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

Ren Fengjue's eyelids twitched suddenly, and when he looked up at the tree again, Xia Ximo had already disappeared.

He thought he was seeing things, so he quickly went forward to take a look, and a chill ran down his spine.

The person has truly disappeared.

"Miss Mo!"

Yuwen Ji, who was standing to the side, was also surprised when he heard this. He glanced around and looked across the entire graveyard, but there was no one there.

She vanished into thin air too?

"Could it be... that Zhai Hui wasn't lying to me? The sect leader really just disappeared like that?"

Ren Fengjue was still unwilling to give up and searched the graveyard again and again. Suddenly, something fell from a tree and almost hit him.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a black lotus lantern.

He quickly stepped forward to pick it up and asked the spirit inside, "Where's the Ink Bone?"

Wuyou, who was originally in a daze, suddenly felt a pure yang energy enveloping the lamp, and his entire soul instantly became clear.

"Just now... it felt like a force threw me, lamp and soul, right out of my body..."

Ren Fengjue knew that Xia Ximo always carried the Soul-Crossing Lamp with her, so he asked, "Has she already entered the barrier?"

Wuyou said, "Yes, this barrier is hidden inside this tree..."

"Then do you know how to enter that barrier?"

Wuyou honestly replied, "I don't know."

Upon hearing this, even the usually composed Ren Fengjue couldn't help but show a hint of anxiety on his face.

Yuwen Ji, who was standing blankly to the side, was also puzzled when he saw Ren Fengjue talking to himself in front of the black lotus lamp.

Suddenly, he thought of Zhan Yi, who had once talked to himself late at night…

However, Yuwen Ji at that time did not believe in ghosts or gods at all, and only regarded it as Zhan Yi's hobby.

Looking back now, however, there is another answer.

"It suddenly occurred to me, Master Zhan..."

Yuwen Ji carefully considered his words before speaking, but hesitated.

Ren Fengjue, unwilling to let any clue slip by, immediately asked, "What happened to Hall Master Zhan?"

"I don't know if my guess is right, but I've seen it many times. Master Zhan talks to himself late at night, as if he's accompanied by ghosts..."

Ren Fengjue was slightly surprised.

During this time, he had been dealing with ghosts, and he knew that ordinary people could not see ghosts at all, let alone talk to them.

Unless it's due to the influence of Yin energy, or the use of magic...

He asked, "Senior Yuwen, do you mean that Master Zhan can see ghosts?"

Yuwen Ji dared not make a hasty judgment, and only said, "It is just a speculation, because I have seen it more than once, at least ten times in the past ten years."

"I thought he just liked to talk to himself."

The time span is too long, and the exact circumstances surrounding Zhan Yi at that time cannot be confirmed…

Is he talking to the same ghost, or a different ghost?

If it's the same ghost, then this ghost has been following him for at least ten years.

Ten years is such a long time. Apart from evil spirits and demons, ordinary ghosts would probably have been scattered to the winds long ago...

Thinking of this, Ren Fengjue frowned and wondered if Zhan Yi, like Zhong Yi, had long been colluding with evil spirits.

If that's the case, Xia Ximo's situation within the barrier must be extremely dangerous...

"Senior Yuwen, I might need your help right now."

Yuwen Ji knew that this matter involved many things and was extremely troublesome; he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to get anywhere with his own efforts.

"Please speak freely..."

Ren Fengjue said, "I'd like to trouble you to make a trip and pick someone up for me."

In this situation, Yan Zhengchu still needs to make a trip.

He told Yuwen Ji the location of King Wu's manor in the suburbs and instructed him to drive there directly to pick him up.

To prevent Zhao Wan and the others from disbelieving him, they gave him the jade pendant they always carried with them.

Yuwen Ji glanced at the surname carved on the jade tablet and, combined with the rumors circulating in the court and among the people, was able to immediately determine the other party's identity.

"I never imagined that one day I would be called 'senior' by the 'Living Yama'..."

Even after his identity was exposed, Ren Fengjue remained humble and even bowed to him, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Senior Yuwen."

Yuwen Ji chuckled and immediately cracked the whip: "I will certainly not fail your trust."

Watching the other person's figure disappear into the distance, Ren Fengjue returned to the tree and began to ponder the various entanglements involved.

Before Zhan Yi disappeared, Jiang Ting had sent him a message, and it is unknown what kind of relationship exists between them.

But one thing is clear: all the various forces in the entire northern territory have been firmly in the hands of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

He seemed to be plotting something.

Could it be... that they want to rebel?

Thinking of this, Ren Fengjue couldn't help but tighten his grip on the lotus lantern in his hand.

At that moment, Wuyou, who was inside the lamp, suddenly spoke: "I just saw... a face that looks exactly like yours inside the barrier."

Ren Fengjue was startled. "What do you mean?"

Wuyou said, "If I'm not mistaken, that is precisely the missing piece of your soul."

"..."

Ren Fengjue was stunned for a moment, unable to react.

Is the missing piece of his soul within the barrier?

Wuyou sighed and said, "Like you, the Soul Ferryman has no memories of his past life, but I have a feeling that Mogu will be able to remember soon."

"Perhaps this is the meaning behind the fragment of your soul that you left behind."

These words left Ren Fengjue even more at a loss for words.

He asked cautiously, "You mean, the one inside is me too?"

Wuyou said, "I suppose so..."

"..."

Ren Fengjue waited under the tree, pondering the consequences, until dawn.

However, neither Xia Ximo emerged from the barrier nor Yuwen Ji brought Yan Zhengchu...

But then they encountered Yao Guang, the Shadow Guard.

Surprisingly, Yao Guang, who was always so dashing and heroic, was now covered in blood, as if she had just crawled out of a pile of corpses.

Ren Fengjue had known her for so long, but this was the first time he had ever seen her so disheveled.

"What's wrong with you?"

Yao Guang's expression was grave: "My lord, those Di people are indeed hiding inside the Thousand Caves, but right now, something even more troublesome has happened."

"What?"

"Around midnight last night, many 'corpses' suddenly appeared outside Liangzhou City, injuring people everywhere. Liangzhou City has now been sealed off."

Ren Fengjue was startled again. "Where did this corpse come from?"

Yao Guang shook her head: "It's like it suddenly crawled out of the ground, biting people indiscriminately. Many people died outside the city, and people inside the city were also in a state of panic."

"Moreover, according to reports from our informants outside the Wu King Manor, something may have happened to Princess Feng Hua as well. Two hours ago, a group of Wan Ting soldiers went there. Judging from their demeanor, it didn't seem like they were inviting someone, but rather like they were arresting someone."

Such a big change happened in just one night?

Ren Fengjue's expression was solemn. Although he was concerned about Xia Ximo, he needed to deal with the current matter more.

After a moment's thought, he had no choice but to leave the lotus lantern under the tree and entrust the spirit inside to guard it there.

As dawn broke in the east, the city of Liangzhou underwent a dramatic transformation.