If you were asked to identify an item, would you choose to extract magical powers?

Chapter 92: Village Closure, New Strange Creatures
When the voice sounded, Shen Bai, Huang Guang and others looked in the direction of the sound and saw members of the Tianjian Division wearing black clothes.

The young member of the Tianjian Division smiled and said, "My name is Chen Tong. Don't look at me like that. Every new recruit will have such a task as an appetizer."

After saying that, the scroll in Chen Tong's hand was thrown up, drawing a graceful arc in the sky.

The place where Chen Tong threw it was where Shen Bai was. Shen Bai raised his hand and took the scroll.

"You are Shen Bai. Lord Liu has used the special recruitment quota that he has never used in all these years on you. Everyone is very interested in you."

Shen Bai took it in his hand, but did not open it. He said, "It's just good luck."

Chen Tong waved his hand and said, "It has nothing to do with luck. Special recruitment is a symbol of strength. There is no intrigue in the Jiantian Division of Fenglin Province. Everyone is just interested. We will be colleagues in the future. I am in the Bingqi Division. We can communicate with each other when we have time."

Just like what Chen Tong said just now, he really just came here to hand in the task.

Shen Bai had thought that there would be a plot like the one in the vernacular novels where one pretends to be cool but then gets slapped in the face. Now it seems that the Sky Supervisor of Fenglin State is not what he thought.

Not long after, Chen Tong left.

Shen Bai opened the scroll in front of Huang Guang and Kong Fang.

On the scroll, there are densely packed small characters like ants, which record the content.

Shen Bai took a quick look at it and handed the scroll to Huang Guang and Kong Fang, asking them to study it.

According to the scroll, there is a small village called Fengcun in the western suburbs of Fenglin State.

The land in Feng Village is fertile and people make a living by planting. Because of the close distance, many people in Feng Village come to Fenglin State to buy and sell crops.

They grow everything, including grains, medicinal herbs, and so on.

But recently, problems have arisen with the people who sealed off the village.

The cause was the Kitchen God Festival that closed the village.

The Great Zhou Kingdom was very large, and every place had different customs. The Great Zhou Kingdom also advocated the coexistence of a hundred schools of thought, and would not care about the customs of each place as long as they did not interfere with the operation of the country.

The Kitchen God Festival is the biggest custom of the village closure.

The villagers believed that the good harvest of plants planted in the closed village was related to their belief in the Kitchen God, so they would offer sacrifices to him every year.

Offer livestock, grain, cloth and property as offerings.

It can be said that this is the busiest time of the village closure.

It was fine before, but it has become a problem recently.

Not long ago, when the Kitchen God Festival was held, the offerings would suddenly disappear before they were ready.

This happened more than ten times, and the people in the sealed village reported it to the local government.

The local county government sent constables to the scene, who detected a strange atmosphere.

They tried to crack it themselves but could not find any clues and could only seek help from the Heavenly Supervisor.

"I've heard of the Kitchen God Festival. It's a very common custom. How could something go wrong?"

Huang Guang finished reading the scroll and said curiously.

Kong Fang put the scroll aside and said, "Since something has happened, let's go and solve it. This is our first mission since joining the Tianjian Division."

Huang Guang nodded and said, "Then let's talk about our respective realms first, so as to avoid any problems in coordination later."

We are all from the 23rd Ding Division and will go on missions together in the future. It is normal for us to introduce our strengths to each other at this time.

Kong Fang said: "I am good at the tiger-shaped fist, which can injure people with the tiger shape. I am currently in the second level of the Three Treasures Realm."

After saying this, Kong Fang took a stance, like a tiger hunting its prey.

Behind Kong Fang, a phantom of a tiger appeared, seeming real and illusory, and its ferocious appearance made people feel cold all over.

Huang Guang nodded and said, "Yes, Brother Kong's strength is also top-notch among the newcomers. Then let me introduce myself. I am good at using the Phantom Blade, which emphasizes the illusion of reality and illusion, and the impermanence of illusions."

The long sword was unsheathed, and as Huang Guang swung it, countless phantoms appeared in the room like mushrooms after rain.

The knife shadows are real and fake, some real and some fake, making it difficult to guard against.

After both of them finished their introductions, they all looked at Shen Bai with curiosity in their eyes.

For them, the person they were most curious about was Shen Bai, the specially recruited person.

Chief Liu Wufeng has never recruited anyone specially before. Shen Bai is the first one. They are also very curious about Shen Bai's strength.

Seeing the two of them looking at him, Shen Bai smiled and said, "Brother Huang and Brother Kong are very powerful. They are both at the second level of the Three Treasures Realm. Actually, I am the same. My strength is probably in swordsmanship."

If Shen Bai were asked to talk about his abilities, it would probably take an incense stick of time. Moreover, he had too many magical powers, so Shen Bai felt that there was no need to finish talking about them.

When you encounter the enemy, if one is not enough, just add another one.

As he spoke, Shen Bai pulled out Han Yue.

Han Yue was unsheathed, and the cold light flashed.

"What a sword!"

When Huang Guang and Kong Fang saw Han Yue, they subconsciously praised her.

In addition to the cold light, this sword also has a faint red color flowing on it, which means it must have seen a lot of blood.

Shen Bai circulated the Qi in his body.

The next moment, blood-red sword energy covered it.

He did not shoot, but remained silent.

The blood-red sword energy was like a blood moon, but strangely, the sword energy carried a brilliant righteousness, which was completely opposite to the color of the sword energy.

When the sword energy emerged, the entire room was filled with an inexplicable pressure, making Huang Guang and the other man breathless.

They could feel the terrifying power contained in the sword energy, which was like a mountain suffocating them.

Sweat appeared on the foreheads of these two people, and their fighting instinct made them subconsciously take defensive actions.

At this time, Shen Bai dispersed the sword energy.

The terrifying pressure collapsed in an instant.

Huang Guang and Kong Fang only breathed a sigh of relief, only to find that they had a layer of cold sweat on their backs.

"This level of strength is what meets the threshold for special recruitment. As expected, Master Liu's special recruitment is not simple."

"Brother Shen, it's an honor to be able to work with you."

The two were generous with their praise, and it was all sincere.

Shen Bai sheathed the Cold Moon and said, "Since we are colleagues, there is no need for politeness. The real thing is to complete the mission together."

By this time, the three of them had already understood each other's abilities clearly, so they didn't say anything more and turned around and walked out the door.

The scroll is the symbol of accepting the mission. With the scroll, you can go to the archives to retrieve information and intelligence.

After arriving at the archive room, the three did not see the owner of the archive room. Instead, they saw a person Shen Bai was familiar with, sitting in his seat with a dazed look on his face.

"Qin Shuang, are you taking over the position here temporarily?" Shen Bai asked curiously.

Qin Shuang had a sullen look on her face, looking like she was sulking.

When she heard Shen Bai's voice, her originally dull eyes suddenly became lively. She walked to Shen Bai and took Shen Bai's arm.

"Shen Bai, the teacher specially recruited you, and you must have left a good impression on the teacher. You should talk to the teacher and tell him that I don't want to stay here anymore." Qin Shuang looked sad.

Huang Guang and Kong Fang looked at each other and understood Qin Shuang's identity.

Liu Wufeng, the governor of Fenglin State, is good at the way of instruments. The so-called way of instruments is to use Qi to communicate with various instruments, stimulate the characteristics of the instruments, and make them play unimaginable roles.

Liu Wufeng's only disciple is Qin Shuang.

Today, Qin Shuang's strength is at the peak of the Three Treasures Realm. He is only one step away from entering the Five Organs Realm. In addition, Qin Shuang's special identity makes him very popular in the Jiantian Division of Fenglin Province.

Huang Guang and Kong Fang knew that Shen Bai was specially recruited, but they didn't expect that he would know Qin Shuang, and their eyes changed when they looked at Shen Bai.

Qin Shuang said with a bitter face, "This trip to Shengyun County would be very dangerous without you. My teacher said that my strength is too low, so he asked me to focus on studying the Dao of Instruments first. I will do this in the archives room first. When I reach the Five Organs Realm, I can accept the mission."

Shen Bai suddenly realized that Liu Wufeng was doing this for Qin Shuang's own good, and said, "Lord Liu has good intentions. Don't act like you've suffered a great loss."

Qin Shuang shook his head, as if shaking a rattle: "But it's really boring."

Shen Bai raised his hand and knocked on Qin Shuang's head in front of Huang Guang and Kong Fang's astonished eyes: "Then hurry up and advance to the Five Organs Realm."

"hiss……"

Huang Guang and the other man gasped.

"Shen Bai...actually knocked on the head of Master Liu's disciple!"

The two looked at each other and could see shock in each other's eyes.

Qin Shuang covered his head, as if he was used to it, and he didn't even pretend to be aggrieved. "I know. I'll upgrade to the Five Organs Realm before going out to take on missions."

Shen Bai handed the scroll over: "Please help me with the information."

Qin Shuang also knew the procedures of the Tianjiansi. Now that Shen Bai was on a mission, he did not continue to play tricks and went to get the information for Shen Bai.

Soon, Qin Shuang handed a piece of paper to Shen Bai.

"This is the information about the recent Kitchen God Festival in Feng Village. After you read it, you can conduct an on-site inspection." Qin Shuang said.

Shen Bai took it in his hand and opened the paper in front of everyone.

After reading it, Shen Bai frowned.

"Did something different appear during this Kitchen God Festival?"

It was written on the paper that the Kitchen God sacrifice at ordinary times was no different from some ordinary sacrifices, and was performed by the village chief who was in charge of sealing off the village.

But this time, it was a Taoist priest who was sealing off the village for the sacrifice. The person presiding over the ceremony had changed, and this was the most unusual thing.

Qin Shuang nodded and said, "The informant from the Tianjian Division said that the Taoist priest left the sealed village after presiding over the ceremony, and then the offerings mysteriously disappeared."

"Perhaps if we go and investigate again, we can find out the truth."

Shen Bai put the letter away to show that he understood.

The mission was important, so he didn't say much to Qin Shuang and left the archive room with Huang Guang and the other two.

After leaving the archive room, Huang Guang asked.

"Brother Shen, do you have any plans?"

Kong Fang also cast his gaze over.

Shen Bai shook his head and said, "We'll see what the situation is like when we get there. Talking about it now won't do any good."

The three of them discussed it, and after leaving the Jiantian Division, they headed towards the deserted village.

……

Feng Village is located on the west side of Fenglin Prefecture, in Wen County.

This small village is considered a relatively wealthy village because of its fertile land.

Shen Bai and his companions came along the official road, hurrying along. With a burst of neighing, the three horses stopped at the gate of the closed village.

It’s such a long way, so of course you can’t walk here.

It was also Shen Bai's first time riding a horse, but fortunately he was a cultivator himself, so after just a little familiarity, he had mastered the key points.

By the time the village was sealed off, it was almost afternoon.

Shen Bai sat on his horse, looked at the village shrouded in dark clouds ahead, and raised his eyebrows.

"It really has a weird atmosphere."

Under the dark clouds, it seemed as if a downpour would come at any second.

If an ordinary person were here, he would just feel that a storm is coming.

But Shen Bai could sense a strange aura among these dark clouds.

Huang Guang tightened the reins and asked, "Are we just going in like this?"

Kong Fang said from the side: "Since you have this identity, you might as well use it to do things."

Shen Bai nodded and said, "That's right, identities are used to solve small troubles. Let's take a look around first."

The three men tied their horses to an old tree outside and headed towards the village.

As soon as he stepped in, Shen Bai felt a cold breath like ice enveloping the surroundings.

There are many houses in the village.

These houses are much more exquisite than ordinary houses.

It is a wealthy village in itself, and even the villagers who are enjoying the cool air at the door are wearing new clothes.

The arrival of Shen Bai and the other two immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Soon, several villagers quietly left the house and walked away.

Seeing this, Shen Bai didn't pay any attention to it, but looked around.

"Every house is surrounded by a strange and resentful aura. It is truly a sinister thing."

Wherever you look, you will see the terrifying resentment, which is like a poisonous snake entwined in every corner of the house.

In this environment where resentment is growing, some of the surrounding villagers have turned slightly pale.

The resentment is so strong that even those who practice cultivation would probably feel uncomfortable.

"The resentment surrounds the entire village, but it has not dissipated. This strange growth is related to the village." Huang Guangdao.

Kong Fang sensed it for a moment and said, "Someone is coming."

Not far away, an elderly man was walking towards them tremblingly, supported by several villagers.

Before I got close, I heard the old man's hoarse voice.

"My Lords, I am the head of the sealed village. My last name is Feng. I am here to resolve the issue of the sealed village."

Village Chief Feng walked closer and asked breathlessly, "Finally, someone is taking care of the village closure. If this weird thing continues, the villagers will have to move away."

The Kitchen God Festival is the most important activity for Feng Village. Now that something has happened during the Kitchen God Festival, the entire Feng Village is in panic.

Shen Bai took out the token from his waist and said, "I am the official of the Ministry of Astronomy, and I have been ordered to come and check it out."

Village Chief Feng was immediately startled and cupped his hands. "Greetings, sir. I didn't expect Fenglin Prefecture to send the Heavenly Supervisor here. Sealing off the village is really causing trouble for Fenglin Prefecture."

Shen Bai said, "I heard that there was a Taoist presiding over the event before, but you were the one who presided over it before. Why did you change people? Where is that Taoist presiding over it now?"

He didn't waste any words and directly pointed out the problem.

Since there is a weird aura, there must be weirdness, and if there is weirdness, there must be evil spirit.

Shen Bai now only has ten strands of evil spirit left. It seems like a lot, but when it comes to actually using them, it will be too little.

Shen Bai joined the Tianjian Division for the purpose of eliminating evil spirits, so of course he had to speed up the process.

Village Chief Feng heard this and smiled bitterly, saying, "I'm too old to preside over the Kitchen God Festival anymore. The Taoist priest just stopped by to rest. I saw he was making sense, so I asked him to help."

As he spoke, Village Chief Feng lifted up his trouser legs.

"Not only am I in poor health, I also broke my leg today. I really can't preside over the Kitchen God Festival. I didn't expect something like this to happen."

There were two layers of wooden boards sandwiched between Fengcun's trouser legs, and it was obvious that he was injured.

Shen Bai touched his chin and asked, "Where do you hold the Kitchen God Festival?"

Since he was already here, and the incident was caused by the Kitchen God Festival, Shen Bai naturally wanted to take a look.

Huang Guang was looking everywhere, but found almost no information.

Village Chief Feng pointed behind him and said, "Walk a little further into the village, and there's a dead tree. We all hold sacrifices inside it."

Upon hearing this, Kong Fang said, "Take us to see it."

Village chief Feng immediately agreed and, with the help of the villagers, limped ahead to lead the way.

Shen Bai and others followed behind, their eyes narrowed as they saw the increasingly strong resentment and the coldness like ice.

……

It took less than an incense stick of time to walk from the village to the dead tree.

During this period, many villagers saw the three officials coming and stood at the door to watch curiously.

Not far ahead, a huge tree stood in a wide open space.

The trees are very tall, but they have no green leaves. Only dry branches are swaying in the evening breeze.

Beneath the trees, there was a long table with only empty plates on it.

Shen Bai stared at the dead tree.

The dead tree was shrouded in dense resentment, just like the other houses.

"Sir, this is where we always perform the Kitchen God Festival."

"Every year when the time comes, we hold a Kitchen God Festival, and those are the supplies for the festival."

Village Chief Feng explained while pointing to the side.

There is a table under the dead tree.

The table was round with a wooden bowl on it.

The wooden bowl is a very common shape and can be found everywhere in Maple Grove State.

The bowl was empty, but there was a dark stain of blood inside.

Shen Bai's gaze lingered on the wooden bowl and he asked, "Is that wooden bowl yours too?"

Village Chief Feng quickly shook his head and said, "It's not ours. It was brought by a Taoist priest. It's filled with chicken blood."

Shen Bai walked towards the round table, but his eyes were always fixed on the front, as if there were some important clues ahead.

Huang Guang and Kong Fang were puzzled, but still followed Shen Bai.

Only when they got closer did Huang Guang and Kong Fang react.

"Is this... a strange creature?"

"No, it's not this bowl, it's this tree that's the weird thing?"

At first, Huang Guang and the others thought it was a wooden bowl, but later they found out that the wooden bowl was just very close to the dead tree, which created this confusing illusion.

This huge dead tree is the real weird thing.

Shen Bai nodded and said, "Yes, this is a strange creature."

In front of Shen Bai's eyes, a line of smoke that only he could see gradually condensed, and with mystery and wonder, it gradually turned into words and floated in the air.

[Dead tree]

[Identification progress: 0%]

[A trace of evil spirit can be quickly identified]

(End of this chapter)