wed by a burst of fire—it was Mu Wanchen, and they had begun their operation."Let's go strike at the root," my brother said with a smile.Most formations in Taoist practice are based on the Bagua, whic...This is definitely haunted, and it's pretty scary.

I put the compass away, one hand resting on my bag holding the jade ruyi.

Suddenly, I felt something hitting my finger. When I took it out, two little ghost-catching doll had absorbed the Yin Qi and "came to life" again.

"Little Miss, Little Miss, let us down..." A Meng shouted.

"What are you doing down there It's dangerous..." I whispered.

"It's because it's dangerous that we have to protect you! Otherwise, what would the point be of the Jade Emperor giving us these lotus avatars... You came down here so we could help find people..." Ameng said.

Okay, alright...

I placed the two dolls on the ground, just as I bent down, a gust of cold wind hit me again!

That felt like it was flying past my back!

I immediately turned around, clutching the jade Ruyi and cautiously watching behind me—this ghost was not only "fierce" but also very "formidable".

In our understanding, ghosts who remain in the mortal world are divided into several types. The most common are ordinary spirits. They are relatively confused and don't intentionally harm people; they are relatively mild-mannered. They just have lingering attachments or resentment and haven't been able to transcend.

Besides this category, a small number of ghosts are very "fierce." These fierce ghosts will harm people and use the depletion of a person's life force to achieve their goals. They retain more consciousness and were mostly not good people in their lifetime.

Apart from that, there are also ferocious ghosts. This type of ghost is more aggressive and has a strong purpose besides harming people—for example, we once encountered a female ghost who tempted humans and possessed them to eat their own kind.

And the last kind, a conscious ghost, even “intelligent,” is the most difficult to deal with.

Such ghosts already have power, or some opportunity to cultivate, and are the most difficult to deal with. Ordinary monks would be injured by them.

Just now, the ghost behind me appeared twice, but I didn't even see its image!

This ghost is not only fast and incredibly strong, far surpassing ordinary ghosts. Even its mere aura of negative energy would be enough to overwhelm ordinary people!

The abandoned city wall in the photo was just ahead, and I climbed with all my might. Suddenly, I felt something on my leg. I looked down—a red piece of cloth, blown over by some unknown ominous wind, stuck to my calf.

I wiggled my legs, but couldn't dislodge them. So I used one hand to grip a protruding rock and the other to pry myself free. I silently chanted a protective spell in my heart. Just as I bent down, for a fleeting moment, something sharp felt like it was stabbing straight into the skin on the back of my neck!

"Be careful!" a woman's hoarse voice suddenly cried out.

I loosened my grip and rolled down a few times to avoid the sudden danger!

In the weeds, a pair of hands suddenly reached out and dragged me away!

I nervously pulled out the Zi Xiao Ruyi, and a voice immediately whispered, "Shh..."

Who is this… I turned around, and the woman gestured to me urgently.

It's a person!

I let out a sigh of relief and asked softly, "Who are you"

"I... I heard you calling Zhang Daozhang. Are you here to find Zhang Daozhang" she asked anxiously.

I didn't answer, looking at her with some wariness—she should be in her thirties, with big, wavy hair styled up, wearing a thin sweater and short leather jacket. She just looked like an ordinary person.

"You, you don't look at me! I'm not a bad person! I'm also here to find Zhang Daochang..." She was about to cry.

This is a small cave, or rather, a small hole!

Only two women huddled together, embracing their legs and crouching here.

And in the very center of this pit, on a stone sat a red thread. Hanging from the thread was a pitch-black wooden sword.

This is a barrier that isolates evil spirits, meant to protect the people inside the pit.

“.....Did you do this” I asked.

This woman doesn't look like a cultivator at all.

"It wasn't me." The woman waved her hands anxiously: "It was Zhang Daochang who did it..."

"Where are the others"

"There, there isn't room for two people, he, he... he made me stay here while he went out to distract the ghost!"

“Why are you here” We went up the mountain with several people. That wandering ghost must be looking for people everywhere. My brother, Shen Qingrui, and Xiao Shanming are all capable of protecting themselves, so they shouldn't be in any danger for a while.

“I don’t know either! I went to Zhang Daochang’s house to find him, and I discovered he was very panicked, just about to go out. I thought he was going to break things off, so I desperately wanted to come with him… Who knew he drove to a nearby area and abandoned his car to go into the mountains That’s when I realized he was hiding something…” The woman patted her chest, still shaken by the experience.

“I don't understand, I’m just a burden to him. He brought me here and tied this red string around me, telling me not to run away—that the Red-cloaked Ghost is nearby! He said he’ll come back for me once he takes care of the ghost.”

The woman was speaking so emotionally that tears were streaming down her face.

I curiously asked, "Who are you, Zhang Daochang"

She stammered, unable to speak for a long time.

Okay, it definitely wasn't anything legitimate or above board.

“ ...I, we are unmarried men and women! There's nothing shameful about it!" the woman hurriedly explained, "It's just... that he's hiding from me..."

Okay, so he was chasing after her. No wonder he went to Zhang Daochang's house to confront him and happened to run into this. He also insisted on coming along.

At that time, the situation was urgent. Zhang Daochang didn't have time to explain in detail and hurried her onto the car to bring her here.

"Can you see ghosts" I asked.

"I, I feel it! I see something red—" She was excited, gripping my arm with one hand and pointing outside the pit with the other.

Her finger, suddenly, knocked the already fragile red thread loose—it had been loosened during when she pulled me in before.

Suddenly, a wave of gloom descended, as if piercing the skin.

I hastily picked up the red line from the ground, the pitch-black wooden sword dangling at the entrance of the cave on the end of the line.

A crimson dress.

A strange face smiling creepily.

Appeared at the entrance of the hole on the outside of the small wooden sword.

I gasped, holding my breath, afraid to even exhale.

That was a man's face, with droopy eyes and a cruel grin stretching upwards.

Stuck at the entrance! I was so nervous my mind went blank for a moment.

Red-clothed male ghosts are rarely seen, this ghost moves as fast as lightning, just as the wooden sword was about to hit, he appeared at this cave entrance!

At this moment, separated by the small wooden sword, he seemed to be "looking".

Can he see us My gaze fell on the pitch-black wooden sword.

This should be one of the Taoist magic weapons, a thunderbolt wood — that is, black wood struck by lightning.

Thunder is a punishment from heaven, with abundant yang energy, it is the best for protection and warding off evil.

But this small wooden sword is too small, it lacks sharpness and isn't for slaying demons or vanquishing evil. Instead, it is used for protection and self-defense.

It isolates the inside from the outside, blocking the qi of evil spirits.

That grotesque grinning face was inches away, like a beast gently parting the undergrowth, observing its prey's movements.

I held a red thread in one hand, and with the other, I covered the woman's mouth.

She widened her eyes, frightened to the point of stiffness. She claimed she couldn't see ghosts, but she could see a faint red cloth fluttering about.

With a heart full of sincerity, I pledge my allegiance. In the northern capital, I serve in the remote and desolate domain...

This male ghost is too ferocious, I've been blocked in this tiny pit again. I wanted to silently recite the imperial decree to seek help, but just as I started, a sudden ray of silver light like a blade ripped through the night sky outside the cave.

A thin silver chain flew from behind the red-clothed male ghost, winding around his neck and throat before being yanked back with a jerk —that! Humph! Anyway, it can be fixed in the hospital! People in our town don't care about this sort of thing!" I said angrily, tugging at his collar.He chuckled lightly, tilting his head slightly to a...