76: Squeeze
Over the next few days, Lin Chuping Cultivated while keeping an eye on the situation in the village.
That God Cultivation Art was indeed an exquisite Dao Art perfectly suited for Soul Cultivators. Merely having glimpsed its entry, Lin Chuping felt his Divine Sense being cleansed as if by a spring, becoming much clearer and more lucid.
Even those long-forgotten fragments from his previous life, buried deep in his memory, gradually dissipated like thin mist, emerging with increasing clarity.
From every lottery number in his previous life to his childhood experiences of wetting his pants and playing in the mud, everything was so clear.
If this continues, won't he even remember his memories from the womb?
Terrifying as such.
Bloodshed's actions were swift.
So swift that before Lin Chuping could even figure out how Bloodshed would appear, trouble erupted outside the village.
The first to be affected were the patrol teams.
* * *
"Temple Official Liu, Temple Official Liu!"
"Our Huai Zhi went out on patrol today and hasn't returned yet."
"Our Li Zhu hasn't returned either. Usually, he'd be back for lunch when the sun is directly overhead, but today there's no sign of him..."
"Could something have happened?"
"Lord Chuping, please bless us!"
"..."
"Temple Official Liu, please think of a solution quickly! Or organize people to go search!"
Outside the temple, seven or eight villagers surrounded Temple Official Liu Chunsheng, chattering excitedly.
The current patrol team was jointly formed by Nan Shu Village and Chang Sheng Village, and people from both villages were involved in today's incident.
The women's eyes were red, while the men gripped their farming tools tightly, their knuckles white.
* * *
At that moment, Lin Chuping was meditating with his eyes closed within the Divine Statue, suddenly disturbed by the commotion outside.
He immediately unleashed his Divine Thought, which, like an invisible net, instantly enveloped the entire village.
Upon investigation, he immediately sensed something amiss—around the patrol route, wisps of faint, indistinct Demonic Qi quietly permeated like a haze.
Lin Chuping's heart sank, and he extended his Divine Thought further, probing into the distance.
This further probe revealed even worse news.
He saw that Chang Sheng Village and Nan Shu Village were already tightly encircled by a thick, impenetrable layer of Demonic Qi, as if deeply mired in a swamp, fraught with danger.
In an instant, Lin Chuping understood Bloodshed's scheme.
Truly ruthless!
Could Bloodshed have learned the Thirty-Six Stratagems?
Moreover, Bloodshed seemed certain that he couldn't step out of these two villages, which was why he acted so recklessly and rampantly.
Regardless of the reason, Bloodshed had indeed guessed correctly this time.
Frustrating!
Utterly frustrating!
The limited jurisdiction was Lin Chuping's greatest weakness.
It was like a fierce beast trapped in a cage; no matter how powerful it was, it had no use for its abilities.
Lin Chuping stood at the boundary of his jurisdiction, quietly gazing at the shadowy figures moving furtively in the distance, his chest burning with rage, almost laughing in anger.
Bloodshed's move was tantamount to brazenly acting wantonly right above his head.
Lin Chuping's killing intent surged like a tumultuous tide. In an instant, the thunderclouds in the sky seemed to sense his fury and began to churn violently, yet they lingered, unable to strike, as if unable to lock onto a target.
As if something came to mind, Lin Chuping attempted to release Divine Power beyond the jurisdiction, just as he did when he first saved San Wazi.
Divine Power could indeed penetrate the jurisdiction.
However, the Divine Power outside the jurisdiction was like rootless duckweed, greatly reduced in lethality, and would completely dissipate within two hundred meters.
Even Lin Chuping, a man of composure, wanted to curse at this moment.
What does this mean?
A large plate of delicious, fragrant, and sizzling food was right in front of him, but he couldn't eat it!
Lin Chuping felt completely constrained.
Although Lin Chuping before Transmigration aspired to live a laid-back life, after Transmigration, he was like a model worker.
He was determined not to miss any opportunity for improvement.
"Tong Ge, how exactly can I expand my jurisdiction?"
"Ding! Detecting the Host's strong desire to expand his jurisdiction, a random mission is now issued: Breakthrough the first layer of the God Cultivation Art. Mission Reward: Jurisdiction will be expanded to the entire Qingzhou in one fell swoop."
"Good!"
"Tong Ge, from now on, you're my real father!"
* * *
On the other side, Liu Chunsheng was anxiously stomping his feet.
"Everyone, don't panic, don't panic! We need to figure things out first."
But even his comforting words sounded unconvincing to himself, his voice trembling.
In this world, disappearance meant death.
There were almost no exceptions.
Even if someone managed to return on their own, they would likely be possessed by something, and that situation was even more terrifying than death.
"Temple Official Liu, why don't we organize people to go search?"
"Many people in our village are Cultivating now, as long as we don't leave the village, there's no danger."
The villagers couldn't calm down; crying and shouting mingled in a chaotic din.
The women wiped their red eyes with handkerchiefs, sobbing, "If my husband has an accident, how will I live..."
The men gripped their farming tools tightly, their knuckles white from exertion, veins bulging, faces filled with anxiety and anger, just waiting for Liu Chunsheng's command to rush out and search for the missing.
Even Li Fu looked at Liu Chunsheng with anticipation.
Their village had been Cultivating for so long; these young ones were already restless. It was time for them to get some practice.
Liu Chunsheng raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his face and made a decisive statement.
"Let's go! We'll go to the village entrance to take a look. As long as we don't leave the village, Lord Chuping will protect us."
* * *
Led by Liu Chunsheng, everyone hurried towards the village entrance.
Along the way, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like it could drip water. A huge stone weighed on everyone's heart; their steps were hurried, yet tinged with hesitation and fear.
As soon as they reached the village entrance, a chill assailed them. Wisps of mist, as if alive, swirled and intertwined around their feet.
Liu Chunsheng's heart tightened, and he inwardly cried out, "Not good!" The evil Qi emanating from the mist was even more intense than expected, but it had come to this; the arrow was on the string and had to be loosed.
"Everyone, stay alert, and whatever you do, don't get separated."
Liu Chunsheng cautioned in a low voice, gripping a thick wooden stick he had hastily found in the temple. It was his only psychological support at the moment.
The villagers huddled together, slowly shuffling forward, their eyes wide like copper bells, staring intently at the misty area ahead.
Suddenly, a low roar came from the mist, followed by a black shadow that flashed past, so fast that no one had time to react.
"What was that?"
A villager shrieked in terror, almost dropping the farming tool in his hand.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here!"
Liu Chunsheng bravely shouted, trying to steady their morale, but his own legs were trembling slightly.
The mist gradually receded, and the black shadow's form became clearer: it was a gigantic Demonic Wolf, emitting a pungent Demonic Qi.
Its blood-red eyes stared fixedly at the crowd, saliva dripping from its mouth, clearly seeing them as a delicious meal.
"Kill!"
Someone shouted, and several hot-headed young villagers could no longer hold back. They brandished their farming tools and charged forward.
But they were no match for the Demonic Wolf. With a light leap, the Demonic Wolf dodged their attacks, then counter-attacked. With one swipe of its paw, it knocked a villager to the ground, and blood instantly stained the earth.
"Retreat! Retreat!"