Starting as a prodigy wanting milk? A world-destroying deception in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Shen Zhen and the others, having finished dealing with matters in Xiaojia Village, were speeding towards Zhangjiawan.

On the way, Shen Zhen contacted Lei Lie through a temporary communication talisman:

"Team Leader Lei, we are on our way to Zhangjiawan and should arrive in about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea."

How's the situation on your end?

From the other end of the communication talisman came Lei Lie's rapid breathing, mixed with the crackling of burning and the roars of the villagers:

"Damn it! I can't control myself!"

Two villagers have already set themselves on fire. We are doing our best to put out the fire, but some people are still rushing into the flames like madmen!

Hurry up! It'll be too late if we're any later!

Shen Zhen's head tightened, and she spurred the horse to speed up:

"Hold on, Lei! We're on our way!"

Horse hooves flew, dust billowed.

The members of the rookie team looked solemn and no one spoke, hoping to get to Zhangjiawan as soon as possible.

Just as the group was about to turn a bend in the mountain road, a man and a woman came walking along the path ahead.

The two were dressed in ordinary coarse cloth clothes, looking like passersby returning from a market.

The woman was slender with delicate features. She carried a cloth bag in her hand and walked with light yet steady steps. Her gaze swept over the rushing crowd, calm and undisturbed, yet it inexplicably gave Shen Zhen a fright.

The man beside her was tall and stern-faced, with his hands on his hips. He seemed to be walking casually, but he was subtly protecting the woman, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.

Shen Zhen's gaze lingered on the two of them for a moment.

He looked like an ordinary passerby, but something felt off to him.

The woman's cloth bag looked heavy, yet she carried it with an overly relaxed air; the man's pace was even, far from the leisurely stroll of an ordinary person.

"Captain Shen, what's wrong?" Li Qingyan noticed his pause and asked casually.

"It's nothing." Shen Zhen withdrew his gaze. The fire in Zhangjiawan was urgent, and he didn't have time to investigate further.

"Getting on the road is the priority."

The group sped past, brushing past the two people.

The woman seemed to sense something, turned her head to glance at Shen Zhen's back, and a very faint smile appeared on her lips.

The man asked in a low voice:

"Have they spotted us?"

"Not necessarily." The woman's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable determination.

"Our target is not the people of the Pure Evil Division; let's send out the Mind-Dust Liquid first."

Besides, they outnumber us, and we're only at the mid-stage of Tier 1; we're no match for them, and there's no need to create unnecessary trouble.

The two continued walking forward, turning into the dense forest on the other side of the mountain bend, and their figures quickly disappeared into the shade of the trees.

Deep in the dense forest, a dark figure stood with his back to them, surrounded by a faint gray aura.

"Greetings, Your Excellency," the two stepped forward and bowed, the woman handing over the cloth bag.

"The elixir of faith has been brought back. The other believers sacrificed themselves to cover our retreat."

The shadowy figure, known as the messenger of the gods, slowly turned around. A mask covered his face, revealing only a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes. His voice was low and mysterious:

"Song Yue, Chu Yan, you did a great job."

He took the cloth bag and opened it. Inside were dozens of small, golden jade bottles, which were the Spirit-Rank Mind Dust Liquid that Jin Wanquan had secretly replaced.

"We have been planning for four years, so a few sacrifices are nothing."

He paused for a moment.

"You have done an indispensable job. Once the plan succeeds, the Son of God will bestow upon you unparalleled grace."

Song Yue's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

But when she thought of those believers who had immolated themselves, a complex feeling still crossed her mind:

"My lord, those believers..."

"Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles," the divine messenger interrupted her, his tone utterly flat.

"It is their honor to be able to dedicate themselves to the great cause."

He carefully put the cloth bag away.

"Go to the capital city outpost to rest and recuperate. You will be given new missions in the future."

Remember, don't reveal your identity; the Temple of Remembrance is keeping a close watch on you lately.

Chu Yan said coldly, "Understood."

He glanced at Song Yue, and seeing that her expression had calmed down, he turned around and left the dense forest with her.

After the two left, the divine messenger suddenly sharpened his gaze and looked towards the shadows deep within the dense forest:

"Come out! You piece of trash, you can't even handle this simple task!"

In the shadows, a cloud of gray mist slowly condensed, revealing the Illusionary Desire Demon that had escaped from Xiao Family Village. Close behind was the Devourer, whose giant face, pieced together from food, was now blurred at the edges, clearly severely injured.

"My Lord Divine Messenger, spare me!" The Demon of Illusion's voice trembled.

"That guy named Shen Zhen is so weird. He's always the one who messes things up. I noticed him in Ruanjia Alley."

The gluttonous, eerie green eyes were filled with resentment and malice.

"That's right! If we hadn't run fast, we would have been scattered by him long ago!"

He must be eliminated, otherwise the academy's plans will be ruined sooner or later!

"Useless!" The divine messenger sneered, his mental power surging suddenly to suppress them.

"We've poured so many resources into raising you, and you can't even handle a mid-stage first-tier Divine Blessing Master?"

What use are you then?!

The Demon of Illusion and the Devourer of Delusions trembled, not daring to refute.

They could sense the killing intent of the divine messengers, and would be reduced to ashes if they were not careful.

The divine messenger merely issued a warning and did not actually take action, as the Illusion Demon and the Devourer still had some value to them.

He withdrew his mental power and said coldly:

"I'll give you another chance. If things go well in a few days, we'll let bygones be bygones."

The delusional demon and the gluttonous demon are granted a pardon:

"Thank you for your mercy, Divine Messenger..."

The divine messenger turned and looked in the direction of Zhangjiawan, a strange smile curving his lips beneath the mask:

"Shen Zhen... Lin Wanru's son, he's quite interesting."

The time it takes to drink a cup of tea passes in the blink of an eye, and the outline of Zhangjiawan comes into view.

From afar, thick smoke billowed from the village, flames shot into the sky, and heart-wrenching cries and frantic shouts mingled together, sending chills down one's spine.

"Quickly! Split up!" Shen Zhen dismounted and shouted the order.

"Ren Fei, Miao Erhu, take Zhao Huaijin and Zhou Shi to put out the open flames and prevent the villagers from setting themselves on fire!"

Li Qingyan and Chen Xi reassured the villagers who were not out of control and moved them to a safe area.

Qi Xuejian and Lu Renjia, investigate the source of the energy and find the one who is manipulating it!

"Wu Xian, come with me! Stop those people rushing into the fire!"

"Roger!" the crowd responded in unison, immediately scattering and rushing towards the fire.

The village had become a scene of purgatory.

Three or four houses were engulfed in flames, which shot up several meters high. The scorching air was so intense that it was hard to breathe.

Several villagers, engulfed in flames, rolled on the ground, their screams heart-wrenching. Lei Lie, Fu Gang, Wei Bao, and Lu Dan tried to extinguish the flames with wet branches, but they couldn't keep up with the villagers' self-immolation.

A dozen or so villagers, their eyes burning with fervor, brandished torches and roared as they charged into the fire, shouting:

"The Divine Ancestor summons us!"

"By sacrificing yourself, you can gain eternal life!"

"Stop them!" Shen Zhen rushed forward, using his mental power to activate the Mind Ruler, and snatched a torch from a villager's hand.

The villager paused for a moment, then pounced on Shen Zhen even more frantically:

"You heretic! Don't stop me from seeing the ancestral god!"

Wu Xian followed closely behind Shen Zhen, his face pale with fright, but he still mustered the courage to grab a villager:

"Don't go! You'll be burned to death!"

"Get out of my way!" The villager suddenly broke free and slapped Wu Xian across the face. Wu Xian staggered from the blow, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he still rushed forward again.

Looking at the scene before her, Shen Zhen felt both anxious and pained.

These villagers were so deeply misled that they completely lost their reason.

He waved the mantra ruler, white light sweeping across it continuously, while chanting the mantra for "Purifying the Mind and Dispelling Delusions":

"Wake up!"

The power of thought transformed into a gentle halo, enveloping the villagers.

Some villagers froze, a glimmer of clarity appearing in their eyes, only to be quickly replaced by fervor.

"It's no use! They've been deeply bewitched!" Lei Lie rushed over and cleaved a fallen beam in two with a single stroke.

"These heretics are too cunning; they deliberately release energy intermittently."

We were exhausted from trying to put out the fire, stop the villagers, and trace the source of the energy source; we simply couldn't keep track of it.

Just then, Qi Xuejian's voice came:

"Team Leader Shen! The energy source is in the village's ancestral hall!"