Chapter 352: The Five Ghost Envoys, Traces of White Bone

"True Person… the guest rooms are upstairs!"

You San paid for the ghost bone and returned to tell Brother Qian Chen and the others; Brother Qian Chen nodded slightly without speaking—this place had no shortage of silent people, and their disguise made them utterly unremarkable.

As You San ascended to the second floor, it was clear he had paid dearly for three superior rooms, all clustered together; Brother Qian Chen and the others assigned the innermost room to their two junior sisters and took adjacent rooms, two per chamber.

The rooms were relatively quiet, with a barrier at the door offering modest protection but primarily serving as a warning and sound-dampening seal.

The ghost blade Luo Sen, who had just come up, was staying right next door; he cast a faint glance at them, lingered briefly on Brother Yan, then entered his room.

Seeing Yan Shu let out a curious "Huh?" and said gravely: "My sword intent just stirred!"

"Does this man harbor ill intent?" Brother Qian Chen frowned slightly.

Seeing Yan Shu shook his head: "It feels more like mutual resonance at the peak of martial cultivation—I've just broken through, and my sword qi hasn't yet settled; it must have triggered a spark of his spiritual awareness. Such acute sensitivity cannot be underestimated!"

They had barely met one neighbor when another guest room door beside them opened.

A monk in a gray robe stepped out, nodded slightly to Brother Qian Chen and the others, then waited by the staircase.

Huang Hu Wu Liu spotted the gray-robed monk from inside the room and gasped softly: "Master Fa Xin? Isn't he teaching novices and transmitting the Golden Temple's arts on the mountain? Why has he come down?"

Brother Qian Chen shut the door and smiled: "Then let's see."

With that, he casually drew a circle on the wall; the mirror light passed through it, illuminating the adjacent room as if a window had been opened—every simple furnishing inside was laid bare, leaving Huang Hu Wu Liu gaping.

But to Brother Qian Chen, Master Fa Xin was merely at the Law-Attainment realm; the inn's seals meant nothing before his Mirror Light technique—peeking was trivial.

Only a demon king like the Wise Wolf King could possibly detect it.

Soon, Master Fa Xin returned to his room; Huang Hu Wu Liu nearly cried out in shock, but realized the monk was completely unaware of the circular mirror, for he could not see it at all.

Master Fa Xin was not alone—he was followed by the group who had sat in the most unnoticeable corner downstairs.

After closing the door and activating the seal, Master Fa Xin turned and said: "Honorable guests, years have passed since we last met; this humble monk has grown old, yet you remain unchanged—how heartening."

"Master Fa Xin, last time we purged demons, we owed your master greatly. Had he not intervened, few of us would have survived. Now we've heard the Kong Que King plans to attack Guzhu; though we dwell overseas, we cannot refuse to aid humanity. Thus we've come, seeking an audience!"

The lead man had an ordinary face, yet his words carried a noble, righteous aura that inspired goodwill.

Even Master Fa Xin could not remain unmoved; moved by these words, he said: "In past years, you righteous guests slew demons and aided Guzhu Kingdom greatly. Now, hearing but a word, you come to face peril. I shall not hide the truth: many in our kingdom wish to flee overseas, yet those willing to come to our aid… alas!"

"You are all trustworthy companions. I shall introduce you to the Venerable Ones."

The man beside him, a Daoist in robes with sparse white hair, spoke: "Master, wait. We arrived several days ago, but only now summoned you down because we've made a discovery."

Master Fa Xin frowned gravely: "Oh? Please tell us."

"Since the curfew began, each morning corpses have been carried out—all drained of essence and blood, reduced to dry husks. Though demons who feed on humans often slip into the wasteland, none have hidden so long without detection by demon hunters." The Daoist spoke frankly.

Master Fa Xin frowned slightly: "Perhaps the people's hearts are unsettled, and the wasteland's defenses have been neglected."

The lead man shook his head: "No—yesterday's victim was a demon hunter of considerable cultivation."

"While resting in his tent, someone saw a ghostly flame roll inside. When his companions rushed in, they found him naked, his essence entirely consumed, even the woman in his arms turned to a dry corpse. All they heard were a few faint laughs, accompanied by the tuning of a pipa."

The Daoist added: "When we investigated, we sensed lingering malevolent energy—this spirit is no ordinary demon."

Master Fa Xin said gravely: "Master Zhao, you suspect this spirit may come from… the White Bone Demon King's retinue?"

"Years ago, to slay the White Bone Demon King's Five Ghost Envoys, we suffered heavy losses and only killed the Black Robe Ghost Envoy. The Pipa Ghost Envoy, Red Robe Ghost Envoy, Soul-Grabbing Ghost Envoy, and Ox-Head Ghost Envoy never showed themselves. Worse, after we slew the Black Robe Envoy, the White Bone Demon King elevated an even stronger spirit to become the Fifth Ghost Envoy."

The white-haired Daoist Zhao said gravely: "Those pipa notes… it's hard not to think of…"

Master Fa Xin dared not be careless.

He knew these people were no alarmists; on the contrary, their perception was keener than many in the kingdom. If they sensed something wrong, the spirit infiltrating the wasteland was extremely dangerous.

Though some in the kingdom had proposed abandoning the wasteland, Master Fa Xin knew that if the White Bone Demon King unleashed a blood sacrifice here, he could create thousands of powerful spirits to attack Guzhu Kingdom.

This matter admitted no carelessness.

He clasped his hands and chanted a Buddhist mantra to the man, the Daoist, the palace-clad woman, and the disfigured man behind them: "Namo Saddharma Pundarika… Master Zhou, Master Zhao, Lady Tong, Master Faceless. I trust you, but the Kong Que Demon King's assault is imminent. Without solid proof, I cannot persuade any True Persons to act, let alone the Three Great Venerables."

"The Five Ghost Envoys are at least Foundation Establishment True Persons; even we cannot hope to oppose them. Yet they've made no overt move—this must be tied to something immense, likely a direct plot by the White Bone Demon King."

"I am willing to accompany you tonight. If I meet misfortune, it may alert certain people in the kingdom!"

"Only with solid proof can the Three Great Venerables be convinced!"

The plain-faced Zhou man nodded slightly and began detailing the clues they had gathered.

Behind the mirror, Brother Qian Chen and Seeing Yan Shu exchanged glances and smiled: "Just said the White Bone Demon King was hiding—and now we have his trail!"

Brother Qian Chen chuckled: "This White Bone Demon King is terribly unlucky."

"Are these people also from our origin?" Seeing Yan Shu asked, watching the figures in the mirror. "Their words suggest they've been here before."

"I'll call the junior sisters. Tonight, we'll be the oriole."

Brother Qian Chen alerted Ning Ning Qingchen and the others via the team channel; soon they gathered in Brother Qian Chen and Seeing Yan Shu's room.

In the mirror, the lead man concluded: "Ghost Blade Luo Sen is said to be in the inn too—can the master persuade him to join? With his aid, our chances improve by threefold!"

Master Fa Xin pondered briefly, then nodded: "I shall try."

…………

At night, the inn was silent. Brother Qian Chen, meditating in seiza, suddenly opened his eyes and whispered to Seeing Yan Shu: "They've moved."

Brother Qian Chen crept onto the roof; from the ruined city tower, he overlooked the entire wasteland. The streets, once bustling with desperate life, now lay utterly still—no pedestrians.

Master Fa Xin and the Lunhuizhe left the inn and headed north.

Concealed beneath wide-brimmed hats, Ghost Blade Luo Sen trailed behind at a distance.

At the wasteland's center—once the seat of the governor's mansion and several grand estates—now the most desolate spot, where insects chirped from overgrown weeds—the Daoist scattered a handful of talismans; dozens of yellow paper sheets flew into the air as he whispered: "Spirit-Sensing, Demon-Identifying Talismans, go!"

The yellow talismans scattered in all directions.

Master Fa Xin chanted the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra, counting his prayer beads, eyes closed, sensing.

On the tower, Brother Qian Chen and the others watched from afar, their spiritual senses covering the entire wasteland; Si Princess Qingcheng casually scattered thousands of talismans like illusions, murmuring: "Clear-Mind Pursuit-Spirit Talismans, go!"

Instantly, thousands of talismans vanished, forming an invisible celestial net that tightly enveloped the entire wasteland.

A faint white shadow drifted past a ruined house. Si Princess Qingcheng's eyes snapped open—she was about to speak, but Brother Qian Chen stopped her: "Sister, observe quietly."