Chapter 313: The Ghost Domain

"Over a decade ago, the Shen Family was one of the wealthiest in Shaonan Town. They spared no expense in constructing this Shen Family Residence just outside the town," the woman in yellow explained to Xu Ziyang.

"There was a precious bottle that had been passed down through our family for generations. One day, I accidentally knocked it over, releasing a terrifying evil spirit!"

With a look of horror, she said, "As soon as the evil spirit emerged, it turned the entire Shen Family Residence into a ghost domain. Everyone in the family became vengeful spirits, trapped here forever."

"Because I was closest to it, I gained more power and can still retain my consciousness. But they..." she said as she pointed to the servants, "...keep repeating the same actions from that fateful day, eternally bound to the Shen Family Residence."

"Evil spirit..." Xu Ziyang said, scanning the courtyard. "If this happened over a decade ago, the City Supervisory Division would have noticed by now. Even if they couldn't handle it, they would have reported it to the Imperial Supervisory Bureau. There's no reason it should still be like this."

"They probably visited before..." the yellow-clad woman said, her voice trembling as she seemed to recall a terrifying scene.

"At that time, a powerful force descended and battled the evil spirit from the bottle. The entire Shen Family Residence was on the verge of collapse, and our souls were nearly shattered. In the end, the force failed and all their efforts were in vain, but they managed to place a restriction around the garden, preventing anything inside from leaving and anyone outside from entering."

Even the Imperial Supervisory Bureau had only managed to seal this evil spirit?

Xu Ziyang frowned, puzzled, as he had encountered no obstacles when he entered.

The woman in yellow continued, "But a few days ago, it seemed someone broke the restriction outside and entered this ghost domain. He stole something very important from the evil spirit. If the evil spirit awakens and finds out, it will surely be furious."

Is that so...

Xu Ziyang pondered slightly.

The woman in yellow continued, "So don't wake it up. I'll help you get out of here. Since the restriction is broken, some vengeful spirits have escaped through the damaged areas. As you are a living person, it should be easier for you to leave. Whatever you do, don't go near the evil spirit! Otherwise, you will be trapped here forever!

...

The ghost with a cracked face bowed her head and recounted softly, "The Shen Family was a wealthy household in Shaonan Town. It's said that they were a consort family from the previous dynasty. When the dynasty fell, someone escaped from the palace and brought many valuable items with them when they sought refuge here."

Chu Liang and the other two listened quietly.

"Among those items was a very mysterious precious bottle from ancient times. When I married into the Shen Family, I was curious about it and accidentally knocked over that bottle. A spirit appeared from the bottle, claiming it could grant me any wish..." the female ghost said.

"I wished to become more beautiful, and it granted my wish.

"Later, other members of the Shen Family heard about this and came to make their own wishes," she spoke angrily. "But a young maid, who was in a relationship with someone outside the residence, leaked this information.

"That person then sold the information to court officials. The imperial court's men immediately stormed the Shen Family, aiming to eliminate any remnants of the previous dynasty and seize all treasures. With no cultivators in the Shen Family, the members of the Shen Family were swiftly massacred.

"Although the precious bottle had powerful magical abilities, it could only grant wishes. Before he died, my husband wished upon the bottle for everything to return to how it was.

"Who knew..."

"The bottle transformed the Shen Family Residence into a ghost domain, and those of us who had just died became spirits, bound to the Shen Family Residence, endlessly repeating the past. It's more of an eternal curse than a rebirth!

The woman in white said, "The imperial court couldn't take the precious bottle, so they set up a restriction to prevent anything inside from leaving. A few days ago, the restriction was broken, and I found a damaged spot to escape through. I initially hoped to find someone to rescue us, but once outside, my mind often became clouded, driven by lingering grudges to kill..."

"But I only killed those who deserved it!" Her tone suddenly turned fierce. "If those men hadn't been driven by their lust, how could I have lured them?"

"Anyway, don't kill me. I'll take you to the precious bottle. It can grant any wish you desire!" The woman in yellow spoke with a voice full of temptation.

"Is that so..." Chu Liang said with a nod. "Let's store this ghost first and report to our seniors at Mount Shu for further decisions. If the court couldn't handle this treasure, we probably can't take it either."

As for the wish-granting claim, he only believed half of it. After all, one could never fully trust a ghost's words.

"Yes," Jiang Yuebai replied, taking out an enchanted tool. With a swift motion, she raised her hand and captured the vengeful spirit, planning to deal with it later.

"

Eh?

" With everything settled, Chu Liang looked around and wondered, "Where's Senior Brother Xu?"

Xu Ziyang and Ling Ao were supposed to handle the ambush from afar. The vengeful spirit had been dealt with effortlessly, but Xu Ziyang was still nowhere to be seen.

Even as Chu Liang expanded the reach of his divine sense and scanned the surroundings, there was no sight of Xu Ziyang.

"Maybe he went back for something?" Ling Ao said, "Let's check the station."

The three of them returned to the City Supervisory Division station.

Officer Chen He had been in the office all along and said that he hadn't seen Xu Ziyang return.

"That's strange. He left without saying a word. Is he in danger?" Chu Liang asked.

"Senior Brother Xu is very powerful; he shouldn't let himself fall into danger so easily..." Jiang Yuebai said.

A fifth-realm cultivator in one of the sects within the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten would indeed be considered formidable in the world of immortal cultivators. They would rarely encounter opponents as powerful as themselves.

"But there is something eerie about Shaonan Town," Chu Liang pondered. "We should go out and look for him, starting from the riverbank and searching outward."

Ling Ao said, "Instead of searching aimlessly, it will be much faster using the immortal art, Searching the Heavens and Earth."

Chen He replied, "But that's not something that can be done quickly. Our chief officer in Misty Waters City, Du Ce, can do it, but it will take some time for him to get here."

At that moment, Jiang Yuebai smiled and said, "I can do it."

...

Whew—

The three returned to the riverside building where Xu Ziyang had previously hidden. There were indeed signs of a struggle.

Jiang Yuebai formed hand seals, her eyes shining brightly. In an instant, a powerful divine intent swept across the entire Shaonan Town.

Her Searching the Heavens and Earth technique might not literally search throughout the heavens and earth, but it was powerful enough to scan and detect everything within the small town.

In her eyes, the whole world turned blue and white, with only the aura of Xu Ziyang, which was turned red by her divine intent, revealing a faint path.

"This way!"

Jiang Yuebai immediately led the way, flying ahead, with Chu Liang and Ling Ao following closely behind.

They passed through the Moon Osmanthus Woods and continued beyond Shaonan Town, eventually spotting an abandoned garden ahead.

By now, the sky was gradually turning brighter, allowing them to see a "Shen" character on the signboard.

The three of them paused briefly outside, observing the surroundings.

Chu Liang frowned and asked, "Could this be the Shen Family that the ghost mentioned?"

Jiang Yuebai nodded and said, "This is the only garden near Shaonan Town, so it must be the Shen Family Residence. However, I cannot probe further inside the residence with my divine skills. I can only sense that Senior Brother Xu's aura entered through this location."

"Then let's go in and take a look," Ling Ao suggested.

Chu Liang shared the same thought. Despite the uncertainty of the situation, they were strong enough, so there was no need for excessive caution.

Just as the three were about to proceed, an old watchman emerged from the side.

"You can't go in," the watchman warned in a raspy old voice, "and even if you try, you won't succeed."

"Oh?" Chu Liang turned and asked, "Why do you say that, old man?"

"This is the abandoned Shen Family Residence..." the watchman said. "The Shen Family, remnants of the previous dynasty, conspired with demonic forces to rebel against the imperial family. When their plot was discovered, they were all executed by order of the imperial court.

"The entire family became vengeful spirits, haunting this place. Experts from the Imperial Supervisory Bureau set up a restriction to prevent the spirits from leaving and anyone from entering. If you approach carelessly, you might get injured by the restriction."

As he was warning them, before they could even finish their conversation, they suddenly heard a swoosh.

It turned out to be a flying sword coming from the direction of Shaonan Town, heading straight into the abandoned Shen Family Residence without any obstruction.

Chu Liang and the others turned to see this before they looked back at the old man.

The watchman was momentarily stunned, then scratched his head, "Huh—what's going on here?"