This scene was truly too bizarre. The old Taoist followed her gaze and turned back, only to see that somehow, they had been swept beneath a waterfall off a cliff.

How could such a creek host a waterfall!

The old Taoist was greatly alarmed and shouted urgently: "Stop! Stop! We’re about to fall! We’re about to fall! Have you all gone mad?!"

Yet, neither the five women nor the young Taoist seemed to hear the old Taoist’s words. They continued to paddle desperately, chasing after the light in the darkness as if thirsting for something, their eyes fixed on the waterfall off the cliff.

The old Taoist watched the enchanted group in horror, his body shivering involuntarily, catching Shu Ci’s mocking cold smile under the iron cauldron.

In his panic, the old Taoist was stunned, thinking to himself, in such a bizarre situation, she seemed unenchanted, but her gaze was unnaturally calm.

In the chaos of his thoughts, the boat beneath him finally reached its limit and shattered to pieces.

The people on the boat plunged into the water like dumplings.

As soon as the old Taoist hit the water, he was horrified to feel countless icy cold hands, even colder than the river water, gripping his body from all directions, dragging him into the depths of the river.

Even though he was an excellent swimmer, water flooded wildly into his chest and lungs. He flailed his limbs, struggling desperately in the turbulent river, managing to open his eyes.

He was horrified to discover that the arms reaching for him were abnormally long, clearly not human, with bristling, insect-like joints.

Some grabbed his arms and legs, others coiled around his belly and neck like snakes.

The old Taoist felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his blood frozen, thinking that today he might end up being fed to the ghost in such a haunted place.

On the verge of death, a strange thought emerged in his mind.

Watching those submerged in the river, unlike him, they weren’t struggling in panic.

They seemed to have entered a peaceful slumber, their expressions serene, lying relaxed with outstretched limbs, immersed in the river.

Allowing those horrifyingly pale arms to slowly drag them into the watery abyss.

Why wasn’t he, like them, lost in this spell?

Why could he see the red-clad female ghost, and the side of the abyss?

As the sensation of suffocation encroached, a warm glow suddenly emerged in his chest, unusually clear in the water.

The arms gripping his body were suddenly scorched, releasing their hold.

Freed, the old Taoist eagerly kicked and paddled his way swiftly to the water’s surface.

"Waha!!! Cough cough cough!!!"

The old Taoist broke the surface of the water with his head, greedily inhaling the cold air, alleviating the dizziness from lack of oxygen.

He felt immensely grateful, realizing that the wolf fang pendant he wore had proven to be a protective charm against evil.

Had he sold the wolf fang his father left him on his deathbed during his poverty, he wouldn’t have known how he’d die today.

At this moment, he couldn’t concern himself with the lives of the women and his apprentice.

As the saying goes, preserve one’s own life in critical times!

The old Taoist started frantically dog-paddling, looking around for the riverbank, but before long, his forehead struck something cold.

Looking up, he found a pair of almost white, small feet, evidently having undergone foot-binding, with their deformed three-inch appearance adding to his despair.

It was none other than the red-clad female ghost he’d seen earlier, with blood dripping steadily from beneath her feet.

Her clothes hadn’t been red, but the blood incessantly oozing from her corpse had dyed them red over the years.

She appeared too busy to notice the old Taoist at the moment.

Although he couldn’t see her face clearly, he could feel the tense aura emanating from her, filling him with a sense of imminent danger.

Just a few meters away from the red-clad female ghost, an iron cauldron floated up and down amidst the rushing river, defying the laws of weight.

And Shu Ci sat on the upside-down bottom of the cauldron, her plain skirt fanning out like a flower on the water’s surface.

Her long ink-black hair danced like misty clouds amidst the storm, the vividness underneath her plain attire exuding an aura of grandeur.

Her gaze lightly swept across, and the female ghost’s body visibly flinched, seemingly intimidated by her aura.

Shu Ci’s eyes carried a deep, mocking sneer: "Useless trash, I’ve delivered this food right to your door, and you still can’t handle it? What, do you expect me to slaughter it myself and feed it to you?"

Shu Ci’s words were clearly targeted, and the yellow-robed Taoist, not being a fool, realized that the ’food’ referred to was himself?

Well then!

It was like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the bird behind!

She initially agreed to accompany him to sacrifice to the River God, but it turned out to be a vicious scheme to send him to the lair of ghosts.

The old Taoist never expected to fall into the hands of this venomous woman today, shaking with rage:

"You wicked woman! It was actually you who killed the innocent women in the village all along!

Today’s malicious intent hides within you, deliberately luring me here to be devoured by ghosts!"

Shu Ci sat upright in front of stormy winds, above the terrifying waves of ghosts, with rain drifting onto her brows, her demeanor eerie yet calm:

"It was me who decided on this grand ritual to honor the River God from the very beginning."

With that light remark, she embarrassed the Taoist into silence, since the one who initially had malicious intent was him.

The Taoist stammered for a moment, then put on a hypocritical face of righteousness and rebuked: "Even if the old Taoist and you have some disagreements, if you harbor revenge, so be it.

But the village’s women and my young disciple are innocent, how could you be so cruel to harm those who have no grievance with you?!"

Unfortunately, his righteous preaching found the wrong audience, as Shu Ci was never one for benevolence, words like ’ruthless’ and ’heartless’ applied to her were generous.

She squinted her eyes, slowly lifting her snow-white hand and carefully inspecting it, speaking nonchalantly:

"The innocents who died by my hand number more than just these five.

I never debate reason, if I want you dead, the only thing you can do now is obediently die."

"You! You!" The old Taoist gasped and accidentally swallowed a mouthful of the cold river water, his limbs feeling incredibly heavy.

He hurriedly clung to a floating log, finally getting a moment to breathe.

Lying on the log, he feared that the ghost woman might truly heed the woman’s words and come to devour him.

But fortunately, the ghost woman was facing the woman, appearing to concentrate all her energy on her.

He could even clearly sense the ghost woman’s apprehension and fear, even a hint of retreat.

The old Taoist felt a chill in his heart, swallowing hard.

What could it be that makes the ghost woman so frightened without making a move?

The ghost in red’s bloody aura gradually faded, her cracked bloody mouth slowly closed, apparently not daring to act recklessly before Shu Ci.

Her body, floating on the water surface, began to sink, seemingly trying to escape Shu Ci’s gaze. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Shu Ci still sat upright upon the iron pot, coldly watching her without making any extra movement.

"Ding dong..."

Just then, the world’s myriad sounds seemed to be snatched away by some force.

The wind was gentle, and the mountains and rivers suddenly distant, as if darkness had returned; the colors of the surrounding scenery turned into a wash of bleak white ink.

Like a drop of water falling into a calm and dead lake, making a crisp dripping sound.

The red-robed ghost slowly sinking into the water suddenly froze.

Shu Ci’s eyes narrowed deeply, her gaze abruptly sharp.

In the black-and-white time, she saw a thread of fine mist-like red line penetrate the ghost’s brow.

Is that... Demon Lord’s Winged Flame?

The Demon Lord actually came here?

At this moment, Shu Ci was suffering from being reverted to her original form, her Divine Sense severely damaged, unable to perceive whether the Demon Lord’s presence existed in this space.

And the red-robed ghost emitted a piercing shriek, her red robe flowing like blood, instantly dyeing the entire lake.