[Weird, Demon, Ferocious Monster, Heavenly Treasure]

After Guangshen and his two companions left.

Within two days.

Several more waves of people from different factions entered Canyun Mountain--

The White Whale Martial Arts Hall, the Fangcun Sword Hall, and the Four Seas Gang.

Whether it was Meng Qingshan or Yun Tianliu, both were prominent figures in their respective factions.

Even Zhao Wei.

He was a master-level figure of a hall, and after sensing that something had gone wrong, the major factions could not simply sit by and do nothing, lest they dishearten their subordinates.

Unfortunately, they were destined to arrive with hatred and return in disappointment.

Moreover, because Wu Dao had destroyed the bodies and evidence so thoroughly, even the traces of the Flesh Tai Sui had been completely wiped away.

They could not even determine whether the culprit was a human or the Flesh Tai Sui, and they did not even have a vague image of a suspect.

For a very long time.

This was destined to remain a cold case.

On Wu Dao's side.

After leaving Canyun Mountain.

Through some inquiries, he had already learned the location of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall's headquarters and gained a certain understanding of its general personnel structure.

The White Whale Martial Arts Hall was a faction that had emerged in Guangqing Prefecture over the past few decades.

By leveraging the legacy of the former Giant Whale Sect and the iron-fisted methods of its leaders, it had quickly become one of the hegemons of Guangqing Prefecture, capable of going toe-to-toe with the Four Seas Gang.

The Chief Hall Master is Qi Canghai.

Legend has it that he is an Innate Qi Sect master who has undergone the Third Rebirth and opened the Heaven-Man Bridge in his Qi Sea Dantian.

His Tyrant Whale Fist.

And his Giant Whale Art Hard Qigong.

Are both transcendent and world-renowned.

In the underworld of Guangqing Prefecture, he is privately referred to as the White Whale King, sharing equal fame with the Four Seas Gang Leader, the Black Whale King, Meng Huaishan, in the south.

The White Whale Martial Arts Hall he governs is even more extraordinary.

Over the decades.

As Da Li has continuously declined, local governance has gradually eroded, and official regulations have become virtually non-existent.

Various martial arts factions and all sorts of characters have expanded wildly during this period, and the White Whale Martial Arts Hall is the largest of these forces.

To this day.

Not only are their martial arts halls everywhere, filled with experts and nearly ten thousand disciples, but their influence also extends into every industry in the north of Guangqing Prefecture.

Brothels, gambling dens, docks, restaurants, security firms, mines, and even monopolies on the security industry...

The White Whale Martial Arts Hall, which is a martial arts hall in name only.

Has by now become a massive conglomerate that combines "fist, power, and money."

Countless struggling commoners dream of joining it, hoping to become superior to others and live a life free of worries.

It can be said that in the northern part of Guangqing Prefecture, the will of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall carries more weight than the words of the Prefect; they are the undisputed underground emperors.

Once one gains power within it.

One truly has the power to command the winds and rain; wealth and beauty are easily obtained, and one can essentially walk sideways throughout Guangqing Prefecture.

If Wu Dao wants to leverage their power to quickly collect information on anomalies, the massive intelligence network of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall can definitely satisfy his requirements.

After learning about the White Whale Martial Arts Hall.

Wu Dao did not rush headlong toward Lancang City, where the headquarters of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall is located.

His understanding of this strange world is quite limited, especially regarding the supernatural side; he is unaware of even some basic common knowledge.

Therefore, after leaving Canyun Mountain.

While heading toward the Lancang Commandery city where the White Whale Martial Arts Hall's headquarters is located, he also slowed his pace, exploring and learning about the supernatural side of this strange world from the mouths of different people.

As the old saying goes.

It is better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books.

After a few days.

With various pieces of information gathered.

Wu Dao has finally shed his status as an outsider, grasping the ins and outs of this world, truly integrating into it, and gaining a basic understanding of the various paths of human transcendence.

As for the anomalies he cares about most.

Although information on this aspect is still scarce in the martial arts world, since they exist, someone must know about them.

Basic information.

Wu Dao had already gained a thorough understanding through various investigations, inquiries, and verifications.

Generally speaking.

The anomalies currently appearing in the world are divided into three categories—

Ghosts, demons, and Ferocious Monsters.

Ghosts are the uncanny.

They are transformed from the souls of living beings after death.

Due to the inherent fear of death within the genetic code of life.

Ghosts, as beings representing death, have become synonymous with the uncanny.

Rendered by word-of-mouth legends and strange tales throughout history, they have been labeled with ominous, dark, and terrifying connotations.

Now, as the Humanity's Luck of Da Li wanes.

These terrifying beings, which once existed only in ghost stories, have truly and tangibly appeared in the world.

Because they appear so rarely.

The supernatural world does not yet have a complete understanding of ghosts and can only classify them based on their level of danger.

Those belonging to the ghostly entities.

All bear a Yin Lotus mark on their foreheads.

A White Lotus signifies a Wandering Soul; they are shadowless and formless, devoid of intelligence, and can possess and kill both day and night. Ordinary people die upon contact, and only a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with Great Success of Divine Strength and blood energy like a furnace can resist them.

A Black Lotus signifies a Fierce Ghost.

While possessing the abilities of a Wandering Soul, they also possess full intelligence. Their spirit can already affect the physical world, allowing them to manipulate mortals and even cultivators below the level of Divine Strength. They cause mental corruption and create illusions, posing a very high danger.

One petal of a Black Lotus.

Their strength is equivalent to a First Rebirth.

Two petals, a Second Rebirth.

Three petals, a Third Rebirth.

However.

This comparison is actually somewhat forced.

In fact.

Except for those of the Immortal Dao.

Martial Dao and Soldier Dao cultivators who have not bridged the Heaven-Man Bridge and are below the Innate realm keep a wide berth from Black Lotus Fierce Ghosts.

Because relying solely on brute force.

It is very difficult to inflict damage upon them.

Although after a Second Rebirth, those of the Martial Dao possess Mental Armor and those of the Soldier Dao have the Soldier's Edge Intent shielding their bodies, allowing them to attack ghostly entities.

But ghosts are not wooden dummies that will just stand there and let you hit them.

They are shadowless and formless, can pass through walls, fly at low altitudes, possess others, and hide...

It is simply an endless nuisance.

Not to mention that these things are highly intelligent; if you provoke one and fail to eliminate it, it becomes like a maggot on a tarsal bone, and the moment you slacken, you will fall victim to its schemes.

Most importantly.

You cannot "eat" these things.

Those above the Innate realm might be able to restrain them with a powerful spirit fire, combining it with the power of heaven and earth to refine them and nourish their divine soul.

But that is also a very troublesome matter.

After all, the Martial Dao and Soldier Dao primarily cultivate the physical body, and in terms of the divine soul, they do not specialize in it like the Immortal Dao, which even ignites the Divine Soul Dao Fire.

It is time-consuming and laborious, and the benefits gained after refining are not worth the consumption lost; it is a losing proposition.

As for those below the Innate realm, even if they capture one, they can only kill it, wasting their effort for nothing.

Under these circumstances.

If cultivators outside of the Immortal Dao encounter ghostly entities, they generally treat them with cold indifference; if they can avoid touching this foul, hedgehog-like excrement, they will.

In the circles, there is even underworld slang specifically calling ghosts "Hedgehogs."

As for harming people.

Not every cultivator is a great hero with the world at heart; doing life-and-death battle for no benefit would be insane, and besides, it doesn't harm them personally.

As for whether there are ghosts more terrifying than the Black Lotus Fierce Ghost.

As for that, Wu Dao had no way of knowing.

Because as of now, there were no relevant records or information circulating in the martial arts world.

And it was not just limited to Ghostly Entities.

It was the same for Demons and Monsters.

Demons and Monsters divided their strength based on the years of their cultivation.

One hundred to four hundred years.

This was the process for the demon kind to grasp human nature and develop wisdom, corresponding to the Four Realms of Foundation Establishment.

At five hundred years, they take on human form, completing their wisdom roots, with their intelligence and spirituality no different from a human's.

This continues up to eight hundred years.

This corresponds to the Three Realms of Breaking the Cocoon.

However.

Because the physical bodies of the demon kind were tempered by spiritual energy over a long period, their vitality was exceptionally tenacious, and they had already birthed certain innate "Demonic Arts".

In terms of true strength.

They would be much stronger than cultivators of the same realm.

Take the Flesh Tai Sui for example.

Its transformation was not even complete.

Yet it was still able to send one expert at the Breaking the Cocoon realm and four at the peak of Divine Strength fleeing in disarray, or one could even say, it wiped them out entirely.

From eight hundred years and above.

This corresponds to Innate experts.

Currently, there are no records.

As for the final Ferocious Monster.

There were even fewer records in the martial arts world; they were the rarest of all.

Ferocious Monsters were transformed from evil objects outside of living beings, taking all sorts of strange forms.

Stones, houses, utensils, clothing, shoes...

Even a natural phenomenon could, by some coincidence, interact with the energy of heaven and earth to manifest as a Ferocious Monster.

The only recorded incident of a Ferocious Monster harming people came from the neighboring Wanshan Prefecture.

It is said.

A rusted sword from an ancient tomb became a Ferocious Monster, drinking dry the blood of hundreds of people in a village overnight.

However.

It was later subdued by a group of mysterious people.

There is speculation.

That group of people might have come from the organization founded by the Grand Ancestor of Da Li to monitor the dark side of the nation, known as the Blade of the Nation--

Jingzhe!

Apart from information on anomalies.

Wu Dao had also figured out exactly what those 'Heavenly Treasures' were—the items he had previously noted that could break the shackles of the Three Innate Organs and allow mortals to step onto the path of the extraordinary—after coming into contact with quite a few martial artists.

Whenever he thought of this thing.

A strange feeling would arise in Wu Dao's heart.

Strictly speaking.

Heavenly Treasures were things that the extraordinary individuals of this world had 'forged' themselves!

Filling in the lore for the transition.