Chapter 9 Ghost

The peaceful and harmonious Liu Village disappeared, replaced by a terrifying scene that made their hearts pound with fear.

Wu Qian and the others were the first to feel the sudden increase in the coldness, causing many constables to shiver. This chill seemed to pass through their bodies, penetrating into their bones.

Following that came waves of stinging, putrid stench, almost enough to make a person faint directly.

What now appeared before their eyes was the most realistic scene of Liu Village.

Gu Chen looked at the rotting corpses on the ground in front of him and, based on the clothes on these bodies, could barely recognize that these people had been villagers of Liu Village in their lifetimes.

It had been some time since the incident occurred. The corpses of the villagers had varying degrees of decay, and the pungent stench they smelled originated precisely from this.

"Gu... Master Gu, this is..." Wu Qian stared at the scenes before him, completely dumbfounded.

"This is the true Liu Village. What we saw before was just an illusion created by evil spirits," Gu Chen said.

When he first arrived at Liu Village, Gu Chen indeed did not find any clues. He just felt that the place was eerily quiet.

But as he continued to explore, he sharply caught a faint, almost nonexistent smell of decay. The longer he stayed, the more he felt that everything before him had an extremely uncomfortable and unreal quality, coupled with this bizarre stillness. Hence, he became suspicious and wanted to test it out.

Sure enough, this probing revealed the truth.

However, the methods of evil spirits were indeed bizarre. Not everyone was like Gu Chen, who had accumulated seventy years of internal energy in the Body Refining Realm. If it were other patrol guards from the Jing Tian Department who came here, they might be like Wu Qian, unable to find any clues. Even if they did, they might not be able to break the illusion they saw before.

It was precisely Gu Chen, with his seventy years of internal energy in the Body Refining Realm, who could shatter the illusion created by the evil spirit in one full-force explosion.

If it were Wu Qian or other patrol guards here, even if they noticed the dissonance of the place and smelled the stench, they still wouldn't be able to break that illusion.

"Captain... Look, what is that?!" Suddenly, a constable shouted in terror, drawing the attention of Gu Chen and Wu Qian.

Behind several constables, a few baby-like ghosts with pitch-black bodies and malevolent grins clung to their necks, absorbing their Yang energy.

It turned out they felt unwell precisely because of this.

"Ghost babies!"

Seeing this scene, Gu Chen frowned. Both he and Wu Qian recognized the sinister origin of these baby-like ghosts.

Ghost babies, a strange kind of creature, loved absorbing human Yang energy the most, especially from vigorous martial artists.

After being absorbed by ghost babies, at best, a person would fall seriously ill, at worst, their life would be in danger.

"Hehe..."

When ghost babies noticed the gaze of Gu Chen and the others, they let out eerie laughs that made one shiver.

At that moment, Gu Chen quickly moved behind several constables, and the profound internal energy in his body circulated along the Pure Yang Skill. With a swift palm strike, along with sharp screams, the scorching power of his palm incinerated all of the ghost babies into ashes.

Seeing this, Wu Qian exhaled deeply and considered making a move as well, but his actions weren't as quick as Gu Chen's.

"Thank you, Master Gu!" Wu Qian was the first to speak, cupping his fist in gratitude.

Upon hearing this, the constables who were saved also reacted, quickly expressing their thanks: "Thank you, Master Gu, for saving us."

Realizing that without Gu Chen breaking the illusion and stopping the ghost babies from absorbing their Yang energy, their bodies would surely be in serious trouble.

Although the ghost babies were killed, having their Yang energy absorbed left these constables with pale faces and weakened bodies.

Seeing this, Gu Chen sent a stream of internal energy to each of them. Feeling the nourishment of Gu Chen's energy, they shuddered and their complexions immediately improved.

They exchanged bewildered glances, seemingly not expecting Gu Chen to treat them kindly, and stood still in surprise.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry and thank Master Gu again!" Wu Qian barked upon seeing their stares.

"No matter, these are small matters. The immediate priority is to solve the ghost baby issue here." Gu Chen waved his hand.

Hearing this, Wu Qian frowned and looked around, asking, "Are there more ghost babies here?"

Gu Chen did not speak, and just then, several shadows flashed from various corners, all similar ghost babies.

At the same time, a stronger aura appeared. Behind those shadows, a more solid figure emerged.

"A Panic Level Demon?!"

Immediately upon seeing the tall, dark figure, Wu Qian's face changed drastically. The aura it emitted was comparable to that of a late-stage martial artist in the Human Clan's Blood Refining Realm. He was not an opponent.

"No wonder Liu Village vanished overnight."

Looking at the tall dark figure before him, Gu Chen understood the reason. This Panic Level Demon alone could devour all the villagers of Liu Village in one night.

Ghost babies were best at hiding. If they weren't discovered, they wouldn't attack directly. Instead, they would hide and secretly absorb Yang energy—this was their survival instinct.

It seemed like the Panic Level Demon was in a deep sleep earlier. If Gu Chen hadn't broken the illusion, it probably wouldn't have awakened.

However, if Gu Chen hadn't arrived, this place would likely become a dangerous spot near Ning City. When these ghost babies finished digesting the villagers' Yang energy and left, wandering nearby, who knew how many ordinary people would lose their lives because of it.

"Master Gu, we should retreat and report this situation, with the current circumstances, the two of us probably can't handle it," Wu Qian said seriously.

Gu Chen remained calm, shook his head slightly, and said, "It's fine. Just a few little demons. Constable Wu, you stay by the side and protect your men. Leave this to me."

"Master Gu, don't..." Wu Qian's face changed upon hearing this. He knew the terror of the demon and was about to continue persuading Gu Chen, but Gu Chen had already dashed towards the ghost babies.

The ghosts were the weakest type of evil spirits, equivalent to martial artists in the Body Refining Realm or Blood Refining Realm.

As a warrior in the Spirit Vein Realm, Wu Qian could handle ordinary ghosts even if they were numerous. Though ghost babies had eerie abilities, in a direct confrontation, they still wouldn't be his opponents.

But today's situation was different. The ghost babies before them now surpassed the level of ordinary ghosts, being Panic Level Demons.

Demons transcended the level of ghosts, and even the weakest Panic Level Demon was equivalent to a martial artist in the early stage of the Blood Refining Realm, with stronger ones comparable to the Sinister Pulse Realm. Such beings weren't something a first-level patrol guard of Jing Tian Department or a small county constable like Wu Qian could handle.

Although the ghost babies before them hadn't reached the Sinister Pulse Realm, judging by their aura, their strength was comparable to the late stage of the Blood Refining Realm, much stronger than any demons the original master had encountered. If the original master were here, Wu Qian's suggestion would be correct; together, they would still be no match for this Panic Level Demon.

But today, Gu Chen was standing here, different from the original master. Now, with seventy years of internal energy and reaching the pinnacle of the Body Refining Realm, Gu Chen far exceeded this Panic Level Demon in every aspect, leaving no reason for retreat.

To Gu Chen, this Panic Level Demon was just a walking credit point. Encountering it meant he wouldn't let it go.

"Die!"

With a cold shout from Gu Chen, his seventy years of internal energy circulated through his flesh and reached his left palm. Under his full force, the perfected Red Flame Palm was driven to its limit.

Gu Chen's left palm turned red like a heated iron, with a faint layer of flame covering it.

This was the sign of Gu Chen's Red Flame Palm being pushed to its limit!

In an instant, Gu Chen crossed several meters, reaching the Panic Level Demon. Then, his left palm struck down. With a loud boom, the terrifying palm force exploded in an instant, melting the demon on the spot, leaving it no chance to scream!