In a blurred daze, Zhang Kui fell into a nightmare.

He only felt a stuffiness in his chest, his limbs stiff and unable to move, while a constant rustling sound surrounded him, as if something was gradually approaching...

Sleep paralysis?!

Zhang Kui was shocked; ever since he came to this world, he had been chasing after evil spirits and had never encountered such a thing.

Meanwhile, inside the room, from the walls to the wooden floor, large patches of mold had grown, exuding ominousness and decay, gradually spreading and surrounding him.

Fortunately, half of his consciousness remained clear.

Life Light Skill!

Lying on his side on the bed, Zhang Kui suddenly emitted a faint golden light all over his body, and the mold that had spread to the bed sizzled upon contact with it...

What puzzled Zhang Kui was,

he still didn't wake up.

In a trance, it was as if his consciousness had left his body, and everything in the room appeared hazy, like an old movie scene.

The doors and windows were already opened, and on the wooden platform by the lake, a figure suddenly appeared.

It was a woman,

her white dress fluttering, black hair cascading over her shoulders. She sat cross-legged with her back to him, seemingly playing the zither to the moon over the river.

"All things... grass and trees... attain the Way..."

The woman seemed to be reciting poetry, but it was unfortunately too blurry to hear clearly.

Just at this moment, footsteps suddenly came from the corridor outside. Zhu Sheng frowned and hurriedly headed to Zhang Kui's room.

The floating furniture in the room slowly descended, and the mold rapidly disappeared. When Zhu Sheng opened the door with a swoosh, everything inside had returned to normal.

"Brother Zhang, Brother Zhang, wake up."

"Evil spirits!"

Zhang Kui's eyes suddenly opened, and he sat up, scanning left and right with a face full of evil qi.

Zhu Sheng was also startled, first scanning the room, then leaping outside to look around from a height.

After surveying for a circle, he frowned, flipped back into the room, "Brother Zhang, there's not a trace of evil qi there."

Zhang Kui nodded, his face darkened,

"I know, but do you think, with my cultivation, I would inexplicably fall into a nightmare?"

With that, he looked out the window,

"This place is indeed a bit strange."

Zhu Sheng shuddered, his face becoming solemn, "The trouble doesn't end there; Taoist Friend Qiu and a group of disciples sent by the Celestial Water Palace to Pingkang County have all disappeared!"

…

"The disciples were on standby outside, but after waiting an entire day without any news, they sensed something was wrong. Upon checking in, all that was left was an empty city and ruins, with no signs of battle. Senior Sister Qiu and the others were all missing..."

In the main hall of the Celestial Water Palace, a white-clothed female disciple reported anxiously.

Everyone else had a grave expression.

Elder Qin was silent for a moment, his lips trembling, "Immediately summon everyone back to the palace for defense and wait quietly for the Palace Master to exit seclusion."

Beside him, Kui Ling anxiously said:

"What about Senior Sister Qiu and the others?"

Elder Qin sighed without answering, while on the other side, Elder Huo said sorrowfully, "Kui Ling, don't cause trouble. This concerns the life and death of our sect; we cannot take risks, and protecting the Palace Master takes priority."

"But... but..."

The little girl stammered, her eyes instantly reddening.

"Fellow Taoists, there's no need to worry."

Zhu Sheng clasped his hands and said, "I will go to Pingkang County to find Taoist Friend Qiu. Brother Zhang, I'll leave this place to you."

"Let me go."

Zhang Kui shook his head, "You are familiar with this place. Old Zhang finds it uncomfortable to stay here."

With that, he clasped his hands and strode out of the hall.

Watching Zhang Kui's departing figure, Elder Qin shook his head with a bitter smile, "Zhu Sheng, involving your friend in danger is truly our sect's fault."

Zhu Sheng smiled slightly, "Elder Qin, you may not know, but although Brother Zhang is in the Enlightenment Realm, his Taoist skills are astonishing. Since coming to Qingzhou, he has eliminated three Grain Avoidance Realm old demons in a short time."

"What?!"

The individuals nearby were all shocked.

On the other side, after Zhang Kui descended the mountain, he sped towards Pingkang County like the wind.

It was apparent that the women of the Celestial Water Palace had long regarded Zhu Sheng as one of their own, treating him very closely. As for him, a rough man, there was no wine, no meat, and no one paid attention; it was extremely dull.

Besides, things were not easy on Zhu Sheng's side either, with an unknown existence lurking in the shadows.

Just arriving in the southwest, strange occurrences kept happening. Zhang Kui had a vague feeling that this trip might be even more challenging than he had imagined.

…

Pingkang County wasn't far from Qu City.

After crossing two mountains, a small town nestled in a mountain bowl suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Zhang Kui stood with his hands behind his back on the treetop, looking down.

By this time, the morning sun had already risen, dispersing the mountain fog. The small town looked ancient and peaceful, yet without the trailing smoke from chimneys, it had an eerie tranquility.

Swish!

The branches swayed; Zhang Kui had vanished without a trace.

A moment later, he arrived at the city gate, and the scene before him made him furrow his brows.

All around were scattered objects, wet and mixed with mud, showing how hastily everything had occurred.

There were many dark bloodstains on the ground,

but not a single body!

Could they all have been eaten by Demons?

Zhang Kui squinted his eyes, leaping onto the city wall in an instant, and quickly traversed the rooftops of the small city, swiftly scouting the entire county.

But just like the female disciple of the Celestial Water Palace had described, it was as if bandits had plundered the place, chaotic, yet no bodies to be found.

More importantly, according to those refugees, the Evil Spirits were moving corpses, yet after searching the entire city, not a trace of Yin Qi or Corpse Qi could be found.

It was excessively clean.

Moreover,

where did those female disciples of the Celestial Water Palace go?

At that moment, Zhang Kui suddenly felt someone watching him. He turned his head and saw a black shadow flash at the city gate.

"Who goes there!"

Zhang Kui shouted sternly, tapped the tip of his toes, and instantly soared over the city gate like a roc, diving down.

A disheveled man with bloodshot eyes swung a steel knife at him, shouting loudly.

Clang!

Zhang Kui casually flicked his fingers, and the steel knife shattered into pieces, scaring the man so much that he fell to the ground.

"Are you a human or a demon?"

"Of course I'm human!"

Zhang Kui snorted coldly, "And who are you?"

The man swallowed, "I, I am called Guo Huai, a constable here. After the city fell, I fled into the mountains and hid for two days before coming back to see."

"Oh..."

Zhang Kui perked up, "Don't be afraid; I've come to get rid of the Demons. Tell me, what exactly happened that night?"

Fear flashed in Guo Huai's eyes,

"Report to the Taoist, that night I received a case..."

"Vines?"

After listening, Zhang Kui furrowed his brows. There were no such things in the city; could they have already fled...

"I ask you, have you seen a group of women in white?"

"No, I just arrived,"

Guo Huai had calmed down now, his eyes full of sorrow and indignation, "Taoist, what kind of Demons are they, and why would they harm us..."

After speaking, he pounded the ground fiercely, his eyes filled with confusion.

Zhang Kui remained silent.

Looking at this man, he suddenly thought of his past self.

No matter who you are, when your familiar homeland is destroyed overnight, it is hard to accept.

Zhang Kui shook his head,

"If you want revenge, then get up and take me to that landlord's house; maybe we can find a clue."

Guo Huai gritted his teeth and stood up, nodding firmly,

"Taoist, please follow me."

Under the man's guidance, Zhang Kui arrived at a grand three-entrance courtyard in the west of the city.

"Taoist, this Landlord Liu has operated in our county for generations, owning almost half of the inns and grain stores. His reputation has always been good, but he doesn't like to associate with people..."

Zhang Kui carefully examined the courtyard while Guo Huai introduced it.

When they reached the study, Zhang Kui's eyes narrowed slightly, "Does this Landlord Liu know Qimen Taoist Art?"

Guo Huai was stunned, "Never heard of it."

Zhang Kui said nothing but picked up a spread-out scroll from the table.

On it was glued a yellowed city map, linked by lines and circles to form an Array.

Although Zhang Kui's Array Formation Skill was only level one, he could roughly discern that the center of the Array was this mansion.

"Isn't this Pingkang County?"

Guo Huai exclaimed beside him.

Zhang Kui squinted his eyes,

"Chief Guo, do you know when Pingkang County was established?"

Guo Huai pondered, "The elders say that our Pingkang County, though small, was established during the previous dynasty."

Zhang Kui said nothing.

Next to the map, there were some small characters:

Langya Pavilion, Lian Chengzi, Great Yu Yuantai Year Sixteen…

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