"Is it in the village at the foot of the mountain? Senior Brother, are you sure?" Tian Ling thought she had misheard and asked Ye Ling for confirmation.
After all, they were still on Wuling Mountain. If the mysterious person really hid Qi Mo's Yin soul in the village at the foot of the mountain, they would be able to scan it with their divine souls...
Ye Ling smiled and said, "It's a case of the darkest place being under the lamp... Perhaps they thought that since the village at the foot of the mountain was close, we wouldn't search there? But no matter what their plan is, we'll know when we go down."
Tian Ling clicked her tongue and said, "Alright, I'll follow Senior Brother."
After a brief conversation with Tian Ling, Ye Ling completely destroyed the mountain villa on the peak of Wuling Mountain, and at the same time, he destroyed the barrier that enveloped Wuling Mountain, releasing the dense spiritual energy that had accumulated in it.
Almost the moment the Wuling Mountain barrier was destroyed, people in the capital and surrounding cities found that the sky had become much brighter, and the air they inhaled had changed from turbid to fresh.
It made sense, as the density of spiritual energy in Wuling Mountain was comparable to the Immortal Realm. Most of the Qi family disciples in the mountain villa were mediocre, and they were the kind who might not even be able to step into the threshold of cultivation in the outside world. However, in the mountain villa, they could cultivate to the fourth or fifth rank or even higher at a young age!
The spiritual energy in Wuling Mountain could be imagined, as it could make mediocre disciples cultivate faster than most geniuses.
With such a massive source of spiritual energy released, the capital and surrounding cities would undoubtedly benefit greatly!
Of course, Ye Ling didn't care where this spiritual energy would eventually flow. After destroying the Wuling Mountain barrier as a matter of course, he took Tian Ling down the mountain and into the village.
From the surface, the village at the foot of Wuling Mountain was no different from before Ye Ling went up the mountain. However, if one sniffed carefully, they would find a faint smell of blood in the air.
Tian Ling sniffed hard with her nose. After confirming that she hadn't smelled it wrong, she said to Ye Ling, "Senior Brother, I'm afraid many people have died in this village. I can smell blood."
Ye Ling stood by the Earth God temple they had passed before going up the mountain, glanced around, and said, "Tian Ling, do you remember the Qi family disciples we let go down the mountain?"
Tian Ling replied, "I remember. What's wrong?"
Ye Ling said, "I can no longer sense the aura of some of them."
Upon hearing Ye Ling's words, Tian Ling's pupils contracted slightly, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Brother, do you mean the smell of blood pervading the air is theirs?"
Ye Ling nodded and said, "Yes, after they fled down the mountain, they were hunted and killed."
"It seems this village is not as simple as we imagined. Let's go meet the villagers."
With that, Ye Ling shattered the Earth God temple beside him. A certain formation hidden beneath the Earth God temple instantly collapsed, and a strange spiritual energy fluctuation spread outwards.
At this moment, the old woman who had been guarding the Earth God temple before sprang out from the side again. Her wrinkled face was contorted with anger, and two sharp horns grew on her forehead. She stared at Ye Ling and roared, "You outsider! It was enough that I spared you last time, and now you dare to disrespect the gods?"
The old woman cursed Ye Ling, and a faint blood mist began to emanate around her. She looked very strange.
Ye Ling could feel an extremely evil power growing within the old woman.
As the old woman appeared, the sky turned dark red, and all the buildings in the village were constructed from flesh and blood, like the internal organs of the human body. The air was filled with a disgusting smell of blood.
Seeing the terrifying scene around her, a trace of fear flashed in Tian Ling's eyes. She instinctively hid behind Ye Ling and said, "Senior Brother... I think something is wrong. Where are we now?"
After twisting, the old woman prostrated herself on the ground, looking up at Ye Ling and Tian Ling, drooling constantly, looking like a mutated creature.
Ye Ling, however, was accustomed to all sorts of monsters. Seeing the village suddenly turn into this appearance, he remained calm, observing the old woman for a moment before saying, "So, the villagers in this village have been raising an evil spirit. The evil spirit had not awakened before, and the divine temple helped to seal it."
"Moreover, the villagers have cultivation, and the spiritual energy within their bodies masked the existence of the evil spirit. No wonder I didn't discover it before."
Before going up the mountain, Ye Ling had sensed that the Earth God temple at the foot of the mountain was the eye of a formation, and the cultivation of the villagers was unusually high. However, at that time, Ye Ling's mind was focused on the Qi family, and he didn't pay much attention to this village.
Now that Ye Ling had destroyed the formation eye, the formation in the village failed, and the villagers were devoured by the evil spirits they had raised.
Various howls echoed throughout the village.
Tian Ling tightly grasped Ye Ling's collar, her lips turning pale, and said fearfully, "S-Senior Brother, quickly resolve them. I'm scared."
Ye Ling did not expect Tian Ling, who had the cultivation of a Saint, to be afraid of these things. He smiled and said, "Yes, I'll resolve them right away. If you're scared, why don't you stay in my small world?"
Tian Ling wanted to stay with Ye Ling, but she glanced at the hideous old woman again. Ultimately, she could not overcome her fear and nodded repeatedly, disappearing into Ye Ling's small world in a flash.
"Roar!!!" Seeing Tian Ling disappear, the old woman roared fiercely, afraid that Ye Ling would also escape. She lunged directly at Ye Ling!
Unfortunately, as the old woman leaped into mid-air, her entire body cracked. Before she could even get close to Ye Ling, she completely shattered into pieces and turned to ashes in front of Ye Ling.
Ye Ling didn't even glance at the old woman who had turned to ashes and stepped into the village.
Inside the houses built with flesh and blood, Ye Ling could see many torture instruments. He could even see evil spirits torturing other evil spirits with these instruments.
Everything in this village had been distorted.
"These are not illusions. It's quite rare to see such a place in the mortal world," Ye Ling mused as he strolled along the village streets. If not for the terrifying scene around him, perhaps someone would have thought Ye Ling was enjoying the afternoon sun in a quiet and beautiful village.
Evil spirits often attacked Ye Ling from the surroundings, but those evil spirits, like the old woman before, turned to ashes in mid-air before they could touch Ye Ling.
Along the way, Ye Ling remained spotless.
Soon, Ye Ling found the village chief's house – a giant, still-beating heart.
In front of the heart, there was a door sealed by blood vessels, blocking Ye Ling's path.
At this moment, Black and White Impermanence appeared behind Ye Ling and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty, we have copied all the information about the Qi family members... Damn it, where is this place?"
Black and White Impermanence, mid-sentence, noticed the terrifying scene around them and were startled, jumping back.
Ye Ling took the jade slip from Black and White Impermanence and said, "Seeing the situation here, what do you think?"
Black and White Impermanence scanned the surrounding scene with shock and sighed, "The number of evil spirits here is no different from hell. It's the first time we've seen such a place in our lives. What happened here?"
While shocked, Black and White Impermanence also felt fear.
After all, guiding souls to the underworld for reincarnation was their duty. The existence of evil spirits in the world was a dereliction of their duty.
If the higher authorities discovered that evil spirits existed in the world, not only would their official hats be confiscated, but their heads might not be safe either!
Ye Ling browsed the information in the jade slip while saying to Black and White Impermanence, "Someone set up a barrier here, using villagers to raise evil spirits. Although we don't know their purpose, the presence of so many evil spirits here, and the fact that Qi Mo's Yin soul could be intercepted on its way to the underworld, don't you find it strange?"
Black Impermanence swallowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, are you suggesting there's an inside job in the underworld?"
Ye Ling said, "Yes, after all, the Heavenly Court has the most complete functions among the many divine kingdoms. There are very few cases of evil spirits rampant in China."
"But now, there are so many evil spirits here, and they are near the capital. If there wasn't some divine assistance from the underworld, I wouldn't believe it."
Upon hearing Ye Ling's words, the expressions of Black and White Impermanence changed drastically. They quickly swore to Ye Ling, "Your Majesty, please be clear! My brothers would never do such a heinous thing!"
Ye Ling waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, the two of you. You don't have the ability to do this. Those who can do this must have a cultivation of at least Saint level. How many Saint experts are there in your underworld?"
Black and White Impermanence exchanged glances and then replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, there are only two Saints in the underworld, namely Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and Emperor Bei Yin Feng Du... However, these two rarely act in the netherworld, and we don't know them very well."
Ye Ling said, "The mastermind behind this village is likely one of these two. Who do you think is more likely?"
Black and White Impermanence pursed their lips and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for us. Those two are powerful beings who became famous in the Primordial Era. We dare not discuss them carelessly."
Ye Ling narrowed his eyes and said, "What if I insist that you say?"
Black and White Impermanence paused, then gritted their teeth and said, "Emperor Bei Yin Feng Du."