At the confluence of flesh and blood, amidst the churning dark red mist, over a hundred twisted trees erupted from the earth.
The ground beneath the trees was dark red, the trunks possessed a greenish-black luster, and the bark was uneven like coagulated plasma. As the Yin winds swept through, they stirred up bursts of faint, fine whimpering.
In another clearing, earth and stone churned into a ten-foot-tall mound. A ten-foot-wide opening split across the top, surrounded by swirling grayish-black mist, with the faint, ethereal sounds of wailing echoing within.
The interior was pitch black and deep, with silver light occasionally flickering on the rock walls.
With the completion of these two special structures, the villagers, witnessing another miracle, showed no panic in the face of such a ghastly scene. Instead, every one of them looked exhilarated.
"The Lord has bestowed another miracle!"
"Hiss, these chilling winds and ghost howls... this is truly an auspicious sign!"
"Exactly! It must be an omen of good fortune!"
"As expected of the Lord! Such a commotion—just hearing it brings peace of mind!"
In the past, no one would have been anything but terrified of such eerie things.
But now, everyone knew that this was the manifestation of the god's great divine power!
Zhao Laoshan had never felt that even the wailing of ghosts could sound so pleasant!
Wherever the god's divine power reached, his grace and protection followed.
"With such terrifying ghost howls, even demons and monsters would surely flee in terror!" Zhao Laoshan couldn't help but exclaim.
Someone nearby immediately agreed. "In the future, falling asleep to such sounds every night will surely make our dreams even sweeter!"
"Praise the merciful Lord!"
Chen Zhou watched their reactions quietly and smiled to himself.
A few more days passed.
Shitou successfully returned with the villagers from Shideng Village!
Chen Zhou immediately settled the rewards!
【Mission Requirements: Go to Shideng Village, slay the monsters, and protect your human pens.】
【1/1】
【Completion Rate: 100%】
【You have perfectly completed a side mission and obtained one Earth Grade lottery ticket!】
【You have gained 136 new followers!】
...
"An Earth Grade lottery ticket? Sounds like high-quality goods!"
Chen Zhou was in a great mood. He tucked the lottery ticket into his inventory and immediately turned his gaze toward the new villagers.
Assigning the villagers to their posts earlier meant producing materials earlier.
With a wave of Chen Zhou's hand, countless foul-smelling first-stage Blood-Inducing Pills and first-stage Flesh-Reconstitution Pills flew out from the Ghost Domain, drifting toward the Shideng Village residents like raindrops.
The villagers from Shideng Village, seeing such a bizarre scene combined with the terrifying lumberyard and mine, were scared witless. Some collapsed to the ground on the spot.
Others clenched their fists and tried to retreat.
Some even cried out, "Evil spirit!"
"Shut up!"
Li Dazhu and the black-faced man glared at them immediately. They stepped forward and slapped the shouting villager—one slap each. Two bright red palm prints appeared, perfectly symmetrical.
"This is a gift from the Divine Lord! If you don't understand, don't just blabber!"
There were also brave ones who held the pills and looked at them, though their scalps still felt numb.
"What is this?" the lead man asked, feeling a bit unnerved.
Hong Ling, upon receiving her pill, noticed the pure envy and longing in the eyes of the Daliang Village residents. After a moment of thought, she glanced at Shitou.
"Is this what you called the gift from the god?"
"Yes, eat it quickly. It's good stuff," Shitou nodded.
Hearing this, Hong Ling swallowed the foul pill without the slightest hesitation.
Many of the sharper villagers followed Hong Ling’s lead and swallowed their pills as well.
Hong Ling was known for her early wisdom in Shideng Village. If someone as smart as her thought it was fine, the pill must be a good thing!
As more and more people took the medicine, a miracle occurred the moment the pills entered their stomachs. The villagers' thin frames swelled and filled out at a pace visible to the naked eye!
Their blood qi became abundant, their flesh grew firm, and even several hunchbacked old men straightened their spines, appearing as if they had suddenly grown twenty or thirty years younger!
"A miracle! This is absolutely a miracle!"
The lead man was shocked beyond measure, his voice trembling with excitement as he shoved the pill in his hand into his mouth.
As for the man who had shouted about evil spirits earlier, he covered his face in shame and swallowed his pill.
Of everyone there, Hong Ling’s reaction was the most intense.
As the flesh beneath her skin swelled, bursts of rosy light pierced through the dark clouds of the Dead Man’s Forest, dyeing the entire area a warm red.
Wherever the rosy light reached, it was accompanied by the clear, pleasant cries of Luan birds. For a moment, even the surrounding wails of ghosts and monsters were suppressed.
"Another Heaven and Earth Phenomenon?"
Chen Zhou watched the rosy light with interest, though he was also a bit puzzled.
'In the setting of this world, are people who can trigger a Heaven and Earth Phenomenon really that common?'
Out of fewer than two hundred people, two had already appeared?
Back in his previous life, that would be like running into a Xiao Yan every ten steps and a Shi Hao every five. If he threw a stone into a crowd, he'd hit three or four Zhang Xiaofans.
Ridiculous!
However, Chen Zhou did have some impression of Hong Ling.
When Shitou was traveling with the blood-vein wood tablet, Chen Zhou would occasionally overhear their conversations.
From their daily interactions, it wasn't hard to tell that Hong Ling and Shitou had a good relationship; they could be considered childhood friends.
'Is the little sister also this capable?'
After a bit of thought, Chen Zhou exchanged another four pills and sent them into Hong Ling’s hand.
After a few days of collecting, ordinary flesh and ordinary blood were no longer scarce materials. Since she was a good prospect, he might as well look after her and focus on cultivating her.
Shitou looked at the rosy light on Hong Ling and then at the pills landing in her hands, a subtle emotion rising in his heart.
As her childhood playmate, he was sincerely happy that Hong Ling could receive the divine power and immortal medicine bestowed by the Lord.
But at the same time, a sense of bitterness welled up inside him.
From now on, he was no longer the most special one.
It felt as though he had become the one discarded by the god.
Hong Ling had always been the smart one, which was why she had easily obtained a slot to enter the White Jade Sword Sect and just as easily gained the god's attention.
Shitou felt a heavy sense of loss wash over him.
He had to admit that at this moment, he was very jealous that Hong Ling could obtain the god's favor so easily.
Hong Ling swallowed the four pills, and the power within her surged again. In a trance, she felt a vague comprehension of cultivation and qi.
"Is this the power bestowed by the god?"
A blush appeared on Hong Ling’s face.
It was a physical reaction from the surge of blood and flesh energy, combined with the psychological excitement of gaining the power to protect herself.
She shifted her gaze to the white-clothed figure floating in mid-air.
Hong Ling keenly noticed that while everyone else was immersed in the joy of their bodies recovering and becoming stronger, no one else noticed that white shadow.
The figure stood still in mid-air, as if watching over his people with compassion.
"The god of the Dead Man’s Forest..."
Hong Ling murmured to herself.
Back in Shideng Village, she had caught a fleeting glimpse behind the skeleton.
Seeing him up close now, she still felt a sense of majesty and holiness, mixed with a touch of mercy for the suffering of others.
'Ordinary people have no destiny to see the god's face... but I can...'
Hong Ling felt a secret joy because of this discovery.
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