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Chapter 659: Chapter 665: Trial
As they entered, the scenery around them changed in an instant.
"First Trial: In the following three nights of the Ghost Nightwalk, protect all the villagers; the death toll must not exceed three, or the trial will be deemed a failure."
Before Li Chengsheng could familiarize himself with the surroundings, an imposing and mysterious voice echoed in his mind, detailing his trial mission.
The difficulty of the mission wasn’t high, especially since it was only the first layer, and according to Li Zhirui, most of his enemies would be first-tier, with only a very few being second-tier.
For a Golden Core cultivator, ghosts of such strength posed no threat at all.
He just needed to ensure that during the Ghost Nightwalk, the villagers did not fall victim.
"Are you the Immortal Master from Changhe Town?" An elderly man with a bent stature and white hair slowly approached and asked with reverence.
Li Chengsheng didn’t know where Changhe Town was and didn’t intend to admit anything, shaking his head, he said, "I am just a Wandering Taoist, passing by accident. Seeing the ominous specter, I feared a calamity of a hundred ghosts tonight and came to offer my assistance."
"Thank you, Immortal Master! Thank you!" After hearing this, the elder was overjoyed and repeatedly bowed to show his gratitude.
Why did the elder trust Li Chengsheng so implicitly, with not a shade of doubt about his identity? Because he had never encountered a Demon Cultivator; throughout his long life, he had never met a cultivator who did evil.
"Elder, there’s no need for such courtesy. Please go back and tell the villagers to lock their doors and windows after sunset and stay inside!" Li Chengsheng instructed, mindful that any mishap could ruin his trial.
"As the Immortal Master says, I will inform the others immediately," the old man replied.
After the elder left, Li Chengsheng casually grabbed a cloud from the sky, seated himself on it, and waited for night to fall.
"This Immortal Master seems much more formidable than the ones in previous years."
"Yes, the death toll in the village this year will definitely be lower," the voice was filled with hope.
"Alas! Who knows when these evil spirits will be completely eradicated so that we can live in peace?" 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖕𝖚𝖇.𝖈𝔬𝔪
"I heard from the elders that more than a hundred years ago, there weren’t so many ghosts, but in recent years, their numbers have been increasing, and they’ve become more ferocious, damn this treacherous fate!" There was anger, resentment, but also helplessness.
...
Li Chengshuo overheard the villagers’ whispers, sparking his curiosity about this ’illusory’ village.
Meanwhile, he marveled at the tower’s ability to construct such a vivid Illusionary Realm—and not just one, but hundreds or thousands simultaneously, a deed probably only an Immortal Artifact could achieve.
The sun crept toward the west, its light dimming incrementally until the last ray disappeared. At that instant, the once-somewhat-lively village fell deathly silent!
It wasn’t just the two hundred or so villagers who were quiet—the livestock they raised didn’t dare make a sound either! It was as though the village was abandoned, devoid of any life!
Seeing this, Li Chengsheng’s brows furrowed. He summoned the Chaoyang Crow and said, "Yang, transform into a sun and hover above the village."
The Chaoyang Crow, no longer a third-tier Spirit Beast, had evolved into a fourth-tier one in recent years after assimilating a fourth-tier Sun Spirit Object.
The bloodline of the Sun Divine Bird, the Three-legged Golden Crow, grew richer within its body, and its once fiery red feathers now shimmered with a hint of gold. The Sun Spirit Flame it breathed out had also grown much stronger.
With the sun that the Chaoyang Crow had become, those low-tier ghosts wouldn’t be able to approach, let alone enter the village. This greatly reduced the chances of any mishap occurring during the trial.
Roar!
Accompanied by a chilly gust, hundreds of oddly shaped ghosts appeared, emitting eerie howls with eyes glowing green as they lunged at Li Chengsheng.
The villagers in the village, unable to control the trembling of their bodies, would have already started to scream in terror if their mouths were not covered tightly by hand.
He casually summoned a ball of Sun Spirit Flame and hurled it at the ghosts, resulting in an instant outburst of agonizing screams that pierced the sky. Those ghosts touched by the Spiritual Fire instantly turned into a pile of ashes!
However, there were too many ghosts, and they were quite scattered, so it was still going to take some time to deal with them.
But during that time, thanks to the protection of the Chaoyang Crow, not a single ghost breached the village, and naturally, there were no casualties!
After all the ghosts had been exterminated by Li Chengsheng, he did not rush to recall the Chaoyang Crow. Instead, he waited until after the hour of Zi before allowing the weary Chaoyang Crow to return to the Spirit Beast Bag to rest.
Meanwhile, the villagers had already entered sweet slumber under the warmth of the ’sunlight’.
Early the next day, everyone stepped out of their homes, and without any need for communication, they could tell by a few glances that no one had died the previous night!
"This Immortal Master is so incredible!"
"Yes, I’ve never imagined before that I could actually sleep through the Ghost Day."
The elder, along with a group of villagers, knelt on the ground, ready to kowtow in thanks.
But before they could make a move, they were supported back to their feet by Li Chengsheng’s Mana, who said, "No need for such gestures, fellows. It’s the duty of us cultivators to slay demons and protect the common folks."
"Immortal Master, I ask that you stay with us a little longer," pleaded the elder.
"I shall preside over the village for two more days before departing once matters are settled," he stated.
Once the appointed time arrived, regardless of the outcome of the trial, he would leave.
"Thank you, Immortal Master!" The elder let out a sigh of relief. According to tradition, the invasion of fierce ghosts in the village would only last three days.
The ghosts tonight were a bit stronger, but to Li Chengsheng, they were still ants that could be easily crushed.
"If only this Immortal Master could stay in our village," someone wished aloud.
"Foolish rock, what kind of person is this master? How could he possibly stay in our small village?" thought the speaker, who deep down also wished for Li Chengsheng to stay.
However, they were well aware that it was not possible.
"Sigh!"
Li Chengsheng, upon the white clouds, couldn’t help but sigh. Merely within two days’ time, he had completely lost the ability to distinguish illusion from reality.
Facing these villagers with their own thoughts, emotions, joys, and sorrows, more than once he doubted that this was some so-called Illusionary Realm trial, but a real world!
However, situations like the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, with ghosts wreaking havoc, he had never heard of occurring anywhere in the Profound Origin Realm.
This made Li Chengsheng ’wake up’ again to the belief that all these villagers were merely illusions, and everything was an Illusionary Realm.
...
"Three days have passed, and not a single person has died. Trial passed!"
As soon as these words were said, Li Chengsheng felt a blur before his eyes. When his surroundings became clear again, he found himself standing before a small town, the town gate bearing three large characters: Changhe Town!
"Second-tier challenge commences! The Town Ghost Division of Changhe Town is understaffed and unable to cope with the imminent calamity of a Thousand Ghosts. Protect Changhe Town for seven days; no more than nine mortals may die during this period, or the trial will be considered a failure!"
