I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 74 He Worshipped the Wrong Evil God
Chen Mo fully activated the Mingyu Gong, guiding the surging true energy within his body through the Chong Meridian and finally focusing it on his arm, causing the muscles in his arm to taut as he slashed outwards!

Boom!

The two were already very close, and Xie Weng couldn't dodge. He used his arm to block the knife again, while opening his blood-red mouth to reveal sharp fangs and bite down hard on Chen Mo.

With a sudden, loud "thud," Xie Weng's arms were cleanly severed by the broadsword. The remaining force of the blade, undiminished, continued forward with a whistling wind, slamming into Xie Weng's neck.

A bloody human head flew two meters into the air, slamming against the living room wall before crashing down to the floor. The other half of Xie Weng's body was headless, with blood gushing from the severed neck, splattering crimson across the floor.

Although Xie Weng had lost his head, his body could still move, and he charged towards Chen Mo in a frenzied frenzy.

The situation was quite similar to that of Liu Mazi, whom I had encountered before.

However, the Mingyu Gong was far more damaging to evil spirits than the Fiery Palm. The severed body only managed to take two steps before it finally collapsed to the ground, where it remained motionless.

Clang!

Chen Mo sheathed his longsword. "The ghostly energy within this creature is slightly denser than that of Li Binghui. However, it still has a physical body, so its speed is not as fast as Li Binghui's, making it easier to deal with. Moreover, this Xie Weng has only recently been tainted by ghostly energy, and his self-awareness is not yet clear. In this respect, he is far inferior to Li Binghui."

Based on his experience fighting ghosts several times, Chen Mo analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of ghosts:
If the ghost doesn't possess a body, it will be incredibly fast. Driving it away is no problem, but killing it is extremely difficult. However, its weaknesses are also obvious: it is afraid of fire and strong light.

If possessed, a ghost is less afraid of fire and bright light. It can even mimic the voice of the possessed person, making it highly deceptive. However, if the ghost is identified, killing it becomes much easier.

"In comparison, possessed ghosts are easier to deal with."

Chen Mo snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at Xie Weng's abdomen.

Sure enough, a baby face appeared.

Open the panel, and a square appears on the baby's face with three black bars inside.

Subtitles also appeared at the same time.

[140g of absorbable original solution essence detected]

[Tip: The original solution can improve the reading level and enable modification functions]

【Absorbed? 】

Without a second thought, Chen Mo immediately formed an idea:
absorb!

hum!
As a wave of dizziness and discomfort washed over me, the subtitles changed.

[Absorption successful]

[Currently available original solution essence: 140]

[Consuming 1000 Original Essence will advance the Reading skill to Deconstruction]

[Current number of reads: 2]

[Currently modified feature: Available]

Looking at the data on the panel in front of him, Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief: the modification function was finally usable.

Just as Chen Mo was feeling satisfied with this, he suddenly felt a cold, ghostly aura flowing out from Xie Weng and into his own body.

"My body is spontaneously absorbing...ghost energy again!"

Unsurprisingly, this wisp of ghostly energy merged into his bloodline. To be precise, it merged into the drop of cursed blood within his bloodline.

After absorbing this wisp of ghostly energy, Chen Mo clearly felt his body become even colder.

It was ice cold, making me feel like I'd fallen into an ice cellar.

Chen Mo immediately activated the Bright Jade Skill, circulating his intensely hot true energy throughout his body, coursing it through his limbs and bones. As the intensely hot true energy continued to circulate, his body slowly regained its fiery heat.

Chen Mo stopped practicing his internal energy and let out a long sigh.

"Although I obtained 140 points of original essence, it would take 330 points of original essence to modify the Yin-Yang constitution that is compatible with Mingyu Gong. The difference is huge."

These kinds of ghosts aren't something you encounter every day.

If you miss tonight, you'll probably have to wait a while longer.

Chen Mo didn't want to wait, so he started thinking about where to absorb more of the original essence.

Go and absorb the ghostly aura of that white baby?
That's a good idea, but I wonder where Guo Ziyu chased after that baby.

and many more……

Chen Mo suddenly turned his gaze to the corpses of Old Xie and his wife at the entrance of the living room.

"Everyone in this house must be infected with madness. And they all have three black limbs. Xie Weng's two friends must have been eaten by Xie Weng. Then what about Old Xie and his wife..."

Chen Mo rushed over to check and, sure enough, saw two baby faces among the body parts. He then opened the panel.

Three black bars.

[120g of absorbable original solution essence detected]

[120g of absorbable original solution essence detected]

really……

Chen Mo felt a surge of joy and immediately had an idea:

"absorb!"

He absorbed another 200 points of original essence in one go, bringing his total to 380 points.

"That's enough to modify the Yin-Yang constitution. That's it!"

Just as Chen Mo was about to leave the living room, he suddenly remembered something and looked back at the shadow window.

Perhaps the ghostly energy controlling the shadow puppet dissipated as the baby left, causing the shadow puppet to stop moving.

But a question arose in Chen Mo's mind:
Why is this baby so interested in shadow puppetry?

While it's understandable that ghosts enjoy watching a show, the baby's expression at the time was clearly one of intense engagement, which is a bit illogical...

Following this line of reasoning, Chen Mo continued to ponder and suddenly a bold idea came to mind: Could there be some connection between this shadow puppet show and the baby?
After some careful deduction, Chen Mo came to a complete conclusion: Old Xie brought in a shadow puppet show from outside and put it on display for everyone. Was it this shadow puppet show that attracted the ghost baby that should have been staying in Qinghe Town? And then Old Xie's whole family suffered the consequences.

Although there is no evidence to prove all of this yet, Chen Mo has a strong feeling that it is very likely true.

The key lies in shadow puppetry!
"I need to take this shadow puppet show back and study it."

With this in mind, Chen Mo immediately returned to the shadow window, tidied up all the puppets and tools, including the shadow window itself, and packed them into the toolbox.

"Huh? Why can't I find the genealogy?"

They searched the entire house but couldn't find the opera score.

Concerned about Guo Ziyu's safety, Chen Mo had no choice but to give up and leave with his toolbox.

"I wonder how things are going with Guo Ziyu. If we can capture that baby, we might be able to find out where this shadow puppet show came from..."

When Chen Mo stepped out of the living room and into the courtyard, he sensed a sinister, ghostly aura still permeating the house.

"To prevent other villagers from accidentally entering this place and being tainted by the ghostly aura, the house had to be burned down to eliminate the potential danger. In this way, when Guo Songyang asked about it later, I considered that I had handled it properly."

Now that Chen Mo has joined the Black Mountain Stronghold, he can no longer act solely based on his own preferences; he must also consider the Black Mountain Stronghold's stance and influence.

He gathered some dry firewood in the yard, piled it in the living room, and then placed Old Xie's body on top of the firewood.

"Your bodies should have been properly buried, but you were infected with madness, and the symptoms were quite severe. If we buried you in the ground, it might infect the surrounding villagers, so we had to cremate you. May you be reborn into a better life next time."

Chen Mo bowed, then took out a tinderbox and lit the firewood. With a "sizzle," the flames shot up and burned brighter and brighter until the entire house was engulfed in flames.

Seeing the flames soaring into the sky, Chen Mo left the courtyard and walked along the ridge of the field.

Dark clouds shrouded the moon in the sky, and Qinghe Town to the east was shrouded in mist.

There wasn't a soul in sight; where could Guo Ziyu have gone?
Chen Mo called Guo Ziyu's name around, but received no response, so he picked up his large toolbox and waited on the edge of the field.

Guo Ziyu was no ordinary disciple in the village; she was a steward comparable to the head of the inn, so she couldn't possibly be unable to handle even an infant.

It's highly likely that the ghost baby ran too fast, making it difficult for Guo Ziyu to catch up.
After waiting for quite a while without seeing Guo Ziyu, Chen Mo felt he couldn't keep waiting any longer. He carried the large suitcase and slowly walked towards Qinghe Town in the east.

He vaguely remembered that Guo Ziyu had said that the ghost baby had escaped from Qinghe Town.

Guo Ziyu has most likely chased after him to Qinghe Town.

Master Xie had previously speculated that the source of the madness was in Li Village, Qinghe Town. It's possible the source of that baby's illness was also in Li Village.

Chen Mo had long been curious about Li Village in Qinghe Town and had the idea of ​​going there to find out more.

Admittedly, Chen Mo knew Qinghe Town was dangerous and didn't intend to enter the town at the moment. However, he planned to check the outer perimeter and search for Guo Ziyu. Chen Mo felt he could handle things on the outskirts of Qinghe Town.

After walking only two miles, they saw that the surroundings were shrouded in thick fog. Even with all six senses activated, Chen Mo's visibility was only forty or fifty meters.

Chen Mo drew his knife and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

As they drew closer to Qinghe Town, they were shocked to find that the surrounding fog had thickened, reducing visibility to less than thirty meters. Moreover, this fog was filled with a faint ghostly aura.

Ordinary people would naturally feel uncomfortable when faced with such ghostly aura.

However, since Chen Mo had a drop of ghost blood in his body, he didn't feel any discomfort.

After walking several hundred meters further, Chen Mo saw a towering black shadow, about five or six zhang tall, blocking the middle of the road. Its dark presence created a great sense of oppression.

Chen Mo instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword, circulated his inner energy, and stared intently at the tall, dark figure.

It's square and upright; it looks like a stone gate.
Out of curiosity, Chen Mo walked a short distance forward and finally saw the dark figure clearly. It was indeed a tall stone gate made of marble, with three large scarlet characters written on the horizontal plaque above the gate: Qinghe Town.

The vertical plaque on the left reads four large scarlet characters: "No Entry for Strangers".

On the right side, four large scarlet characters are written: "No living person allowed to leave."

Moss and grime have grown on the marble, and the inscriptions have become somewhat blurred due to the erosion of time. It is clear that this stone door has existed for many years and was not carved recently.

Then the problem is coming...

Has Qinghe Town always had this stone gate?

A town with a history spanning hundreds of years, it couldn't have been haunted in the beginning, could it?

Even before the town was haunted, were these inscriptions still there? That's rather creepy.

How did such a town come into existence in the first place?

Even though Chen Mo possessed ghost blood and was no longer afraid of ordinary ghosts, he still felt an instinctive sense of dread when gazing at the stone gate. It was as if he would encounter a great terror if he truly crossed this gate.

Chen Mo didn't take such an unnecessary risk. He placed the large box in the middle of the road, sat down on it, and quietly waited while circulating his inner energy.

A chilling wind howled from both sides, filling the air with an eerie atmosphere. Occasionally, hoarse, low howls of ghosts and wolves could be heard coming from inside the stone gate, which was quite terrifying.

Chen Mo stared intently at the stone gate, thinking to himself: "Once I've learned my skills, I must go to the town and find out what's going on. If I find that yellow-robed infant and deal with him, maybe my madness will be cured. There's no need to tolerate any ghost blood."

Furthermore, my current state of living in fear is all because of that yellow-robed infant...

After an unknown amount of time, a red light appeared behind the stone gate, slowly approaching it.

brush!
Chen Mo immediately stood up, held his knife forward, and stared intently at the red light.

Before long, the red light drew closer, and Chen Mo could see clearly... it was Guo Ziyu carrying a revolving lantern who came out.

Despite having experienced being possessed by a ghost, Chen Mo still dared not relax. He pointed his knife at Guo Ziyu, about to ask her to verify the information from before.

Guo Ziyu gave Chen Mo a speechless sideways glance, "Have you dealt with Xie Weng?"

Upon hearing this, it was clear that Guo Ziyu was an expert, and she took the initiative to compare the information.

Chen Mo then sheathed his knife. "It's all taken care of. The house was burned down. There are no remaining hidden dangers. What about the ghost baby?"

Guo Ziyu said listlessly, "That ghost baby ran very fast and entered the core area of ​​Qinghe Town. I couldn't do anything about it. But it served as a warning to the other party, telling them not to come out and do evil again."

Chen Mo was shocked upon hearing this.

Is this baby ghost really that powerful?

Even Guo Ziyu, the person in charge, couldn't do anything about it?

Seeing Guo Ziyu leave in low spirits, Chen Mo picked up the large suitcase and followed, "Have you asked about the origin of that ghost baby shadow puppet show?"

Guo Ziyu said listlessly, "I've already asked," and then quickened her pace.

Chen Mo would not let the opportunity slip by. "Please tell me more, Miss Ziyu."

Guo Ziyu suddenly turned her head to look at Chen Mo and saw that Chen Mo was carrying a large box. "You are thoughtful, you even brought out the shadow puppet props."

Chen Mo showered her with compliments, "Since this is the first time Miss Ziyu has taken me out on a mission, I naturally need to be thorough and considerate. I wonder what that little devil baby said?"

Guo Ziyu nodded slightly, "This matter is something only the village leaders would know about, but seeing how intelligent and thoughtful you are, I thought it wouldn't hurt to tell you..."

After listening to Guo Ziyu's account, Chen Mo finally understood the whole story.

Three days ago, Mr. Xie returned from learning shadow puppetry outside and planned to promote it in his hometown. To this end, he specially brought back two helpers, preparing to perform several shadow puppet shows in Wuqiao Town to make a living.

Unfortunately, their shadow puppets were damaged halfway through.

Making a new set of shadow puppets involves a very complex process, requiring steps such as selecting the leather, preparing the leather, drawing the design, transferring the design, carving, applying color, sweating and ironing, and stitching.

It will take several months to adjust the levels before and after.

Unable to wait any longer, Xie Weng took the little money he had left and went to the black market in Xueling to buy an old set of shadow puppets. After everything was prepared, the first thing Old Xie thought of was inviting Chen Rong'an, an elder from Wuqiao Town, to his home to watch the performance.

If Chen Rong'an could earn the praise of the village elders, a simple shout from him would be a huge boost to his publicity.

Unexpectedly, an accident occurred during the shadow puppet show performance.

The ghost baby wandered around Qinghe Town and suddenly heard the sound of instruments from a shadow puppet show coming from Old Xie's house. It was attracted to the sound... and then the following events occurred.

As for Xie Weng's two assistants, they were eaten by Xie Weng...

After listening to Guo Ziyu's story, Chen Mo felt a pang of sadness.

It turns out there's something wrong with this shadow puppet show.

This largely matches Chen Mo's previous deductions.

Chen Mo had one more question: Guo Ziyu was able to extract so much crucial information from that ghost baby, so why couldn't she kill the ghost baby?

Although Guo Ziyu didn't say it, Chen Mo deduced the answer: there was something in Qinghe Town that was restricting Guo Ziyu.

Seeing that Guo Ziyu was in a hurry and clearly didn't want to say more, Chen Mo didn't ask any further questions.

The two hurried back to Fu Huo Village just before midnight.

The lights in the manor were already off, and the front yard was pitch black. The faint sound of the workers snoring could be heard coming from the large communal sleeping area.

The lights were still on in the inner courtyard, but Guo Songyang was still sitting in the living room smoking a pipe, clearly not very at ease about Guo Ziyu's trip.

The two entered the living room and greeted Guo Songyang.

Guo Ziyu recounted the events in detail, and at the end, she didn't forget to praise Chen Mo for being very meticulous.

Guo Songyang listened attentively, then nodded to Chen Mo, "It's your first time going out, so you should be careful and thorough. Even the most skilled person cannot be careless when facing ghosts. Leave this box here, and you can go and rest now."

Chen Mo cupped his hands and said, "Master Guo, could I have this box to study for a few days?"

Guo Songyang remained expressionless and coldly said, "Every time the village goes out to deal with strange incidents, they must record the details afterwards, and all kinds of tools confiscated must be recorded and stored in a unified warehouse."

Chen Mo really didn't want to let this opportunity slip by: "I suspect that this ghost baby is related to shadow puppetry. If we can find the script and origin of the shadow puppetry, we might be able to find out the origin of the ghost baby."

Guo Songyang did not agree immediately, but turned to look at Guo Ziyu in the side seat.

Guo Ziyu said, "Okay."

"Thank you, Master Guo, and thank you, Miss Ziyu." Chen Mo said his thanks, then carried the large box out the door.

After Chen Mo left, Guo Songyang breathed a sigh of relief. "This guy is still fixated on the source of the madness. Little does he know that the more he knows, the more dangerous it becomes."

Guo Ziyu said calmly, "Which young man isn't like that? You were the same way back then, but as you got older, your ambition faded a lot. You also became more and more disappointed with Honghe County. It's a good thing that young people have drive."

Guo Songyang took a puff of his pipe, and a rare smile appeared on his lips as he reminisced about his youth. "That's true. Miss sees things very clearly. I'm getting old, and I've lost that adventurous spirit. By the way, have you noticed anything amiss with Chen Mo?"

Guo Ziyu glanced outside the door and saw that Chen Mo had gone to the west wing before saying, "This person cannot light the blood incense of the Red Lantern Goddess."

hiss!
The usually indifferent Guo Songyang sat up straight, his eyes unusually bright: "How is that possible? Even if he's a symbiote, he shouldn't be unable to light the Goddess's blood incense. Anyone, even a ghost, who worships the Red Lantern Goddess can light the blood incense... Could it be?"

Finally, Guo Songyang suddenly turned his head and stared at Guo Ziyu, his face showing horror.

Guo Ziyu nodded, "He worshipped the wrong evil god!"

Guo Songyang was greatly alarmed: "But he was the one Li Yuanlong led into the door... Could it be that Li Yuanlong didn't have him worship the Red Lantern Goddess?"

Guo Ziyu nodded emphatically: "I only knew that Li Yuanlong was wicked and might not be sincere towards Her Majesty. I didn't expect Li Yuanlong to be so bold... to actually have Chen Mo worship that spirit infant in private! What exactly does Li Yuanlong want to do?"

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.: Two chapters totaling 10,000 words, continuing with 10,000 words daily, please vote with monthly tickets!
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