True Target, Extra Reward

Dozens of blood-red rays emanated from his body, as if they possessed a life of their own.

In an instant, they lunged toward the people present.

"No, help me, it hurts, it hurts so much!"

A woman screamed with a harrowing expression; dressed in fine silk and brocade, she appeared to be around forty years old and was likely the wife of Li Guangliang.

At this moment, a cluster of blood-red light clung to her, spreading like a spiderweb and draining the essence from her blood.

Her body withered visibly to the naked eye, eventually shriveling into a desiccated corpse.

A speck of blood-red light rose from the corpse and returned entirely to the body of the sinister man.

His complexion grew increasingly flushed, and the blood-red light surrounding him surged like a rushing river.

"Truly comfortable," a twisted face sighed in admiration.

Li Qing watched quietly from the side, having already realized that this appeared to be some form of illusion.

According to the files, Ghost Sound does not possess the ability to create hallucinations.

It seems I've hit the jackpot, stumbling upon a case that was misjudged.

A trace of gravity appeared on his face, his expression growing increasingly somber.

His gaze remained fixed upon the man.

After the stranger had slaughtered everyone, he walked straight toward a small building in the backyard.

Li Qing followed quietly, sensing that the mysterious young man's massacre seemed to serve another purpose.

Li Qing followed the young man into the small building, where the latter went directly to the second floor, which housed a study.

The man quickly located a hidden compartment within the study.

Upon opening it, he revealed a secret letter inside.

"Hmph, overestimating your abilities, daring to oppose my Demon sect."

After taking the letter, a flash of blood-red flame erupted in his hand, burning it directly into ashes.

He turned to leave the small building, piling all the corpses into a room in the inner courtyard.

He set a fire to ignite them all, burning the place clean.

At this point, the scene before Li Qing shattered like glass.

The surroundings turned gloomy once more, as if everything that had just transpired were merely a mirage.

"Wuwu..."

"Wuwuwu..."

The weeping sounded again, and Li Qing turned to look behind him.

At some point, a ghostly woman in white with disheveled hair had appeared, standing about two zhang away from him.

Li Qing watched the phantom woman in silence; he had already recognized her attire.

She was the daughter from the Secretariat Office, who had somehow transformed into an unknown Anomaly.

Li Qing gripped the Spirit Summoning Tablet tightly in his left hand, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

He took a deep breath. "Can you speak?"

"Wuwuwu..."

Amidst the weeping, the white phantom suddenly moved.

Her face was twisted, her eyes filled with nothing but infinite resentment, devoid of any reason or emotion.

She lunged fiercely toward Li Qing, who shook his head helplessly.

He injected essence into the Spirit Summoning Tablet, and a phantom Flood Dragon surged forth.

A massive dragon roar exploded instantly, and the ghostly woman stiffened in the wake of the sound, completely losing her sense of self.

The Flood Dragon pounced on the phantom woman, biting her in half in one motion before tearing her into fragments with its claws.

The woman's fragments dissolved into specks of light and vanished without a trace, leaving behind a round Essence Stone and a black talisman on the ground.

As the Flood Dragon returned to the Spirit Summoning Tablet, Li Qing walked over in a few strides and picked up the Essence Stone.

The Jade Tablet in his mind pulsed slightly, and the essence within the stone was drained dry.

Another wisp of essence flowed out, rapidly merging into the Spirit Blood Art.

The essence circulated swiftly, and within just a few breaths, his total essence capacity increased once more, reaching three-fifths of his bloodline capacity.

"With two more Essence Stones, I will be able to reach the peak of Essence Refining."

"According to those journals, it generally takes two or three years for an ordinary person to cultivate to the peak of Essence Refining."

"I am nearing completion in just a few days; truly, I am a heaven-sent talent."

It's all thanks to my diligent cultivation!

A smile appeared on Li Qing's face as his gaze fell upon the black talisman.

The pitch-black talisman paper was extremely strange, bearing an unusual pattern that appeared to be a ghost face.

Frowning slightly, he took a piece of scrap paper from his bosom and wrapped the talisman in it.

This case clearly held hidden secrets, and sending it back would serve as perfect proof.

Perhaps his merit points would even increase.

He left the place silently, and the entire Water Transport Councilor Mansion seemed to return to tranquility.

A phantom shadow suddenly appeared above the ruins.

A pair of invisible eyes seemed to be searching for something.

The next instant, the shadow vanished.

In a dark room, a Ghost Mask Daoist sat cross-legged, wearing a ghost mask upon his face.

The shadow returned and merged into his body, his eyes revealing a hint of cold severity.

"Damn it, who destroyed my Illusion Ghost?"

"My Five Ghost Transportation will be delayed again."

"I finally managed to take advantage of those fellows from the Blood Demon Sect."

"What rotten luck."

"Young Master Blood Spirit's invitation—perhaps I should consider it."

Early the next morning, Li Qing arrived at the Demon Extermination Hall.

He found Wen Taiquan. "Brother Wen, good morning."

Wen Taiquan looked at Li Qing, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"You look radiant; it seems you solved yesterday's case."

Li Qing smiled slightly. "It is solved, but there are some issues."

"Take a look?"

As he spoke, he produced a handkerchief and opened it to reveal a black talisman.

Wen Taiquan took a glance, his brows knitting together. "This is a Ghost Raising Talisman from the Reincarnation Ghost Hall."

"This is the work of a Ghost Path cultivator?"

"Are you saying that someone was raising ghosts in that case?"

"Are ghosts a type of Anomaly?" Li Qing asked with curiosity.

"Yes. Everything in this world that humans cannot comprehend exists because of Anomalies."

"This includes ghosts, which are born from the combination of human souls or spirits with vital energy."

Li Qing nodded slightly. "There was a problem with yesterday's mission."

"It wasn't Ghost Sound, but an Anomaly capable of creating hallucinations."

"I saw everything that happened when the Water Transport Councilor Mansion was destroyed."

Hearing Li Qing's words, Wen Taiquan's expression turned to one of shock. "You know the truth? This case has been flagged by the higher-ups; once the truth is found, there will be a heavy reward."

"It's worth at least a Grade A mission, 10 merit points."

Li Qing's eyes lit up, and after a moment of thought, he spoke.

"The situation is like this..."

Li Qing did not hold much back and quickly told Wen Taiquan everything he had experienced.

Wen Taiquan's expression turned solemn. "Do not tell anyone else about this."

"I will report it to the higher-ups, and the reward will be issued soon."

"I will speak to Elder Huang about this mission; I expect it will be adjusted to Grade B for you."

"An Anomaly that can create hallucinations is usually quite dangerous."

Li Qing nodded slightly. "Then I shall look forward to it."

Fifteen merit points earned in one trip? That means I can pick out a few cultivation techniques! A trace of joy appeared on Li Qing's face.