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

The figure in the pool was fiery red, rising slowly to the surface with an air of disdain for all things.

The people on the shore paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

He then realized that the body he had just dragged into the water was just a shell.

But this wisp of ghost before him was the formidable enemy he truly needed to confront.

"Who are you?"

He opened his mouth and asked a question.

However, the other person merely glanced at him coldly: "Taking someone else's things without permission is not considered borrowing."

"That's called stealing."

"How ugly must you have been originally to need to borrow someone else's face?"

Upon hearing this, anger instantly filled his eyes, and his handsome face began to blur and distort.

The next second, he transformed into a humanoid black shadow. Although he had no face, he still looked extremely ferocious and terrifying.

The woman in the pool scoffed, "As expected, she's an ugly thing."

Enraged, the dark figure suddenly opened its blood-red maw and let out a howl.

A cloud of black mist began to swirl on the surface of the pool, like dark clouds before a heavy rain, enveloping the entire sky.

In an instant, the black mist transformed into countless ghostly hands, carrying a corrosive quality, and swiftly swept towards the woman in the pool.

This momentum appears grand and imposing.

However, the crimson shadow in the pool merely smiled contemptuously, "Trying to eat me?"

The ghostly hand immediately covered her inch by inch, attempting to devour the souls of mortals and claim them as its own.

However, the red figure was burning hot, how could it possibly be swallowed?

In no time, they retreated in disarray.

But by then, it was too late to escape.

The woman in the pool quickly raised her hands, and the marks between her eyebrows and the corners of her eyes became even redder.

As murderous intent surged within him, the water in the pool also rose.

The skeletons that had been sleeping at the bottom of the pool seemed to be summoned and rose to the surface one by one.

Her eyes were cool and clear, and her slender fingers fluttered like butterflies.

As if guided, the skeletons flew into the air, blocking the shadowy figure's path from all directions.

Treat them as they treat you.

The white bones trapped the black shadow within, just as it devoured those souls, slowly consuming it.

The shadowy figure tried to struggle, but it couldn't move at all and could only let out a painful roar.

The ten fingers clenched together, the bones shattered instantly, and after sinking to the bottom of the water, the hot spring water instantly turned into blood.

One by one, wandering spirits began to float out, mingling with the smoke inside the pavilion.

Upon seeing the strange phenomenon, Yan Zhengchu and Bai Qingshuang, who were locked in combat nearby, also looked over and were both taken aback.

Concerned for Xia Ximo's safety, Yan Zhengchu immediately called out, "Miss Xia?"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Bai Qingshuang raised her foot and kicked him out of the pavilion.

Standing by the pool, Wuyou stared at the pool of blood and cried out, "It's all over now! Your body is still in there!"

"The yin energy inside is so heavy, the soul and body have separated, there's no hope!"

"I finally managed to ferry a few souls across, and now it's all for nothing! Aaaaaah!"

Floating on the shore, "Xia Ximo" merely glanced at it indifferently: "So noisy."

Wuyou almost gritted her teeth: "Do you want to go back to the Nine Netherworlds to be a prisoner of souls? How does it feel to be in that frigid land? A hundred years! A hundred years! You want to stay for another hundred years?"

She was silent for a moment.

Since there was no way to turn back, I might as well resolve another problem before leaving.

As soon as she had this thought, she was about to chase after Bai Qingshuang when she saw a familiar figure hurriedly walk into the pavilion.

"Miss Xia?"

He was calling her name.

Xia Ximo immediately froze in mid-air.

Something seemed to touch my heart.

She hadn't been in the human world for long, but she seemed to have gotten used to the name and the man in front of her.

"Ren Fengjue".

At this moment, they are one soul and one body, unable to look at each other or speak.

He could no longer see her or hear her.

But she could clearly see the expression on his face and the emotions in his eyes.

There is worry, anxiety, and panic.

These emotions were somewhat rare on his usually calm and composed face.

She suddenly felt a little dazed.

At this moment, Wuyou disregarded everything and jumped into the pool, using her soul power to lift Xia Ximo's body out of the water.

Ren Fengjue, who was on the shore, also saw her body. His expression was terribly solemn. He didn't care at all that the body had just been soaked in blood, and he took her into his arms.

He seemed to want to save her in the same way he had done before.

Xia Ximo's heart skipped a beat.

Wuyou looked helpless: "It seems that even Ren Fengjue can't save you this time..."

She didn't reply, but suddenly footsteps came from outside the door.

Wuyou realized it was Yan Zhengchu and, to prevent her soul from being discovered, directly sent her into the Soul-Crossing Lamp.

The building was sealed off for investigation.

Yu Lang, Guan Yue, and the others saw Ren Fengjue carrying someone out of the building from a distance.

They stepped forward and took a look, but didn't dare to ask any more questions.

But as someone who deals with murder cases year-round, he could tell at a glance that the situation was unclear.

And it is highly likely that the person is already dead.

They had never seen such an expression on Lord Ren's face before, and they couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.

Therefore, when Ren Fengjue carried the person directly into the carriage, they didn't dare to ask a single question.

I even think that this is probably a manifestation of "deep affection"?

Ren Fengjue thought that as long as he held on and didn't let go...

She will probably wake up slowly, just like the previous two times.

The carriage traveled all the way, but the body in her arms remained cold, and she could not sense any sign that it was coming back to life.

The entire journey was speechless.

Yan Zhengchu, sitting to the side, also had mixed feelings.

During his fight with Bai Qingshuang, he didn't even notice when Xia Ximo left.

And why did he fall into that pool of water?

Finally, Ren Fengjue spoke up and asked, "Besides Manager Bai, were there any other evil entities inside the Tongtian Pavilion just now?"

Yan Zhengchu answered in a low voice, "I was entangled with the evil creature at the time and did not notice it."

Ren Fengjue calmly analyzed: "If only Manager Bai were in the pavilion, Miss Xia probably wouldn't have fallen into the pond."

"That pool of water..."

Yan Zhengchu hesitated for a moment, then felt it necessary to explain: "That pool of water is very strange. I remember my master mentioned it in his notes..."

"Fifty years ago, in the previous dynasty... there was a 'Yin-Yang Fiend' that appeared once."

Admittedly, the Great Qi Dynasty had only been established for a little over thirty years.

Before this, it was called "Qi Kingdom".

As a high-ranking official of the court, and whose father was a founding marquis, Ren Fengjue should not have brought up past events of the previous dynasty.

But the name "Yin Yang Sha" sounds like an extremely sinister thing.

He couldn't help but ask, "What is 'Yin-Yang Sha'?"

Yan Zhengchu replied, "The notes mentioned that three things are needed to refine this evil spirit, and none of them can be missing."

"The first is the Yin spirit, the second is the Yang spirit, and the third is essence and blood."

"Only by combining these three elements can the 'Yin Yang Sha' be refined."

"Once the 'Yin Yang Sha' is successfully refined, it will break through the barrier between the Yin and Yang realms, causing chaos in both realms. Those ghosts that remain in the Yang realm will then be able to act with impunity."

Ren Fengjue frowned: "Is this evil spirit related to that pool of water?"

Yan Zhengchu's expression grew even more solemn: "If I'm not mistaken, then what lies beneath should be nothing but bones."

"Moreover, these remains are not ordinary remains; they must be those of the utmost yin nature, which are called 'yin spirits'."

"As for the 'Yangling', I don't know much about it yet. The notes only say that this thing feeds on 'living souls', but I don't know its appearance."

"Finally, there is the essence blood. A person is born with only three drops of essence blood, corresponding to the three souls. Taking out one drop is equivalent to sacrificing one soul."

"A person whose three souls are not complete is most likely to be targeted by ghosts, and those who are unlucky may even be possessed."

Hearing him speak so bizarrely, even Ren Fengjue felt a chill run down his spine.

"So, the ghosts hidden inside the Fu Tower aren't ordinary ghosts?"

Yan Zhengchu nodded: "There's definitely more than one ghost hiding in Fu Lou; Manager Bai is certainly one of them..."

"The other one might be the legendary 'Yang Spirit'."

"However, right now, besides sealing off Fu Lou and finding Manager Bai, the most important thing is to investigate someone else."

Ren Fengjue made the connection almost immediately.

"Crown Prince Zhao Li."