Over the next few days, Chen Zhou monitored the movements of the skeletons in the secret realm while immersing himself in the remnants of the secret records he had brought back from White Jade City.
Through these records, a deliberately buried past gradually surfaced.
Jian Huaishuang, the young man he had helped on a whim, had a fate far more tragic than he had imagined.
He wasn't simply a genius discovered by chance by an Immortal Master; he was targeted by White Jade Old Ghost because he possessed the rare General Star Destiny.
This destiny was defined by slaughter and commanded the authority to govern, making him an excellent vessel for an evil spirit. To obtain this perfect vessel, White Jade had secretly massacred the entire village where Jian Huaishuang was born, then brought him back to the White Jade Sword Sect under the guise of an 'Immortal Master’s mercy, adopting an orphan.'
White Jade had deliberately engineered hardships, inducing him to use forbidden techniques to save irrelevant villagers, thereby damaging his foundation. The subsequent bullying by his peers and the withholding of resources were nothing more than a precise process of forging and tempering.
It was a way to wear down his personal will, making his personality purer and easier for White Jade’s own will to erode and replace.
However, White Jade ultimately failed, consumed instead by Jian Huaishuang whose will had been reshaped. It was a fitting end, a turn of the karmic cycle where retribution never missed.
Even Chen Zhou hadn't realized that the pills he had given as an unintentional act of kindness had not only repaired the damage to Jian Huaishuang's physical body but had also fortified his clouded Dao heart, becoming the most critical factor in breaking the deadlock.
In addition to the secrets regarding Jian Huaishuang, the scrolls handwritten by White Jade were filled with both awe and greed regarding evil spirits.
He viewed them as bizarre existences that transcended common sense, almost like living rules.
Evil spirits took various forms and were immortal and indestructible. They lacked emotions and reason in the conventional sense, yet they could erode reality with their own rules and assimilate all things. They were terrifying entities that even high-level cultivators and powerful fiends were reluctant to provoke.
Cultivator levels were divided into the first-stage Qi Induction stage, second-stage Bone Coiling stage, third-stage Inner Demon stage, fourth-stage Core Shattering stage, and fifth-stage Essence Devouring stage.
Yet, the power of an evil spirit was such that even though Chen Zhou was currently only at the Eerie Grade—the third rank for an evil spirit—he could stand unafraid against an ordinary fifth-stage Essence Devouring stage cultivator by relying on death energy.
This was why White Jade had gone to such lengths, plotting to seize the body of an evil spirit.
Chen Zhou sighed. "So, starting out as an evil spirit—no, an evil god—was actually a god-tier start?"
To verify these records, Chen Zhou specifically summoned several surrendered sword sect disciples for questioning.
Among them was an elderly man who had served as a steward of the Scripture Hall. When Chen Zhou asked about the history of the Dead Man’s Forest, the elder's attitude was extremely respectful.
"Reporting to Your Eminence, according to the sect's remaining records, about five hundred years ago, a humanoid evil spirit indeed occupied this place. Its divine powers were bizarre, and it caused no small amount of calamity.
"Later, the Gale Mountain Lord, who originally ruled Qudao County, fought a battle to the death with the evil spirit here. Ultimately, the Mountain Lord fell after exhausting his strength, and the evil spirit's whereabouts became unknown.
"It was only after that White Jade arrived here, occupied the territory that originally belonged to the Mountain Lord, and built White Jade City. Our sword sect was founded after that."
The elder only realized something was wrong after he finished speaking. An evil spirit occupying the Dead Man’s Forest... wouldn't that be the master before him?
A drop of cold sweat immediately rolled down his face, his old features wrinkling like a dried chrysanthemum, unsure of how to defend himself.
Chen Zhou listened quietly. He knew that the humanoid evil spirit the elder mentioned was definitely not him. He could manifest a human form mainly by relying on the illusions created by his Ghost Domain; his true body was still the Bone Altar.
'It seems the Dead Man’s Forest has quite a few secrets of its own,' Chen Zhou mused to himself.
For a small Qudao County to produce three evil spirits... he didn't know whether to say this place was uniquely blessed with hidden dragons and crouching tigers, or if everyone in the starting village was actually a big boss.
After his musing, Chen Zhou glanced at the system panel.
The latest system notification appeared.
【You have successfully subjugated a human pen, obtaining a Yellow Grade gacha ticket.】
【You have gained 254 new followers.】
Chen Zhou had received many similar notifications over the past two days. It seemed that Jian Huaishuang and Shitou's efforts to incorporate the surrounding villages were progressing very smoothly.
Chen Zhou used all the accumulated Yellow Grade gacha tickets, five in total. As expected, no top-tier items appeared.
Most were rare first and second-stage materials that could be used for construction.
Only one was a pleasant surprise.
【Blood Bodhi Vine】
【5th-stage natural treasure】
【A strange plant legendary for growing on the banks of the Netherworld Blood Sea, feeding on the blood of sentient beings to condense Bodhi Heart Fruits.】
【Regularly watering it with blood can produce Bodhi Heart Fruits. Consuming them can enhance the user's spiritual root aptitude. The higher the quality of the blood used for watering, the higher the quality of the resulting Bodhi.】
This was a good item that could fundamentally change a person's cultivation potential. For his followers, most of whom had mediocre talent, it was of extraordinary significance and could provide a continuous output.
Chen Zhou immediately planted the Blood Bodhi Vine in the Thick Earth Spirit Field. With the dual bonuses of the spirit field and Zhang Cuigu's 'Leizu Incarnate' red trait, its growth was sure to be excellent.
Chen Zhou took out a drop of 4th-stage blood from the Blood-Prison Pool to water it.
Drip.
The blood droplet fell.
Jian Huaishuang watched expressionlessly as the dropped demon blood stained the earth, quietly wiping his blood-stained heavy sword.
On the mud at the entrance of Lijia’ao Village lay the massive corpse of a demon, still twitching slightly.
It was a bloodthirsty Warthog Demon. Relying on its thick hide and a pair of tusks, it had ravaged several nearby villages.
Now, its head was pinned to the ground cleanly by a pale bone blade. Its entire body was covered in burn marks from fire talismans, and foul-smelling demon blood gushed out, soaking the soil.
The villagers huddled behind the broken fence, clutching hoes and wood-chopping knives. Their faces held not the joy of survivors, but a mixture of fear and incredible suspicion.
"The... the monster is dead..."
"But... the one who killed it... he doesn't look quite human either!"
"Is he an Immortal Master from White Jade City? Doesn't look like it... how could an Immortal Master look like that..."
Whispers spread among the villagers. Their fear did not dissipate because the demon had been slain; instead, it was projected onto Jian Huaishuang.
They had been bullied by demons for too long and instinctively held deep wariness toward anything beyond their understanding.
Jian Huaishuang silently wiped the giant sword and sheathed it.
He understood those gazes and said nothing. He simply turned around, his deep eyes scanning the terrified crowd. He didn't need to explain; his actions were the answer.
At this moment, Hong Ling stepped forward. Her voice was clear and steady, breaking the frozen atmosphere.
"Fellow villagers, we are not from White Jade City. This..."
She pointed at Jian Huaishuang. "Is Lord Jian Huaishuang, a Patrol Envoy under the command of the Bone God of the City of the Wrongfully Dead. The Bone God pities the suffering of the world and has specially ordered us to clear the demons in all directions to protect the sparks of the human race."
Jian Huaishuang was momentarily stunned. He felt a hint of shame at the title Hong Ling had casually come up with. A flash of unnoticeable embarrassment crossed his face, but he quickly recovered and accepted the position of Patrol Envoy.
Hong Ling’s expression remained unchanged. She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over the still-confused faces of the villagers before continuing.
"I know you have doubts. But let me ask you: did White Jade City ever care about the Warthog Demon that occupied this place and ate countless people? Have you not had enough of living in fear every day, never knowing if you'll see tomorrow?"
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