Xing Yue grew even more confused.
Lantao City also supported several spirit beasts, treating them with the highest reverence.
However, the flesh and blood of spirit beasts were highly nutritious supplements for demons and evil spirits, so they were usually hunted relentlessly. Why was a spirit beast living peacefully in an evil spirit's lair and... helping people fetch water?
Xing Yue was utterly bewildered, his mind reeling with shock.
Yet in the next second, as the escorting party passed a vast expanse of newly reclaimed farmland, Xing Yue’s gaze froze completely.
Among the countless acres of fields, Xing Yue spotted ten specific plots of land that were exceptionally unique.
The soil possessed a rich, golden-yellow hue, and dense spiritual qi swirled above it in a mist that was almost tangible!
"A spirit field! At least top-tier mysterious grade... no, this concentration of spiritual qi, it might even be an Earth Grade spirit field!"
Xing Yue’s heart hammered against his ribs. Although he couldn’t identify the specific type or function of the spirit field, its grade said enough.
An Earth Grade spirit field!
This was a treasure capable of consistently producing high-level spiritual plants. Even with its full strength, all of Lantao City had only managed to find a few acres of mysterious grade spirit fields!
And here, he was seeing ten acres of Earth Grade spirit fields at once!
What made Xing Yue feel as though his worldview was collapsing even more was that several sleek, black snake demons were working hard in the fields. They used their bodies to till the soil, spat jets of water to irrigate the spiritual plants, and some were even carefully picking off pests. They all behaved like experienced old farmers.
Using snake demons to plow an Earth Grade spirit field?
Xing Yue felt as if everything before his eyes was incredibly surreal.
Was this evil spirit lair actually some sort of blessed land? Spiritual springs and spirit fields—resources the cultivation world dreamed of—were as common as cabbages here?
The further they went into the depths, the more densely populated it became.
Orderly houses, bustling market stalls, a medical clinic wafting with the scent of herbs, and even a well-planned ranch... it practically constituted a fully functional small town.
The only thing that seemed abnormal was that the houses were mostly built from bone and stone bricks. Paper-cuts of skulls were pasted on every door and window, as if they were the totems of their faith.
Countless white lanterns hung high, the black character for 'offering' strikingly prominent on each one. Occasionally, a circular piece of spirit money would drift onto the ground.
Yet the citizens walking among them carried expressions of tranquility, peace, and even content smiles. Their eyes were clear and their behavior orderly, completely different from the madness and numbness he expected from those controlled by evil spirits.
However, when the residents' gazes fell upon the bound chain of Blackwater Guard members, they immediately became filled with wariness, disgust, and even faint hostility.
Those looks suggested that they were the ones defiling this pure land—the most unclean and inferior of existences.
Xing Yue felt a surge of indignation.
In Lantao City, the Blackwater Guard might not be worshipped by everyone, but they were certainly respected by the common people. After all, they were always on the front lines fighting against demons.
But here, they were like rats crossing the street.
If not for the guards beside them, Xing Yue had no doubt these healthy-looking citizens would have pelted them with rotten eggs and tomatoes.
'Have these fools never heard of the Blackwater Guard’s prestige?' Xing Yue thought, his heart simmering with annoyance.
It wasn't until they entered what was clearly a core area that the surrounding clamor began to fade.
Several eerie buildings of various styles stood in rows. One in particular was a massive pool; half of the water was as crimson as blood, churning with a heart-palpitating evil, while the other half was crystal clear and permeated with spiritual qi.
Two vastly different powers remained distinct within the pool yet coexisted in a bizarre harmony, forming a rotating Taiji pattern.
Xing Yue noticed that within the clear water, several carp—their bodies seemingly forged of pure gold with a single vermilion dot on their foreheads—were swimming leisurely. Their scales shimmered with the brilliance of a radiant sun under the reflection of the spiritual water.
Xing Yue’s eyes fixed onto those golden carp, and his breathing suddenly became ragged. He almost forgot the agonizing pain in his body.
His lips trembled as he whispered in a voice only he could hear, murmuring in disbelief.
"Golden scales of the sun, vermilion crown on the brow... the Heavenly Luck Dragon Carp, a blessing across ten thousand miles..."
He couldn't possibly be wrong!
That was the heaven-blessed spirit beast recorded in ancient texts: the dragon carp!
It was a sign of natural auspice, a symbol of the flourishing Way of Humanity.
But... how could this be...
Xing Yue’s mind went blank. He repeatedly and unconsciously muttered, "Heavenly Luck Dragon Carp... natural auspice..." He looked like he had lost his soul, momentarily forgetting even the injuries on his body.
The sight before him, where the eerie and the auspicious coexisted, completely overturned several decades of his understanding.
Jian Huaishuang had already walked to the center of the area. He knelt on one knee before the Bone Altar and lowered his head, his voice deep. "My Lord, Huaishuang has returned to report."
He succinctly and clearly recounted the encounter with the Blackwater Guard at Lijia'ao, the conflict between the two parties, his own temporary loss of control where he devoured some of the guards' flesh and essence, and finally, his bringing the captives back. He reported everything without the slightest concealment or excuse.
Sitting atop the Bone Altar, his figure shrouded in misty light and shadow, Chen Zhou listened quietly without immediate reaction.
With a flick of his finger, a dark pill flew toward Jian Huaishuang.
"This is a third-stage Soul-Shaping Pill. It will help you stabilize your soul and suppress distracting thoughts." Chen Zhou’s voice was flat and calm, betraying no emotion.
This pill was something he had just exchanged from the mall after dismantling the Bone-Eroding Beast.
Five portions of third-stage souls were quite valuable.
Jian Huaishuang caught the pill with both hands. Feeling the pure soul power within it, his heart tightened instead.
Chen Zhou instructed Hong Ling and Shitou to settle the villagers from Lijia'ao and continue their unfinished missions.
Keenly perceiving the arrangements in Chen Zhou's words, Jian Huaishuang couldn't help but look up, his eyes reflecting a trace of undetectable panic and self-reproach.
"My Lord... the subsequent tasks of clearing out demons and reclaiming villages, will they no longer be entrusted to Huaishuang? Is it because... Huaishuang's loss of control today disappointed My Lord?"
This was what he feared most.
Chen Zhou simply smiled faintly. Though others couldn't see his expression, his tone carried a strange gentleness.
"Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed?
"Though you nearly lost control today, you ultimately used your own will to suppress White Jade and capture the Blackwater Guard. You caused no further disaster, and more importantly, you did not fail those villagers who trust you.
"As long as you act with a clear conscience, it is only natural for there to be some bumps in the process.
"You did very well."
Hearing that the god was not disappointed in him, the tight string in Jian Huaishuang's heart relaxed slightly, though a trace of loss remained unavoidable.
He bowed his head respectfully. "Huaishuang understands."
Chen Zhou continued, "The fusion between the eerie trait and White Jade's remnant soul in your body is not yet stable. Before the soul conflict is resolved, it is indeed unsuitable for you to execute outside missions alone. Stay by my side for now."
"I shall obey My Lord’s command."
Chen Zhou had already made his calculations.
Keeping Jian Huaishuang close served two purposes. First, it allowed him to personally supervise the subordinate and prevent the unstable factors in his body from going berserk again. Second, it allowed him to observe the changes after the fusion with the eerie trait from up close; perhaps he could glean more secrets regarding the essence of evil spirits from it.
Of course, it was impossible for him to let the man rest.
With a tireless body of an evil spirit, an urgent need to stabilize his realm, and new powers to familiarize himself with, how could he be idle?
Exploitation—he had to exploit him ruthlessly!
Oh no, this was called 'high-intensity adaptive training and ideological education.' It was to ensure the man had no free time to overthink or sink into self-blame and the shadows of the past!
Chen Zhou gave himself a mental thumbs-up for his own kindness.
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