The four people who had retreated suddenly halted.
In a flash, spells surged forth, either peach-wood swords or bronze swords, even banners, directly piercing the crowd!
Those villagers did not resist, those magical tools, however, seemed to plunge into a muddy sea without causing the slightest ripple.
Yes, the sword did indeed pierce through the villagers, but that was all it did.
After the banner fell, it was immediately trampled upon. The villagers wounded by the magical artifacts felt as if they had been merely itched.
The crowd flowed like a river, slowly moving downward towards the slope.
The moon glow carried an ethereal white hue, even making the villagers appear luminous.
The one submerged at the front, now surrounded by the villagers, was expressionless and numb, with a faint smile on their lips as they left.
The four people behind were panic-stricken, yet they dared not pursue them further.
Despite witnessing countless bizarre events, the scene before me left me stunned beyond belief.
"Old Gong... what on earth is going on... it's too bizarre." Part of my gaze fell on Old Gong, and I asked in a low voice.
Old Gong kept swallowing saliva, and finally muttered an explanation: "The meat isn't meat, the soup isn't soup, it's the vitality of this place, the dragon energy. The corpses can bear it, but humans can't. They ate the energy down there and became people like those here. Since we are all alike now, we have to stay in the water."
"Just watch, they may only take one away now, but they'll be back soon to take the others in. A whole village, of course, must go together."
Between his words, Old Gong kept clicking his tongue.
The coldness grew once again, and my eyelids kept jumping.
"Was it the person who just moved around before?" I said hoarsely.
"It's most likely him, but sire, if the energy isn't directly poured into the body but ingested, why would he harm so many villagers?" Old Gong was bewildered.
I remained silent for a moment and shook my head.
This was a question I should have asked Old Gong, but he had thrown it back at me.
However, the situation seemed more complex, yet it became simpler in many ways.
The person who brewed the meat soup was the one who originated this, and solving it could even capture him back to Four Regulations Mountain, which would be a perfect answer for this experience.
What was even more ironic was that the few people from Tian Shou Dao Guan and Guie's niche had fallen victim to a disaster of no fault of their own.
It's not surprising they weren't on guard, even Old Gong was deceived. I was able to regain my senses entirely because, for so long, I had never felt that any good fortune could just fall into my lap, not even a bowl of meat soup when I was starving.
But what about that man?
Within my line of sight, the four people inside the temple were gathered closely together, engaged in some sort of discussion.
Outside the temple, it was completely deserted. The villagers had already moved beyond my line of sight.
The man who was initially outside the temple was nowhere to be seen.
"Old Gong, find that person," I whispered, adding one more sentence.
"Uh..." Old Gong's eyeballs twitched wildly, as if he was trying to think of something with all his might.
Everything had come to a standstill.
After more than ten minutes, the group inside the temple suddenly left through the temple gate and scattered, quickly disappearing from my view.
"We didn't eat his food and couldn't see his face clearly, without any foundation, it doesn't count as a blank card..." Old Gong seemed incredibly disappointed.
My eyelids twitched slightly, and I said: "Was there anything of his in the temple? Pots, pans, and bowls count?"
Old Gong's eyes flickered and his head nodded: "Seventy or eighty percent?"
I looked at the temple again for a second, and whispered: "Those few people leaving might be looking for me. The villagers will search for them, it's like hanging from a sword - a threat. Maybe when we enter the temple, that person will react, after all, we were led here first and didn't fall into his tricks... I always felt like he had discovered us. Pay attention to some situations, Old Gong."
My words were spoken with utmost caution.
Exiting the hiding place, I walked quickly back into the temple.
The ground was filled with chaos, the footprints were slippery and wet, there were also some bronze swords, peach wood swords, and disheveled banners.
I walked to the front of the stove, which was also a mess.
Old Gong jumped down from my shoulder, moving his gaze around the pile of bowls, chopsticks, pots, and pans with a clear distaste.
Finally, he picked up a chopstick and kept chewing on it.
Suddenly, I felt a gaze on me.
Instantly, the sound of something slicing through the air struck!
Everything happened so fast, so swiftly, that I was on high alert and my hair stood on end!
I suddenly lunged to the right, with a soft thud, it turned out to be a copper sword piercing the ground where I had previously stood!
Suddenly, a cold wind swept through, and the temple was enveloped in a dense, blood-red mist!
In the midst of the mist, it greatly hindered one's vision.
On the left, a cold wind struck.
A bloodied face surged straight towards my forehead!
His mouth let out a sharp, poisonous scream. The stench was not only revolting but also made one's scalp crawl!
"Kill the evil, extinguish the evil!"
"I command, as per the orders of the Ghost Slayer Marshal Lu of Fengdu, swiftly and without delay!"
My arms moved violently, and a wound appeared instantly on the bloodied face!
My magical artifacts had been damaged significantly, only the most crucial items were retrieved from the cliff.
Ming Jing True Man told me to hand over the rest of my magical artifacts and give me the equipment of a normal Taoist from Four Regulations Mountain, but I didn't accept.
After chatting with He Youyuan later, I unconsciously overlooked this matter.
However, the power of a half-foot copper sword was obviously stronger than that of more than a dozen ordinary copper swords!
The wound was so deep it exposed the bone, and the bloodied face was constantly crumbling.
Suddenly, at the neck position, a tightening sensation occurred, as if being held by a rope! The sense of suffocation rushed in!
My instincts told me to grab my neck, but I didn't feel any ropes there.
A powerful force struck again, pulling me upwards!
I immediately realized that it was the negative energy entering my body and the ghost influencing every move and thought of mine!
Ghost possession is one direct method, while being haunted is another!
"Ling Bao Tian Zun, soothe my form, my disciples' souls, the five internal organs of Yuan Ming, the Qing Long Baihu, the White Tiger guards me! Swiftly and without delay!"
In the midst of the incantation, the tightening sensation at my neck vanished instantly.
The blood mist became even thicker, nearly as dark as pitch where it was impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face.
There was a slight weight on my shoulder, and it was Old Gong who had returned to me.
“Damn ghosts, how can they all escape.” he screeched, and chuckled evilly.
I knew what Old Gong meant.
The four people to protect their lives should have fled first, but they didn't.
I had previously deduced that they were looking for me, in reality, they were keeping an eye on this temple. My appearance caused them to strike with a thunderous force!
"Crafty scoundrel," the cold, piercing voice seemed to come from all directions.
The blood mist slightly expanded, and four people gradually appeared from the four directions.
Two of them held a brush each, with a cold and detached expression, filled with killing intent.
The other two had one with a cut on his face, bleeding continuously, looking in pain and resentment.
The other person was middle-aged, and somewhat familiar.
But for a moment, I couldn't figure out who he was?
"You used such despicable means to kill my son?"
He had a face full of malice and hatred.
