Ita Era

Chapter 178 Formation Eye
The village chief asked anxiously, "What do we do now?"

Xiao Ni said, "We burned them. All forty-odd coffins were placed in the open space in front of the kiln. We poured kerosene on them, piled up firewood, and burned them all."

Village chief: "Crush their bones to ashes? Their families will fight to the death."

Xiao Ni said, "Then kill them all together and burn them on the spot."

The village chief shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, there were only three hundred people in the village to begin with, and more than forty have already died. If we keep killing, there will be less than two hundred left."

Xiao Ni looked at Cuihua, who said, "Then we can only have the villagers whose evil spirits are not sealed within them temporarily leave the village." If villagers with evil spirits within them leave the village, the evil spirits will awaken and devour their souls, becoming more severe the longer they are away. At best, their intelligence will decline; at worst, their bodies will be controlled.

Ding Shi said, "Aunt Cuihua, I think we should still prepare for the wedding. Maybe they'll play a trick on us. Why don't we just let Wang Zhu get married at the village entrance? Although it lacks a sense of ceremony and is against etiquette, survival is the most important thing."

Xiao Ni looked at Ding Shi with mixed feelings. This was definitely a case of sacrificing the greater good for one's own family, a sophisticated egoist.

Ding Shi helps others, but he has his limits. He cares more about his own family, such as Tie Zhu's family who have been very kind to him, and his friends who fought alongside him. In Ding Shi's view, everyone else is nothing compared to his own family. Since he can't change the situation, he must protect those he wants to protect.

Xiao Ni said fiercely, "Why don't we just kill them all who resist the burial?" As superhumans, killing more than sixty villagers would not be difficult for them, especially since nearly half of them were elderly, women, and children.

Ding Shi said, "Have you forgotten how Granny Liu was wiped out?"

Xiao Ni hesitated and said, "We're different from Granny Liu, aren't we?" Granny Liu is an NPC, while they are players.

Ding Shi said, "The rules of Heaven should be roughly the same."

After Ding finished speaking, he ignored them and walked to Cuihua's side, saying, "Aunt Cuihua, let's hurry up and set up a shed at the village entrance. You should also pack up and go with Cuilan."

Ding Shi had some reservations about Tie Zhu, after all, he had concealed the fact that he had been resurrected through possession.

In contrast, although Cuihua and Cuilan were the beneficiaries of the possession of another's body, Ding Shi did not have a negative view of them. Cuilan was polite and friendly, and Cuihua was kind and caring, allowing Ding Shi to feel the rare care and warmth from his family.

Cuihua nodded and left with Dingshi. The two walked through the crowd and found Tiezhu. After a brief whisper, Tiezhu stayed behind for the time being, while Cuihua and Dingshi returned home first.

On the way, Ding Shi asked, "Aunt Cuihua, you haven't seen Duan Pi since yesterday morning?"

Cuihua paused, then continued walking somewhat guiltily: "No, I don't think so."

Ding Shi smiled and said, "Aunt Cuihua?"

Cuihua said with difficulty, "Ding Shi, you are all my guests, I can't show favoritism to one another."

Ding Shize said, "Obviously, I'm closer to my aunt, and that guy is probably up to no good."

Cuihua said, "I think Duan Pi is a pretty good young man."

Ding Shi sighed, "What kind of taste do you have?" and said, "Aunt Cuihua?"

Cuihua ultimately felt closer to Ding Shi, so she said, "After you left yesterday morning, he took out 100 knives, saying that he was giving Cuilan some money as a dowry. He said he would be leaving for a day or two, and if you asked, just say you didn't know. Then he secretly came to me, and I drew a few Soul Slave Talismans for him."

Ding Shi was furious: "He still has 100 more cuts?"

Cuihua stopped and looked at Ding Shi, who said, "It's nothing, Aunt Cuihua. This is a personal matter between him and me. From what you're saying, he wants to take an evil spirit into his body?"

Cuihua said, "Duan Pi originally had an evil spirit inside him, but he tamed it and could use its power at will. According to the records of the Ghost Control Technique, it is possible to combine two evil spirits into one. I also guess that he is probably going to capture the evil spirit."

Ding Shi said, "He hasn't mastered the Ghost Control Technique yet, has he? Can he control two evil ghosts?" Only by bringing the Ghost Control Technique book onto the bus can Sha Bi learn the skill.

Cuihua thought for a long time before saying, "He can't yet merge with evil spirits, but he can seal two evil spirits, or more."

More? Damn!

Ding Shi understood. The tadpole-script Soul Slave Talisman drawn by Cuihua had no side effects, or rather, very few. Sha Bi came to the dungeon to buy goods, and those goods were evil spirits. After obtaining the Ghost Control Technique, he could fuse two evil spirits into one, but capturing evil spirits was very difficult. He originally planned to use Ghost Shadow to attack the weakest evil spirit during the day.

However, the existence of the Soul Slave Talisman opened a window for Sha Bi. He no longer needed to use Ghost Shadow to capture evil spirits; he could directly use the Soul Slave Talisman to lure them in. Although he hadn't mastered the Ghost Control Technique, he could still take the evil spirits out of the dungeon. After mastering the Ghost Control Technique, he could then refine and fuse the evil spirits.

I want to file a complaint; someone is exploiting a bug.

How could I tolerate this? What if that idiot fused with ten or eight evil spirits? How could I bully him then? Wouldn't he bully me the same way I bullied him?

It's true what they say, bystanders are often blinded by their own perspective. Who would have thought that this little "I don't want to marry" was so cunning, trying to complete his evolution quietly right under my nose? Can I tolerate this? If I do, he'll just blackmail me next time.

Ding Shi asked, "Aunt Cuihua, how many did you draw?"

Cuihua replied, "10 sheets."

Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh, you idiot, come out and die.

Seeing Ding Shi's blank expression, Cuihua asked timidly, "How about your aunt gives you 20 bills?"

Ding Shi waved his hand: "It's nothing, it's nothing, I'm fine. Let's go take care of Cuilan's matter first." Where is that idiot now?

Isn't Sha Bi afraid of the evil spirits' rampage? Of course not, he uses the tadpole-script soul slave talisman, not the Sanskrit soul slave talisman, so it is unaffected by the evil spirits' rampage.

Ding asked, "Aunt Cuihua, what if the evil spirits are causing a riot due to the clash between the red and white spirits?" He remembered that Cuihua was very nervous last time.

Cuihua explained, most of which Ding Shi didn't understand, but he grasped the general meaning.

Whether the clash of red and white would cause the evil spirits in the tadpole script to riot, or the evil spirits in the Sanskrit soul slave talisman to riot, she was unsure. However, the large number of deaths causing a riot of evil spirits would have no effect on the evil spirits in the tadpole script soul slave talisman.

The villagers were locked in a standoff near the Four-Meter Bridge. Cuihua and Dingshi rushed home, and Cuihua called out Cuilan, who was waiting to be married, from her room. The three of them began packing their things. At that moment, Xiaoni and the monk came to Dingshi for help and were assigned to move things. Dingshi took a large piece of red cloth and went to the village entrance.

They used a machete to cut down four small trees in the roadside woods, sharpened them, and stuck them in the ground. Then they pulled up a red cloth, and the shed was ready. All the things that Xiao Ni and the others brought were placed inside the shed.

At 11 a.m., not only the village chief but also the villagers knew that the burial could not be held on time, and some villagers began to leave Tianmen Village with their families. As soon as they left, the villagers who were possessed by evil spirits panicked.

The village chief, without thinking too much, began directing the people to move.

By 1 p.m., the matter had basically been settled.

According to the village chief's count, 135 people remained in Tianmen Village. Of these, 50 were relatives of the victims, and most were villagers who worshipped the Ghost Mother. Of the remaining 85, 35 had used Soul Slave Talismans and were believed to be possessed by evil spirits. Of the other 40 villagers, half were followers of the Ghost Mother, and the other half were villagers who did not wish to leave, including Feng Qiniang.

After explaining the marriage customs to Cuilan at the village entrance, Feng Qiniang returned to her own home. At 1:30 PM, the wedding procession from Banxi Village arrived and took Cuilan away. Tiezhu and Cuihua repeatedly tried to persuade Ding Shi and the others not to take the risk, but to no avail, and they could only leave with the wedding procession.

At 2 PM, the deceased had not been buried for over 24 hours, and there was no change whatsoever, at least not visible to the naked eye. Before leaving, Cuilan told Ding Shi that as soon as the sun set, they would come out to haunt the village, and he must not return.

The trio returned to Tianmen Village, where the Ghost Mother's followers had already occupied the road from the Jinshi Mansion to the Wayaoyao. They sat quietly on the ground, their eyes fixed on Ding Shi and his companions. When Ding Shi tried to enter, someone immediately stood up and blocked their path, while the surrounding followers picked up sickles and hoes, ready to attack at any moment.

Suddenly, a believer sitting on the ground began to convulse, foaming at the mouth, but no one approached to check on him. The convulsions lasted for about two minutes, after which the believer returned to normal. The believer then took out a handful of ashes from his pocket—the ashes of a Sanskrit Soul Slave Talisman that had been used.

Subsequently, the same scenario repeated itself: over forty villagers who had not been prepared for burial transformed into evil spirits. Due to their binding force and attraction, these spirits chose to possess the nearest villagers. While the Sanskrit Soul Slave Talisman has more side effects, it is more potent than the Tadpole-script Soul Slave Talisman.

In less than ten minutes, more than forty evil spirits successfully possessed the victims.

Before sunset, they are still themselves. After sunset, their bodies will be possessed by evil spirits.

"Walk."

Ding Shi knocked on the door: "Seventh Sister, Seventh Sister, I've brought my partner."

Dressed in a bright red matchmaker's outfit, Qi Niang opened the courtyard gate with a cold face. The cold wind from inside the courtyard rushed in, causing Ding Shi and the others to take a step back.

At the same time, an old woman and an old man suddenly appeared. They sat on the stone drum in the courtyard, looking at the gate with kind smiles on their faces, as if to say: Come in and have a drink of water.

The sun shone on them, producing only wisps of white smoke.

Feng Qiniang said, "Before sunset, take your companions and leave Tianmen Village immediately."

Ding Shi asked, "Where are my companions?"

Feng Qiniang said, "One is at Shuanzi's house, and the other is at the Jinshi's residence. There is a pond at the Jinshi's residence, and your people are in the pond. That is also the eye of the Yin-gathering array set up by the ghost cultivators."

Ding Shi asked, "Are our people in the pond? Are our people fish?"

Feng Qiniang thought for a while: "It might be in the mud."

Xiao Ni couldn't help but say, "Then there's no point in trying to save him, right?"

Feng Qiniang said, "No, she's still alive. If you don't take her away, the ghost cultivator will take over her body after nightfall."

Monk: "Amitabha, Seventh Sister, why don't you leave?"

Feng Qiniang said, "Once I leave, Tianmen Village will become a true ghost village and will never recover. Don't worry, I have set up a Yin Gathering Array at home. My parents-in-law have been nourished by the Yin Gathering Array for nearly 20 years. Ordinary evil ghosts are no match for them, let alone evil ghosts that are just wearing human skin."

The monk asked, "When will this matter be resolved?"

Feng Qiniang said, "The full moon is the night after tomorrow. That will be your last chance. If it doesn't work out, you should all stay far away from Tianmen Village and never come back."

Feng Qiniang: "Go quickly."

The three bid farewell to Feng Qiniang. Ding Shi seemed very sad and was the last to turn and leave. Before turning away, Ding Shi mouthed, "Is the divine tree in your house?"

Feng Qiniang's expression froze for two seconds, then she nodded, pointed to the original location of the divine tree, and mouthed, "Transplanted under the full moon."

Ding Shi speculated that, as a descendant of a feng shui master, Feng Qiniang knew that to restore the feng shui of Tianmen Village, a new sacred tree had to be planted near the original one. The Yin-gathering array in Feng Qiniang's home was not only for training two powerful bodyguards, but also for nurturing the sacred tree.

The cold spring water nurtured the divine tree, and Feng Qiniang nurtured it through the Yin Gathering Array, possibly also using the blessings she gained from the red thread as nourishment.

This may be why Feng Qiniang keeps the most ferocious ghosts in the whole village; she needs them to protect the saplings of the sacred tree.

Ding Shi turned to leave, but the monk ran back and took out a firecracker called "Skyrocket" from his pocket.

Once lit, the rocket can fly more than 20 meters into the air, exploding in a shower of sparks with a loud noise.

The monk handed the firecracker to Feng Qiniang: "Qiniang, if you need our help, light this firecracker."

Feng Qiniang took the skyrocket: "Okay, hurry up, the sun will set in three hours."

……

Ding Shi: "I'm going to Shuanzi's house."

Xiao Ni: "Reason?"

Ding Shi: "I can bring back an assistant if I go."

Xiao Ni: "OK".

Monk: Didn't anyone ask for my opinion?
In fact, no. Xiao Ni dragged the monk across the four-meter bridge, then into the mountain, circled around halfway, climbed over the wall, and entered the Jinshi Mansion. They headed straight for the fourth courtyard, where there was a pond with a diameter of ten meters. There were debris on the water and fish in it, indicating that fresh water had been introduced.

The pond water was emerald green, its depth unclear, and the thickness of the silt unknown.

Meanwhile, Ding Shi entered Shuanzi's house and quickly found the coffin. He opened it and found Sha Bi lying unconscious inside. Ding Shi searched Sha Bi's body and only obtained four Soul Slave Talismans.

Cuihua gave Shabi ten Soul Slave Talismans. Could it be that he already has six evil spirits inside him, plus a ghost shadow?
Ding Shi squinted at Sha Bi for 5 seconds, held his breath and took off Sha Bi's left shoe, flipped open the insole and took out the fifth Soul Slave Talisman, and took out the sixth Soul Slave Talisman from under the right shoe insole.

After thinking for 10 seconds, Ding Shi pried open Sha Bi's mouth and took a roll of oiled paper from it. Inside was the seventh Soul Slave Talisman.

After thinking for 30 seconds, Ding Shi took off Sha Bi's pants and, suppressing his nausea, pulled out the eighth Soul Slave Talisman from the crevice of his buttocks. He couldn't take off his underwear, but Sha Bi couldn't completely hide it inside; a section was still sticking out.

After thinking for 60 seconds, Ding Shi stripped down to his underwear, then groped around and pulled out the ninth Soul Slave Talisman from the inner lining of his underwear. Men's underwear offers no protection.

And that was it. Looks like he caught a stupid devil after all.

Ding Shi lit a match and burned the nine Soul Slave Talismans. Then he warmed up, grabbed Sha Bi by the collar, and started slapping him.

As the fourth slap landed, Sha Bi grabbed Ding Shi's hands tightly and said, "Brother Ding, you're awake, stop hitting me."

(End of this chapter)