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

Upon seeing this, the black-robed man's expression changed beneath his veil, clearly sensing a deadly threat.

He dared not be negligent. With a sharp whistle, black energy surged around him, rapidly condensing in front of him to form a huge black shield.

It is covered with strange runes that seem to devour all light, yet in the center of the shield, a sacred human face pattern is faintly visible.

Shen Zhenglan's gaze sharpened, and he asked in a cold voice:

"This pattern carries an aura of divine authority. What is your connection to the Temple of Funian?"

The man in black robes ignored them and shouted, "Shadow of Divine Devourer!"

Shen Zhenglan looked at it again and pushed out both palms flat!

"boom!!!"

"boom!!!"

"boom!!!"

The air crackled and exploded as the golden sphere of light, like a meteor falling to earth, tore through the air with the dual will of purification and destruction, and slammed into the black shield!

The man in black robes also channeled all his mental energy into the shield, and the holy face pattern suddenly lit up, opening its huge mouth as if to devour the ball of light.

"Boom—!!!"

An explosion ten times more powerful than before occurred!

The blinding light instantly blinded everyone, and the terrifying shockwave leveled the back half of the winery!

Shen Zhen and the others were thrown away by the shockwave and landed in a sorry state. They hurriedly used their mental power to protect themselves.

When the light faded, a huge crater was visible at the center of the explosion.

Shen Zhenglan's white robe was stained with dust, and he was slightly out of breath, but his posture remained upright.

On the other side, the black shield was shattered, and the man in black robes staggered back several steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, clearly suffering from serious internal injuries.

However, the look in his eyes as he gazed at Shen Zhenglan carried a strange hint of mockery.

"Shen Zhenglan... what a brilliant self-created Divine Sun Burning Technique!"

He chuckled hoarsely, then suddenly unleashed the remaining psychic energy around him, causing a thick cloud of black smoke to instantly spread out, completely enveloping him.

"But keeping me here won't be that easy!"

Shen Zhenglan was not about to let him escape, and immediately gave chase.

However, he was stopped by a spatial distortion field that suddenly erupted from the smoke. His steps faltered, and the man in black robes had actually set up a temporary spatial interference array in the smoke.

"A trivial skill!"

Shen Zhenglan snorted coldly, trying to penetrate the smoke and lock onto the target.

Just then.

Three psychic clones, perfectly identical in aura to the black-robed man, burst forth from the smoke, fleeing in three different directions. Each clone exuded a frenzied, desperate struggle.

"Let's see which one you can catch!"

Shen Zhenglan's gaze sharpened, and he instantly discerned that the aura of the middle clone was the weakest, but the other two were difficult to distinguish as real or fake.

More importantly, he noticed that the two clones were fleeing in a direction that seemed to be encircling Shen Zhen's team, clearly intending to use the clones to hold them off and take the opportunity to escape!

Just as he was worried that his clone would suddenly attack his son and the others, and hesitated for a moment—

A dark figure suddenly shot into the sky from the smoke, crushing a talisman shimmering with runes in its hand. Its form rapidly became transparent within the runic light.

"Shen Zhenglan! Do you know how Lin Wanru died?"

Shen Zhenglan's expression changed drastically, and he exerted all his mental power to try to break through the spatial interference:

"stop!"

The man in black robes laughed wildly, his voice filled with a malicious mockery:

"Do you really think... it's just some so-called heresy?"

"What was Xuanyuan Che's original intention in establishing the Temple of Remembrance a thousand years ago? Now they are not worshipping gods, but selfish desires!"

"Hahahaha..."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already disappeared completely into the light of the runes with the help of the talisman, leaving only faint traces of spatial fluctuations.

But those words exploded in Shen Zhenglan's ears like thunder.

His pupils contracted slightly. The other person not only mentioned his wife's death, but also bluntly stated that the original intention of the temple had been distorted.

"Damn it!"

Shen Zhenglan slammed his fist into the broken wall beside him, sending stone chips flying.

In the end, they still managed to get away!

Moreover, that last sentence had already dropped a bombshell in his heart.

"Mother!" Shen Zhen was shocked when she heard this.

Whether the man in black robes was true or false, his words were like a sharp blade, piercing his heart.

Shen Zhen stared at the spot where the black-robed man had disappeared, a flash of anger in his eyes, but there was no better way at the moment. He then led his men forward:

"Dad! Are you alright?"

Shen Zhenglan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging blood and even more turbulent emotions, shook his head, and gave his son a complicated look:

"I'm fine, it's a pity he got away."

He did not mention the man in black's last words, but his clenched fists revealed his inner turmoil.

Shen Zhen was also greatly shocked, but he knew it was not the right time to ask any more questions.

Looking at the chaotic battlefield and the location of the vanished black-robed man, everyone felt helpless and frustrated.

The trail seems to have gone cold again.

"Let's go!" Shen Zhenglan said in a deep voice.

As Shen Zhen gazed at his father's retreating figure, his mind was filled with the image of that golden sun that seemed capable of burning away all evil. A burning desire for immense power, along with the awe he felt at his father's cultivation level, surged within him.

He couldn't help but speak:

"Father, that Divine Sun Burning Technique you just used was incredibly powerful!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhenglan turned around, his expression softening slightly, and said in a deep voice:

"This is a high-level divine healing spell I created myself, which focuses on aggression and destruction, far beyond your current capabilities."

You're only at the mid-stage of Tier 1 now, your foundation isn't solid yet, learning this will only be counterproductive.

Once you break through to the late stage of Tier 1, I will teach you some low-level offensive spirit-soothing spells.

Now, you should first solidify your foundation in manifesting telekinesis.

Shen Zhenglan was referring to the basic techniques he used in his daily life, such as attacking enemies with telekinetic blades.

Zhao Huaijin, standing to the side, gripped his sword tightly, a sharp glint in his eyes, as if he saw a new peak he could climb in that destructive golden light.

Li Qingyan and Zhou Shi nodded in agreement, secretly reflecting on their own cultivation progress.

Wu Xian couldn't help but click his tongue and mutter:

"Wow! Uncle Shen is amazing! He created a high-level spell himself!"

This power is almost comparable to a minor natural disaster.

Qi Xuejian let out a soft breath, her eyes bright:

"It's not just the power... that pure light and purifying will, that's the most moving aspect of the power of the Godslayer."

Chen Xi stared at the remaining rune marks, her fingers quickly sketching something in the void, a complex longing flashing in her eyes.

In short, the high-level power of the Spirit Masters is the goal that this group of young Spirit Masters most urgently wants to achieve.

After composing themselves, the group headed towards the capital.

In a secluded dark hall in the capital, the man in black robes removed his mask, revealing a deep and weathered face.

He walked to the center of the hall and addressed the figure seated on the high seat:

"Our base has been exposed; it was Shen Zhenglan who discovered it."

The figure on the high position slowly turned around; it was none other than Feng Xun, the crown prince of the Fengyun Empire.

He was dressed in a bright yellow brocade robe, his face devoid of its usual gentleness, his eyes now sinister.

"Master, are Shen Zhenglan and his son born in the Year of the Dog? How come they always manage to ruin our plans?"

The man in black robes said in a deep voice:

"I also think it's too much of a coincidence. How could Shen Zhenglan have just happened to find that hideout?"

Feng Xun frowned deeply:

"You mean someone's sabotaging us behind the scenes?"

"Very likely." The man in black robes nodded.

"Those people may have realized that we are trying to sabotage them and deliberately misled Shen Zhenglan to sabotage our plans. Fortunately, we evacuated the other strongholds in advance."

Feng Xun's eyes narrowed, and he snorted coldly:

"Hmph! Looks like I'll have to be more careful in the future."

Meanwhile, in another little-known corner of the capital.

Chu Yan and Song Yue stood with their heads bowed before the masked divine messenger, whose aura was profound and unfathomable.

The divine messenger's voice was flat and emotionless:

"That idiots' hideout should have been wiped out by the Purification Division by now, right?"

Song Yue replied respectfully:

"Reporting to the Divine Envoy, I did indeed see the Jingxie Division's troops leave the city in several groups today, so they must have already succeeded."

The divine messenger let out a cryptic sneer:

"They thought they could get away with it and even try to muddy the waters and frame us? Little did they know, nothing stays hidden forever."

He paused for a moment, his tone carrying a hint of approval.

"You did a good job this time. Even that old fox Shen Zhenglan fell for our trap and became a tool in our hands."

Chu Yan said in a deep voice:

"Shen Zhenglan has been investigating a four-year-old case. We just went with the flow and leaked clues about those people's hideouts to him. He was eager to find the heretics, so he naturally led people to investigate."

Song Yue added:

"This way, we can both use the Purification Division to eliminate this group of heretics who colluded with Feng Xun, and allow Shen Zhen to further access the truth from four years ago."

This would create a rift in his trust in the Temple of Remembrance, killing two birds with one stone.

The divine messenger nodded slightly:

"Very well. Also, the Divine Child has given a strict order: the plan to utilize the mutants cannot be delayed. You may all leave now!"

"Yes, Your Excellency," Song Yue and Chu Yan replied in unison.

It turns out that Shen Zhenglan was able to "accidentally" discover clues about that group of heretics entirely because Song Yue and Chu Yan acted on the instructions of this divine messenger.

The result of careful design and step-by-step guidance!

......