That day

  The night finally ended, and when the sunlight shone on the earth again, some people were overjoyed to have survived, while others were terrified about whether they could continue to survive.

  The city streets are still bustling with people hurrying to and fro, it's a peaceful day.

  Zhang Haiyang had another nightmare. He dreamed that his wife and parents were killed one by one by evil spirits, with blood all over the ground. His daughter cried out for her father, but was torn in two by the evil spirits. He told himself it was just a dream, and everything would be fine when he woke up. But after Zhang Haiyang woke up from the nightmare, he realized that it wasn't a dream, but his memories. Zhang Haiyang hugged his pillow and cried bitterly, deeply hating his own incompetence for not being able to protect his family. He was even more resentful of himself for retreating last night when his enemy was right in front of him, and he couldn't even stop them despite having two souls and two hatreds. He crawled back to the Haitian Villa Garden.

  Not everyone has the courage to face supernatural phenomena, let alone that kind of terrifying scene.

  But Zhang Haiyang couldn't forgive himself, he had reasons that wouldn't allow him to turn back, yet he still ran away with his tail between his legs, this was the behavior of a coward.

  Lily hugged Zhang Haiyang, listening to his intermittent account of his past, silently shedding tears. Lily did not expect that this iron-like man would have such sad memories, he had also had a family and loved ones, but lost them in such a bizarre way. Lily remembered the case of the massacre last year, it was a sensational event at the time, almost everyone in Tian Nan City was talking about it, including her and other sisters.

  Only Lili was somewhat puzzled, why the recently occurred Qifeng migrant worker's wage arrears case of Gao Qin, and several years ago deceased Gao Wan also became Zhang Haiyang's relatives.

  Today was also special for Lily, it was the day her mother humiliated herself to death. At that time, she was still young, but she had an impression. Her parents were already divorced, and her mother went to visit friends and didn't come back, so she lived with her father. One day, a neighbor said her mother came back, and her father immediately took her to find her mother. The sky that day was particularly blue, even a bit dark, but behind the darkness was an even brighter blue. Lily stood at the door waiting, while her father kicked the door and scolded, finally, her irritable father borrowed a hammer and smashed open the door, only to see her mother hanging on the door frame, dead for a long time. Lily's mother wore new clothes from Chinese New Year, with a distorted face that couldn't be seen in its original appearance. Death was so ugly and real, and sad.

  At that moment, Lily took a cold breath and suddenly grew up.

  "You see, we all have hatred, we all have reasons to live on, so don't cry. After we become strong enough, there will always be a time for revenge."

  Lily said firmly, Zhang Haiyang stared blankly at this woman, as if he had seen her for the first time, his heart skipped a beat.

  "What's your enemy's name?"

  "They're all dead, do you still remember that serial killer from over a decade ago in six provinces? The first case he committed was the massacre of that village, he killed every single one of those scums, not leaving any alive."

  Zhang Haiyang's heart moved slightly, as if he had thought of something, but couldn't quite confirm it.

  Wang Nian took his brother Wang to another hiding place that night, this time not daring to stay in the downtown area again, but instead choosing a suburban area where Wang Nian had several independent houses. The night's exertion left Wang Nian exhausted, and all his wounds reopened during the fight; after changing the dressing, he fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

  Early in the morning, big brother Wang stared at Wang Nian on the bed with a complicated gaze, his palms were all sweaty.

  The skull that was suspended in mid-air disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace, but Big Brother Wang was uncertain whether it was really gone from above his head, so although he held a knife in his hand, he didn't dare to stab.

  "He already has such a terrifying pet, won't he spare my life now?!"

  Big Brother Wang finally put away his knife. Even if he killed Wang Nian, leaving the yard would still result in being hunted down by others. Forced by circumstances, he could only follow Wang Nian.

  Just as the big brother put away his knife, Wang Nian opened his eyes, but he didn't move. He thoughtfully licked his lips and closed his eyes again. Wang Nian was very tired and had no time to deal with those trivial matters.

  The bony ghost hung quietly above Wang Nian, with strange lights flowing over its skeleton like water from time to time. Only Wang Nian himself could see such a strange sight, and even if he closed his eyes, he could still see it clearly. So when Big Brother Wang stood in front of his bed with a knife in hand, the bony ghost's withered claws were already grasping at Big Brother Wang's neck.

  Life or death is all up to Big Brother Wang's decision.

  Fortunately, Big Brother Wang didn't make Wang Nian wait too long, otherwise the impatient Wang Nian would have chosen to end his life first.

  Although he was already awake, Wang Nian did not get out of bed immediately, and instead thought about something.

  Last night, the Bone Ghost suddenly lost control and seemed to be responding to some mysterious summons. If it wasn't for Wang Nian timely putting it away in the Black Jade Yin Symbol, the Bone Ghost that had just acknowledged its master would have been called away by that mysterious summons. Wang Nian carefully recalled the situation at the time and felt more and more that the Bone Ghost was afraid, unable to resist that summons.

  "Something that can even scare a Bone Spirit, should be the Corpse Demon Yang Ming mentioned?"

  Wang Nian made an effort to recall, it seemed that there was still some time before the day Yang Ming mentioned. But if it wasn't a corpse demon, what else could make even evil spirits like this afraid?

  Wang Nian recalled the first time he heard Yang Ming mention the Corpse Demon, which was over a decade ago. At that time, Wang Nian was just a minor figure in the organization, and Yang Ming, who was already the second-in-command, sought him out to express his admiration for Wang's talents and ask for his thoughts on the organization. Back then, Wang Nian had grown tired of the endless fighting and killing, and wanted to start a company instead. So, Yang Ming helped Wang Nian establish Qifeng Entrepreneurship. As the company's business flourished, Wang Nian's status rose accordingly, eventually becoming the leader of the organization.

  It was that day, Yang Ming suddenly mentioned the demon to Wang Nian. He said that there were really ghosts in this world, and the ancient Chinese had mastered the method of controlling them. Yang Ming's words were vivid and colorful, leaving a bewildered Wang Nian with a blank expression. Finally, Yang Ming revealed the key point: in Tiannan City, there was a Corpse Demon that, although sealed away, could reappear at any moment. And the target of the Corpse Demon was none other than Yang Ming himself. After investigating all the people with abilities in Tiannan City, Yang Ming discovered Wang Nian, whose ancestor had been a Taoist priest who single-handedly subdued and sealed thirteen evil spirits in Fujian Province. Although that Taoist priest ultimately died on the altar, his abilities were beyond doubt, and he left behind the thirteen sealed evil spirits as well as the technique for controlling ghosts.

  At that time, Wang Nian finally understood why Yang Ming wanted to support him to the position, but in any case, he was already the leader of the community. To repay Yang Ming's kindness, Wang Nian agreed to all his requests and searched every nook and cranny at home to find the so-called Thirteen Evil Ghosts Sealing Stone and a book called "Ghost-Riding Miscellaneous Talks", which were all passed on to Gao Tian.

  Wang Nian didn't believe in ghosts, let alone the existence of a corpse that wouldn't die for over a decade. But when the Blood Ghost appeared, Wang Nian was frightened out of his wits and only then did he think that maybe everything Yang Ming said was true.

  "That day is not far away, perhaps I should summon another evil spirit? After the Corpse Demon deals with Yang Ming, maybe I'll have a chance to rise again."

  Wang Nian thought so, and his hand had already unconsciously taken out a black jade yin token.

  At this moment, Wang was brushing his teeth in the yard when he suddenly felt a chill behind him and couldn't stop shivering.

  Tang Hongming woke up, but she would rather not wake up again.

  Professor Yu died and the corpse demon escaped, both of which were unacceptable to her.

  The six departments were in disarray, with nearly half of the personnel injured or killed, all of whom were key researchers. The painstakingly established six departments were almost annihilated in this incident. News of the Corpse Demon's escape had already been reported, and a city-wide search was underway, but even if they found it, there was no way to deal with it - it was impervious to bullets, and the equipment of the six departments was useless. Tang Hong didn't know what else in this world could stop the Corpse Demon.

  "Yu Weiguo, you bastard, leaving me here all by myself."

  At the thought of Professor Yu, Tang Hong's tears fell uncontrollably.

  "Didn't even see him one last time, will never forgive him!"

  Tang Hong struggled to get out of bed and walked out of the six departments' rest room, she didn't suffer any injuries, but Professor Yu's death had a huge impact on her, causing her body to collapse.

  It's not the time to lie in bed, Tang Hongming visited the injured colleagues with Sun Xiangshu, everyone was slightly injured, but the psychological blow was huge, all were disheartened. The four sacrificed colleagues were backbone members, each of them was a genius-level figure in their own field, they had great ambitions, but unexpectedly fell on the road ahead of Zhuang Qin.

  Tang Hongming's name is in sight, urgent in heart. In the current state, the six departments can't withstand even a slight storm. Tang Hongming cannot watch the world's top research institute that grew under her own hands decline inexplicably. She must do something, even if it means the six departments are completely annihilated when they meet Zhuang Qin again, which is better than the current situation.

  A person cannot be without a driving force for striving, and cannot indulge in sorrow and the past. If one cannot break free from it, then what is the difference between that and being a demon corpse?

  "Everyone listen up! The Corpse Demon has escaped, but this isn't over yet! Right now the entire Tian Nan City is in extreme danger. If we don't stop it, there will be more deaths, maybe our relatives and friends, or innocent civilians, but no matter who they are, they have no reason to die. The Corpse Demon escaped from us, so we should catch it again. This is our responsibility! It's something we must do! Otherwise, we won't be able to face the deceased colleagues...or the friends who came to help."

  Tang Hong's eyes reddened again as she spoke, and tears swirled in her eye sockets, sparkling under the light.

  "Now, let's move! I've decided to execute Plan No. 5, all departments are ready, and as soon as possible, eliminate the corpse demons and restore a stable situation in Tian Nan City, and also bring justice to all the dead!"

  The people of the six departments all stood up, and the fire in their eyes reignited, just like Professor Yu had once shouted, "We have no way to retreat." This was a fight to the death, with no retreat.

  After returning to the laboratory, Tang Hongming asked Sun Xiangshu about the progress of purification.

  "Not very optimistic, Gao Yun's spiritual energy is extremely strong. What can be confirmed now is that she and the blood ghost from last year are not the same thing. How to put it, Gao Yun has occupied the original lair of the evil spirit, and may have already merged with the consciousness and energy of the evil spirit, becoming an isolated existence."

  "Are you saying she's still conscious?"

  Sun Xiangshu nodded and opened a device, connecting it to the computer. The speakers immediately emitted a noisy electrical current sound.

  "I found that Gao Yun can imitate brain waves and heartbeats, you see, even with reflexive behavior. So she is different from the so-called ghosts we've seen before, she has consciousness and treats herself as a person. In other words, she is a truly powerful soul that exists independently of her physical body. Moreover, Gao Yun has strong absorptive abilities, she can absorb other spiritual electrons."

  Tang Hong's name furrowed his brow and remained silent for a while before making up his mind.

  "Can I talk to her?"

  "Of course."

  Sun Xiangshu injected a few drops of unknown liquid into the bottle containing high-purity spirit energy, and that lump of jumping light suddenly shook violently, slowly condensing into a face.

  "Do you still remember me?"

  Tang Hong's name was mentioned, and a faint face made of light appeared in the bottle, disappearing and reappearing. She looked puzzled.

  "Do you still remember Shi Li? And Wang Nian, and your sister Gao Qin?"

  When she heard Shi Li's name, Gao Xuan's semi-transparent face suddenly became opaque, her eyes flowing with a bright and spirited light.

  "Is he... all right?"

  Gao Xuan's hesitant question made Tang Hongming ecstatic, Gao Xuan indeed still had consciousness and even memories. Perhaps the fifth plan should be revised.

  "Uh, he's fine, came by yesterday but didn't see you. Your current state is unstable, too much negative emotions causing you to lose control of yourself. We need to purify your negative energy now, this process will be painful, hope you can hold on. If you get through this, then I'll agree to let you meet Shili."

  Gao Yan's face broke into a smile, pure and innocent.

  "Uh, I'll definitely be able to hold on!"

  "But before that, I have something to ask, who awakened you? Or rather, who forcibly confined your soul in the evil spirit symbol?"

  "It's Wang Nian! And Yang Ming! One of them has imprisoned my soul, and the other has crushed my body with a cart, I hate them!"

  Gao Yan's face suddenly lost its calmness and became ferocious, she kept crashing into the bottle wall.

  Sun Xiangshu hastily added a few more drops into the bottle, and that spinning ball of light finally calmed down, and Gao Yan's face relaxed.

  "Head, you wouldn't be thinking of having Gao Xuan deal with the Corpse Demon, would you?"

  "Do you think there's another way?"

  Tang Hongming asked rhetorically and stood up to leave the laboratory.

  The professor's body has been taken away, but that patch of blood on the wall is still there, shocking to behold.

  In the late afternoon, a strong wind started blowing, and leaves fell from the trees on Dashan Mountain, flying everywhere, creating a desolate scene.

  Zhang Haiyang tightened his collar, gazing up at the mountain top. The last ray of sunlight was retreating from the forest between the peaks, and a hazy mist seemed to be falling from the sky.

  The weather turned cold, and the number of tourists and incense visitors decreased. The ropeway up the mountain stopped operating early. Zhang Haiyang looked back for a while, making sure no one was following him, before taking steps to head up the mountain. Just behind him, not far away, a pair of eyes stared intently from behind a huge boulder, until Zhang Haiyang's figure disappeared into the forest before emerging from behind the rock. He also looked back for a while before following Zhang Haiyang towards the Daming Temple on the mountain.

  The evening bell of Daimonji Temple resonates through the clouds, its sound extremely piercing and clear, audible even from across the mountains.

  Zhang Haiyang stopped in front of the gate, and he felt something was wrong. The fortune-telling stalls at the temple entrance were all gone, the old beggars from the nearby village who came to beg every day were not there either, and the ticket window was closed tightly.

  The fortune-telling stalls outside the Dàmù Temple are all run by monks from the temple who wear headscarves and make money outside. When telling fortunes, they just say a few auspicious words; if they encounter someone they don't like, they'll make up a few scary sentences to intimidate them. If they meet someone who is wealthy but not benevolent, the Dàmù Temple monks will never go easy on them. Regardless of wind or rain, the monks will always set up their fortune-telling stalls at the entrance and use Buddhist scriptures to explain that this too is a form of spiritual practice.

  But today, the entrance of Daimonji Temple is unexpectedly quiet.

  "Maybe it's because of the cold weather, they've all gone home early!"

  Zhang Haiyang hesitated to knock on the door, and the echo reverberated back and forth in the temple, as if it were an empty hall. Zhang Haiyang looked inside through the gap between the doors, but didn't see a single person, so who was ringing the bell of merit?

  Zhang Haiyang suddenly turned around, and there was no one behind him, but he always felt that someone in the woods was looking over with ill intentions. This feeling made Zhang Haiyang's heart uneasy, and he cautiously pricked up his ears to listen. The mountain wind brought all the movements from around, only the rustling of leaves colliding with each other in the cold winter wind.

  At this time, footsteps came from the temple, urgent and empty.

  Zhang Haiyang dodged to the side of the door, his eyes restlessly scanning around. The entrance of Daming Temple was spacious and empty, with no place to hide.

  "Master Zhang Shi, my master invites you to come in and take a seat."

  The one who opened the door was Zhishan, who was the senior fellow disciple of Zhihui. Both Zhihui and Zhishan were disciples of Bikuang.

  Zhang Haiyang hesitated for a moment at the gate of Dammu Temple, but still decided to enter the temple. Even if there was a trap inside, it would be better than staying at the gate.

  "Has Master Bei Mu passed away?"

  The monks were all dispersed, leaving only two disciples. The staff in the temple heard that there was a ghost and were too afraid to come to work. Zhì was striking the bell, while Bì guarded the body of Mù, reciting the "Sutra of Rebirth". The vast Dàmù Temple was empty inside and out, without a single sign of human activity, making Zhang Haiyang's heart feel cold.

  "What will you do, Master?"

  Zhang Haiyang involuntarily became serious and stopped shouting randomly. Pi Guang opened his slightly closed eyes, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.

  "Exorcising demons is our duty, and since Gao Qian has fallen into demonic possession, I will send her to the afterlife! Even if she's in Liu Ke's place, I won't let her off! I've gathered the members of the Spiritual Association, and three days later, we'll reconvene here for another ritual."

  "Gao Xuan?"

  Zhang Haiyang was taken aback, and Baiguang turned his head to look at Zhang Haiyang, with a growing sense of doubt in his eyes.

  "What? Does Zhang Shi also know Gao Qian?"

  "Uh-huh, just an acquaintance."

  "Really? I see redness in your eyes, darkness between your eyebrows, and is your body uncomfortable?"

  "Oh, I've been feeling a bit unwell lately, but after resting for a few days, I'll be fine."

  Pi Guang obviously didn't believe it, got up and circled around Zhang Haiyang a few times, suddenly stretched out his hand to press down on Zhang Haiyang's crown, muttering to himself.

  Zhang Haiyang dodged backwards at the moment of the explosion, but his body unexpectedly didn't move an inch. He stared wide-eyed as the explosion's hand landed on his head, and then a fiery hot current surged into his brain, scorching him so that he wanted to shout out loud, yet couldn't make a sound. The explosion wasn't relaxed either; its hand pressing down on Zhang Haiyang's head seemed to be receiving an electric shock, trembling non-stop.

  It wasn't until much later that Baiguang loosened his grip and retreated to the side, sitting down. Zhang Haiyang stood up, his eyes clear.

  "Thank you, Master!"

  "Namo Amituofo."

  Prajna did not respond, but merely chanted a mantra and then entered meditation.

  Zhang Haiyang felt that something was missing in his heart, yet he inexplicably felt joyful. He became immersed in a kind of introspection about life. As he walked out of the Daming Temple, he gazed out at the sky and earth which had already fallen into darkness. The countless joys and sorrows of life, as well as the pleasure of liberation from worldly attachments, surged up to his heart. It was as if he had seen the true nature of human existence.

  A figure sneaked around behind a big tree, thinking it hadn't been discovered.

  Zhang Haiyang smiled calmly and ignored him, walking down the mountain with a flourish.

  "What? The corpse demon has escaped?"

  Yang Ming's eyes were filled with bloodshot, he didn't sleep for half a minute last night. The news of Wang Nian summoning the Bone Ghost and escaping had already made him terrified, ignoring the pain of his gunshot wound, he ran back to his room in Qifeng Building, and was absent-minded all day. Now that he has received the news of the Corpse Demon's escape, he is even more frightened, and anyone who approaches him will be stuck with a Taoist talisman.

  "Come in, Mr. Gao!"

  Yang Ming shouted loudly outside the door, his hand tightly grasping a black jade yin token, he only had this one left, the others were all with Wang Nian.

  Yang Ming's bedroom had no windows, it was an independent secret room, inside which various gods and demons were worshipped, the walls were covered with talismans. Outside the door, there were people guarding every day, at night, seven people took turns to guard according to the Tian Gang array method. Yang Ming's fear of death was only clear to himself, these more than ten years, although he appeared glorious in front of others, but not a single day passed without him being terrified. In the six departments, there were his informants, as soon as something happened, the corpse demon would send him a message at the first time. The corpse demon grew stronger every day, its power became more and more difficult to control, especially on that day, it always tried to escape. And this year, the informant hidden in the six departments thought that nothing could stop it anymore.

  It was for this reason that Yang Ming steeled himself to get rid of Wang Nian ahead of time, he needed to use Wang Nian's life to activate the Black Jade Yin Symbol, truly lift the seal and release a powerful evil spirit to deal with the Corpse Demon.

  "Director Yang, what did you call me for?"

  Gao Tian pushed open the door from outside, with a thin layer of sweat on his nose, he had run up the stairs.

  "Haven't you found Lily yet? What a bunch of trash! You order them to catch Lily for 1 million, Wang Nian doesn't care if she's dead or alive for 3 million! And what about Zhang Haiyang, he's been hiding in Tian Nan City for some time now, when can you guys catch him? Last year, one Yin symbol was wasted on creating a useless blood ghost, look at the bone ghost that Wang Nian's grandson summoned, how does it feel? This is the difference between a correct and incorrect blood sacrifice!"

  Yang Ming's gaze was piercing, making Gao Tian unable to lift his head.

  "Director Yang, that Zhang Haiyang... last night he destroyed our community..."

  Yang Ming's face turned iron-green, and a murderous intent gradually appeared in his eyes.

  "Pass on the message, Zhang Haiyang also has a price of 30 million. Take this token and remember, you must make his blood seep into every corner of Jade!"

  Gao Tian handed over the black jade and respectfully retreated. As he closed the door behind him, he smiled, his face twisted in a terrifying grimace.