The moment those invisible eyes opened, the morning mist on the ancient southern road seemed to be stirred by an invisible force, becoming increasingly viscous.
Gu Xuan’s steps did not pause in the slightest; he was like a drawn sword, piercing straight toward that hazy south.
The road, a mixture of gravel and Bone Powder, made a soft rustling sound underfoot, as if whispering of the blood and fire of the past.
The Copper Token Rune on his chest still emitted a faint warmth, like a stubborn heart, steadfastly guiding him toward the Trap City Ruins.
The sun climbed to its zenith, and the scorching sunlight pierced the thin clouds, baking the earth until it was scalding hot.
At the edge of Gu Xuan’s sight, a dilapidated Post Station stood alone upon the wilderness.
Most of the mud walls had already collapsed, revealing charred wooden beams inside; the door plaque was broken in two, its inscriptions long blurred; the only thing proving its identity was a tilted flagpole, from which hung half a banner whose original color could no longer be discerned due to erosion by wind and rain, swaying listlessly in the hot wind.
Everything here exuded the scent of death and decay.
However, the instant Gu Xuan’s gaze met that half-banner, the entire world seemed to be instantly refreshed by an invisible giant hand!
The crumbling mud walls became new and solid, the broken door plaque restored to its original state, bearing the words "Nan Feng Post Station" written with vigorous strokes.
Two large red Lanterns hung beneath the eaves, their flames flickering, adding a touch of warmth to the desolate ancient road.
Warm, orange-yellow light shone through the paper of the closed windows, and one could even faintly hear the cheerful laughter of chasing children, along with the crisp sound of pots and pans clanging.
A scene of mortal life, warm and peaceful.
Gu Xuan’s pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints!
He clearly perceived that this was not a magical reconstruction, nor a reversal of time; this was an illusion layered over reality!
And illusions... must have a source, and must have a purpose.
Far from being afraid, a cold curve lifted the corner of his mouth instead.
He quietly retreated three steps, flipped his palm, and a black Qi ceramic bead, refined from a Yin Gui core, was already held tightly in his grasp.
This ceramic bead allowed him to briefly glimpse the true forms of Wrath Energy and Yin Energy.
When he sank his consciousness into the ceramic bead and looked toward the "cozy" Post Station again, the scene before his eyes instantly twisted and collapsed!
Where were the red Lanterns? They were clearly two clusters of flickering, ghostly black flames!
The warm light had transformed into thick, nauseating black Qi seeping from the window cracks!
And the sound of children's laughter had become the mournful wails and cries of countless wronged souls, as if trying to drag one's own soul into the Shen Yuan!
What made his heart clench the most was that behind the ajar "warm" main door, a figure in a postman's uniform stood stiffly, unmoving.
It held a brush in its hand, its lips mechanically opening and closing, emitting hoarse and repetitive syllables: "Reg...is...ter...name..."
It was a common variation of Resolve found among the dead souls of the Xu Zi Ying!
However, the Wrath Energy here seemed to have merged with something, actually managing to weave such a realistic illusion to lure and kill the living.
"Interesting," Gu Xuan sneered.
This kind of illusion, strengthened by the power of the Wrath Tide, might be a fatal trap for ordinary travelers, but in his eyes, this dense Wrath Energy was simply like a Lighthouse in the dark night, clearly exposing the enemy's location and nature.
Without any hesitation, he tore off a corner of his robe, which still bore traces of bloodstains from a previous battle.
He smeared the bloodstain casually across his face a few times; his originally upright posture instantly stooped, and his gaze became vacant, appearing exhausted and weak from a long journey.
"A lost child... begging for a bite to eat..." he murmured in a voice so faint it was almost inaudible, then staggered forward, as if he might collapse at any moment, plunging headfirst into that gentle trap constructed of illusion.
One step inside, and the world spun.
The scene before his eyes switched again: inside the Post Station hall, a bonfire burned brightly, with a large iron pot hanging over it, the meat stew inside bubbling and emitting an enticing aroma.
A kind-faced old man with white hair and beard sat by a desk behind the counter. Seeing him enter, he smiled kindly, "Child, it's windy outside, come quickly and warm yourself up. Here, tell me your name, and I will register you, and you can rest here."
Gu Xuan seemed to have his soul captivated by the aroma of the hot stew. He lowered his head, like a startled quail, quickly walked to the bonfire and knelt down, raising the empty bowl before him with trembling hands, his voice as thin as a mosquito's whine: "My... surname is Lin, name is A-Qi."
However, beneath his lowered eyelids, a pair of eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and the corner of his eye was locked tightly onto the crossbeam directly above the hall—there, three pitch-black shadows, about the size of a thumb and seemingly alive, clung tightly to the wooden beam.
Countless thread-like black tendrils, thinner than hair, hung down from their bodies, precisely connecting to the skulls of several desiccated corpses scattered in the corners of the hall.
Wūzhòu!
Evil creatures that feed on souls and excel at weaving illusions!
These three were the core of the entire illusion!
Gu Xuan understood in his heart, but his face maintained that timid appearance.
He picked up the "stew" handed to him by the old man and brought it to his lips. Using the action of drinking as cover, a wisp of pure Yin Energy extracted from the Black Water Pool quietly spread from the tip of his tongue.
Demon Suppression Hall, Yin Xi Mo Shi, activated!
This technique was one of the auxiliary abilities of the Demon Suppression Hall. It consumed a great deal of mental energy and could not directly Refinement the absorbed power, but its greatest advantage was its silence; it could slowly and covertly siphon off the target's faint spiritual fluctuations like a leech, without arousing suspicion.
Gu Xuan’s target was those three Wūzhòu!
Time passed second by second. The moment he drank half a bowl of the "stew," the Demon Suppression Hall in his Spirit Sea trembled slightly, and a line of Blood-Colored Runes quietly appeared: "Abnormal spiritual frequency detected, source: Black Shadow on the left side of the beam, weak fluctuation. Attempt local extraction?"
It was here!
The fingertips holding the bowl trembled almost imperceptibly, and Gu Xuan slowly "nodded" in confirmation in his mind.
Buzz—!
The Demon Suppression Hall in his Spirit Sea emitted a low hum, and a formless, terrifying suction force instantly rose from above Gu Xuan's head, precisely locking onto the leftmost Wūzhòu on the beam from a distance!
That Wūzhòu suddenly convulsed violently, as if grasped tightly by an invisible hand!
Most of the countless tendrils connecting to the corpse below instantly snapped. Before it could even utter a sound, half of its Black Shadow-like body was forcibly torn from the beam by this overwhelmingly dominant suction force, transforming into a streak of light that plunged into Gu Xuan's body!
"Ah—!"
A shriek not belonging to a human voice exploded throughout the entire illusion!
As the first Wūzhòu suffered a severe blow, the entire illusion shook violently.
The kind-faced old man before him, that amiable face instantly crumbled and melted, revealing its true form—the hollow eye sockets and rotten flesh of the Post Station Chief's desiccated corpse!
It let out a roar completely different from before, filled with rage and killing intent: "Register name! Register name!"
The remaining two Wūzhòu immediately sensed the intruder's presence. They became extremely vigilant and instantly switched the illusion!
The cozy hall vanished instantly, replaced by a night of violent thunderstorms with flashing lightning.
Icy rain poured down, the wind howled, and countless ghostly figures darted through the downpour, attempting to confuse Gu Xuan's perception with this chaotic scene so he could not lock onto their true forms.
But Gu Xuan was prepared!
"Hmph!"
He fiercely bit his tongue; the intense pain, like a steel needle, instantly pierced through all Xuyao, anchoring his consciousness firmly in reality!
Simultaneously, with a thought, the Yin Gui core he had just preliminarily refined surged out of his Spirit Sea, transforming into a mass of solid black smoke, like a hunting falcon, pouncing directly toward the location of the Wūzhòu on the right!
That Wūzhòu instinctively counterattacked, unleashing a torrent of illusionary power directly into Gu Xuan's mind—in an instant, Gu Xuan "saw" himself covered in blood, lying amidst the ruins of the Trap City Ruins, while the Lao Shao Chang, who had sacrificed himself years ago, anxiously reached out his hand, shouting, "Don't go south, Xuan Wazi! Come back! Hurry back!"
This illusion struck the softest, most painful memory in his heart!
However, Gu Xuan, standing in the "pool of blood," slowly curved his lips into a mocking arc: "You are not him."
Before the words faded, the black smoke transformed from the Yin Gui had already tightly entangled the Wūzhòu on the right!
The Demon Suppression Hall's Devouring Power was unleashed without reservation at this moment!
In the Spirit Sea, the Blood-Colored Runes flashed wildly: "Refinable target detected: Soul-Eating Wūzhòu ×1（Juvenile Form）, activate Refinement?"
"Yes!" Gu Xuan roared in his mind.
A pain far exceeding anything before instantly pierced through his entire mind, as if countless red-hot steel needles were frantically stirring his soul!
But his eyes were wide open, his jaw clenched, and he forcibly held on with sheer willpower, completing the Refinement just before the entire illusion completely disintegrated!
The last Wūzhòu, seeing its companions destroyed one after another, finally felt fear originating from the depths of its soul!
It let out a sharp screech, ceased constructing the illusion, and instead violently detached itself from the beam, flashing like lightning into the body of the Post Station Chief that was still roaring, manipulating the corpse to extend its sharp claws and frantically lunge at Gu Xuan!
However, Gu Xuan didn't even look at the lunging corpse. He turned his hand and threw a wisp of residual soul obtained from refining the previous Wūzhòu, sealed within a blank Copper Token, into the pile of ownerless dried corpses in the corner!
Instantly, an Aberration occurred!
The pile of previously lifeless corpses simultaneously lit up their eye sockets with a faint green glow!
As if attracted and "awakened" by the aura of their own kind, they all let out the exact same screech as the Post Station Chief's corpse: "Register name! Register name!"
These roars rose and fell, like a bizarre ritual summoning their own kind.
The Post Station Chief's corpse controlled by the Wūzhòu suddenly slammed on the brakes, stopping in place. Its empty eye sockets rotated back and forth between Gu Xuan and the pile of corpses, falling into momentary confusion and bewilderment.
Now was the time!
Gu Xuan seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, quickly formed hand seals, locked onto the stiff corpse from a distance, and shouted lowly, "Collect!"
The Demon Suppression Hall's extraction power activated again; this time, the target was larger, and the suction was stronger!
The Post Station Chief's corpse, along with the last Wūzhòu inside it, was forcibly dragged and compressed amidst a roar of unwillingness, finally turning into a black light and being completely absorbed into the Demon Suppression Hall by Gu Xuan!
As the last Wūzhòu was suppressed, all surrounding illusions, sounds, and Wrath Energy vanished in an instant.
The Post Station was still that dilapidated Post Station.
Gu Xuan still stood before the hall, only his complexion was slightly paler than before.
In his Spirit Sea, ripples spread across the surface of the Black Water Pool, and a new line of Blood-Colored Runes slowly emerged: "Devoured and Refined Soul-Eating Wūzhòu （Juvenile Form） ×2, Unlocked Passive Ability: 【Hallucination Immunity - Novice 】, capable of independently identifying low-level mental interference and maintaining basic consciousness during mental attacks."
He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, surveyed the scattered bones and the corpse he had just used as bait, and his voice, though not loud, sounded exceptionally clear in the dead silence of the Post Station.
"You set a table for guests... but I invited the host into my Hall."
Several miles away on a barren hill, a figure clad in a straw cape and wearing a bamboo hat silently put away a bronze compass.
On the compass, the three red lights representing the direction of the Post Station had completely extinguished.
He pulled down his hat and muttered softly to himself, his voice fragmented by the wind, "This youth... he isn't eating food, he's eating ghosts."
Night slowly descended like a massive black cloth, enveloping the wilderness and the ancient road.
Gu Xuan did not leave the Post Station that had just witnessed a perilous struggle; he calmly walked into the hall and sat cross-legged beside the ashes of the long-extinguished bonfire.