In Ah Zhen's eyes, black threads continuously coiled, forming tiny runes.
Under the influence of these runes, her eyes can see many things that ordinary people cannot see, such as certain idealistic evil spirits!
at this time.
The wooden boat still drifted on the river, unmanned, yet continued to move downstream.
The river was as calm as a mirror, leaving not a ripple even where the wooden boat had passed.
However, this is such a strange and supernatural place.
A "plop" sound and a few ripples appeared in the river water on the bank ahead.
It seems something jumped into the water.
"There is a simple wooden dock on the shore, but half of it has collapsed, and it seems to be an abandoned ferry crossing."
"There is a stone-paved path leading from this dock to the shore, which extends deep into the riverbed."
"There were some dilapidated houses there, with fishing nets and other fishing gear placed at the door. It should be a fishing village, but I didn't see anyone."
Ah Zhen's "yin eyes" pierced through the fog, taking in the entire area and even the scenery deep within the riverbank.
However, it's surprising that a fishing village exists in such a place.
That's quite strange.
Clearly, the ferry crossing on the shore was prepared for this village.
"What about underwater? Can you see anything there?"
A-Qiang asked.
He didn't care what was on the shore or how strange it was, because their destination wasn't here; they were just passing through.
What he really cared about was the source of the sound of the water just entering the water.
Ah Zhen understood this as well, and narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to see below the surface of the river.
Compared to the clear and distinct scenery on the shore, the underwater world was a complete mess.
All they could see was darkness, as if the wooden boat they were on wasn't floating on the river, but suspended above a deep abyss.
But the "yin eye" was created ultimately for spying on the supernatural.
After Ah Zhen kept adding runes to her eyes, she finally managed to see a strange figure in the darkness.
It stood lifelessly in the water, its clothes tattered to shreds, the fabric digging deep into its flesh due to its swollen body, leaving deep grooves.
It looked like a drowned corpse.
However, the corpse made Ah Zhen feel very uneasy.
Because its feet were not on the riverbed, but it was floating in the water in a standing position.
Legend has it that some drowned people with extremely heavy resentment will have their bodies stand up underwater and keep looking for a substitute to take their place.
How similar this scene is!
However, this river is not a normal river; it's a place where even supernatural objects sink.
What makes this vengeful ghost float up like that?
"There is a drowning ghost in the water, and we are getting closer and closer to it."
She immediately issued a warning!
The corpses appeared to be crossing the river, but very slowly. At the current speed of the wooden boats, they would soon collide!
"Is it really appropriate for a conflict to break out in this kind of place with a vengeful ghost?"
Ah Zhen glanced at the river.
If you accidentally fall into the water, you may not have a chance to climb out.
"Drowning ghost?"
"Where is it located?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Peng immediately stood up and walked to the bow of the boat, looking in the direction Ah Zhen was pointing.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a similar ability to see shadows, and could see nothing but mist and the dark water.
"The ghosts in this river must be extremely dangerous. Most importantly, what if the boat capsizes in a conflict?"
Ah Qiang also came over, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.
"Why don't we take action now and join forces to repel the vengeful spirit?"
"Otherwise, we'd probably crash into it, since we can't control the ship."
A woman in her thirties appeared beside A-Qiang and made a suggestion while looking at the water.
Thanks to Ah-Zhen's constant guidance, although everyone couldn't see the vengeful ghost, they were able to pinpoint its location.
"inappropriate."
Ye Peng shook his head, disagreeing.
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"It's best not to cause any unnecessary trouble in a place like this."
He glanced at the lantern at the bow of the boat; the light inside seemed dimmer than before.
This is not a good sign.
Then, he looked at a young man behind him.
"Zhang Ruilin, why don't you give it a try?"
"OK."
The young man did not refuse; he couldn't refuse at a time like this.
He went straight to the bow of the ship.
Then.
A strange bottle appeared in his hand.
The bottle contained some yellowish, translucent mucus, and inside the mucus were a group of small, wriggling insects.
Without saying much, he unscrewed the cap and threw it forcefully in the direction Ah Zhen pointed out.
The bottle fell into the river without making a sound or creating a ripple; it sank immediately.
But Ah Zhen's gaze sharpened.
Because she saw the drowned ghost, which was originally moving forward, suddenly turn around and head towards the spot where the bottle had fallen into the water!
"It turned around and changed direction to chase after the bottle."
She glanced at the man named Zhang Ruilin, feeling quite surprised.
It seems there are truly hidden talents among this group.
"Given the current situation, even if it turns back again, it won't collide with the ship."
Ah Zhen observed for a moment and then continued.
As she said.
After swimming a distance, the body slowly disappeared into the water.
It looks like it has dived into deeper parts of the river.
The wooden boat quickly passed through the area where the drowned ghost was located, and everything was smooth without any abnormalities.
"very good."
Ye Peng breathed a sigh of relief, nodded to Ah Zhen, and patted Zhang Ruilin on the shoulder.
"Thanks to the two of you, otherwise we might have been attacked by supernatural forces."
As they passed through this area, everyone on the boat felt a chilling cold seeping from the water.
Clearly, the vengeful ghost that Ah Zhen saw earlier was extremely terrifying!
No one wants to face something like this.
"We're all in the same boat, just trying to get through this together."
Ah Zhen smiled faintly.
A supernatural crisis seemed to have vanished.
During the rest of the journey, although some strange figures could be seen occasionally on the shore, the wooden boat did not encounter any more supernatural events.
Two hours later, we arrived safely at a riverbank covered with strange rocks.
Surprisingly, there is a perfectly intact ferry crossing here!
Next to the ferry crossing stands a moldy, faded wooden board with the words "Wild Dog Ridge" written on it.
"As you have seen along the way, all the ferry crossings have been damaged, so the boats will not stop, which also prevents some evil spirits from boarding the boats."
"This is safer than taking that bus."
Ye Peng looked at the towering mountains in the distance and said with a serious expression:
"But now that the safety journey is over, we must all work together to complete the mission!"
Just as Ye Peng was giving his speech, and most people's attention was drawn to him.
Standing in the corner, Ah Zhen suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
She instinctively turned her head to look behind her.
The wooden boat we had been on was slowly leaving the dock, seemingly preparing to continue drifting downstream.
And at the bottom of the wooden boat.
A pale figure flashed by, seemingly sinking into the depths of the river.
"How is that possible!"
Instantly, Ah Zhen showed a look of shock.
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On the dark water, the old, unmanned wooden boat slowly left the ferry dock.
Ye Peng stood in the crowd and began to explain some things that needed attention next, as well as the intelligence he had.
"Ah Zhen, don't worry about that boat. It only stays at each ferry crossing for a few minutes."
When Ye Peng saw Ah Zhen turn around to examine the wooden boat, he assumed she was worried about not having a means of transportation back, so he said:
"We took the boat to get to Wild Dog Ridge as quickly as possible to complete the mission, but we don't need to rush back."
"After I pass the information to the people in the ancient village through the system, I will take that old bus back."
"When will this ship sail back?" someone asked curiously.
"I have no idea."
"Even when this ship was still operating normally, almost no one knew where its destination was, and no one ever saw it return."
"Anyway, it will appear at the ferry crossing on the fifteenth of every month."
Ye Peng said.
"I saw that although the ferry crossings along the way had been damaged, the fact that there were ferry crossings and that the boat would stop at them at least proves that there must have been quite a few passengers."
"Nobody knows where it ends, how is that possible?"
A-Qiang was somewhat skeptical, thinking that Ye Peng was deliberately concealing the truth.
"Some people did try, but those who claimed they would ride the whole way disappeared."
At this point, Ye Peng reminded everyone again:
"Now is not the time to study the wooden boat. We have successfully reached our destination, and that is enough. As for what secrets the wooden boat may hold, that is irrelevant to our mission."
"If you are interested, you can explore it yourselves in the future."
Hearing Ye Peng say this, the adventurers who wanted to ask questions shut their mouths.
They're just habitually curious.
Ah Zhen saw Ye Peng turn around and begin to plan the next steps. She opened her mouth, but ultimately told him what she had seen:
"I just saw the drowned ghost appear at the bottom of the wooden boat."
"It probably followed us all the way here."
"But now it has sunk into the water and disappeared."
She felt obligated to remind everyone present, especially Ye Peng, who was in charge.
What judgment the other party makes is none of her business. Since she saw it, she has to speak out; it's her responsibility to the team.
Ye Peng took her words very seriously.
He stopped what he was doing and walked straight to the riverbank, where he was about to assign tasks.
Did you see it come ashore?
He said in a deep voice.
The others also looked at the river, becoming wary.
No.
Ah Zhen shook her head.
"After I saw the wooden boat sail away, I saw its silhouette emerge from under the boat, but it flashed by and seemed to disappear into the water."
Upon hearing this, Ye Peng frowned.
A vengeful ghost had followed them all the way to Wild Dog Ridge, which was not a good omen.
Ah Qiang, who was standing next to him, thought for a moment and said:
"Regardless of what that vengeful ghost is like, we have already arrived at Wild Dog Ridge, and now that the boat has left, there is no way to turn back."
"So whatever its plans are, we have no choice but to move forward."
The woman next to Ah Qiang nodded in agreement.
"It kept following us, but didn't attack us, probably because it was wary of us. Everyone should remain vigilant, but there's no need to panic."
"We can find a relatively safe place to stay for a day or two and see if it catches up."
Hearing the woman's words, the others also expressed their agreement.
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"Since that vengeful ghost came from the water, let's leave the riverbank first."
"That's right. With so many of us, even a vengeful ghost might be hard to defeat. If we can't defeat it even if we join forces, then all our worries are unnecessary."
"Let's go into Wild Dog Ridge first. I have a feeling this riverside is not safe. This river is too strange. It would be troublesome if something else came out."
"I agree..."
After hearing everyone's words, Ye Peng thought for a moment and said:
"Alright, let's leave the riverbank and walk a bit further in first."
After saying that, he looked at the riverbank not far away.
There were piles of strange rocks and deep pits there, and it was unclear whether they were deliberately created or if this was just how the place was.
Further in, there was a dense forest.
This forest was very strange; the trees were not the usual green, but rather pitch black, as if they had been burned by a great fire.
The branches were also jagged and crooked, looking somewhat like a twisted human body.
The most bizarre thing is the tree trunks. Every tree trunk looks like it has a tumor, covered with strange, swollen lumps.
"The trees here look a lot like a forest in the wasteland."
The group headed towards the woods, and Ah-Qiang spoke as he carefully avoided the strange sand pits.
You mean the shady forest?
The woman next to her reached out and touched the strange rock; it felt smooth to the touch.
Despite its rough appearance, it had the feel of mutton fat jade, which surprised her quite a bit.
"Yes, there's a strange tale about that deep in the forest."
Ah Qiang said.
"Strange tales?"
Ah Zhen had been silent, but when she heard the words "strange tales," she showed a surprised expression.
Because in the supernatural world, there are many strange tales and legends, but very few people have actually encountered them.
She had only heard that very few people who encountered strange tales survived.
"Yes, ghost stories."
"There is no solution to this thing; anyone who encounters it is doomed. I once saw a peak fourth-tier expert encounter this strange phenomenon, and even the intervention of the spirit priest was ineffective; he still died."
Ah Qiang's tone was very serious.
"I've heard that ghost stories sometimes happen on the ghost train, so you should never take that train unless absolutely necessary."
"Under normal circumstances, ghost stories are still rare in the supernatural world."
"Um."
Ah Zhen nodded firmly.
The group quickly left the beach and entered the woods.
Everyone took out their weapons and remained alert to any movement around them.
This forest is strange.
Walking inside, you get the illusion of walking through a pile of corpses. Occasionally, a glance out of the corner of your eye reveals that a tree seems to have turned into a standing, desiccated corpse.
But when I looked over, everything seemed normal.
One member chopped down a large tree with an axe and found nothing strange; it seemed to be just an illusion caused by environmental factors.
However, everyone knows that illusions don't exist in the supernatural world.
At least for the awakened, it doesn't exist!
Therefore, there must be something hidden in this strange forest, but they just haven't discovered it yet.
We walked for about ten minutes.
Suddenly, Ye Peng, who was at the front, stopped.
Then, he looked at a big tree next to him, reached out and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from a crack in it!
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"Watch out! Don't go any further, there's a ghost here!"
"No, no, no! This isn't a ghost, it's a strange tale!"
"No, no! This isn't a ghost story, this is a person!"
"No! This isn't a human, it's a ghost!"
I want to leave here!
"Don't leave the woods, or you'll die! You'll die!"
It's safe here.
On the blank paper, some short, illogical sentences were written in messy handwriting, suggesting that the person was mentally confused and disoriented at the time.
However, the content above cast an ominous shadow over everyone who saw it.
What exactly did this person go through?
"This piece of paper has been here for at least several years."
One of the team members took the paper in his hand, touched it briefly, and determined the year of its production.
It should take five years.
He then stated definitively.
Five years?
Standing behind Ye Peng, Zhang Ruilin squinted, as if he had remembered something.
"I remember, five years ago there was a team that went missing after entering Wild Dog Ridge, right?"
"That's right. I had gathered intelligence beforehand. Two teams had come to Wild Dog Ridge. One team left unharmed and claimed they hadn't encountered any ghosts."
"The other branch disappeared in Wild Dog Ridge five years ago."
"A young man said."
He looked around warily. In the eerie woods, the light was not dim and the trees were not dense, so he could see quite far.
So far, no paranormal phenomena have been discovered.
Ye Peng thought for a moment and said:
"There's no use in overthinking. At least the intelligence I have indicated that this forest is some distance from the outer edge of Wild Dog Ridge, so it's relatively safe. Everyone just needs to be vigilant and not worry too much."
"Let's walk a little further and find a better spot to rest."
The others didn't say anything.
None of us are newcomers; the dangers we've encountered are enough to fill a thrilling horror adventure novel.
A piece of paper is not enough to scare them away.
So the group continued deeper into the woods.
The only difference was that their positions in the group were switched. The woman, who looked to be around thirty years old, stood next to Ah Zhen.
"Ah Zhen, since you are Ah Qiang's friend, then you are my friend."
You can call me Aunt Yang.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you if anything happens."
The woman smiled kindly at Ah Zhen.
...
It seems that the piece of paper was really just something a mentally disturbed survivor scribbled down randomly.
Or perhaps, that danger has already left this place.
The group walked for over an hour without anything happening or any supernatural phenomena being observed.
Even Ah Zhen never saw the corpse that had come with the wooden boat again.
Everything remained calm until we emerged from the woods.
"The intelligence about the ancient village is accurate; there is indeed no danger in the woods."
"The owner of that paper may have provoked evil spirits elsewhere and was chased all the way into the forest. After he died, the evil spirits left."
Ye Peng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the stream that appeared outside the woods and the towering mountains opposite.
"Let's rest here for a bit."
He turned to the crowd and said.
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"We're just ahead on the outskirts of Wild Dog Ridge. Everyone, conserve your energy and get ready. Also, be aware of any lurking ghosts following us from behind."
"If it is, we'll take care of it outside Wild Dog Ridge. That way we won't be caught in a pincer attack once we go in, and something unexpected might happen."
"If not, then we'll enter Wild Dog Ridge at this time tomorrow!"
Upon hearing Ye Peng's words, everyone stopped in their tracks. The group of more than twenty people began to set up camp.
Instead of approaching the creek, they chose to camp at the edge of the woods.
Ah Zhen saw the young man named Zhang Ruilin take out a huge glass bottle from his backpack and scatter something around the camp.
"This is incense ash that Ruilin mixed himself. If any supernatural beings get close, this incense ash will burn on its own."
Ye Peng explained.
"Perfumer?"
A-Qiang was slightly taken aback, seemingly surprised by Zhang Ruilin's identity.
Ye Peng smiled but remained silent.
Seeing this expression, A-Qiang didn't ask any more questions and changed the subject to the blank sheet of paper from before.
"Brother Peng, what exactly happened to that team five years ago?"
He kept thinking about those hastily written short sentences, which made it seem like he was writing them in a great hurry.
He didn't think the paper was written for later generations; it must have been written by someone who still had companions alive at the time, perhaps not far behind.
"I don't know. Almost no one has ever been to Wild Dog Ridge. It's really hard to say what's inside."
Ye Peng looked at A-Qiang and said sincerely:
"I will send you the route map right away. This is a relatively safe route that I obtained at great cost."
"We just need to verify that this path does exist."
"There must be something extremely terrifying hiding in Wild Dog Ridge, but we don't need to provoke them."
"This time, the task was issued by the ancient village. As you can see, the reward they offered is very generous."
As Ye Peng spoke, he shared a map with all the participants in the mission through the system.
Because there is no one else in this area, the system's regional channel has no information.
However, personal friends can still send messages.
To be honest, people in all supernatural worlds have speculated about what a system is.
Unfortunately, this is an even bigger mystery than the origin of the paranormal!
After Ah Qiang opened the message, a detailed map appeared before his eyes.
The map was covered with densely packed mountains, rivers, and some annotations.
In the bottom left corner, there is a stream. On the opposite side of the stream, a winding red line extends across most of the map.
"I hope everything goes well."
Ah Qiang put away the map and stopped talking.
Ah Zhen, who was standing next to them, glanced at the map but did not join their conversation.
She cautiously surveyed her surroundings; the woods behind her and the crystal-clear stream in front of her gave her an eerie feeling.
As an awakened individual with the special ability of "yin eyes," she has always placed great importance on her intuition.
The image of the drowned ghost she had seen at the ferry crossing kept flashing through her mind.
"It came to Wild Dog Ridge with the wooden boat and even got off. It couldn't possibly have been there for tourism."
"And the mountain range across the way..."
Runes flickered in Ah Zhen's eyes.
What appeared to be an ordinary mountain range in her normal field of vision slowly transformed into a series of enormous tombs!
These graves looked lifeless, and some were even collapsed, revealing a corner of the coffin.
However, these scenes soon disappeared.
Eventually, it was restored to its normal mountain range.
"Even the Yin Eye couldn't see for long; the danger here is probably beyond our imagination."
Ah Zhen felt a chill run down her spine at the thought of entering such a place tomorrow.
"Hopefully, the route on Ye Peng's map is safe."
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After a day of rest.
The Wild Dog Ridge exploration team found no ghosts following them; everything was peaceful.
Ah Zhen, however, saw several times that the mountains ahead had turned into a huge graveyard. Many graves had collapsed, revealing the decaying coffins inside.
She told Ye Peng and A Qiang what she had seen.
However, although Ye Peng looked serious, he wasn't too nervous.
He told Ah Zhen that Wild Dog Ridge was definitely very dangerous, and that one careless move could lead to utter destruction.
Even ancient villages are not to be entered lightly; high fees are paid to exploration teams to serve as cannon fodder and clear mines.
Everyone was prepared for this.
If he hadn't received prior intelligence, he wouldn't have dared to gather everyone here to take this risk.
Ah Qiang also comforted her, saying:
"Don't worry. Although exploration missions are dangerous, most of the time, as long as you are careful, you can get out unscathed."
"We've been to some really scary paranormal areas before, but we've still managed to live like this for so many years, haven't we?"
"With Ah Zhen participating this time, it's like adding an extra layer of insurance."
Everything will be alright.
After hearing what the two said, Ah Zhen said nothing more.
She also knew that this industry was inherently a matter of life and death, a place where the living made a living off the dead.
If there's no danger, why would the employer hire them to explore?
Moreover, they have already received a deposit from the employer, which is absolutely non-refundable.
Moreover, the other party is from an ancient village.
If we retreat before the battle even begins, it won't just be a matter of paying a penalty; it could very well lead to a fatal disaster!
...
After everyone finished getting ready, they crossed the stream ahead.
We officially set foot on Wild Dog Ridge.
As soon as they entered, a chilling coldness hit them, making everyone shiver.
"The problem here is indeed huge; the yin energy is too heavy."
Zhang Ruilin rubbed his nose, seemingly disliking the environment.
The others didn't say much, silently following the red lines marked on the map, comparing their route with the map as they headed deeper into the mountains.
There were no roads in the mountains at all; one could only move forward through the undergrowth.
After walking for nearly an hour, a sudden clearing appeared in front of the woods.
The open space is about the size of two basketball courts, with a stone building in the middle.
The building was very tall, and from the outside it looked somewhat like a tomb, but there was no tombstone in sight.
Part of its front has collapsed, revealing a dark opening that seems to lead into the building's interior.
Ye Peng cautiously approached, observed the building with a somewhat serious expression, and then pointed to it, asking:
"Ruilin, can you sense something inside?"
Zhang Ruilin twitched his nose, seemingly sniffing the air, then said hesitantly, "There should be... a lot of corpses inside."
"But it's strange. Judging from the stench, these bodies had only been dead for less than a week."
These words immediately left everyone somewhat puzzled.
Wild Dog Ridge is a remote place, so how could there be a body that has been dead for less than a week?
"Could it be another exploration team?"
Ah Qiang said.
He turned to Ah Zhen beside him: "Ah Zhen, can you see what's going on inside?"
Then, seemingly remembering that this was Ah Zhen's first time participating in such an operation, he explained:
"When exploring the supernatural, we generally avoid encountering supernatural entities that are unrelated to the mission."
"However, any suspicious items along the route still need to be investigated and detected to prevent any accidents."
"Especially this building that looks like a tomb, which has an opening, and it looks like something is going in and out."
After listening, Ah Zhen nodded and, under the protection of several team members, arrived at the building.
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She recalled the rolling hills of graves she had seen before, and now, facing the collapsed tombs, she felt quite uneasy.
I took a deep breath.
Black lines appeared in her eyes and formed twisted runes.
Then.
The once pitch-black cave entrance was now illuminated as if by a bright lamp.
In an instant, the entire scene came into view.
This is indeed a grave!
But to her surprise, there was no corpse that Zhang Ruilin had sensed inside, only an open wooden coffin.
The coffin looked quite old; the black paint had mostly peeled off, revealing the rotten wood underneath.
The coffin was empty; there was nothing inside.
On the ground next to the coffin, there was a cracked coffin lid lying horizontally, clearly indicating that it had been deliberately opened.
They even used violence!
but.
When Ah Zhen shifted her gaze to a corner of the tomb, she suddenly noticed several candles that were only half-burnt.
Next to the candles, there was a stone statue!
The stone statue appears to have been exposed to wind and rain, and has suffered severe weathering, making its exact appearance unclear.
The only part of his face that was clearly visible was his wide-open mouth!
"Inside was a tomb chamber, but there was no corpse, only an empty coffin."
"In the left corner, there is a one-meter-tall stone statue, but its appearance is not clear. In addition, there are several unlit candles."
Ah Zhen recounted everything she had seen in detail.
"An empty coffin, a stone statue?"
Ye Peng frowned slightly, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.
After listening to Ah Zhen's story, Zhang Ruilin, who was standing nearby, went straight to the tomb entrance, sniffed a few times, and then his expression became somewhat strange:
"I can still smell rotting corpses inside, and there are five of them in total!"
"Ah Zhen's eyes are never wrong; she has never made a mistake," Ah Qiang said.
"My nose has never done anything wrong either," Zhang Ruilin said, his face displeased.
Just as A-Qiang was about to say something more, Ye Peng, who was standing to the side, suddenly waved his hand.
"No need to argue. Just follow the old custom and put up a safety net around this grave."
"If any danger arises, we will know immediately."
As he spoke, a piece of white paper called "Guaqing" (挂青), used for visiting graves during the Qingming Festival, appeared in his hand.
Then, he placed the "hanging green" ornament beside him and said with a smile:
"This thing really suits the grave perfectly; I guess I've finally been a dutiful son."
A middle-aged man nearby was somewhat surprised when he saw the "hanging green" (a type of medicinal herb): "There aren't many of these. Are you sure you want to use one right now?"
Ye Peng, while tidying up the white papers on the "hanging green" cloth, said earnestly:
"It's better to be safe than sorry. This grave suddenly appeared on our only way, and we don't have time to figure out what happened. So we still need to make the necessary preparations."
"Besides..."
He suddenly grinned slyly: "After this thing gets out, we can ask Gucun for reimbursement."
The others laughed when they heard this.
The ancient village was indeed very wealthy, more generous than all the employers they had ever encountered before combined.
This also means that the trip will be very dangerous.
But weren't the places we went to before dangerous?
It doesn't matter who you work for.
They're all living off the dead, so of course the rich employers are the bosses!
After completing a series of actions, Ye Peng led the group back along the route marked by the red lines, heading deeper into the mountains.
Nobody knew.
Not long after they left, the "hanging green" placed next to the grave suddenly turned into scraps of paper without warning.
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This is it, the three-way intersection."
Ye Peng pointed to the octagonal lantern in the middle of the road and said excitedly.
We encountered no evil spirits or even any supernatural phenomena along the way, and arrived at the first intersection without any problems.
This made him feel somewhat excited.
Because this means that the information he obtained from the ancient village was completely correct!
"This mission will not only bring rich rewards, but may also allow us to build relationships with the people of the ancient village."
He couldn't help but think to himself.
The ancient village represents the most terrifying human heritage on this land, not only teeming with masters, but also possessing legendary forbidden objects!
They can not only easily suppress evil spirits, but even strange tales are no longer unsolvable in front of them!
If we could establish a connection with them...
Just as Ye Peng was getting excited, A-Qiang quietly brought Aunt Yang to A-Zhen's side.
He glanced at his teammates and lowered his voice, saying:
"I have a feeling that something is not right. We have already covered almost half of the outer area, but we have not encountered any danger so far."
"If it's so safe, why did the people of the ancient village let us in?"
Aunt Yang, standing beside her, nodded solemnly and said:
"In the eyes of the ancient village, we are all just cannon fodder, and they don't treat us like human beings at all."
"But how is it possible to offer a risk-free mission with such a high reward?"
Ah Qiang picked up the conversation and continued:
"Apart from the first stone tomb which was a bit strange, the wooden houses we encountered along the way were all normal."
"However, the more normal things seem now, the more abnormal they may become later!"
"So Aunt Yang and I felt that this might be the calm before the storm. I had a feeling that this three-way intersection would be a turning point."
Ah Zhen listened silently.
She was actually using her "shadow eyes" to spy on her surroundings.
Under her gaze, a pale red mist permeated the forest, growing thicker as they moved forward.
This made her very alert, and she told Ye Peng what she had seen.
However, Ye Peng seemed very confident in his intelligence and did not take Ah Zhen's warning seriously.
He told Ah Zhen that it was normal to be in danger in Wild Dog Ridge, and the reason she was safe was because she had found the right route.
Several teammates nearby echoed his sentiments.
"We are safe now because we are on the right path. If we had strayed off the path and entered the woods next to it, we might have immediately alerted the evil spirits."
"Yes, the journey here has proven that Brother Ye's intelligence was correct."
"Ah Zhen, while it's good to be vigilant, there's no need to be overly anxious. Doing so will only make you mentally exhausted."
"..."
Ah Zhen had no choice but to say nothing more.
She had already entered the forest, and even if she wanted to turn back, let alone whether these people would agree, even if they did, she probably wouldn't be able to get out on her own.
but.
Now it seems that Ah Qiang has also realized something.
He continued, "We need to be very careful from now on, because I feel like I've forgotten something."
"This feeling shouldn't be present in an Awakened One, so something must have happened."
"It just hasn't come to fruition yet."
As he spoke, he looked warily around at the surrounding forest.
It's true that the exploration team members are all outlaws, but being outlaws doesn't mean they don't care about their own lives.
However, apart from their dozen or so exploration team members, there was nothing else in this area.
Just then.
Ye Peng spoke again.
"If you keep going down this road on the left, after crossing a few mountains, you will reach a highway. When we come back, we can take a bus through that highway to leave."
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"The road on the right leads to the deepest part of Wild Dog Ridge, which is also our destination."
"We're still in the outer area, but we've covered half the distance. If all goes well, we should be able to reach the central area of Wild Dog Ridge in just one day!"
Ye Peng kept encouraging everyone, and smiles appeared on everyone's faces.
However, the smile didn't fade, because until the very last moment, no one knew whether the task could be completed.
But at least for now, it's a good start.
Most people were quite grateful to Ye Peng; without the map and intelligence he possessed, they probably wouldn't have been able to get to this location at all!
"Alright, everyone, let's keep going and continue!"
Ye Peng waved his hand and walked into the left intersection first. From here, a dirt road appeared.
Although Ah Qiang sensed something was off, since no problems had arisen yet, he didn't say anything. He waved his hand and followed with Ah Zhen and Aunt Yang.
"Let's not get separated. Ah Zhen, keep an eye on the surroundings and tell me if anything seems suspicious."
Ah Zhen and Aunt Yang, who were standing next to her, nodded at the same time.
They followed the group along the dirt road. Aunt Yang had already pulled out a scarlet iron rod from her hand.
Ah Qiang's left hand also reached for the revolver in his pocket.
In addition, blue lines appeared on his right hand.
We walked a little further along the path.
Zhang Ruilin, who was in front, suddenly called a halt.
"Let's take a break first. Although there's no danger on the road, we should still try to conserve our energy."
Ah Qiang, who was walking at the back, also spoke up:
"That's right. Although we are all Awakened, there's no need to keep wasting our energy. Otherwise, we won't even have a chance to react in an emergency."
That's all.
Everyone stopped and sat down on the path to rest.
Ah Qiang cautiously inspected the group of more than ten people.
Although everyone was sitting on the ground, they were all very tacitly alert to any potential dangers around them.
They did not become complacent because of the safety along the way.
This pleased him greatly.
"Ah Zhen, have you noticed anything unusual?"
He asked the girl.
"No, everything is normal."
Ah Zhen scanned her surroundings but found no trace of any evil spirits.
After resting for half an hour, the group set off again.
The woods were dimly lit, and apart from the sound of footsteps, there was no other noise.
They hadn't gone far when a clearing suddenly appeared in front of them.
The open space was about the size of a basketball court, and it was completely devoid of trees and even weeds.
It is very flat.
In the middle of the open space stood a huge mound made of loess!
However, half of the burial mound had collapsed, revealing a large, dark hole.
Beside the large hole, there was a tattered banner used for summoning souls.
"It's another grave, but unlike the ones we've encountered before, this one is an earthen grave."
Ah Qiang stepped forward and examined it carefully.
"That grave was a bit eerie, but nothing dangerous happened... Oh, right..."
At this point, he looked at Zhang Ruilin beside him:
"Is there a problem with the stalk of 'Guaqing' that you inserted before?"
However.
Zhang Ruilin asked with a puzzled look, "Didn't you put up those hanging green plants?"
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On the bus driver's seat.
Jiang Qiao listened to Ah Zhen and the others' experiences after entering Wild Dog Ridge.
He originally thought it would be a story of adventurers battling terrifying evil spirits, only to be defeated and wiped out.
But it turned out to be completely different from what I expected.
What this group actually experienced was far more bizarre!
"We realized something was wrong when we got to that earthen mound."
"Ah Qiang and Zhang Ruilin both thought that the other had put up the hanging, and my memory and Aunt Yang's memory also had discrepancies."
"I remember it was Ah Qiang who inserted it, but Aunt Yang thought it was Zhang Ruilin."
"The scariest thing is that when we try to ask more people, they don't even remember it!"
Ah Zhen said with a terrified expression.
Clearly, her experience in Wild Dog Ridge was beyond her comprehension and shattered her worldview!
Jiang Qiao listened silently, but his mind was filled with information about ghost stories.
"It is said that when a person becomes a ghost story, all traces of his existence in this world will disappear."
"Whether they are family, friends, or enemies, they will all lose their memory of him."
"What he left behind will also disappear; for example, the written words will become a blank page."
"For example, the house you buy might become a homeless house."
"Even the harm he has caused to others, such as hitting someone with his car, can be explained by other logics."
"In short, everything that he ever existed will disappear."
Jiang Qiao remembers a school in the southern district of Bincheng, where the students, for some unknown reason, became the subject of strange tales.
During the simulation, a primary school student said with deep resentment, "Why don't you all remember me..."
He felt that Ah Zhen's experience was somewhat similar to the silent oblivion of ghost stories.
"And then what? What did you do after you realized something was wrong?"
"Since you can now recount the events, your memory must have returned."
"Also, what's the use of that green plaster?"
Jiang Qiao asked.
Ah Zhen's face was pale, and her voice trembled slightly: "After realizing something was wrong, we stopped."
"Because the situation was too strange, after discussion, everyone decided to go back the way they came to take a look."
"After we left that three-way intersection, our memories returned, and we remembered Ye Peng, but we couldn't recall when they disappeared."
"We went back to the first stone tomb and found that the hanging green had turned into paper scraps."
"Under normal circumstances, when a green-robed creature encounters a vengeful ghost, it will move on its own without wind and sway continuously."
"The person who inserts the 'hanging green' will drip some blood onto it, creating a kind of sensation. Within a certain distance, one can sense the changes in the 'hanging green'."
"However, after someone in the team checked, they found that the jade pendant broke shortly after we left."
"But Ye Peng did not issue a warning."
Ah Zhen spoke these words in one breath, and the fear in her eyes deepened.
"As we were discussing what to do next, I inadvertently noticed that the stone statue in the tomb had turned its back to us."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qiao thought to himself that it was time to run.
really.
Ah Zhen continued, "I told them what I saw, and everyone felt something was wrong, so they quickly left the cemetery."
"But it was too late."
"I saw that the stone statue's mouth, which was originally open, had actually closed."
"Then, strange whining sounds came from all directions, like the warning sounds of vicious dogs."
"We hadn't gone far when a large group of monsters rushed out of the woods, the same kind that had chased us before we got in the car."
"Because there were too many of them, we couldn't fight them off, so we had to fight and retreat. After returning to the crossroads, we chose to go towards the highway."
"I was lucky in the end, and I even encountered a bus after coming down the mountain."
"But along the way, only the five of us survived."
Ah Zhen finished recounting her experiences, but Jiang Qiao felt that the story ended abruptly.
I originally thought that some thrilling paranormal events would accumulate.
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Is that all?
That's it?
"Where is that drowned ghost? Hasn't it appeared?"
Jiang Qiao asked, frowning.
The story sounds rather hasty; he can't even tell whether his memory loss is due to walking into a crossroads or being cursed by a stone tomb.
Both seem possible, or perhaps neither.
"No, I kept watching behind me, but it didn't reappear. Maybe it really was just a simple boat ride?"
Ah Zhen said somewhat uncertainly.
Jiang Qiao glanced at her, feeling somewhat speechless.
However, he was also basically certain that Wild Dog Ridge not only contained ghosts and monsters that looked like humans and dogs, but also strange entities that could affect people's memories.
He wasn't afraid of ghosts or monsters, but he was extremely wary of this ability to subtly alter a person's consciousness and memories.
"No wonder Caomiao Village sent some cannon fodder in first to test the waters."
"This group should not be the only exploration team."
Thinking of this, Jiang Qiao opened his mouth to say something.
Suddenly, he saw a group of moving figures behind him in the bus's rearview mirror.
"Um?"
"Has something finally changed?"
His eyes flickered, seemingly unsurprised.
These suddenly appearing figures were deathly pale and completely naked. Their eyes looked as if they had been gouged out, with two bloody streaks hanging from the corners of their eyes.
They walked unsteadily, like zombies, but they were very fast, appearing at the front of the car in just a few steps.
"They want to get on the bus!"
Jiang Qiao stopped in his tracks when he saw the ghosts and monsters, then formed a long queue and began to board the bus in an orderly manner.
"what to do?"
"Brother Jiang, they've boarded the bus."
Ah Zhen said in a panic.
She felt these ghosts were terrifying; each one was almost as powerful as her, and she was not good at fighting.
Once you're targeted, you're doomed!
"They're doomed."
Her legs buckled and she almost fell to the ground.
Fortunately, Jiang Qiao behind her caught her, otherwise she might have fallen out of the driver's seat.
"Don't move around, or they'll mistake you for their driver."
Jiang Qiao watched calmly as the ghosts tossed in their coins and then sat down.
They didn't pay attention to the two of them.
However, they also seem to be avoiding the huge black hole at their tails.
No ghosts or monsters sat in the last two rows.
"With so many ghosts getting on the bus, it will soon be packed full, and there probably won't even be room to stand."
"What will happen then?" Jiang Qiao's eyes gleamed.
"Now the front door is haunted by a vengeful ghost."
"So, does that mean ghosts will also appear in the black hole in the back of the car, and at the connection point of the back door?"
One by one, the ghosts boarded the bus.
As time went on, the entire carriage turned into a sardine can, so crowded that there wasn't a single gap between them.
Until the last ghost boarded the bus.
Jiang Qiao could no longer see what was happening outside, and even with his gray vision activated, he couldn't penetrate the layers of flesh.
Meanwhile.
After all the ghosts and monsters stood still.
Suddenly, a series of popping sounds, like popping beans, rang out.
All the ghosts' heads turned in unison towards the driver's seat.
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Inside the carriage, all the ghosts turned their heads toward the driver's cab.
Those eyes, now just empty holes, seemed to reflect the view of Jiang Qiao sitting in the driver's seat.
"They're urging us to drive!"
A thought flashed through Jiang Qiao's mind.
Seeing that the "driver" hadn't moved, the ghosts suddenly became restless.
Black blood flowed from their eye sockets, and their faces became increasingly ferocious, as if they were beginning to rage.
"Get out of here!"
Without hesitation, he pushed open the driver's side window and jumped out.
Ah Zhen, who had been watching Jiang Qiao's movements closely, quickly followed behind and jumped out of the car window.
But just as she stepped out of the window, several pale hands suddenly reached out from behind, grabbed her arms and clothes, and dragged her back violently.
It seems they don't want her to leave!
"Brother Jiang, please save me!"
She struggled and screamed desperately, her voice filled with terror.
If she were dragged into the bus, she would surely die!
However, how could her strength alone compare to that of a group of ghosts?
In an instant, most of her body was dragged back, and more and more hands reached out.
Just at this critical moment, Jiang Qiao rushed over!
He first grabbed Ah Zhen's foot with one hand, and in the hands of a group of vengeful ghosts, he forcefully stopped Ah Zhen's movement.
Then, a terrifying bolt of lightning suddenly shot out from his left hand!
The intense black light, like light piercing the dawn, instantly poured into the window!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Amidst the thunder, the hands that had grabbed Ah Zhen turned to ashes, and even the bus was shaken a few times.
At that moment, Ah Zhen was also dragged out of the vehicle by Jiang Qiao.
"Waaaaah"
Amidst the wails, lightning swept away a group of monsters, clearing a space near the driver's cab.
However, the current stopped spreading shortly after entering the carriage.
There seemed to be an invisible wall blocking the lightning.
"There really is something there."
Jiang Qiao's eyes flickered slightly.
He jumped out of the window not because he was afraid of ordinary ghosts.
This kind of thing, let alone one truckload, even if a hundred truckloads came, he could wipe them all out.
What he was really worried about was whether taking action in the car would trigger other paranormal events.
After all, the back door and the back seats both connect to an unknown, supernatural space. Even the bus itself is said to harbor a vengeful spirit.
He remembers it very clearly.
When the driver had the altercation with the middle-aged man earlier, he got up to break up the fight.
At the same moment, the shadows of vengeful ghosts appeared on the walls of the bus. These shadows resembled human-shaped marks left behind after someone had been burned to death on the bus.
"Now that the driver has run away, are these vengeful spirits that originally belonged to the bus starting to riot?"
Jiang Qiao noticed that faint marks had appeared in some places on the walls of the carriage.
The surviving ghosts stared at him blankly, seemingly unconcerned about the many dead companions.
"Hurry up, let's get out of here!"
Jiang Qiao glanced at Ah Zhen, who was covered in bruises, and then turned and walked towards the opposite side of the bus.
This woman is still somewhat useful; she cannot die for the time being.
However, he stopped after taking only two steps.
A street had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the woods in front of us!
Most of the houses on this street are only two or three stories high, looking like street-front shops from twenty or thirty years ago. Each house also has some advertising signs displayed in front of it.
"Barber Shop."
"Fruit shop."
"Aunt Wu's dumplings."
...
Many shops had their doors open, and strange noises could be heard coming from inside, suggesting they were open for business.
But there wasn't a single person to be seen on the street.
"Interesting, a street has sprung up beside the highway, and they've even started doing business there."
Jiang Qiao gave a cold laugh.
At the same time.
The bus behind us began to be shrouded in a dark haze.
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Soon, the situation inside the carriage could no longer be seen.
However, in the darkness, several pairs of eyes filled with malice and evil intent began to scan Jiang Qiao and A Zhen.
"No wonder the driver ran away; it seems he foresaw this situation."
"There's an extra street ahead, and something's wrong with the bus behind us. The body just boarded through the front door, so what's happening now?"
"Did a vengeful ghost come up the wooden stairs from the back door?"
He wasn't quite sure what the situation was inside the bus; he could only see layers upon layers of people piled together.
"Why don't you get off the bus?"
Jiang Qiao suddenly shouted at the bus.
The sound was so loud that it startled Ah Zhen, who was standing next to me.
"Big...Big brother...it can't be that bad, can it?"
Her dark eyes also saw what was happening inside the carriage.
The empty space that had just been cleared has been filled back in by vengeful spirits. Not only that, even the driver's cab is now overflowing with them.
In this situation, if the bus doesn't depart, the ghost is very likely to get off again.
We didn't even have time to run away, and this guy actually dared to provoke us!
Is he that brave?
"What's there to be afraid of?"
"Do you think it won't come after you just because you're afraid of it?"
Jiang Qiao said calmly.
"Don't you understand?"
"We've been targeted, and by who knows how many ghosts."
After saying that.
He suddenly turned around and threw a punch!
A bolt of lightning shot out from a distance and struck the crevice between two houses.
There, a grinning face is spying on us!
"ah--!"
A strange sound like a wolf's howl rang out, and the human face instantly turned to ashes.
Then, with a "bang," something rolled out of it and stopped in the middle of the road.
"What is that?"
Jiang Qiao looked over and saw a bloody, mangled head with teeth marks on it.
"It's Qiang!"
Ah Zhen, who was standing next to her, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
Jiang Qiao's gaze sharpened.
Did Ah Qiang accidentally wander into this street after getting off the bus?
Although the head was completely disfigured, upon closer inspection, it did indeed bear a striking resemblance to the man named A-Qiang from before.
"Ah Qiang is dead... What about Aunt Yang...?"
"And Zhang Ruilin and Tao Jun..."
Ah Zhen's eyes were filled with deep fear, and she whispered in a trembling voice:
"Ah Qiang had many supernatural items and rich adventure experience. Plus, he had Aunt Yang by his side to help him. How could he have died so quickly?"
There was a hint of disbelief in her voice.
In her mind, Ah Qiang was a terrifying adventurer, not only powerful but also meticulous and experienced, having been to many dangerous places.
He even escaped from Wild Dog Ridge!
"That's normal, isn't it?" Jiang Qiao said calmly.
"The supernatural and evil spirits are all kinds of strange and bizarre. You were just lucky to survive before. But even the most persistent ghosts will eventually appear. Your good luck in Wild Dog Ridge won't last forever."
He didn't find anything strange about it.
Before the trek, some mountaineering enthusiasts had even climbed Mount Everest, but died on some ordinary high mountain.
The causes of death are varied.
Your efforts, your talent, and your preparation can only reduce risk, not completely eliminate it.
In the supernatural world, quite a few geniuses have died.
Jiang Qiao ignored Ah Zhen and took out a rope, made a loop, and tried to put the head out.
He did not intend to go into the street himself.
However, just as he was preparing to transform into a horse-taming hero...
Suddenly, a pale, swollen, and lifeless eerie figure emerged from the nearby pharmacy. It went straight to the head and reached out to grab it.
Because he had already presented a gigantic appearance, his entire body appeared extremely large, and his movements were very slow.
"ah!"
"It's that drowned ghost!"
Ah Zhen's expression changed drastically.
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Is this the drowned ghost?"
Jiang Qiao looked at the vengeful ghost reaching out to pick up A Qiang's head and felt a little puzzled.
"This vengeful ghost couldn't have been crawling under the bus and following us here, could it?"
Ah Zhen's intuition was right; this vengeful ghost had never left and had been following them all along. She just didn't know how it had concealed itself, making it invisible to her "yin eyes."
It even made her wonder if she was overthinking things.
"You want to take my head? Did you even ask me?"
Jiang Qiao's face turned cold, and he threw the lasso with the special knot in his hand, hitting the head accurately.
Then pull hard.
"Bang"
Just before the drowning ghost could grab it, the head flew off the strange street and landed steadily in Jiang Qiao's hand.
This move left Ah Zhen, who was standing next to her, completely stunned!
Won't the lasso slip?
Jiang Qiao held the head in his hands and examined it, finding several dents on it.
The broken part exhibits an irregular, large serrated pattern.
"The other party was very strong; this Qiang's head was ripped off."
"And it was also eaten."
He peered inside through the broken section and saw that most of the white, walnut-shaped substance had disappeared, leaving only some residue.
For no apparent reason, he remembered a line from Plants vs. Zombies.
"The zombie ate your brain!"
Hehehe—
Hehehe—
The drowned ghost stood frozen in place, slowly raising its head to look at the river bridge.
Because of its extremely swollen body, its tattered clothes were tightly wrapped around its skin.
Some translucent, viscous liquid seeped out from the cracks, resembling pus or some kind of secretion.
Jiang Qiao saw that after the liquid dripped onto the ground, it left behind black marks that looked like corrosion.
Without a doubt, this stuff would be fatal to an ordinary person!
"Looks like they've got their eyes on me."
He looked calmly at the drowned ghost, without any sign of panic.
"If you want to kill me, you'd better hurry up, I don't have time to waste with you."
Jiang Qiao's tone was confident and composed, as if he didn't take the vengeful ghost seriously at all.
The drowned ghost seemed to understand him, and grinned, revealing its black teeth.
Sudden.
It disappeared from the spot.
"They've left?"
Ah Zhen was initially puzzled, but then her face showed a look of horror.
"Brother Jiang, it's coming!"
The moment she finished speaking.
The street ahead, which had been dry, began to become wet, as if someone had splashed water on the ground, or as if it had just rained.
A damp, earthy scent began to rise and drift towards the river bridge.
"If the experience you just described is true, then this ghost must have originally belonged to the water ghost in that river."
Jiang Qiao stared coldly at the drowned ghost.
"Drowning ghosts are those who died violently, and according to legend, they will find a substitute."
"There are many similarities between ghost stories in the supernatural world and ghost stories in the real world."
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"Your survival has little to do with the bottle Zhang Ruilin threw down; it was the wooden boat that protected you."
He recalled some folk tales he had heard before.
It is said that those who die violently harbor great resentment, especially those who die young, whose resentment lingers for a long time.
They will linger in the place where they died, killing any living people who pass by.
Therefore, in places where car accidents and drownings have occurred, accidents will continue to happen one after another.
According to local legend, this is a vengeful ghost looking for a replacement!
"The splash you heard was probably not a ghost jumping into the river from the bank."
"On the contrary, it should be that it has been trying to get ashore, but it is bound by the river and cannot break free."
"But the passing of the wooden boat gave it an opportunity. It used the wooden boat as a medium and successfully reached the riverbank."
"In fact, no matter where you go, whether you go to Wild Dog Ridge or anywhere else, this vengeful ghost will eventually follow you."
Jiang Qiao's words made Ah Zhen's eyes widen.
It seems they never expected things to turn out this way.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.
"If I'm not mistaken, there used to be people at the docks who specialized in dealing with these water ghosts."
"Even the people on the ship would drive away the evil spirits."
"It's just that you're too weak to detect it or deal with it, which is why it was able to successfully land on land."
"But it doesn't matter anyway."
"Since this ship has been running all along, but the ferry crossing is no longer guarded, there must be quite a few vengeful ghosts that it has brought ashore."
"Perhaps the destruction of most of the docks along the way was also to prevent evil spirits from coming ashore."
Jiang Qiao said calmly.
In fact, these are all just his speculations and conjectures. Although they make sense, they may not be the truth.
But his tone was as certain as if he had seen it with his own eyes.
This made Ah Zhen ponder deeply, and in the end, she actually nodded in agreement.
"You make a good point. The evil spirit wants to break free from the river, and the wooden boat can connect the river to the shore. It is said that even evil spirits can ride in this wooden boat."
"In this way, a bridge has truly been built between the three!"
Ah Zhen looked at Jiang Qiao with admiration in her eyes.
Unexpectedly, this expert was able to deduce so much from her description alone, revealing the truth behind the ghost's arrival on land.
Jiang Qiao smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Anyone can spout nonsense.
As long as you are strong enough, even if what you say makes sense, someone will help you extract a reason!
"Alright, the vengeful ghost is about to emerge."
The moisture ahead grew heavier, and the drowned ghost had disappeared from normal sight.
But both Jiang Qiao and A Zhen captured its traces.
Ah Zhen could only barely see a transparent outline, while Jiang Qiao saw the whole scene!
On the street ahead, in his view, there was no moisture at all, only countless swaying "people".
These "people" included men and women, the elderly, and children. They were all soaking wet, as if they had just been pulled from the water.
Their bodies were swollen and bloated, at least two or three times larger than normal people.
Some of the "people" had mud and water plants stuffed in their mouths, while others had skin that had turned into a layer of dripping bright yellow grease, emitting a strong stench.
In addition, these "people" all dressed differently.
Some of the "people" were wearing short skirts and tank tops, and they looked like modern people, while others were wearing short jackets and long gowns from half a century ago.
Some people even have a long rat tail trailing behind their heads.
"They all look like people who drowned in the river."
Jiang Qiao's eyes flickered.
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Many people have probably drowned in that river."
"And those who can be controlled by it are likely to be killed by it."
Jiang Qiao's face revealed murderous intent.
Not only were there corpses dressed in modern clothes in this river, but there were even historical figures dressed before time travel.
Is this a coincidence?
Jiang Qiao prefers to believe that there is some kind of connection between the three worlds.
He clearly remembered that the lake at the end of the wasteland seemed to have some kind of connection with the real world.
Because the human head lanterns outside Bincheng also exist in that lake!
"No matter what the relationship is, I'll take care of you today."
Jiang Qiao stood coldly, watching the various corpses surge toward him.
As they stepped out of that street, the image was distorted, as if they were passing through an invisible barrier.
"demon."
Jiang Qiao recognized him immediately.
"Sure enough, if you step into this street too easily, you might end up like Gujing Village, trapped inside."
now.
After the corpses rushed out of the street, the surroundings seemed to go from silent mode back to sound mode.
Suddenly, countless chaotic footsteps sounded!
Meanwhile, they kept making "hohohoho" sounds from their throats.
They raised their swollen hands and reached towards Jiang Qiao, as if they were treating him as their last straw.
Or perhaps, they want Jiangqiao to become their substitute, to join them forever.
The stench that hit her face made Ah Zhen almost close her eyes and take several steps back.
Jiang Qiao raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes flickering.
Suddenly, a thick, pitch-black smoke billowed from his body and spread rapidly.
In less than two seconds, the surrounding area was enveloped in a cloud of smoke!
Dry, hot, and pungent!
Every breath felt like a hot steel knife scraping across the lungs, and everyone trapped in it felt like they had become cured meat and sausages hanging in a smokehouse.
This is the supernatural ability Jiang Qiao gained before boarding the bus—a completely new ghost realm!
But that's not enough!
Jiang Qiao raised his left hand, and a ball of eerie green light in his palm instantly spread out along with the thick smoke!
"You are corpses in the water. I don't know if you can withstand my smoke and fire."
He coldly stared at the "person" engulfed in the smoke.
This moment.
The combination of thick smoke and white bone fire produced a terrible qualitative change!
The White Bone Fire can burn away all supernatural things, and the Ghost Smoke can dry out all corpses!
With the help of smoke, the White Bone Fire can quickly cover a very large area with "temperature"!
The smoke became even thicker with the help of the White Tiger Fire!
The crimson smog instantly transformed into the most terrifying inferno!
The water stains on those eerie corpses disappeared rapidly under the flames, as if they had been evaporated by the high temperature.
A corpse is flammable!
This moment, against a supernatural backdrop, proved true.
The instant the moisture on the surface of the corpses dried, terrifying flames rose from their bodies, and all the "people" quickly turned into torches!
Not only that.
The smoke causes changes in the moisture and oils within them, which are then released outwards and disappear.
They ran frantically through the flames, trying to escape the terrifying inferno.
Perhaps the billowing smoke alone wouldn't be enough to trap them. But with the addition of the bone fire, all the supernatural entities were terrifyingly suppressed.
Even a real vengeful ghost would be lost in the smoke at this moment, let alone a group of eerie corpses.
This is why one plus one equals three, which equals four!
The countless corpses fell repeatedly as they ran, beginning to carbonize and decompose, turning into piles of ashes.
"It's here!"
Jiang Qiao kept scanning his surroundings, looking for the drowned ghost.
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These corpses are not just a supernatural attack, but also a substitute for that drowned ghost.
It can hide on any corpse without you noticing. Or you could say that all corpses are bodies of drowned ghosts!
However, now that the corpses have been quickly destroyed, the drowned ghost can no longer hide.
Jiang Qiao saw a petite woman wearing a tattered dress and glasses a few meters away. Suddenly, her whole body deflated like a punctured balloon!
A lifeless, cold giant appeared on the spot.
The flames ignited it as well, but from the deep marks left by the strips of cloth binding its body, a bright yellow viscous liquid continuously flowed out, resisting the corrosive effects of the bone fire and thick smoke.
It seemed to be completely enraged; instead of running away, it charged towards the river bridge!
A chilling coldness quickly enveloped Jiang Qiao as the drowned ghost approached, a chill that even the thick smoke and the white bone fire could not block.
Jiang Qiao felt as if he had fallen into an icy river and was sinking deeper and deeper.
His body began to lose temperature, his skin turned ashen and pale, and bluish-purple patches appeared on his body.
"I am cursed."
"This must be the power of that river; I never imagined it would be so terrifying."
Jiang Qiao's eyes flickered.
His life slipped away rapidly; in just a few seconds, he became a cold, stiff corpse.
And at this moment, the drowned ghost came to its side.
"How could this be..."
Standing behind Jiang Qiao, Ah Zhen had an incredulous look on her face.
The big shot was just slaughtering everyone, suppressing a group of vengeful ghosts all by himself, how did he suddenly find himself in a desperate situation?
They didn't even have time to resist before they died a violent death!
In her "yin eye," Jiang Qiao's blood and energy had completely disappeared, and his body had even begun to rot.
They're as dead as can be!
"hehe..."
Ah Zhen smiled bitterly and stood there blankly.
She watched blankly as the vengeful ghost walked to the body on the river bridge, her heart filled with despair.
"It's over——"
...
The drowned ghost didn't care about Ah Zhen.
Perhaps in its eyes, this woman was nothing more than a sitting duck.
It looked at Jiang Qiao, who had become a corpse, and a ferocious smile appeared on his bloated face.
"Hehe—"
The next moment, it stretched out its palm, as big as a fan, and suddenly grabbed at Jiang Qiao's head.
It looks like it wants to crush it!
When Ah Zhen saw this, she couldn't help but close her eyes.
However.
The next second.
Instead of the sound of a head shattering, a horrified and furious roar came from the drowned ghost!
Ah Zhen subconsciously opened her eyes.
Suddenly, her eyes widened in disbelief!
Jiang Qiao, who was originally dead and whose body had even started to decompose, actually came back to life!
Not only was his blood and energy abundant, but even his injuries had disappeared, as if the supernatural attack he had just experienced was just an illusion.
"What...what...what's going on?"
Ah Zhen's mouth was wide open, and her eyes were practically bulging out.
"Just now, it was clearly..."
at this time.
Jiang Qiao, who was brought back to life through the life-substitution technique, grabbed the drowned ghost with one hand and held a surging bolt of lightning in the other.
A sinister smile played on his lips: "Did you enjoy killing me?"
"I'm so afraid you'll run away!"
The next moment.
A bolt of lightning with a strange human face was suddenly pressed by Jiang Qiao onto the face of the drowned ghost!
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Jiang Qiao did not hesitate at all.
The lightning bolt in his hand was slammed into the drowned ghost's face!
Boom!
Pfft!
The lightning from the fifth tier, enhanced by "defense penetration" and "critical strike," possesses a terrifying power comparable to that of the sixth tier!
In an instant, the drowned ghost's swollen and distorted face was blasted into a dent!
But this attack also aroused its ferocity.
As it was blasted away, its huge hand clenched tightly!
The secret passage in Jiangqiao was dangerous, so I wanted to retreat.
However, although he dodged the hand, his head still exploded with a "boom".
The next second.
He recovered.
In his palm, a ball of lightning the size of a human head appeared!
Without any unnecessary movements, he took a step and stood in front of the drowned ghost.
An eerie atmosphere began to permeate the air.
Cold, dark, ominous, abyss, depravity...
One after another, faces contorted in pain, contorted in rage, laughing, and screaming appeared in the lightning.
"Go to hell!"
Jiang Qiao slapped his palm out hard.
In an instant, the ball lightning, like a lampshade, enveloped the drowned ghost's head.
"Awooo—!"
A terrifying scream rang out, and countless overlapping human faces appeared on the face of the vengeful ghost, which had been shattered by lightning, as if layers of human skin masks had been pasted on it!
Among these faces.
There was laughter.
There was mourning.
I feel excited.
There is sorrow.
There is anger.
There is resentment and malice.
Jiang Qiao used the power wielded by "Thunder Spirit"!
Lei Ling is an innate spirit. Even if it is still in the process of being conceived, it can directly penetrate into the bottom layer of the consciousness of the evil spirit and suppress it instinctively!
Simply put, it can completely erase all the behavior and consciousness of a vengeful ghost!
If it's a person.
It's equivalent to rendering the entire function of a person's brain, cerebellum, and brainstem useless, leaving you unable to even become a vegetable and only able to die!
Jiang Qiao also didn't know why Lei Fa had changed like this.
But that's okay, as long as it works!
...
"Waaaaah—!"
Hehehe—
"Giggle giggle—"
"..."
Strange sounds came from the faces of the vengeful ghosts, and bizarre faces kept changing, like a scene from a Sichuan opera face-changing performance.
Moreover, the speed at which these expressions change is getting faster and faster, and the expressions are becoming more and more realistic!
Just a dozen seconds later.
With a "creak".
The drowned ghost, who had been struggling and covering its face, suddenly stopped moving and stood frozen in place.
Its head, like a wall shedding plaster, began to shed black dust in a soft rustling sound.
As the dust accumulated and formed a thick layer on the ground, the ghost's head grew smaller and smaller in a bizarre way.
Finally, when it shrunk to the size of a bowling ball.
"Bang!"
A soft sound.
The seemingly terrifying drowned ghost transformed into a headless vengeful spirit and collapsed heavily to the ground.
Pfft!
The fire quickly engulfed it, turning it into a pool of white ashes.
...
"Sixth rank!"
Jiang Qiao felt the increase in the supernatural energy within his body and slowly exhaled.
"As expected of a water ghost that has developed consciousness and is able to detach itself from the river."
"If I hadn't raised my strength to a higher level in Gujing Village, I would have had no choice but to run away if I encountered it."
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"We definitely can't fight it with the evil spirit kitchen knife."
This battle appeared to be very quick, but it was actually extremely dangerous.
If he hadn't possessed the "Life Substitution Technique," even if his combat power had reached the sixth rank, he would still be dead beyond any doubt!
He estimated that even if he raised his "Overlord Body" to the sixth rank, he might not be able to completely resist that terrible curse, let alone since his Overlord Body was only at the fourth rank at present.
"Even a typical sixth-tier expert would likely be in grave danger if they encountered it."
Jiang Qiao thought to himself.
This drowned ghost is very troublesome.
First, it can hide its form; ordinary people cannot see it, only a mist.
Even if you possess abilities like "the ability to see ghosts" and can glimpse hidden supernatural phenomena, all you'll see is a pile of horrible corpses.
If you're not strong enough, like Ah Zhen, you might only be able to see some transparent outlines.
And all these corpses are substitutes for drowned ghosts!
Its true form is hidden inside the substitute, blending seamlessly into it, making it impossible to distinguish.
Jiangqiao relied on large-scale destruction of corpses to force the drowned ghosts to show themselves.
But what about the others?
Wide-range paranormal abilities not only consume a great deal of energy, but are also extremely rare; not everyone can possess them or use them.
at last.
Even under the power of sixth-tier lightning, the vengeful ghost was only injured and did not lose its fighting ability.
He even killed Jiang Qiao in a counterattack!
If Jiang Qiao hadn't decisively drawn upon Lei Ling's power to shatter it at the level of consciousness, it probably would have continued to fight against Jiang Qiao!
"Not easy to deal with."
"The curse alone has manifested two aspects."
"Heaven knows what other capabilities it has."
The scene of being crushed to death even though he had clearly dodged the drowning ghost's hand made Jiang Qiao quite wary.
That feeling of your head going completely blank is awful.
"This move is far more terrifying than that previous chilling curse that flowed like a river."
"It directly triggered the passive skill of substitution."
Jiang Qiao summarized his experience from the battle with the drowned ghost.
He felt his biggest problem was his weak defense. Faced with supernatural attacks, he often had no choice but to use a life-saving technique to withstand them.
But then again, there's nothing we can do about it.
Under normal circumstances, which fourth-tier awakened person would go to explore the secrets of the dead city?
Even a fifth-tier cultivator wouldn't dare!
That wasn't all; he even went for a stroll in the underworld and entered a strange place like Gujing Village.
This is an indigenous village that existed in the early stages of the cataclysm.
The danger of being able to survive in a place like the underworld for countless years is unimaginable!
The drowned ghost we're encountering now is no ordinary creature either.
In the supernatural world, any place near water is fraught with danger. The evil spirits that emerge from it are no ordinary creatures.
Even among sixth-tier players, he's probably considered a formidable opponent!
Trying to resist these terrifying things with a body two levels higher than a superhuman is like using a cotton coat to fight a small steel cannon.
They'll definitely get smashed to pieces!
"Therefore, my greatest reliance at present is still the life-substitution technique."
"But the substitution technique has its limits. Once I successfully advance to the sixth rank this time, all the substitution puppets in my hands will lose their effect."
"I also can't possibly find a large number of fifth-tier vengeful ghosts to make puppets."
"Under these circumstances, we certainly cannot afford to be as extravagant as we are now. At the very least, the days when killing a vengeful ghost in Gujing Village required dozens of substitute dolls are unlikely to come again."
"I can still be willful occasionally, ignoring danger and fighting against vengeful ghosts based on my own whims."
"And then what?"
Jiang Qiao felt somewhat worried.
He doesn't mind hiding his true nature.
In fact, sometimes when he encounters a vengeful ghost, he will choose to avoid it, even if the ghost is not scary.
But it's just that I'm too lazy to do it.
Being too lazy to take action and being afraid to take action are two different things!
If he doesn't have enough substitute dolls, he'll become very hesitant to take action.
That really forced us to play it safe!
However, the problem is that he can't just lie low; he still needs to explore various dangerous places later on.
On the one hand, he was always trying to find his way home.
On the other hand, the real world will eventually merge with the supernatural world, and many problems cannot be solved by simply avoiding them.
Therefore, he must have the ability to increase his tolerance for error!
"Actually, it's not that there are no alternatives at all."
Suddenly, Jiang Qiao's eyes flickered, as if he remembered something.
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