Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

Yan Zhengchu's words gave Ren Fengjue much to think about.

First of all, the "Battle of Kyoto" he mentioned occurred fifty years ago.

If the person who asked the question that day was only ten years old at the time, he would be in his sixties or seventies now.

However, he now looks only slightly older than Yan Zhengchu.

Is it due to some kind of anti-aging technique? Or is there another reason?

Secondly, judging from the age of Ren Yao, the younger uncle, Tian Wen should have been expelled from the sect long ago when he entered Yunhe Mountain.

How did he learn about Ren Yao's affairs?

While Ren Fengjue harbored doubts, "Heavenly Questions" also spoke up.

He sneered, "Master has been dead for over a decade. Who still remembers those old, trivial matters?"

"In another two or three years, when my mediocre junior brother is no longer capable, Yunhe Mountain will probably have to ask me to go back."

"Junior nephew, is what your senior uncle said correct?"

Yan Zhengchu was displeased to hear him belittle his master like that, and immediately retorted, "My master is in good health. Not to mention two or three years, even if it's twenty or thirty years, it won't be a problem for you."

"You, who have been expelled from the sect, have no right to go back?"

"As long as I am here at Yunhe Mountain, this will never happen."

"Tianwen" remained leisurely, gazing at the Gu worm in the box and gently teasing it, while saying, "Junior nephew, if I am not mistaken, Yunhe Mountain was recently robbed of twelve Soul Nourishing Pearls by ghosts."

"Yunhe Mountain, which has always claimed to be committed to 'catching ghosts and exorcising evil spirits,' actually allows a ghost to come and go freely."

"If this gets out, people will laugh their heads off!"

These words startled Yan Zhengchu, and his face turned pale and then flushed.

The master had only told him about the ghost stealing the pearl.

He was sent down the mountain to search for the pearl, a private instruction given without anyone else present at the time.

How did Tianwen learn of this?

After a moment's thought, he suddenly understood and immediately said, "I've always had doubts about the ghost stealing the pearl, but after hearing what you've said today, I understand now."

"The Soul-Nourishing Pearl has always been kept in the secret room where Master was in seclusion. Grandmaster once set up a forbidden spell in front of the door. Now, in Yunhe Mountain, only Master and I know about the forbidden spell. We forgot about you, Uncle-Master."

"So, you were the one who interfered, helping that ghost steal the Soul-Nourishing Pearl, right?"

Upon hearing this, "Tianwen" laughed again: "You're not entirely stupid, but unfortunately you have no evidence, so you can't really pin this on me."

Yan Zhengchu grew increasingly angry and was about to say something in retaliation when a voice suddenly came from the side.

"If you're going to fight, then fight! Why all the nonsense?"

"..."

Xia Ximo, who had been listening silently, suddenly spoke up. She gave "Tianwen" a cold look: "You don't look much better than this Taoist priest surnamed Yan."

"Even if you were to go back and guard the gate, you might not be of any use."

Seeing her contemptuous gaze and her arrogant tone, Tianwen was also very annoyed.

Of all these people, she was the one with the most mysterious background and the most difficult to deal with.

and…

Just now, she seemed to be emanating a ghostly aura.

How could a mortal possess the aura of the underworld?

Yan Zhengchu was quite surprised to hear Xia Ximo speak up for him.

After all, the two of them usually don't get along, but unexpectedly, they are on the same side at this crucial moment.

He suddenly became assertive: "I think Miss Xia is right, we won't hire you to guard the gate!"

"Tianwen" had a gloomy expression, but he just stared at Xia Ximo without answering.

He raised his hand to calculate, and after a moment, he gave a strange smile.

A person born in a yin year, yin month, and yin hour, possessing a pure yin constitution, has already reached the end of their yang lifespan.

Could it be…

"I find this young lady's identity strange; she doesn't seem like a 'guest from the human world.'"

"If I'm not mistaken, this body isn't your original form either, is it?"

"Tianwen" thought that if he said these words, he would see the other party's panicked expression.

The result was a stagnant silence.

Xia Ximo remained unfazed and even retorted sarcastically, "You dare ask about my identity?"

Ren Fengjue, who was about to speak up for her, smiled and his eyes lit up when he heard her words.

"Tianwen" was choked by her words.

Yan Zhengchu pondered for a moment, then glanced at Xia Ximo.

He noticed something was off about her when they first met.

Along the way, her fate was extraordinary, full of mysteries, and she inexplicably "came back to life" several times, which is really hard to explain.

But he never considered whether the problem lay in the body or in the soul within.

Hearing Tianwen say this, the fog in my heart gradually dissipated, and I vaguely began to find the answer.

But Yan Zhengchu quickly realized what was going on and retorted, "Your own heart is wicked, so of course you see everyone as having an evil aura."

"Miss Xia is the daughter of a national protector general. How dare you criticize her?"

"Tianwen" immediately glanced at him and had no choice but to turn its attention back to him.

"Hopelessly stupid."

Yan Zhengchu didn't engage in verbal sparring. He sheathed his jade sword and stepped forward bare-handed. At first glance, it seemed he wanted to capture this traitor from Yunhe Mountain alive and cleanse his sect.

At this moment, "Heavenly Questions" possessed the town official Li Cheng, so it was naturally not as "useful" as the original body.

Li Cheng was stout and clumsy, and in terms of martial arts skills, he was definitely inferior to Yan Zhengchu.

Yan Zhengchu's move may seem reckless, but he was actually quite clear-headed.

He knew that if it came down to a magical contest, he would definitely lose to Tianwen.

My senior master is cunning and treacherous, and he practices evil and crooked methods.

We must never confront them head-on.

The only chance of winning is to lower the opponent's guard first, and then, at the most crucial moment, break the forbidden technique he specializes in using the method taught by his master.

He had discussed this with Ren Fengjue before entering the cave…

Xia Ximo could tell at a glance that Yan Zhengchu was no match for the old Taoist priest. Seeing the two fighting evenly in the cave, he was in no hurry to make a move.

Inside the Soul-Crossing Lamp, Zeng Xiao's ghost is still weeping for her sister's death.

Wuyou tried to comfort her: "She's using her body to nourish the Gu worms; she doesn't have many days left to live anyway..."

Halfway through his sentence, he seemed to realize that something was amiss.

Zeng Xiao cried even more bitterly.

Wuyou could only say, "Don't worry, this old Taoist priest won't survive either..."

Zeng Xiao then stopped crying and said softly, "But I see that the young Taoist priest is no match for this old Taoist priest. Could it be...?"

Wuyou said confidently, "If we can't beat them, the Soul Ferryman will definitely intervene."

Zeng Xiao nodded hesitantly.

Looking at the battle situation again, "Tianwen" was exhausted by Yan Zhengchu's entanglement, so he simply chanted a spell to activate the twin Gu and rouse the surrounding insect swarm.

The corpse worms that had been repelled surged back up again under the instigation of the Gu King.

Upon seeing this, Yan Zhengchu knew he couldn't wait any longer and immediately shouted, "Young Marquis!"