Two people continued to walk inside, and suddenly felt a gust of wind blow past their ears for no reason. The wind was eerie and gave people a bad feeling, as if it were about to send them straight to the underworld.
"Master, do you feel it? It's so cold."
"The weather is cold, that's one thing, but that person is warning us. If we don't leave here, they'll tear us to pieces."
Ye Tiancheng and Lin Xue belonged to different factions. Ye Tiancheng's true energy and the black energy were diametrically opposed, so only Ye Tiancheng could hear those warning words.
"It seems we are getting closer and closer to the culprit. The more this happens, the more excited I feel. This is a great thing. I want to see what other tricks that person has up their sleeve, whether it's Ouyang Xinuo himself or his capable subordinate."
In fact, there were many things the master and disciple were unsure of, so they could only take things one step at a time. They had no better solutions.
Continuing inward, they suddenly saw a pool of lake water. What was particularly different about this lake water compared to others was that it was extremely murky. The entire lake water was a viscous green, with some unidentifiable objects floating on its surface, making one's heart palpitate.
"Master, I never knew lake water could be this dirty. The smell is also unprecedentedly awful, it's so pungent it hurts the nose. It's truly disgusting and unbearable."
"It seems this place is reeking of foul odors, and should be the source of all that evil. Those two villagers likely met their end here as well. It's alright, let's take our time. The truth will surface soon. Even if someone wants us dead, they won't achieve their goal so easily."
Ye Tiancheng had thought it through clearly. Now, he decided to launch a direct assault. Together with his disciple, they combined their true energy and spiritual energy to unleash a long sword.
That long sword then split into countless smaller swords along the way, probing everywhere. At numerous corners, they darted wildly. Finally, the source of the evil energy was found.
With the help of Phoenix, Ye Tiancheng and Lin Xue almost teleported to the front of that evil energy.
Their speed was incredibly fast. The two of them combined their strength to strike at that disgusting-looking thing.
After the black energy was dispersed, the true form of the thing was revealed. On the surface, it looked a bit like a giant rotten mushroom. It was only mushroom-shaped, but in reality, it was countless times more disgusting than a mushroom, as each opening was oozing pus, making it look extremely horrifying.
"It seems that appearance truly reflects the heart. This thing looks so disgusting. I want to smash you with one palm, but I'm afraid of dirtying my hands. Just die directly. Only death is the cleanest way, otherwise, you will continue to harm the world!"
As Ye Tiancheng spoke, a burst of true energy was unleashed, accompanied by a great stench. Smoke and dust filled the sky. The mushroom exploded into small fragments, now forming small pools of green liquid, still looking as disgusting as ever.
"Even after exploding like fireworks, you still stink so much. It seems your stench truly runs deep. There's no saving you in this lifetime."
Ye Tiancheng originally thought he had eliminated the culprit, but was surprised to discover that he had been thinking too much. The black energy was still there, and it was even more potent than before.
Ye Tiancheng immediately made a judgment. It seemed this fellow was quite cunning. What happened just now was merely a diversionary tactic. There should be another true body, the source of that black energy, which was the truly troublesome part.
"Master, I've got it. It should be that lake water that was so foul earlier. Only there could such evil things continue to breed. That kind of black liquid cannot be hidden; even with great effort, it would still emit a foul odor."
"Good. If this rotten mushroom isn't the main body, then we'll blow up that pool of water too. Let's see where else that damned thing plans to hide. No matter where it is, we'll just blow it up."
Without another word, Ye Tiancheng rushed over and blew up the pool of water. The pool water exploded to a height of a person. Fortunately, Ye Tiancheng and his disciple had already dodged, otherwise, they might have been splattered with filth.
"That was close! If I had been doused with that foul water, like you were before, Master, nothing would have worked. It wouldn't have washed off for a while, it was just too disgusting."
"Now, do you feel any more black energy?"
Ye Tiancheng was eager to remove this evil entity that was causing trouble in this great land. Otherwise, he would constantly worry, feeling as if he were being threatened.
"No, Master. The true body of that black energy was indeed hidden in this pool of water, but it just ran off. I don't know where it went."
"I must have injured it just now. It won't be so easy for it to escape. Let's chase after it. This is a good day, it seems we can completely eliminate this scoundrel."
After Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, he gave chase. Lin Xue dared not delay and followed, while also asking Phoenix to stay behind and guard them.
Phoenix, initially at the back, soon moved to the front, immediately taking on a guiding role. It had sensed the black energy and was now in control. With a direction to guide them, it would be much easier. It was better for Ye Tiancheng to follow it.
The master and disciple, along with Phoenix, followed the black energy for a long, long time. After about four or five hours, they saw the black energy burrow into a bar.
"Please open the door."
It was not yet dark, and the bar had not started operating. Therefore, it was pitch black inside. A large lock was hung on the outside. At this hour, no one would be working.
Ye Tiancheng knocked on the door for a long time. A yawning security guard came to open it.
"It's not business hours yet. Why are you knocking at this time? Come back at nine o'clock in the evening. It's still too early."
The man's words were clear, but Ye Tiancheng urgently needed to go inside. If he didn't go in, he wouldn't be able to deal with the black energy.
"Just let me in. I'll be out in no more than 5 minutes."
"Alright, take out 1000 yuan. Otherwise, you're not getting in. What do you think this place is? Your warehouse? This is a place of business, and we naturally charge money now."
Giving some money was not a problem, as Ye Tiancheng was really anxious. As long as the problem could be solved, money was not the most important thing. However, the security guard's attitude was truly infuriating.
"Does the money collected go into the bar's accounts, or are you trying to pocket it? I think we need to clarify this matter first, otherwise, I feel like I'm being taken advantage of."
"Stop talking nonsense. Is it that difficult for you to give me what I want? Can't you just give it to me quickly without all this fuss? 1000 yuan. If you want to come in, you can. If not, suit yourself. Judging by your appearance, you don't look like someone who can afford 1000 yuan. You're truly pathetic."
Ye Tiancheng hadn't been insulted like this in a long time. Being spoken to like that suddenly, he was a bit unaccustomed to it, but he quickly recovered. There was no need to get angry with someone like this; he looked like he had a screw loose.
Ye Tiancheng directly unleashed his true energy and knocked the man unconscious. A person who is unconscious cannot boss him around. This was an excellent strategy.
"Whether I am pathetic or not has little to do with you. Don't try to influence my thoughts. I think I'm doing quite well. I don't need you to babble here."
Ye Tiancheng hadn't been this domineering in a long time. He felt as if something had filled him up inside. Perhaps it was the trouble caused by the black energy recently; he was truly furious.
Perhaps Ye Tiancheng's true energy had been depleted recently, and he appeared particularly weak. In this state, the security guard quickly woke up. This was a great humiliation, something that had never happened in his past history.
For an ordinary person, this amount of strength was quite easy to use, but he hadn't expected the reality to be so cruel. The guy woke up and seemed perfectly fine, looking quite well. This was enough to make one furious.
"You brat, look at your pathetic appearance. Just talking to you makes me feel uneasy. Are you trying to anger me to death?"
Originally, the security guard just wanted to drive people away, but Ye Tiancheng's tone was a bit too aggressive, which angered him. Now, he just wanted to argue; nothing else was important, arguing was the most crucial thing.
Ye Tiancheng was about to use his true energy again, but Lin Xue stopped him. "No need. It ran away. This is terrible. It's all gone now, or it's hidden somewhere in this bar. It's not easy for us to find it now."
Seeing Lin Xue's distressed expression, Ye Tiancheng also felt a pang of regret. They had wasted the most crucial time just now, and it wouldn't be easy to make up for it.
"Alright, it seems we can't get in now. We'll wait until it opens in the evening."
"Master, I've never been to a place like this before. To be honest, I'm a bit nervous."
Ye Tiancheng could understand, after all, Lin Xue was a very conservative person who had always lived within boundaries. How could she do something out of line?
"Don't be nervous. We're here for serious business, not to have fun and drink like others, wasting our youth and health. We are here to punish evil and promote good, so we can do anything. We don't need to be bound by these details."
"Okay, it seems I have to break my rule this time. When I first followed Master, wanting to have great love for the world, I never expected this day to come. It's all a coincidence."
"Yes, yes, as long as you know. Let's leave it at that for now. We'll go have dinner first, and then after dinner, when the bar opens, we'll go to the bar and see where that fellow is hiding."
In fact, Lin Xue also strongly agreed with Ye Tiancheng's words. Because in Lin Xue's opinion, the black energy mass definitely wouldn't leave the bar temporarily, as the environment there was relatively enclosed.
Moreover, it had just been injured by Master. Leaving at this time would not be the best option for it.
"Then let's eat first. My stomach is rumbling. I'm really quite hungry."
She really couldn't stand it anymore. Even with a desire to advance, one had to act within their capabilities. As people say, humans are iron, food is steel; one meal missed leads to hunger.
In this situation, it was better to fill one's stomach first, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to hold on.
The two of them went to a very ordinary, small, rundown-looking eatery.