Dense white fog enveloped the area, and Chen Mu slowly walked through it.

    Fear-filled screams and roars came from within the fog from time to time.

    Occasionally, a few sturdy men would burst out of the thick fog, appearing before Chen Mu with their bodies covered in fresh wounds and blood, frantically attacking in terror and confusion.

    Covered in Shell Soul, Chen Mu was unaffected by the life-draining dense fog, nor by the crazed men.

    Yet, he was somewhat at a loss for a moment.

    Running was futile.

    Walking lacked direction.

    "Where am I right now?" Chen Mu''s face turned ugly.

    He didn''t know how long he had walked when suddenly the fog ahead began to thin.

    His surroundings grew familiar, and Chen Mu abruptly looked up.

    Tianyi Studio?!

    "Since when?!" Chen Mu''s pupils constricted suddenly.

    He had clearly been outside at Bailang River, east of the city; he didn''t know when he entered the town or how he arrived at this place.

    Unnoticed, he had been misled by some unnamed force that confused his senses and muddled his direction!

    He turned to run.

    An invisible force suddenly enveloped his entire body.

    It felt as though he had been thrown into the depths of the sea.

    Tremendous pressure from all sides pinned him in place, unable to move even an inch.

    Immediately after, the force gradually intensified, lifting him into the air and spinning him around.

    "Sun Dawang, long time no see," a charming figure dressed in a green-crossed collar dress appeared in front of Chen Mu.

    "Cui Cui?!"

    Indeed, only Cui Cui, the powerful Ghost with intelligence, could affect his spirit so silently.

    She disoriented his direction, leading him here without notice.

    She made those who entered Qingshan County fall into terror and engage in frenzied combat.

    A sense of enlightenment arose in Chen Mu''s heart.

    Creating illusions of terror, assaulting the spirit—wasn''t this the method of Ghosts?!

    And Cui Cui''s power enveloped the entire Qingshan County!

    ...

    Qingshan County Town, East Gate.

    Bang!

    Shangguan Ji was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the city wall with a loud bang.

    With disbelief written all over his face, he stared at the figure below him: "You?!"

    It seemed familiar; had he seen it somewhere before?

    Before he could figure it out, Cui Cui straightened him up, standing him on the ground.

    A square stone platform, at least four meters in length and width, came into view.

    The platform was waist-high, its surface a matted black, with clear-cut edges.

    Above it floated a two-meter diameter ball of thread, woven from black thread hovering in mid-air.

    Chen Mu looked closely and saw that the black thread had no joints—it was clearly made of an immeasurable length of Netherworld Thread!

    "How many lives were taken to nourish such a mass of Netherworld Thread?" Chen Mu felt his scalp tingle.

    Around the ball of thread, there were four jade gourds rotating slowly like satellites, emitting a green luminescent glow.

    "What is this?" Chen Mu''s heart was greatly shocked.

    Why was there a Thousand Mechanism Token here?

    "Surprised?" Cui Cui smiled mischievously, "This is the place where the Thousand Mechanism Token is condensed."

    "Do you know what the raw materials to make it are?" Cui Cui smiled meaningfully.

    Chen Mu immediately felt goosebumps all over his head. He thought of those people overhead, trapped in terror and insane slaughter.

    Was he supposed to know such information?!

    "We bear no grudges from the past, nor worries from recent days, and I also made you so much barbecued meat," Chen Mu looked sincerely at Cui Cui, "Can you spare my life?"

    Cui Cui looked at Chen Mu with an expression of surprise, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

    "I had no plans to kill you; I just wanted that adorable little being you''re symbiotically linked with."

    Chen Mu suddenly realized.

    So this was the reason Cui Cui approached him?

    But... I don''t have any symbiotic Ghosts, do I?

    That''s just a Five Ghosts Paper Man!

    He hesitated for a long time, not rushing to mention the Five Ghosts Bag, but instead discreetly probed, "If you extract my symbiotic Ghost, what will happen to me?"

    Cui Cui sat on the edge of the stone platform, propping herself up with her hands on either side, legs swinging leisurely.

    Upon hearing Chen Mu''s question, she tilted her head to think for a moment, then smiled and said, "You won''t die."

    However, Chen Mu showed no trace of relief.

    Just not dying?

    "How about this? I''ll hand over the symbiotic Ghost voluntarily to you, and you let me go."

    Cui Cui shook her head smilingly, "You''re speaking nonsense again. We''re already symbiotic; how could I possibly just take it out myself?"

    "Only with a Soul Dispersing, Essence Seizing Magic Artifact can it be extracted."

    Soul Dispersing, Essence Seizing? A chill ran through Chen Mu''s heart.

    Who''s soul will be dispersed, and whose essence seized?!

    Even if I survive, surely I''d be left crippled, wouldn''t I!