Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

"There's such a thing?" Ning Xiu stroked his chin, surprised. He never expected that someone could remain unharmed under the influence of the Yin Dampness.

In the face of the dark tide, all living beings are equal; there is no reason why anyone can remain unharmed.

The problem must lie with that so-called local earth god.

Generally speaking, folk deities like these are seen as gods who descend from heaven to protect people.

However, for the Demon-Subduing Officer, the origins of these deities had already been meticulously documented.

It's nothing more than spirits made from rocks, soil, and trees, or evil spirits in disguise; there are no real gods or immortals at all.

Over the centuries, the Demon Subduing Division has wiped out countless such celestial and divine beings.

"Being able to avoid the Yin Tide, could it be an existence like the Black Demon Ancestor?" A sudden flash of inspiration struck Ning Xiu, and he thought in surprise.

Indeed, if one had not experienced the previous era, how could an ordinary person possibly be able to withstand the influence of the Yin Tide on living beings?

"Take me to your village," Ning Xiu said after thinking for a moment.

Although I don't know what the local earth god is thinking, whether he's being kind to these villagers or has ulterior motives, I still have to go and see for myself.

If there's a real problem, we have to leave with these villagers.

“We haven’t found the Purple Shade Grass yet. Without this herb, we can’t save Grandpa Village Chief, so we can’t go back yet,” a boy next to him said firmly.

"Purple Shade Grass? What is that?" A Demon-Subduing Officer in Ning Xiu's group immediately asked in confusion.

Ning Xiu knew him; this person was a fourth-grade physician with an extremely high level of knowledge about herbs. It could be said that he recognized seven or eight out of ten kinds of herbs in the world.

Since even he had never heard of the existence of the Purple Shade Grass, this thing must be extraordinary.

"Do you know what the Purple Shade Grass looks like? We'll help you find it," Ning Xiu asked.

"The High Priest said that the Purple Shade Grass only grows on the heads of immortal beings, and it must be an immortal being that is one in ten thousand."

"Huh?" Ning Xiu was stunned. Such a thing was unbelievable. This was the first time he had ever heard of herbs growing on the heads of immortal beings.

Having traveled all the way from Yaotuo Prefecture to Dashang, their group had encountered at least 100,000 to 200,000 immortal beings.

Ning Xiu had never seen an immortal being with such signs before. Could these teenagers have been deceived?

“I can cure diseases, I don’t need any Purple Shade Grass. Take me back and I can save your village chief,” Ning Xiu said.

The other children didn't quite trust Ning Xiu; they seemed to believe the so-called high priest more. But Chu Li, the boy who knew swordsmanship, trusted Ning Xiu implicitly.

He had admired the Demon Slayer since childhood and wanted to become someone like the Demon Slayer.

However, the village's customs leaned more towards worshipping the local earth god, and the importance attached to the Demon Subduing Division was not as great as that attached to the earth god, which resulted in the family not sending Chu Li to the Champion Camp as an apprentice.

Otherwise, he would really be a good prospect.

"Okay, I'll take you there." Chu Li readily agreed, clearly showing his high prestige among these teenagers.

As soon as he spoke, everyone immediately fell silent, no longer offering their opinions, but staring at Ning Xiu with great suspicion, not believing at all that he could save the village chief who needed the Purple Yin Grass.

"You all stay here and wait. If I go alone, most of you will be too conspicuous," Ning Xiu said to A Ying, then gave the order.

Anyway, with the help of the Destiny Star, he can keep an eye on A Ying and her group at any time. If they encounter any crisis here, he can rush over to deal with it immediately.

As everyone watched, Ning Xiu led the group of teenagers slowly into the nearby mountains, and soon disappeared from sight.

"It still feels strange. Why didn't these people die under the shadow of the dark tide? We made preparations in advance, which is why nothing happened," someone said, puzzled.

However, no one can answer his question at present. There are always some special and incomprehensible things in this world.

……

Thick fog swirled in the mountains, and the shadowy trees swayed without wind, emitting strange whistling sounds.

All the immortal things on it had long since fallen off and disappeared, leaving only the lonely old tree waiting for its next growth.

"This place used to be full of trees, but now it's become so desolate, and you can't see any small animals anymore," Chu Li said, leading Ning Xiu around.

"What's the situation in your village? After the dampness, the food and water should be unusable. Eating infected food and water would only lead to death," Ning Xiu asked curiously.

This is something even the True Yang Emperor couldn't handle, because the pollution from the Yin dampness is irreversible.

"The high priest said that the Earth God is kind-hearted and has protected the village's well, the chickens and ducks we raise, and the farmland we have cultivated. We can continue to use them in the future."

"There's such a thing?" Hearing this, Ning Xiu couldn't help but feel even more curious about the local earth god.

This is the first time I've ever heard of such a method.

As they wound their way through the mountains, Ning Xiu had intended to fly directly there with Chu Li and the others. However, since the arrival of the Xuan Yin Domain, even villagers like Chu Li often found it difficult to find their way back to their village.

Even following the clues on the ground was difficult, let alone flying into the fog-shrouded sky. Ning Xiu had no choice but to walk, accompanying Chu Li as they wandered around the mountains.

Fortunately, this kid was quite reliable, and after a short while, the outline of a village finally appeared before Ning Xiu's eyes.

Compared to the thick fog in the mountains, the situation in this village was much better; there were even green plants that Ning Xiu hadn't seen in a long time.

Tall trees, wildflowers, green vines... In the Xuan Yin Domain today, this is simply a paradise.

"This is our Xiaosang Village," Chu Li said with a smile.

"It's really nice. It's rare to see such scenery in the Xuan Yin Domain these days." Ning Xiu followed Chu Li into Xiao Sang Village, and a faint fragrance immediately wafted over.

Ning Xiu's heart skipped a beat. It was the scent of gardenias. Nowadays, it was extremely difficult to smell this fragrance.

We're back!

As soon as they entered the village, some of the teenagers couldn't wait to shout, which immediately attracted the attention of the adults who were busy in the village.

Upon seeing a stranger's face, the villagers were taken aback, but they quickly became serious and vigilant, seemingly having a great aversion to Ning Xiu's identity.

"Come here." An old man immediately called over Chu Li and the other children, and said to Ning Xiu with a serious expression, "Who are you? Our Xiaosang Village does not welcome outsiders now. No matter what your purpose is, please go back."

Ning Xiu was puzzled. The atmosphere in this village was a bit strange. They were all human, yet they were behaving so aggressively.

"Don't worry, sir. I'm just a commoner from the Shang Dynasty. I have no ill intentions here," Ning Xiu quickly explained.

“It’s not a matter of whether we’re ordinary people or not. Our village has stopped receiving outsiders for a long time. Staying here will only do you harm. I advise you to leave as soon as possible,” the elderly man in the lead said firmly.

This made it even more apparent that something was extremely wrong with Xiaosang Village.

A mysterious local deity, a high priest who specifically requested the Purple Shade Grass, a village that remained unharmed, villagers completely unaffected by the dampness, and an extremely hostile atmosphere towards outsiders.

There must be some kind of problem behind all of this.

Ning Xiu had a premonition that this problem was not straightforward and that there was definitely some conspiracy hidden in it.

[189] The Mysterious Man with Blue Light

"Grandpa, this man saved us, it's not right for you to send him away like this."

Seeing the old man's attitude towards Ning Xiu, Chu Li said with some dissatisfaction.

Ning Xiu was someone he greatly admired. If it weren't for Ning Xiu's intervention, he and his companions would probably have already died at the hands of those immortal beings.

But seeing the elderly people in the village treat Ning Xiu like this was simply unbearable for him.

"What do you know? The local earth god hates outsiders coming into the village. If you anger the earth god, not only will this person be driven out, but you too will be. Then we'll see how you survive outside," the old man said sternly.

Ning Xiu looked up and saw that, apart from his own destiny star, there was no other destiny star in the sky. This meant that the local earth god was very likely not even at the Dragon Elephant Upper Realm.

But how did it manage to keep this little village of Sang from being affected by the dampness?

"Okay, I'll be going now." Ning Xiu nodded, then turned and left without hesitation. Seeing how obedient this person was, the old man breathed a sigh of relief.

He was afraid of encountering a hothead who would barge into the village, and if a conflict broke out, it would alarm the high priest and the local earth god, which would be troublesome.

But this person obviously didn't expect Ning Xiu's methods. For a half-step Inner Realm Saint, it would be an easy task to investigate the situation in a village.

As they approached a point where the village's outline was no longer visible, Ning Xiu had a thought, and a strong wind instantly swept through the surrounding mountains and forests, clearing away the clouds and mist above Xiaosang Village. With a flick of his life star, he could see every corner of the village clearly, without missing a single detail.

Ning Xiu focused his attention on the old man who had just driven him away. After he left, the old man went straight to a temple located in the very center of the village.

If I'm not mistaken, this must be the Earth God Temple that Chu Li mentioned.

At this moment, standing outside the temple gate was a man wearing a golden robe, with purple eyes and red hair. He had sunken eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips.

Although this guy looks like a human, his facial features and bone structure are clearly different from those of the people of the Great Shang Kingdom.

"Greetings, High Priest." The old man quickly bowed.

"Have you still not found the Purple Shade Grass I asked for?" The man's expression showed a hint of impatience, and he said angrily.

"I'm so sorry, High Priest, it's not that we haven't tried, it's just that the Purple Shade Grass is extremely rare. The villagers have killed at least a thousand undead creatures, but so far they haven't seen a single one with Purple Shade Grass growing on its head," the old man said with a sigh.

"That's because you merchants and commoners aren't sincere! You don't truly care about the local earth god! Don't forget that without the earth god's protection, you merchants and commoners would have already perished in the dark tide!"

Faced with the man's pointing fingers and cursing, the old man not only showed no anger, but instead knelt down humbly, kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Please, High Priest, calm your anger! High Priest, calm your anger!"

Spineless!

Ning Xiu witnessed the entire scene through the power of his destiny star, and a surge of anger welled up within him.

This high priest, whose origins are unknown, uttered outrageous words, even calling wealthy merchants "inferior people," which was already a crime in itself.

But the people in this village didn't care at all; instead, they acted like lowly slaves, which Ning Xiu couldn't stand.

For hundreds of years, the Demon Subduing Division has helped the people avoid being harassed by evil spirits and enslaved by demons. The Shang Dynasty has been constantly returning to its peak, demonstrating the demeanor of a great power.

These people are living a life of utter waste, to tolerate others insulting the name of 'Great Merchant' like this.

With a thought, Ning Xiu saw a dark shadow appear in the sky. It was a giant hand descending from the heavens, carrying terrifying power as it swept down.

The giant hand was aimed at the local earth god temple.

"Today I'll see just what kind of monster you are, daring to run wild and bewitch people on the territory of the Great Shang!" Ning Xiu thought to himself.

"Who goes there?!" The high priest frowned and shouted.

Facing the giant palm formed by Ning Xiu's mental power, he showed no fear. Instead, he reached out and struck out, and a snake shadow appeared, intending to clash head-on with Ning Xiu.

boom!

The two of them roared and shook violently. The snake shadow collapsed the moment it appeared, and it was no match for Ning Xiu's palm strike.

"What?" The high priest was shocked, never expecting that the power of this palm strike would be so extraordinary.

Seeing that the temple of the local earth god was about to be destroyed, the high priest hurriedly struck his chest with his palm, and a large number of veins became thick and red, as if some potential had been activated.

Just as the giant hand was about to land, the high priest raised his hands and braced himself, causing the giant hand to stop its downward momentum and become unable to land any further.