239: Chapter 239 Daring to snatch someone from me is courting death.

Meanwhile.

Xu Ling and his companion returned to the refugee area with the evil statue, placing it upon the high platform.

"Zhou Laoqi, hurry up and notify those refugees to come and worship!"

After giving this instruction, Xu Ling went with Zhang Qiang to a nearby shelter to drink and pass the time.

But after a while.

Zhou Laoqi came running over in a hurry.

Looking flustered, he said, "This is bad, Master Xu, Master Zhang! The number of people coming to worship the statue today is pitifully small!"

Xu Ling's expression changed, and he barked, "Let's go, let's take a look!"

When Xu Ling and Zhang Qiang arrived at the high platform, they discovered that there were only a few dozen people there to worship the statue, and they were all elderly.

"Do you know the reason?"

Xu Ling asked, looking at Zhou Laoqi.

Facing Xu Ling's inquiry, Zhou Laoqi hesitated, looking conflicted.

"Speak!" Xu Ling's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he demanded.

"Yes, yes!"

Zhou Laoqi said fearfully, "Just now, when I noticed the number of people coming to worship had decreased, I sent people to investigate. I found out that those who worshipped the statue last night have all become extremely weak.

Therefore, those who came to worship today are all elderly people who have no other choice and cannot go on living.

Furthermore, Gang Leader Chen of the Fierce Tiger Gang in the Prefecture City is recruiting a large number of refugees. Moreover, that Gang Leader Chen is quite generous.

Anyone who is selected receives five catties of grain.

It is said that he will continue to recruit tomorrow."

"Alright, you go down first. Let us two discuss this!" Xu Ling waved his hand, dismissing Zhou Laoqi.

"Brother Xu, we cannot afford to provoke that Chen Hu. He is a powerhouse in the Marrow Refining Realm!" Zhang Qiang reminded him with a fearful expression.

"Enough!"

Xu Ling waved his hand dismissively. "There are over 100,000 refugees here; that Gang Leader Chen can't possibly recruit everyone. Therefore, as long as we are willing to increase the amount of grain, there will definitely still be people willing to come and worship!

In that case, you keep an eye on things here, and I will go back to seek Master Wu's opinion!"

"Alright!"

After leaving Zhang Qiang there, Xu Ling rode his horse straight to the small town where Master Wu was located.

"Why have you come?"

Upon seeing Xu Ling, Master Wu frowned.

"Master Wu, the situation is like this...!"

Xu Ling recounted the events and proposed a suggestion: "That Gang Leader Chen certainly cannot take in all the refugees. As long as we increase the amount of grain, there will still be refugees who cannot survive coming to worship."

Master Wu nodded. "What you say makes sense. In that case, increase the amount of millet to five catties."

When Xu Ling returned to the refugee area.

After increasing the amount of millet to five catties, as expected, the number of refugees coming to worship increased once again.

Time flew by.

It was dawn again.

Chen Hu arrived at the study in the middle courtyard.

He first activated the good luck card.

He obtained triple good luck.

He first opened all the supply cards and item cards.

Then he opened two army cards; one yielded 5,000 Tier 5 Black Armor Cavalry, and the other yielded 3,000 Tier 5 Great Snow Dragon Cavalry.

Following that, Chen Hu opened the soldier card.

He obtained 200 Tier 3 soldiers.

He activated the connection card, which was still a D-grade connection.

Chen Hu immediately gave up on it.

He activated the identity card.

He obtained the identity of a refugee.

After using the refugee identity, Chen Hu began to read the memories.

"Hmm!"

After reading the identity of this refugee, a look of surprise flashed across Chen Hu's face.

Because this refugee was located just outside Linjiang Prefecture.

Last night, for three catties of millet, he had gone to worship a strange statue.

Then, not long after, he became extremely weak and had been lying in his shelter for a day without recovering.

Moreover, everyone else who had worshipped the strange statue was just like him, having become extremely weak.

"Let's go take a look!"

Chen Hu's figure disappeared from the study.

When he reappeared, he was already on the city wall.

His Spiritual Sense swept out, and he quickly found the high platform where the strange statue was placed.

At this moment, there were still refugees going to worship that statue for millet.

But under the observation of Chen Hu's Spiritual Sense, he could see that everyone who worshipped the statue had a wisp of their vital energy extracted.

These refugees were already suffering from long-term hunger and were in a state of depletion.

Having a wisp of vital energy extracted was naturally adding frost to snow.

Thinking of this, he swept his Spiritual Sense across the many refugees and indeed discovered thousands of them in an extremely weak state.

After using his Spiritual Sense to examine their condition, he discovered that the problems of these refugees were not too severe; they were just suffering from a deficiency of Qi and blood, and mental lethargy.

If they were ordinary people, with some nourishment, they would be able to recover in a few days.

But unfortunately, these people were all refugees; let alone nourishment, even getting enough to eat was difficult.

Under these circumstances, their condition would only get worse and worse.

The next moment.

Chen Hu's Spiritual Sense locked onto that statue.

He discovered that the statue was seamless, as if it were a special product.

"What exactly is this thing?"

Chen Hu was puzzled.

Suddenly, Chen Hu felt a stir in his heart and activated the Eye of Insight.

Information about the statue appeared in his mind.

Item: Strange Statue

Function: Devours the vital energy of living beings. Through special methods, the vital energy within the statue can be converted for one's own use, but the vital energy carries a polluted aura. Over time, the person who converts and absorbs this vital energy will be controlled by the statue.

"So that's how it is!"

After reading the information in his mind, Chen Hu immediately deduced that someone must be using the statue to increase their cultivation.

Thinking of this.

Chen Hu pointed a finger from a distance.

"Clatter!"

The next moment, the evil statue on the high platform shattered directly into pieces and scattered.

"Master Xu, this is bad, the statue has shattered!"

Zhou Laoqi immediately ran behind the high platform to report.

Xu Ling and Zhang Qiang immediately put down their wine bowls and ran to the front to check.

Seeing the statue shattered all over the ground, both of them changed color.

"Brother Xu, what should we do?"

Zhang Qiang asked in a panic.

"Let's go, take the statue fragments and go find Master Wu!"

Xu Ling gritted his teeth and said. Afterward, he had Zhou Laoqi and the others collect the statue fragments, and then he left rapidly with the fragments.

"Heh!"

Chen Hu on the city wall let out a soft laugh, his figure leaping up and merging into the darkness.

Along the way, he continued to open cards.

He activated the animal card and obtained 800 donkeys weighing 300 catties each.

Chen Hu's eyes lit up slightly. In his previous life, there was a saying: "Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground."

He decisively used the animal upgrade card on one of the donkeys.

Soon, this donkey directly evolved into a Tier 1 exotic beast, weighing up to 1500 catties.

He activated the spell card.

He obtained a High Grade spell — Petrification.

It can turn various living beings and items into stone.

He activated the soul weapon card and obtained a High Grade soul weapon — the Soul Summoning Banner.

The function of this soul weapon is very simple: it can summon soul spirits from within a radius of five hundred miles.

Chen Hu thought of the Investiture of the Gods banner; if used in conjunction with the Soul Summoning Banner.

He decided that after dealing with the person behind the statue, he would give it a try.

These refugees were his future subordinates; how could he allow others to touch them?

Therefore, the person behind the statue was competing with him for people, and was already seeking death.

He activated the battle Puppet Card.

He obtained five Late-stage Refining Viscera battle Puppets.

Soon, Chen Hu finished opening all the various special item cards.

Then he activated the martial arts cultivation card.

He obtained 90 days of cultivation.

After using it, his internal Protective Aura increased a little more.

He activated the Lifespan card and obtained 3 years of Lifespan.

He added it to himself.

Time passed.

Chen Hu followed Xu Ling and Zhang Qiang to a small town.

"What is going on with you two?"

Seeing Xu Ling and Zhang Qiang running back again, Master Wu had a bad premonition in his heart.

"Master Wu, the statue shattered for no reason. Look, these are the fragments we brought back!"

"What!"

Master Wu could not help but be greatly alarmed.

You must know, when he first discovered this statue, even if he exerted his full strength, he could not shatter it.

At that time, he had already reached the Early Stage Bone Refining.