The lightning that shot up from the ground took away nearly half of the ghost soldiers in a single blow.

The raging fire that started at the stairs refused to die down. Violent flames shot out from the stone steps, splitting into several streams and chasing after the ghosts, burning across half the mountain.

Looking down, the foot of the mountain was covered with fire snakes darting around with the figures. Although the Ghost Soldiers of the Water Guard Camp were as swift as the wind, they couldn't escape the fiery serpents. Before long, they were burned into human-shaped balls of fire.

I didn't know what kind of fire talisman the opponent was using, but I found that their method of using fire was similar to my Soul-Chasing Talisman. They both relentlessly pursued the ghosts. However, the opponent's fire talisman was more domineering, clinging to the opponent until death.

Only a few dozen members of the Water Guard Camp remained, and in a short while, most of them were engulfed in the sea of fire. Ghostly figures covered in flames ran wildly through the mountain, screaming, but they couldn't run far before exploding into green fire with the flames.

Red and green fire dots danced all over the mountain, but the ghostly figures on the mountain became fewer and fewer. Only a few ghosts with powerful cultivation broke through the encirclement and rushed towards the cave where I and Old Liu Tou were hiding with ferocious expressions.

I pulled Old Liu Tou and walked out of the cave, drawing Bai Zhou with one hand and looking at the ghostly figure with the blade: "You want to fight to the death this early?"

The leading ghost roared, "Li, what grievance or hatred does our Water Guard Camp have with you that you would be so ruthless?"

I pointed the blade at him, "You should ask what grievance or hatred you have with your descendants, that they would not hesitate to commit patricide!"

The ghost was slightly stunned. I raised my voice and shouted, "Zhao Zhuang, you've already killed the people and斩了the ghosts. Are you still afraid to see your family?"

"Zhao Zhuang!" As the ghost turned his head in a daze, Zhao Zhuang, covered in blood, had already led a group of術士of similar age out from under the stone steps.

I quickly scanned the crowd and recognized most of their faces. These people were all villagers from Fish Basket Village. Although I couldn't name them, I had seen them during the day.

The leading ghost trembled with anger, "You… you… have you been possessed by ghosts? How dare you attack us!"

"You're the ones who are possessed by ghosts!" The speaker was not Zhao Zhuang, but a young woman's voice.

I followed the voice and met the gaze of a woman in ancient costume.

Was she the woman who was hiding under the coffin last night and almost fought me?

Her eyes met mine briefly before shifting her gaze: "Zhao Zhuang, this is a matter for your village, you solve it yourself! I only care about the result, to fulfill our agreement."

After the woman finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the village. The ghost on the mountain roared, "Stop right there!"

Zhao Zhuang stepped forward and said, "Old Ancestor, Girl Shui'er won't stop. Let us talk about what happened before!"

Zhao Zhuang turned around and asked, "Whose ancestor is this?"

Someone whispered, "It seems to be the Wang family's ancestor."

The Wang family's ancestor stared at Zhao Zhuang: "Tell me, why did you massacre your fellow villagers, why did you cooperate with the water ghosts? Speak!"

Zhao Zhuang was wearing blood-stained clothes, and his murderous aura had not dissipated. It was clear that he had just killed someone.

There should still be術士in Fish Basket Village who didn't participate in the water ghost's cooperation. Those people had become the targets of Zhao Zhuang's purge.

Zhao Zhuang said calmly, "Then why did you take away the underworld artifact from the underwater secret burial back then, and why did you imprison the guardian fish of the tomb?"

"Naturally, it was for your own good!" The Wang family's ancestor only said half a sentence before stopping, seemingly not wanting everyone to know the truth of what happened back then.

Zhao Zhuang laughed and said, "For our own good? Did we get any good? No, what we got was a lifetime of being trapped in this tiny village, relying on fishing for a living."

Zhao Zhuang raised his hand and pointed to a few people beside him: "Him, him, him, and him! Several of them either passed the high school entrance exam or passed the physical examination and wanted to join the army. With their brains, it wouldn't be long before they could make a name for themselves. But can they get out?"

"Just because you provoked the water god for no reason back then. None of us can leave this village. Not only do we have to eat chaff and swallow vegetables in the village, but we also have to be looked down upon by the surrounding villages."

Zhao Zhuang pointed to the village: "Take a look over the mountain yourself, look at the villages of others, which one doesn't have western-style buildings and cars? Which family's men aren't working outside, doing business, seeing the world, and making big money? Only we are guarding such a broken place, being poked in the back and called lazybones. I've had enough!"

Before the Wang family's ancestor could speak, another ghost had already said in a cold voice, "You live a life of abundance, what else are you dissatisfied with?"

"Fuck your abundance!" A younger guy cursed loudly in the crowd: "Why don't you take a look at what others eat and wear? What do the people in our village eat and wear?"

"I've only seen my classmates' food, drink, and clothes on TV, or on other people, but never on myself! It's not that I can't earn money, it's that you don't let us go out to earn money."

"You're just a bunch of idiots, stinking idiots!"