Master of Strange Dao

Sure, here is the translated text:

Not long after, the Crown Prince received the letter.

"Your Highness, does Qing Ziyu of Jinlan Mountain know about the nightmares?"

The Crown Prince laughed heartily, as she never mentioned it, yet her master managed to dig out information about Qing Ziyu from those reports.

Ever since Yu Ziqing summoned millions of hungry ghosts in Sorrow Cave Heaven with an unknown method, his whereabouts had been under continuous scrutiny.

Wherever he went, it was as if those millions of hungry ghosts followed him there.

On the surface, these people appeared indifferent, but in reality, how could they not care?

Yet, they couldn't say, "You people of Jinlan Mountain cannot enter Dali's territory," and Yu Ziqing never deliberately concealed his whereabouts.

After a brief consideration, she gave up the idea of deciding on behalf of Wen Lingyou, simply giving a definitive answer, and even mentioned where Yu Ziqing was currently located.

A few days later, Wang Xiaohu descended from the sky and courteously handed over an invitation.

"Young Master Qing, my master invites you."

Yu Ziqing opened the letter to find that it was an invitation from Wen Lingyou of Lihuo Institute, earnestly requesting a meeting.

He naturally knew who Wen Lingyou was, the dean of Lihuo Institute and a teacher to the Dali Crown Prince, a very prominent figure indeed.

He even knew who Wang Xiaohu was, Wen Lingyou's Dao-Protecting guardian, a Great Cultivator of the Eighth-Tier Peak, just a step away from the Ninth Tier. With additional cultivation in the Seventh Tier Refining God, he was destined to be a strong Ninth Tier once advanced.

Yu Ziqing didn't expect that the information he casually provided would alarm such a big figure.

Their level of concern was remarkably high.

Having agreed to the matter, Yu Ziqing subtly glanced at Lou Huai, who appeared honest and was obediently following him from behind.

Ever since this guy began cultivating the White Sun Holy Scripture, even standing face-to-face with Wang Xiaohu, Wang Xiaohu didn't notice him.

The natural hiding abilities of devils were truly the nemesis of the human race.

Following Wang Xiaohu, they arrived in Kaiyuan County.

"Young Qing Ziyu, I have met Mr. Ling You."

"I apologize for hastily inviting you, Young Master Qing. There are indeed some matters about which I am eager to learn and hope for your guidance."

"You are too kind, sir. You are erudite and knowledgeable, mastering both ancient and modern wisdom. I am just a novice and unworthy of providing guidance."

"Then let's not beat around the bush. A couple of days ago, after I fell asleep, the Black Tapir Amulet on me was activated, warding off some unknown thing that Xiaohu didn't notice."

Yu Ziqing immediately understood that the Yin Devil was present here as well.

"Black Tapir?" Yu Ziqing hadn't heard of it.

"According to the classics, it was once an exotic beast that completely disappeared thousands of years ago. It had the ability to enter dreams and devour, which was extremely troublesome."

Yu Ziqing secretly lamented.

This thing could ward off the Yin Devil, but unfortunately, it had become extinct.

Previously, he wondered if no one could ever discover the Yin Devil, and it was allowed to wreak havoc unchecked, then even if the devil seeds planted by the Yin Devil had low sprouting rates, with a large enough base and enough time, the number of those seeds that fully grow could not be small.

It turned out that there were once things that could ward off the Yin Devil.

"May I boldly ask if you two have ever performed almsgiving for the hungry ghosts to remove inner Devil Thought?"

The two nodded together.

As long as there was no hidden Devil Thought, it was fine.

He couldn't be the one revealing this, letting the devils know that he found the information, though once he killed a Yin Devil, it was sure to become known later. Still, it should be Dali's people at the forefront.

Henceforth, Dali must ask him for help; he couldn't be the one pleading with Dali to help them clear the devils. This order couldn't be reversed.

"Please, Senior Wang, conceal and shield us a bit."

Moments later, Yu Ziqing said,

"The thing encountered was called a Yin Devil..."

Yu Ziqing provided a brief explanation of the Yin Devil, then shifted the conversation.

"The Yin Devil, as you know, can be easily avoided, even if one falls asleep, there will be no life-threatening danger. What I want to know, however, is how the Black Tapir became extinct. Do you know, sir?"

Wen Lingyou's face turned stern, and his expression was very unpleasant.

The moment he heard Yu Ziqing mention the Yin Devil, many things came to mind.

"Black Tapir, was exterminated thousands of years ago."

At that time, a Dao Cultivator from Langya Institute discovered the Black Tapir, and upon mention of the Black Tapir invading their dreams, causing a void in their spirit platform, a sharp decline in inspiration, resulting in research bottlenecks, and no further progress.

Thereafter, the hunt for Black Tapir began, and a hundred years later, the Black Tapir was never seen again.

To date, thousands of years have passed, and there have been no further traces of the Black Tapir.

The only remnants were some Black Tapir Amulets once deemed ineffective in defending against the Black Tapir."

"Is the senior who initiated the extermination of the Black Tapir still around?" Yu Ziqing inquired.

"After the Black Tapir's extinction, he fell into Devilic ways, was consumed by fierce flames, and perished both in spirit and in form," Wen Lingyou's face appeared even grimmer.

The moment he understood about the Yin Devil, he deduced that the events of the past amounted to a conspiracy.

The Dao Cultivator who spearheaded the slaughter of the Black Tapir was likely already controlled by a devil, and then, using Langya Institute's influence, further fueled the flames, exterminating the Black Tapir race with the human race's hand.

From then on, the Yin Devil had no natural predator, and thus acted without the least bit of scruple.