As soon as I put it on, I met a sickly man

In the fields, the originally green crops now looked as if they had been burned by fire. They were withered and yellow, emitting a smell of corruption.

The clear stream became turbid and emitted a foul odor.

The villagers gathered together in horror, talking among themselves, and fear spread among the crowd.

Ding Chen's face was solemn, he clenched his fists, and his heart felt like a huge rock was pressing down on him.

The village, which had finally returned to peace, was faced with a new crisis.

He quickly walked to the edge of the field, squatted down and carefully examined the withered crops, and a feeling of powerlessness surged in his heart.

"What on earth is going on?" Ah Hu's voice trembled. His rough hands weakly stroked the dead rice ears, his eyes full of despair.

"Don't panic, we will definitely find a solution." Ding Chen tried to stay calm and comfort the villagers.

He turned to look at Xiaoxuan, hoping to get some advice from her.

Xiaoxuan frowned and carefully observed the surrounding environment.

She felt vaguely uneasy, as this sudden disaster did not seem to be a natural phenomenon.

"Chen, I think we should let everyone rest first, and then investigate the cause carefully." Xiaoxuan said softly.

The continuous fighting and tense situation have exhausted everyone physically and mentally, and she is worried that if it continues, everyone will collapse.

"Rest?" Ding Chen stood up suddenly, a hint of anxiety in his tone. "Where is there time to rest now? The crops are withering and the water sources are polluted. If we don't find a solution, everyone will starve to death!"

Xiaoxuan also stood up and said firmly, "I know you're worried, but everyone is exhausted right now. If we continue like this, it will only backfire. We need to calm down so we can better find a solution to the problem."

Ding Chen looked at Xiaoxuan's determined eyes, and the anger in his heart gradually subsided.

He knew Xiaoxuan was right, but looking at the desperate eyes of the villagers, he felt extremely anxious.

"Then tell me, what should we do?" Ding Chen's tone softened a little.

Xiaoxuan pondered for a moment and said, "Let's calm the villagers down first, and then split up. You take Yingfeng and Ah Hu to check the water source, and I'll go find Zhishi and Qinglian to see if they have any clues."

Ding Chen nodded and agreed to Xiaoxuan's arrangement.

He took a deep breath, turned to the villagers and said, "Don't panic, we will definitely find a solution! Now, please go home and rest. We will find the cause as soon as possible."

Although the villagers were still filled with fear, they gradually calmed down when they saw Ding Chen and Xiaoxuan's calmness.

As night falls, the village is silent.

Ding Chen stood at the edge of the field, looking at the devastated fields, his heart filled with heaviness.

Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him: "What are you doing here?"

Ding Chen looked back and saw that it was General Lin.

"General Lin, can't you sleep either?" Ding Chen asked.

General Lin sighed and said, "This disaster came too suddenly. I'm worried..."

Before he could finish his words, he heard a cry of surprise from afar: "Look! What is that?!"

When everyone heard the sound and looked, they saw a strange red light appear in the night sky, like a giant python winding and swimming in the air.

The red light flickered, illuminating the originally dark night sky as bright as day.

The villagers were terrified and hid in their houses, trembling.

Ding Chen and General Lin looked at each other and saw shock and anxiety in each other's eyes.

What does this strange red light indicate?

At this moment, Ah Hu suddenly pointed at the field and exclaimed, "Look! What is that?!"

Ding Chen and General Lin looked in the direction of Ah Hu's finger, and saw tiny cracks appearing in the withered crops.

These cracks spread like a spider web, dividing the entire field into irregular shapes.

"This...what is going on?" Ah Hu's voice trembled. He had never seen such a strange sight.

Ding Chen frowned, feeling vaguely uneasy.

This sudden disaster does not seem to be an ordinary drought or insect plague.

He walked quickly to the edge of the field, squatted down and carefully observed the cracks on the ground.

Suddenly, he heard a strange sound coming from underground.

The sound was low and rhythmic, like the heartbeat of some living creature.

"Listen!" Ding Chen stood up suddenly and signaled everyone to be quiet.

Everyone held their breath and listened carefully.

Sure enough, they also heard strange noises coming from underground.

The sound became clearer and more urgent, as if something was about to break out of the ground.

"This... this is completely different from previous famines!" Ah Hu said in horror. He has lived in this village for generations and has never encountered such a situation.

At the same time, Xiaoxuan also made a new discovery at the water source.

Using her divine healing skills, she discovered a herb that could purify water.

She threw the herbs into the water, and the originally turbid stream miraculously became clear.

When the villagers saw the clear stream water, they cheered.

They rushed to the stream, scooped up the cool water and drank it to their heart's content.

Xiaoxuan looked at the cheering villagers, but she didn't feel any joy in her heart.

She always felt that this sudden disaster was not that simple.

At this moment, Ding Chen hurried over and said solemnly, "Xiaoxuan, come over and take a look, something happened!"

Xiaoxuan's heart sank, and she followed Ding Chen to the edge of the field.

She saw the cracks in the ground getting bigger and bigger, and the sounds coming from underground became clearer and clearer.

Suddenly, Ah Hu pointed at the field and exclaimed, "What is that?!"

Ding Chen and Xiaoxuan looked in the direction of Ah Hu's finger, and their faces turned pale instantly.

"Hurry... run..." Ding Chen's voice trembled and his eyes were full of fear.

The ground suddenly cracked open, and countless huge earthworm-like monsters crawled out with wet and sticky mud. They opened their huge mouths full of sharp teeth, let out creepy roars, and pounced on the terrified villagers.

"Protect the villagers!" General Lin roared, drew his sword, and rushed towards the monster first.

The sword flashed and felt cold, but when it chopped the monster it was like chopping on hard rock, leaving only a shallow mark.

The monster felt pain and twisted its body even more frantically, spurting out smelly mucus.

Yingfeng's figure was ghostly, shuttling between the monsters, the dagger in his hand was like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, constantly looking for the monsters' weaknesses.

He was agile and each of his attacks was precise and ruthless, but he still couldn't cause fatal damage to these thick-skinned monsters.

Ding Chen held Xiaoxuan's hand tightly, and sweat oozed from his palms.

Xiaoxuan felt the strength in his hand and held his hand back, her eyes firm and gentle.

"Don't be afraid," Ding Chen whispered in her ear, "We will definitely get through this."

Xiaoxuan nodded, her eyes full of trust.

She knew that no matter what happened, Ding Chen would be by her side to protect her.

The battle became more and more intense. Although General Lin and Yingfeng were brave, they gradually felt that they were unable to cope.

The monsters were numerous and their attacks were ferocious, leaving them with many scars.

At this moment, Yingfeng suddenly discovered that when sunlight shone on the monsters, they would instinctively retreat and let out painful hisses.

"They are afraid of sunlight!" Yingfeng shouted and immediately changed his tactics. He cooperated with General Lin to lead the monsters into the open sunlight.

Under the sunlight, the monsters melted like ice and snow, making sizzling sounds, their bodies gradually shrank, and their movements became slow.

The balance of victory seemed to begin to tilt towards everyone.

When the villagers saw this scene, they all felt hopeful and cheered.

However, just when everyone thought the monster was about to be repelled, a black-robed figure quietly appeared at the edge of the battlefield...

He slowly raised one hand...