Chu Liang had amassed many soul-replenishing items. He had prepared most of them for when he traveled with Old Fei. However, because of the six years Chu Liang had spent lying dormant in the Blue Dragon hidden realm, Old Fei had nearly starved to death inside his bottle. Once Chu Liang returned to Silver Sword Peak, he left Old Fei to cultivate in peace.

Moreover, with Chu Liang's current level of cultivation, traveling with Old Fei would be, at best, like having a pet tag along. He wasn't of much help to Chu Liang anymore. So, the old man spent his days over at Red Cotton Peak, flirting with Hun Mengji. He seemed intent on starting a passionate romance that defied the large difference in age.

Nevertheless, there was one more thing Ye Yongxing didn't know. Chu Liang had given far more to Enlightened Wulou, so at this point, there was no reason for him to feel even the slightest bit of heartache at losing one precious herb.

Chu Liang handed the Luminous Crystal Leaf of Tranquility spirit plant to one of the resentful souls. It devoured it in a frenzy.

Crack, crack.

Within moments, its form solidified somewhat, and some light returned to its eyes.

Chu Liang tried asking again, "Where did you come from?"

However, the resentful soul still had a vacant look in its eyes. It replied with the same two moans, "Aaah… aaah…"

Seeing this, Chu Liang pulled out a pill.

Ye Yongxing recognized it immediately, and the muscles on his face twitched as he contained his shock. "The Nine-Palace Soul Pill?"

As a fellow head disciple of a sect in the Divine Nine, the sight of Chu Liang pulling out such priceless treasures without even batting an eye made it hard for Ye Yongxing to breathe. It wasn't that he couldn't get such items; it was about where and how they were used.

He found it simply outrageous that Chu Liang was feeding them to some random resentful soul they'd found in the mountains.

The resentful soul consumed the precious pill.

Crack, crack.

The resentful soul became nearly corporeal. His figure was now distinct, and his gaze grew noticeably sharper. He was a thin, middle-aged scholar in a green robe, his face etched with weariness from the vicissitudes of life.

Chu Liang asked again, "Where did you come from?"

The scholar ghost's eyes took on a focused gaze, and he raised it to meet Chu Liang's. Yet, he once again uttered, "Aaah… aaah…"

"Forget it." Chu Liang shook his head and drew the Demon-Slaying Sword. "It seems we can't communicate with these two. Leaving them alive would just be trouble waiting to happen. Better to slay them and be done with it."

The scholar ghost hastily waved his hands and cried out, "Ah, wait, wait, wait! Esteemed cultivators, please spare us! I'm just a little slow to respond. My wife and I were murdered far from home. And because of our lingering attachments, our souls never dissipated. But we have never done anything wicked, truly. Please spare us, esteemed cultivators!"

Chu Liang's gaze turned vicious, and a devilish shadow seemed to loom behind him. "You devoured such precious treasures of mine and still refused to answer my question… Isn't that wicked enough?!"

…

Once this night was over, there was one thing Ye Yongxing would always remember.

You can take Chu Liang's money, but you have to get the job done. If he finds out that he spent even a single copper coin for nothing, he will turn into a vicious devil.

That expression on Chu Liang's face frightened the resentful soul so much that he nearly died again.

If even a ghost could be frightened half to death, it wasn't hard to imagine how terrifying Chu Liang looked.

The resentful soul originally thought he could just get a free meal, but that clearly wasn't the case. He immediately became an honest person and told Chu Liang about his background.

"My wife and I came from the capital of Yu. We were traveling with our daughter to visit my parents in our hometown. But as we passed through Lingguan Town, we were murdered by the townsfolk."

The scholar ghost was brimming with resentment, but he spoke clearly and rationally. It was clear he had been a gentle soul before death.

"We died unjustly, but that's not the source of our resentment. Our four-year-old daughter fell into the hands of those evil people! Knowing that, how could we possibly enter the cycle of reincarnation? The resentment took root in our hearts, and we became what you see now.

"We fell into a dazed state two days ago, and all we knew was that we could not dissipate just like this. So, we instinctively sought out the moonlit valley to absorb the moon essence and refine our souls. When day breaks, we hide in caves to avoid the sunlight."

After hearing his story, Chu Liang, Ye Yongxing, and Lin Bei finally understood why there had been no visitors in Cypress Moon Valley. Reports of ghost sightings over the past two days had likely scared them off. That meant it probably was true that the couple had not harmed anyone.

After all, they had not been cultivators before death, so they lacked the power to harm others even if they wanted to now that they were dead. In their current state, even a ray of sunlight could kill their souls. In fact, they would even tremble in total fear before a burly man with strong yang qi. Only delicate women or young children were susceptible to being possessed, but people like that wouldn't wander into remote wilderness like this.

"I'll go investigate Lingguan Town. If what you say is true, then I'll help you," Chu Liang said.

"Really?" The scholar ghost could hardly contain his joy. "Esteemed cultivator, if you go to Lingguan Town, could you help us rescue our daughter?"

Chu Liang nodded. "Of course."

"Esteemed cultivator, thank you so much! I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

The scholar ghost reached for his wife to kneel with him, but she had not regained consciousness and remained unaware of the situation.

"There's no need for formalities," Chu Liang replied.

With a wave of his sleeve, he stored the two resentful souls into a porcelain bottle. He did this to protect them, as wandering about would only drain their soul power.

Ye Yongxing pondered aloud, "Lingguan Town… That must be the path the resentful souls once walked!"

Chu Liang agreed. "Mmhm. Let's go take a look."

It was a short trip to Lingguan Town. Chu Liang's group didn't want to announce their arrival by taking the airship, so they just rode the wind there. In a matter of moments, they arrived outside a town nestled against a mountain.

The town appeared to be bustling with activity. It was the middle of the night, yet every house in town was brightly lit.

However, when Chu Liang's group took a closer look, they realized something was off. The lights were on, but there wasn't even one person inside any of the houses.

Chu Liang swept through the town with his divine sense and realized that nearly all of the townsfolk had gathered by a large winding river just outside the town.

Chu Liang's group rushed over and watched from a distance using their divine senses.

They saw a huge crowd of people standing silently along the riverbanks. Flickering torches illuminated the riverbanks, forming blazing chains like the outline of an Inferno Dragon.

At the uppermost part of the river, there was a huge protruding rock. Seven or eight strong men lifted a red palanquin. They were preparing to place it on a large raft and send it downstream.

A solemn-faced black-robed elder stood nearby with his hands clasped behind his back. He watched the entire ritual unfold with utter indifference.

The river's current was rapid and turbulent. The raft wouldn't last long before being smashed apart. Needless to say, the palanquin would not be able to avoid meeting the same fate.

Chu Liang's divine sense slipped past the lifted curtain of the palanquin and found two children inside!

One was a boy around five or six years old, and the other was a girl around four or five years old. Both were dressed in bright red jackets and blindfolded. Their hands and feet were bound, and their mouths gagged. They struggled helplessly inside the palanquin.

They seem to be… living sacrifices?

In ancient times, human sacrifice rituals were still practiced in certain parts of the nine provinces. It had been widely outlawed since the previous dynasty, and the Yu Dynasty had cracked down on it even more harshly. Yet, a human sacrifice ritual was taking place right there in Linguan Town, which was located in the Central Region and not some remote, uncivilized territory.

Upon seeing that the strong men were about to push the raft into the river, Chu Liang's group could no longer hold back.

Lin Bei shouted, "Stop right there!"

Whoosh!

He flew down swiftly, and with one hand, he pushed the raft and the red palanquin back onto solid ground. Then, with a wave of his right hand, he unleashed a burst of force that sent the strongmen flying several zhang away.

"Who are you?" the black-robed elder roared angrily. "You dare interfere with our ritual?!"

"Regardless of where I, your grandfather, walk or sit, I will never change my name!" Lin Bei declared with a fearless and majestic presence. "I am Yang Shenlong of the Penglai Supreme Sect!"