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Chapter 93 A Spirit That Swallows Ten Thousand Miles

The outline of Youlin County was no longer visible to the naked eye, yet at this moment, a strange phenomenon suddenly appeared on the gloomy sky in the direction of Youlin County.

A huge, thick, dark cloud appeared, rising and gathering in the distant sky as if it were alive.

Amidst the clouds and mist, lightning flashed and thunder roared, with faint crimson light swirling around, emanating a terrifying and violent aura.

Even more terrifying was that, in the center of that dark cloud, the faint phantom of a gigantic, ferocious tiger roaring towards the sky was vaguely coalescing.

The ferocious tiger phantom stood tall and imposing. Even from a distance, one could still feel its terrifying power that seemed to swallow mountains and rivers, as well as its overwhelming ferocity that appeared to tear everything apart.

"That—that is—"

Hu Shaoyu's face turned pale, his throat was dry, and he couldn't help but swallow, his voice trembling, "My God—when did such a terrifying monster begin to lurk outside Youlin County?"

Shen Dujiang's expression was extremely solemn as he stared intently at the ferocious tiger phantom in the sky. He said in a deep voice, "Those evil cults like the Divine Flame Sect and the Netherworld Palace are waiting for the day when the celestial dog eats the sun. And this mountain lord—is probably waiting for this day as well."

Now—none of those cult members in Youlin County who practice blood sacrifices will escape; they'll all become this ferocious tiger's meal.

Chen Yue remained silent, gazing quietly at the unsettling phenomenon in the distance. He had already guessed it was the mountain lord, and now he was certain.

"Let's go."

Chen Yue withdrew his gaze, turned around, and continued walking towards Tianzhou Prefecture. Given Chen Yue's current strength, encountering such a monstrous creature, which was almost a natural disaster, the only thing he could do was flee.

Even if you escape too slowly, you'll be trapped there forever.

Shen Dujiang and the other two suppressed their shock and lingering fear and followed closely behind.

Two hours passed quietly in the silent journey. The leaden clouds hung low, causing dusk to fall early and the light to dim rapidly.

The wind in the wilderness carried the chill unique to late autumn and the scent of withered grass and dust, causing people's clothes to flutter.

Ahead, the terrain was relatively flat, and the outline of a village could be vaguely seen nestled among low hills.

Hu Shaoyu squinted for a moment, then said, "Ahead is Qianhou Village. Thirty li ahead is a larger town, but we definitely won't make it before nightfall. Should we go into the village to ask for lodging, or just spend the night in the wilderness?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Quan looked around carefully and recalled, "Qianhou Village—I passed through it once with others many years ago. The village wasn't big, with about a few dozen households. Judging from the appearance of the houses, it seems that there haven't been many changes over the years."

Lin Quan's tone was somewhat uncertain, after all, many years had passed and his memory had become hazy.

Chen Yue stopped and gazed at the quiet village in the distance. He quietly activated the Mind Cultivation Technique, extending his mental energy forward to perceive the surroundings.

However, due to the distance, the specific details of the village are difficult to discern.

But a strange intuition quietly surfaced in Chen Yue's mind.

It's so quiet!

At dusk, there should always be some sounds of farmers cooking over fires, children returning home, dogs barking, and roosters crowing.

But the village of Qianhou ahead was like a frozen silhouette, immersed in a stagnant silence, with no trace of vibrant life.

Chen Yue frowned slightly, turned to look at the more experienced Shen Dujiang, and said in a deep voice, "In the martial world, is there any way to tell if a place has been corrupted by ghosts or if it harbors unclean things?"

Upon hearing the words "ghostly invasion," both Shen Dujiang and Hu Shaoyu's expressions changed slightly. Having just escaped from Youlin County, where ghosts roamed freely, they were particularly sensitive to such terms.

If Qianhou Village also suffers—

Shen Dujiang took a deep breath, suppressing his unease. After a moment of serious thought, he slowly said, "There are some methods, but most are troublesome and not direct enough. However—"

He changed the subject, his gaze falling on Chen Yue's waist: "If we're talking about simplicity and effectiveness, I'm afraid nothing is as useful as the spiritual weapon you have."

.

"A spirit weapon?" Chen Yue's expression shifted slightly. "How do you use it?"

Shen Dujiang pointed to the village in the twilight in the distance and explained: "Ghosts and spirits, and even the aura of certain evil spirits, are very different from the yang energy of us living people. They are difficult to see directly from such a distance with the naked eye, especially when they deliberately hide."

However, your alchemy furnace weapon was originally crafted from a ghostly artifact, containing a chilling ghostly power. If you can channel a trace of that chilling power to your eyes, you might be able to briefly open your ghostly eyes and glimpse ghostly shadows that are difficult to see with ordinary vision.

This method is somewhat of a shortcut, but it should be sufficient to deal with ordinary villages that might be infiltrated by ghosts. However, it's important to note that this method should not be used for extended periods, lest the yin energy backfire and harm oneself.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yue nodded.

He focused his mind on the alchemy furnace, using the Mind Nourishing Technique to control his mental power, carefully drawing out a wisp of the cold, yin energy contained within the furnace.

This aura was enveloped and tamed by his mind, and slowly guided to the area around his eyes.

At first, he felt a chill, but with the support of his abundant blood and energy, Chen Yue felt no discomfort. Then he slowly opened his eyes.

In an instant, the whole world changed in Chen Yue's eyes.

What was originally just a dim twilight now seemed to be covered by a layer of gray-black filter.

A thin, mixed atmosphere drifted in the air, including a faint white mist representing life, and an earthy yellow mist representing the earth and mountains. But more of it was a deathly mist carrying a sense of decay, which was faintly drifting from the direction of Qianhou Village.

Within the seemingly peaceful outline of the village, dozens of blurry black figures could be seen moving stiffly between houses and along village roads, like marionettes.

The shadowy figures had no clear facial features, only a rough human shape, and were surrounded by a gray-black aura.

They move slowly and aimlessly, as if repeating a monotonous action from their previous life, or as if wandering unconsciously.

Several dark figures seemed to sense something and stopped in unison. Their faceless heads slowly turned towards the direction where Chen Yue and the others were.

Although I couldn't see clearly, I could clearly feel myself being locked onto by a cold, deathly gaze.

"There really is something fishy going on."

Chen Yue's heart sank. He severed the connection with the Yin energy of the alchemy furnace, and the strange scene before him instantly returned to normal. However, the chilling feeling of being spied on lingered.

"Let's go, bypass this village," Chen Yue said in a low voice.

"When the celestial dog eclipses the sun, the yin energy soars to the sky, and sure enough, many places in the surrounding area have experienced misfortune," Chen Yue thought to himself.

Upon hearing this, Shen Dujiang and Hu Shaoyu's expressions changed again, but they didn't say anything unnecessary or question it.

The two immediately turned around and followed closely behind Chen Yue, who had already started to leave, hurrying away in a direction far from Qianhou Village.

Although Lin Quan didn't understand what was going on, he knew that listening to Chen Yue was always the right thing to do, so he quickly followed suit.

Just as the four turned to leave, Lin Quan subconsciously glanced back at the already blurred outline of Qianhou Village. In a daze, he seemed to see a somewhat familiar figure standing under the old locust tree at the village entrance.

The figure was raising its arm and waving slowly towards him, as if greeting him.

The figure's silhouette vaguely resembled that of the old farmer from Qianhou Village who had warmly invited him into his house for a drink of water years ago when he passed by.

Lin Quan was startled, his eyes were somewhat dazed, and his steps slowed down slightly.

But the next moment, a chill instantly ran down my spine.

He suddenly remembered Chen Yue's words and solemn expression, his face changed drastically, and he dared not look at him any longer, desperately quickening his pace to catch up with Chen Yue.

Night finally fell completely.

Led by Hu Shaoyu, the four found a sheltered, slightly elevated spot at the edge of a grove of trees with a relatively open view as their temporary resting place.

This place is more than ten miles away from Qianhou Village, separated by hills, and is safe for the time being.

Chen Yue used the "Midnight Bone-Piercing Nail" hidden weapon technique to knock down two plump wild rabbits that came out to forage for food, thus solving the food problem.

Shen Dujiang was well-prepared, with tinder, salt, and other items in his bag. Soon, a campfire was lit in a clearing in the forest. The orange-red flames dispelled some of the chill and darkness, and the rabbit meat sizzled on the branches.

As the oil dripped into the fire, it made a soft "crackling" sound, and the enticing aroma of meat gradually spread.

After adjusting his breathing, Chen Yue's mental energy, which had been depleted in the battle against the alchemist ghost, had been fully restored. At this moment, he was full of energy and in excellent condition.

He glanced at the three exhausted men, especially Lin Quan, who had no cultivation and was pale as a ghost after a day of fright and running around, and said, "You all need to rest, especially Master Lin. I'll keep watch tonight, so everyone can get some sleep."

Shen Dujiang and Hu Shaoyu declined at first, but were eventually persuaded by Chen Yue.

They did need to recover their strength. After thanking the tree, the two leaned against the trunk and quickly began to breathe evenly. Lin Quan fell into a deep sleep almost the instant he lay down, his brows furrowed, clearly indicating that he was not having a peaceful dream.

Chen Yue sat cross-legged by the campfire, leaning against an old tree, his gaze sweeping across the deep night and the blurry shadows deep in the woods like a hawk's.

In the distance, the occasional mournful cry of a night owl could be heard. Chen Yue's mind was calm as still water, and he slowly circulated the Mind Nourishing Technique, both as a warning and as a way to nurture his spirit.

The campfire flickered, its orange-red light casting dappled shadows on Chen Yue's face and illuminating the slightly old scroll in his hand, making the characters clearly visible.

The cover of the manual had no fancy decorations, only four large, ancient seal characters: "Heavenly Demon Disintegration".

This was obtained from the Chen family's storeroom. By the firelight, Chen Yue studied the contents of the manual word by word. The more he read, the more his brows furrowed, and surprise and realization flashed alternately in his eyes.

This secret technique of disintegrating the Heavenly Demon is a model of a life-or-death struggle.

Its core principle is to use special methods to forcefully shake and burn the source of one's own blood, muscles, bones, internal organs, and even mind at the critical moment of life and death, so that it can unleash a terrifying power far exceeding its normal state in a very short time.

This burst of power is all-encompassing, greatly enhancing movement speed, attack power, defensive strength, and even mental perception and impact.

Previously, when Chen Yue dealt with Chen Xuanli and others from the Chen family, they did not use this secret technique.

Turning to the subsequent records about cultivation and its consequences, Chen Yue finally understood why he hadn't seen Chen Xuanli and the others use it.

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