In the old streets of West City, all the buildings were old, built in the 1970s and 1980s. Only two flickering streetlights illuminated both sides, their dim glow making the surroundings even more eerie and terrifying.
"I've lived here for over half a year, and I still can't get used to it..."
Jian Shishi looked at the sinister street, muttering softly as she led Ye Ling upstairs.
"During your time here, have you encountered anything strange?" Ye Ling asked slowly, following behind Jian Shishi.
"Strange things?"
Jian Shishi paused, poking her chin with her index finger as she thought for a moment. "Although this place looks eerie and terrifying, it's actually quite safe. There haven't been any public security issues."
"If I had to say something strange, there have been a few things. Jiang Tianhao, the eldest son of the Jiang Group, always comes to this slum. Several times when I came home late at night, I saw Jiang Tianhao's car parked outside this street. I don't know what that guy is up to?"
"Jiang Tianhao?" Ye Ling frowned, "You know him?"
"I work as a receptionist at the Jiang Group. Jiang Tianhao is the chairman's son, how could I not know him? That guy, relying on his wealth, harasses me every day. I've been ignoring him, but today I just couldn't take it anymore and confronted him. As a result, I was fired..."
As she spoke, Jian Shishi slumped like a frost-bitten eggplant, saying dejectedly, "Speaking of which, today has been incredibly unlucky. Not only was I fired, but I was also captured by a strange person and almost died in that hellish place..."
"Perhaps my kidnapping was all Jiang Tianhao's doing!"
"..."
Hearing Jian Shishi's words, Ye Ling's gaze deepened.
Since his return, he had heard Jiang Tianhao's name from several people.
Moreover, in the memories of the Yin Curse Elder, Jiang Tianhao was considered his registered disciple...
In fact, when Ye Ling was in college, he was classmates with Jiang Tianhao. Back then, Jiang Tianhao was already a scoundrel and a bully, often causing trouble and preying on others in school.
At that time, the Ye family's status was not weak, and Jiang Tianhao could do nothing to Ye Ling. The feud between them began and continued to accumulate.
However, after the Jiang family successfully framed the Ye family and caused their decline, Ye Ling's family situation plummeted. Jiang Tianhao took the opportunity to retaliate fiercely against Ye Ling in school, directly leading to Ye Ling's expulsion, and even Ye You, who was still in high school, was also expelled!
Subsequently, the Ye family suffered a tragic disaster, with both Mr. and Mrs. Ye perishing, and a generation's commercial empire was directly cut in half!
Ye Ling clearly remembered that Jiang Tianhao was even present on the day he was shot!
Recalling what Jiang Tianhao had done to him back then, Ye Ling's eyes grew colder.
Jian Shishi, not noticing Ye Ling's expression, continued as if she had opened a floodgate, "Also, it's colder here at night than in other places. Even in the peak of summer, I have to use two blankets at night."
"But this place is already dark and damp, and there are several tall buildings outside blocking the sunlight, so it's understandable that it's colder. I can just consider it saving on air conditioning costs."
"I understand..."
Hearing Jian Shishi's description, Ye Ling came back to his senses and had a general understanding of the situation in the old streets of West City.
The reason this place was cold at night was not because of the lack of sunlight, but because of the massive accumulation of resentful energy nearby, which had altered the environment.
Excessive Yin energy.
People who lived in ominous places for a long time would generally be entangled by resentful energy, their good fortune stolen, and in severe cases, it could even invite fatal disasters.
However, Ye Ling did not detect any entanglement of resentful energy on Jian Shishi, nor had anything happened in this place. This meant that while someone was carrying out a large-scale massacre here, they were also forcibly locking the resentful energy in one place, deliberately concealing the fact that this was an ominous place.
Coupled with the frequent presence of Jiang Tianhao, who had some connection to the Yin Curse Elder, Ye Ling could basically guess what was happening in the old streets of West City.
Jian Shishi did not realize how dangerous the place she lived in was, and excitedly led Ye Ling back to her rented room.
"My place is a bit small and old, please don't mind, immortal!"
Jian Shishi turned on the lights in the room, blushing, and said to Ye Ling somewhat shyly, "I'll go take a bath first. You don't need to take off your shoes, just look around."
After speaking, Jian Shishi took off her blood-stained shoes and hopped barefoot to the bathroom.
Ye Ling glanced around Jian Shishi's room and found that although the house was old, it was surprisingly clean and tidy, which was pleasing to the eye.
"I didn't expect that beneath her carefree personality, this girl could keep her room so clean," Ye Ling mused and walked towards Jian Shishi's bedroom.
In fact, Ye Ling had no intention of having any relationship with Jian Shishi by coming here. He just wanted to confirm if there was any accumulation of resentful energy in this place.
After all, he had saved Jian Shishi from the Yin Curse Elder, and it would be unreasonable to send her to a place where resentful energy gathered.
After confirming that Jian Shishi's residence was safe, Ye Ling walked out of the bedroom and happened to see the clothes piled up by the bathroom door...
Listening to the "swish swish" sound of water from the bathroom, Ye Ling paused, then shook his head and chuckled, "This girl, what is she thinking?"
As his voice fell, Ye Ling, without any lingering, turned into a gust of wind and left. "Immortal, I'm done washing!"
Not long after Ye Ling left, Jian Shishi, wearing pajamas, excitedly ran out of the bathroom, only to see an empty living room. She was immediately stunned.
He left?
Jian Shishi was a little dazed, unable to believe that Ye Ling had left...
She was just one step away from throwing herself into his arms. In the time it took her to take a bath, was the immortal impatient?
"Ahhh! I wish I hadn't taken a bath!"
"I don't even know the immortal's name!"
Jian Shishi fell onto the bed in disappointment, burying her head in the pillow, her feet kicking the bed.
However, after the events of today, Jian Shishi was extremely exhausted. She lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep within two minutes of kicking the bed...
"Will I ever see him again...?"
Jian Shishi murmured in her sleep. Outside the window, a gentle breeze blew.
...
Leaving Jian Shishi's room, Ye Ling went straight to the depths of the old streets of West City, to the place where resentful energy gathered.
This was a dilapidated building, with many cracks on its walls, looking like it could collapse at any moment.
In front of the building, there was a warning sign, and the surroundings were sealed with tape, warning people not to enter.
"After the Ye family was destroyed, the Jiang family found those stubborn residents again and deliberately prevented the demolition of this street, all to create such an ominous place..."
"What is their purpose?" Ye Ling muttered to himself, ignoring the warning sign, pulling open the seal and walking in.
In the Eastern Profound Continent, there were also many instances of artificially created ominous places.
Those who deliberately created disasters had various reasons, but those who created ominous places had one common point...
They would go to any lengths to achieve their goals and treated people like livestock.
Therefore, even in a world like the Eastern Profound Continent, where the law of the jungle prevailed, those who created great ominous places would be hunted by major sects!
Ye Ling entered the dilapidated building, and a smell of dampness and decay assailed his nostrils.
The corridors were filled with garbage, and rats and cockroaches were everywhere, a veritable garbage dump.
"Traces of human habitation. There must have been homeless people living in this building, and they're probably all gone..." Ye Ling observed the situation inside the building and muttered to himself.
For an ominous place to appear, a large number of people must die in this building. Those homeless people who dared to live in this place were certainly not far from death.
Without lingering in the corridor, Ye Ling headed for the stairs leading to the basement. He passed through a narrow passage and stopped in front of a locked iron door.
Resentful energy was emanating from inside the iron door.
Several yellow talismans drawn with dog blood were pasted on the iron door to suppress the resentful energy within.
There were bloodstains below the iron door. Although they had been wiped, traces of dragging could still be faintly seen.
"This is it."
Ye Ling easily pulled off the large lock on the iron door, pushed it open, and stepped inside.
Behind the iron door was a rather large basement.
Ye Ling could see through the darkness that there were many strange patterns drawn on the walls, similar in style to the drawings of the Yin Curse Elder.
Large iron chains were hanging from the ceiling, each with an iron hook at the end, mostly stained with dried blood.
It was clear that those chains were used to hang corpses or living people.
"What a heartless beast."
Ye Ling glanced around the basement. Besides the strange patterns, he found a large cutting board in the middle of the basement with various knives inserted into it, and a large pot about a meter high next to it.
"Breaking bones, skinning, cooking meat... using all sorts of cruel methods. Are they afraid of not creating enough resentful energy?" Although Ye Ling had seen such things in the Eastern Profound Continent, he was still somewhat surprised to encounter such a thing on Earth.
After staying in this place for more than ten minutes, the sound of leather shoes stepping on the ground suddenly came from outside the basement.
"Good luck, I ran into him at this time."
Hearing the footsteps outside, a hint of a smile flashed in Ye Ling's eyes. He used his spiritual power to restore the iron lock outside the door, and then he became invisible on the spot, waiting for the person outside to come in.
Before long, the sound of a key unlocking the door was heard.
The iron door was pushed open, and a young man in a suit dragged a sack inside.
The sack was soaked in blood, and it contained a person. There was no struggle, and it was unclear whether the person was unconscious or already dead.
The young man skillfully turned on the lights in the basement, then hummed a tune as he dragged the sack towards the cutting board.
"It's him?"
Seeing the appearance of the young man, Ye Ling's eyes immediately filled with cold killing intent!
The visitor was Ye Ling's college classmate from six years ago...
The eldest son of the Jiang family, Jiang Tianhao!
"Since I've run into you, my old classmate here, the debt from back then... should be settled tonight."