Zhang Chen listened to the discussions around him, his eyes fixed on the ten dried corpses. The corpses were black, as if painted with black ink, seemingly drained of all moisture.
"How could this happen? In a place like Huangli Temple with great cultivators in residence, there’s actually such a disturbance by malevolent entities?" Zhang Chen was puzzled. What about Gu Mingyue? Where is Gu Mingyue? Why isn’t Gu Mingyue in the Daoist Temple?
At this moment, Zhang Chen’s eyes revealed a hint of disbelief.
"Brother, I’m scared!"
The timid voice of Xiaodouding rang in Zhang Chen’s ear.
"Don’t worry, I’m here." Zhang Chen gently patted Xiaodouding’s head.
"Count the people, see how many disciples are missing." The Law Enforcement Elder shouted loudly.
Following his command, a Law Enforcement Disciple began to count the people. Soon enough, a disciple reported, "Elder, there are fifty disciples missing."
"Quickly send people to search for them." The Law Enforcement Elder ordered.
Shortly after, a disciple frantically reported that all fifty disciples had died, and then corpses drained of Essence Qi were brought out one by one.
A total of sixty dried corpses were displayed, causing the elders endless heartache.
It’s known that Huangli Temple has only cultivated three thousand disciples, and nurturing a person requires a lot of resources. To inexplicably lose sixty disciples overnight is definitely a major loss.
"Send a message to Ancestor Gu Mingyue, urging him to return quickly."
The Law Enforcement Elder instructed the crowd, "From now on, no disciple should be alone."
Looking at the panic-stricken disciples, Zhang Chen sighed deeply but said nothing more.
"It seems Huangli Temple has encountered a significant challenge. A strange entity is causing disturbances here, evidently possessing some sort of ability. Could it be that the golden light my talisman emitted that night injured that entity?" Zhang Chen pondered internally.
In one night, over sixty people died, leaving everyone at Huangli Temple in a state of panic.
The Law Enforcement Elder addressed the gathered disciples loudly, "Everyone must wait in the square, no one is allowed to leave. I suspect the perpetrator is hiding among you. We must wait for the ancestor to return and personally check each of you, ensuring there is no issue before you can leave."
As the Law Enforcement Elder spoke, Zhang Chen’s eyes suddenly flickered with golden light. He saw a black figure appear in the square, standing quietly among the crowd, yet everyone seemed oblivious to it.
"That... malevolent entity!" Zhang Chen’s pupils contracted upon seeing the black figure, quickly recognizing its origin: "It’s that wronged woman! I didn’t expect her to take shape and enact such a vicious revenge, killing over sixty people in one night."
But upon closer inspection, Zhang Chen noticed something strange, detecting faint Celestial Demon vibes from the woman.
"It’s the Celestial Demon! Wasn’t the Celestial Demon heavily wounded by me and hiding within Xie Lingyun’s mind, refusing to come out? How did it get outside, and moreover, merge with that female ghost?" Zhang Chen was filled with shock, unable to comprehend the intricacies.
Seemingly aware of Zhang Chen’s gaze, the female ghost suddenly lifted her head, showing him a peculiar smile, before disappearing into the crowd.
"Something immense has happened! How did the Celestial Demon get out? Why isn’t it bothering Xie Lingyun anymore?" Zhang Chen felt certain; he hadn’t misjudged—it was indeed the Celestial Demon.
The Celestial Demon’s aura was so distinctive; one glance was unforgettable.
"Zhang Chen, the noble lady summons you."
At that moment, a temple elder approached and conveyed the message.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen nodded, thinking of the Celestial Demon earlier, suspecting the noble lady’s summon had to be related. He headed towards the noble lady’s residence, bringing Xiaodouding along, not daring to leave him alone at the scene.
Zhang Chen arrived at Xie Lingyun’s abode, placed Xiaodouding on the first floor, entrusted him to a guard, then proceeded to the second floor, where he found Xie Lingyun seated on a cushion, her face pale as gold, incense burning before her.
"Noble lady," Zhang Chen approached from behind Xie Lingyun, performed a respectful salute.
"You’ve arrived." Xie Lingyun opened her eyes, bloodshot and gazing at Zhang Chen, her voice raspy and dry.
"Noble lady, what’s happened to you?" Zhang Chen looked at the gaunt Xie Lingyun before him, shocked, filled with disbelief, unable to believe the emaciated woman before him was the radiant Xie Lingyun.
"A serious situation has arisen! Elder Gu Mingyue previously protected me from the demon, and during their battle magic, some of the demon’s Essence Qi was accidentally released. Unexpectedly, that Essence Qi didn’t dissipate but instead thrived, becoming an incarnation of the demon. Last night, the demon’s incarnation was frantically absorbing Essence Qi in the outside world to strengthen itself, then plans to possess me. I’m afraid I won’t be able to withstand it. Do you have a solution?" Xie Lingyun’s eyes watched Zhang Chen intently, filled with hope.
Zhang Chen replied, "Does the talisman no longer work?"
"The talisman can disperse the Golden Light, but the number of demon’s Essence Qi dispersed isn’t enough to counter the regenerated demon’s Essence Qi count. For every person devoured outside, the demon inside me grows stronger. If it continues to consume, I’m surely doomed." Xie Lingyun’s mood was a mix of great joy and despair, a fire and ice ordeal that summoned sympathy.
"Elder Gu Mingyue will return. Once he’s back, the demon won’t be allowed to harm anyone. Then, without Essence Qi, the demon won’t be a threat," Zhang Chen comforted.
"Gu Mingyue can’t even protect himself! Do you think Gu Mingyue left the temple in a rush for no reason? Even the Grand Celestial Master fell victim to the demon’s tactics, let alone Gu Mingyue?" Xie Lingyun lamented, "Now, you’re the only one I can rely on! If you can’t find a solution, everyone in the temple will perish."
Zhang Chen heard and fell silent. The Light of the True God couldn’t be applied to living beings. The Celestial Demon was hidden in Xie Lingyun’s Spiritual World, beyond the reach of the Light of the True God.
"I am powerless," Zhang Chen murmured.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lingyun breathed deeply, her eyes showing a trace of desperation, then produced a letter from her chest and handed it to Zhang Chen: "Within the temple, you’re the only hope of survival. If you can escape, please deliver the letter to my father."
"Why not send the letter down the mountain now?" Zhang Chen asked.
"The Celestial Demon’s field already envelops the entire temple, covered in Illusion Realm, making it impossible to escape. The Celestial Demon is determined to consume everyone here," Xie Lingyun replied.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen paused, thinking internally: "Illusion Realm field? Where is this Illusion Realm field?"
He hadn’t discovered it!
Zhang Chen quietly accepted the letter, but Xie Lingyun advised, "Descend the mountain now! Before the Celestial Demon tries to possess me, hurry down the mountain and see if you can escape the Illusion Realm field."
After a moment of silence, Zhang Chen responded, "What if I descend the mountain? The Celestial Demon won’t spare me. Even if I escape to the ends of the earth, the Celestial Demon will never cease its hunt."
Upon Zhang Chen’s response, Xie Lingyun sighed, "It’s my fault for involving you."
She ultimately realized Zhang Chen’s methods could restrain the Celestial Demon’s manifestation, making him the demon’s nemesis, thus never sparing Zhang Chen.
"Yellow Heaven Dao, despite its power, lacks a cultivation realm of mind, making it a slaughterhouse for the demon, a nurturing ground. Once the demon seeds spread, chaos will ensue," Xie Lingyun explained.
Zhang Chen heard this, gazed at Xie Lingyun, took a deep breath, a thought flickered in his mind: "Rest assured, noble lady, all things under Heaven and Earth have their counterbalance. The Celestial Demon is bizarrely strong, strong to the point of defying nature, yet precisely because of this, fate will naturally bring forth one who can confront it."