The night began to surge.

And tonight, there was no moon.

The dim light in the Earth Temple was shrouded in a tense and eerie atmosphere, making the few people inside not dare to breathe loudly.

"Gulp～"

Li Shiwuwu's swallowing sound echoed again, untimely and particularly jarring.

"Li, are you really that murderous, arsonist, bloodthirsty demon?"

The young man with the sword drew his blade, his eyes cold and sharp. "In that case, your act of killing your master seems all too normal."

In the temple, Li Shiwuwu was breathing heavily.

He struggled to suppress the absurd thoughts in his mind.

Acting as if nothing was wrong, he said, "Don't overthink it. I just have a strange illness, a natural reaction to blood."

Seeing this, the three said nothing more, but their wariness intensified.

Then, the young man with the sword lifted a white cloth from a corpse and drew his sword across the ground, sparking a flame that ignited an oil lamp on the wall.

Instantly, a flicker of firelight rose.

By the light, Li Shiwuwu clearly saw that under the white cloth was a swollen corpse, its body intact, and its clothes undamaged.

The only horrifying thing was that its face had been completely peeled off, revealing the flesh and blood beneath.

The old monk spoke, "All the corpses in this temple died the same way, with their faces peeled off."

"It seems the Sui Demon recently appearing in Taoyao Town kills by peeling faces."

Hearing this, Li Shiwuwu was puzzled.

"Why do the Sui Demons kill? Do they gain any benefit from it?"

Upon hearing this, the Basket Woman explained, "Daoist Li, no one knows how Sui Demons or Sui Beasts are born."

"Moreover, you cannot view or understand their actions with a normal human perspective."

"Alas," she sighed.

"From past experiences, whenever they appear, they bring disaster and harm to humans."

"Just like Lord Guan on your earlobe, who loves to eat blood-soaked steamed buns and is very ferocious."

Find the original at "pawread.com".

Li Shiwuwu nodded, indicating he understood.

Afterwards, the four of them investigated further and then took advantage of the night to return to Taoyao Town.

"Are there really only ordinary Taoists in the nearby Qingyang Temple?"

"Or is there some secret hidden there that outsiders don't know about?" Li Shiwuwu probed.

Even now, he still didn't believe Huoyanzi's explanation about the origin of the Seed Immortal Temple.

The Basket Woman shook her head, "Daoist Li, I know Qingyang Temple, it's just a bunch of useless mortals."

Li Shiwuwu made a sound of acknowledgment, his expression unclear, "Thanks, I understand."

The night grew deeper.

Apart from the occasional whimper of cats and dogs, every household was shut tight, eerily quiet.

The old monk, holding a zen staff, said, "Gentlemen, the Sui Demon only harms people at night, we must stay vigilant."

Hearing this, the others also became more alert.

Time passed slowly.

The four of them wandered around the town, circle after circle, until a thin mist rose between heaven and earth, yet there was still no movement.

As for Li Shiwuwu, his throat continued to swallow involuntarily.

Whenever he recalled the corpses in the Earth Temple, he couldn't suppress his inner desire.

Besides that, he was worried about Hua Erling, not knowing how she was doing now.

"Damn it, I can't take it anymore."

The young man cursed, turning to glare at Li Shiwuwu, angrily saying, "This guy, are you planning to eat us?"

"It's just a Sui Demon, I'd rather go alone."

With that, he hugged his sword and disappeared into the mist.

Seeing this, the old monk shook his head.

"Gentlemen, since you have the courage to subdue demons."

"It means you have some confidence in yourselves."

"So, let's split up. If you encounter a Sui Demon, call for help immediately."

With that, he too disappeared.

As for the Basket Woman, she also bowed, "Daoist Li, be careful!"

Watching them disperse, Li Shiwuwu couldn't help but turn around.

Facing the direction of the Earth Temple outside the town, his eyes showed deep longing.

"Slap!"

A crisp slap rang out suddenly.

It was Li Shiwuwu, mercilessly slapping himself.

Under the black cloth, his already withered and shriveled face was now bruised and battered.

Li Shiwuwu panted heavily, finally managing to tear his gaze away.

Having followed Qian Yuanzi for so many years, it was inevitable that he was influenced by him, but he could not allow himself to become something more evil, even more disgusting than him.

"Seed Immortal, Seed Immortal!"

"I'm planting an immortal, not a ghost, not a demon, not a monster!"

He muttered to himself repeatedly about the temple that was originally fictional but somehow existed.

For no reason, a fear arose, surging from all directions, as if to swallow him whole.

On the other side.

The young man with the sword walked along the cobblestone street, still muttering resentfully about Li Shiwuwu, believing him to be a scourge.

"Bah!"

"Killing his master, eating people, that kid is definitely no good."

He didn't notice that the white mist behind him was becoming thicker.

A vague, child-like murmuring voice came from the mist.

It was the Sui Demon.

It muttered, "An elder Sui Demon once said, be cautious of young men with swords walking alone, they are often formidable and hard to deal with."

Then, it turned its gaze towards the old monk.

"Old monks like this are also best avoided; they may look kind and gentle, but when they act, they are terrifyingly fierce."

After that, it glanced at the Basket Woman.

"As for beautiful women walking alone."

"Tsk tsk, be even more cautious."

"They may seem weak, but one wrong move, and you won't even know how you died."

The Sui Demon seemed to be pondering, then turned its gaze towards Li Shiwuwu.

"Hey, it's that kid."

"Looks foolish, crying and laughing, seems mentally unsound, probably scared out of his wits before even seeing me."

"In that case, don't blame me."

In Jule Town, the young man with the sword suddenly turned around.

Sword drawn, he shouted, "Who's there?"

"Come out."

But there was no response, only the thin white mist.

In another direction.

Watching the mist thicken visibly, Li Shiwuwu's expression was strange, as if he had guessed something.

Sure enough, a figure as tall as a man, clad in a gray robe, emerged like a ghost.

Li Shiwuwu showed no fear, only looking up to find the creature had no facial features.

"Hey, see my face?" the Faceless Sui Demon suddenly spoke, its voice hoarse and grating.

"No," Li Shiwuwu shook his head.

"Alright, then give me your face."

"I don't want to."

"Don't be so quick to refuse, I'll pay you, you'll be satisfied."

Hearing this, Li Shiwuwu was surprised, touching his wrinkled, shriveled face under the black cloth.

"What?"

"Sell my face for money, is there such a good deal?"