282: Evil Ancient Town

Xiao Shi looked at another item.

[Name: nether moon soul spirit]

[Type: Soul Spirit]

[Grade: Unknown]

[Introduction: A Soul Spirit originating from the era of the Youyue Dynasty.]

[Note 1: After releasing the Soul Spirit, you can issue an attack command to it.]

[Note 2: Since this is a Soul Spirit from an ancient era, its strength will be much weaker than before. Also, pay attention to its duration.]

...This was originally a piece of meat that was entirely black.

But when Xiao Shi picked up the piece of meat,

the entire piece of meat instantly transformed into an illusory Soul Spirit.

The Soul Spirit's appearance and features were exactly like the man from the Gen Mountain Sect whom Xiao Shi had killed.

It floated in the air with its eyes closed, in a state of deep sleep.

Xiao Shi could clearly feel that

this Soul Spirit... was different from the soul bodies he had encountered before!

It felt to him as if a Soul Spirit was more Advanced than a Soul Body.

Most importantly,

this item was not in an "illusory state"!

"In other words..."

"This item is something that can be taken away!!"

Xiao Shi knew that

whether it was the previously dropped [Moon Sealing Dagger] or the [moon obscuring ring], they were both items belonging to this illusory world.

They only existed within this illusory world.

They could not be taken out of the illusory world.

But the Soul Spirit that dropped now was a normal item, something that could be taken outside of the illusory world!

"This means that after I leave this place and return to my own era, I'll be able to release a Soul Spirit from the era of the Youyue Dynasty!!"

Xiao Shi felt a surge of excitement in his heart.

Although the Soul Spirit's strength would be weakened to some extent,

and in his own era, without the Nether Moon, the duration of such a Soul Spirit would be very short,

it could still play some extremely crucial roles during that brief time.

For example, at a critical moment, it could release that irresistible and unavoidable Moon Mark light to restrain and Seal enemies.

Or, Xiao Shi could try to combine this Soul Spirit with a Formation.

Creating a unique type of Formation.

Or find a way to integrate the Soul Spirit into a weapon,

using it in conjunction with the weapon.

It could be said that with this Soul Spirit, he could use it to create and develop many new methods,

thereby further enhancing his own strength.

After examining this item,

Xiao Shi went over to the carcass of the giant beast.

The death of this giant beast had also dropped an item.

However, only one item had dropped.

[Name: Nether Moon Secret Affair]

[Type: Event]

[Grade: Unknown]

[Status: Illusory]

[Introduction: A secret affair that occurred during the era of the Youyue Dynasty.]

[Note: By solving the event, one can master this secret affair.]

...This was an ancient, dilapidated black scroll.

Judging from the state of this scroll,

it could clearly only be used within this illusory world.

When Xiao Shi unfurled the scroll,

new information immediately appeared before his eyes.

[Nether Moon Secret Affair: The Eerie Ancient Town]

[Solving Condition 1: The invading Gen Mountain Sect Disciple.] (Solved)

[Solving Condition 2: The Townsfolk of the Ancient Town who turned into corpses.] (Solved)

[Solving Condition 3: The powerful hired Loose Cultivator.] (Solved)

[Event 1: Five days ago, the Gen Mountain Sect received intelligence that an abnormality had appeared in an Ancient Town within their territory. The Gen Mountain Sect sensed that this matter was unusual. An elderly Sect Elder recalled a rumor from many years ago. To be cautious, the Gen Mountain Sect decided to first dispatch a Disciple to the Ancient Town for a preliminary investigation.]

[Event 2: At some unknown point, the Townsfolk of the Ancient Town all habitually prepared coffins in their homes. Every evening, they would return home and lie in their coffins. This seemed to have become a tradition of theirs, with the only exception being the Town Head...]

[Event 3: Although the Loose Cultivator Gu Siyu was a mercenary with no bottom line who would work for anyone, good or evil, as long as the price was right, he also sensed something abnormal about the Ancient Town after arriving. Furthermore, the arrival of the Gen Mountain Sect made him sense a hint of crisis. Thus, he began a secret investigation and gradually discovered that there was something strange about the Town Head's residence. He decided to secretly head to the Town Head's residence to investigate while the Town Head was away...]

...Xiao Shi looked at the three events displayed on the scroll.

It was obvious.

The first event was related information regarding the Gen Mountain Sect.

The second event was information about this Ancient Town.

The third event was the information seen from his current identity as a Loose Cultivator.

He had to admit

that these three events were very crucial for Xiao Shi.

They allowed him to clearly understand the cause and effect of the entire matter.

And this matter was far more shocking than he had previously imagined.

He had originally thought that the Gen Mountain Sect Disciple who came was merely on some routine training or mission.

Even if the Gen Mountain Sect sensed that something had happened to this Disciple,

the entire Sect wouldn't immediately come charging over.

At most, they would dispatch some Deacons or Elders to investigate the cause.

Once those Deacons and Elders also failed to return,

only then would the situation arise where the entire Sect would come charging over.

This would fit the scenario of things getting harder day by day over the three days.

On the first day, a Disciple came.

On the second day, an Elder would come.

On the third day, the entire Sect would come charging over.

But now, through the events he saw, Xiao Shi realized that his previous speculation was inaccurate.

From the very beginning, the Gen Mountain Sect had already sensed that something was wrong with this Ancient Town!

It was already being taken seriously by the higher-ups of the Gen Mountain Sect.

Now that something had happened to the Disciple they sent, it was very likely that their entire Sect would come charging over directly!

Perhaps next time, he would have to face the entire Gen Mountain Sect!

This put a lot of pressure on Xiao Shi.

Although he now had the [moon obscuring ring], the [moon obscuring ring] and the [Moon Sealing Dagger] alone would certainly not be enough to contend with the entire Gen Mountain Sect.

"The key right now lies within this Ancient Town..."

"The Gen Mountain Sect isn't coming for me; they're coming for the abnormalities and secrets within this Ancient Town."

"No matter how much I improve, it's impossible for me to reach a level where I can oppose the entire Gen Mountain Sect with brute force in such a short time."

"To break the deadlock, I clearly shouldn't be thinking about how to confront the entire Gen Mountain Sect head-on, but rather about uncovering the secrets within this Ancient Town!"

Xiao Shi quickly adjusted his thinking.

However, he also knew that

the most troublesome thing for him here was... his inability to act freely of his own will.

For instance, although he had learned through the secret intelligence he obtained that there was something strange about the Town Head's residence,

he couldn't just head directly to the Town Head's residence.

"But according to the development of Event 3, at this time, I should be going to investigate the Town Head's residence..."

Xiao Shi thought to himself.

Following his thoughts,

his entire body returned directly to the town.

"Well done."

A smile appeared on the Town Head's face.

"I'll leave the safety of our town to you."

"Don't worry."

Xiao Shi nodded.

After returning to the courtyard where he lived,

he began to silently keep time.

After two hours had passed,

Whoosh!

Xiao Shi moved.

He left the courtyard directly.

The moment he left the courtyard, he found that he had gained control over his body and was no longer acting under the control of this place.

At the same time,

the entire [Nether Moon Secret Affair: The Eerie Ancient Town] scroll began to vibrate.

Xiao Shi took it out to look.

He found that an additional event had appeared on the scroll.

[Event 4: After deciding to investigate the Town Head's residence, Gu Siyu began to pay attention to the Town Head's movements. After a period of observation, he summarized several patterns. First, during the day, the Town Head is in a state of patrolling the town; he does not return to his residence but will pass by it from time to time. Second, the Town Head's residence is located in the southern part of the town, which is relatively quiet, and no other Townsfolk live nearby. Third, an old Locust Tree grows in the courtyard where the Town Head lives. This Locust Tree is suspected to be an abnormality. To enter his residence, one must first find a way to avoid this Locust Tree. Fourth, this matter must not alert the Town Head, nor can he be allowed to notice it; otherwise, there will be serious consequences.]

Xiao Shi narrowed his eyes.

He could feel that the scroll that dropped this time could change all of his actions in this town.

If the scroll hadn't dropped and he hadn't seen the information on it,

then he certainly wouldn't have gone to investigate the Town Head's residence.

He would have just honestly waited for the Gen Mountain Sect to attack.

The information on the scroll was, in a way, a guide for his subsequent actions.

To Xiao Shi, this was like two different branches.

If the scroll hadn't dropped, then what he would have followed would be the first branch, focusing on opposing the Gen Mountain Sect.

The key to this branch was to withstand the Gen Mountain Sect's three days of attacks and protect the Ancient Town.

But the dropping of the scroll had led him into the second branch.

Investigating the secrets of this Ancient Town!

Thus, after starting the investigation, Xiao Shi gained control over his body.

His subsequent actions would be completed by himself.

Judging from the information in Event 4,

the most important matter in the investigation was not to alert the Town Head or let him notice.

Although the event didn't explicitly state what the serious consequences of being noticed by the Town Head would be,

Xiao Shi thought of the punishment he had received earlier... and knew that the severity of such consequences would likely endanger his life.

In any case,

he could not be noticed.

Otherwise, it was very likely he would just be gone.

Thinking of this,

Xiao Shi no longer hesitated.

His figure flashed.

He immediately began to cautiously head toward the Town Head's residence.

With his current speed, it wasn't difficult for him to avoid the Townsfolk and go unnoticed by them.

After traveling for a while,

he successfully found an independent and quiet small courtyard in the southern part of the town.

From a distance,

he saw the Locust Tree in the courtyard.

On the surface, this Locust Tree appeared no different from any ordinary Locust Tree.

But according to the information in the event,

this Locust Tree was suspected to be an abnormality.

If he were to sneak directly into the courtyard, he would inevitably alert the Locust Tree.

And the most troublesome part was... given the massive size of this Locust Tree,

its branches and leaves already covered the entire courtyard.

Even if he sneaked in from the back of the courtyard, he would still be within its range of coverage.

Xiao Shi was in no hurry to act immediately; instead, he first circled the courtyard from a distance to conduct a more detailed observation.

After a period of observation, he was unable to find a suitable spot for sneaking in.

However, he did discover the presence of a Moon Mark on the Locust Tree.

This made him even more certain that there was something wrong with this Locust Tree.

"If I can't sneak in, then I'll have to kill it..."

"But once I make a move against it, the noise created will easily alert the other people in the town."

"Moreover, even if I could kill it silently, the Town Head would notice something wrong with the Locust Tree when he passes by later, and I would be directly exposed."

Xiao Shi fell into deep thought over this.

After thinking it over,

he felt there was only one way for now.

Immediately,

he hid not far from the courtyard and waited quietly.

He waited until the Town Head passed the courtyard during his patrol and silently calculated the approximate time it took for the Town Head to complete one circuit.

"Action!"

Xiao Shi directly activated the [moon obscuring ring] on his finger, targeting the Locust Tree in the courtyard.

Buzz!

As the entire [moon obscuring ring] vibrated,

an invisible barrier immediately isolated the entire Locust Tree, preventing the moonlight shed by the Nether Moon high in the sky from continuing to shine upon it.

Hiss... A cloud of black smoke immediately rose from the entire Locust Tree.

The power within the Locust Tree began to drain away rapidly.

To the point that the entire Locust Tree withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Moon Mark on the Locust Tree became even more blurred.

Xiao Shi knew that time was of the essence.

The effect of the [moon obscuring ring] could only last for one minute at most.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Locust Tree was currently not covered by the Nether Moon's light,

its abilities were greatly weakened and its power was continuously draining.

Xiao Shi immediately sneaked into the house where the Town Head lived at his fastest speed.

Given the Locust Tree's current state, it didn't notice him, and he successfully sneaked inside.

This was a relatively dilapidated house.

The primary feeling it gave off was one of dimness and gloom.

Coupled with its age, the pure wood structure was covered with traces of decay, making it appear even more eerie.

In the center of the room, there was a Shrine with incense sticks and candles lit. On the offering table sat fruits that looked like pieces of flesh.

These fruits... seemed to be the ones grown from the Locust Tree outside.

What was enshrined within the Shrine was neither Buddhist nor Daoist, but a twenty-centimeter-long Miniature Coffin.

The entire coffin was as black as ink, emitting a cold and eerie aura.

The moment he saw this Miniature Coffin,

Xiao Shi's gaze suddenly sharpened.

The house where the Town Head lived was not without a coffin; it was just different from the coffins in the homes of the other Townsfolk!

Xiao Shi could feel that

the reason those Townsfolk prepared coffins in their homes and lay in them in the evening was closely related to this coffin enshrined by the Town Head.

Coincidentally, the time those Townsfolk lay in their coffins was exactly the time the Town Head returned to his house every day.

Xiao Shi spread out his Soul Consciousness,

sweeping it toward the coffin in the Shrine.

Although his Soul Consciousness could not be used for attacks here, it would not have much of an impact when used for investigation.