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

Chapter 4 The Mysterious Stage

As the group walked down the street, many pedestrians bowed to them, their eyes filled with awe.

Occasionally, you can see residents burning incense and candles by the roadside, praying for "the gods to calm their anger," and some people are talking about the recent unusual weather, saying it is a sign of "the gods' grief and wrath."

This is the mainstream understanding in the world today.

They believed that a divine ancestor created the world and attributed all natural and man-made disasters to the unstable emotions of that divine ancestor.

The one who soothes the spirits is the one who helps the gods and ancestors to manage their emotions.

"Xiao Shen, don't be so stingy in the future." Lei Lie walked down the street, enjoying the respectful gazes of the crowd, and suddenly spoke to Shen Zhen beside him.

"I'll report your An Tian Ranking points to the department as soon as we get back."

With this reward, you should have enough to exchange for two Concentration Incense sticks and a bottle of Mortal-grade Mind Dust Liquid.

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhen frowned slightly.

"Captain Lei, what do you mean by that?"

Lei Lie grinned and explained:

"Look, we are the protectors of the gods, of noble status, enjoying the offerings and reverence of the world."

Being so stingy, isn't that disrespectful to God?

Shen Zhen was speechless. What kind of twisted logic was this?

But the thought that he could redeem a bottle of Nianchen Liquid with his points made him overjoyed.

He knew best how precious Nianchen Liquid was; some people had saved up points for half a year to exchange for just one bottle.

The mental dust inside this thing is concentrated, ten times purer than the scattered mental dust that one naturally collects. There is no risk of backlash when absorbing it, which is of great benefit to advancing one's level.

In layman's terms, "Nianchen" refers to the gentle and orderly normal emotional fluctuations of the divine ancestor, which are scattered throughout the world in the form of fragmented energy.

After being absorbed and purified, the spirit-soothing practitioner transforms the energy into mental power, which can be used to cultivate oneself and also to perform spirit-soothing rituals to soothe the mind of the divine ancestors and stabilize the world.

In contrast, the extreme negative emotions of the divine ancestor, such as grief, anger, and mania, will generate a completely different kind of violent energy.

This energy cannot be transformed into mental dust; instead, it pollutes living beings, distorts all things, and ultimately breeds deformed beings, becoming the root cause of disrupting the order of heaven and earth.

Just then, a commotion broke out ahead.

The crowd parted, and a person came running.

"Team Leader Lei, there's news about Ruanjia Lane in the west of the city and Caiji Steamed Bun Shop in the east of the city."

Lei Lie's expression hardened. "What are the details of both sides?"

The team member took a breath and said:

"Residents reported hearing faint drumming sounds deep within Ruanjia Lane, while others said it was applause."

The sound was somewhat muffled, as if it came from underground; it sent chills down your spine. Several people had gone in and never come out again. Cai's Steamed Bun Shop...

Lei Lie made a decisive decision.

"Shen Zhen, Hu Zi, Ren Fei, you guys come with me to Ruanjia Lane."

The others went to Cai's Steamed Bun Shop; whichever side was dealt with first, they would then assist the other side.

After saying that, he strode towards Ruanjia Lane.

Shen Zhengang was still happy about the Nianchen Liquid, but upon hearing this sudden mission, he couldn't help but feel a little ironic:

Before you've even got your hands on the advanced resources, another unexpected event has occurred?

This is such a seamless transition; I'd love to go home and share it with my sister.

He quickly caught up with Lei Lie, and Miao Erhu and Ren Fei couldn't help but complain:

"Sigh, I just finished dealing with Ge Ming's case and haven't even had a chance to rest yet. There's no way for working people to make a living."

Despite their complaints, they didn't hesitate at all. After all, the duty of the Cleansing Evil Division was to protect the peace of the region, and they had to be dispatched immediately if there was any situation.

Shen Zhen and his group soon arrived at Ruanjia Lane.

A crowd of residents had gathered at the entrance of the alley, and when they saw the people from the Jingxie Division arrive, they all made way for them.

Lei Lie, with a serious expression, took the lead into the alley, followed by Shen Zhen and the others.

An indescribable eeriness permeated the alley, and the deeper one went, the clearer the muffled sound became.

Shen Zhen also vigilantly observed her surroundings, ready to deal with any potential dangers at any time.

Suddenly, he had a premonition, feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Team Leader Lei, do you feel like there's something new here?" Ren Fei, who was walking on the far side, said.

Lei Lie observed as he spoke in a deep voice:

"Stop talking nonsense. As a Spirit Suppressor, your job is to quell all strange occurrences."

As they ventured deeper into the alley, the eerie atmosphere grew stronger, and the muffled sounds seemed to come from all directions, making it impossible to discern which way to go.

"I feel the same way, and it's getting stronger and stronger," Miao Erhu said.

He stopped abruptly as soon as he finished speaking, pointing to the side as if he had seen something terrifying.

"Team Leader Lei...over there..."

At this moment, everyone noticed that a stage that shouldn't have been there had suddenly appeared in front of them on the flat ground at the end of the alley that Miao Erhu was pointing to.

Without any warning.

Under the scorching sun, the stage stood alone in the middle of the open space.

The roof had mostly collapsed, with only a few rafters stubbornly supporting it, and a few tattered pieces of cloth hanging from them, swaying gently in the breeze.

"Let's go, over there!" Lei Lie ordered.

As the group slowly approached, they were all stunned by the sight before them and held their breath.

In front of the stage, there were twenty or thirty residents, including peddlers, women, and children.

Like puppets manipulated by invisible threads, they faced the empty, dusty stage, their movements stiff, yet they clapped in unison, their voices muffled.

The sound traveled in all directions, as if every place was the source of the sound.

There was no loud gongs and drums, no opera singing.

Pop, pop, pop!

The low applause coalesced into a chilling buzz that unsettled everyone.

"My goodness..." Shen Zhen swallowed hard, and couldn't help but mutter under his breath:

"Team Leader Lei... what... what the hell is this? Are they cheering for thin air?"

Lei Lie's gaze was fixed on the stage, his long sword already drawn an inch from its sheath at his waist, gleaming coldly.

"This sound can be unsettling; stay calm."

Shen Zhen's gaze swept across the empty, lifeless faces of the "audience," finally settling on a giant mirror backstage.

The mirror was spotless and stood out starkly against its dilapidated surroundings.

It clearly showed the scene in front of the stage, including the residents clapping mechanically, but it did not show Shen Zhen, Lei Lie, and the other three living people.

The four carefully made their way through the crowd.

The residents showed no reaction to their approach, remaining engrossed in their own world.

The moment Shen Zhen stepped onto the stage steps,

--Snapped!

A clear, loud round of applause suddenly erupted!

It wasn't from the "audience," but from beside Shen Zhen—it was Miao Erhu. For some reason, he involuntarily clapped his hands, his face filled with shock.

"I...I didn't mean to..." Miao Erhu looked at his hands, somewhat incoherently.

Almost simultaneously, all the residents in the audience stopped clapping!

Then, something even more chilling happened: all those people turned their heads at once, their empty gazes mechanically fixed on them.

To be precise, the focus is on Shen Zhen!

Being stared at by dozens of soulless eyes, even the battle-hardened Lei Lie felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet.

A dead silence.

Even the eerie buzzing and wind sounds seemed to have disappeared.

suddenly!

The mirror surface rippled like water, reflecting not the residents below the stage, but Shen Zhen instead.

Weird.

Because he was all alone.

At that moment, a cold, emotionless voice slammed into the depths of his mind: