The phone rang for a good while, but Feng Tian didn't pick up, causing Kuang Feifan's heart to clench. He knew his companion must have run into trouble again, but casting a furtive glance at Wang Hai and Zhang Xiaohui, he decided against revealing the current situation. They were in no state to handle extra psychological burden right now.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket. Wang Hai asked doubtfully, but Kuang Feifan merely shook his head and casually said, "Nothing, the phone battery died."

After resting for a while longer, seeing that Wang Hai seemed to have regained some strength, Kuang Feifan suggested they leave immediately and head for the Daoist temple, hoping to finally put an end to this affair.

He and Wang Hai, one on each side, helped the still quite weak Zhang Xiaohui and slowly left Wang Hai's home.

The rest of the journey proceeded relatively smoothly. Kuang Feifan drove Wang Hai's taxi, transporting them to the temple without incident or harm. Only upon getting out of the car did Kuang Feifan realize the temple gates were firmly shut, and not a single soul could be seen nearby.

After much effort to get someone to open the door, it was the Old Daoist Priest himself who answered. He appeared to have been waiting right at the entrance, as if expecting Feng Tian and the others to return.

Once inside the temple, Kuang Feifan learned from the Old Daoist Priest that he had already made up an excuse to send the other Daoists away, telling them they could return in three days if nothing unusual occurred.

However, the Old Daoist Priest didn't believe things would return to normal. Once the formation was activated, nothing was entirely within their control; all they could do was their utmost.

Looking at the Old Daoist Priest's visibly aged face, Kuang Feifan felt a profound weight in his heart, wondering if his recent suspicions of the man had been justified.

The reality was that even if he harbored doubts about the Old Daoist Priest, the current circumstances left him no choice but to continue cooperating, and besides, bringing Wang Hai and the others here was safer than keeping them outside.

Chatting idly as they walked, they reached the back courtyard. Kuang Feifan was greatly surprised to find that the structure housing the Nine Revolutions Soul Suppressing Array was now encircled by a string of red ropes hung with copper bells. In the center of the courtyard, directly facing that structure, a table was set up, bearing an incense burner and various ritual artifacts, most of which he couldn't name. Two white candles burned at opposite corners of the table, their flickering flames dancing wildly in the slight breeze.

The setup looked quite serious. Although Kuang Feifan knew little about it, the display suggested the Old Daoist Priest was preparing for a full confrontation, which didn't resemble someone harboring ill intentions toward them.

After they settled Wang Hai and Zhang Xiaohui in the side rooms, he pulled the Old Daoist Priest aside, quietly recounting what he and Feng Tian had experienced and Feng Tian's current failure to answer his calls. Kuang Feifan stated his intention to rush over immediately to check or perhaps provide support.

The Old Daoist Priest pondered for a moment, then nodded helplessly. Only by gathering everyone together as much as possible was there any chance of ensuring their safety.

Of course, this method wasn't perfect; congregating them also presented the risk of being wiped out in one sweep.

But now was not the time for excessive worry, because even if they remained apart, given the unfolding events, the formation was fully capable of eliminating them one by one.

He presumed three flames within the array in that inner room had already been lit.

Glancing back at Wang Hai and the others inside, Kuang Feifan turned to leave, clutching his phone, afraid of missing Feng Tian’s call.

In truth, Kuang Feifan wasn't overly worried about Feng Tian. Part of his urgency to leave stemmed from not knowing what else Feng Tian might be capable of doing. He didn't want to stay at the temple; facing the eerie events alongside Feng Tian was preferable to being stuck with the Old Daoist Priest, whom he currently suspected.

Still, he believed Wang Hai and the others were likely safe inside the temple for now. If the Old Daoist Priest harbored ill will, he wouldn't dare act against them at this juncture.

Naturally, if the priest was trustworthy, he would certainly exert every effort to protect them.

Kuang Feifan had also obtained the address of the gas station manager. It turned out the man’s residence was not too far from the station. He stopped the car and scanned his surroundings through the window, detecting nothing unusual.

He opened the door and stepped out, then tried calling Feng Tian again—still no answer. Just as he was about to hang up, his keen ear faintly caught the sound of music nearby.

He instinctively ended the call, and the music abruptly ceased. Kuang Feifan’s senses sharpened, and he quickly dialed Feng Tian's number once more.

As expected, when he strained his ear to listen to the ambient sounds, the music started again. If he remembered correctly, that was the ringtone Feng Tian had set for his phone.

Kuang Feifan hastily held the phone up, carefully tracking the sound to its source.

Rounding the corner outside the residential complex wall, the faint music was emanating from a flower bed near the roadside a short distance away.

Kuang Feifan hurried over. Amidst some decorative shrubs, a cell phone was vibrating incessantly, shaking back and forth on the earth.

He gasped slightly, quickly reaching out to pick up the phone. A quick check showed the missed calls were all from him, and there were no valuable clues on the device. But why would Feng Tian's phone be discarded in a flower bed? Now Kuang Feifan truly began to worry. He couldn't recall Feng Tian ever carelessly dropping things. Had he run into trouble too severe to handle?

He looked up and around, searching for any sign of Feng Tian, but everything was silent. Shrouded in the night, there was no sound at all nearby. It was only then that Kuang Feifan realized his present location felt profoundly wrong—utterly devoid of noise, as if, besides himself, no living creature existed in the vicinity; not even the chirping of birds or the buzz of insects.

Looking towards the residential block next to him, every building was dark. At this hour, it was impossible for not a single household to have lights on. This wasn't a place where people lived; it was a desolate stretch of lifeless ground.

Just then, a chilling mist seemed to slowly drift out from the flower bed, spreading outward. It ghosted over the exposed skin of Kuang Feifan’s body, gradually enveloping him in an icy sensation.

Kuang Feifan felt an intense discomfort all over. He instinctively twisted his body, and with a sharp turn of his head, he noticed that, at some point, a purple butterfly was hovering nearby in the air, fluttering its wings as if staring directly at him.

He froze. Putting aside the abruptness of the butterfly’s appearance, the mere fact that it hovered in mid-air facing him felt deeply unsettling. After all, no one enjoyed being scrutinized by a butterfly.

As if sensing Kuang Feifan's gaze, the butterfly suddenly flapped its wings, circled twice in the air, and then began to fly slowly toward the opposite side of the road.

Watching the purple butterfly drift along at an unhurried pace, Kuang Feifan suddenly had the distinct feeling that it wanted him to follow, that it was preparing to lead the way.

The night was cold as water. By the deserted roadside flower bed, a leading butterfly had appeared. Moreover, the faint, pale purple aura subtly emanating from its entire body added to the sense of deep strangeness. It could only be concluded that this was definitely not a genuine butterfly, but a demon butterfly.

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