The Hypnotic Mist, while appearing mystical, merely allows for a temporary separation of the soul from the body.
If used elsewhere, it would at most induce a brief slumber.
However, the tomb of Emperor Yin, located beneath the Muyuan community, transforms into a "magnet" for souls at night. All ethereal beings like souls or ghosts are drawn towards it, pulled into an unknown destination within the tomb.
The difference lies in that souls are drawn away without any awareness, while ghosts can offer some resistance.
Many people consider ghosts and souls to be the same.
But in reality, they are quite different.
A soul carries the essence of a being; it is what makes a creature intelligent. Without it, one is merely a walking corpse. The souls of high-level superhumans also carry the origin of their powers.
Normally, souls cannot be interfered with through normal means, nor can they affect reality. Only those with special abilities can perceive their existence.
Even Wen Wen, despite being a powerful superhuman now, cannot see human souls without special methods or in specific locations.
Ghosts, on the other hand, are non-corporeal "monsters" formed when a soul leaves its host body and is corrupted by some power, becoming impure. Ghosts can be observed and can influence reality.
To put it plainly, souls are more fragile and purer than ghosts.
To certain beings, souls are as good as hard currency, while ghosts are utterly worthless.
Furthermore, according to ancient texts, the source of the Undead Cataclysm was not Luofeng’s corpse, as Luofeng had already been sealed within the mausoleum.
However, subsequent calamities also affected Lingyuan County and bore some resemblance to the anomalies caused by Luofeng’s corpse.
Given this, Wen Wen considered a possibility: Luofeng died shortly after consuming an immortality elixir, yet became so strange and terrifying.
Who could guarantee that the person who refined the elixir had only made one such dose?
Perhaps that person later altered the formula, eventually creating beings like Feng Guishen, who were categorized as Cataclysm-level ghost gods!
Unfortunately, despite searching through ancient texts numerous times, Wen Wen could not find the name of the person who refined the elixir, only a vague title.
"The Immortal Master You Dao"
Who knows if this was his Dharma name, his actual name was You Dao, or simply a form of respect.
But regardless, this was an individual worth paying attention to.
Although, by all logic, this Immortal Master You Dao should have long since turned to dust in his tomb, otherwise he wouldn't have remained obscure for so many years.
Yet, if he were indeed still alive, he might be far more terrifying than Feng Guishen!
There was nothing more for Wen Wen to research in these records, so he decided to seek out Tao Qingqing.
He wanted to personally witness what kind of place this mysterious space within the tomb was.
However, unlike Tao Qingqing, he wasn't reckless. He first released the carrion demon from the containment facility and buried it in a safe place outside the Muyuan district as a marker, ensuring he could escape if something went wrong.
The carrion demon, still an emotionless monster, understood how to be a marker better than any other creature.
According to ancient records, the mysterious space shared the same location as the tomb but was not within it.
Therefore, barging in directly would certainly not lead to finding the space. However, Wen Wen had found his own method from the information.
The simplest way would be to inhale the Hypnotic Mist, causing his soul to leave his body and be dragged to that space. But Wen Wen would never use such a foolish method unless he activated his Curly-haired Orangutan physique.
That space attracted not only souls but also ghosts very strongly. Thus, Wen Wen only needed to transform himself into a ghostly form to enter that space in his original body.
He converted his blue monster physique, which possessed teleportation abilities, into Qin Shuang's ghastly physique, becoming a ghoul with demonic aura capable of controlling ice.
The moment he transformed in the Muyuan district, he felt a force pulling him, but this force was somewhat insufficient.
It was struggling to pull even a mid-sequence fierce ghost, while Wen Wen's current strength was equivalent to a powerful high-sequence ghoul.
So, Wen Wen helplessly used the connection between the containment facility and Tao Qingqing to create a reverse attraction, actively cooperating with the pulling force, and with a "swish," he vanished into the air.
The White Mist Giant also disappeared with Wen Wen. After the White Mist Giant vanished, Old Man Tian Qi’s figure solidified, appearing bruised and swollen.
He glared menacingly at the already ransacked inn, then his body turned into gray-black mist and disappeared into the air. Muyuan community returned to peace.
Meanwhile, in a town without the Hypnotic Mist, Old Man Tian Qi reappeared.
"That guy is too dangerous. He cannot be allowed to leave alive. But since he is seeking death by entering the 'Slumbering Land,' he should never expect to get out."
"Even at the cost of everything, I will bury that guy here."
"And that Wang Dayi is also useless. Once we get out, I'll just kill him and then cultivate his grandson to become the next demon hunter..."
...
Tao Qingqing sat in a civilian residence, gazing out the window at the dim, gray sky. She held a cactus, idly plucking its thorns.
She had begun to realize that something was amiss.
It wasn't that the Muyuan district had changed at night, but rather that she had arrived in a different place as soon as things began to change in the Muyuan district. This was far more than just everyone turning into demons and monsters.
Although this place appeared identical to the Muyuan district, a simple investigation would reveal that it was merely a superficial resemblance.
The most glaring flaw was that all household appliances were unusable. It wasn't due to a lack of power, but because these appliances were merely hollow shells.
Opening a remote control, she found it was solid plastic inside...
Even if they had haphazardly included a circuit board as a token gesture, Tao Qingqing, who wouldn't understand it, would have been fooled.
But solid plastic... only proved that all of this was merely imitated by some power, and the owner of that power was likely an old-fashioned individual unfamiliar with modern technology.
Of course, the most direct evidence was that Tao Qingqing could not seek help from Wen Wen through the containment facility, only sending out signals with unclear meanings.
Given the immense power of the containment facility, if she weren't in another space, such a phenomenon would not have occurred.
In fact, the containment facility's power was far greater than she imagined; even across different spaces, communication was still possible to a degree.
The reason she couldn't communicate with Wen Wen stemmed from her own situation, because after nightfall on that day, she had already been in a state akin to soul detachment.
And her own body was hanging from the ceiling like cured meat by Old Man Tian Qi!