"So there really were some scoundrels hiding in the shadows."
Upon hearing this, Elder You was greatly alarmed and suddenly felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart, reaching straight to the top of his head.
Without a second thought, he immediately unleashed his full potential, creating numerous afterimages as he desperately dodged forward.
Just as the phantom appeared, a hand suddenly appeared, tearing the phantom apart and squeezing the airflow.
If Elder You hadn't dodged quickly, he would probably have been stabbed in the back, and his life would have been uncertain.
"Hmm, this rat's agility is not bad."
The disheveled figure was somewhat unexpected.
However, he did not stop. Instead, he stomped his foot and, close behind Elder You, struck out with his claw again.
Elder You sensed this scene and was horrified.
His own illusionary clone was so easily seen through.
It's easy to imagine that the other party's martial arts level is probably much higher than his.
Thinking back to the strange demonic arts the opponent had used, Elder You had no desire to continue the fight.
It immediately activated the extraordinary treasure in his arms.
The next moment, a black halo emerged from Elder You's arms and quickly spread to envelop his entire body.
The black aura not only deflected the disheveled figure's hand, but also enveloped Elder You's body, transforming him into a streak of light that sped down the mountain.
"A demonic artifact?"
The disheveled figure was taken aback, never expecting that this rat who had been spying on them would possess a magical artifact.
Unfortunately, it was too late for him to stop it.
The power of the magical artifact is something he cannot stop right now.
They could only watch helplessly as Elder You was carried away by the black light and quickly disappeared into the night.
"That scoundrel managed to escape."
His disheveled figure was filled with remorse.
If he had known that this scoundrel possessed a magical treasure, and a demonic one at that, he should have gone all out from the start.
If he could obtain that magical artifact, it would be a significant help to him, who is currently penniless.
"My luck has been getting worse lately. Could it be that the laws of this world are starting to target me?"
I was tricked twice in a row.
The disheveled figure immediately became alert.
Since returning from Zhongzhou, his luck has been rather bad.
Not only has his injury not fully healed, but he also suffered two setbacks tonight.
From a practitioner's perspective, this is definitely not a good omen.
It is highly likely that he has already been targeted by this Heavenly Dao.
"Damn it, it's all that brat's fault! If he hadn't forced me to use the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique, causing my essence to leak out, how could I have been noticed by the Heavenly Dao of this world!"
The disheveled figure thought of the culprit who had caused her current predicament, and a look of resentment flashed in her eyes.
If he hadn't been injured by Lu Qing that day, hadn't had his primordial energy stolen, and hadn't been forced to use the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique.
How could he have fallen to such a state?
Whenever he thinks of this, the resentment in his heart is so intense that even if he were to pour out all the world's wealth and power, it would be difficult to diminish it in the slightest.
"Just wait, one day I will find you and destroy everything you have."
I'll extract your soul and burn it for millions of years.
"Only in this way can I quell the hatred in my heart!"
The disheveled figure gradually disappeared, leaving only a voice filled with hatred, echoing through the mountains and forests.
Dozens of miles away, a black light streaked across the sky at extremely low speed under the moonlight.
They soon landed in a mountain hollow, the black light dissipated, revealing Elder You's pale face.
Elder You carefully took out a black, spindle-shaped jade talisman from his bosom.
Elder You felt a pang of heartache as he looked at the cracks on the jade talisman.
The treasure bestowed upon him by the host can only be used a maximum of three times.
I didn't expect that it would be used twice so soon after it came out.
If we do it again, the treasure will be completely destroyed and rendered useless.
"I never imagined that the outside world had become so dangerous."
In just a few days, they faced two life-or-death crises.
Elder You, still shaken, glanced back in the direction of the Azure Cloud Sword Pavilion.
Without hesitation, he immediately used his movement technique to continue forward.
The strange figure he encountered earlier posed an even greater danger than the old man he had met at the Wei residence that day.
It's not that the person's cultivation level was stronger, but rather that his techniques were too strange and terrifying.
That pure and incomparable demonic aura made even him, an elder of the Wujian Tower, tremble.
So even though he has now escaped dozens of miles away, he still doesn't feel safe.
"It seems it's time to go back. If I also perish outside, then no one will be able to bring back information from the outside world."
After making his decision, Elder You moved even faster, gradually disappearing into the darkness.
The turbulent events and unpredictable situations in the outside world have no effect on the tranquility of Jiuli Village.
Since Lu Qing set up the formation, the environment of Jiuli Village has been getting better and better.
The trees are lush and the temperature is pleasant.
Even on hot days, being there can feel cool and refreshing.
With its surrounding spiritual energy, it's practically a paradise on earth.
The villagers also noticed that their bodies were gradually becoming healthier and more energetic day by day.
They realized that these changes were all brought about by Lu Qing's magic.
The villagers' gratitude towards Lu Qing also grew day by day.
"Grandpa Zhang, you said you had something important to tell me. What is it?"
On this day, Lu Qing was casting the Spirit Rain spell ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) on the spirit field when he saw Grandpa Zhang and several village elders coming up the mountain to look for him.
"It's about the faith tree at the village entrance."
Several elderly people, including Grandpa Zhang, were amazed when they saw Lu Qing's display of the art of lovemaking.
They had never even heard of using magic to irrigate rice paddies, let alone seen it.
The key point is that the rice seedlings in the paddy fields irrigated by Lu Qing are also quite unique.
Not only does it grow exceptionally robustly, but the tips of its leaves also gleam with a golden sheen, making it look quite extraordinary.
"Aqing, why are your rice seedlings shimmering with a golden light?"
An old villager couldn't help but ask.
"This is a new rice variety that I tried to cultivate using magic. The seedlings I grew are a bit special."
Lu Qing explained with a smile.
The villagers already knew that he possessed magical abilities, so he no longer tried to hide it.
"What would rice grown using magic look like?"
Another village elder stared wide-eyed.
"I don't know what they will look like later. When it's harvest time, everyone can come and see."
"Alright."
The elderly people were all farmers who had spent their lives cultivating the land. Naturally, they were very curious about rice grown with magic and immediately agreed to participate.
"By the way, Grandpa Zhang, what did you say happened to Xinshu?" Lu Qing asked.
The "faith tree" is the large tree that villagers tie with red ropes when they go out.
It holds special significance in the hearts of the villagers of Jiuli Village, and Lu Qing also pays close attention to it.
“We can’t explain what happened either, why don’t you go and take a look yourself?” said Grandpa Zhang.
“Alright, I’ll go with you.”
Just then, Lu Qing finished irrigating the two acres of spiritual fields. After dispersing the clouds with a hand seal, he went down the mountain with Grandpa Zhang and the others and arrived at the entrance of the village.
By this time, a large number of people had already gathered at the village entrance.
Many people surrounded the tree, seemingly looking at something, occasionally letting out sounds of amazement.
Lu Qing even saw Hu Laosan in the crowd.
Over the past few days, the Hu family father and daughter have gradually integrated into the village's life.
Especially Hu Laosan, who was a quick-witted person.
It was easy for him to gain the villagers' favor.
Therefore, people gradually accepted him.
"Everyone, please spread out, Ah Qing is here!"
When some villagers saw Lu Qing and Grandpa Zhang and the others coming over, they immediately called out.
The villagers immediately parted to allow Lu Qing and his group to come to the letter tree.
Lu Qing was also somewhat surprised when he saw the letter tree.
Because Nobuki's appearance has changed quite a bit compared to before.
First of all, the leaves have become greener, which goes without saying.
Secondly, the entire tree has also become much taller.
Especially the already intertwined roots at the bottom, which now clustered together even more, vaguely forming the shape of a small house.
Most importantly, Lu Qing actually sensed a peculiar fluctuation from the tree.
"Huh, the power of incense offerings?"
Just then, the voice of "Yan" suddenly rang in Lu Qing's mind.
"Senior, what is the power of incense offerings?" Lu Qing asked.
The legacy left by the Li Huo Sect does not mention anything about the power of incense offerings.
"You don't know? That's understandable. The Li Huo Sect has no expertise in the art of incense offerings, so it's normal that you don't know."
"The so-called power of incense is actually a unique power formed by pure faith."
Most cultivation sects have no knowledge of this, but it is the Hanging Mountain, which has a grudge against you, that has no knowledge of it.
They were quite skilled in this art during the ancient era of cultivating immortality.
It's truly astonishing that this small country tree could actually condense the power of incense offerings.
The word "flame" resonated deeply in Lu Qing's mind.
It was rare that Lu Qing had things he didn't know, which gave him plenty to talk about.
"I see. I wonder what the use of this incense power is?" Lu Qing continued to ask.
"I'm not entirely sure about that," Yan shook his head and said. "The power of incense is extraordinary. Even in the ancient era of cultivation, only a few sects were proficient in this art."
However, I have heard the elders of the Li Huo Sect mention that the power of incense is very strange.
It can condense into different types of power according to the thoughts of the prayer, making it unpredictable and extremely difficult to defend against.
I wonder what kind of incense power is contained in that tree at the entrance of your village.
Upon hearing this, Lu Qing's heart stirred slightly.
He activated his supernatural ability and looked towards the Faith Tree.
A few breaths later, a faint golden light of supernatural power emerged from Xinshu.
At the same time, several notes also floated out.
【The Spirit Tree: A large tree that has gained a touch of spirituality through the spiritual energy and the villagers' heartfelt worship.】
【This sacred tree, through the sincere worship of the villagers of Jiuli Village over the years, has accumulated a trace of incense power.】
【The incense power atop the Faith Tree is derived from the worship of the villagers of Jiuli Village, and is closely related to Jiuli Village, thus protecting this land.】
【The incense burning on this tree carries the power of protection and peace. Tying a red string, representing a villager's identity, to it will provide them with a trace of divine protection.】
...
When Lu Qing finished reading the message that appeared on the letter tree, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
At the same time, they understood how the power of incense in the Faith Tree was formed.
Just now, Yan said that the power of incense is formed only from pure thoughts and beliefs.
The Shinshu tree is a tree through which the villagers of Jiuli Village pray for peace.
Every villager in Jiuli Village ties a red string to a branch before going out, and removes the red string when they return.
This rule has remained unchanged for decades.
It can be said that the Xinshu tree embodies the purest hopes of the villagers of Jiuli Village for peace and protection for their loved ones.
That is why the incense power, which now possesses protective capabilities, has been gathered.
In other words, villagers can simply tie a red rope to a tree when they go out in the future.
It's no longer just about praying for peace.
Instead, they will truly receive the blessing of the Faith Tree and carry a trace of good fortune with them.
This will ensure that when you are away from home, everything goes smoothly, you turn bad luck into good, and you have a safe journey.
"Ah Qing, is there something wrong with this letter tree?"
Seeing that Lu Qing was staring at the letter tree, Grandpa Zhang asked with some concern.
The other villagers, including the children, also looked at Lu Qing with concern.
The tree holds a special place in Jiuli Village, and almost all the villagers have a special affection for it.
Many of the younger children spent much of their childhood under the Faith Tree.
Therefore, many villagers were warned from a young age not to climb or damage the sacred trees.
Therefore, everyone is very concerned about its changes.
Seeing the villagers' concerned looks, Lu Qing smiled.
"Don't worry, everyone. Xinshu is fine. On the contrary, this change is a good thing."
"It's a good thing, what good thing?" an old man immediately asked.
"Now the world has changed a bit. This tree has grown for so many years, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, and is also frequently worshipped by the villagers."
It has now developed a trace of spirituality and become a true spiritual tree.
If we take good care of it in the future, it will be able to better protect the peace of our village.
Lu Qing tried her best to explain things in a way that everyone could understand.
Sure enough, everyone was shocked when they heard that Nobuki was a psychic.
"Has the Shinju tree become a medium?"
"The emergence of sentience means that the Faith Tree can hear us?"
"Great news! This is fantastic news!"
After the initial shock came joy.
Although they weren't entirely clear on what the spiritual tree's ability to communicate meant, they could still understand Lu Qing's explanation that the tree could better protect the village.
Suddenly, a villager grabbed the ear of his youngest son:
"You brat, did you hear what Ah Qing said? You're not allowed to be rude to the Xinshu tree again. If I see you climbing up the Xinshu tree like you did this morning, I'll break your legs!"
"Yes, and you too, you little brat. I saw it the day before yesterday. You dared to break branches and leaves from the tree. If you do that again, I'll beat you to death!"
Another villager also pinched his son's ear.
When the other villagers heard this, they all started scolding their own sons.
Suddenly, the sounds of little kids begging for mercy filled the air.
