Before everyone's eyes.
Densely packed, pale, monstrous figures swept along with the thick white fog, leaping, sprinting, or crawling swiftly through every corner of the streets and alleys as they surged toward Zhang Jing and the others.
"Senior brothers, senior sister, these are Changpi Ghosts, driven by the Yaomo of Black Mountain County, 'Lord Yin.'"
"This fog is its handiwork too."
Zhang Jing explained quickly.
"Haha, junior brother, you really did find the Yaomo hiding in Black Mountain County. You'll get the foremost credit this time!" Senior Brother Ding said with a hearty laugh.
Then the bamboo staff in his hand flew into the wind, blazing with green light as it swept straight toward the multitude of Changpi Ghosts.
For a moment.
Agonized wails rang out without end. Countless Changpi Ghosts turned to drifting ash, leaving shriveled, tattered human skins where they had stood.
"Tong Yao, remember to protect Junior Brother Zhang. We're going to help."
Senior Brother Zhou and Senior Brother Xia spoke in unison beside her, then immediately sent their Law Artifacts to attack the surrounding Changpi Ghosts.
Although these Changpi Ghosts were numerous, they were extremely weak.
Seeing the three senior brothers killing with mounting enthusiasm, Zhang Jing did not attack. Instead, while Senior Sister Tong's attention was focused entirely ahead, he quietly replenished the Law Techniques consumed within the Five-Law Spirit River.
These Changpi Ghosts were merely appetizers.
The real Yaomo had yet to show itself.
Meanwhile.
Beneath Yinshan County City, within a spacious hall.
A black tiger eighteen feet long lounged in a gigantic chair like a human, propping its enormous head on a forelimb while crossing its hind legs in imitation of a person. Its steel-whip tail struck the ground, sending fragments of stone flying.
The black tiger's eyes remained half closed, and from time to time, it called out in a hoarse voice:
"Push faster, you lazy wretches. You ate your fill and shirked work while alive, and even after dying and becoming Changpi Ghosts, you're still the same. You've truly disappointed your lord."
Following its gaze.
A square pool, eighteen feet on each side, had been excavated in the center of the hall.
A Crimson Millstone stood in the middle of the pool.
Dozens of deathly pale Changpi Ghosts were laboriously pushing the Crimson Millstone.
Besides them, over a hundred Changpi Ghosts were lining up to spit fresh flesh, still attached to ghastly white bones, into the millstone.
As the millstone turned.
Drops of Scarlet Liquid, thick as mercury, fell continuously into the pool below, sending ripples across its surface.
At the same time, wisps of pure water mist rose from the pool, only to be drawn into a White Jade Bottle standing beside it.
Whoosh-
A strange, sinister wind blew.
The black tiger climbed down from its chair, lowered its ferocious, enormous head into the pool, and took a deep draught. A trace of satisfaction immediately appeared in its eyes.
"Good stuff. Truly good stuff. Shame I still have to give them half."
"How wonderful would it be if all of this were mine?"
Suddenly, the black tiger closed its eyes, seemingly sensing something.
The next instant, a trace of surprise and uncertainty entered its eyes.
"Why have so many Changpi Ghosts died? Could people from the Dao Academy have come? That shouldn't be!"
"I've already eaten every last Yaomo within Black Mountain County. Did those three botch their act? Otherwise, how could peaceful, stable Black Mountain County have attracted the Dao Academy's attention?"
"Useless! All useless! I knew humans were good for nothing but filling my belly. Roar!"
An irritated tiger's roar echoed through the hall.
"No, no. Get moving, little ones! Take all my belongings away!"
As its voice fell.
The black tiger lowered its ferocious head into the pool again. With just a gentle suck, half the Scarlet Liquid vanished. Then it opened its great jaws and spat out a Storage Bag, putting away the Crimson Millstone, the remaining Scarlet Liquid in the pool, and the White Jade Bottle beside it.
Elsewhere.
All the Changpi Ghosts had been slaughtered.
Senior Brother Ding looked at Zhang Jing and asked:
"Junior Brother Zhang, do you know where that Yaomo is now?"
"From what those three Rogue Cultivators told me, it should currently be in the Underground Palace beneath the county city. As for the entrance... senior brother, please follow me."
With that, Zhang Jing recalled the words of the man with the black mole, rose into the air, and flew swiftly toward the eastern part of the city.
Before long.
Amid a stretch of ruins along the city wall.
Zhang Jing pointed at a stone door below and said with some concern:
"Senior Brother Ding, this is one of the entrances to the Underground Palace. But I heard that Yaomo has cultivation at the peak of the Qi Refining fourth layer. Isn't going straight in a little risky?"
He had barely finished when Senior Brother Xia answered with a smile beside him:
"Junior brother, Senior Brother Ding is... very strong! Don't worry."
"Junior Brother Zhang, you just said this is one of the entrances to the Underground Palace. Do you know where the others are?" Senior Brother Ding asked gravely.
Zhang Jing shook his head. "Senior brother, those three Rogue Cultivators didn't know either."
"We just killed so many Changpi Ghosts that the Yaomo underground may already have noticed. We don't have enough people, and we don't know where the Underground Palace's exits are. Our only option now is to go straight down and kill it before it fully reacts!"
Senior Brother Liu pushed open the stone door and took the lead inside.
"Follow behind me, and don't fall too far back. Also, remember to look after Junior Brother Zhang."
"Yes, senior brother!"
The winding passage extended continually downward, its branching paths forming a dense web.
A glowing night pearl was embedded in the ceiling roughly every sixty feet. But because of the increasingly thick white fog, each pearl could illuminate only a small patch.
Senior Brother Ding led the way.
Zhang Jing and the other three followed close behind him, moving swiftly downward along the main passage.
As they walked.
Zhang Jing suddenly sensed the dense white fog ahead begin to churn rapidly, as though something was approaching.
Before he could call out a warning.
Roar! A bellow suddenly rang out.
Immediately afterward, a gigantic tiger concealed within the thick fog, its exact appearance indistinct, leaped out of a side passage and lunged ferociously at Senior Brother Ding ahead.
Icy Killing Intent spilled in every direction.
Clang!
At the critical instant.
The Jade-Green Bamboo Staff suddenly erupted with powerful spiritual energy fluctuations and met the attack.
At the same time, a layer of protective spiritual light abruptly appeared, enveloping Senior Brother Ding securely, while a magical shield revolved continuously across its surface.
Boom-
The enormous tiger-shaped figure slammed into the Jade-Green Bamboo Staff with a heavy crash, and both flew backward.
The gigantic tiger let out a howl of pain, then vanished into the thick fog.
Because the passage was relatively narrow and the exchange between man and tiger had been so brief, Zhang Jing, surrounded by the Five-Law Spirit River farther back, was just preparing to strike when he discovered that the gigantic tiger had already disappeared.
He could only withdraw his hand sheepishly.
Where he stood.
Senior Brother Ding looked at the Jade-Green Bamboo Staff that had returned to his hand. Its spiritual light had actually dimmed considerably.
"A Tiger Demon at the Qi Refining fourth layer. It seems this is the one!"
Then Senior Brother Ding turned toward Zhang Jing and the other three and said quickly:
"Junior brothers, junior sister, make sure you keep up."
A powerful surge of spiritual energy suddenly erupted from his body, and his speed increased severalfold.
Within the great hall.
Seething fluctuations of spiritual energy swept continuously outward. Unending metallic clashes mingled with savage roars, echoing throughout the Underground Palace.
The violent battle shook the entire Underground Palace, as though it might collapse at any moment.
"The commotion is just ahead. Senior Brother Ding must have engaged that Yaomo. Let's hurry and help him!"
After standing still and sensing for a moment, Senior Sister Tong could not help looking anxious.
Based on what they knew of Senior Brother Ding, an ordinary Yaomo at the Qi Refining fourth layer should not have resulted in such an intense battle.
Yet now, the sounds alone told them that Senior Brother Ding's fight was far from easy.
"Let's get over there quickly."
Senior Brother Xia, standing behind Zhang Jing, spoke as well.
"Junior brother, I may not be able to look after you in a moment. Mind your own safety." Senior Brother Zhou looked at Zhang Jing and reminded him with a smile.
"Don't worry, senior brother. I understand."
Zhang Jing nodded.
Only to discover that up ahead, Tong Yao had already taken out her Law Artifact and was rushing forward at full speed. Senior Brothers Zhou and Xia followed close behind her.
"Hey-wait for me!"
Caught off guard and left behind, Zhang Jing likewise took out his Water Cloud Shield and gave chase.
Before long.
The four slowly stepped through a small doorway, and the space before them suddenly opened up.
The sight of Senior Brother Ding wielding his Law Artifact in a fierce struggle against a gigantic black tiger immediately entered their eyes.
"Senior Brother Ding, we're here to help!"
Tong Yao shouted, raising her Law Artifact and preparing to charge forward.
Unexpectedly, the next instant, a pitch-black Law Technique streaked through the air and struck not far in front of her. The utterly violent spiritual energy sent her flying.
Senior Brother Ding's voice followed immediately.
"Hurry back out of the Underground Palace the way you came! I don't know what's happened to this beast, but it actually broke through to the Qi Refining fifth layer during battle. You can't intervene in our fight!"
"What about you, senior brother?" Senior Brother Zhou called out.
"It's only just broken through, so it can't do anything to me, but I can't do anything to it for the time being either. Just leave first. I'll meet you up above later."
"Haha, why leave? If you ask me, all of you should stay. Just look at that delicate skin and tender flesh."
The black tiger swatted Senior Brother Ding's bamboo staff Law Artifact away with one paw. Then its enormous body covered hundreds of feet in a single bound, pouncing straight toward Zhang Jing and the other three.
The overwhelmingly savage murderous intent was almost suffocating.
Before his eyes, Senior Sister Tong and Senior Brothers Zhou and Xia instantly stiffened, as though their minds had been shattered by terror.
And just then.
Standing at the very back, Zhang Jing suddenly raised his head. A gigantic black tiger, leaping high into the air, was reflected in his dark pupils. He could even see the foul-smelling saliva hanging from the corners of its mouth.
"You like jumping, do you? I just wonder whether your corpse can make up for my losses."
Whoosh-
The Five-Law Spirit River flowed at tremendous speed.
Three Law Technique Fish resembling black Flood Dragons instantly leaped from the river, transforming into three profoundly dark, piercing edges bearing terrifying Killing Intent.
At the same time.
A stack of thirty Scorching Sun Talismans instantly appeared in Zhang Jing's hand. Activated simultaneously, they radiated an intensely violent and dangerous aura.
Under the gigantic black tiger's terrified gaze, the densely packed Scorching Sun Talismans and three Ice Condensation Edge-Forming Techniques imbued with the Nether Flood Dragon Devouring the Void Dao Rhythm erupted.
Boom-
It was as though a small sun had suddenly appeared.
The pouncing black tiger instantly flew backward even faster than it had come.
A faint scorched smell spread through the air.