already made me reach the Four Sticks Perfection. If I absorb its fifth stick of natal ghost incense, wouldn't that mean I might become a Five Sticks Yellow Page Ghost?"

"Come on, let me see the effect."

Chen Mo suppressed the discomfort in his heart, focused on circulating his blood fire to protect himself, and then began to absorb the fifth stick of natal incense from Lord Wolf.

Wow~
The essence of his natal incense transformed into invisible and colorless ghostly energy, flowing into Chen Mo's body, into his sea of ​​consciousness, and strengthening his four natal incense sticks. Since all four natal incense sticks had reached perfection, they could not progress further. The absorbed natal incense then began to slowly condense into a fifth natal incense stick.

Chen Mo stared intently at the changes in the fifth stick of natal incense.

It initially sprouted, and it looked like the fifth incense stick was about to appear, but it quickly seemed unable to stand up and withered away.

Chen Mo was slightly disappointed.

"How can we fail at a crucial moment? Let's keep going!"

Chen Mo mustered his strength, absorbed the incense again, and began to condense the fifth incense stick.

Just when it seemed it was about to take off, it ultimately fizzled out.

This was repeated three times, but it still didn't work.

"Could it be that my cultivation has progressed too quickly, and my body and mind can't keep up? Is that why I fail at crucial moments time after time?"

Chen Mo pondered the reason behind it.

But that's not right either.

Chen Mo did not feel that his mind and body had reached a point where they could not bear the strain.

It's not a problem in that respect.

What problem prevented me from refining the fifth stick of my natal incense?

Don't underestimate the difference in cultivation level after one incense stick's time; it represents at least a ten-year gap. Once you reach the level after five incense sticks' time, things are completely different.

The fact that Lord Wolf could become a powerful evil deity shows that he is quite different from ordinary Yellow Page Ghosts; he is no longer just a lowly soldier or general. He is, at least, a ruler of a region. Therefore, the five Yellow Page Ghosts represent a watershed moment.

Chen Mo thought and thought but couldn't figure out the reason, so he could only use the crudest method.

If once doesn't work, then try twice.

If twice doesn't work, then try three times...

After each failure, Chen Mo would make adjustments based on the problems he perceived and start over.

And so, finally, after failing more than ten times—

Boom!

Chen Mo's body suddenly emitted a crackling sound, as if his bones and muscles were resonating, and his entire body was numbed by the shock. An incense burner suddenly appeared in his sea of ​​consciousness, with the original four root incense sticks inserted inside. The fifth root incense stick... had finally appeared.

The increasing power and ghostly energy surged forth like a burst dam, flooding into Chen Mo's limbs and bones.

Even though Chen Mo had clearly circulated his Blood Flame, turning his body into a red-hot iron statue, it cooled down again due to the chilling ghostly energy. His skin returned to a deathly pale white, and his feverish body became icy cold.

In the battle between the blood fire and the ghostly energy of the five incense sticks, the blood fire was suppressed by the ghostly energy.

Chen Mo sensed an unprecedented power of ghostly energy, and his perception reached a peak he had never achieved before. These were undoubtedly good news, but the bad news was that the balance maintained between the half-ghosts seemed to have been broken once again.

The once-hot body suddenly felt cold, unable to feel any warmth.

Various bizarre images and hallucinations flashed continuously in his mind. The evil thoughts left behind by the Wolf Lord were eroding Chen Mo's mental consciousness.

"call!"

Chen Mo let out a long sigh of relief. "It's a mixed bag, but I've finally stepped into the Five Yellow Pages Ghost Realm. I should leave this place as soon as possible."

Chen Mo still remembered that the Red Lantern Lady was chasing him, so he dared not linger.

Ignoring the intense discomfort in his mind, he stood up. Only then did he realize that all his clothes had been burned away.

He immediately shouted towards the courtyard, "Master Zhou, please get me some clothes, thank you."

Master Zhou had been anxiously waiting in the main hall, but upon hearing the young bandit's roar from the backyard, he dared not disobey. He immediately grabbed a new set of clothes and ran to the backyard. After a cursory glance at Chen Mo's figure, he was immediately horrified and ashamed of his own appearance. He thought to himself, "No wonder my wife is so dissatisfied with me; there are always people more capable than me."

Chen Mo put on the clothes, then asked Master Zhou to bring a thick piece of cloth to wrap the mirror again. He then carried it on his back.

"Thank you very much."

Chen Mo, carrying a large sword and a mirror on his back, strode towards the central courtyard.

Master Zhou hurriedly caught up, "Young hero, is Master Wolf dead?"

As Chen Mo walked, he said, "Yes, the evil thoughts and ghostly aura left by Lord Wolf have been neutralized by me. Your house is safe and sound."

This excuse served as a convenient cover for absorbing ghostly energy, preventing anyone from suspecting anything.

Moreover, since they were already planning to run away, Chen Mo couldn't care less about arousing suspicion.

Upon arriving at the central courtyard, Chen Mo saw several guards with knives surrounding more than thirty boys and girls.

Chen Mo's gaze turned cold.

Pfft!
Zhou Ziliang immediately knelt on the ground, "These boys and girls are all children of the local villagers. I was forced to do this beastly thing. Now that you, young hero, have killed the wolf, I will send these boys and girls home."

Chen Mo nodded: "That's excellent."

puff.

Zhou Ziliang kowtowed again, "Although Master Wolf is dead, he still keeps a pack of vicious henchmen. Now that Master Wolf is dead in my house, I'm afraid those vicious dogs will not let me go. Please, young hero, stay and protect my family. I am willing to offer all the gold and silver in my house."

Chen Mo snorted: "You've captured so many villagers' children. Even if you send them home, will their parents forgive you? Will you stay any longer?"

Zhou Ziliang was taken aback: "So, what does the young hero mean?"

"Take your wealth and run away. Start over somewhere else. This town won't tolerate you."

After saying that, Chen Mo rushed into the courtyard and glared at the guards with knives. The guards felt as if they were being stared at by a vicious wolf, and their backs turned cold. They all sheathed their knives and retreated.

The children rushed outside as if they had been granted a pardon.

Chen Mo ignored them and went straight to the stable, where he saw Lu Chengzhuang leading two horses and waiting.

"Left Envoy Chen, what was that commotion in the backyard just now?"

"The evil god Wolf Lord, worshipped in Dayu County, came to eat the children, and I killed him without hesitation."

hiss!
Lu Chengzhuang gasped, utterly unable to believe that the powerful and influential lord who ruled over an entire county had been killed by Chen Mo so easily. And it hadn't even been that long…

Although the Red Lantern Lady exuded immense pressure, Lu Chengzhuang saw a glimmer of hope in Chen Mo. He had a strong intuition... that this Left Envoy Chen might not necessarily lose to the Red Lantern Lady in the future.

brush.

Lu Chengzhuang suddenly cupped his hands and said, "Left Envoy Chen is truly a chivalrous and outstanding figure. It is an honor for me, Lu Chengzhuang, to be able to accompany Left Envoy Chen."

"Okay, let's leave here first."

Chen Mo took the horse's reins and was about to dismount when he heard a soft, childlike voice from behind him.

"Thank you, big brother, for saving me."

Turning around, he saw that it was the girl with the bun hairstyle who had come to thank him. Her brother was standing guard beside her, wary of Chen Mo. The girl with the bun hairstyle, however, was quite bold, insisting on coming over to express her gratitude.

Chen Mo grunted in agreement, dismounted, and prepared to leave.

puff.

The girl with the bun suddenly knelt down. "Big brother is so brave and valiant! He killed that monster with a wave of his hand. Big brother is handsome and has a chivalrous heart. Can I learn martial arts from big brother? Can I become big brother's disciple?"

Chen Mo was taken aback and said, "You've really been reading too many fictional novels. I may be handsome, but I'm not exactly chivalrous. My killing of the Evil God had nothing to do with you; it was just that the opportunity arose, and I happened to save you. If that Wolf Lord had been more cautious, you would have really been eaten. From now on, read fewer fictional novels and don't believe there are so many chivalrous good people in the world. Listen to your brother. Go home."

Perhaps seeing the girl's eyes filled with imagination of a beautiful world, Chen Mo spoke the truth, which was unusual for him.

Her brother was wary of her, and although she was annoyed by his words, he was actually right.

It's clearly a brutal world where demons devour people; if you think too idealistically, you'll only end up harming yourself and others.

"drive!"

Chen Mo flicked the reins, and with Lu Chengzhuang on horseback, they disappeared from sight in no time.

The girl with the bun hairstyle was left kneeling on the ground, stunned.

Perhaps because she heard Chen Mo's cruel words, the girl with the bun hairstyle actually cried, "Brother, he clearly saved me, why did he say such terrible things to me?"

Her brother came up and helped the girl with the bun up. "Perhaps what he said was the truth. This man is not hypocritical; he's a real man. If you really become his apprentice, I'll be relieved. It's a pity he left in a hurry and didn't think much of you. Let's go home."

The girl with the bun hairstyle pouted and followed along, looking aggrieved.

……

As they galloped out of Jiangkou Town, the two spirited horses raced through the rain, heading west.

Lu Chengzhuang caught up and said, "Left Envoy Chen, I'm not familiar with this area. This isn't a good way to travel; we might even backtrack without even realizing it."

Chen Mo said, "It's alright, I got a map from Master Zhou. After we pass the mountain pass ahead, there are three roads. We'll take the middle one and go for thirty li to reach the imperial road. If we follow the imperial road for three hundred li, we'll reach Ningdu County. We'll rest there."

"Left Envoy Chen is indeed meticulous. He still remembers the map."

"The red light police are gone, so don't call me Left Envoy Chen anymore. Just call me Young Master."

"Yes, young master. I feel that the image of the goddess in my sea of ​​consciousness has dimmed considerably. She may have been injured by Lord Bell. But it has only dimmed, not completely disappeared, so she was not killed. I wonder how Lord Bell is doing."

Chen Mo nodded noncommittally, "We can't worry about Lord Bell. The farther we run, the better."

The image of the goddess in his mind dimmed, and Chen Mo breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He made a preliminary judgment about the Empress's surveillance:

Unless the inner light is used, the Empress cannot immediately perceive the specific location.

But since the Empress's spirit has been preserved, she is capable of sensing things. However, there must be a limit. As long as one is outside that limit, the Empress cannot make a precise perception. Otherwise, Lord Bell wouldn't have gone to such lengths to slaughter the town and use the overwhelming resentment to attract the Empress.

As for the exact range, Chen Mo couldn't make a precise judgment, but he roughly estimated it to be around ten or twenty miles.

Besides, Chen Mo didn't know whether the Empress could sense her approximate location.

In any case, we need to settle down in the prefectural city first, and only after entering Tangjiabao will we be safe.

Tangjiabao is, after all, one of only two aristocratic families in the prefectural city, and it must contain powerful martial arts masters. Among these masters, there must be some who are not afraid of the Empress.

After running all day, the two finally reached the western edge of Dayu County at dusk and saw the boundary marker on the road.

The road was muddy and there were very few pedestrians.

There was a tea pavilion next to the boundary marker, where an old shopkeeper was brewing tea and offering some food.

Chen Mo looked around and said, "Let's go to the tea pavilion for a drink of water and some meat before we continue our journey. We'll also give the horses some fodder while we're at it."

Lu Chengzhuang nodded in agreement, dismounted, led the two horses to the teahouse, and called out, "Shopkeeper, do you have any fodder for the horses?"

The old shopkeeper immediately put down his work. "Yes, we have some. Although it's not the best fodder, it's enough to fill you up. If you give us some silver, we can add a few eggs. We guarantee the horse will be well-fed and have the energy to travel."

Lu Chengzhuang tossed down a piece of silver, saying, "My young master has no shortage of money. Feed the horses the best. Also, bring up any meat you have. We need to eat so we can get going."

"Alright, Ah Niu, quickly take the horse to feed the young hero, and remember to add plenty of chicken eggs." The old shopkeeper smiled as he took the silver coins, invited Chen Mo and the other man to sit down in an empty seat, and then went to fetch some food and hot tea.

After days of traveling, Chen Mo and his companion were starving and began to eat heartily.

Because the balance of his half-ghost state was disrupted, countless bizarre images flashed through Chen Mo's mind, leaving him somewhat disoriented. This caused his taste buds to reject cooked food, making him feel nauseous. He forced himself to eat a few large pieces of meat while pinching his nose.

The journey was incredibly taxing.

Lu Chengzhuang thought Chen Mo wouldn't be used to the coarse food here, so he comforted him, "The conditions here are simple, young master, please make do for now. When we get to Ningdu County, we'll find the best inn and rest for a few days."

Chen Mo definitely needs to recuperate and regain his balance. Otherwise, something bad will happen sooner or later.

But in his haste to continue his journey, Chen Mo didn't have time to think about such things. He ate several pieces of meat, feeling half full, and then summoned the old shopkeeper to inquire about Ningdu County. The old shopkeeper answered fluently, describing the local customs and traditions of Ningdu County, and finally added:
"Thanks to the protection of the Third Eunuch, our Ningdu County has enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests in recent years. Evil spirits from outside dare not enter the city. That's why I dare to come out of the city to do some business and make a living."

Chen Mo was taken aback: "Third Eunuch?"

Along the way, there was a lord in every county town.

So, in this sense, the Great Qian Dynasty is nominally under the control of the imperial court, but in reality... it has long been a realm ruled by evil spirits?

What kind of imperial court is this?

In his previous life, Chen Mo had read thousands of books and read tens of thousands of novels, yet he had rarely seen such a cowardly court.

It's really unfair to Li Qing, having to take the imperial examination.

Even if you become an official, you still have to act according to the whims of the evil god.
The old shopkeeper, of course, had no idea what Chen Mo was thinking, and kept praising the Third Eunuch.

Chen Mo became even more interested: "Does the shopkeeper worship the statue of the Third Eunuch in this tea pavilion?"

The old shopkeeper immediately became alert.

Chen Mo smiled and said, "Don't overthink it, shopkeeper. I'm just passing through and will be entering Ningdu County soon. I just wanted to pay my respects to the Third Eunuch so that he can protect me and ensure a safe journey."

Upon hearing this, the old shopkeeper finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I went out of the city to do some business, so naturally I paid my respects to the Third Eunuch. Young hero, you have experience in the martial world, so this is quite appropriate. Please come with me to offer incense to the Third Eunuch."

"it is good."

Chen Mo followed the old shopkeeper into the tea pavilion and saw an incense table with an incense burner on it. Behind the incense burner was a shrine. The shrine was open, and inside sat a smiling old man, looking incredibly kind. He seemed like a good person.

Chen Mo offered incense and, taking advantage of the old shopkeeper turning away, touched the portrait of the Third Eunuch.

The ghostly aura is very strong.

But it's not that strong. It can barely absorb a little incense offering.

A thought immediately flashed through Chen Mo's mind: Based on my experience, this Third Eunuch's cultivation should be at the peak of the Five Incense Sticks' time. If we plan properly... we can make it happen.

Just then, the old shopkeeper saw Chen Mo touching the statue of the Third Eunuch and was shocked. "Oh dear, young hero, you can't do this! This is offending the Third Eunuch."

Chen Mo stopped and smiled, "Shopkeeper, please don't overthink it. I just couldn't help but feel a sense of reverence for the Third Eunuch because he is so kind and benevolent. That's why I wanted to share in his good fortune. Please forgive me if I have broken any rules."

"I see... All that's needed is sincerity." The old shopkeeper wasn't angry; on the contrary, he found Chen Mo easy to talk to, young yet humble. "The Third Eunuch is naturally benevolent. After paying your respects to him, young hero's journey will be smooth sailing."

Chen Mo nodded in agreement, and as he walked out, he said, "After I enter the city, I would like to pay my respects at the altar of the Third Eunuch. Does the shopkeeper know where the altar is?"

The old shopkeeper enthusiastically introduced, "Once you enter the city, the largest temple on the west side is it. The villagers all know it; you can just ask around when you get there."

"Thank you for letting me know, I will remember it."

Leaving the inner room, Chen Mo returned to his seat to drink tea, waiting for the horse to finish its fodder before entering the city. In his mind, however, he was pondering how to get rid of that Third Eunuch at the Eunuch Temple…

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from the end of the road in the distance. Chen Mo glanced to the side and saw a beautiful woman in a purple silk dress riding on horseback, looking travel-worn. As the woman drew closer, Chen Mo was surprised to find that she looked four or five parts similar to Shao Siming, but was much more elegant and beautiful.

Having lived two lives, Chen Mo has seen countless beautiful women.

But this woman is in a league of her own.

Even the girls on Douyin (TikTok) can't be photoshopped to look like that.

The woman rode her horse to the outside of the teahouse, dismounted, and said in a pleasant voice, "Shopkeeper, a pot of tea, please."

After saying that, he sat down at the table next to Chen Mo.

When the old shopkeeper served her hot tea, the woman drank it very elegantly.

Seeing that Chen Mo was staring at the woman, Lu Chengzhuang asked, "Young Master Mo, why are you staring at her?"

Chen Mo said in a low voice, "Don't you think this person looks somewhat similar to Shao Siming?"

Lu Chengzhuang, however, disagreed. "There are plenty of people like this in this world. This person is clearly much more elegant than Shao Siming. Moreover, she has the demeanor of a chivalrous woman from the martial arts world, as well as the gentleness of a noble lady. If Young Master Mo wants to strike up a conversation but is too shy, I'll go and do it."

Chen Mo glared at him: "Don't cause trouble."

Just then, the woman in purple took a sip of tea and turned to look at Chen Mo and the other woman.

For some reason, Lu Chengzhuang immediately lowered his head and exclaimed to himself, "This woman is so beautiful... why am I blushing?"

……

In Dayu County, there is a temple dedicated to the Wolf Lord within the city.

The temple enshrines a Bodhisattva.

Pilgrims come and go in a constant stream, making the incense offerings very popular.

Little did they know that several wolf-headed, human-bodied ghosts lived behind the temple.

The leader was a silver werewolf, who sat in the chief seat and beckoned to two blue werewolves, "Go to Jiangkou Town and see why the master hasn't returned yet. Has something happened?"

A blue werewolf said, "Master, your skills are unparalleled. What could possibly happen to you? You'll just eat a few more babies."

Eh.

The silver werewolf said, “You don’t know this, but Lord Wolf took over this temple and stole Lord Fox’s incense after that old fox died. But Lord Fox has a daughter who is quite powerful, only slightly less so than Lord Wolf. We haven’t been in this place for long, and that female fox is still around, always plotting to harm our master. It’s not easy for us to take over this county, so we can’t afford any accidents.”

The two blue werewolves nodded in agreement and went out to look for the person.

The silver werewolf also instructed them, "Remember to disguise yourself, so no one can recognize you..."

"understood."

An echo came from outside.

With no outsiders around, the silver werewolf chuckled "hehehe".

"We used to be wandering ghosts, living a miserable life. Now we've finally entered the county town and have incense offerings. Our spiritual progress is fast. In another ten or eight years, I can be a ghost with four incense sticks. Hehe."

Just then, a cold voice came from outside.

"You probably won't live to see that day."

"Who?" The silver werewolf exclaimed in surprise, then saw a white-clad woman wielding a sword walk in. "You vixen, so it's you, you slut. Your father's long since died, yet you still dare to act so presumptuously here... Aren't you afraid of our Lord Wolf... Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, the silver werewolf was beheaded by the woman with a single sword stroke. Blood splattered everywhere, and he never came back to life.

"Sister, you did a good job cutting it!"

A young man in white rushed out, sword in hand, shouting, "This scoundrel has taken over our temple and even stole my father's incense offerings. He deserves to die!"

The woman said, "I've been waiting for this day for a long time. Just now, through the treasure left by my father, I sensed that Lord Wolf had been killed. That's why I dared to take action. From what they said, Lord Wolf went to Jiangkou Town to eat babies today, which is why he suffered this fate. Let's hurry to Jiangkou Town and find the benefactor who killed Lord Wolf."

The boy followed the woman out of the temple, stepped over the corpses of two blue werewolves, and asked, "Sister, what are we going to do to find that benefactor? The wolf lord is dead, so we can take back this temple and continue the incense offerings."

"idiot!"

The woman shouted, "I am only at the Great Perfection of the Four Pillars of Daoist Cultivation, and I am not qualified to enter a temple. I cannot absorb the incense offerings of an entire county. Otherwise, if the incense offerings are too abundant, I will die in a matter of minutes."

"What does that mean, elder sister?"

"If we find that benefactor, and if that benefactor is also a ghost, then we will enshrine the benefactor and let the benefactor absorb the incense offerings of Dayu County. In this way, Father's incense offerings will not be given to outsiders."

"What if that benefactor were a person?"

"We will also enshrine it as our protection and support, so that ghosts and monsters will not dare to approach and compete with us."

"Sister, you're being far too generous. Such a small offering is just going to benefit that benefactor?"

"What do you know? I'm still weak and need to grow. If our benefactor absorbs the offerings, we'll have protection too. We can absorb some of the offerings as well. Besides, our benefactor helped us avenge our family, shouldn't we make offerings to him?"

“Sister is right, we will listen to sister.”

Soon, the two arrived at Jiangkou Town. After a brief inspection, they noticed that the Zhou family's house was haunted. Upon entering the house, they found Zhou Ziliang packing his belongings, preparing to flee.

Zhou Ziliang could tell from their fierce and violent appearance that they were not to be trifled with that he was being questioned. Under their interrogation, he told them the truth.

The woman in white was overjoyed. "Master Zhou, could you please draw a picture of that young hero's appearance?"

Zhou Ziliang said, "I usually enjoy calligraphy and painting, so I can draw the appearance of that young hero."

"Shaoyun, get pen and ink for Master Zhou." The woman gave the order, and the boy named Shaoyun immediately found pen and ink and handed them to Zhou Ziliang.

Zhou Ziliang was terrified. The Zhou family had experienced too much that day, but he dared not disobey, so he drew a portrait of Chen Mo.

It's incredibly realistic.

The woman in white took the portrait, blew the ink off the Xuan paper, and said, "It's truly lifelike. Shaoyun, take this portrait and go to the city to find a skilled sculptor to carve a statue based on this image."

Shao Yun looked at the portrait: "This man is indeed handsome, but why is he bald? Master Zhou, are you sure the young hero is bald?"

Zhou Ziliang nodded firmly: "I'm sure."

"Okay." Shaoyun put away the portrait. "Sister, how big should the statue be?"

The woman in white said, "This statue is to be placed in the temple, and it should be five zhang in size."

"Yes."

Three days later.

In the temple of Lord Wolf, a new statue has been placed in the main hall.

It is five zhang tall.

It was Chen Mo's appearance.

He was fierce and handsome, but bald.

The woman in white dismissed the group of sculptors, stood in the center of the hall, and looked around with great satisfaction. "Apart from the lack of hair, it is quite dignified in other aspects. It is worthy of the worship of the people of Dayu County."

Shaoyun agreed, “But we have never met our benefactor and do not know his name. If the villagers come to offer incense, we must have a name for him. Otherwise, the villagers will not know who they are worshipping.”

The woman in white examined it for a while and said, "That's alright, let's set up incense first. This statue is painted gold, and our benefactor is bald... it must have been destined. Let's call our benefactor... Lord Golden Light. What do you think?"

Shaoyun muttered to herself, “I must say, it’s quite poetic. I think my sister’s name is well chosen.”

The woman in white said, "This temple can't be called Wolf Lord Temple anymore. Have the sculptor change the plaque to... Golden Light Temple. What do you think?"

Shao Yun was overjoyed: "Golden Light Temple, what a grand name! I'll go and make the arrangements right away."

The woman in white called out to Shao Yun, "Wait. The image of Lord Jin Guang has just been established. We should first pay our respects to our benefactor and offer him three sticks of incense to show our sincerity. Otherwise, our benefactor may blame us for not being sincere in the future."

Shao Yun nodded repeatedly: "Sister's consideration is very thorough."

The siblings offered three incense sticks to the Golden Light Lord, then knelt before his image and kowtowed in prayer.

"Master Jin Guang, my name is Shao Qiu. I was originally a fox spirit. My father helped Dayu County repair the dikes and solve the flood problem. My father received the prayers of the villagers, who offered incense to him. However, my father died of old age, and the Wolf Lord seized this temple. Only after you killed the Wolf Lord was I able to reclaim the temple. Without your permission, I have rashly entered the temple and worshipped you as a deity. Please do not blame me. I have been raising my younger brother alone for many years and really want to protect my father's family business, so I have used you as my protector. Please forgive me, Master Jin Guang."

After saying this, Shaoqiu began to kowtow frantically.

Shao Yun also kowtowed, saying, "If my benefactor wants to blame me, blame me, Shao Yun. Don't blame my elder sister; she has had it too hard."

After paying respects to the Golden Light Lord, Shaoqiu had the carving craftsman replace the plaque and then hung it on the temple gate.

Golden Light Temple.

Many villagers were quite surprised and gathered at the temple gate to discuss the matter.

Shaoqiu said, "From now on, we will not worship the Wolf Lord in Dayu County, but the Golden Light Lord. Those who come to the temple to offer incense today will be exempt from paying for incense."

The villagers were reluctant, not knowing who this Golden Light Lord was.

But the temple has existed for many years, and the villagers still hold it in high esteem. Whether the deity in the temple is a fox or a wolf, everyone believes it is very effective.

An old woman said, "Although I don't know where the Golden Light Lord comes from, since there's no charge for incense, I might as well go in and pay my respects. It's not like I'm losing any money."

Soon a second person chimed in, "Grandma's right, it won't hurt to offer a prayer. Let's go in and offer our prayers first."

"That's right, let's pray first, then we can save on incense money."

"I'll go as well."

"I'll go as well."

……

When Chen Mo saw the woman looking over, his heart trembled with fear.

It's so beautiful.

The woman in purple spoke calmly, "You two young heroes have come from the east, weary from your journey. Are you on your way to Ningdu County?"

Chen Mo nodded and hummed in agreement.

Being beautiful is one thing, but Chen Mo is about to flee, and with the balance of the half-ghost realm broken, he has no time to think about anything else. He just wants to get into Ningdu County, find a good inn to settle down, and recuperate. Then he can figure out how to restore the balance.

The woman in purple said, "I also come from the east and am heading to Ningdu County. Would it be possible for us to travel together?"

Chen Mo refused outright, saying, "We have urgent business to attend to and cannot travel together."

The woman hadn't expected Chen Mo to refuse so decisively.

It is rare.

Looking across the world, there aren't many people who dare to refuse themselves.

Fortunately, the woman quickly composed herself, adopting a somewhat submissive demeanor, "There are many ghosts and monsters in the mountains along this journey, and I am truly frightened to be alone. I see that you two young heroes are handsome and skilled. Please take me with you. I would be eternally grateful."

Nangong Ye swore that since he became the head of the group, he had almost never lowered his stance like this.

She had been following Chen Mo and his companion the whole way, hoping the zombie would catch up. Little did she know, these two were no pushovers either. They killed Master Wolf in Jiangkou Town, and the zombie had vanished without a trace.

Others may not know the zombie's original identity, but Nangong Ye does.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent a pawn to keep an eye on that zombie.

Thus, Nangong Ye deduced that these two people were the key to finding the zombie.

Chen Mo still did not agree, "It's not that I'm heartless, but I really have important matters to attend to and it's inconvenient for me to travel with others."

Chen Mo could tell that this woman possessed an extraordinary aura, clearly not an ordinary person. Otherwise... what girl would dare to travel alone on such a desolate road, braving the rain?

It's really weird.

During this time, Chen Mo also used his golden finger to examine the woman.

A patch of pockmarks.

Nothing can be seen.

This is highly abnormal in itself.

Click!

Chen Mo took a sip of tea, then put down the large bowl, stood up, and said, "Let's go."

"Yes."

Lu Chengzhuang got up and led the horses, which had eaten their fill. The two then dismounted and rode away in a cloud of dust.

Once they were some distance away, Lu Chengzhuang finally spoke up and asked, "It's reasonable for that woman to ask to travel together, so why is Young Master Mo so cold-hearted?"

Chen Mo said, "Such a big thing has happened in Honghe County, which has probably alarmed the experts in the surrounding counties. The scions of the powerful families in the prefectural city have probably been alerted as well. This woman... I think she is probably an expert. We don't need to cause any unnecessary trouble."

Lu Chengzhuang nodded in agreement, "Young Master Mo is indeed cautious. It's only right; I was overthinking it. Let's hurry into the city."

"drive!!"

The two ran all the way and finally entered Ningdu County before curfew.

We found a very grand inn called Feilai Inn to stay in. We didn't stay in some top-class room, but instead checked into a private courtyard.

The courtyard was originally intended by the manager to receive distinguished officials, but he couldn't resist the silver notes Chen Mo gave him, so he made an exception.

The two rested in the courtyard and took a nice hot bath.

Lu Chengzhuang settled into a side room, while Chen Mo entered the main room, closed the door, and sat down cross-legged.

puff.

A mouthful of blood spurted out.

My body was as cold as a block of ice.

"The wolf's corruption is getting stronger and stronger. He's even hallucinating. I need to use my blood fire to suppress it."

Chen Mo immediately activated his blood fire, but his skin could not turn red.

No matter how I try to stimulate my blood fire, my body remains completely cold.

"Could it be that my blood and fire are insufficient? Do I need to burn more blood?"

Bloodfire is a high-energy state above blood energy, born from igniting the bloodline of aristocratic families.

But once the bloodline is ignited, it's irreversible. It's like losing that part of the blood.

Therefore, not too much can be burned at once.

Once more than one-fifth of the body's blood volume is burned, shock and other conditions may occur, even endangering life.

Chen Mo gradually increased the proportion of blood that was burned.

Even when one-tenth of the body is burned, the body still hasn't regained its heat.

Continue to increase investment.

Finally, after burning nearly one-fifth of his blood, his body regained its temperature.

The corrosive effects brought by the wolf lord were gradually suppressed. The half-ghost's peace was restored.

call!
Chen Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I opened my eyes and found that it was already daylight outside.

As soon as he stood up, he felt dizzy and extremely weak. His body was about to give way, and he was on the verge of going into shock.

Chen Mo called out to Lu Chengzhuang outside the door, "Lu Chengzhuang, quickly go and buy me some medicinal herbs that can greatly replenish qi and blood, and they have to be expensive ones."

Lu Chengzhuang noticed that Chen Mo seemed a little weak, so he didn't dare to be careless and went to check on him immediately.

Before long, Lu Chengzhuang brought back the medicinal herbs, boiled them, and gave them to Chen Mo to eat.

The situation then began to improve.

Thus, Chen Mo stayed at the Flying Inn to recuperate for two days. After a period of intensive treatment with medicinal herbs to replenish his qi and blood, his condition finally improved. However, he was still very weak.

Chen Mo himself was a master of internal martial arts, and he knew that in his condition, it would be difficult to recover to his peak condition without ten days to half a month of intensive nourishment. So he gave all his silver notes to Lu Chengzhuang, asking him to continue buying medicinal herbs.

On the evening of the third day.

Chen Mo secluded himself in his room.

Suddenly, I realized that my natal incense had activated.

There is a very obvious incense, coming from a very distant place, infusing it into one's own natal incense.

This bizarre phenomenon greatly surprised Chen Mo.

"what happened?"

"I didn't absorb any incense offerings, so why is such a large amount of incense being poured into my natal incense? This feels... as if I'm being worshipped?"

(End of this chapter)