"Yin Curse Elder... is dead?" Zhang Daoyuan stared blankly at Ye Ling, unsure how to describe his current feelings.
The Yin Curse Elder had wreaked havoc in the martial world for many years, and Zhang Daoyuan, as a Heavenly Master of the Zhengyi Sect, had been pursuing him for a long time.
However, each time Zhang Daoyuan was on the verge of capturing the Yin Curse Elder, the latter would escape.
This time, upon discovering traces of the Yin Curse Elder in Jiangcheng, Zhang Daoyuan had intended to seize the opportunity to kill him and rid the world of his menace. But he never expected that the Yin Curse Elder would already be dead at Ye Ling's hands!
Upon learning that his long-sought target had been killed, Zhang Daoyuan suddenly felt a sense of emptiness and disorientation.
After a while, Zhang Daoyuan finally recovered from the shock of the Yin Curse Elder's death and said to Ye Ling, "This old Taoist's investigation into the Jiang family was not deep. If there are any clues, the only thing this old Taoist knows is that a few months ago, the Jiang family purchased a piece of land in the suburbs of Jiangcheng's northern district."
Ye Ling asked, "The Jiang Group's industries already involve construction. What's special about them acquiring a piece of land?"
Zhang Daoyuan shook his head and said, "If it were ordinary land, there would be nothing peculiar. However, the land purchased by the Jiang Group was itself a burial ground, and a place of extreme ill omen, easily capable of breeding evil spirits."
"If it were another company, unaware of the ominous nature of the land, buying it might have just been a bad deal. But since the Jiang Group is connected to the Yin Curse Elder, they must have known the land's peculiarity and wouldn't have jumped into a trap knowingly."
"If the Jiang Group truly intended to build houses on that land legitimately, let alone completing the construction, they would have lost most of their fortune."
"So, you mean the Jiang family had ulterior motives for acquiring that land?" Ye Ling raised an eyebrow.
Zhang Daoyuan honestly replied, "This old Taoist has not yet conducted an in-depth investigation. I am not clear about the Jiang Group's specific purpose."
"Interesting, to specifically buy an ominous piece of land..." Ye Ling murmured, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. "Indeed, it was the right decision to let them go that day. Otherwise, how could I have witnessed such an interesting event?"
Seeing Ye Ling's interest in the matter, Zhang Daoyuan tentatively asked, "Young friend, are you planning to investigate there?"
"This old Taoist can accompany you."
In Zhang Daoyuan's eyes, Ye Ling was like a nuclear bomb that could detonate at any moment, extremely dangerous and requiring someone to keep an eye on him.
Although Zhang Daoyuan believed his strength was inferior to Ye Ling's and he couldn't stop Ye Ling from doing anything, by his side, he could at least prevent the situation from spiraling too far out of control.
Moreover, Zhang Daoyuan was now extremely curious about Ye Ling's identity and wanted to know who he was.
Ye Ling did not refuse Zhang Daoyuan's request to accompany him and agreed, "Very well, you can lead the way."
Although Zhang Daoyuan's cultivation was low, he still possessed some skills, and his strength was significantly greater than the Yin Curse Elder's.
Furthermore, the Heavenly Net Ghost King that Zhang Daoyuan was searching for under orders from his sect might be related to Ye Ling's family affairs. Taking Zhang Daoyuan to investigate the Jiang family might yield unexpected results.
Upon Ye Ling's agreement, Zhang Daoyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Young friend, please follow me this way."
The land purchased by the Jiang Group was located in the suburbs of Jiangcheng's northern district. As the northern part of Jiangcheng was an old industrial area, it was significantly less developed and had a much lower population density compared to other areas.
By the time Zhang Daoyuan and Ye Ling arrived at the outskirts, it was already close to evening, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the road.
"This is the land purchased by the Jiang Group."
Zhang Daoyuan led Ye Ling to the roadside and pointed at the plot of land, which was enclosed by a corrugated iron fence.
The setting sun cast a dim light on the land. The vast construction site was deserted, giving off an unusually cold and eerie atmosphere.
In such a place, no matter what was built, it would be a financial loss.
Ye Ling could sense the inauspiciousness of the land just by looking at the construction site.
The thick Yin energy permeating the site had already begun to affect the surrounding environment.
Even an ordinary person standing here could tell that something was wrong with this land.
Zhang Daoyuan walked to the locked iron gate, placed a talisman on the lock, and activated the spiritual energy within him.
"Curse Binding · Release!"
Zhang Daoyuan uttered a low cry, and the talisman glowed with a white light. Then, the large lock opened by itself.
Zhang Daoyuan pushed open the iron gate and said to Ye Ling as they walked, "This old Taoist heard that after the Jiang Group purchased this land, they immediately hired people to level the graves on the site."
"However, after filling in the graves, they delayed construction for a long time, gradually letting the land become overgrown. When this old Taoist passed by here before, he noticed that there were no longer any workers."
Ye Ling glanced around at the various complete equipment and tools and asked, "This doesn't look like a site that's been halted. Why aren't they continuing construction?"
Zhang Daoyuan replied, "According to nearby residents, the day after all the graves were filled, ghosts began to haunt this place, and several workers died here."
"With frequent worker deaths, naturally, no construction team dared to continue working here."
"The Jiang Group has not responded to this matter at all. They spent ten billion to buy this land and then left it unattended, leading to many conspiracy theories circulating among the public."
"This is why this old Taoist began investigating the Jiang family."
Ye Ling scanned the surroundings and saw two crows perched on a pile driver. He said, "The rumors of haunting... should be the work of the so-called evil spirits, right?"
"Yes, the Yin energy here is very strong. If someone dies with grievances, their soul is very likely to transform into an evil spirit and eventually become a lingering spirit of this place."
At this moment, the sound of car engines could be heard from outside. Zhang Daoyuan's eyes narrowed, and he quickly activated the talisman attached to the lock on the iron gate, causing the gate to lock again. The talisman quickly burned to ashes.
"Young friend, let's hide!"
Zhang Daoyuan quickly found cover to hide, and Ye Ling glanced outside before also retreating slightly into the shadows.
Soon, the locked gate was opened, and several black-clad men wearing sunglasses entered, each carrying a sack filled with heavy objects, walking towards the depths of the construction site.
And behind those black-clad men followed someone Ye Ling recognized as an "acquaintance."
Lu Shaofeng.
Lu Shaofeng was now wearing a black suit, sunglasses, and a baseball cap. His right hand was wrapped in bandages, indicating that the finger Ye Ling had severed had been reattached.
"It's him?"
Seeing the dandy appear here, Ye Ling was also somewhat surprised.
"Young friend, you know him?"
Zhang Daoyuan asked in a low voice, noticing Ye Ling's gaze fixed on Lu Shaofeng.
Ye Ling chuckled, "I met a dandy at the Sky Auction a while ago. He has some connection with Jiang Wenchun. I thought he was just an ordinary young master, but I didn't expect him to have such secrets hidden behind his back."
Lu Shaofeng looked around, ensuring there was no one in the construction site, before instructing the black-clad men to open the sacks and dump out the heavy objects inside.
Upon seeing the "things" poured out from the sacks, Zhang Daoyuan's pupils constricted sharply!
What the sacks contained...
Were all corpses!