Evening.
Wang City.
Inside a building.
Members of the Cleaners Department were rubbing their shoulders as they returned to their posts.
They sighed wearily, "We're exhausted! There are just too many evil spirits this time!"
"Yeah, in previous years, we only had a handful of cases involving evil spirits. But today, in just half a day, we've dealt with more than we did in the past decade!"
"In our assigned area alone, there were twenty-three residents who had turned into evil spirits, and countless others were affected by the malevolent energy."
"Ugh, we'll have to purify each one individually."
"Damn, I thought this department was a cushy job where I could just coast. Now there's no chance of that."
"Li Jun, did you join the department just to slack off?"
The Cleaners Department was usually quiet and uneventful, as Wang City rarely saw incidents involving evil spirits.
But today, everyone was thoroughly worn out.
At that moment, one of the members turned to the woman who had earlier calmed Qin Luo and the others, asking, "By the way, Yue Ting, do you know who those three people in the car you calmed down earlier were?"
Yu Yueting thought for a moment. She had dealt with many civilians today, but the three in the car stood out in her memory.
One had an exceptionally outstanding and approachable aura, making people want to get closer.
Another radiated a fierce and malicious energy, as if possessed by an evil spirit, making her seem unapproachable.
Yu Yueting shook her head, "Who were they?"
The member who had asked swallowed nervously and said mysteriously, "One of them, the woman who looked intimidating, was Su Muwan!"
Su Muwan!!
The moment the name was mentioned, the expressions of everyone in the department stiffened slightly.
"!!..."
"Su Muwan!"
Yu Yueting patted her chest in fear. She knew all about Su Muwan.
Her reputation was formidable.
Not only had she unified Jiang City, but after arriving in Wang City, she had also seized a large portion of the territory controlled by the local families.
She was an incredibly arrogant and unreasonable person.
Yu Yueting's face turned pale. Was yesterday the closest she had ever come to death?!
Just then, another member interjected, "Ahem, let's not talk about her. Have the test results for the residents come in yet?"
"Have we found the source of the malevolent energy?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the department creaked open.
A cold and elegant figure walked in—it was the woman who had earlier slain an evil spirit with a single strike.
Upon seeing her, everyone exclaimed in delight, "Sister Kong, you're back!"
"Sister Kong, your demon-slaying skills today were absolutely stunning!"
Kong Yu nodded and then said simply, "Everyone, gather in the main conference room. The heads of other regions have sent us some videos."
"Yes!"
A moment later.
In the main conference room.
All members of the Cleaners Department were gathered together.
On the holographic projection screen, a video began to play.
It showed another street in Wang City.
People were panicking, running in all directions as if fleeing from an invisible threat.
Many had pale faces, their eyes bloodshot, shouting incoherently, "Su Muwan is an evil spirit! She's going to kill us all!"
"The evil spirits have appeared! The world is doomed!"
"We're all going to die!"
The next video showed a shopping plaza, which had almost become the epicenter of a riot.
People tainted by the malevolent energy had gathered there, their expressions twisted, their eyes filled with a mix of fanaticism and fear.
Some held signs that read, "Expel Su Muwan."
Others carried torches and weapons, as if preparing for a witch hunt.
"She's an evil spirit! She's going to destroy us all!"
A middle-aged man screamed hoarsely.
Compared to their area, other parts of Wang City seemed to be slipping out of control.
The Cleaners couldn't keep up with the rapidly spreading wave of corrupted individuals.
In the conference room, everyone's expressions were grim.
They swallowed hard.
"It's that bad in other places?"
"Yeah, I thought we had it rough here, but other areas... it looks like they're on the verge of collapse."
"And did you notice? Everyone keeps saying... Su Muwan is an evil spirit??"
Su Muwan...
Kong Yu's eyes narrowed slightly. She suddenly recalled the strange couple she had seen earlier in the day.
The woman radiating malice must have been Su Muwan.
It seemed there was something suspicious about her after all.
"What does this mean? Is Su Muwan the cause of all this?"
"Don't be ridiculous. It's obvious someone is deliberately turning the public against Su Muwan."
"But it's hard to say. Su Muwan is surrounded by malice. Maybe..."
Kong Yu thought for a moment, then said solemnly, "Regardless of who's behind this, our top priority is to cleanse the malevolent energy."
"The mastermind is highly skilled. Our purification speed can't keep up with their infection rate."
Yu Yueting asked, "Then, Sister Kong, should we call for reinforcements?"
"Yes."
Kong Yu nodded, her gaze sharpening. "It's time to ask the Daoist masters of Dragon Tiger Mountain to come down and assist us."
......
.....
Late at night.
The wind howled.
On the rooftop of a tall building.
Wind Ghost stood at the edge, holding a bell in his hand.
His eyes swept over Wang City with a mocking gaze.
"How interesting. It seems there's an auspicious presence in the heart of Wang City that's countering the malevolent energy."
Wind Ghost muttered to himself. According to his calculations, Wang City should have been completely overrun within three days.
But instead, the city center, which should have been the hardest hit, had managed to maintain control.
"Hmph... but it doesn't matter."
"Once I make my move, even the city center... will fall deeper into corruption!"
Wind Ghost held the bell tightly.
Once the top disciple of Dragon Tiger Mountain, he had grown dissatisfied with the ordinary techniques taught there.
So, he had delved into the forbidden arts of ghost cultivation!
Ha! How laughable!
Wind Ghost knew that the reason these arts were forbidden was because someone had once gone mad practicing them, becoming a half-human, half-ghost monstrosity.
That was why the Grand Master had strictly prohibited anyone from learning them.
But!
Wind Ghost's expression was filled with arrogance.
His talent was exceptional, and he had not been affected by the dark arts.
In fact, he had even crafted a ghost cultivator's lifebound artifact—the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, forged from absorbed resentment and vengeful spirits!
"Hehehe..."
"Dragon Tiger Mountain..."
Wind Ghost chuckled darkly. Come, all of you. You'll make excellent additions to my Ten Thousand Demon Banner!
Help me perfect it!
Oh, right...
Wind Ghost closed his eyes and began to perform a divination. "My disciple mentioned that Su Muwan has a follower who dabbles in divination."
"How laughable."
"Who could possibly surpass me, the most talented disciple Dragon Tiger Mountain has ever seen, in the art of divination?"
"Once I divine your fate, I'll seize your fortune and extract your soul!"
"To sacrifice to my Ten Thousand Demon Banner!!"
But...
As he continued his divination, Wind Ghost's brow furrowed slightly.
Huh?
Why... why is everything so hazy?
I can't divine anything?
Just as he was thinking this, a soft chuckle echoed in his ears, startling him.
"Old man."
"The game of catching ghosts ends here."