Chapter 112 I've Come to Find Feng Jin

The village was indeed desolate and dilapidated.

The stone path underfoot was uneven and covered with moss.

Abandoned farm tools and broken wooden barrels were scattered along the roadside.

The houses were mostly intact, with windows boarded up. Only a few houses had faint wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys.

"This village is called Black Wind Village. It used to be quite lively, with people living off the mountains," Wu Feng explained as he walked, his voice sounding somewhat abrupt in the quiet mountain valley.

"But in recent years, Black Wind Pass has become increasingly eerie. Fewer and fewer people who go in to hunt, gather herbs, or even conduct geological exploration in earlier years have emerged unscathed."

"Even those who manage to escape are mostly mentally unstable and talk nonsense. Gradually, the villagers became afraid, and the young and strong moved out with their families."

"Now only a few elderly people are left, guarding their ancestral homes and refusing to leave no matter what. Our people are currently staying at the home of one of the old men."

His tone was heavy:

"The situation inside Black Wind Pass is very strange. The geomagnetic interference is severe. Compasses spin erratically when you go in, electronic devices have intermittent signals, and later they simply stop working completely."

"The drone lost contact and crashed shortly after it flew in, and the last images it transmitted were all distorted, static-like images. The worst part was the feeling." He paused, seemingly recalling that chilling sensation.

"As soon as I stepped onto that mountain path, it felt like I was being watched by something. It was cold and chilling, making me feel uneasy and my mind easily became sluggish and confused."

"The two Taoist priests from Longhu Mountain and a master from Maoshan who went in before brought our people and the most advanced communication equipment... but..." He shook his head and didn't continue, but the meaning was already very clear.

As they spoke, the two had reached the end of the village.

Ahead, a narrow path, almost completely covered by dense vegetation, winds its way into the depths of the mountain valley.

At the entrance to the alley, Wu Feng's men set up a cordon with conspicuous yellow warning tape.

Next to it stood a simple wooden sign with the words "Danger, No Entry" written in large red paint!

"This is it. This is the only passage into Black Wind Pass."

He pointed to the mountain road ahead, which was blocked off by police tape, and asked in a serious tone, "When do you plan to go into the mountains?"

Shen Yuepo's gaze passed over the warning tape and landed on that secluded path.

The intertwined branches and leaves of the towering ancient trees almost completely blocked out the sunlight, with only a few pale spots of light filtering through the gaps.

The chill and oppressive atmosphere reached its peak here, as if an invisible barrier separated the inside from the outside.

She could even clearly sense a tremendous power deep within the mountain valley.

She instinctively pressed her hand to her chest, a strange feeling coming from deep within her chest.

Even stranger, something deep in the valley seemed to resonate with her, as if it were calling to her.

"Master Shen?" Wu Feng keenly noticed her unusual behavior, and his voice suddenly rose, "What's wrong?"

Are we going to give up before we even get inside?!

Shen Yuepo withdrew her hand, the rhythm of her abnormal heartbeat still lingering on her fingertips: "I'm fine."

She looked up at the sky and said, "I'll make some preparations tonight and head into the mountains at dawn tomorrow."

Wu Feng visibly relaxed. "Okay. The accommodation has been arranged. It's at Old Zhang's house at the end of the village. It's fairly clean. I'll take you there."

Wu Feng arranged for them to stay in a relatively sturdy stone house at the end of the village.

The room was small and simply furnished, with only a wooden bed, a worn-out square table, and a chair.

But at least it was relatively clean, and the windows were intact.

Wu Feng brought Shen Yuepo a rechargeable emergency light and a bottle of mineral water, gave her a few brief instructions, and then left to let her rest.

Shen Yuepo did not rest.

She took out neatly folded winter clothes and items needed for drawing talismans from her reincarnation ring.

Then, he walked to the only square table and immediately got into the zone to start drawing talismans.

Time slips away quietly while you're focused.

The sky outside the window was completely dark, with only the dim light of the emergency lamp illuminating the tireless figure at the table.

On the table, more and more yellow talismans were completed, which she carefully sorted and put away.

When the last talisman was completed, Shen Yuepo put down his pen and gently exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Her face was slightly pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Drawing so many high-level talismans in a row takes a huge toll on one's mental energy.

At that moment, she felt a wave of exhaustion, and her vision even blurred slightly.

What she found even more difficult to ignore was the intense emptiness that swept over her stomach.

Hungry!

She then realized that since leaving Xujing Temple, she hadn't eaten anything except for a quick bite near the Yunnan Airport.

I didn't feel it when I was under a lot of mental tension, but now that I've relaxed, my body is finally starting to protest.

She looked out the window at the dark night and the desolate little mountain village.

Wu Feng was probably too busy to even have a moment to spare, or he had already gone to rest and hadn't even thought of bringing her food.

Shen Yuepo rubbed his aching stomach expressionlessly, a thought involuntarily flashing through his mind:

I should have had Horse-Face deliver dinner to her this morning...

She thought of the Meng Po soup bowl that she had smashed that morning.

He suddenly stood up and walked to a relatively open area in the center of the room.

He quickly formed a hand seal in front of his chest, opening the gates of hell.

As the hand seals were completed, the space in front of her rippled violently.

The chilling, bone-deep aura of the Netherworld instantly filled the entire room, causing the temperature to plummet.

A passage to the underworld rapidly formed before her.

At the other end of the passage, the majestic and solemn outline of Fengdu Ghost City can be vaguely seen.

Shen Yuepo's face paled even more; the spiritual energy consumed by forcibly opening the passage was greater than she had anticipated.

Without hesitation, she stepped inside.

Before my eyes, ghostly soldiers stood in formation, their eerie flames flickering and their presence imposingly orderly.

"Huh?!" A soft exclamation of surprise rang out beside me.

Shen Yuepo turned her head and saw a familiar horse face looking at her with surprise and uncertainty.

It was the horse-faced demon who had just delivered the Meng Po soup to her this morning.

He was leading a group of ghost soldiers on a routine patrol at the Gate of Hell.

"Sir...sir?!"

Upon recognizing Chen Yuepo, the horse-faced demon was startled and quickly ran forward.

"You... why did you come in person? Is there anything you need?" He subconsciously thought that Shen Yuepo had come to interrogate him, after all, he was the one who delivered the bowl of Meng Po soup.

"It's nothing. I've come to find Feng Jin."

"Looking for... looking for the Emperor?!" Horse-face's voice rose even higher, and his huge horse ears stood up.

He glanced quickly in the direction of the Fengdu Imperial Palace, then looked at Shen Yuepo's slightly pale face.

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant: Why would he want to see the Emperor? Could it be for the Meng Po soup? Surely not!

Could it be something important? But judging from the adult's expression, it doesn't seem like it's extremely urgent...

He dared not be negligent, and he was also well aware of the ambiguous and inexplicable relationship between this mortal and his own emperor.

Horse-face immediately bowed and said, "Please wait a moment, my lord!"

He turned to a rather clever-looking young ghost behind him and shouted, "You, quickly take this mortal to the Imperial Palace!"

He still had to go on patrol, otherwise he would have had to personally lead the team there.

The little ghost messenger quickly responded and tremblingly gestured for Shen Yuepo to enter.

Shen Yuepo nodded slightly and followed the little ghost messenger toward the Fengdu Imperial Palace.

Watching Shen Yuepo's aloof figure disappear into the distance, Horse-Face furtively glanced left and right—

Ox-Head is gone... Neither are Black and White Impermanence...

He quickly pulled out his phone, his hooves clumsily swiping the screen, zooming in and out on the photos, his nostrils puffing out white breath with excitement.

After adjusting the angle, "click!" a photo was taken.