Chapter Twenty-One: BUG Purification Ability, Trace Overlap +1

The two did not linger, but headed up the mountain.

An Miaoyi frowned, speaking to the middle-aged man beside her.

"This Erlong Mountain is a scenic area, and outside it connects to a vast mountain range. I suspect those missing people were devoured by some monster or demon. I think we should designate the places where disappearances frequently occur as forbidden zones. Otherwise, we can't stop certain tourists from insisting on going there, and then they'll be eaten by those creatures."

It wasn't that An Miaoyi was angry; it was simply that there had already been a clear prohibition against venturing to the northern side peaks, yet many people ignored it, resulting in numerous disappearances that were never resolved.

The middle-aged man beside An Miaoyi glanced at her, smiling as he spoke.

"This world has both clever people and foolish ones, but their foolishness is not an excuse for monsters to devour them. Therefore, we must eradicate those monsters and solve the problem at its root!"

"Also, your father has told me many times: the person you're to be engaged to must be a promising young man. Since your elder brother entrusted me, I have to keep an eye on you... Stop researching Lin Yi. This time, learn from me—let's investigate the scene and see if we can find any trace of monsters."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man took a device from his cloth bag—a power measurement instrument.

Never fight a battle unprepared; this man was no exception. He intended to assess the enemy's strength first.

From his words, it was clear that this was An Miaoyi's father's younger brother, her third uncle, An Yingjie.

An Miaoyi rolled her eyes, "Third Uncle, my research on Lin Yi is for our country, for humanity, not for myself. I'm not interested in Lin Yi at all. He tested as only having F-level aptitude; it infuriated me, and I became a joke. How could I possibly fancy him?"

She spoke with an air of righteous indignation.

Yet even An Miaoyi didn't realize that her gaze lacked the firmness of her tone as she spoke.

In fact, as she spoke, Lin Yi's image flashed through her mind, and she wondered what he might be doing at that moment.

Soon, An Miaoyi and An Yingjie arrived at the northern side peak, where the military and police were already stationed.

When they reached the summit, An Yingjie, holding the energy meter, was stunned.

As a favored disciple of the An family, An Yingjie possessed first-rate skills—an A-level expert.

Holding the energy meter, An Junjie was dumbfounded.

He found the meter's readings fluctuating constantly, never settling.

Moreover, some of the energy seemed to be dissipating.

Seeing An Yingjie's anxious and fearful expression, An Miaoyi was unsettled, while An Yingjie spoke in shock.

"Something's wrong—there's a problem. The monster's energy on the northern side peak is weakening, which means the creature just died. But... how is that possible?"

"Third Uncle, are you serious? If that's true, isn't it good news that the monster died?"

"It is good news, but think about it, Yiyi. The weasel seeking a title was killed by a master behind Lin Yi, and we're still investigating that expert—without any leads so far."

"Now, another master appears. Don't you think it's a problem that these powerful individuals aren't regulated, and we have no information about them? If any are hostile... No, we must check the surveillance footage!"

An Yingjie continued measuring with the energy meter.

In the end, he found that the ominous energy was indeed rapidly diminishing.

This only made An Yingjie feel increasingly uneasy.

Previously, a report indicated that a Bureau of Paranormal Investigation employee had visited—just a young intern.

According to that intern, the energy meter clearly showed that, in this area, the ominous energy readings had reached nearly five thousand—almost at the threshold for an A-level monster.

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So, the young intern dared not do anything further and quickly left.

This prompted the deployment of a first-rate A-level expert, one who approached master level—An Yingjie.

An Yingjie accepted his older brother's request—or more accurately, his father's commission—to bring An Miaoyi here, worried that she was getting too close to Lin Yi.

An Miaoyi's recent concern for Lin Yi had unsettled both her grandfather and father.

There was still a master behind Lin Yi; the An family couldn't afford to embarrass itself by threatening Lin Yi.

Thus, the best solution was to keep An Miaoyi close, so she'd be less involved with Lin Yi.

The best opportunity for romance between a man and woman is when the woman develops excessive curiosity about the man.

An Miaoyi's curiosity about Lin Yi was excessive. Officially, she was investigating the master behind Lin Yi, but the An family suspected that, if she kept investigating, she'd end up in Lin Yi's bed.

Lin Yi had previously dared to injure Xu Liuxiang, Young Master Xu, dragging the An family into conflict with the Xu family. This made An Yingjie feel Lin Yi was too troublesome, so he volunteered to bring An Miaoyi to Erlong Mountain to investigate the case.

But now, there were no monsters at Erlong Mountain. How could An Yingjie believe it?

Without delay, An Yingjie urged An Miaoyi, "Come on, let's check the surveillance footage."

An Miaoyi also felt something was odd.

Though the monster here had been dealt with—which she considered good—her uncle's words made her realize that if unregulated, hostile masters really did exist, it would not be good.

She set aside all else and hurried with An Yingjie to the surveillance room.

Shortly after they left, because the ominous energy at the peak had vanished, ordinary people could visit without discomfort. Thus, following orders, the police and soldiers who had sealed off the northern peak began to withdraw, lifting the restrictions.

However, the entire Erlong Mountain scenic area remained closed.

Elsewhere, in the tangled brush, Lin Yi was unaware that An Miaoyi and her uncle had been there.

Lin Yi was examining the unearthed tiger skull and the relic.

The tiger bone now consisted only of the skull, which was enormous—four times the size of Lin Yi's head.

Just the tiger's head was enough to stun anyone.

Most of the skull was weathered, but the fangs remained untouched, still quite formidable.

At the center of the fangs was a black relic, about the size of an egg.

This black sphere looked like crystal, but with the memory of the Tiger Ghost within him, Lin Yi knew well what it was—a relic.

From the memories he received, Lin Yi knew that, despite its ink-black color and ominous aura, corrupted by the Tiger Ghost, it could be purified simply by placing it somewhere saturated with pure yang energy.

Once the relic was filled with yang energy, it would have endless uses.

Thinking it over, Lin Yi also gathered some fragments of the Tiger Ghost's bones.

These were valuable.

Moreover, soaking them in medicinal wine might be even more potent than any kidney tonic... Useful, so he kept them!

The tiger bone and relic were stored in the space within the "God-Slaying Sutra."

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No sooner had they been placed inside than the ominous energy from the relic and the tiger bones was rapidly purged.

Soon, the relic and the skull were completely purified!

The speed was astonishing!

Lin Yi's eyes grew wide.

The "God-Slaying Sutra" had revealed another advantage—this was practically a bug-level ability!

Anything tainted with ominous energy could be cleansed in the blink of an eye!

He could start a recycling business.

Even if the relic were left in a temple filled with pure yang energy, it would take years to cleanse its ominous aura, but the "God-Slaying Sutra" could clear it instantly!

The relic now gleamed with rainbow colors, and on the table it seemed to radiate seven hues. Inside, wisps of water vapor drifted across its bright white surface.

The tiger skull had changed too, looking crystalline and precious!

If sold, every small piece would be worth a fortune!

Used properly, these would make powerful weapons.

Soaked in wine, the effect would be even stronger!

Lin Yi was delighted, his steps light.

However, after leaving the northern side peak, Lin Yi was stunned.

Ahead, not far from him, were many armed soldiers, and some police seemed to be patrolling.

Lin Yi assumed it was because of the Tiger Ghost on the northern peak and the resulting disappearances.

"Just hope they don't get me involved..."

Soon, Lin Yi, like the others, was regarded as a tourist, and after a brief, not-too-thorough inspection, he and the others were escorted out.

This was mostly thanks to the space from the "God-Slaying Sutra," which allowed him to store many items.

Otherwise, Lin Yi would have had trouble explaining and would surely have been detained.

Lin Yi glanced back, feeling relaxed.

Out now, so nothing to worry about.

He strode away with confidence.

Yet Lin Yi was unaware that, moments earlier, his arrival had been magnified repeatedly on the surveillance screens.

An Miaoyi, her cherry lips parted, stared in disbelief at the image before her.

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