Along the way, Qing Xuanzi carefully observed the surrounding environment. The village was located at the foot of the mountain and surrounded by dense forests, making it exceptionally quiet.

However, Qing Xuanzi could sense a suffocating atmosphere, as if this land was shrouded in some ominous force.

Most of the village's buildings are wooden structures, which look somewhat old, but the layout is very orderly.

When the villagers saw their clan leader leading Qing Xuanzi and his entourage in, they all cast curious and expectant glances their way.

Their eyes held a hint of weariness and fear, clearly indicating that the recent disappearances had left them in a state of panic.

Wu Hui led Qing Xuanzi to the ancestral hall at the village entrance. The door of the ancestral hall was tightly closed, giving people a gloomy feeling.

Clan Chief Wu walked to the door, gently pushed open the ancestral hall door, and a faint stench of decay wafted out.

Qing Xuanzi frowned slightly, cast a barrier spell on Rong Jiaojiao, and then led her inside.

As I entered the ancestral hall, my gaze swept around the surroundings.

Several coffins were placed inside the ancestral hall, covered with a thin layer of dust, giving it a somewhat desolate appearance.

Wu Hui walked to the coffin, gently lifted the lid, and revealed the shriveled corpse inside.

Qing Xuanzi walked to the coffin and carefully examined the corpse. His divine sense slowly probed into the mummified body to search for clues.

After examining all the mummies, I discovered that they included both men and women, young and old, and all of them died in the same manner.

The corpses were devoid of moisture and life, as if they had been suddenly sucked away, and there was no trace of soul on their bodies.

Qing Xuanzi asked, "Have you hired someone to perform a ritual to send them to the underworld?"

Wu Hui shook his head: "The cause of their death is unknown. I also asked my youngest son to report it to the special national departments. I want to wait until they come to see it before we talk about anything else."

Qing Xuanzi frowned. Logically speaking, since they died violent deaths, their souls should not be able to enter the underworld without a sorcerer performing a ritual for them.

Strangely, these corpses had no trace of souls, as if their souls had been devoured by some force the moment they died.

Qing Xuanzi's heart sank. This was no ordinary evil spirit's doing; it was as if the spirit had sucked away his life force and soul.

Qing Xuanzi's heart grew heavier. Since they had encountered evil spirits, they could not ignore them. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Clan Chief Wu, the condition of these corpses is indeed strange. It is definitely not the work of ordinary evil spirits. I suspect it is the work of some kind of spirit or evil cultivator."

Upon hearing this, a hint of panic flashed in Wu Hui's eyes, and he hurriedly asked, "Master, what should we do?"

Qing Xuanzi shook his head slightly and said, "This matter still needs further investigation. Clan Chief Wu, could you please tell us where these people are, and whether they disappeared during the day or at night?"

Wu Hui nodded and said, "The first one is the young man I mentioned to the master before. He disappeared after entering the mountains during the day. We also found his body deep in the mountains. At that time, two days had passed since he disappeared."

"Some of the people who went missing later disappeared in the nearby mountains, and some disappeared around the village, all in broad daylight."

“They were usually alone when they went missing, and they were found in different places, so we can’t be sure where the evil spirit is.”

Qing Xuanzi pondered, if the first young man was the trigger for the evil spirits or monsters to begin causing trouble.

The subsequent disappearances were likely due to the evil spirits finding success in absorbing souls and life force, and then following the villagers to this village, repeatedly preying on them to grow stronger.

If that's the case, the evil spirit's power shouldn't be too strong yet; it can only hunt one at a time and then slowly absorb and refine it.

Therefore, the place where the young man's body was first found is very likely the lair of the evil spirit. It's just unknown whether it's still there now.

After pondering for a moment, Qing Xuanzi said to Wu Hui, "Clan Chief Wu, I want to go to the place where the first missing young man was found. Perhaps we can find some clues there."

Wu Hui nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take you there now."

Wu Qizhou quickly stopped him, saying, "Grandpa, you're too old. Let me take the master there."

Wu Hui waved his hand: "None of you are as skilled as me, it's safer for me to go." He then changed the subject, "But will the master's little apprentice stay in the village?"

He looked at the little baby who had been holding the sable and following closely behind them without saying a word or falling behind, and felt quite impressed.

However, the mountain road is difficult to travel, and if we encounter evil spirits, we may not be able to protect them in the ensuing battle.

Qing Xuanzi looked at his disciple, whose eyes were darting around curiously, and smiled, "I can protect her, Clan Chief Wu, you don't need to worry."

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Wu Hui felt a surge of anticipation; perhaps this master was even more powerful than he had imagined.

So he said no more and led the way out of the village. His grandson was worried and wanted to follow, but he stopped him.

Finally, two middle-aged men stepped forward and followed, and Wu Qizhou finally calmed down, but he still watched them leave with worry in his eyes.

Qing Xuanzi, Wu Hui, and their group followed and headed towards the depths of the mountains.

Along the way, Wu Hui kept an eye on Rong Jiaojiao. Seeing that the little girl was using light-body skills to travel at such a young age, he admired Qing Xuanzi even more.

With such a talented disciple, he himself must be extraordinary.

Qing Xuanzi ignored his investigation and focused on observing the surrounding environment.

He noticed a faint, malevolent aura permeating the forest; though subtle, he could clearly perceive it.

He thought to himself, "This evil spirit must not be very strong, otherwise it wouldn't have left such obvious traces in the mountains."

After walking for about an hour, and with Rong Jiaojiao panting, they finally arrived at the place where the first missing young man had been found.

This is a dense forest, quiet all around, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.

A middle-aged man pointed to the spot where they found the young man's body and said, "Master, this is it. When we found the body, he was lying in that patch of grass, his body already shriveled, just like the body in the ancestral hall."

Qing Xuanzi nodded, his eyes sharp, and slowly walked towards the patch of grass.

He noticed some strange marks in the grass, like traces left by some creature crawling or dragging something, but these marks were already somewhat blurred and not very clear due to the wind and rain.

Only a faint trace of evil energy remained in the grass, not strong, just like the remnants in the forest.

Qing Xuanzi's gaze lingered in the grass. He squatted down, his fingers gently brushing against the withered grass leaves, sensing the lingering evil energy.

Although this evil energy was faint, it had a cold, sinister quality, as if it were seeping from the depths of the earth.