After dispatching the last mountain demon, the Monk of Punishing Evil forcefully planted his Zen staff into the ground, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Amitabha, Brother Ling Tian, if it weren't for you today, this humble monk would likely have been in grave danger."
"Master, you are too kind. Truthfully, despite how many mountain demons there were, if you find suitable terrain, you could have slowly worn them down."
Ling Tian's words were not wrong. These mountain demons were indeed unholy creatures, and after their defeat, the Monk of Punishing Evil could absorb energy from them. All the spiritual energy he used would be returned in the form of energy. These things were practically like perpetual motion machines.
"Ling Tian, your idea is good, but reality is not that simple. Even if my spiritual energy were sufficient, my physical stamina would not hold up. By the way, Ling Tian, what's the deal with these monkeys? Even if the Yin energy here is a bit heavier than outside, it shouldn't be enough to spawn such a large group..."
A gleam flickered in Ling Tian's eyes.
"You don't need to worry too much. We'll have an answer to this matter soon."
As Ling Tian spoke, he took out rubber gloves from his pocket, put them on, and then walked forward, dragging the corpses of two mountain demons to the threshing ground at the edge of the village.
Ling Tian kicked the millstone roller on the threshing ground away with a single kick. He then placed the mountain demon corpses on the millstone. Following that, Ling Tian took out two surgical knives and began to dissect them in the dark.
The Monk of Punishing Evil watched from the side, constantly praising. As the saying goes, an expert's move reveals their skill. Seeing Ling Tian's practiced movements, it was clear he had extensive experience in dissection. Such刀法 (dāo fǎ - knife skills) belonged either to a butcher or a surgeon.
Soon, Ling Tian made a discovery. He cut open the back of the heads of the monkey corpses left behind by the mountain demons. From their skulls, he extracted a nail-like object. One end of this object was a long nail, and the other end was a disc resembling a button, etched with various patterns. It was clear this was a complex formation.
Ling Tian then dissected another monkey and found a similar object in its skull.
"What is this thing?" the Monk of Punishing Evil asked curiously.
"A magical artifact, named the Soul Locking Nail!" Ling Tian said with a grave expression. He knew of such things from his inheritance in the Spiritual Realm space. The material of this object was neither stone nor metal, but bone. It was crafted from human skeletal remains, making it incredibly venomous. Its method of use was even more wicked: it was inserted into the back of the head while the target was still alive. While killing the person, the Soul Locking Nail would firmly anchor the soul to the corpse. This allowed the user of the Soul Locking Nail to control the victim's remains. Those who used these Soul Locking Nails often turned these remains into zombies, which they controlled with the nails. Finding such an object in monkeys clearly indicated that this was done by humans!
"Master, this is not a natural disaster, but a man-made calamity! It seems the trouble has escalated. We are not just dealing with unholy creatures."
"Sadhu, this humble monk understands. Some people are even more wicked and better at hiding themselves than those unholy creatures!"
Ling Tian summoned his fire spirit and incinerated the two corpses. He then extracted the core of the Yin gathering formation, causing the entire formation to cease its operation. Everything in the courtyard returned to normal. Ling Tian's extreme caution was necessary. The situation had changed, and their opponents were not mindless伥鬼 (chāng guǐ - ghost of someone who died a violent death and is forced to lure others to their death). Instead, with human involvement, the matter had become complicated. Moreover, the Soul Locking Nail was a favorite of those practicing unorthodox arts. If they continued to use the Yin gathering formation, the opponent might notice something and become more vigilant.
Ling Tian's carefulness was not misplaced. At this moment, several kilometers away, near the cold pond of Hantan Village, a man meditating in a tent suddenly opened his eyes. This man was named Yin Tianxiong, and he had another identity: the sect leader of the Yin Talisman Gate, a prominent figure among unorthodox practitioners. Indeed, the entire incident was planned and executed by him. By chance, he learned that a natural grand Yin formation had appeared near Longhu Mountain, so he rushed over. On one hand, Yin Tianxiong marveled at nature's wonders, and on the other, he decided to use this change to play a grand game. Although in some natural Yin formations, unholy creatures would appear, this process normally took a long time. Yin Tianxiong's intervention had artificially accelerated this process.
Hantan Village was geographically located within Longhu Mountain's territory. With so many unholy creatures appearing on Longhu Mountain's grounds, Longhu Mountain would surely not stand by idly. As a result, disciples of Longhu Mountain suffered heavy losses here, and even the sect leader of Longhu Mountain, Zhang Daoyun, was injured by a zombie. Taking advantage of the chaos, Zhang Daoquan, who had infiltrated Longhu Mountain, suddenly made his move, attempting to seize Ling Tian's "Compendium of Talisman Formations." Yin Tianxiong was no fool; he understood the immense value of that book, which could directly propel the Yin Talisman Gate's power to new heights.
He thought this matter was already a sure thing. However, on the night of the incident, he received news from another disciple lurking within Longhu Mountain. This intelligence indicated that Zhang Daoquan's operation had failed! Subsequently, Yin Tianxiong was shocked to discover that he had lost contact with almost all the disciples he had meticulously placed within Longhu Mountain. This could only mean one thing: all these moles had been apprehended! But he couldn't understand how his carefully planted disciples within Longhu Mountain had been exposed. Even if Zhang Daoquan was captured, he couldn't fathom Zhang Daoquan betraying his sect, as for these unorthodox practitioners, betraying one's sect was a grave sin.
While Yin Tianxiong was lost in thought, a burst of angry shouting suddenly came from outside the tent. This was a desolate wilderness, so they could only camp in tents. Yin Tianxiong quickly got up and stepped out of the tent, finding a man outside in a furious rage. He had just snapped a tree about a bowl's thickness with a single palm strike. This man, around fifty years old, had sparse white hair, withered limbs, and exuded a chilling aura of death. This fellow's identity was also extraordinary; he was Shi Xiaoyue, the sect leader of the Corpse Refining Sect! Like Yin Tianxiong, he was a renowned figure among unorthodox practitioners. However, they now held new identities: the newly appointed thirteen protectors of the Demonic Heaven Sect!