"The Court's foundation..."
Zhang Kui's face remained expressionless, but his heart was on edge.
As expected, there was an inside story.
This world always gave him a strange feeling.
Logically speaking, with so many demons and creatures, the world should be in chaos, at least Qingzhou should be in disarray.
But along the way, he mostly saw a world of music and dancing, bustling with life; those demons were at most like natural disasters, and the people went about their lives as usual.
Denying doubts would be self-deception, he could only say he hadn't encountered this level of insight before.
Eunuch Yin pondered for a moment and then said:
"The human race has various cultivation methods, but in history, there were indeed a few not insignificant sects, at their peak, they could even contend with the four caves of demons."
"But humans have the greatest weakness: short lifespan, and only a tenth succeed in cultivation; those who can cross the Celestial Tribulation Realm are even fewer, so even the most flourishing sects fall apart once the talented generation passes away."
"Fortunately, humans discovered Ancient Secret Realms, which are incomprehensible and strange, but sometimes they can unearth powerful Ancient Artifacts."
"The reason the Court can suppress the world is because of a few divine artifacts of earth-shattering power, each guarded by a State Preceptor to protect the human race."
"If the demons pressure too much, the self-destruction of these artifacts would be unbearable for any demonical influence, coupled with the inherent infighting among demons, a balance in the world gradually formed."
"Although the Astronomical Bureau claims to exorcise evil for the nation, everyone in the Court knows what the true reliance is, hence the exploration of Ancient Secret Realms has never ceased."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Kui suddenly understood.
These ancient artifacts of divine level are akin to nuclear weapons, the demons likely have them too, but each side hesitates, leading to the current stalemate.
At this point, a gleam flashed in Eunuch Yin's eyes, "To be honest, Taoist, the situation in Qingzhou initially, because it involved the Stone Man Tomb of the Golden Light Cave, the Court did not want to make a big move, the emperor intended for us to cooperate with Lord Wu to stabilize the situation and quickly find and send off the reincarnated person."
"Each region did send some elite experts, but controlling the situation is still far off, Lord Wu and I are quite troubled."
"Now that a new Ancient Secret Realm has been discovered, it might be the opportunity to open the situation..."
...
The night descended, and the sky was filled with stars.
Zhang Kui stood at the top of the Black Water City's drum tower, drinking with the night wind while scanning around with the Cave Abyss Skill.
This was the highest place in the city, looking out, the place where West City's commoners gathered had long turned pitch black, while in the areas where officials and merchants congregated, the taverns and brothels were still brightly lit, filled with music and songs.
Upon receiving the news, Eunuch Yin sneaked out of the city, while Wu Siyuan was organizing the forces gathered from various states at Xiangfu Inn.
They would discuss strategies and first report this information to the Court. According to Eunuch Yin, the Court would at least send two National Guardian True Men who had reached the Celestial Tribulation Realm.
Zhang Kui wasn't interested in the royal rewards mentioned by Eunuch Yin, but was quite curious about that strange hand.
However, before that, he needed to enhance his strength.
The overwhelming ghost qi hovering over Black Water City had dissipated, and some things that were once hidden in the dark had gradually become visible...
...
The moonlight was like water, and on a quiet, deep night in West City's small path, the hooligan Luo San staggered along, carrying a wine bottle.
"Brother's dear... sister... going out... hic..."
He leaned against the wall and started to vomit, his mind in a turmoil, "Hehe, don't laugh at me, brothers, I'm... going to find Widow Li... hic..."
"My lord..."
Suddenly, he faintly heard a woman's voice behind him, mixed with a trace of wistful resentment.
"Who?!"
Luo San, dazed by alcohol, turned his head.
A white shadow flashed in the darkness at the distant corner.
"Hehe..."
A lecherous smile crept onto Luo San's face,
"Which young lady is this, missing your lord?"
After saying that, he staggered toward the corner.
Once in the alley, another white shadow appeared before him.
"Don't go, young lady, your brother is here..."
Luo San, in a drunken haze, chased after it.
"Eh, where did she go..."
Behind him, a pair of pale greenish woman's hands slowly emerged from a dried-up well, extending like serpents, instantly entwining around Luo San's head, dragging him toward the well mouth.
Luo San was instantly sobered by fright, flailing his legs wildly on the ground, leaving a trail of urine.
Swoosh!
A talisman descended from the sky, shooting into the well.
A woman's shrill scream rang out, and the ghostly hands immediately ignited with green flames and vanished.
Luo San, his face marred with burns, couldn't care about the pain, stumbling and rushing away.
"Ghost, ghost..."
On the rooftop, Zhang Kui shook his head in disappointment.
It was just a regular Earth-bound Spirit, solved with a single Evil-breaking Talisman, offering hardly any experience.
Better than nothing…
"Hmm, there's demon qi over there!"
Before the words fell, Zhang Kui darted away like a night owl.
In a large courtyard, a huge gray-haired mouse was sitting at a table like a human, gulping down wine and meat, the table in complete disarray.
On the ground nearby, several poorly mangled corpses lay, being gnawed on by a large group of mice, swarming in a continuous stream.
The gray-haired big mouse smiled slightly, revealing sharp white teeth, "Children, eat clean, don't leave even the bones behind, we can't waste food, tomorrow we go to the next house…"
Before the words fell, Zhang Kui had already landed in the courtyard.
With a reverse grip, he drew out the Lu Li sword, its center pitch-black, surrounded by a ghostly blue Evil Light, a few swift slashes.
The head of the Mouse Demon, who was drinking, fell onto the bluestone slab, shattering with a crash, and the little mice all turned into ice chunks.
This time the quality of Yin Evil was too high, the strange corpse ball itself had already been condensed, and the Demon-slaying Skill was honed again, not only increasing attack power several times but also bringing a terrifying freezing effect.
These Little Demons couldn't withstand even a single blow.
"Not enough, not enough, too few!"
Zhang Kui frowned and soared into the air once more.
All the demon ghosts in Black Water City were exterminated in one night.
After dawn, Zhang Kui returned to the inn at the base, first took a hot bath, then ate something and lay down to sleep.
He felt a bit downhearted, maybe due to the suppression of the Faceless Ghost King, the city was full of scattered riffraff, wasting a whole night without even earning a single skill point.
Isn't it said that without the Ghost King's suppression, evil spirits would come one after another? Hopefully, some tough ones will come.
Thinking this, Zhang Kui fell into a deep sleep…
However, the city descended into chaos because of his actions.
...
Dong dong dong…
Early in the morning, the rascal Luo San ran to the gate of the Astronomical Bureau and started beating the Evil Exorcism Drum.
After being brought in by soldiers, he knelt trembling in the main hall, "My lord, my lord, I saw a ghost!"
Captain Zhou was disturbed from his sweet dream, feeling a bit displeased, and sneered, "I also saw a ghost, the Fire Ghost, what's with that face of yours?"
Luo San quickly recounted what had happened.
Captain Zhou frowned, somewhat impatient, "You aren't dead, are you? All right, I'll send someone to check."
Before the words fell, the drum sounded again outside the door, and a man in a green robe was brought in, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Greetings, Captain Zhou."
Captain Zhou's expression softened a bit,
"Landlord Chen, you didn't see a ghost too, did you?"
This Landlord Chen's face was full of shock,
"No, my neighbor and friend's whole family was harmed by demons, and those demons also died mysteriously. Please, my lord, send someone to deal with it."
"Oh…"
As Captain Zhou was about to ask further, drumbeats sounded again at the door.
"Hey, is the drum of the Astronomical Bureau fun?"
Captain Zhou was slightly angered, yet as more people came to report, he finally realized something was amiss.
...
"We found mouse, snake, and insect demon corpses everywhere, three places suspected to be where spiteful spirits dissipated, all probably happened last night."
Captain Zhou's face grew serious, saluting that eerie scholar, "Mr. Qin, could it be…"
The scholar fiddled with a fan,
"Are you afraid that the disappearance of the Faceless Ghost King has been leaked, and a Great Demon is coming to clear the field?"
Captain Zhou nodded, frowning,
"Things happened suddenly, Eunuch Liu probably just got the news, gathering people takes time, if another ruthless figure comes…"
The scholar frowned in contemplation for a moment,
"I don't think so, if a Great Demon were clearing the field, how could I not sense it? You said those corpses were slain by blade and sword, it should have been done by someone."
Captain Zhou was speechless with a wry smile,
"You mean an exorcist? Who doesn't know what kind of place Qingzhou is, no one would dare to come courting death."
"That may not be the case…"
The scholar coldly chuckled, "Let's not act rashly for now, tonight I'll meet this fellow, see if he's a hot-headed fool, or a dragon crossing the river!"