Chapter 57 Soul Eater Metamorphosis

The figure that stepped out of the paper sedan chair was also a Paper Person, but it was completely different from the four Paper Persons carrying the sedan.

Its entire body lacked any trace of evil or sinister Qi; instead, it shimmered with a faint golden light. Its facial features were painted with such vivid realism that its brows and eyes carried a sense of solemn majesty, appearing like a golden statue in a temple.

Qi Huan snorted coldly upon seeing this, his face full of disdain.

"Playing god and acting like a ghost—a mere Ghostly Creature trying to pass itself off as a deity? Truly laughable."

Chen Mu, however, frowned deeply. This Paper Person gave him an extremely strange feeling. The golden light seemed grand and majestic, but it always revealed a sense of superficiality and affectation, as if it were a carefully constructed facade.

The golden-bodied Paper Person landed, its movements stiff yet composed. Ignoring the many invisible guests in the courtyard, it walked toward the three corpses dressed as the bride and groom in front of the hall.

One step, two steps...

Its footsteps landed on the bluestone floor, emitting a "da-da" sound. It walked all the way to the three corpses before raising its paper-pasted hands to gently stroke the tops of their heads.

The fingertips were stained with a highly conspicuous vermilion red, and its movements were gentle, as if an elder were comforting a Junior.

"Thump," "thump," "thump."

The three corpses fell to the ground in response, collapsing stiffly onto the bluestone floor with a dull sound.

Immediately after, the carefully worn wedding attire on the corpses suddenly scattered, revealing the incomplete and mutilated true forms underneath.

The torn necks, the gaping holes in their abdomens, and the wounds of severed limbs appeared shocking under the glow of the lanterns.

Following this, the flesh and blood of the corpses began to peel away at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if being frantically devoured by countless giant mouths, and a thick, bloody stench filled the air.

Liu Ziming suddenly gasped, "They... those ghosts are devouring the corpses!"

Chen Mu focused his gaze and indeed saw some blurry ghostly shadows pouncing on the three corpses. Although he could not see their specific movements clearly, he could distinctly perceive the flesh, blood, and essence of the corpses rapidly draining away, while the aura of those ghostly shadows grew stronger bit by bit.

Gradually, even Chen Mu and Qi Huan were able to clearly see some of the ghostly shadows. They had transformed from their initial blurry shapes to gradually becoming distinct in outline, and one could even distinguish between men, women, the old, and the young.

Each of them had a ferocious appearance, yet they were all greedily enjoying this feast of flesh and blood.

Qi Huan's expression grew increasingly ugly, and he muttered to himself, "Feeding ghosts with flesh and blood... could this be ghost-raising?"

Before his voice died away, another unexpected change occurred.

The golden Paper Person suddenly moved. It walked slowly toward the nearest ghost—a young ghost missing half its head, who was lying on a corpse, pulling on an intestine and eating with a look of satisfaction.

However, before it could be fully satisfied, the golden Paper Person grabbed it and lifted it up.

The next moment, the young ghost let out a shrill, piercing scream. The sound was deafening, causing Chen Mu and his two companions to turn pale.

Immediately after, the ghostly shadow began to twist and deform, eventually turning into a wisp of black smoke, which was inhaled by the Paper Person as it opened its mouth!

It then walked toward the second, the third... all dealt with in the same manner.

The ghosts in the courtyard, which had just condensed and taken shape from devouring flesh and blood, began to wail. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight had already been swallowed by the Paper Person. With each one it consumed, the golden light on the Paper Person grew more intense, and its original paper-pasted skin actually began to undergo subtle changes.

It was as if it were about to grow skin texture and transform from a Paper Person into a real person.

Qi Huan's expression changed abruptly, and his voice was filled with extreme terror.

"This is bad. This is the evil art of feeding souls with souls! It is using these ghosts to feed itself! If this continues, it might result in a Ghost King appearing in Yunmeng!"

Ghost King!

These two words made Chen Mu's heart tremble violently.

He had never seen a Ghost King with his own eyes, but after the Fusion with the original owner's memories, he vaguely remembered some related records from miscellaneous books on strange phenomena.

A Ghost King is the pinnacle of a Ghostly Creature's cultivation. Once formed, it can shock heaven and earth, making the gods weep, and possesses the ability to overturn seas and rivers and change the world.

It is rumored that three hundred days ago, the Northern Shuoyun Kingdom was destroyed by a Ghost King. The entire nation's hundreds of millions of living beings were slaughtered, all becoming nourishment for the Ghost King's advancement!

If this Ghost King were truly to achieve its fruition, let alone Yunmeng, I fear the entire Great Wu would be plunged into misery.

Qi Huan looked at the situation before him and made a decisive judgment.

"We must leave immediately and report to our superiors at once. This matter is no longer something we can handle!"

Chen Mu was also shocked. In this situation, relying solely on a few Martial Artists in the Dao Entry Realm was absolutely insufficient; it would likely require the deployment of top experts from the Demon Suppression Division headquarters to suppress it.

The three of them exchanged glances and saw the determination in each other's eyes.

Go! We must leave here immediately!

However, the moment they turned to leave, the golden Paper Person in the courtyard suddenly looked up, accurately gazing in the direction where they were hiding.

The facial features painted in vermilion on the Paper Person's face actually twisted into an eerie smile.

At the same time, a sinister voice resonated directly in the minds of the three.

"Living humans... since you have come... then do not leave..."

The voice was hoarse and grating, carrying a heavy, thick Death Qi.

All three simultaneously felt an extremely cold aura lock onto them, like maggots on bones—cold and sticky, making it impossible for them to catch their breath for a moment.

Qi Huan's heart skipped a beat, knowing their whereabouts had been exposed, and he shouted sharply, "Run!"

The three did not hesitate, turning and dashing toward the wall they had come over.

Liu Ziming had difficulty moving his legs, so Chen Mu grabbed his arm to support him, while Qi Huan covered the rear.

The three vaulted over the wall at top speed and landed in the back alley. After landing, they did not look back and immediately sped along the alley.

The night was deep, and the streets of Yunmeng were empty. Even the brothels that had been brightly lit when they arrived were now devoid of light, with only the pale moonlight spilling onto the bluestone slabs.

They dared not stop and could only run wildly along the road they had come from, crossing one street after another.

After running for about a quarter of an hour, the three gradually slowed their pace.

Chen Mu frowned. Something was wrong.

They had been running for a long time; at their pace, they should have long since crossed most of the West City and approached their jurisdiction.

But the streets were still the same streets, and the houses were still the same houses; no matter how they ran, the surrounding scenery felt familiar.

"Stop!"

Chen Mu stopped abruptly. Liu Ziming, whom he was supporting as they ran, couldn't brake in time and nearly stumbled, barely managing to steady himself.

Qi Huan, running at the back, was evidently observing the surrounding environment as well. Distracted for a moment, he crashed straight into Liu Ziming's back.

Liu Ziming ended up falling to the ground after all. "Ouch!"

He cried out in pain, clutching his not-yet-healed leg, his face turning pale.

Chen Mu helped him up with a dark expression, and Qi Huan also steadied himself. The three looked around, their expressions as dark as iron.

Before them, shockingly, was that familiar vermilion gate of the Zhao residence again.

They had spent a quarter of an hour running from the back alley to the front gate?

"A Ghost Wall!"

Qi Huan gritted his teeth, his voice filled with obvious anger.

Liu Ziming stood up, gritting his teeth, his voice trembling. "We... are we trapped?"