As he ventured deeper, Qin Bo discovered that the atmosphere around him grew increasingly gloomy.
A thick stench of decay permeated the air. It was clearly the lingering trace of the evil aura from the Fox Demon.
Before long, Qin Bo arrived in front of an abandoned old residence in Yunzhou City.
The old residence's gate was in a terrible state, its vermilion paint having long since peeled away.
The two doors were half-open, creaking in the wind as though recounting the vicissitudes and eeriness of the passing years.
Black Charcoal fidgeted uneasily on Qin Bo's shoulder, letting out a low whimper as if warning him of the danger ahead.
Qin Bo stared at the place in a daze.
How did I end up back here again?!
This was precisely the old residence he had passed by earlier!
Qin Bo clearly remembered that the first time he passed by, the old residence had already emanated an indescribable gloom.
But back then, he had not sensed such a dense evil aura. Now that he thought about it, the Fox Demon must have fled here for a reason.
Qin Bo took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the Pig Slaughtering Saber, and slowly stepped into the old residence.
The instant he entered, a chill rushed at his face, and he could not help shivering.
The weeds in the courtyard were even more luxuriant than before, swaying wildly in the wind as if they were alive.
Qin Bo walked toward the ancient well, every step cautious, his eyes warily sweeping over his surroundings.
Black Charcoal clung tightly to Qin Bo's shoulder, its little head constantly turning as it watched for any movement around them.
When Qin Bo neared the ancient well, a violent disturbance suddenly came from within. Black mist churned and surged.
By the time he approached to take a look, everything had already returned to normal.
"Hm?!"
"Could this be some kind of passage? Or perhaps a teleportation gate?"
Qin Bo circled around the area, then lifted a large stone and threw it down into the well.
Bang!
After it landed, a dull sound echoed up from below.
Hearing that, Qin Bo furrowed his brows.
"There's a bottom! Where did the Fox Demon go?!"
Just as Qin Bo was puzzled, Black Charcoal suddenly jumped down from his shoulder and sniffed back and forth along the well wall.
At last, it meowed at Qin Bo.
"You mean the Fox Demon escaped from here?!"
Black Charcoal nodded its small head vigorously, then repeatedly clawed at one spot on the well wall.
Qin Bo stepped forward, crouched down, and examined it carefully.
The texture of the well wall there was slightly different from its surroundings. It seemed to conceal some kind of mechanism.
But even after staring at it for a long while, he could not make heads or tails of it.
Fortunately, at that moment, a figure flew over from the sky.
"Qin Bo?! Are you all right?"
"City Lord, I'm fine. It's just that the Fox Demon escaped!"
"Good. I never expected that the Fox Demon would actually survive after fighting me. It must have had a Golden Cicada Shedding Shell technique."
Zhou Yunxuan landed beside Qin Bo and glanced toward the exposed opening, his expression grave.
"It seems the secret of this old residence is even more complicated than we imagined."
As he spoke, he crouched down and carefully examined the patterns on the well wall.
Zhou Yunxuan had read extensively from all kinds of ancient texts since childhood and had some knowledge of various mechanisms and secret arts.
A moment later, a look of understanding flashed through Zhou Yunxuan's eyes.
"This is a one-way teleportation entrance leading to the Netherworld. Only an anomalous body can activate the teleportation through baleful qi."
"One-way teleportation?! You mean it can only be entered, not exited?"
"Yes, it should be."
After Zhou Yunxuan finished speaking, he raised his palm and prepared to destroy the place outright.
Qin Bo hurriedly spoke up to stop him.
"City Lord, don't destroy it yet. Do you think we can enter the Netherworld through this entrance?"
"Us?! I'm afraid not. If this were a passage connecting the Netherworld and the Human Realm, it might be possible to enter, but not here. Unless we can use baleful qi to activate the Formation Array!"
Qin Bo knitted his brows tightly. After pondering for a moment, he said,
"City Lord, the Fox Demon escaped into the Netherworld. If it recovers its strength there and returns, Yunzhou City will probably never know peace again."
"Besides, I can't shake the feeling that a greater conspiracy is hidden behind all this. Perhaps if we enter the Netherworld, we can find a way to resolve the crisis once and for all."
That was not what Qin Bo was really thinking.
His mind was filled with only those three words.
"The Netherworld!"
Since he could go to the Netherworld, there had to be plenty of anomalies inside.
Then he would no longer have to worry about running out of lifespan after trading his life away in the future.
The only problem was obtaining the traits of an anomalous body so he could activate this Formation Array.
But he trusted the system. Since he had been able to inherit Old Man Li's Pig Slaughtering Saber Technique, perhaps he could develop something special in the future.
Zhou Yunxuan remained silent. He knew Qin Bo's words made perfect sense.
But entering the Netherworld rashly was fraught with danger. A single misstep could result in eternal damnation.
"Fine, then. Since this is a one-way teleportation gate and anomalies can't come through, we'll leave it here!"
"Thank you, City Lord."
"Let's go. This matter can be considered settled for now."
"City Lord, how are things with the sealing Formation Array?"
Only then did Qin Bo remember the matter of Old Taoist Songhe and the others' sealing operation.
"Half successful!"
"Half?!"
Qin Bo was baffled. Success was success—how could it be only half?
Zhou Yunxuan frowned slightly, a trace of worry flashing through his eyes as he continued, "The Tree Demon has been temporarily suppressed, but the sealing Formation Array was severely damaged and needs time to repair."
"Moreover, we only dealt the Tree Demon a heavy blow. The subsequent sealing measures were destroyed, so it won't be suppressed for very long this time."
"What?!"
Qin Bo was aghast.
My lifespan is going to run away!
"City Lord, roughly how long can it still be suppressed?"
"I'm not sure. Let's go ask Old Taoist Songhe and the others about the exact situation."
The two immediately hurried toward the Demon Suppressing Division.
The Demon Suppressing Division was a complete mess, with traces of battle visible everywhere.
The sealing Formation Array that had once radiated powerful spiritual energy now glimmered dimly, its runes incomplete.
The Tree Demon was bound in the pit by a faint, indistinct force.
But the aura surrounding it remained powerful and evil. From time to time, it struggled, attempting to break through this final restraint.
Old Taoist Songhe and Du Sanniang sat exhausted nearby, their faces pale as paper.
Clearly, they had been drained greatly by the battle earlier.
When they saw Zhou Yunxuan and Qin Bo approach, the two struggled to their feet.
"City Lord, Qin boy..."
Old Taoist Songhe's voice was weak.
"Taoist Master Songhe, there's no need for formalities. We came to ask how long this Tree Demon can still be suppressed, so we can make preparations in advance."
Zhou Yunxuan spoke with a grave expression.
Old Taoist Songhe sighed and shook his head.
"This... is truly difficult to determine."
"The Evil Slaying Sword and Spirit-Suppressing Stele originally used to suppress it have been destroyed. The sealing Formation Array is on the verge of collapse, but the Division Chief... bought us some time."
"But the sealing Formation Array was damaged far too severely. Given the current situation, at most half a year."
"Half a year?!"
Zhou Yunxuan's brows furrowed, and he seemed dissatisfied with the result.
Before you continue