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

Several elderly people who appeared to be elders of the town stepped forward and expressed their deepest gratitude to the delegation.

"Many thanks to the esteemed envoys for their rescue!"

"Thank God... If the adults hadn't passed by, we don't know what would have happened..."

An elderly woman with white hair, supported by her relatives, stepped forward and, choking back tears, addressed the leading elder:

"Second Uncle, I'm really scared now..."

"When I woke up, I was lying in the square. If Mr. Chen were still here, with his extensive knowledge, he might have been able to..." She wiped away tears halfway through her sentence.

The elder, referred to as Second Uncle, looked somber, sighed, and explained to Shen Zhen and the others:

"I apologize for making a fool of myself in front of you esteemed envoys."

She was talking about Mr. Chen from our town, a kind-faced, learned old gentleman who taught children to read and write and was highly respected.

But not long ago, the person suddenly disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

We just assumed it was due to old age and an accident.

Now the town has... has been struck by this inexplicable calamity again. Sigh, thinking of him only makes me more sorrowful.

The old woman also sobbed:

"Yes, Mr. Chen was such a good person, how could he just be gone like that..."

Shen Zhen, Su Mingyuan, Ye Zhiqi and the others were all shocked upon hearing this.

They immediately realized that the old man on the clock tower, living with the dim light, was the mysteriously missing and highly respected Mr. Chen that the townspeople had been talking about.

One of the earliest victims to be swallowed up by this bizarre disaster and bound to it.

Shen Zhen took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and gently comforted the elder and the old woman:

"Please accept my condolences, sir. Mr. Chen is a man of good fortune and will be blessed by Heaven."

The greatest blessing is that everyone is safe and sound right now; the most important thing is to get proper rest.

He chose to conceal the cruel truth.

Perhaps it would be a better way to honor Mr. Chen so that he would forever remain a respected figure in the townspeople's memories, rather than the statue on the clock tower that was transformed into a vessel of rules and ultimately vanished into nothingness.

"Quickly, help the elderly and children back to rest..." the elder then instructed the townspeople.

With the reassurance and assistance of the mission members, the shaken townspeople helped each other and, filled with doubt and relief at surviving the ordeal, returned to their homes one after another.

The town did not return to the false bustle of the "cycle," but instead fell into a real, weary slumber.

At this time, there was still more than an hour before dawn.

The delegation remained at the clock tower until daybreak, confirming that there were no further abnormalities.

The continuous mental strain and mental exertion left everyone exhausted.

They returned to the Inn of Fate, gave the innkeeper a few brief instructions, and then went to their rooms, fell asleep immediately, and slept until noon the next day.

The mission rested in Qingwu Town for the next two days.

Everyone meditated and regulated their breathing to restore their energy.

Shen Zhen silently familiarized himself with the surging spatial power within his body, as well as the profound mysteries of the "Spatial Restriction: Chapter One".

The rules of this space are one of the most obscure principles in the world.

The emotional energy of God, also known as mental energy, permeates every corner of time and space, forming an energy field that envelops the region, also called a field.

A Spirit Suppressor must first perceive the field, and then dissect the connection between the field and the void from point to surface. Even a high-level Spirit Suppressor needs to spend several years or even decades exploring this.

For some reason, these seemingly complicated rules felt naturally familiar to Shen Zhen.

The methods imprinted in the mind are like instinct, and the spatial power flowing at the fingertips seems to be innate.

He only needs to concentrate to clearly "see" the spatial patterns hidden in the air.

In just two days, he was able to precisely control his mental power, condensing stable spatial ripples, and even causing a fallen leaf to deviate from its trajectory after passing through the ripples.

Even more remarkably, without any deliberate guidance, his internal mental energy resonated naturally with the spatial field, making the cultivation process smoother than he could have imagined.

He simply assumed that this encounter with the Green Lamp was an extraordinary blessing, a gift from heaven and earth, and did not delve into it further.

He only took advantage of the breaks to repeatedly polish "Space Restriction: Chapter One" in order to lay a solid foundation.

However, Shen Zhen also discovered that although this spatial power was powerful and magical, it also consumed a lot of mental energy.

This also made him realize that if he wanted to use spatial power more skillfully, he had to further improve his mental power cultivation.

Su Mingyuan, Ye Zhiqi, Qiu Zhengnan, Gu Chengye and others gathered together to review this bizarre experience.

Although still shaken, I gained a lot and developed a deeper understanding of the dangers of the western frontier.

After being frightened, Feng Yu became much more obedient.

On the morning of the third day, the first light of dawn appeared.

The mission assembled at the town entrance, preparing to continue westward.

Several elderly people from the town came to see him off, bringing some local produce as a token of their gratitude.

Shen Zhen mounted his horse and took one last look back at Qingwu Town, which was shrouded in the morning light and had returned to tranquility.

In the center of town, the clock tower stands quietly.

He felt the new power within him, but his heart was filled with heavy thoughts, not much joy.

What exactly is this "echoing obsession"?

How many similar entities are still hidden in the western frontier?

The road ahead is shrouded in even thicker fog.

"Set off!"

Shen Zhen flicked the reins and took the lead.

The team set off again, continuing their journey towards that unknown land in the west.

Whenever he rested or set up camp along the way, Shen Zhen would close his eyes and concentrate on cultivating the power of space.

The more he refined it, the more he felt that "Space Restriction: Chapter One" was infinitely profound.

From the initial ripples shifting, to the ability to briefly freeze a half-meter radius of the field, and later, he even vaguely sensed a crack in the void, which surprised even himself.

In layman's terms, a void rift is a gap that exists in space, also known as a spatial rift.

These gaps, though difficult to detect, contain enormous energy.

His master, Yi Tianxing, had mentioned it to him in a few words. It was a dangerous area involving the fundamental structure of the world that only those who had reached a high level of spiritual cultivation could access.

Spatial rifts signify the unknown, chaos, and engulfment.

Ordinary energy and attacks are likely to be distorted and absorbed by it, or even trigger unpredictable spatial disasters, tearing apart or banishing everything around it.

The procession traveled for another seven or eight days.

According to our guide, Mr. Hu, we are only a little over a hundred miles away from our final destination, Dayuecheng, a major town on the western border.

However, the terrain became increasingly rugged, with reddish-brown rocks lying like giant beasts, and the wind occasionally whipped up sand and gravel that stung our faces.

The official road had long been buried in weeds and rocks, and the only way to find the way was by the guide, Old Hu, who could make out the faint wheel tracks.

After continuous exposure to the elements, both men and horses were exhausted.

Even the usually aloof Third Prince Feng Yu had long lost the leisure to appreciate the "frontier scenery," slumped in the carriage with a gloomy face.

That morning, the group arrived at a canyon.

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the bend in the mountain stream ahead, and then more than a hundred figures dressed in mixed clothes and carrying weapons surged out, blocking the already narrow path.

The leader was a young nobleman dressed in brocade and with a jade belt around his waist.

He was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a fair complexion, shifty eyes, and an air of arrogance.

He rode a magnificent white horse, pointed his whip at the delegation, and proclaimed:

"This mountain is mine!"

This tree...this tree...anyway, this road is under our protection!

If you want to pass, leave some money to pay the toll!

Especially women and valuables!

Before he finished speaking, his gaze had already brazenly swept over the women in the group, including Qi Xuejian, Chen Xi, and Qiu Zhengnan, with a frivolous smile playing on his lips.

The group behind him immediately started commotion, and several lewd-looking men continued to hurl vulgarities:

"Hey, these young ladies are really pretty."

"Just hang out with us guys, money's no object."

"That cool beauty in that tight-fitting outfit is something else!"

Qi Xuejian's cheeks turned red with anger, Chen Xi's eyes turned cold and her hand was already on the short blade, Qiu Zhengnan's brows were furrowed and his face showed disgust.

Shen Zhen's gaze sharpened, and he spurred his horse forward half a step. An invisible aura of mental power flowed around him, and his voice, steady yet extremely penetrating, clearly suppressed the clamor:

"We are a joint pacification mission of the temple and the royal family!"

By order of the Supreme Temple and His Majesty the Empire, I went to the western frontier to conduct pacification and investigation.

Anyone blocking the way, please step back immediately, or you will be punished for offending the temple and defying the royal family, and will bear the consequences!

Feng Yu, already seething with anger, erupted in fury, abruptly lifting the carriage curtain and shouting sternly:

"presumptuous!

What kind of thief came from!

"Dare to rob the imperial delegation and the temple? You're all blind!"

The young master was taken aback by Shen Zhen's deep warning and Feng Yu's angry shout, along with the imposing entourage. He was momentarily stunned and subconsciously shrank back.

A man with a pointed chin and shifty eyes immediately leaned forward and whispered:

"Young master, don't be fooled by them!"

How could the imperial court and the temple delegation not notify the local authorities in advance when they were passing through?

Neither Lord Han nor Commander Wei received the document; I think these people are imposters.

"They might be some heretical remnants who wandered in from somewhere, stealing the official ceremonial procession to swindle and deceive people!"

Upon hearing this, the young master seemed to find it reasonable, and his recently subsided arrogance surged again. He stubbornly retorted:

"Hmph! Nonsense!"

I think you're the imposters! Who knows if this ceremonial procession was stolen? Brothers, charge! Take down these imposters, and I'll reward you handsomely!

"Stubborn to the end!" Shen Zhen's eyes turned cold, and without saying another word, he said loudly:

"Charge! Capture the ringleader, and disperse the rest!"