In this bizarre world, I can extract supernatural powers.

"what!"

Screams echoed from the villagers' mouths, resounding through the darkness like the cawing of crows.

The dead infant bit a villager's arm, its eyes reflecting an eerie light.

Blood flowed from between the teeth, dripping down the villager's arm and onto the ground.

"Beat him! Beat him to death!"

Another villager grabbed the dead baby and slammed it to the ground.

The stillborn baby fell to the ground, opened its mouth and let out a shrill scream, twitched twice and then became still.

The ragged middle-aged man lay on the ground, staring at the lifeless infant, and burst into tears.

"My son! My son!"

"You shouldn't have been born at this time. I've ruined you!"

"My son..."

Several villagers lifted the middle-aged man up, their expressions menacing.

"The night god is punishing you, yet you dared to secretly have children! Bring them to the village chief for questioning!"

As they were talking, they turned around and saw Xu Bai standing at the village entrance.

Several villagers were slightly taken aback. After exchanging glances, three villagers stepped forward, picked up farm tools placed in the corner, and surrounded Xu Bai.

Xu Bai frowned: "What do you mean by this?"

"Outsiders, get out of here!"

A villager swings a farm tool.

"This is a village punished by the Night God. Do not let your village incur his wrath!"

Yagami?

Xu Bai stroked his chin.

Just now, he sensed something unusual from where the dead infant was.

With his perfected Transcendent Realm cultivation, he could easily sense a strange aura emanating from the dead infant, similar to that of Master Liu.

But it didn't become a monster; it seemed to be just a walking corpse tainted with a strange aura.

However, the occurrence of such a bizarre event proves that, as Xia Qinghan said, there is indeed likely something strange about this place.

The villagers continued to shoo them away, saying, "Why are you asking so many questions? Get out of here!"

As he spoke, he prepared to use farm tools to shove Xu Bai.

At this moment, Xu Bai suddenly raised his hand.

Lightning erupted from his fingertips, and azure light pierced the night, leaving several villagers stunned on the spot.

"Ghost! Ghost!"

"He can set off lightning! He's not human!"

"Run!"

Several villagers tried to escape.

A bolt of lightning struck the ground, producing a deafening boom.

The azure light exuded majesty, making several villagers' legs go weak and preventing them from moving.

Xu Bai walked forward slowly and said calmly, "Tell me, what exactly happened in the village?"

He didn't play any tricks or schemes.

Having been in Feng County for a month, he already knew how to handle things, especially with these villagers.

If you want to be more direct, simply revealing your strength will actually make things much smoother.

The villagers stammered and couldn't make sense of it even after trying for a long time.

Xu Bai frowned even more deeply.

Just then, the sound of footsteps rang out.

Xu Bai turned his head to look.

At the end of the village, an elderly man with white hair, dressed in simple clothes, walked shakily toward Xu Bai, supported by two villagers.

"Are you a cultivator?"

The old man bent over slightly, and because the movement was too large, he coughed violently twice.

"I am the village chief of Xishan Village. In my youth, I traveled all over the country and witnessed the demeanor of cultivators. It is my great honor to meet you today."

village head?

Xu Bai released his grip, and the lightning vanished completely.

"I want to know what exactly happened in Xishan Village."

Now that the person in charge had arrived, Xu Bai certainly didn't want to waste any more time.

The old village chief gestured.

"Please follow me, sir, and allow me to explain in detail."

Xu Bai nodded slightly and followed the old village chief toward the center of the village.

Along the way, the old village chief began to slowly recount what had happened.

"Xishan Village has fertile land and favorable weather."

"From ancient times to the present, livestock have been sacrificed to the night god every year."

"But once, during a ritual to the night god, something went wrong."

"Those who worship the night god all die mysteriously the following day."

"Since that time, every family that has a child will have the child die."

"We believe this is a punishment brought down by the god of night."

As the old village chief recounted his story, Xu Bai remained expressionless, but a thought stirred within him.

Although Feng County is located in a remote area, it is a place with many unique customs.

Almost every village has its own unique customs.

The so-called worship of the night god in Xishan Village may also be related to its customs.

However, Xu Bai had a question.

"The government didn't handle this matter?"

A murder case is no small matter; when something like this happens, the authorities should handle it.

But now no one from the government has come here.

The old village chief sighed, his grip on his cane tightening slightly.

"Officer Zhao sent someone here, saying it was a murder case, and that the dead baby was a result of江湖 (jianghu) methods."

"He said he would find the killer as soon as possible, but half a month has passed..."

Every night, a piercing scream would come from where the Night God was, as if something was about to emerge.

Mentioning this, the old village chief's shoulders trembled slightly, as if he had thought of something terrifying.

Xu Bai fell into deep thought.

The yamen has four head constables, namely A, B, C, and D.

There is no distinction between first and last, nor between strong and weak.

Officer Chen was one of them, as was Officer Zhao.

Xu Bai had no idea what Constable Zhao was thinking.

As the two talked, they arrived at the center of the village.

Xu Bai looked up and, after seeing the scene ahead, narrowed his eyes slightly.

At the center of the village is a square altar.

The altar was constructed entirely of wood and looked extremely hastily made.

On the altar was a clay statue of a god.

The clay statue of the deity is about the height of a person, leaning against the side of the offering table, with the grayish-yellow clay underneath exposed where the paint has peeled off.

Only half of its face remained; its left eye was still wide open, but its right eye socket had collapsed into a hollow, with a few strands of spider silk hanging down from the hole, swaying slightly in the wind.

The folds of the clothes should have flowed smoothly, but now the lines are dry, cracked, and curled up, like the veins bulging on the back of an old man's hand.

"Is this the night god you worship?"

Xu Bai frowned.

The old village chief smiled bitterly and said, "That's right. It was originally very new and was maintained every day, but ever since this incident, the Night God has been constantly corrupting."

Xu Bai arrived in front of the statue.

A rotten smell, mixed with an eerie aura similar to that of Master Liu, emanated from the hollow of the statue.

It was completely empty.

Xu Bai turned his head and said, "You made an empty statue?"

The old village chief was slightly taken aback, looked at the empty hole in the left eye, and showed great surprise.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! We made it solid!"

Xu Bai examined the situation for a moment, then turned and said, "I will stay in the village tonight."

The old village chief said it was solid, but now it's hollow.

Where did the things inside go?

Xu Bai guessed that if they stayed here tonight, they would definitely make a discovery.

Upon hearing this, the village chief was overjoyed and hurriedly made arrangements for the villagers.

Xu Bai shook his head slightly.

"No need, I'll just find any spot."

……

night.

As night deepened, the sky grew increasingly gloomy and profound.

Every household had already closed their doors and turned off their lights, and the village was deathly silent.

Just as the night deepened, a sound of footsteps suddenly rang out.