The scene before him was truly astonishing.

Sinister Shrimp Demons with scaly armor, Fish Demons with vicious teeth, Water Ghosts dressed in tattered clothes... These terrifying evil spirits in the eyes of mortals were floating lifeless, blocking the entire river course.

Among them were also many Black Painting Boats, with Insect Women struggling to climb out only to die on the decks.

What's even more bizarre is that there wasn't a single wound on these evil spirits' bodies, their faces blank and expressionless, eyes clouded over with a milky white film, staring emptily ahead.

What happened?

Zhang Kui frowned, his expression serious.

He didn't pity these evil spirits, as Yuan Huang had said, in these chaotic times when the Heavenly Dao is in disorder and the Ten Thousand Races are vying for supremacy, talking about equality among all beings is a joke.

Mankind just wants to live quietly, which is quite difficult.

His concern was whether what turned Jingjiang Water Mansion into this would be an even more terrifying evil spirit...

Zhang Kui squinted his eyes, heightened his vigilance, and continued forward, controlling the Nether Soil Stone Coffin.

Along the way, the corpses of River Demons and Water Ghosts became increasingly numerous, even some from the Celestial Tribulation Realm appeared, including Insect Women, Octopus Heads, and Yaksha, all showing no signs of resistance.

However, he hadn't seen any Great Demons from the Divine Travel Realm, nor did he see Peach Blossom Lady or Immortal Wu. Where did they go?

At the water mansion's outskirts, the talisman defenses that emitted a blood-red glow were still active, but the lines of tiny worms underground were all dead.

Some struggled out only to sink to the riverbed, while others simply decayed in the soil...

Zhang Kui focused his mind and cautiously entered the water mansion.

The Underground River Water Mansion was eerily silent...

There were far fewer corpses here, but many were facing the water mansion, clearly trying to escape for their lives.

What kind of terrifying attack was this?

Indeed, several Old Demons in the water mansion were gone, and there was no sign of the Divine Travel Realm's presence, leaving it an empty city.

Zhang Kui also noticed that even the small fish and shrimp in the water were all dead, and the aquatic plants had completely withered.

Could it be poison?

Zhang Kui's face changed dramatically. If it was poison, even those in the Celestial Tribulation Realm couldn't escape it; if word got out, who knows how many would die.

Thinking of this, he didn't hesitate at all, and a cloud of black smoke appeared within the water mansion.

Zhang Kui wasn't afraid, especially since with both the Swallowing Knife Skill and Fragmentation Skill at his disposal, he would be fine even soaked in poison. His Water Escape Forbidden Water Skill allowed him to traverse toxic waters.

Yet, there was no trace of poison in the water.

So what was it?

Confronted with this bizarre situation, Zhang Kui dared not be careless. First, he used the Life Light Skill for Protective Golden Light, then waved his sleeve to conceal himself.

The once dreaded Forbidden Land now lay empty, allowing Zhang Kui to explore as he pleased.

He first went to the largest Black Boat building, which looked quite exquisitely crafted from the outside but was rather creepy inside.

At the lowest level was a series of open spaces, filled densely with arm-thick river insects encased in shells, with dead bodies drifting along with the undercurrent at the riverbed.

Layer by layer upwards was an Asura Scene, where river insects were devouring each other, and the strongest had even grown arms on their upper bodies.

Even further up, they began to resemble humans, but the upper bodies were all muscular males, some holding knives, with the same blank, clouded eyes.

Zhang Kui figured it out. The lineage of the Black Painting Boat seemed to be using a breeding method similar to raising venomous creatures, where the strongest male became Peach Blossom Lady's consort.

And this consort's life likely wasn't long, meant to birth exceptionally gifted Insect Women.

No wonder they fled...

The topmost layer was the palace of Peach Blossom Lady, with ancient and luxurious stone structures adorned with various beautiful shells.

The Pure Treasure Pearls Zhang Kui had once gotten from the Clam Girl were embedded every ten meters, making the entire palace's water refreshingly pure, rich with Spiritual Qi.

"Truly an old demon of many years..."

Zhang Kui muttered, his eyes flashing with a ghostly light as he surveyed the area, soon revealing a look of joy.

In Peach Blossom Lady's sleeping chamber, there were three hidden stone caves, with Spirit Light so dazzling it was hard to keep eyes open.

Zhang Kui first used the Eclipse Skill, instantly causing his surroundings to blur, then sent out three Sword Lights, cutting down the entrance of the stone caves.

"Damn it!"

The scene before him left Zhang Kui dumbfounded.

In the first stone cave, a variety of shells filled the space, categorized neatly. The species of these shells was unknown, but they were as translucent as silicone, each containing various precious Spirit Medicines.

Blood Ginseng, human-shaped He Shouwu, Yellow Essence...

It's more than the Qian Imperial Treasury collection.

Another stone cave contains either incomplete or damaged stone bowls, stone axes, bronze swords… The spirit light is dim and these are clearly various sizes of ancient artifacts, each carefully placed.

The final stone cave contains various refining materials, mostly wood, followed by minerals, and some fossils that emit a faint glow.

Zhang Kui recognizes most of them, but some are unheard of, like some planks with fibers as stark white as bones.

What exactly happened in the Water Mansion that the Peach Blossom Lady couldn't even tidy up her belongings?

Zhang Kui, of course, was not polite. With a flip of his hand, the Treasure Toad jumped out, shook itself into room size, and swallowed everything in its mouth with yin qi.

This little thing only takes ancient artifacts in and out, but freely takes all kinds of materials, just right to use as a warehouse.

After searching around and finding nothing, Zhang Kui ran to the other two Old Demons' abodes, broke into the secret chambers, and swept all the treasures clean.

The Treasure Toad croaked, eyes turning red, and its previously iron-black body grew dark bronze tumors.

Zhang Kui was in a good mood.

It truly deserves to be called a Forbidden Land of Evil Spirits, with a collection far richer than what the human race accumulated over a thousand years.

Of course, the real good things are probably kept by the Old Demons on themselves, and these items are not that useful to Zhang Kui personally.

However, in the future, opening a mountain gate would avoid an embarrassing situation of starting from scratch.

Then, Zhang Kui turned his gaze to the stone hall at the center of the Water Mansion.

That should be where the Jingjiang Water Mansion Monarch's abode is located. If even these subordinate Old Demons are so rich, what could their monarch be hiding...

Thinking of this, Zhang Kui did not hesitate and silently moved toward the palace, parting the water.

The palace shone with spirit light, with massive stone pillars all around, ancient and solemn.

Surprisingly to Zhang Kui, the inside was very spacious, with ancient reliefs embedded on the walls of the central hall, seemingly peeled from elsewhere and set here.

All the reliefs depict only one thing: dragons!

Yes, real dragons, with fierce scales and whiskers, five claws outstretched, hidden in clouds and mist, imposing and vividly lifelike.

Could it be that the Water Mansion Monarch is a dragon?

Zhang Kui was secretly shocked; the Military Advisor of the General's Tomb suspected to be an Immortal, with so many dragon carvings here, what exactly are these Forbidden Lands of Evil Spirits?

As Zhang Kui examined closely, he gradually noticed something amiss; why were all these stone dragons staring at him?

Not good!

Before he could react, darkness enveloped his vision.

At first, Zhang Kui was on guard, but soon calmed down as the Protective Golden Light did not activate, indicating it was not an attack.

Gradually, a vast ocean appeared before his eyes, waves surging, thousands of rays of light, gigantic fish the size of buildings leaping from the water, splashes filling the sky...

An illusion?

Zhang Kui found it strange, as if observing the world from a creature's perspective, sometimes diving deep into the ocean, sometimes soaring into the clouds, free and unrestrained.

Is this the perspective of a dragon?

Suddenly, the sky darkened, the stars twinkled, and a grand voice resounded continually.

Subsequently, the perspective rapidly ascended, piercing through the clouds, breaking through the firmament, and then disappearing instantly...

Zhang Kui snapped to clarity, and only after confirming nothing was amiss did he breathe a sigh of relief.

No matter what that was, it was undoubtedly far more powerful than himself.

Simply put, he had been to the Nine Heavens and Cyan Nether above, where the spiritual qi was extraordinarily violent, likely unbearable even for those in the Mahayana Realm.

And the last scene he saw, this presumed dragon creature, stared intently at the firmament, with a single target, the moon.

Demon Race legends say that there is a Demon Race Celestial Court on the Bright Moon, where echoes of the Great Path resound, and the fated may learn the Moon Worship Skill.

Could it be that this dragon is also on the moon?

At that moment, the great hall suddenly vibrated, a massive black light gate appeared out of nowhere, with waves of yin wind and faint sounds of wails.

The Gate of the Underworld!

Zhang Kui was taken aback.

Not good, the Jingjiang Water Mansion Monarch has returned.

Without the slightest hesitation, a black smoke flashed, as Zhang Kui controlled the Nether Soil Stone Coffin to burrow deep underground, using the Qi Prohibition Skill to shut off his qi mechanism, and he fixed his eyes on the great hall.

Soon, a bloody, fleshless claw stretched out from the black light gate...

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