Chapter 43

The people of this land, isolated from the world, lived happily in a fairytale-like environment. But one day, the villagers began to fall ill. Some were shrouded in a dark aura and would occasionally lose control of their emotions and behaviors.

At first, everyone thought that once they got sick and recovered, everything would be fine. But later, more and more people were infected with this condition, and the peaceful village began to be filled with violence, with bloodshed frequently occurring.

The people who do bad things are their relatives, friends, or even themselves. However, they are not aware of what they have done. Instead, they only come to their senses after committing certain heinous acts and realize that they have hurt or killed someone, which causes them great distress.

As the situation worsens, those who come into contact with the infected person will gradually become infected as well.

The once beautiful village was suddenly filled with misfortune and despair.

And it was at this time that their god appeared, and He rebuilt a new village outside the existing villages on earth—"Qi Village".

The villagers affected by the "filth" were resettled in Qi Village. However, even with the existence of Qi Village, everyone was still afraid of doing something wrong and prayed to the gods for another solution.

"That's why there are so many scarecrows in the village; I'm sure you saw them on your way here," the priest said.

Wenwan nodded. So, those scarecrows are another solution?

Xiaohua said. Scarecrows are family too. At first, she wondered if this strange village would treat scarecrows as family? Or perhaps, their family members had become scarecrows.

"So, once there are signs of being affected, some people will become scarecrows, and some will be sent to Qi Village, right?"

The priest nodded, without correcting her choice of words.

"He said that if someone appears years later with a token, that person will be the one to save the village." The priest resumed his previous indifferent demeanor, staring directly at Wen Wan: "But only I know that He is deceiving everyone. His true purpose is to give everyone hope to live."

"He entrusted the village to me and went to find a way on his own. The token doesn't exist. So, who are you? Why do you have His aura on you? What did you do to Him?"

The priest's suspicions about her never disappeared.

He wasn't worried that Wen Wan would attack him. Even though Wen Wan had just displayed amazing combat power, he simply thought she was some kind of tool used by cultivators.

Here, they cannot use the spiritual power they rely on for fighting.

This was also a restriction He had placed before, in order to mitigate the effects of the filth on the villagers.

He possessed the power left behind by the gods and was confident that he could defeat Wen Wan.

If Wen Wan knew what he was thinking, she would have pulled out such a big sickle and said to him: "Little brother, you're still young."

At least for now, her use of supernatural abilities is somewhat stronger than her use of spiritual power.

Of course, she was unaware of these things, and she was too lazy to repeatedly prove herself against the priest's suspicions.

"I'll say it again, I know nothing. Since you still doubt me, then I suppose you don't need my help. Please let me take them away; I need to find my other companions."

Seeing Wen Wan's genuine expression, the priest hesitated.

Because Wen Wan carried His aura, he originally thought he could find His traces through her, but it seems it was all in vain.

He couldn't let Wenwan and the others leave. Thinking of the suffering the villagers had endured, he realized that the divine messenger was the savior they had longed for.

If Wenwan were to leave like this, faith would collapse, and the villages of the earth would soon perish. This is not what He wanted to see, much less what He desired.

It is his responsibility to inherit His will and protect the village.

The priest looked at her coldly: "The villages of the earth do not welcome all outsiders. If you did not have His aura on you, you would have been sacrificed to the heavens as an intruder, just like them."

If a cultivator accidentally falls into this place and is a demonic cultivator, he will cause a large amount of filth, which will quickly infect the villagers. They must get rid of him as soon as possible.

Ordinary cultivators would mistake the filth for demonic creatures. Almost everyone in the village was infected with some filth, though not to a great extent. Although they were not yet affected, in the eyes of cultivators, it was a sign of demonic possession. Most cultivators hated demonic possession to the core and would not allow anyone showing signs of demonic possession to live. The best way was to nip it in the bud. Even if they lost their spiritual power, they still had various tools to turn the place upside down.

Therefore, everyone who comes here is an intruder, an enemy, and must be eliminated!

This is why Fan Kaiyu and Yu Liang were sacrificed to the heavens after a disagreement—it was to prevent them from using any props.

Do you think I, knowing the truth, would let you go so easily?

The priest held his scepter, his aura brimming with dangerous tension, as if he would launch an attack to intercept Wen Wan at the slightest attempt to escape.

Perhaps he knew very well that cultivators' spiritual power was suppressed in this place, causing them to lose their strongest combat power, but he did not understand Wen Wan; she possessed power that did not belong to this world.

In the villages of the earth, there are only ordinary villagers. His existence is special. The priest inherits part of His power, and his strength is naturally the strongest in the village.

Against those cultivators who occasionally put up a stubborn resistance but only have a few tools, it was naturally an overwhelming victory.

But when faced with Wen Wan, he felt that victory was more difficult than ever before.

He had initially thought her scythe was a prop, but it turns out it wasn't.

“You are not using any tools, nor are you using any spiritual power,” the priest said.

Wen Wan easily blocked his attack with the Black Lotus: "No need, you are no match for me."

The black lotus seemed to have a soul in her hands, easily neutralizing the priest's attacks. When the black lotus was held to his neck, he felt a moment of unreality.

So the power he inherited was so weak?

At that moment, how he wished that what He had said—that the person with the token would save the village—was true.

"I told you, even without spiritual power, you are no match for me." Wen Wan looked at him with an arrogant gaze, as if he were an ant.

"Either let us leave, or tell me everything, and I will help you."

"Why...why would you be willing to help us?" The priest collapsed to his knees in despair.

He was still immersed in the nightmare of his once-proud strength being utterly vulnerable.

He couldn't believe that the people from his village would be so kind, since everyone else seemed to avoid them like the plague.

Wen Wan slapped his cheek with the black lotus, using this provocative gesture to signal him to wake up.

“I’m helping the villagers here, and myself,” Wen Wan said. “I have other companions who were also swept here, but there are only three of us in the village, which means that the rest of the people are likely in ‘Qi Village’. We will cooperate.”

“I will not harm you. As you can see, my strength is terrifying to you. All of you combined are no match for me. If I were a bad person, I wouldn't care about the lives of my companions. If you still refuse to believe me, then I will find all my companions and leave this place in my own way.”

"Are you really willing to help us?" the priest asked, still incredulous.

"yes."

A resolute answer ignited a nameless hope in the priest's heart.

Perhaps His past lies will come true, after all, He is God.

"Alright, I believe you." The priest breathed a sigh of relief.

The gentle black lotus had been hidden at some point, and the two sat together in a rare moment of peace.

"I wonder if Your Excellency has ever heard of 'Zhaoxin'?"

The initial confrontation was over, and the priest calmly took a sip of tea and asked in a nonchalant manner.

Zhaoxin—this was the second time Wen Wan had heard this word from someone else.

When his spiritual power was sealed before, his master mentioned that he wouldn't be his master by then.

"Is it the same 'Zhaoxin' that means 'He who can convey Zhaoxin's message will gain the world'?" The answer is exactly the same as before.

"yes."

"His way of going out to search was to find Zhaoxin, because Zhaoxin can purify all filth. But so many years have passed, and he has not returned. And because of his seal, we cannot get out either."

"Can't get out?" Wen Wan frowned upon hearing that they couldn't get out.

If they can get in, they can definitely get out. We can figure out how to solve that problem later. The most urgent thing is for their team to regroup.

“Yes, so even if you leave the village, you may not be able to return to your original place.” The priest paused, “And in this respect, I may be able to help you.”

“I possess His power, and the barrier was left by Him. If you can help me solve the village's problems, I will spare no effort to send you away.”

“But you can’t guarantee success, right?” Wen Wan saw through his little scheme at a glance.

Having been seen through, the priest could only nod silently.

If you can't beat them in a fight, and you can't win an argument with them, what else can you do but accept it?

If the divine messenger chooses to abandon cooperation because of this, then he will... he will let Aheng and Xiaohua pester him relentlessly.

He saw it today: the two little ones adored her, and they were chatting and laughing as they came to the square.

"I understand." Wen Wan didn't react to that, and continued to ask about the village: "What do you know about Qi Village?"

"Qicun..."

Thinking about the specific situation in Qicun, the priest felt a chill run down his spine...

"If all peace resides in the villages of the earth, then all evil resides in the villages of Qi."