Reincarnation Immortal Venerable: Starting from the Ninety-Nineth Incarnation

They sped along, their clothes billowing in the wind, and in less than half a day, Li Yanzhou and his group were on the bluestone road of Qingyang City.

Qingyang City looked no different from other places. The streets and alleys were narrow, pedestrians hurried by, vendors shouted incessantly, and the sweet fragrance of herbs mingled with the bitter taste of spiritual herbs, exuding a lively atmosphere.

A closer look reveals the eeriness: before it gets dark, the shops along the street close their doors and board up their windows, pedestrians look tense, always glancing behind them as they walk, and speaking in hushed tones. The whole town seems to be wrapped in an invisible shroud, so oppressive that it's hard to breathe.

"Senior Brother Li, it looks pretty peaceful here?" Zhang Hao frowned and scanned his surroundings, his voice extremely low. "I haven't seen any trace of demonic cultivators. It's like every household is hiding from something."

Li Yanzhou shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the vendor huddled at the street corner. The vendor met his gaze, immediately lowered his head, clutched the spiritual herb tightly, and dared not utter a sound.

"The more peaceful the place, the more suspicious things are hidden." He pointed to the tightly closed inn not far away. "This time of day is usually the busiest time. Why would it be closed so early? Let's find a place to stay and investigate slowly."

The group followed Li Yanzhou straight to the largest guesthouse in town, where there were many people coming and going, making it the easiest place to gather information.

After booking three adjacent superior rooms and settling everyone in, Li Yanzhou called everyone to his room.

Having already learned each other's backgrounds by the time they arrived by cloud boat, there was no need for further words; Li Yanzhou directly assigned tasks.

Zhang Hao patted the array plate at his waist: "Don't worry, Senior Brother Li, Brother Wang and I brought the Demon-Trapping Array and the Bewildering Array flags, so we can set up the array quickly."

Wang Lei shook the storage bag: "There are also demon-repelling talismans, more than enough to deal with ordinary demonic cultivators."

Lin Wan'er opened the talisman bag, inside which were neatly arranged lighting, warning, illusion-dispelling, and healing talismans: "These are all prepared, and they can come in handy at crucial moments."

Su Qingyao patted her medicine pouch: "I have healing pills, spirit-clearing pills, and demon-testing stones. Identifying demons and healing wounds shouldn't be a problem."

Shi Dazhuang scratched his head and said in a simple, honest voice, "Dazhuang is strong!"

Li Yanzhou nodded: "Okay, I'll remember everyone's skills. Clear division of labor is the key to efficiency."

"Zhang Hao, Wang Lei, you two go to the taverns and teahouses to inquire, focusing on the location of the disappearance and any unusual behavior before the disappearance. Junior Sister Lin, you go to the government office and the clinic to ask about the number of missing persons, eyewitness testimonies, and whether the missing persons had any unusual symptoms before their disappearance. Qing Yao, you come with me to the mass grave in the desolate western suburbs of the city. The first missing cultivator had his accident there. Da Zhuang, you stay at the inn, don't wander off, and don't open the door to strangers."

"Alright, Senior Brother Li!" Zhang Hao and Wang Lei responded in unison. Lin Wan'er nodded gently, while Shi Dazhuang, holding the unfinished sugar painting, nodded vigorously: "Dazhuang, be a good boy and guard the room!"

With the tasks assigned, everyone immediately got to work.

Li Yanzhou gave Shi Dazhuang a few instructions, then left the inn with Su Qingyao and headed west of the city.

The further west you go after leaving the town, the more desolate it becomes. The weeds grow up to your waist, and when the wind blows, they rustle like whispers in the dark.

A faint trace of demonic energy floated in the air, not violent, but rather sweet and alluring, making one feel inexplicably dazed when it touched the skin.

"This demonic energy is strange." Su Qingyao took out the demon-testing stone, and the pure white stone instantly turned black. "It has a seductive quality, specifically designed to bewitch people's minds."

Li Yanzhou nodded, his gaze falling on the mass grave ahead. The graves were scattered, bones were exposed, and there were messy footprints and several pools of dried, dark brown blood on the ground.

He crouched down, brushed his fingertips across the bloodstains, and spread his divine sense to investigate. Suddenly, he touched a sticky black powder, and when he brought it closer, he smelled a faint sweet fragrance, which was of the same origin as demonic energy.

"This was left behind by a demonic cultivator, used to create faint illusions and lure people," Li Yanzhou said, twirling the powder.

Su Qingyao pointed to a deep mark on a rock: "Look at these drag marks, the force was considerable, they must have been left when the missing person was abducted."

Li Yanzhou stood up and scanned the depths of the mass grave: "Let's go check out the other incident sites; perhaps we'll find more clues."

The two went to several missing persons scenes in succession, and each of them had the same black powder and drag marks. Although the demonic aura was faint, it always lingered, which was obviously done on purpose.

When they returned to Yingkelou, Zhang Hao and the other two had also returned, each with a solemn expression.

"Senior Brother Li, this is very strange." Zhang Hao spoke first. "The old manager of the teahouse said that seventeen cultivators and twenty-three mortals have gone missing in the past half month. They all disappeared at night, and there was no trace of them, whether they were alive or dead. Most of the missing cultivators were between the Qi Sensing Realm and the early stage of the Breath Suppression Realm. Not a single high-level cultivator has gone missing."

Wang Lei added: "Witnesses said that before the missing person disappeared, he had a blank look in his eyes, muttered about gold coins and martial arts techniques, and walked aimlessly towards the west of the city. He did not respond no matter how they called him. Moreover, he had been to the vicinity of the mass grave a few days before he disappeared, saying that he had seen 'good things'."

Lin Wan'er clutched her handkerchief, her face pale: "The constables from the yamen have been investigating for half a month without any clues. They get dizzy and cold whenever they get close to the mass grave. Two constables even went crazy after going there, shouting 'Don't hook me!' 'Don't drain my strength!' The doctor at the clinic said that several missing persons had visited the clinic before, saying they always had nightmares at night, dreaming that their strength was being drained."

The room was silent, and everyone looked tense.

Lin Wan'er couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother Li, what exactly does that demonic cultivator want to do with so many people?"

Li Yanzhou twirled the black powder, a cold glint in his eyes: "I can roughly guess that the demonic cultivator is skilled in bewitching techniques, specifically targeting cultivators and mortals with low cultivation levels. He uses illusions to seduce their minds and lures them to the mass grave. I'm afraid someone is waiting behind the scenes to absorb their cultivation and life force for cultivation. Don't forget what the demonic cultivator's cultivation methods are."

"Yes... to devour blood and qi to temper the body." Zhang Hao's eyes widened.

"It's hard to say, but it's definitely a case of being too eager for quick success." Li Yanzhou stood up, his tone firm. "Tonight at midnight, we'll go to the mass grave to investigate. Those missing people might still be alive. We can't just sit idly by."

The group exchanged glances and replied in unison, "Alright! We'll listen to Senior Brother Li!"

Li Yanzhou immediately gave the orders: "Zhang Hao, Wang Lei, prepare the Demon-Trapping Array. Set up the array at midnight to seal off the retreat route. Wan'er, prepare early warning and lighting talismans. Break the illusion and send messages at critical moments. Qingyao, you are responsible for remote support. Bring healing pills and demon-breaking talismans. Dazhuang, you stay by my side and provide close protection."

"Understood!" The group responded and went to prepare.

Only Li Yanzhou, Su Qingyao, and Shi Dazhuang remained in the room. Su Qingyao asked in a low voice, "Yanzhou, that demonic cultivator's charm technique is very refined. Won't the person behind it be difficult to deal with?"

Li Yanzhou crushed the powder between his fingers, and the black aura dissipated: "If he can make a demonic cultivator abduct people for him, his cultivation level must be quite high. Be careful tonight, and if things get too difficult, retreat first."

Su Qingyao gripped the medicine pouch tightly: "Don't worry, I've prepared everything."

As night deepened, Qingyang City fell into complete silence. Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, and there wasn't even a sound of dogs barking. The only sound was the rustling of the wind through the treetops, like a silent cry for help.

Li Yanzhou stood by the window, gazing in the direction of the mass grave in the west of the city. For some reason, the spiritual jade in his sea of ​​consciousness was burning hot, and the warning was getting stronger and stronger. He had a vague premonition that the person absorbing his cultivation was probably a demonic cultivator with considerable cultivation.

As midnight approached, the group finished packing and quietly left the inn, heading towards the mass grave in the west of the city.

The eerie atmosphere of the mass grave was even stronger than during the day, and the sweet, demonic aura in the air was also more intense.

Just as they approached the edge of the mass grave, a series of soft whispers came from the depths of the tombs, mixed with faint sobs. Then, a dark figure flashed past from behind the desolate graves, seemingly dragging something in its hand, and that thing was still struggling weakly.

Li Yanzhou raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, his eyes turning cold. He knew that the mystery surrounding the mass grave was finally about to surface.