"Just an array, how can you be so sure?" Gu Yan glanced at the old residential area and asked. The others also looked at the master in confusion.

The master pointed to the center of the array from afar, his face still solemn: "This array is no ordinary one. Any souls within this array are equivalent to being penned inside. It's not as simple as drawing a circle and making a nest. Any wandering spirits or fierce ghosts, whether intentionally or unintentionally, once they enter this array, it's as if they've signed a contract and made a pledge to the array's creator.

"Until their souls scatter, they belong to the array's creator. No matter where the souls within the array go, as long as the array's creator summons them, they must return to this array even if they're at the ends of the earth. Moreover, just as we speculated before, this type of array is usually set up in an extremely yin place, which helps the souls inside the array to accumulate and cultivate their power, achieving twice the result with half the effort."

Pausing for a moment, the master looked at Gu Yan and said, "Fortunately, you have restraint and a cautious nature. Otherwise, if you had rashly entered this array, you would not have been able to extricate yourself."

"This array is evil enough." Granny Camphor Tree curled her lips, "But how do you know so clearly? Don't tell me your sect also teaches this kind of evil array?"

"This is the content of a forbidden book in the Hidden Observation Pavilion's collection. It details the conditions required to set up this array and the method of arranging it." The master sighed, looking quite troubled.

"Originally, my generation and the younger ones below us were unaware of this array and that forbidden book. But somehow, that book was spotted by my unscrupulous junior apprentice brother Qing Yuan. When he disappeared, he took that book with him."

Granny Camphor Tree twitched her mouth: "Guard against thieves day and night, but it's hard to guard against those within the family. But since it's a forbidden book, couldn't your sect have kept a closer eye on it, or simply burned it to avoid trouble?"

"It's too late to say that now. Besides, the book was indeed closely guarded initially. Alas, as I said, when fellow disciples know too much about each other, it's sometimes more difficult to deal with. Anyway, after Qing Yuan took that book, my master only then told us about the situation with that forbidden book and this array."

"In that case, Master, can you also set up the array?" Gu Yan couldn't help asking.

The master waved his hands repeatedly: "Alas, how could I know how to set it up? I only know the nature of this array. If everyone knew how to arrange it, wouldn't it be a mess? What if another scoundrel appeared? That would be terrible. However, my master informed us of the purpose of this array, so that when necessary, we could successfully dismantle it. Fortunately, we discovered it early this time, before that scoundrel could make his move."

Comrade Mo Bao was silent for a moment, then asked in a very speechless manner, "The array is already at this scale, and it's still not considered making a move?"

The master said unhappily, "What do you think this array is set up for? To raise a group of summoned ghosts?"

Granny Camphor Tree looked up at the sky, "What else then?"

"Not to mention others, just based on Expressionless Boy's combat power, even if he raised ten arrays of summoned ghosts, it wouldn't be enough for him to devour."

Gu Yan: "..." He had the illusion of being described as a rice bucket. =_=

"This array has only one purpose - to pen in as many souls as possible, cultivate their power, then find the one soul burdened with the most killing karma, the most vicious and evil, to devour all the souls in the entire array, transferring all their cultivated power to this one soul. Then the array's creator will refine this soul that has accumulated thick power..."

"And then he swallows it himself?" Granny Camphor Tree looked disgusted.

The master nodded, "Directly refining so many souls is too taxing on energy and resources. Refining one is much easier. This way, without cultivating himself, he can obtain the cultivation of hundreds or even thousands of years."

"Ptooey! Isn't he afraid of indigestion and choking?" Granny Camphor Tree was full of disdain. "With just that, even if he has a cultivation of a thousand or eight hundred years, what's the use? Can he still hope for enlightenment? The immortals would cry." =_=

"Yet there are always those who remain obstinately unenlightened. It has always been so since ancient times." Comrade Mo Bao shook his head.

The master looked at Gu Yan with a profound expression, "You've already devoured quite a few..."

Gu Yan kept his face expressionless, "Before he makes his move, I will refine him first."

Everyone: "..." A fierce ghost is indeed a fierce ghost.

"However--" Gu Yan pointed to the residential area, where many souls could be seen from afar, some in groups of three or five, some drifting alone. "You said your junior apprentice brother took that emperor with him, but there's no sign of that emperor in this array. So, it's very likely that your junior apprentice brother intends to use that emperor as the final one to be refined."

The master nodded, "I also think so."

"Then where are they?" Granny Camphor Tree couldn't help looking around. "Didn't you say those souls have a contract with your junior apprentice brother? We've already swept away and eliminated at least a dozen or so, but we haven't even seen a shadow of your junior apprentice brother."

"Ah, you don't know this. Although those souls have a contract with him, there is no resonance. Killing those wandering outside the array will not alert him. What will truly make him sense something is this array itself. This is why I'm explaining it clearly to you now. In a moment, once I start dismantling the array, my junior apprentice brother will likely rush here at top speed. And I need some time to dismantle the array. You must stop him."

Granny Camphor Tree waved her hand, "Just that? Got it. We won't let him escape. Hurry up!"

Seeing that they were prepared, the master climbed back onto Pomegranate's back, circled the entire array twice, then landed at a certain spot in the west. The other three immediately split up with tacit understanding to the south, north, and east. The four of them surrounded this old residential area, covered in "demolish" characters, along the outer perimeter of the array.

Gu Yan stood guard by a wall on the east side. This area happened to have its back to the setting sun in the west, and under the influence of this array, it seemed particularly gloomy and dark.

His face was solemn, his eyes calmly sweeping the surroundings. His right hand caressed his left wrist. Under his fingertips, the pulse had already begun to throb faintly with a regular rhythm like a living person, beat by beat, not very obvious.

This was the change his body underwent after devouring those souls that had already cultivated for hundreds or even thousands of years. He could even hear the sound of the long-solidified blood in his meridians surging again.

For someone who had already lost his life, all these changes were the best stimulant.

The master must have already made his move. The originally complete and stable magic formation behind him suddenly changed, like a dragon churning and spiraling in the sea, stirring up surging waves. Within the entire residential area, the wind howled and ghosts wailed in an instant. It was as if the video that had been playing all along was paused by someone, and now it was replayed again.

The churning yin wind passed over the half-body-high low wall behind him, blowing against Gu Yan's shoulders and clothes. The wind seemed to carry fine gravel and sand, scraping against his skin with a force that could tear the thin clothes into shreds, leaving messy scratches all over his body.

Finally, a sharp edge of a gravel grain landed on the back of Gu Yan's hand, cutting a not-too-shallow gash.

Gu Yan lowered his eyes. Amidst the slight pain that could be ignored, a drop of blood oozed out from the wound, its crimson color particularly eye-catching on the back of his hand.

Looking at this growing blood droplet, Gu Yan licked his slightly pointed left tooth, causing the corners of his lips to curve into a small arc. Amidst the still howling yin wind and shrill ghostly cries, his entire being seemed to take on an evil aura.

He wiped off the blood droplet with his thumb. At the same time, his ears moved, and the veins at his temples also bulged slightly. In the distance, there was a faint sound of air being pierced, coming from the coldest eastern direction.

It's here!

The muscles all over his body, toned to perfection, instantly tensed. Gu Yan's hands hung at his sides as he imperceptibly moved his fingers. His entire being was like a leopard that had already drawn its body into a bow, ready to strike at any moment.

As he saw the cold light of some unknown weapon flash by, he made a quick move, pouncing out at a speed difficult to discern with the naked eye.

In the hospital, Xiang Ge, who had just dealt with a group of media reporters downstairs, brought Quail No. 1 Geng Zimo back to the corridor outside the ICU to meet up with Quail No. 2 Su Kun, who was curled up on a chair.

Su Kun pointed at Stone and introduced him to the two: "This is the master's disciple, named Stone."

Although people from the special department would occasionally visit Su Kun, Geng Zimo had only actually met the master and his three tag-alongs, plus the lazy landlord. He never had the opportunity to meet this young disciple. As for Xiang Ge, although he had once asked the master for help with a ritual, the master didn't bring his young disciple with him that time. So neither of them knew Stone.

However, none of these three were tongue-tied or reticent. Even though they weren't very familiar with each other, they chatted quite happily with this half-grown boy, not making Stone, who had a bit of a stutter, feel awkward at all.

The few of them were just talking about the master's junior fellow apprentice Qing Yuan when Stone said, "Master and the others said that Senior Uncle Qing Yuan wasn't originally like this. More than twenty years ago, when he left the sect, although he did something wrong, his nature wasn't as evil as it is now."

This remark piqued Su Kun's interest. Based on the master's words and attitude, he always vaguely felt that what Qing Yuan did back then had some connection to him. The master's mouth was so tight-lipped, but Stone might not be. Although he was young, he should have heard something...

Thinking this way, he turned his head and asked Stone, "What exactly did your senior uncle do back then?"

The master probably didn't specifically instruct Stone on anything, so Stone answered almost without hesitation, "I also heard about that matter from my senior fellow apprentices. Master rarely mentions it. It seems that back then, there was a fierce ghost that stole a child's body. The fierce ghost should have been captured by Master, but the child couldn't be saved.

However, the child's elders couldn't let go and wanted Master to perform a ritual to bring the child's soul back. Master didn't agree, after all, everyone has their own fate. When one's lifespan is exhausted, it's exhausted. Arbitrarily modifying the ways of the world would throw everything into chaos, and Master was indeed powerless to do anything."

Hearing these words, Su Kun felt like he had been hit hard with an iron hammer, stunning him into a daze.

"Later, it was said that the family, through the introduction of a neighbor, found Senior Uncle Qing Yuan. Senior Uncle's temperament was different from Master and the other senior fellow apprentices. It was said that he agreed to the family's request and used a forbidden technique to bring the child's soul back, allowing the child to live again."