I'm Ximen Qing, living in a ghost story!

Suburbs of Guobei County.

Lanruo Temple is located on the top of the only small mountain on the outskirts of the county.

There is a three-story bell tower in the temple, which serves as both a scripture repository and a lookout tower.

It is usually used as a warning to prevent monks in temples from being captured while they are performing fertility rituals for female worshippers.

Today, however, the one standing atop the tower is Yuantong, the abbot of the temple. This great monk is holding prayer beads in his hands, looking at the dark, sprawling county town with only a few scattered lights in the distance.

He kept repeating "Amitabha" on his lips, but his face showed an unusual tension.

After an unknown amount of time, an explosion suddenly rang out in the city, like firecrackers suddenly exploding during the Spring Festival.

Then came three sword cries that rose from the ground!

With a slight exertion of force, almost instantly, his prayer beads shattered on the ground and rolled onto the top of the bell tower at his feet.

Following the curve of the tile, it crashed onto the temple floor with a series of crisp, clattering sounds.

However, at this moment, he had no time to pay attention to these things, and instead looked at the towering old locust tree in the meditation room.

His eyes flashed with murderous intent, devoid of his usual kind and gentle demeanor. He spread his wings like a roc and flew down from the top of the pagoda, landing in the courtyard of the meditation room. He demanded sharply, "What has happened?"

There was no response!

Yuantong showed a hint of shock, made a hand seal, and slammed it on the ground. Several urns of ashes flew out from the ground, along with several charming female ghosts.

At this moment, however, they were all trembling with fear.

Where is your maternal grandmother?

"Grandma said something important is going to happen tonight, but she didn't say anything else..."

A brave female ghost responded.

"ah!!"

Before he could finish speaking, a fist, as big as a sandbag and wrapped in red light, swung towards him.

They beat the female ghost to ashes.

Seeing this, the other ghosts were terrified and hurriedly fled, but in his rage, Yuantong wiped them all out with a wave of his hand and a thought.

He then frowned, stood still, and after a moment, exhaled a long breath.

He waved his hand, and several robust monks came forward to greet him.

"You lot, dig this tree up and transplant it to the cave behind the mountain, replacing it with a new, older peach tree!"

"Yes, Abbot!"

Yuantong nodded, crossed his arms, and coldly looked at the uprooted locust tree. He sighed, "Utterly foolish! Your actions are bizarre, ruining the important plans of both sides! If it weren't for the Black Mountain Ghost King entrusting you with this important task, I would have eliminated you long ago! And now I have to clean up your mess!"

The tree spirit had previously said she wanted revenge.

Yuantong initially thought that this guy was just sending a few more female ghosts, so he let it go.

Unexpectedly, she took the initiative herself.

That's right, although it was only a clone that went! But the tree spirit's clone is part of its main body.

That tree demon was a ghostly locust tree that connected Yin and Yang, with a lush root system, born with innate qualities, and capable of producing Yin spirits.

That's why Heishan Laogui treated him differently and entrusted him with important tasks, but it also means that his consciousness also needs to be attached to his clone.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that her heels are thin.

This is gamble!

Okay, unsurprisingly, I lost the bet.

How many people in the world are watching the netherworld?

Having exposed their whereabouts, it wasn't just those Taoist priests from Laoshan who came; the sword madmen from Shushan and those lackeys who had surrendered to the imperial court—none of them were easy to deal with!

Therefore, the most important thing now is to deal with that stupid tree demon and prevent Lanruo Temple from becoming the center of the storm.

Incidentally, suppress this matter before higher-ups notice it, and ideally, kill off all those who know about it to end the matter once and for all.

"Ximen Qing! Gu Yunzi! And... the county magistrate... never mind, there are too many people. Let's travel together. Amitabha, Buddha is merciful, all beings suffer, it's time to be reborn in the Pure Land!"

Yuantong's eyes flashed red, as if he had made up his mind.

In the city, at the West Gate residence.

Gu Yunzi landed gracefully on the rooftop, and almost instantly, he swallowed and spat out a sword pellet, surrounded by sword energy.

However, what came into view was a bizarre scene.

Although Ximen Qing was disheveled and pale, he appeared to be full of energy.

Opposite him, however, was another demon lying on the ground.

Its upper body remained human, but its lower body was a tree trunk with abundant roots. It exuded a chilling aura. Perhaps it was stunned by the series of attacks just now, and it fell to the ground, somewhat unconscious.

However, the unique aura still caused the whisk hanging at Gu Yunzi's waist to tremble incessantly.

"Son! What happened?"

Gu Yunzi arrived through the air, even faster than Ximen Da.

At that moment, Ximen Dacai, dressed in his undergarments and carrying a long knife, rushed in, followed by a dozen burly men led by Steward Lai, including Laiwang.

Simon Da's success wasn't entirely due to his connection with the Naked Sect. His ability to travel all over the country and monopolize the medicinal herb industry was also thanks to the group of men under his command!

"Dao... Daoist Master?"

However, upon opening the door and seeing Gu Yunzi gracefully descending, Ximen Da concealed his long sword behind his back, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and breathed a sigh of relief.

For a moment, he thought it was members of the Naked Cult coming to find him.

However, Gu Yunzi ignored him and instead focused his attention on the tree demon grandmother on the ground.

He quickly approached the other man and stood beside Ximen Qing, asking, "Have you used all three talismans?"

Ximen Qing nodded slightly, grinned, and saw his tongue was covered in blood. Damn, it hurts so much!

"You were quite prudent in your assessment of the enemy; what a pity."

Gu Yunzi shook his head regretfully.

"Master, this monster..."

Ximen Qing's face showed no change, but he already understood in his heart.

Guobei County, Lanruo Temple, tree demon... It's clearly the tree at Lanruo Temple!

"This demon is no ordinary creature; it possesses overwhelming Yin energy. Perhaps it is a demon from the netherworld!"

Gu Yunzi's face was solemn as he squatted down to examine the situation.

However, at this very moment...

The tree spirit lying on the ground instantly transformed into a wooden snake, which darted towards the distant night sky.

"Oh no! She's trying to escape!"

Ximen Qing subconsciously reached for his waist, wanting to activate the gold brick, but he forgot that his magic power was completely depleted, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to kneel on the ground.

This prompted Simon to quickly call his servants to help him up, showering him with concern and care.

"You can't escape!"

Gu Yunzi smiled confidently, and the sword pellet in his mouth flew out, transforming into a small gray sword that rushed straight out and pierced directly into the tree demon.

However, it happened in the very instant the needle struck.

A black and white soul suddenly broke free from the body and flew away into the distance.

"The Yin Spirit!!"

All that could be heard was Gu Yunzi's exclamation, filled with utter disbelief, as he watched the illusory figure rush towards the city gates.

Only a section of the tree trunk and roots remained on the ground, making a crisp sound as it hit the ground.

It was as if Gu Yunzi's confident statement had been slapped in the face.

At the same time, a flurry of footsteps came from outside the mansion; such a commotion could not possibly be kept secret from the authorities.