"Ghost Gate Formation, collect." Collecting the souls of so many corpses at once was very difficult even for Gu Lingze.

Just when it seemed that the formation was about to be closed, unexpectedly a burst of death energy counterattacked and created a hole in the formation again.

Drops of cold sweat slid down his forehead, and Gu Lingze pinched the magic spell with both hands and pressed them together.

At this moment, a thunder suddenly sounded in the sky.

The black air in the canal condensed into a big hand and grabbed Gu Lingze in mid-air. The copper coins on the ground made a buzzing sound, and it was obvious that it could no longer be suppressed.

There were strong winds blowing all around, dark clouds were covering the sky, the sky and the earth suddenly turned gray and white, and raindrops as big as beans fell down.

Gu Lingze summoned the Mo Shuang Sword and chopped at the big hand below. The black mist was dispersed by the sword energy, but condensed again in an instant.

Gu Lingze pointed his sword to the sky, and joined his left hand with the sword, chanting some magic words.

"Inside and outside the Three Realms, only Taoism reigns supreme. There is a golden light on my body, covering my body. All gods pay homage to me, and I am imprisoned in the spring forever. Ghosts and demons are frightened, and spirits and monsters lose their form."

"Golden light appears quickly, protecting the real person!"

A ray of golden light shot out from the rolling black clouds, passed through Gu Lingze's body, and shone on the canal.

The black air illuminated by the golden light seemed to be corroded and eroded, making a hissing sound, and then turned into smoke and completely dissipated in the golden light.

Gu Lingze groaned, with a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. He did not retract the Mo Shuang Sword into the secret realm until all the black air was completely devoured.

Gu Lingze fell back to the ground, spit out a mouthful of blood, and lost consciousness instantly.

“Lingze!!”

When Gu Lingze opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on the bed. Gu Xiuyi was sitting on a stool beside the bed with his eyes closed and his head supported by one hand, obviously guarding him.

Gu Lingze felt a surge of pain in his chest and couldn't help coughing twice. Gu Xiuyi immediately opened his eyes.

"Lingze, you're awake!" After saying that, he quickly walked to the table and poured a glass of water.

Gu Xiuyi helped him up and put the cup to his mouth. After Gu Lingze drank it, Gu Xiuyi helped him lie down again.

"Is Pingdong Mansion okay?"

"It's all right now. All the living people in the city have drunk the water, and all the insects have been burned to death."

Gu Xiuyi frowned and looked at him, "Where are you injured? Why did you vomit blood before?"

Gu Lingze was indeed injured, but the injuries to his internal organs can only be healed slowly in the future, and there is no panacea.

He smiled weakly, "Brother, I am a doctor myself. I can definitely cure my own illness, don't worry."

Gu Xiuyi sighed with heartache, and felt uncomfortable for his own powerlessness.

"Brother, everyone in the city must stay in the city. No one can leave."

Gu Xiuyi nodded.

"Also, send people to throw all the bodies from all the villages under Pingdong Prefecture into the canal now." Gu Lingze paused, "Then burn them all without leaving a single one."

If so many corpses were buried slowly, there was a high possibility of plague. Only by burning them all and sending people to fill in the canals could the hidden danger be eliminated.

He knew that being cremated was the fate of those who committed treason in this dynasty, so he let all the living people stay in the capital. It is better not to know some things.

Gu Xiuyi has been dealing with things these two days, and Gu Lingze stayed in the government office to recuperate.

During this period, he kept wondering who had done this, which was simply a sacrifice to the entire Pingdong Prefecture.

The souls of the people in the canal were forcibly taken away while they were still alive. What on earth was this person trying to do by plundering their vitality so cruelly?

Gu Lingze thought about it and asked Magistrate Sun to find a few villagers from Dachuan Village. He wanted to ask about what happened in the past few days.

"The water in our village's canal was originally very clear, but that morning when our villagers went to work in the fields, they found that the water in the river had turned yellow and was extremely turbid."

Gu Lingze looked at him and asked, "How many days ago was that day?"

The villager counted on his fingers and replied, "About ten days ago."

"Someone in our village said before that they saw a black thing in the water, and it was very big." Another villager added.

A black and particularly large thing? Gu Lingze frowned and asked, "Among the living people in your village, is there anyone who has seen this thing?"

"Yes, yes, I will call him over right away, sir."

After the villager was called, he seemed extremely nervous and kept his head down, not daring to look at Lingze.

"Don't be afraid. I called you here just to ask a question."

"What did you see in the river in your village that day?"

The villager's name was Feng Da. That day he took a hatchet and prepared to go to the back mountain to chop some dry branches for firewood. There was nothing to do when he went there, so when he came back he walked home along the river carrying the firewood.

He had just walked for a while when the muddy river water suddenly began to bubble. He was a little scared, so he picked up a stone and threw it into the river.

As a result, a black dorsal fin floated out of the river and sank back into the river in an instant.

"That thing is really big," Feng Da compared it with his hand, "It was so big that I almost scared myself to death."

Gu Lingze asked a few more questions and then let the villagers from Dachuan Village leave. He sat alone in the room, thinking hard.

Could it be a fish that has become a spirit? Gu Lingze shook his head. No, if there really was a spirit that harmed so many people, it would definitely leave a trace, but he didn't notice it at all.

Moreover, this canal was turned into a corpse-raising ground by someone, so the dead people in the village would become zombies. If it were a fish monster that ate people, there would be no need to spend all this effort.

At this time, Gu Xiuyi pushed the door and walked in.

"Did you find out anything?"

Gu Lingze shook his head. "There is no sign yet. Wait until tomorrow..."

Before he could finish his words, Magistrate Sun suddenly rushed in, followed by two yamen runners supporting a man.

The man was covered in blood. Gu Xiuyi was shocked when he saw his face. This man was actually a guard in the general's mansion.

Gu Lingze quickly asked the bailiff to put the man on the bed, but he didn't expect that the man suddenly opened his eyes.

"Young… Master… The Third… The Third Prince has forced the palace to rebel."

Gu Lingze was rushing towards the capital as fast as he could. Gu Xiuyi was brought into the secret realm by him. The situation was critical now and he had no time to take care of other things.

Everyone in Mu Tao Courtyard was hiding in a room at this time. Huang Shulang stood at the door and listened to every move outside.

Suddenly, the gate was kicked open, and someone shouted, "Search!"

Seeing that they were about to search the house, Huang Shulang opened the door and walked out, "Don't look for it anymore, Grandpa, I'm here."

The soldiers surrounded him with knives in their hands. Huang Shulang groaned, and suddenly many thorns burst out of his body. The people around him immediately started howling like ghosts.

The leader took out a mirror-like object from his arms and shone it at Huang Shulang. A red light shone straight at him, and Huang Shulang covered his head and groaned in pain.