Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

Among the many murals on the walls of Jinzhao Temple, there must be one depicting this wedding procession.

They were unknowingly trapped within the murals, forever repeating the actions of welcoming a bride and rushing to her wedding, yet they remained completely unaware of this repetitive behavior.

Such terrifying supernatural abilities made Ning Xiu feel inexplicably uneasy.

So, are these people considered dead or alive? Or are they imprisoned eternally in the murals in this inhuman, ghostly form?

Ning Xiu suddenly asked, "Tell me, what year is it now?"

The groom answered without hesitation, "The 42nd year of Taiwu, what is it, sir?"

Ning Xiu's expression was incredibly complicated; he was speechless as he looked at the wedding procession.

These people were actually from more than forty years ago.

They were trapped inside the murals of Jinzhao Temple for over forty years.

Seeing the groom's joyful expression, Ning Xiu felt a complex mix of emotions.

Little did he know that more than forty years had passed in the outside world, and the woman he had kept in his heart and longed to marry was now married with many children and grandchildren.

Perhaps they have long forgotten his name and appearance.

【051】Peach Blossom Village

"Is Your Excellency also heading to Nanjiang City? Why don't we travel together?" the groom said with a smile.

"No, I have important matters to attend to. I wish you and your wife a long and happy marriage and many children," Ning Xiu said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

The groom was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately returned the greeting respectfully. Receiving a congratulatory gift from a demon-slaying officer was a very auspicious sign.

Seeing his joyful expression, Ning Xiu chose not to reveal the truth to them.

Now that things have come to this, and more than forty years have passed, everything has changed. Let this person continue to immerse himself in what he considers a beautiful life.

Turning around and walking back up the hillside, Ning Xiu once again entered the thick fog.

Although the road the wedding procession took was not shrouded in fog, the fact that they had traveled it for over forty years without noticing anything unusual clearly indicated that there was something fishy about it.

It's very possible that this road will never end, and this group of people will just keep going on and on, banging drums and gongs.

What's even more terrifying is that this road might have the effect of causing amnesia, making travelers forget how long they've been traveling.

What may have taken decades to appear to them is only half an hour.

Therefore, Ning Xiu would never continue along the road of the wedding procession, otherwise he would be doomed if he himself got caught up in the journey.

As soon as he entered the thick fog, the feeling of being unable to distinguish east from west and north from south returned to Ning Xiu.

He had no solution to the situation, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue on.

As beings born with innate supernatural powers, evil spirits are far more powerful and dangerous than any other evil spirit.

Judging by rank, even the weakest of the fierce gods is comparable to a fourth-rank god.

Therefore, the Demon Subduing Division has always dealt with any evil spirits it discovers by either sending multiple Silver Tiger Demon Subduing Officers to forcibly destroy them, or by agreeing to keep to themselves and not interfere with each other.

As long as the evil spirits do not harm the people or help evil spirits and demons, the Demon Subduing Division will not be their enemy.

The evil spirit of Jinzhao Temple is a being that has never been discovered by the Demon Subduing Division. It has been hiding in this place for many years, committing numerous evil deeds, and is truly despicable.

If I have the chance to escape, I must communicate with the Demon Suppression Division and report this matter.

……

"Zhengwu, have you thought of any way to get out? We can't see anything in this thick fog, and it's no use staying here any longer," Ren Qianxing sighed, looking at the surrounding fog.

They had only gotten up to use the restroom in the middle of the night, but they never expected to find themselves here in the blink of an eye. They couldn't figure out where they were.

“No,” Zhengwu said decisively.

What can I do in this situation? I'm just an ordinary seventh-grade Buddhist or Taoist practitioner.

"I can't sense the soul threads planted in those two puppets, which means they're not here and are quite a distance away from me. That shouldn't be the case. Could it be that we've triggered a shrinking-the-earth-to-an-inch formation that someone set up in Jinzhao Temple?"

Ren Qianxing was quite frustrated. If there were puppets here, things would obviously be much easier, because he had stored some tools that could identify directions inside the puppets.

A puppeteer without puppets is significantly less skilled.

"Let's keep going and see. Right now, we need to get out of this fog and figure out where we are," Zhengwu said calmly.

The cultivation of mind and character in Buddhism and Taoism emphasizes remaining calm in the face of honor and disgrace, and taking life and death lightly. Therefore, the Buddhist and Taoist demon-subduing officers in the Demon-Subduing Division usually appear nonchalant and indifferent to life and death.

But how secretly passionate he is in private is unknown to outsiders.

"I'd better leave some more marks. In case Brother Ning and Senior Sister also come here, they might be able to find the marks I left and come to meet us." Ren Qianxing took out a series of wooden nails from his pocket and then bent down to stick them into the ground.

These wooden nails are a magical artifact. Once activated, they will emit a warning when someone approaches, thus drawing their attention to their presence.

The two walked slowly forward, and before long, the view suddenly opened up before them as the thick fog began to dissipate.

Then a picturesque rural landscape came into view for the two of them:

The land was flat and spacious, with neat houses, fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, and bamboo groves.

The paths crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard from afar. People went about their farming, and the men and women dressed just like outsiders. The elderly and children alike were all content and happy.

Several farmers who were working in the fields saw Ren Qianxing and his companion and immediately picked up their hoes and came over to ask, "Who are you two? What brings you to our Peach Blossom Village?"

The village is full of peach trees, which truly lives up to its name, Peach Blossom Village.

Ren Qianxing finally emerged from the thick fog and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "We don't know why we came here either. Old man, may I ask which state your Peach Blossom Village is located in, and how far it is from Yunze State?"

"What Yunze Prefecture? I don't know that. I only know that this is Peach Blossom Village. Our ancestors have lived here for more than ten generations," the farmer said honestly.

His expression was sincere, and he didn't seem to be lying at all, so Ren Qianxing couldn't help but exchange a glance with the monk Zhengwu.

Is there really anyone in this world who doesn't know Yunze Prefecture? Could it be that I've been teleported to a place outside the Great Shang territory by the Shrinking Earth Technique?

If that's the case, then things could get really complicated.

"Although I don't know what you two are talking about, since you've come from afar, please come and rest in our village. It just so happens that it's the season for making peach blossom wine, so you two must have a good taste."

At the old farmer's enthusiastic invitation, Ren Qianxing and Zhengwu nodded and followed the old farmer into Peach Blossom Village.

A faint fragrance of flowers permeated the entire Peach Blossom Village, and every villager's face was beaming with a bright smile, creating a very strong atmosphere of happiness.

However, what Ren Qianxing found very strange along the way was that there were many bald old men in the village, and there were quite a few of them.

When Zhengwu arrived here, it was as if he had found his own kind; his bald head was no longer unique in Peach Blossom Village.

This was something that puzzled the monk Zhengwu greatly.

In this day and age, apart from Buddhists and Taoists, there probably wouldn't be anyone else willing to shave their long hair and create a bald look.

What's even more noteworthy is that some of these bald elderly villagers even have ordination scars on their heads.

This is something no ordinary person could do; these people must have been monks in the past.

"This village is a bit strange, let's be careful," Monk Zhengwu whispered to Ren Qianxing.

"Ok."

……

Snapped!

A wooden nail suddenly burst out of the ground, and a beam of red light shot out from its tip, heading straight into the depths of the fog.

Seeing the wooden nail he had accidentally discovered react in this way after being pulled out, Ning Xiu couldn't help but ponder as he looked in the direction the red light had left. Could this be a clue left by Ren Qianxing and the other person?

Although it's uncertain whether this is the case, Ning Xiu doesn't have many options given his current situation.

Let's try anything, even if it seems hopeless, and go see what's going on.

So Ning Xiu turned and walked in the direction the red light had flown away. Before he had gone a hundred steps, he found the second wooden nail on the ground.

As I approached, the wooden nail sprang up from the ground again, emitting a second red light, which also pointed out a direction.

Seeing this, Ning Xiu was fairly certain that this was very likely a backup plan left behind by Ren Qianxing and his companion.

Immediately, Ning Xiu quickly followed the red light, discovering one wooden nail after another stuck in the ground.

Not long after, the thick fog around him suddenly dissipated, and he emerged from the foggy area once again.

"It seems that Ren Qianxing and Monk Zhengwu should be here." Ning Xiu thought to himself, looking at the distant mountain village.

Unlike Ren Qianxing and Zheng Wu, Ning Xiu knew exactly where he was, so when he saw the mountain village, he immediately used his Spiritual Eye Observation Technique to check the situation.

Instantly, the idyllic mountain and rural scenery in Ning Xiu's eyes changed drastically, turning into an ancient and dilapidated ruin.

In those ruins, men, women, and children, their bodies covered in sores and maggots, wandered around like ghosts, a truly detestable sight.

But in just a few breaths, everything Ning Xiu saw shattered instantly, and the scene returned to that beautiful pastoral landscape.

It was as if everything Ning Xiu had just seen was just an illusion.

If Ning Xiu hadn't been so lucid, he probably would have doubted what he was seeing.

Even the Spirit Eye Observation Technique at the eighth level can only see through the illusions of this place for a few breaths, which shows that this place is definitely not simple.

Just as Ning Xiu was about to carry the Thunder Hammer toward the mountain village, an old man with a hoe immediately ran over.

They looked Ning Xiu up and down for a while, then asked with a simple smile, "Where are you from, guest? What brings you to our Peach Blossom Village?"

However, before he could finish speaking, he was met with a golden hammer that struck his face. Ning Xiu smashed the man's skull open on the spot.

The old man's head instantly shattered, his body collapsed, and red and white substances flowed all over the ground.

[Defeat evil spirits to gain +100 general proficiency]

"I want to see just how many evil spirits are in this godforsaken place. Once I've eradicated all the evil spirits, I'll see if the evil spirit of Jinzhao Temple will still be able to sit still."

Ning Xiu flicked the blood off the hammer and headed straight for Peach Blossom Village.

Several villagers from Peach Blossom Village who were sitting in the sun at the village entrance witnessed Ning Xiu's brutal actions and immediately got up to run back into the village to tell the other villagers.

But Ning Xiu wasn't about to give them that chance. He leaped forward quickly, using his explosive power to get ahead of the group and smash down with his hammer.

[Defeat evil spirits to gain +100 general proficiency]

[Defeat evil spirits to gain +100 general proficiency]

[Defeat evil spirits to gain +100 general proficiency]