Realm of the Night God

As the ghost eye opened, the world before Yang Haoran underwent a transformation. The black water around him thickened, its viscosity attributed to the extreme concentration of Yin Qi.

Even before activating the ghost eye, Yang Haoran sensed the dreadful Yin Qi within the water. Now, with the ghost eye activated, it provided a more direct view of everything, but it didn't bring much surprise.

His attention was fully captivated by the rapidly approaching dark shadow!

This shadow was a mass of ink-black Yin Qi. As it closed in swiftly, the black water around Yang Haoran suddenly boiled, transforming into distorted ghost faces. They covered the protective barrier he erected, crazily gnawing at it.

These sudden ghost faces, each one incredibly pitiful, would likely frighten an ordinary person into unconsciousness at first sight. However, to Yang Haoran, they appeared mundane and unremarkable.

Surprisingly, despite their unimpressive appearance, these ghost faces exhibited formidable combat strength. With each bite, the protective barrier covering his body showed signs of instability, on the verge of breaking.

In this situation, he had to multitask, injecting more Yin spirit power into the barrier while simultaneously defending against the approaching dark shadow.

Thin black chains, as thick as arms, suddenly emerged from the black water, binding the oncoming shadow. However, just as the shadow was successfully restrained, the chains were shattered by the shadow, turning into dissipating Yin Qi.

The shadow successfully collided with Yang Haoran's barrier.

Yang Haoran's body was sent flying by the impact, and the barrier, recently reinforced, displayed cracks under the assault.

The ghost faces gnawing at the barrier were all dispersed by this blow, turning into streams of Yin Qi that merged into the black water.

Despite his surprise, Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged. With a wave of his hand, more Yin spirit power was infused into the barrier.

The ruptured barrier, bolstered by additional Yin spirit power, quickly repaired itself and became even stronger than before.

However, in the instant of repairing the barrier, the shadow launched another attack!

Outside the black water pool, three Spirit Police controlled by external forces had successfully broken free from the chains. They turned brutal and bloodthirsty, attacking Deputy Captain Zhou and the others like frenzied beasts.

However, their strength was insignificant compared to Deputy Captain Zhou. He quickly subdued them, releasing them from the external control.

Three corpses were neatly arranged under a large tree. No trace of black Yin Qi could be seen on their bodies. Now freed from control, they were just ordinary corpses.

"Brothers, rest assured. After this mission is completed, I will take you back home," Deputy Captain Zhou said with a stern face to the three bodies in front of him.

The other three Spirit Police stood silently, heads bowed, their faces expressing unmistakable sorrow.

As Deputy Captain Zhou finished speaking, a commotion erupted from the black water pool, drawing the attention of the four.

At that moment, the previously calm black water pool suddenly began to boil, and a massive vortex appeared.

Boom!!!

A loud explosion, as if a bomb had detonated beneath the black water pool, sent water splashing everywhere. Simultaneously, a figure shot out from the pool.

It was none other than Yang Haoran.

Following Yang Haoran, a dense Yin Qi surged out of the water pool.

As the Yin Qi dispersed, revealing a figure, it was a man. His entire body was pale and bloated, with various parts already rotting and emitting a foul odor. Due to an extended stay underwater, his body had grown strands of water plants.

However, these water plants were pitch black, as if sprayed with ink. Moreover, these plants also emitted Yin Qi.

This man's body wasn't a soul body but a genuine entity, albeit severely decayed, repulsive, and terrifying.

The man's gaze locked onto Yang Haoran because he sensed a significant threat from him.

Likewise, Yang Haoran's gaze was fixed on the man, but compared to his previous apprehension, he now felt more at ease.

Because this man was not as powerful as he had imagined.

The man's eyes were bloodshot, indicating the realm he inhabited within the ghostly domain—a malevolent spirit.

However, his eyes weren't terrifyingly red, far less frightening than Zhong Siyu's once were. Dealing with this level of malevolent spirit might be troublesome, but Yang Haoran remained confident.

As for why the Yin Qi within the black water pool is so heavy, and it doesn't disperse but gathers even more, making it difficult for ghosts hiding inside to perceive, in Yang Haoran's view, it should be attributed to the black water pool itself.

To uncover the reasons behind the peculiar transformation of the black water pool, he needed to deal with the malevolent spirit in front of him first.

Thanks to the activated ghost eye, Yang Haoran witnessed scenes from the malevolent spirit's life before death. Although he couldn't see what happened after his death, based on the pre-death experiences, Yang Haoran had some speculation about the formation of this malevolent spirit.

The man was a resident of the village below the mountain. After attending a temple festival on the mountain, he accidentally fell into the black water pool and drowned. At that time, he didn't harbor strong resentment; instead, he felt more fear of death. In such circumstances, it was impossible for him to immediately transform into a malevolent spirit.

Not to mention a malevolent spirit, even an evil spirit or a stronger undead wouldn't have been possible.

However, he managed to evolve from a regular undead to a powerful malevolent spirit. In Yang Haoran's opinion, after becoming an undead, he must have consumed a considerable number of souls.

Apart from that, the mysterious black water pool undoubtedly played a part. However, Yang Haoran's knowledge was limited, so his guesses were tentative. Whether his assumptions were correct or not, he couldn't be certain at the moment.

Moreover, now wasn't the time for him to analyze the situation.

"You're so persistent, unwilling to leave this already decayed body after death. You're quite attached, brother," Yang Haoran remarked, looking at the man in front of him.

"This place is not welcoming to you. Hurry and leave, or don't blame me for being impolite!" The man stared coldly at Yang Haoran, issuing a threat.

Yang Haoran had encountered threats from others before, but there weren't many that truly concerned him.

"Brother, have you never left this mountain? You should explore the outside world. However, it seems you won't have the chance in the future," Yang Haoran said with a smile.

"Brother? Haha, aren't you afraid of shortening your lifespan? I've been dead for over a hundred years. If we talk about age, you don't even have the qualification to call me grandpa."

The man seemed not to understand Yang Haoran's words and stubbornly clung to the title Yang Haoran used for him.

Yang Haoran didn't explain further, maintaining a constant smile on his face. "Come with me. I'll take you away from here. You no longer belong to this world. I know you won't agree, but I have to say it because it's necessary."

As Yang Haoran finished speaking, Deputy Captain Zhou appeared beside him. He exerted his own power, lifting his body into the air.

"Did you kill my three brothers? Did you devour their souls?" Deputy Captain Zhou asked coldly, glaring at the malevolent spirit. He already had an idea in his mind; he just wanted to confirm his suspicions.

The malevolent spirit coldly smiled, glanced at the three bodies neatly placed under the nearby tree, and then turned his gaze back to Yang Haoran and Deputy Captain Zhou.

"You're right. Not only did I kill those three, but I also forcefully devoured their souls. It's not just them; it includes the broadcaster from last night and the police who arrived later. If you don't act wisely, the next ones to die will be you."

With the confirmation from the malevolent spirit, not only did icy killing intent erupt in Deputy Captain Zhou's eyes, but the three Spirit Police below also ignited with anger.

Unable to suppress their inner rage, all four of them wanted to attack the malevolent spirit immediately. Unfortunately, at this critical moment, Yang Haoran, who had been smiling until now, suddenly stiffened his expression.

He turned abruptly to look in a certain direction, his face growing serious.

"Deputy Captain Zhou, be careful. A big one is coming!"