My Misfortune Crushed Instances-Chapter 316: The Truth of Ghost City

This old demon is also of the Witch Race, retaining the image from his life. He stands on four legs, still has two hands, a long neck, and a tuft of slender beard on his chin. If not for being in the state of an undead, he might have seemed somewhat amusing.

Even though he’s already deceased, he still speaks the language of the Witch Race, which can still be understood.

Li Rui stepped forward and replied, "We have been entrusted by the Witch Crow Tribe’s priest to come and purge the Ghost City of the undead Yin Sha."

"Ghost City...."

"Hehehe, has Witch City already turned into Ghost City..."

The old demon gave a bitter smile, "May I ask who is the current priest of the Witch Crow Tribe?"

"Wu Huan."

"Ah, little Wu Huan is already a priest. If I’m not mistaken, it’s been forty or fifty years since the great change in Witch City, hasn’t it?"

Li Rui looked at Cheng Mingyue, who replied, "Sixty-three years."

After understanding the current situation, the old demon sighed deeply, "As times change, it’s all our fault."

He raised his head and looked fixedly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Li Rui waited for him to settle, then asked, "May I ask, who are you?"

"Pardon my rudeness."

The old demon regained his senses and said, "I, Qu Ya, served as a Censor Star Recorder in Witch City, responsible for recording all major and minor matters in the city, and observing celestial phenomena and omens."

Li Rui said, "A pleasure to meet you, Elder Qu. Could you please tell us what exactly happened back then? Moreover, I feel that the Evil Qi here differs from outside the palace; is there a reason for this?"

He had no time to beat around the bush and directly asked the questions that concerned him the most.

The old demon sighed once again, his soul dimming slightly with the exhale, alarming the three who comforted him.

Qu Ya finally said, "To explain this matter, we must start from the beginning."

"I still remember, it was at midnight one day, I was observing the celestial phenomena at home, calculating the fortunes of Witch City. From the displacement of the stars, I calculated that a great calamity was about to occur." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"While I was puzzled, I suddenly saw a meteor descend from the sky, falling towards the southeast of Wangze State."

"I immediately went into the palace to seek an audience with the City Lord; this decision led to a great disaster."

Li Rui asked, "The meteor fell, and it was in Wangze State?"

"Indeed."

Qu Ya continued, "Upon hearing my report, the Witch King immediately dispatched the Great Witch with a convoy to investigate, ultimately finding the fallen object by the East Sea."

Li Rui asked, "What was that thing?"

Qu Ya glanced at him and said firmly, "An ominous item! It was the root of Witch City’s catastrophe."

He seemed somewhat agitated, "This item was a perfectly round jade orb, white on top and black on the bottom, emanating rolling Evil Qi. Upon first sight, I felt it could not be kept for long and should be discarded into the vast ocean."

"But the Grand General believed that the orb contained powerful energy, and we should attempt to control it. Thus, Witch City’s power could be elevated to new heights, possibly even unifying Wangze State."

Cheng Mingyue murmured softly, "It fits the traditional plot of losing oneself for power."

Qu Ya lamented, "The City Lord believed the Grand General’s words and ordered us to urgently study, seeking the secrets within the orb. I felt it was inauspicious but could not stop them, so I feigned illness and stayed home."

"Later.... alas, to my knowledge, the six auxiliary priests summoned into the palace lost all communication, and the Great Witch shut himself in, rumored to be afflicted with illness."

"Then more people disappeared, and rumors arose in the city about evil spirits haunting, starting from the north of the city."

At this point, he grew calm, "I petitioned the City Lord, requesting an immediate halt to the orb’s research, but there was no response. Later, even the palace gates were closed, and we subjects could no longer see the City Lord."

"Despite this, evil incidents continued to arise within the city. The Grand General led his soldiers to suppress them, yet fear persisted, and some residents moved outside the city."

"Later, I attempted again to meet the City Lord. I thought I would be refused once more, but unexpectedly, the palace issued an edict summoning all ministers to the palace to meet the City Lord."

"I thought a turning point had finally come, and together with the ministers, we waited in front of the hall, discussing how to admonish him. Who knew the Grand General would suddenly appear with soldiers, arresting us all."

Qu Ya’s face showed a painful expression, "Thereafter, we were ambushed and executed in the hall, our souls sealed within vessels."

"Outside, a constant Evil Qi eroded my remaining soul. I noticed, within the hall, ministers were already infused with the Evil Qi, turning into undead intent only on slaughter."

Li Rui asked, "Then how did you manage to retain your consciousness?"

Qu Ya replied, "The Evil Qi was altered by the City Lord, specifically targeting the Demon Race practicing Witch City’s Secret Technique. However, he didn’t anticipate that besides the spells all cultivators in Witch City must train, my family had an ancestral secret technique called Guiyuan Guarding Skill."

"With this cultivation technique, I was able to shrink my Spiritual Sense into the vessel, impervious to external evils, steadfastly holding on, so that one day, if justice was sought, I could reveal the truth."

Li Rui and the others held Qu Ya in high regard; this old demon had waited alone in the desolate palace for decades, his consciousness clear, and resisting the Evil Qi’s erosion required not only immense cultivation but also a strong will.

A slightest hint of slack could not be afforded.

Qu Ya asked, "How do the tribes outside understand what happened here?"

The three spoke one after another, recounting the external speculations, leaving the old demon somewhat indignant: "What defense of the city! The Grand General and the City Lord conspired, killing all the city’s populace!"

"But why? Was it to sacrifice something? No, they themselves died too," Cheng Mingyue asked.

Qu Ya fell silent and shook his head, "This is unknown. At the time of my death, I didn’t know what the City Lord intended."

At this moment, Xu Xiliang, who had been silent, spoke up, "I have a thought."

The other three looked at him.

"You know the Terracotta Army?" he asked.

Upon hearing this, Qu Liu looked baffled, while Li Rui and Cheng Mingyue showed shocked expressions.

"Could it be....."

Qu Ya asked, "May I ask, what do you mean by that?"

"It means,"

Cheng Mingyue explained, "Your City Lord wanted to transform all his subjects into undead and continue his rule."

"What?!"

In shock, Qu Ya’s ghost dimmed further, "How could this be, he... he...."

The old demon thought for a while and found no way to refute it.

Back then, the city’s general’s closure of the gates wasn’t for purging Yin Sha, but to slaughter the city. Summoning ministers into the palace to be killed and sealed in those soul vessels was also to cultivate the Evil Qi.

"I understand, I understand."

He lowered his hands dejectedly, "Witch City was one of the strongest forces in East Wangze State, but it couldn’t unify the East. The City Lord must have gained some power from the orb, intending to break through the bottleneck this way."

Perhaps to the City Lord at that time, whether ruling a crowd of demons or a crowd of undead made no difference; the key lay in that "meteor."

If not for the powerful energy and Evil Qi contained within, a 50th-level limit demon alone couldn’t have accomplished this.

Li Rui said, "Don’t worry, senior, we are about to eliminate the one called Woliu and cleanse the Evil Qi in this city. But first, I ask you, is the orb still in the palace?"