Trouble in the Town

Clear Cloud Town is a small town.

The airship approached and stopped some distance outside the town.

"This city looks like it's from a very long time ago."

Xiao Ye looked around at the town's protective walls and spoke up.

For some reason, looking at his surroundings, he couldn't help but think of the general descriptions of the Eastern Region in the Cloud Heaven Holy Land before he came Eastern Region.

The more I look at it, the more it resembles it; it seems to be based on this kind of place.

Let's sense it.

There was practically no spiritual energy around.

It was so rare that it reached an astonishing degree.

Beyond shock, it was simply unbelievable.

If one were to cultivate in such a place, it would likely be the norm for one's cultivation level to decline rather than rise.

At this moment, as if sensing something, Xiao Ye said to Gu Chen:

"It seems like everyone in town is watching us."

Gu Chen nodded:

"I noticed."

"Something might have happened. Although they are just ordinary people, we still need to be careful."

With that, Gu Chen got up and walked towards the town.

The check-in location is in the town center, so you naturally have to go inside.

They had only taken a few steps when several figures rushed over from the town.

When they were about the same distance, they all knelt down in unison before the two of them.

The group of several people were all dressed simply, even somewhat shabbily, except for the middle-aged man at the head, who was dressed relatively better.

At this moment, he repeatedly kowtowed, his voice tense and worried:

"My lord, we had no idea that the evil spirit was so powerful. The few sect leaders who came this morning have all met their demise. Alas."

"Evil spirits?"

Gu Chen's expression shifted slightly as he recalled the soul entity he had encountered in the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range.

At that moment, his expression shifted.

There are quite a few strange things happening near Aid the Azure Gate.

However, he did not ask any questions.

Clearly, these people mistook them for members of the Aid the Azure Gate.

Moreover, judging from this, the people from Aid the Azure Gate who came earlier have already encountered trouble.

As for now, it's best not to get involved.

At that moment, Gu Chen spoke up:

"Gentlemen, we two are just passing by."

As he spoke, he glanced at Xiao Ye, signaling him to follow, and then walked into the village.

A hint of confusion flashed in Xiao Ye's eyes.

From his perspective, Gu Chen traveled a long way to get here, only to find that something had happened here.

But he didn't seem to care too much.

Judging from their expressions, they were clearly terrified of the evil spirits they spoke of.

Of course, he didn't ask about it at the moment.

Right now, let's see what the eldest brother plans to do.

On the other side, Gu Chen was also thinking about what reason he should use to explain this to Junior Brother Xiao.

It was such a coincidence that I just happened to run into it.

The two left, one after the other.

The people who had come to greet them all trembled, and then their faces showed expressions of extreme fear.

The town mayor who had just spoken appeared even more apprehensive, and couldn't help but think:

"Lord Shangzong must be angry. Our Clear Cloud City has done something it shouldn't have done again; it's an unforgivable sin."

Not only those who came to greet them, but also those who remained in their closed houses, had expressions of worry on their faces.

These mortals are able to live in this world entirely thanks to the efforts of the higher sects. When they encounter these bad things, only the intervention of the higher sects can resolve them.

Now, the sect leader has lost his life because of this matter; it is an unforgivable crime.

Even if generations of people in Clear Cloud City suffered as repayment, it would still be too much to pay.

But in any case, all they can do now is hope that these two high-ranking officials can dispel this terrifying evil spirit for them.

Everyone had their own thoughts, yet the entire world was unusually quiet.

Soon, the two arrived at a location near the center of the town.

Compared to other places, this place is much more open.

It can be described as a plaza.

Meanwhile, on one side of the square, several iron cages were erected.

Inside the iron cage lay some seemingly lifeless corpses.

The corpses included men and women, and even an infant.

They were all dressed in disheveled clothes, with various wounds on their bodies, stained with blood.

One of the iron cages showed obvious signs of damage, and there were also traces of cultivators' actions on the ground around it.

Gu Chen glanced at it.

The next moment, his eyes narrowed slightly.

The numerous bodies in the cage that appeared to be corpses were actually not dead!

Or rather, he didn't truly die.

Within these physical bodies, there still exists some trace of the soul.

"Senior Brother."

Xiao Ye clearly noticed something was wrong and transmitted his voice:

"This town is so strange; none of these people seem to be truly dead."

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Ye had already taken out the array plate from his sleeve.

Be careful and vigilant.

Gu Chen transmitted his voice, while simultaneously thinking to himself:

"System, check-in."

This place is not suitable for lingering.

Completed check-in, time to slip away!

The town, the evil spirits, the people who weren't dead but were piled together, and the excessive silence all around.

It's very strange.

"Congratulations, host, for completing the daily check-in task. You have received: 10 drops of Saint Rank Mid Grade Beast Race Black Dragon Essence Blood; 1 Saint Rank High Grade Soul Refining Cup; and 1 Random Enhancement - Strength."

Upon hearing the system's notification, Gu Chen was slightly taken aback.

Perhaps it was because there was a live Black Dragon nearby.

These ten drops of Black Dragon blood essence seem rather inadequate.

As for the Soul Refining Gu, a cursory glance suggests it's used to refine souls, extracting as many memories as possible from the refined soul and gathering information.

Without much further investigation, Gu Chen regained his composure and transmitted his voice to Xiao Ye:

"This place is not simple; we must leave first."

The check-in task is complete; you can leave now.

That gives us a reason.

Just right.

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Chen's expression changed slightly.

A ripple arose from the other side of the square.

The next moment, a sharp, piercing sound suddenly rang out.

The sound was shrill and piercing, striking straight to the heart and soul.

"Careful!"

With a low shout, Gu Chen stepped forward, blocking Xiao Ye's path.

But that shrill sound didn't seem to be heard only by Gu Chen.

As the sound rang out, everyone in the town trembled violently.

Evil spirits have appeared again!

The scene was similar in the morning, but the three high-ranking officials who came went mad and died shortly afterward.

Right now, these two high-ranking sects are probably...

Brush.

Xiao Ye reacted quickly; the moment the sound rang out, the array plate in his hand unfolded.

The next moment, the scroll appeared in front of him, and he turned his head to look at the source of the fluctuation.

"This is... a soul?"

Looking at the three ferocious, seemingly crazed figures, Xiao Ye's gaze narrowed slightly.

This soul entity is not a pure soul entity; it seems to contain other powers as well.

Wherever it passed, the air was stirred up, creating gusts of cold wind, and three vaguely visible figures could be seen.

At this moment, Xiao Ye seemed to have thought of something. Instead of activating the scroll, he took out another array plate and unfolded it.

The previous array was unable to defend against attacks at the soul level, but this one is specifically designed to defend against attacks using soul-based methods.

Brush.

The array of light unfolded, enveloping the two of them.

At the same time, Gu Chen also made his move.