Chapter 182: Hundred Ghosts Night Procession

Tang Luo raised his hand, blocking the massive beast claw in front of his eyes.

The ground behind him tore open, revealing several deep claw marks that stretched outward, shredding the abandoned wooden house into fragments.

Black mist swirled and rose upon the black beast claw.

In the darkness, a colossal creature stared at Tang Luo.

This was a giant beast entirely black in color, somewhat resembling a wolf, its blood-red eyes emitting an eerie glow in the dark, surrounded by black mist that flickered like black flames.

Its massive body, as large as a truck, brought an overwhelming sense of pressure.

"Lost your mind again?"

Tang Luo frowned, not waiting for the giant wolf to attack again, he grabbed one of its claws with a backhand and twisted it sideways.

The black giant wolf was directly flipped onto the ground by him.

The earth trembled faintly, the already dilapidated shrine buildings shook twice, then collapsed further.

"You dog, you've changed."

Tang Luo walked to the side of the giant wolf's head, which had slammed into the ground.

This black giant wolf was no ordinary dog—it was Xiao Tian Quan!

I don't know why, but for some unknown reason, it had lost its sanity and actually came to attack Tang Luo.

Facing Tang Luo's questioning, Xiao Tian Quan opened its mouth wide.

Aside from teeth and tongue, what could be seen inside was a mass of pitch-blackness, as if it were an abyss.

Tang Luo slightly retreated his body, dodging Xiao Tian Quan's bite, then kicked out with a foot.

Xiao Tian Quan's mouth snapped shut instantly, its head lifting up.

"Another time for the monk to redeem you." Having put away the Cursed House, Tang Luo lightly tapped his feet, leapt over Xiao Tian Quan's body in one motion, arrived at her "rear," and grabbed her tail.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The mountain itself trembled, the "ground" continuously sinking downward, the shrine's abandoned houses collapsing one after another, completely turning into a pile of ruins.

"Awake yet?"

"Recognized the monk yet?"

"Realized your mistake yet?"

"Hmm—no, that's not right." Tang Luo stopped his movements, placing one hand on Xiao Tian Quan's wolf head, letting her struggle but unable to break free.

Her claws kept digging into the earth, soil flying everywhere, and in no time she had dug two large pits.

After being brutally beaten, the red light in her eyes remained violent and unabated, completely in a state of killing frenzy, recognizing no kin.

At this point, simple physical redemption had no effect.

Time to use the Merit Jade Lotus directly.

If it were someone else, spiritual redemption could work just as well, but Xiao Tian Quan is one of our own, so using the Merit Jade Lotus to purify her is better.

The palm pressed on Xiao Tian Quan's wolf head glowed with a faint light, rapidly spreading outward to cover her entire body.

The claws digging soil and pits gradually slowed down, her eyes still red, but the madness and violence within them slowly faded, gradually returning to clarity.

"Awake now?" Tang Luo patted Xiao Tian Quan's head and asked.

"Mmm—"

Xiao Tian Quan let out a whimper, suddenly sprang to her feet, tucked her tail, and turned to run.

Just as she lifted her foot, she collapsed heavily to the ground again.

"Running from what?" Tang Luo grabbed Xiao Tian Quan's tail, pulled her back, and said, "What happened?"

"Wuu—wuu—wuu—" Xiao Tian Quan trembled her ears, emitting indistinct sounds.

She barely managed to convey a chaotic, disordered "information stream" to Tang Luo.

Here's how it happened.

After Tang Luo and the others entered the dry well, Xiao Tian Quan strictly followed Tang Luo's orders, acting as a qualified "watchdog" beside the dry well.

Then, the thieves came.

This thief was no ordinary person—it was the "Stair Mimic Ghost" that had not appeared for some time, still appearing in Tang Luo's likeness.

Yet its strength and speed had greatly increased.

After leaving the stone steps, the Stair Mimic Ghost headed straight for the dry well, its range of activity seemingly expanded considerably.

As a mature dog, how could Xiao Tian Quan tolerate this ghost impersonating Tang Luo's face to swagger and deceive?

Without a word, she lunged forward.

After a fierce battle, the mimic ghost was driven off by Xiao Tian Quan, and then……determined to catch the "thief" at all costs, Xiao Tian Quan immediately gave chase.

Simply put, she got carried away chasing and forgot Tang Luo's order to guard the well.

When she came to her senses, she ran back.

By then, she had caught the scent of An An and the others loitering nearby, though without Tang Luo's.

So, Xiao Tian Quan once again faithfully fulfilled her duty, standing guard here day and night without leaving.

Until suddenly……her consciousness was completely overtaken by destruction and violence, turning her into her current state, during which she also killed several unknown ghostly creatures that had appeared out of nowhere.

Finally encountering Tang Luo's sudden appearance, her urge for destruction and violence peaked, and she lashed out without restraint.

During this, Xiao Tian Quan did not actually lose consciousness—she clearly remembered what had happened.

But she just couldn't control her "hands," just like Er Kang—my hand won't obey my commands.

Even now, Xiao Tian Quan still feels an urge to recklessly vent, and remains in a state of full combat readiness.

Tang Luo turned his head, looking toward the other side of the city.

It was not a peaceful situation there; faint cries could be heard, along with the sound of collapsing buildings.

It was daytime now, the sky covered by dark clouds, making it impossible to determine the exact time.

Tang Luo took out his phone and glanced at it; it displayed the time he had entered the dry well.

After entering the dry well, the phone's "time elapsed" function stopped.

"It seems I've been in the dry well longer than I imagined," Tang Luo murmured.

Something major must have happened in the outside world.

What should be done at this time?

Of course, call An'an and the others to check on their situation.

However, unfortunately, the modern technology that had always worked well failed to function when Tang Luo needed it most.

There was no signal at all, unable to contact any of An'an and the others.

"Let's go, take a look there." After putting away his phone, Tang Luo said to the Heavenly Hound.

The Heavenly Hound lowered its body, preparing to let Tang Luo sit on its back, when a rustling sound came from all directions.

"Hmm!"

The Heavenly Hound let out a threatening low growl.

The trees around the shrine began to tremble, branches swaying continuously, leaves rustling.

"Have they become tree spirits?" Tang Luo frowned, sitting on the Heavenly Hound.

The Heavenly Hound swung a paw, blocking the flying branches shot from the trees, leapt agilely, and smashed into a large tree, directly pushing it down, then swung another paw.

It cut the surrounding trees into several sections.

The trees fallen on the ground made no sound at all, no longer exhibiting the previous eerie disturbance.

"Roar roar!"

However, this was only just the beginning; from deeper in the thicket came more strange sounds.

Like beasts, yet like human low growls.

The sound approached quickly; in no time, its "master" appeared in Tang Luo's line of sight.

Most noticeable was the Mediterranean bald hairstyle, grayish-brown skin, a protruding strange mouth, somewhat resembling a bird's beak.

The clothing worn was human attire, but the appearance easily evoked thoughts of a kappa, a humanoid mutated from humans—only the skin color differed.

"Seems like there's something called a mountain sprite? It looks quite similar." Tang Luo flicked his finger.

A point of light instantly entered the forehead of a "mountain sprite."

It clutched its head violently, face twisted, looking extremely painful.

"No!"

A few seconds later, it let out a roar, its body began to swell, and it exploded and died outright.

"A change from the heart, unwilling to turn back." Tang Luo sat cross-legged, gently patting the Heavenly Hound's head, "Then let us liberate them."

Earlier, he had tried to consume merit power, using the strength of the Merit Jade Lotus to restore this mountain sprite to human form.

The final result was also seen.

This mutation was not merely a "negative state," but more like the demonic arts in wuxia novels that easily lead to qi deviation and drastic temperament changes.

Such things cannot be easily dispelled by the Merit Jade Lotus alone.

If the other party resists wholeheartedly, it will cause the situation just seen.

If so, then let us directly liberate them.

The Heavenly Hound swept its paw sideways, slapping the approaching mountain sprite flying, which crashed into the distant forest and fell silent.

Even though these mountain sprites possessed considerable strength, they could not match the Heavenly Hound.

If their numbers reached a certain degree and they were in some narrow terrain where the Heavenly Hound could not maneuver easily, they might pose a certain threat to her.

Truly like wolves entering a flock of sheep, the Heavenly Hound charged into the fearless mountain sprite horde.

In just over ten seconds, it slaughtered all these violent mountain sprites.

"Pa."

"Pa."

"Pa."

A series of slap sounds with long intervals came from the stone steps leading down the mountain from the shrine.

The Heavenly Hound leapt up and landed nearby.

A man walked slowly forward, clapping his hands, his entrance style somewhat similar to Fei Huang's—using slap sounds to seize the initiative first.

However, this person was not Fei Huang, but Liu Suifeng.

Li Suifeng, who had been overturned by Fei Huang after obtaining the fate fragment!

At this moment, Liu Suifeng showed no trace of his former embarrassment and resentment; instead, he wore a Sakurajima-style outfit, with a samurai sword hanging at his waist.

Truly peerlessly handsome.

"Did you get plastic surgery?" Tang Luo asked.

The Liu Suifeng before him looked unchanged, yet exuded an extraordinarily demonic handsome aura, somewhat like a male version of Chuan Shang Jiangzi.

"Heh." Liu Suifeng laughed, "Master Xuanzang's words really hurt."

"Oh, no longer calling me the Furious Arhat?" Tang Luo said.

"Heh." Liu Suifeng chuckled lightly again, "That was due to my failure to recognize Mount Tai, mistaking Master Xuanzang for a mere arhat."

"I feel your words carry deep meaning." Tang Luo idly stroked the Heavenly Hound's dog head, then spoke.

Liu Suifeng shifted the topic: "I don't know where Master intends to go now?"

"Do you know what happened?" Tang Luo asked, "Where are my companions?"

"The whereabouts of the master's companion... to be honest, I don't know either, but at least they haven't died yet." Liu Suifeng smiled, "As for what happened, can't the master see it?"

"A hundred ghosts walk at night, the human world is like hell."

Liu Suifeng turned his head to look at the city, his smile radiant.