Ren Qing peered through the drafty window of the Daoist temple and saw a middle-aged Daoist priest inside, with a kindly and benevolent face, but clearly bearing cultivation.
He was very likely one of the Restraint Officers stationed in Annan Town.
The middle-aged Daoist used his palm to stroke the forehead of the wealthy merchant.
"Boundless Heavenly Lord..."
The wealthy merchant knelt on the ground with a blissful expression, chanting the scripture with a smile, his voice not daring to be loud, for fear of disturbing others.
Ren Qing felt puzzled. Although he knew there were several Restraint Officers stationed in Annan Town, this person's motives did not seem pure.
He appeared to be preparing to perform some kind of technique.
A moment later, the scripture was finished.
The middle-aged Daoist picked up a porcelain bowl filled with wine, then used his fingertip to slice open his own forehead, letting a few drops of milky-white blood fall into it.
"Boundless Heavenly Lord, boundless blessings."
The wealthy merchant hurriedly received it and, under the envious gazes of the others, drank the wine in one gulp.
Immediately, he began to tremble for no reason, and the graying hair at his temples gradually turned black, visibly becoming younger.
But Ren Qing could clearly see that the wealthy merchant's soul was gradually withering, as if his death was being accelerated.
The middle-aged Daoist revealed a slight smile and had just opened his mouth to speak when his head suddenly turned toward Ren Qing's position.
He quickly strode outside, his robe-covered arms faintly tinged with purple.
If a living person was used as sacrifice and this was discovered by the Restraint Officers' Hall, it would bring endless trouble, he might even be locked into the Stomach within the Stomach.
Just as Ren Qing was about to leave,
The main body noticed that in the center of Annan Town, at some unknown time, a man had appeared.
The man looked ordinary, but had a gourd of flesh and blood growing from his back. As the gourd's mouth cracked open, it released an aura far surpassing the Ghost Envoy realm.
Residual souls surged toward the flesh gourd like a tidal wave, leaving only a few stragglers surviving.
Ren Qing pondered deeply.
It was the water gourd...
Could it be that all the Restraint Officers in Annan Town were gathering residual souls?
No wonder they had been cold toward Ren Qing and the others' early arrival.
The middle-aged Daoist exited the Kaidō temple and showed no hint of surprise on his face, it was clear he had long expected the appearance of the water gourd.
Only after the flesh gourd finished absorbing did the water gourd leave, seemingly satisfied.
Just as his figure disappeared, movements occurred in many places across Annan Town. It was likely not just one or two people planning to act, even if the majority had already been taken by the water gourd.
Ren Qing considered whether to get involved. It was unrealistic to have the ghost shadow silently devour residual souls, it seemed he could only forcibly enter the game.
The opportunity was already laid out before him, it would be hard to justify not taking it.
If every Chou hour produced large numbers of residual souls, and this continued until the blooming of the Other Shore Flower, perhaps the Shadow Ghost Technique could be advanced to the Ghost Envoy realm.
Ren Qing narrowed his eyes. He did not rush to make a choice, but instead used his split soul to search for the surrounding Restraint Officers.
As the saying goes: know the enemy and know yourself, and you will win every battle.
The middle-aged Daoist was the first to act. He used his fingernail to slice open his own skin, revealing a pale, swollen body underneath.
This state resembled a Half-Corpse. Poisonous mists emitted from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
Behind him, the several dazed wealthy merchants also began to transform, their flesh slowly rotting.
The corpse-man extended a tentacle-like narrow mouthpart and directly devoured the flesh clean, his body swelling to around three meters tall.
He rushed into the street, grabbing residual souls at random and stuffing them into his mouth.
A black shadow flickered in midair.
A humanoid bat landed steadily on a rooftop, its blood-red eyes locked onto residual souls. With a dive, it landed and bit down accurately.
Ren Qing found that in the neighboring courtyard, also very close by, another Restraint Officer was present.
White mist filled the street. An elder with a ghostlike appearance emerged from underground, and the residual souls actively floated toward him.
A bit farther off in the city, similar situations were playing out repeatedly.
Annan Town had become a paradise of demons and monsters.
Ren Qing noticed that the Restraint Officers all kept their distance, evidently harboring mutual wariness.
The corpse-man shuffled forward with awkward steps. His territory bordered that of the old ghost, and before long, they began probing each other over the contest for residual souls.
By chance, a residual soul passed through the boundary. The corpse-man burst forward, his stiffened right arm crossing the line to grab the soul.
The old ghost glanced at the pitch-black sky, and freezing cold spread from his feet to block the corpse-man.
He said in a deep voice: "Yu Dachuan, you and I are both here for the residual souls. Once the water gourd stops acting in a few days, that will be our, "
Before the old ghost could finish, he saw Yu Dachuan mockingly toss the residual soul into his mouth and chew it with a ferocious grin.
"Old Wan, hesitation will leave you not even a drop of soup."
Yu Dachuan spat on the ground, turned back toward his own street, and shook his head with disdain as he walked away.
Wan Qi's face darkened, his gaze turning to the bat-man in midair, the latter was still wantonly devouring residual souls without a care.
It was because of some Restraint Officers' actions that the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts had grown so chaotic.
Of course, it was mostly due to the water gourd's direction.
At that moment, more residual souls gathered, vaguely forming the shape of a mountain ape, releasing an aura even thicker than regular residual souls.
Yu Dachuan sprinted toward the soul, completely ignoring Wan Qi.
Rage surged in Wan Qi's heart. His skin turned blue-green, and an ice spear slowly condensed in his right palm.
The two were on the verge of clashing. Yu Dachuan guarded against Wan Qi's sneak attacks.
The Restraint Officers' Hall only prohibited them from harming ordinary civilians, it didn't prevent fighting. In fact, the water gourd clearly wished for chaos.
The bat-man hung upside-down from a tree branch, letting out bursts of strange laughter.
Before the water gourd had absorbed enough residual souls, many Restraint Officers still observed from the shadows. If someone were injured and forced to withdraw now, all the better.
Swoosh!!!
The ice spear grazed Yu Dachuan's cheek, leaving a shallow wound. Milky-white blood dripped from his nose onto the ground.
Wan Qi seemed more intent on giving a warning.
He didn't want the juniors to laugh at him, besides, it wasn't quite time for all-out conflict.
Yu Dachuan narrowed his eyes, a dangerous aura radiating from his body.
Since he dared use living humans for sacrifice, naturally he wasn't timid, he suddenly wanted to make an example of Wan Qi.
Veins beneath the skin of his right arm bulged and twisted, blood rapidly flowing as his muscles swelled.
Yu Dachuan continued walking toward the mountain ape ghost, but was actually preparing to counterattack, all his attention focused on Wan Qi.
The wind howled, and the ghostly rain grew heavier.
An immense aura erupted at the nearby alley entrance.
Both men showed shock on their faces and turned instinctively to look.
But they only saw a fleeting shadow and heard a sharp sonic boom.
Suddenly, in front of the mountain ape ghost stood a Restraint Officer a little over two meters tall.
The Restraint Officer appeared to be forged from black steel. His taut muscles clung to his bones, and a dull heartbeat could be heard from his chest.
Ren Qing was meditating, sensing the amplification brought by ghost shadow possession.
The environment of the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts was simply too well-suited to a technique like the Shadow Ghost Technique, especially with the support of the Nether Sea Breathing Art.
The mountain ape ghost knew no fear. In a fury, it pounded its chest and threw a punch at Ren Qing like a swinging bell.
Ren Qing raised his right hand and struck back directly.
Bang!!!
Fist met fist. A shockwave spread out, sending fallen leaves on the eaves fluttering into the air.
But the buildings were unharmed. The bronze mirror hanging inside gave off a faint spiritual light.
Under Yu Dachuan's gaze, Ren Qing's raised arm extended black liquid, coiling around the mountain ape ghost and pulling it into his body.
Chewing sounds followed.
Because the ghost shadow was parasitized by a Heavenly Dao Worm, it digested residual souls extremely quickly.
Yu Dachuan snapped back to his senses, his expression growing more and more unsightly.
Although Ren Qing had reached the Ghost Envoy realm, the techniques he used were clearly no more than Half-Corpse level.
Where did he get the courage to snatch food from a tiger's mouth?
Yu Dachuan snorted coldly, his arm bones cracking and restructuring, growing to four meters in length as he reached toward Ren Qing's neck.
Ren Qing calmly raised his right palm, and the Dragon-Snake Spine shot out instantly.
Sparks flew.
The Dragon-Snake Spine transformed into a long blade and blocked the attack, then nimbly curved around and struck toward Yu Dachuan's back.
But the bone blade failed to pierce the thick skin of the corpse-man.
"You don't reveal your Ghost Envoy techniques, do you think I'm a pushover?"
Yu Dachuan seized the Dragon-Snake Spine, knowing it was a life-bound weapon formed from cultivation.
If damaged, it would certainly harm its master.
"Let go."
Ren Qing said calmly. The ghost shadow wrapped around the Dragon-Snake Spine, the possession ability was not limited to bodies alone.
Immortal in the Mirror activated simultaneously.
The Dragon-Snake Spine turned into a pitch-black thunder python, suppressing Yu Dachuan directly.
The Dragon-Snake Spine slipped from his grip.
Yu Dachuan looked at his arm, the skin had turned charred black.
The thunder python struck again.
He dodged awkwardly, trying to approach Ren Qing but constantly being kited.
Clearly only Half-Corpse level techniques, yet they combined to rival Ghost Envoy power.
Yu Dachuan seethed with unspent killing intent. His corpse aura surged, and his body grew taller.
The morning sun slowly crept over the mountains, and rooster crows rang out in unison.
"It's dawn."
Wan Qi reminded coldly.
The Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts gradually faded. Even the remaining souls hid in shadows untouched by sunlight.
Wan Qi transformed into a half-human, half-ghost state and vanished underground.
Yu Dachuan could only withdraw, silently reverting to his middle-aged Daoist form.
He glanced at Ren Qing, his eyes filled with deep wariness.
What exactly was this man's concealed Ghost Envoy technique?
Little did he know, should Ren Qing transform into a ghost wolf, few present could last even one round.
The other Restraint Officers, regardless of gains, each vanished from view.
Ren Qing turned to gaze into the distance.
Although no Yin Runner realm presence was found, the Restraint Officers' Hall was clearly maintaining order from the shadows.
By leveraging their desire for residual souls, the Hall kept Annan Town stable.
Otherwise, the accumulation of ghosts could easily lead to unexpected incidents.
Ren Qing reverted to his original appearance and returned to his guest room.
He wasn't afraid of other Restraint Officers discovering his true identity, after all, with the ghost wolf as his trump card, unless it was a Yin Runner, he didn't need to hold back.
Now it was simply a matter of ability.
But the true Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts would likely come in a few more days.
By then, even more Restraint Officers interested in residual souls would arrive.
Ren Qing naturally felt no fear. The ghost shadow beneath his feet stretched its body freely.