"What are you plotting? And where have the cultivation sects in this place gone?"
Ji Yuan sat before the wooden table, one hand propped on his chin, his gaze fixed on the burning oil lamp before him as he muttered to himself.
He had initially worried about a direct confrontation with the ghosts in this area, but their unexpected actions had instead made him feel uneasy, even leading him to consider a reckless, all-or-nothing approach after half an hour of contemplation.
At worst, he would seek them out directly, and whether he would be the one to slay demons and vanquish evil tonight, or become a delicacy on their plate, would only be known after a fight.
However, the thought of the original cultivation sect that resided here made the young man dismiss this idea.
The cultivation sect that had been here was called 'Mingyue Guan' (Bright Moon Temple). Within a three-hundred-li radius of Qianyu City, it had a certain minor reputation. Although it was a branch of Taoism, it practiced a more obscure, Yin and cold cultivation method.
The temple's incense offerings were not particularly prosperous, with a total of no more than twenty people. However, perhaps due to the effectiveness of their cultivation techniques or their occupation of a place with good Feng Shui, their strength ranked them in the middle to lower tier within the Qianyu City region.
If Ji Yuan remembered correctly, the master of Mingyue Guan was a cultivator who had entered the second stage of cultivation and possessed spiritual power. He wielded the sect's powerful inherited artifact, the 'Hanyue Suo' (Cold Moon Shuttle).
Besides the master, the sect also had two elders who were also cultivators with spiritual power. Although their artifacts were of lower quality, they far surpassed ordinary mortal weapons.
As for the other disciples of Mingyue Guan, the weakest had cultivation at the early to middle stage of Enlightenment, with several reaching the late stage. They held some renown within hundreds of li.
Such a not-weak cultivation sect had vanished without a trace, and their cultivation grounds were now occupied by a host of sinister ghosts. No matter how one thought about it, the situation seemed eerie.
This was also one of the main reasons why Ji Yuan had not directly acted out. An entire sect had disappeared silently; how could he, a mere young Taoist just starting his cultivation journey, dare to challenge them?
"But I can't just stay here forever!"
The young man sighed in frustration. He couldn't possibly wait until morning with them.
Setting aside whether the ghosts would hibernate during the day, if he were in their position, he would have cleared out any unwelcome guests from his territory before dawn.
In that case, despite the long night, the time might not be enough.
"Dong, dong, dong."
Just as he was contemplating a way out, a knocking sound suddenly came from the door. Ji Yuan's expression changed instantly, and one of his hands slipped into his sleeve.
After all, he was a cultivator. Though he hadn't cultivated spiritual power yet, his physique was far stronger than that of ordinary people. Even though he had been lost in thought earlier, it was unlikely someone could reach his door without him noticing.
With a mixture of fear and surprise, he quickly looked towards the door. However, other than the moonlight, there was no light outside, insufficient to cast a shadow of the visitor on the door.
"Who?"
When the knocking sounded again, Ji Yuan's voice, deepened with tension, called out.
"Ji Yuan? Fellow Daoist Ji?"
After a few breaths, a young voice came from outside the door, its tone clearly conveying joy.
Hearing the familiar voice, a figure immediately sprang to mind in Ji Yuan's head. It was a friend he had made in Qianyu City, a young Taoist only a few years older than him.
"Song He!"
He quickly got up from the table and hurried to the door, reaching out to open it.
However, at the same time, his other hand was already clutching more than a dozen attack talismans. If anything seemed amiss, and the person outside was not his familiar friend, he would immediately throw the talismans to give them a surprise strike.
Fortunately, when the door opened, the figure that appeared was indeed someone he knew: Song He, the young Taoist from Mingyue Guan.
Yet, even seeing him with his own eyes, Ji Yuan did not relax his vigilance. His left hand, hidden behind him, still clutched a handful of talismans, ready to be thrown at the other's face at any moment.
Song He seemed to sense the young Taoist's thoughts and did not expose him. He cast a glance around his friend, then let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Song He, what happened to you?"
Ji Yuan frowned slightly, looking at his friend, whose Taoist robe was tattered and his body covered in bloodstains, he had a rough idea of what had transpired.
Hearing the question, the young Taoist shook his head, saying nothing. He merely glanced into the room, gesturing for them to go inside first.
Creak!
After the door was closed, Song He abruptly turned around, his bloodshot eyes saying, "Why did you come to this place? You shouldn't have entered!"
The young man was startled at first. Seeing that the other person didn't pounce on him, he quietly lowered his raised left hand, almost about to unleash a barrage of talismans.
At the same time, he understood what Song He meant. However, some things were not as simple as wishing them away. Under the circumstances, if he hadn't taken that small path, he believed the ghosts in the mansion would have attacked him directly.
"You're as cautious as ever."
Glancing at the talismans in his hand, Song He nodded slightly, his worried heart finally easing a little.
"What exactly happened here? Why has Mingyue Guan turned into this mountain mansion?"
As Ji Yuan inquired, he took out a water skin from his bag and handed it to the young Taoist, whose lips were cracked with dryness.
Although there was a kettle of water inside, he dared not consume anything from this place rashly, lest he be drugged or ambushed without knowing.
"I don't know..."
Song He gulped down more than half of the water skin in one go, his eyes filled with terror as he mumbled, "It all changed overnight. The original temple vanished, replaced by a vast mansion, and a large bamboo forest even grew around it. Even the small path leading out of the mountain now has a mass grave beside it!"
As he spoke, he grew more agitated, his fear intensifying. The veins on his forehead bulged, and his hands, holding the water skin, trembled uncontrollably.
Through Song He's narration, Ji Yuan gradually learned about the events of the past few days.
Five nights ago, the entire Luohun Slope suddenly began to shake. The people of Mingyue Guan rushed out of their rooms. However, before they could investigate, the tremors subsided.
But at the same time, a large amount of Yin energy erupted from the ground, far exceeding in quantity and purity what they had usually encountered. And a mansion covering a vast area replaced the original temple.
"When unusual things happen, there must be a reason. The Master wanted to lead us out of this mansion, but we were attacked by countless vengeful spirits."
Song He's eyes reddened as he said, "To break out, the Master and an elder were killed by a powerful ghost, and half the disciples were devoured by the countless vengeful spirits!"
With heavy casualties, the remaining elder, along with half the disciples, finally managed to escape the mansion. However, as they passed through the bamboo forest outside, more strangeness emerged.
Countless yellow-green bamboo stalks seemed to come alive, moving rapidly. They blocked the path of the Mingyue Guan disciples. The falling bamboo leaves were like sharp blades, capable of drawing blood with a light brush.
In addition, the bamboo stalks themselves constantly whipped and pierced, with a force exceeding that of a late-stage Enlightenment cultivator.
By the time Song He and his group finally broke through the bamboo forest, only four or five disciples remained out of the half that had escaped. As for the sect's other elder, he had been impaled by more than a dozen bamboo stalks, his essence and spiritual power drained dry.
"We finally encountered that 'Red Powder Skeleton' in the mass grave!"
At this point, Song He's accumulated fear reached its peak, and the pressure brought tears to his eyes.
His eyes glazed over as he stared at the ceiling, murmuring, "You can't imagine how terrifying that ghost was. With just a single glance, several senior brothers lost their minds and began to slaughter each other. If it weren't for the 'Hanyue Suo' that the Master gave me before he died, and which sent a wave of cold energy at a critical moment, I would probably have died by the sword of one of my senior brothers..."