166: Chapter 166 The First Shikigami

Han Jingyang stared fixedly at that mass of black Qi.

At the moment the mass of black Qi was about to fly away, he held the token high and silently activated the skill attached to the token, "Divine Resurrection."

The next second.

A cute mass of golden light flew out from the token, floating high in mid-air, emitting a faint golden light outwards.

The light mass was not large, but the golden light was soft and warm, like the sun in winter.

Han Jingyang was dazed for a moment, almost drawn in by that golden light mass.

At the same time, the mass of black Qi that had flown to the window seemed to feel an attraction; it turned back slowly and drifted gradually beneath the golden light mass.

The golden light mass then sank slowly, merging into the mass of black Qi.

After a few seconds of silence, the mass of black Qi began to churn. It wasn't violent, and it only lasted for a little over ten seconds before gradually calming down and beginning to condense into a human shape.

First came the thick, tall figure.

Immediately following were the external items like clothing and weapons.

Then came the details such as facial features.

After half a minute, a lifelike Black Hercules stood before Han Jingyang once again.

This Hercules was slightly shorter, around 2.45 meters, but its face was exactly the same as the Black Hercules that had just been cut down by Lord Guan, only one size smaller.

No, that's not right.

There were other changes.

The color was different.

The original Black Hercules didn't look like a good thing at first glance, carrying a thick, sinister aura.

Although the current Black Hercules was also black, the black was purer—shining black, as if made of top-grade jadeite or black jade. It had a strong texture, a luster, and the clothing and weapons were more realistic.

Not only that, but its expression also had subtle changes.

Although it still had a leopard's head, round eyes, and a bloody mouth, it lacked the original eccentricity, violence, and cruel bloodthirst, and instead had gained a bit of Majesty.

Additionally, looking closely, there were faint golden threads flowing within the Black Hercules, making this Black Hercules look more like a deity.

Entirely ink-black, with a faint luster, and golden threads moving within—if this isn't a deity, then what is?

Han Jingyang took a deep breath and silently issued a command.

The next second.

The Black Hercules walked slowly to Han Jingyang, cupped its hands, and bowed.

It really works!

Han Jingyang was instantly overjoyed.

Commanding this Black Hercules was very easy, with almost no consumption of energy.

On the contrary, controlling the summoned Lord Guan or True Martial Emperor required a lot of Qi.

Is this the Shikigami that the Japanese people came up with?

Looking at it this way, it really does have its unique merits.

However, the Japanese certainly aren't this proficient. This is a Shikigami created by an item identified by the Appraisal Technique, not something the Japanese figured out on their own.

Dongpo Village is truly my lucky place; in just a few days, I've made several profits in a row.

I've made a killing.

A third-grade compass and a true "deity" are the core of my foothold in the metaphysics circle.

With these two things, even if the Appraisal Technique were to disappear, I could still continue to survive, and I could still do very well.

For an ordinary person, having either of these two items would be enough to live a prosperous life.

Let alone having both.

Just as Han Jingyang wanted to test the Black Hercules's abilities, Liu Jing dragged an Old Man inside: "Boss, I found someone."

"An ordinary person?"

"It seems so. When I broke in, he was still sleeping, and it seems he knew nothing."

"Sleeping?" Han Jingyang walked closer and looked the Old Man up and down.

From the outside, he was a typical rural Old Man, and the kind who wasn't very particular; he wore a yellowish-brown jacket, black coarse cloth trousers, and rubber-soled cloth shoes underneath. His graying hair was sparse and messy, his skin was dark, and his eyes were dazed and timid. No matter how you looked at him, he didn't look like a cruel murderer.

Using Qi Observation, one could only see that this person had liver problems and bad luck.

Is he really an ordinary person?

After watching for a while, Han Jingyang spoke slowly: "What is your surname?"

"Huang, my name is Huang Jianshe."

"How long have you lived here?"

"Seven or eight years. My old house collapsed, so the village arranged for me to live here."

"Do you know what place this is?"

"Chaotian Temple."

"Does Chaotian Temple have an owner?"

"No, but it's quite efficacious. Villagers often come voluntarily to clean and make offerings, and after I moved in, I took on the job of cleaning."

Han Jingyang frowned.

Is there really no problem with this person?

That shouldn't be.

Logically speaking, the murderer shouldn't be too far from here.

The mass of black Qi that was causing trouble at Wang Jinliang's house earlier had flown here.

Wait.

Tracking.

Han Jingyang took out the token with the Tracking attribute, activated the "Tracking" attribute, and began to observe carefully.

The traces of himself, Liu Jing, Shi Xiaoya, and Bai Sixing were clear, and there was one more, which should be Huang Jianshe's.

Wait, what is this on the side of the statue?

Han Jingyang discovered a bit of abnormal aura on the side of the statue; it was very weak, and one would definitely overlook it without looking closely.

How cunning.

Fortunately, I have many items, skills, and attributes.

Otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to find it.

Han Jingyang pointed to the side of the statue and gave Liu Jing a look.

Liu Jing drew her saber, walked over quietly, stared intently, and suddenly thrust the blade in.

"Clang—"

The blade was completely submerged inside.

This sound—

There is a secret room!

Han Jingyang nodded to Shi Xiaoya again.

Shi Xiaoya grabbed a hoe and rushed over, swinging it down with all her might.

Just at this moment, a stream of black Qi drilled out from the crack, rushing straight at Liu Jing's face.

Liu Jing couldn't see it, but she had some intuition, instinctively turning her head to dodge, but she was ultimately a step too slow and was struck by the black Qi.

But Liu Jing didn't feel any discomfort, because a layer of hazy blue light blocked it.

Protection.

Han Jingyang breathed a sigh of relief and issued an order to the Black Hercules standing to the side.

The Black Hercules lunged forward and waved the small black snake in its left hand.

The small snake opened its mouth wide, directly biting the black Qi on Liu Jing's face, and tried hard to swallow it.

In a moment, it swallowed all the black aura and digested it at a speed visible to the naked eye. The small snake was still the same, but the Black Hercules's figure seemed to have grown slightly?

It can do that too?

Han Jingyang breathed a sigh of relief and gave another order to the Black Hercules.

The Black Hercules plunged into the crack.

Although Liu Jing didn't know what had happened, she sensed that the danger had been eliminated and quickly thanked Han Jingyang: "Boss, thank you."

"You're welcome. Hurry up, smash it open. I feel the murderer is inside."

"Okay."

Shi Xiaoya and Liu Jing worked together, using hoes, shovels, and even pickaxes, quickly dismantling the dilapidated statue and digging out a hole as tall as a person.

At this time, Bai Sixing returned from another room: "Any discoveries?"

He poked his head in to look at the hole: "Not bad, you make discoveries every time."

Han Jingyang nodded: "I have good luck. Old Man, are you going in?"

"Is there any danger?"

"Who knows, but the murderer is definitely inside."

"Together?"

"Together."

Han Jingyang was not afraid in the least. With Liu Jing and Shi Xiaoya, the newly subdued Black Hercules, and a whole pile of items for self-defense, what was there to be afraid of?

Besides, Bai Sixing was no weakling. If there really was danger, would the Old Man leave him behind?

Impossible.