Extracting all things: My attributes grow infinitely.

A thin mist had risen on the street sometime earlier.

The sky was overcast.

The pedestrians were as usual, completely unaware that disaster was about to befall them.

Jiang Chuan took a deep breath, mustered his spirits, and hurried toward the Wang family mansion.

The Wang family's sudden decision to close their doors to visitors must mean something unexpected has happened.

Instead of waiting.

Why not go and investigate the situation yourself?

He had just arrived near the Wang family's house when a person suddenly staggered out in front of him.

The man's hair was disheveled, and he was covered in blood. His pale white outfit was no longer recognizable, as it was stained with blood.

It was none other than Wang Lie!

His face was deathly pale, he was clutching a knife in his hand, and one arm hung limply at his sides.

Their eyes met, and both of them were taken aback.

"It's you?!"

Wang Lie instinctively raised his knife.

Jiang Chuan's heart skipped a beat when he saw his expression, and he immediately asked, "What happened to the Wang family?"

Wang Lie stared at him for a moment, then slowly lowered his knife, his expression complex as he said:

"I can't explain it to you!"

Jiang Chuan had a bad feeling, and he asked directly, "Is it related to ghosts?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Lie abruptly looked up, his face filled with disbelief: "How did you know?!"

Jiang Chuan's face was grim.

With Qingfeng Martial Arts School out of contact and the people sent by the county government unreliable, his only hope for breaking the deadlock lies with the Wang family.

But seeing Wang Lie's current state, he knew his hopes had been dashed.

An even greater crisis is looming.

Jiang Chuan no longer dwelled on his past conflicts with the Wang family.

Instead of taking advantage of the injured Wang Lie, he said, "Come with me, I'll explain on the way!"

Wang Lie remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and followed.

Jiang Chuan brought Wang Lie back to the caravan.

The two of them were lost in their own thoughts and neither of them spoke a word.

When Shen San Niang saw that it was Wang Lie, she was startled and quickly asked someone to bring her medicine and hot water.

Then they brought him clean clothes and had him change into them.

Wang Lie gritted his teeth and had his dislocated arm put back in place.

After tidying up, the group sat down at the table.

Jiang Chuan cut to the chase: "Since you've already mentioned the existence of ghosts, you must know about them. I don't need to explain the situation to you any further."

Wang Lie nodded with a grim expression. "When I was learning martial arts at Qingfeng Martial Arts School, my master once mentioned to me that such a thing exists in the world."

"Damn it!"

"If we're already in that hellish place, there's no way we can escape!"

His statement was consistent with Shen San Niang's: without reaching the Divine Fire Realm, one cannot fight against ghosts!

Jiang Chuan's heart sank.

He couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is divine fire?"

Wang Lie was taken aback, then slowly spoke:

"The divine fire is the flame of life ignited by burning oneself, fueled by vital energy and blood!"

"This fire is extremely yang and pure, condensed from the very essence of a person, capable of purifying all evil and impurities in the world!"

"But not just anyone can ignite the divine fire."

"Only top-tier martial artists whose qi, blood, and spirit have all reached perfection are qualified to ignite the flame!"

"Moreover, igniting the fire is a matter of life and death, but if successful, one will rise to the top in one step."

"If we fail, we will be devoured by the flame."

"vanished into thin air in an instant!"

"Even if one truly becomes a Divine Fire Realm martial artist, it's not a guarantee of lifelong success!"

"Once the divine fire is ignited, the vital energy and spirit will turn into fuel, burning day and night, constantly being consumed."

"Until the day it burns completely out!"

"Therefore, high-level martial artists who have ignited the divine fire often have extremely short lifespans!"

Wang Lie paused for a moment: "However, I have also heard that high-level martial artists have their own unique methods for prolonging life, but such secrets are beyond my reach."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuan's eyes flickered slightly.

The cultivation of the Divine Fire Realm is so extreme that it requires constantly burning one's life force to gain power!

This is completely different from his preconceived notions about spiritual practice.

Whether it's the path to godhood in the Origin Realm,

It's still the path to immortality in the Heavenly Chapter Realm.

The higher one's cultivation level, the longer one's lifespan; I've never heard of a person's lifespan shortening with cultivation!

Jiang Chuan instinctively sensed the problem, but now was not the time to delve into it.

He then asked, "How can the divine fire be ignited?"

Wang Lie gave a wry smile: "The 'Fire-Burning Method' is often a closely guarded secret of a powerful faction."

"A martial arts school in a small place like Qingfeng Martial Arts School doesn't even have cultivation methods after reaching the Spirit Gathering Realm."

"I've only heard my master mention that the 'Fire-Burning Method' exists in the world."

"And where have you actually come into contact with it...?"

Shen Sanniang, having listened to this far, couldn't help but ask, "So what should we do now?"

The arena fell silent.

No one answered.

because.

There's nothing anyone can do about it.

Without reaching the Divine Fire Realm, one cannot break through the Ghostly Maze. And the three of them combined are not even at the Spirit Gathering Realm. What way can they possibly come up with to break the deadlock?

Wang Lie frowned and pondered for a long time before suddenly speaking, "I do have a method that we can try..."

Jiang Chuan and Shen San Niang immediately looked at him.

……

the other side.

Officer Wu is still examining the crime scene.

In the alley, several corpses covered with white sheets were laid out side by side.

The onlookers stood at a distance.

No one dared to approach.

He squatted beside the corpse, his brow furrowed so deeply it could trap a fly.

The victims this morning died in increasingly gruesome ways. He had investigated cases for half his life and had never seen such a brutal method.

Even this old constable felt uneasy watching it.

Just then, someone from the yamen came to report.

"Boss Wu! Something's happened!"

"The bodies that were taken to the morgue yesterday... are gone!!"

"What?!"

Officer Wu jumped up and rushed back to the yamen.

The morgue was located in the west corner of the government office, a small, eerie room with only a few empty wooden planks inside.

The white cloth was lying haphazardly on the ground, as if it had been dragged by something.

Officer Wu's face turned ashen: "Who came here yesterday?!"

The coroner said tremblingly, "Reporting to Chief Wu... this place is usually avoided by the government officials, so how could anyone possibly come here to steal a corpse..."

"hiss……"

Officer Wu thought about it and realized that made sense.

What's the point of stealing a few corpses? If the perpetrator did it, he could have just taken them away that night; why leave them for them to examine?

He began to have doubts.

Could it be that...

Is it really the work of ghosts and monsters?!

He shook his head, dismissing the absurd thought.

Just then, a figure flashed past outside the morgue!

Officer Wu shouted loudly.

"Who's there!"

He jumped over the window and chased after them.

The figure moved extremely fast, fleeing deep into the county government office.

Officer Wu gave chase, watching as the figure disappeared into the back of the county government office.

That was where the county magistrate and his family lived.

Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter on ordinary days.

But at this moment.

Officer Wu didn't care about anything else.

If the thief gets away, we'll lose face big time!

He drew his sword and charged straight in.

The lanterns were still lit in the back courtyard.

But it was deserted and quiet.

The courtyard, which should have been bustling with people, was now deserted; not even a maidservant could be seen serving tea or water.

Officer Wu, knife in hand, cautiously circled the area twice.

Soon, he discovered that the county magistrate was standing motionless in the main hall with his back to the door.

"Master Lin!"

Officer Wu quickly bowed and said, "I've come to investigate the thieves; I meant no offense!"

The county magistrate did not react at all.

Wu, the head constable, was puzzled and called out twice more.

Still no movement.

The room was so quiet that only his own breathing could be heard.

He mustered his courage and stepped forward, one step at a time.

Just then.

The county magistrate suddenly moved.

He slowly turned around, revealing a blood-red, fleshless face, and uttered a strange, emphasizing sound:

"Who goes there... state your name...!"