Twin Nightmare Demon

After the better part of a day's effort, the temporary camp gradually took shape under everyone's arrangement.

To avoid disturbing the Forbidden Guards, the outer area was occupied by the yamen runners, while the inner area housed the Forbidden Guards, with a distance of about a hundred meters between them.

The military tents were reinforced with supports, and a stockpile of firewood was specially gathered. Over the campfire, hunted rabbit meat began to roast.

A rich, mouthwatering aroma of meat wafted through the air.

The sun hung low, and everyone sat around the campfire, chatting and laughing.

Compared to the two days of nonstop travel, settling down here was undoubtedly much more relaxing, and there were no signs of carnivorous beasts nearby.

Only the water supply posed a troublesome issue.

Ren Qing had found only a trickling mountain spring nearby, far from enough for the daily needs of dozens of people, let alone the yamen runners who might arrive later.

Wang Wen suggested, "Officer Ren, how about we search for a water source up the mountain tomorrow?"

Ren Qing shook his head and said, "Let's wait until the Forbidden Guard adults return to camp to decide."

The Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone might be right nearby. Straying too far from camp could mean accidentally stepping into it, and then death would come without warning.

Xiao Wu, drooling at the sight of the roasted rabbit, interrupted, "Let's eat something first..."

Seven people sharing one roasted rabbit was unavoidable; most of the other prey had to be saved for the Forbidden Guards.

Ren Qing was about to use his knife to portion out the rabbit meat when he suddenly noticed footsteps echoing from the karst cave. Two figures gradually approached.

Everyone exchanged glances, looking toward the cave entrance.

Song Zongwu and a green-haired woman emerged. Judging by their waist tokens, they were indeed Forbidden Guards.

The two exuded an aura that warned others to keep their distance. Though their loose clothing partially concealed their aberrations, some oddities were still visible.

Everyone swallowed hard in unison, but aside from Xiao Wu and Zhu Ding, the others had at least some prior contact with Forbidden Guards.

Wang Wen kept signaling the two with his eyes, worried that offending the Forbidden Guards would bring trouble.

Song Zongwu walked straight to the campfire, paying no heed to the fearful gazes around him. His target was clearly Ren Qing.

He said in a deep voice, "Ren Qing, you're in charge of this camp. Starting tomorrow, dispatch yamen runners to go in and out of the karst cave to transport sand and soil."

"Huh?"

Ren Qing was taken aback. He had thought coming to the forbidden zone would involve some danger, but it turned out he was really just assisting the Forbidden Guards in mining.

Song Zongwu nodded and said, "Ren Qing, come with us. We mainly need to mark out the passable areas."

The green-haired woman looked slightly surprised.

She hadn't expected to be called along just for this. Could it be they were also heading near the forbidden zone?

Ren Qing quickly got up and followed behind the two.

He couldn't help but look up. From the mountainside upward, Camel Peak Mountain was covered in thick vegetation and dense fog, so thick that even his Double Pupils couldn't make out the situation.

The three of them set off along the path that had been cleared.

Song Zongwu chatted casually with the green-haired woman as they walked. From what their words implied, the forbidden zone was located right inside Camel Peak Mountain.

Ren Qing hadn't expected the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone to be so close to the temporary camp. Weren't they afraid of something unexpected happening?

When the green-haired woman brought up the forbidden zone, she couldn't help but glance at Ren Qing a few times, clearly hesitant.

Seeing this, Song Zongwu said, "Ren Qing has been exposed to techniques. Though he hasn't reached the level of a Forbidden Guard, it's fine for him to know the relevant information."

Ren Qing didn't try to argue. He understood Song Zongwu's good intentions.

Because of Song Rong's involvement, sealing off the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone had become more complicated. If he ran into danger, he would inevitably have to use techniques.

If the Forbidden Guards didn't know about his situation, it could easily lead to misunderstandings.

He simply admitted it: "Senior, This Humble One has indeed come across it by chance, but I've only just begun."

The green-haired woman's expression softened, and she gave Ren Qing a slight nod of acknowledgment.

To be so highly regarded by Song Zongwu meant the other party had remarkable talent. Perhaps he would soon be able to join the Forbidden Guards.

After that, the two no longer held back in their conversation.

Ren Qing listened intently along the way.

According to what they said, the more Eerie Objects a forbidden zone involved, the more exaggerated the phenomena it produced, with some even scorching the earth for a thousand miles.

The core Eerie Object of the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone was at the Ghost Envoy Realm, but by devouring a large number of other Eerie Objects, its power had reached the limit of the Ghost Envoy Realm.

With such a terrifying forbidden zone, the inside and outside had already become distorted.

On the surface, it might only be a few li across, but if one actually stepped inside, they might face a vast, endless plain.

Moreover, the Eerie Objects influenced each other, making the forbidden zone extremely complex and unpredictable.

In the yamen's records, the number of Ghost Envoy Realm forbidden zones dealt with in the past decade could be counted on one hand, and only because they had threatened Sanxiang City.

They wound through the terrain for several hours, not arriving until late at night.

The main reason was that Camel Peak Mountain consisted of two peaks, making its area far larger than usual.

By then, rain had begun to fall, mixed with hailstones the size of fingernails, stinging painfully where they struck the body.

Ren Qing couldn't help but look back down the mountain. There was no sign of rain whatsoever.

He knew that they were gradually entering summer. Such abnormal weather was certainly caused by the forbidden zone.

Ren Qing felt the temperature growing colder. He noticed that the vegetation at the mountaintop was still extremely lush, though it seemed somewhat unnatural.

The leaves of the plants were thick and verdant, but the branches and trunks had already taken on a hint of death. There were no insects or small animals to be seen either.

The path up the mountain was blocked by grass and trees.

Song Zongwu spoke up: "Mu Yi, you make the move. I'll check if there have been any changes to the forbidden zone."

"Alright."

As the Green-Haired Woman reached out, the plants automatically parted, leaving a half-meter gap.

A thick fog appeared before them, churning constantly like a turbulent sea.

With his Double-Pupils, Ren Qing noticed that beneath the Green-Haired Woman's fair, jade-like skin, the meridians were actually composed of plant roots, and the flowing blood was a dark green.

From this, it was clear that the plants had likely been planted by this Forbidden Guard named Mu Yi, as a means to temporarily seal off the forbidden zone.

Song Zongwu stopped in his tracks, his Six Eyes emitting a crimson glow as he stared ahead.

Ren Qing asked curiously: "Senior Song, have we already reached the outskirts of the forbidden zone?"

"Not even close. The actual area of the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone might only be a tenth, or even a hundredth, of the sealed range."

Mu Yi also explained patiently: "Whether it's the plants or the fog, they are merely our temporary means of sealing. If you truly get close to the forbidden zone, you'll be trapped inside in the blink of an eye."

The two led Ren Qing forward a few more meters.

Ren Qing subconsciously activated his Double-Pupils, and a sharp pain immediately shot through his head. The memories of the past two days began to blur.

He stared fixedly at the thick fog, his expression growing dazed.

Song Zongwu's six Blood Eyes opened wide. He placed his hand on Ren Qing's shoulder, trying to forcefully pull him back.

At this moment, Ren Qing was immersed in the fog. His vision slowly penetrated deep into Camel Peak Mountain, and in a trance, it felt as if his soul had left his body.

He was in a state without sorrow or joy. He could sense that he could return at any moment, and was even vaguely aware of the danger.

Little did Ren Qing know that by a stroke of luck, he had borrowed some of the abilities of the Twin Nightmare Ghosts, the aberration of the Double-Pupil User.