The Mystery of Guixu and the Evil Devil

As they headed towards the source of Guixu, the morning light had already flooded the rooftops of Qingwu Town, illuminating the puddles on the road. After applying Meng Meng's herbal remedies to the wound on Su Xiao's arm, the burning pain gradually subsided, but she still felt uneasy. Just now, at the underground altar, Xiaowan's unleashing of the power of Meng Yao's remnant soul had been too sudden. Furthermore, when the Bone Master's remnant soul was destroyed, she seemed to see a strange smile flash across Xiaowan's lips, but it was so fleeting that it seemed almost an illusion.

"Su Xiao, what are you thinking about?" Chen Mo noticed that she kept looking back and followed her gaze towards the direction of the Miao village ruins. "Are you worried about Xiao Wan? Don't worry, she has been able to stay in the ruins for so many years, she will definitely be able to take care of herself."

Su Xiao shook her head and was about to speak when she heard hurried footsteps behind her. Everyone turned around to see Xiao Wan, breathlessly catching up. The black slime on her white dress had vanished, and her face was no longer timid. Instead, she had an excitement that was unbelievable for her age. "Wait for me! I've thought about it. I'm familiar with the path to the Origin of Guixu. I'll go with you and help!"

Lin Xi smiled immediately and was about to agree when Su Xiao quietly pulled her back. Su Xiao stared into Xiao Wan's eyes—those once clear eyes now shone a faint, dark blue, exactly like Meng Yao's when she was previously possessed by the evil spirit. "How do you know the way to the source of Guixu?" Su Xiao calmly gripped the Chiyang Gu box. "Didn't you say before that you'd only been to the Miao village's drum tower and underground altar?"

Xiaowan's eyes flickered for a moment, and then she smiled and waved her hand. "I've secretly followed people who were seduced by evil spirits! When they went to the source of Guixu, I followed behind and memorized a lot of the route!" As she spoke, she suddenly ran to Zhao Yu and reached out to touch the black mark on his arm. "Does your injury hurt? I know a herb that will heal quickly if you apply it. It grows near the entrance to the source of Guixu..."

Zhao Yu was about to thank him when Su Xiao pulled him away. The insects in the Chiyang Gu box suddenly became restless, and the walls of the box felt slightly hot—a reaction to sensing malicious intent. Su Xiao finally determined that something was amiss with the little pill in front of her. She took a deep breath and said deliberately, "No need. Master Azhu's herbs are enough. Besides, the source of Guixu is too dangerous. You should stay in the ruins of the Miao village and wait for us."

"No!" Xiaowan's face darkened instantly, and her previous obedience disappeared without a trace. She suddenly grabbed Su Xiao's wrist with amazing strength, "I must go with you! Do you think that you can find the source of the Black Evil by getting the secret key? Without me, you can't even enter the first level of the Origin of Guixu!"

Her nails suddenly grew longer, their tips gleaming with a cold black light as they dug deep into Su Xiao's wrist. Su Xiao frowned in pain and was about to open the Chiyang Gu box when Xiao Wan suddenly loosened her grip, returning to her aggrieved expression. She looked at everyone with red eyes, "I just wanted to help you... Do you think I'm a demon spirit and don't trust me?"

Meng Meng was soft-hearted to begin with, and seeing her like this, he immediately stepped forward to comfort her: "It's nothing, we're just worried about your safety. Since you're familiar with the road, come with us, but you must follow us closely and don't run around."

Xiaowan immediately broke into laughter and nodded obediently. But as she turned around, a fierce look flashed in her eyes, and a subtle sneer curled up at the corner of her mouth. These idiots are so easy to fool. When Meng Yao's residual soul merged into her body, it not only gave her power but also allowed her to see Meng Yao's memories. She had long known that the "Evil Core" was hidden deep within the source of Guixu. If she could obtain the Evil Core, she would absorb all the power of the Black Evil and become the new Bone Master! The secret key to suppressing the Evil in the hands of Su Xiao and the others was the key to unlocking the seal of the Evil Core. She must use them to obtain the Evil Core, and then turn them into Evil Spirits one by one, to play with her forever.

They soon arrived at the entrance to the Source of Guixu, the same cave hidden in the mountains behind the Gu Altar. The vines at the entrance had already grown back. Xiaowan volunteered to walk ahead, reaching out and grabbing a vine. Black evil energy seeped from his fingertips, and the vine withered instantly. "Look, this way we can get in."

She was the first to enter the cave, which was completely dark. Chen Mo turned on his flashlight, illuminating the passage. The stone walls on either side of the passage were still densely engraved with Miao characters, but this time, the characters had turned black, as if stained with blood. Xiaowan walked in front, her steps brisk, and she would occasionally turn back to urge, "Hurry up! Any slower, and the Black Evil Root will be snatched away by other evil spirits!"

Su Xiao had been watching her back until she noticed that as she turned a corner, she quietly scratched the stone wall with her fingernail, leaving a black mark that instantly merged into the stone wall. Su Xiao's heart was filled with alarm. She pulled Chen Mo closer and whispered, "Be careful! Xiao Wan just left a mark on the stone wall. She might be summoning a demon spirit."

Chen Mo immediately became alert, gripping the bronze compass tightly. Although the compass's power hadn't yet recovered, it could at least sense the approach of the evil spirit. After walking for about half an hour, the passage suddenly widened, and a fork in the road appeared before him. The passage on the left emitted a faint red light, while the passage on the right was pitch black. Eerie laughter could be heard from the other side.

"Go right!" Xiaowan immediately pointed to the passage on the right. "The source of the black evil is on the right. The left is a dead end, full of traps!"

Su Xiao noticed that the red light in the left passage was similar to the glow of the Chiyang Gu Box, while in the darkness of the right passage, a faint black mist was flowing. She deliberately said, "That's not right. Master Zhu said that the source of the black evil spirit is afraid of light and should be in a place with light. The red light in the left passage may be the correct one."

"You're talking nonsense!" Xiaowan's face turned ugly in an instant. She rushed forward and tried to push Su Xiao away. "I saw it with my own eyes. The source of the black evil is on the right! Are you deliberately not wanting to find it?"

Her movements became increasingly agitated, and the evil spirit within her began to leak out, causing the temperature around her to plummet. Suddenly, Chen Mo shouted, "Be careful! There's an evil spirit behind us!"

Everyone turned around to see countless evil spirit fragments pouring out of the entrance. They were summoned by the mark Xiaowan had left on the stone wall. As the fragments rushed towards them, Su Xiao immediately opened the Red Sun Gu Box. A red light burst out, forcing the fragments back. But just then, Xiaowan suddenly attacked from behind, snatching the secret key from Su Xiao's hand, and ran towards the right passage. "Thank you for helping me get the key! Now, it's my turn to play the game!"

Her voice grew shrill, and her body began to transform. Her white dress turned black, her hair grew longer, covering half her face. The key to suppressing evil spirits in her hand was infused with evil energy, instantly turning black. She turned back to look at everyone, her eyes filled with madness. "You know what? I'm tired of playing alone! When I get the evil core, I'll turn you all into evil spirits. You'll play hide-and-seek with me forever. No one can leave!"

Meng Meng looked at her in disbelief: "You...why did you do this? Aren't we friends?"

"Friends?" Xiaowan sneered, his voice full of sarcasm. "I've never had any friends! Meng Yao gave me the remnant soul back then so I could avenge her and kill all of you so-called 'evil slayers'! Do you think I'm really afraid of evil corpses? I was just putting on an act! I want to use you to get the secret key to suppress the evil and break the seal on the evil core!"

After she finished speaking, she turned and ran into the passage on the right. The black mist in the passage instantly enveloped her, and she disappeared. Everyone hurriedly chased after her, but found that the fog in the passage was getting thicker and thicker, and visibility was getting lower and lower. Xiaowan's laughter could be heard in their ears: "Come on, come and catch me! If you catch me, I will tell you where the evil core is! But you must be careful, there are many 'surprises' hidden in the fog!"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless hands suddenly emerged from the mist and grabbed Lin Xi's ankles. Lin Xi screamed in surprise, and Zhao Yu immediately drew his dagger and cut off the hands, but more hands emerged from the mist, surrounding everyone. Su Xiao opened the Red Sun Gu box, and the red light shone again, dispelling some of the mist. However, the mist seemed to be endless, and soon surrounded the red light again.

"This isn't a solution!" Chen Mo shouted, "Xiao Wan is using the mist to drain our strength. We must find her as soon as possible and stop her from breaking the seal of the evil core!"

Su Xiao nodded. She remembered what Master Azhu had said, that the Red Sun Gu could sense the power of the Black Evil. She lifted up the Red Sun Gu box, and the red light inside the box suddenly gathered in one direction: "Follow the red light. The direction the red light points to is the location of the evil core, and that is also the direction Xiaowan is going!"

Everyone immediately followed the red light. More and more evil spirit fragments appeared in the mist. Zhao Yu and Chen Mo cleared the way, while Meng Meng used a Gu-repelling cloth to protect everyone. Lin Xi rang the bronze bell to disrupt the evil spirit's movements. After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the red light suddenly became dazzling, and a huge stone chamber appeared ahead. In the center of the stone chamber was a black crystal, the evil core. Xiao Wan stood in front of the evil core, the secret key in his hand already aligned with the seal of the evil core.

"You're too late!" Xiaowan smiled and turned around. The secret key to suppress evil in her hand had already been inserted into the seal. Black evil energy surged out of the evil core and entered her body. Her body grew larger and larger, her hair fluttered in the air, and her eyes were full of madness. "Soon, I will become the new Bone Master, and the entire Qingwu Town will become my evil domain. You will all become my slaves!"

Su Xiao knew she couldn't wait any longer. She threw the Red Sun Gu box at the evil core, and it flew out, emitting a dazzling red light as it rushed towards the evil core. Seeing this, Xiao Wan immediately released her evil power, trying to block the Red Sun Gu, but the red light was too powerful and instantly penetrated the evil power and landed on the evil core.

"No!" Xiaowan screamed. Her evil core was hit by the red light and began to vibrate violently. The black evil power continued to leak out, and the evil power in her body began to become disordered. "I will not lose! You all must die with me!"

She rushed towards Su Xiao, wanting to die together. Zhao Yu immediately stepped forward and blocked her with a dagger, but Xiao Wan's strength was too great, and the dagger was instantly knocked away. At this moment, Chen Mo suddenly raised the bronze compass. Although the power in the compass had not yet fully recovered, he still tried his best to condense the remaining power into a lightsaber and stabbed it into Xiao Wan's chest.

Xiaowan was struck by the lightsaber and stumbled. The evil energy within her instantly erupted, and her body began to disintegrate, turning into a black mist. Before completely dissipating, she let out a desperate roar: "I will be back! I will haunt you forever!"

The mist gradually dissipated, the seal on the evil core closed again, and the Red Sun Gu flew back into Su Xiao's hands. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Su Xiao looked at the empty stone chamber, but she felt no joy of victory. She had never imagined that Xiaowan, who had always seemed well-behaved, was actually hiding such a huge conspiracy. If she hadn't discovered it in time, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Let's go," Su Xiao said softly, "Although the source of the Black Evil has been temporarily suppressed, we still need to confirm the situation in Qingwu Town to ensure that no other evil spirits remain."

Everyone nodded and walked towards the exit of the stone chamber. Sunlight shone through the cave, illuminating their figures. Although they had experienced a difficult battle, they knew that as long as they worked together, they would be able to protect Qingwu Town and prevent the tragedy of that year from happening again.