Daoist Master, I'm really not an evil cultivator.

Chapter 92 3 Ghost Feast

As Xu Changqing continued along the corridor, the peristalsis of the fleshy walls on both sides became more and more obvious, as if the entire "intestine" was slowly contracting and digesting.

The silhouettes of those being devoured appeared blurry and distorted beneath the dark red flesh, with occasional black scriptures crawling under the skin like maggots, producing a rustling sound that made one's teeth ache.

"This godforsaken place truly embodies the saying 'It's easy to paint the skin and bones but hard to paint the heart; you can know a person's face but not their heart,'" he muttered to himself, as the phantom of the blood lotus beneath his feet appeared and disappeared intermittently.

The corridor ahead suddenly opened up, the mist dissipated, and a suspended bridge appeared, built of an unknown type of ebony, extending into the darkness.

A dark, blood-red mist churned beneath the bridge, its depths unfathomable, with the faint sound of howling winds, as if countless vengeful spirits were weeping.

At the end of the pier, a solitary temple stood, its dim yellow light flickering through the paper windows, appearing both jarring and alluring in this bloody and eerie landscape. Faint chanting could be heard from within, a strange, incoherent sound, not a proper Daoist scripture, but rather some kind of distorted recitation.

"Huh?" Xu Changqing paused slightly, alarm bells ringing in his mind. Something was definitely amiss; the lights and chanting were clearly bait to lure him into a trap.

Just as they were pondering, they suddenly heard a creak, and the palace door opened inwards by itself, revealing a bewitching figure standing against the door.

The fox demon was wearing a large, dark Taoist robe, but the robe was extremely ill-fitting, loose and baggy, with the front half open, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin and exquisite curves, a glimpse of spring.

She wore a charming smile, her eyes sparkling, exuding allure.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist." The fox demon's voice was soft and seductive, carrying a captivating rhythm. "This is the place of the 'Dao Banquet,' where there are exquisite nectars, immortal fruits, and rare treasures, awaiting those with the right affinity. Fellow Daoist, you have traveled a long way and must be weary. Why not come inside and rest for a while?"

She extended her slender hand in an inviting gesture, her fingertips adorned with bright red nail polish.

Xu Changqing frowned, but before he could answer, the pier beneath his feet began to shake, and then it rapidly contracted backward as if it were alive.

The ebony bridge planks rubbed together, producing a piercing, strange sound. In the blink of an eye, Xu Changqing's footing had reached its end, and the path behind him had vanished, turning into a churning wall of flesh and blood and thick demonic mist.

Ahead, all that remained was that eerie palace with its flickering lights, and the fox demon with a charming smile at the entrance.

"This forces me, a Daoist priest, to enter this hall." Xu Changqing's mind raced, his gaze sweeping over the fox's empty eyes and ill-fitting Daoist robe. "It seems this fox demon is bewitched, her mind controlled. I wonder what she encountered to become like this?"

"Master Tan Chan, the Daoist banquet is ready, why don't you come in?" the fox demon urged again in a sweet voice, her smile becoming even sweeter.

The sound subtly stirred the magical power within Xu Changqing's body.

In the dim light of the hall behind her, several figures appeared silently without her noticing. They were all dressed in tattered Taoist robes, their faces contorted, their sharp teeth bared, and their eyes bloodshot. They were roaring at Xu Changqing with fanatical expressions.

"Enter! Enjoy the feast!"

"Enter! Enjoy the feast!!"

"..."

The overlapping sound waves echoed in the narrow space, making people's eardrums ache.

Xu Changqing grew increasingly wary. He glanced back at the approaching, seemingly alive, slowly closing demonic mist and fleshy walls behind him, then looked ahead and sighed silently, as if helpless and resigned to his fate.

"It seems I'm being targeted. My good senior brother probably thinks I'm the Altar Toad and wants to devour me. Good, good, I was just worried about not being able to find you, senior brother. This is perfect, like a pillow delivered to my sleepy head. It's just the right time."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, but a playful smile curved his lips. "The deeper one cultivates the 'Greedy Wolf Devouring Fortune Technique,' the harder it is to resist this 'Dao Feast.' Forcibly avoiding it does indeed risk alienation. Black Scorpion, you've got a good plan, but unfortunately, you've misjudged the person."

......

Just as Xu Changqing was scheming and speculating in his mind.

Deep inside the hall, the scene differed from the outside. The space here seemed to be distorted and expanded by some force, making it far more expansive than it appeared from the outside.

In the center stood a Taoist statue that was extremely unfamiliar and had a ferocious appearance.

This being resembled a three-headed, six-armed being with a blurred face that exuded an evil aura. Its six arms either held twisted magical artifacts or formed strange hand seals.

What's even stranger is that there was no offering table or incense burner in front of this statue.

On both sides are several statues of divine soldiers and heavenly generals, but these heavenly generals are not of the righteous path. Some have blue faces and fangs, while others have ferocious bone spikes and a sinister aura.

At this moment, the abdomen of the Taoist statue on the right, with a face like a demon and holding a trident, was hollow like a cave.

Inside, a monster with a blackish-green body, shaped like a giant scorpion but covered in countless fine tentacles, was tightly wrapped around a fierce-looking demon with a blue face and fangs.

Thick green liquid continuously seeped from the black scorpion's body, dripping onto the demon's body.

The evil spirit seemed to be imprisoned, unable to move, and could only let out a silent wail under the corrosive green liquid. Its form gradually blurred and melted, turning into pure Yin evil energy, which was slowly absorbed by the black scorpion.

While enjoying the pleasure of "feeding," the black scorpion also focused some of its attention on the scene at the temple gate.

Sensing the familiar yet loathsome aura of "Altar Toad" lingering outside the door, the Taoist statue he possessed forced a stiff and eerie smile, and a low, hoarse, echoing soliloquy emanated from its belly:

"Hehe, Tan Chan, the deeper you cultivate your 'Greedy Wolf Devouring Fortune Technique,' the more irresistible you become to occasions like the 'Dao Banquet,' which can benefit your destiny and influence your fate. This is the nature of the technique, but also a flaw in your destiny. Forcibly avoiding it risks alienation and corruption. I, your senior brother, have paid a considerable price to arrange this banquet for you under the guise of the 'Three Ghosts Offering Feast.' If you don't come, wouldn't you be letting down my 'kind intentions'? If you do come... then my path is not lonely, and we brothers can finally reunite."

A burst of laughter seemed to come from inside the creature's belly.

His voice carried a venomous pleasure and greed. The green liquid flowed faster, and the giant demon's form dissolved even more quickly, seemingly about to be completely devoured by the black scorpion.

Inside the statue's belly, only the satisfied rustling of the black scorpion and its compound eyes, gleaming with an eerie green light in the dim light, remained fixed on the direction of the palace gate.

......

"Fellow Daoist, please join the feast!"

At the end of the pier, seeing that Xu Changqing was not moving, the fox demon's voice became more and more charming. She stretched out her jade arm and was about to pull on Xu Changqing's sleeve. As she moved, the already loose Taoist robe slipped down even more, making her spring scenery even more alluring.

Xu Changqing dodged the icy hand and laughed, "You fox demon, aren't you a bit too impatient? You're even resorting to using your beauty to your advantage. It seems this banquet of yours is truly a banquet with no good intentions."

"If that's the case, then I really want to see what kind of nonsense you're spouting at this 'Dao Banquet'."

With that, Xu Changqing patted his sleeves and strode towards the wide-open main hall.