Ghost Shadow Under the Moon

While Wu Dao was feasting to his heart's content inside the Fragrant Pavilion.

Fifty or sixty miles away, upon the dusky desert, a pair of figures were charging across the land like primordial beasts, leaving a trail of rolling sand and dust in their wake.

At a certain moment.

The gale raged, and the world grew dark.

Their progress hindered, the two halted, ducking behind a mountain to take shelter from the sandstorm. They pulled back their black hoods, revealing one young face and one middle-aged one.

The youth was as brawny as a bear, his face covered in thick, rough, dark skin, and his iron-cast muscles bulging beneath his clothes. His copper-bell-like eyes flickered with a cruel, bloodthirsty glint from time to time; he was clearly no easy mark.

"Uncle Ya, is there a reaction yet?"

After swallowing a gulp of water, the brawny youth asked the short, gaunt middle-aged man beside him in a voice as booming as thunder.

The middle-aged man seemed unable to speak; he merely extended his right hand, which had long, bony fingers as black as steel claws. A small cyan snake lay coiled in his palm, completely still.

"Heh~"

Seeing this, the brawny youth couldn't help but scoff and shake his head. "People aren't stupid. They aren't going to just kill someone and wait for us to come for revenge. The world is vast; let alone a mile, if someone really wants to hide, even a hundred miles wouldn't be enough."

"..."

The gaunt middle-aged man remained silent.

"Our foster father only cares about his Four Seas Gang; everyone else is just a tool. That so-called deep father-son bond is just a performance for those below to see.

With such a massive amount of resources wasted, he's actually wishing he could tear Lao Si to pieces with his own hands."

The brawny youth's expression turned self-deprecating, his eyes reflecting a hint of sorrow for a fellow sufferer. As he spoke these treasonous words, the middle-aged man beside him kept his gaze fixed on his own nose, offering no comment.

"However, I do owe my thanks to my late brother."

Thinking of something, the brawny youth licked his rough lips, his eyes filled with ambition. "If we hadn't come out on this trip, how would we have known that an anomaly had appeared in Panshui Town?

If I can obtain it, my Pan Mountain Technique will reach perfection in no time, and after breaking through, my strength will be far beyond the crooked, evil arts of our foster father and his ilk!"

"..."

Listening to the brawny youth's insolent remarks, the middle-aged man still showed no reaction, merely staring blankly into the sandstorm.

If one were to look closer.

They would see that his eyes were hollow and vacant, devoid of any spark of wisdom, much like a puppet that only knew how to obey commands.

A short while later.

The sandstorm subsided, and the red sun at the edge of the desert sank completely below the horizon.

Starlight poured down like a waterfall, accompanied by gusts of cold wind.

The two set off once more, moving with lightning speed, and soon vanished into the night.

Their direction was none other than Panshui Town.

Crescent Oasis, Panshui Town.

The night was deep and quiet, with the galaxy hanging brilliantly overhead.

Whoosh—

The wind swept through, and the sea of trees beneath the towering Canyun Mountain rippled. The sound of a thousand branches and leaves rustling was like the roar of the ocean, rolling in layers across Panshui Town.

As the human vitality faded, the yin energy grew dense and eerie.

In the street corners and alleys where the starlight could not reach, shadowed, ghostly figures seemed to multiply in the darkness.

Fragrant Pavilion.

Creak~

The sound of a wooden door opening and closing was jarring in the dead of night.

Clad in green robes with a sword at his waist, his brows sharp and eyes bright.

Yun Tianliu closed his door, glanced at the tightly shut door of Wu Dao's room, stroked his sword hilt, and finally shook his head before walking away quickly.

Inside the room.

The moment Wu Dao heard the movement, he woke from his deep sleep. He opened his eyes, which shone like lightning, showing no trace of fatigue.

The Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique could induce a hypnotic state in the brain, ensuring deep sleep to nourish his Vitality and Spirit while maintaining awareness of the outside world.

On the surface, he appeared to be fast asleep.

In reality, a portion of his focus was always on Yun Tianliu in the neighboring room.

As a genius renowned throughout the prefecture, he wouldn't waste his time without reason; he must have already found a clue to the anomaly in Panshui Town, which was why he remained here.

Therefore.

He chose not to act alone and rush into Canyun Mountain like a headless fly. By simply tailing Yun Tianliu, he would naturally obtain the information he desired.

Whoosh, whoosh~

The night wind roared, the silver moon shone brightly, and the stars vied for brilliance.

Panshui Town was as bright as day.

This made it difficult for Wu Dao to hide his figure, adding a layer of difficulty to the tracking, but fortunately, Yun Tianliu was not moving quickly, strolling along at a leisurely pace, so he did not lose him.

Is he waiting for me on purpose?

Wu Dao's tall, sturdy physique was hidden in the shadows, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Yun Tianliu, who occasionally glanced back slightly on the ghastly white street, and he couldn't help but lick his lips.

Clearly.

Yun Tianliu had long since discovered he was tailing him, but for some reason, he hadn't called him out.

Was it confidence, or did he have other schemes?

However...

Wu Dao didn't know if Yun Tianliu was confident, but he was certainly confident himself, so he simply revealed his figure and followed openly behind him.

Panshui Town was very quiet under the night.

Apart from the chirping of night birds in the mountains and the gurgling of water in the canals, not even a dog could be heard barking; the silence was somewhat chilling.

An ordinary person placed in this environment.

Would certainly be suspicious and fearful, afraid that dark, sinister things might be lurking in the darkness where the starlight could not reach, and would inevitably be on edge.

But neither Yun Tianliu nor Wu Dao were ordinary people; the two walked one after the other, open and aboveboard, completely unbothered by the eerie atmosphere surrounding them.

After bypassing a few streets.

They arrived at a desolate area where a charred old building with collapsed walls and rotting eaves, overgrown with weeds, came into view; it was obvious that a fire had occurred there in the past.

"Xiangchun Garden..."

On the collapsed gatehouse.

Three mottled ancient characters flickered in and out of sight under the frosty moonlight.

A Pear Garden?

Wu Dao, hidden at a street corner a few dozen meters away, glanced at Yun Tianliu, who was quietly waiting while leaning against a shadow not far away with equal composure, his heart filled with slight confusion.

But immediately after.

He discovered something abnormal.

The surroundings of the Pear Garden were not quiet!

Although they were well hidden, Wu Dao's Beast King Peak Physique and keen perception, which were no less than that of animals in the wild, allowed him to detect the presence of quite a few people.

Some were as robust as tigers or bears, others as long-breathed as turtles or whales, and if one focused, one could even hear the sound of heavy heartbeats.

Clearly, there were already many martial artists hidden around this theater, and judging by their auras, their cultivation was no lower than the Inner Strengthening Realm!

What were they waiting for?

Could it be that this dilapidated Pear Garden was connected to the anomaly?

Wu Dao narrowed his eyes, staring at the theater which exuded a somewhat bizarre aura under the pale moonlight, his thoughts fluctuating.

However.

He did not alert the enemy, but merely adjusted his Vitality and Spirit, remaining dormant and deciding to wait and see how things developed.

Whoosh, whoosh~

The moonlight was as cool as water, mountain breezes blew, and time passed slowly.

About half an hour later.

The silent, deathly still Pear Garden finally underwent a change.

Yi-ya, yi-ya~

A mournful, sorrowful, and unknown operatic tune that would make any listener weep with sadness began to ring out without warning.

It was mixed with sinister winds, wailing and eerie.

In an instant, it made one's hair stand on end, brought out goosebumps all over, and instilled a chill that came from the depths of the soul.

Wu Dao, however, felt his spirit lift!

He suddenly looked up toward the charred, dilapidated, and weed-choked stage in the center of the Pear Garden.

Unknown to him, when it had happened.

On the stage appeared a Green-Clad Dan wearing oil-painted makeup, dancing gracefully, pitying her own reflection, and singing the unknown, sorrowful tune.

Deep in the dead of night, in a desolate garden under the moon.

A Green-Clad Dan, mournful and desolate!

No matter how one looked at it or thought about it.

This was a scene that was extremely eerie, terrifying, and bizarre!

Is this...

A ghost?

Wu Dao frowned as he looked at the heavily made-up Green-Clad Dan on the stage, feeling no terror, only surprise.

This was completely different from the formless, bodiless phantoms in the Red Fire Mine that had limited influence on the real world.

If one ignored its eerie side.

This was a living, breathing person; the voice was clearly audible, the movements were solid and resonant, and it could genuinely and tangibly influence the physical world.

Without a doubt, this was an old ghost with cultivation!

Its strength was in no way comparable to the phantoms in the Red Fire Mine, and it was connected to the anomalies within Canyun Mountain!

Otherwise, martial artists like Yun Tianliu would not be wasting their time waiting here.

Wu Dao's eyes flickered as various pieces of information flowed through his mind; he had already guessed the nature of the situation here with near certainty.

However, the same rule still applied.

If the enemy doesn't move, I don't move; he would not act rashly without knowing the true intentions of Yun Tianliu and the others.

Yi-ya-ya~

The heavily made-up Green-Clad Dan on the stage sang with increasing fervor, the sound echoing for a long time in the silent, moonlit night, growing ever more eerie and horrifying.

"Heh heh..."

Abruptly, a sound of infatuated laughter rang out, accompanied by the sound of unsteady, stumbling footsteps.

At one end of the street.

Three men with fierce, ruthless faces appeared, though their expressions were currently dull and vacant; judging by their attire, they were low-level martial artists who had come to Panshui Town to join in the excitement.

The three men looked as if their souls had been hooked; with eyes closed, they followed the melody, wearing strange smiles on their faces as they swayed and wandered into the Pear Garden.

There is something wrong with that singing...

Seeing this, Wu Dao could not help but narrow his eyes.

The singing of the Green-Clad Dan seemed to carry a certain brainwashing, demonic quality that made people involuntarily intoxicated and yearning.

As time passed, the breathing of the people hidden nearby grew heavier, clearly struggling to restrain themselves.

Even martial artists who had strengthened their bodies and tempered their spirits were like this.

Let alone ordinary people.

These three men were only at the Nurturing Strength realm, barely any stronger than commoners, and their infatuated, soul-lost appearance showed they had clearly fallen under the spell.

However, no one cared.

And no one prepared to act as a hero.

Including Yun Tianliu, who had a reputation for chivalry; after an initial slight frown, he retracted his step, as if those three were not worth saving.

All the martial artists remained still, quietly watching as the three men entered the Pear Garden like walking corpses and walked to the front of the stage.

Then...

A more bizarre scene unfolded.

Accompanied by the increasingly mournful singing of the Green-Clad Dan, the three men began to move along with the song, dancing in an ugly and clumsy manner.

Under the pale, cold moonlight.

The three men mimicked the green figure on stage with stiff, sluggish movements until their actions were perfectly synchronized, just like three marionettes on strings.

The singing grew even more mournful...

The movements of the green Ghost Shadow on stage also began to turn strange and erratic, exceptionally supple—it was no longer dancing; calling it yoga would be more appropriate.

Splits, folding in half, head touching feet...

As the body twisted, it performed a series of inhuman, anti-joint movements, like some kind of freakish creature.

The most terrifying thing was.

No matter what movements the green Ghost Shadow made, the three men below the stage followed suit!

This led to a very bloody consequence...

Crack~ Crack~

The sounds of bones snapping and muscles tearing rang out incessantly in the moonlit Pear Garden.

The three fine men from before.

In just a short while, they had become three blood-soaked messes—

Bones protruding, limbs snapped, twisted into a lump, writhing on the ground like three red and white twisted dough sticks.

'So that person was twisted into a dough stick...'

Li San's description of the town's horrors from the daytime echoed in his mind.

Wu Dao hadn't known what it meant for a person to be twisted into a dough stick before, but at this moment, he had a clear and vivid understanding.

Seeking monthly tickets.