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

Aguto carefully lifted the tattered cloth, revealing a piece of bone that was neither gold nor jade, but covered with strange and twisted runes.

The bone fragments emitted an extremely faint yet unsettlingly cold aura, and the runes on them were of the same origin as those seen on the altar, vaguely forming a fragmented totem pattern.

"I feel this thing is eerie, but I also feel it's a treasure. It's very hard, and ordinary swords and knives can hardly hurt it."

But... but carrying it around makes me feel uneasy. I'm afraid it might be noticed by the remnants of Wolf Batu or... the officials patrolling the temple, bringing about my death!

Agutuo had a mournful face.

"After much thought, I believe only you, sir, with your great abilities, can handle this matter. Therefore, I have come to present it to you!"

Shen Zhen took the bone fragment. The runes on it seemed to be alive, slowly wriggling and trying to erode his divine sense.

He used a wisp of his mental power to investigate and immediately sensed a pure yet residual "bone divine power" within it, which originated from the same source as the shaman's power.

This is indeed a hot potato, but it may also hold secrets about the "God of Bones" or the "Guide".

It would be a shame to just throw it away or destroy it.

Carrying it on your person, the faint energy fluctuations are indeed a hidden danger, and its size is not small, making it inconvenient to hide.

As he pondered, his gaze inadvertently swept over the blue lamp mark between his fingers. This was the mark left in the outside world by the blue lamp shrinking and hiding in his sea of ​​consciousness.

A thought struck him, and he remembered Qingdeng's storage space.

That space seemed to completely isolate the air from the outside world.

With a slight thought, he tried to wrap the fragment of the "bone totem" with a wisp of mental power, while simultaneously communicating with the blue lamp in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Shen Zhen focused her mind and silently thought of "storage".

However, the cold power on the bone fragment suddenly struggled, as if it wanted to resist, and the mental energy envelope was slightly repelled.

Shen Zhen frowned slightly and immediately intensified his mental power to forcefully suppress the strange movement.

The next moment, something miraculous happened.

The bone fragment in his hand glowed slightly, then transformed into a barely perceptible stream of light, instantly disappearing into his brow.

Shen Zhen looked into his mind and saw that the bone fragment was quietly floating in the chaotic space next to the green lamp. The uncomfortable cold fluctuations from before were no longer perceptible, as if it was completely isolated from the outside world!

It really worked.

The storage space of the green lamp perfectly solves this problem.

Aguto, standing to the side, watched in disbelief as such a large bone vanished into thin air. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg. He was about to cry out in alarm.

Shen Zhen reacted quickly, using a weak psychic force to seal his voice, and gave him a cold glance.

Agutuo then realized what was happening, quickly covered his mouth, and looked at Shen Zhen with awe and fear, as if he had witnessed a true miracle.

He knelt down with a thud, and exclaimed excitedly:

"My lord, your power is beyond measure! I...I have the utmost respect for you..."

"Shut up," Shen Zhen interrupted him, her voice icy.

"If even a single word of this matter is leaked, you know the consequences."

"I understand! I understand! I would never dare to say it even if you beat me to death!" Agutuo kowtowed repeatedly.

Shen Zhen waved his hand, signaling him to step back.

Agutuo felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled back to his corner, but the look in his eyes as he gazed at Shen Zhen's back had completely transformed into fanatical worship.

Shen Zhen then made up her mind.

The first application of the storage function of the Qingdeng lamp perfectly solved the practical problem.

This fragment of a totem might come in handy in the future.

He continued to close his eyes and regulate his breathing, feeling the trace of fear within his body, and his control over it seemed to have become even more refined.

The rest of the journey was much calmer, and Shen Zhen focused most of her energy on mastering the "fear" power within her body.

Several days later, he was able to fully master this power.

Shen Zhen immediately felt that the flow of mental energy in his meridians was smoother and more harmonious, and even his cultivation level had subtly improved.

This is the nourishment of the divine power of "fear," a natural enhancement brought about by the purification of the soul.

With this problem solved, Shen Zhen began to focus on consolidating his gains.

He repeatedly studied every battle he had fought during this period, especially the battles against those of higher level and the shamans, as well as the most important use of spatial power, which allowed him to see more possibilities.

He took out the Mind Ruler and tried to integrate a trace of spatial insight into his movement technique.

As the ruler danced, the air within a meter radius around him would occasionally distort in an extremely subtle way, making his movements appear sometimes as swift as lightning and sometimes as still as water, with unpredictable trajectories.

This creates a kind of "domain" effect, which, although extremely small in area, can be incredibly effective in close combat.

At the same time, he did not give up his study of the Fushen Mantra.

Through his experiences in the capital city and the mysterious cases in the western border, Shen Zhen witnessed the power of various negative emotions such as "despair" and "fear," which gave him a deeper understanding of "purification" and "protection."

People generally regard the negative emotional power of the divine ancestors as taboo, something that can only be purified and not used for one's own benefit.

However, it seems that my constitution is naturally suited to absorbing these negative emotional energies and transforming them into an aid to my own cultivation.

This also worried him somewhat, as this was a special constitution that went against the norm and might bring many troubles in the future.

But since things have come to this, he can only take it one step at a time.

Most people both envied and feared Shen Zhen, envying his unique and powerful abilities, and fearing the unknown effects that his unconventional physique might bring.

Gu Chengye, in particular, as the son of the chief celestial official of the temple, received orthodox theological education from childhood. He was filled with resistance and vigilance towards Shen Zhen's practice of absorbing negative emotional power.

Several times during the team's rest periods, he deliberately kept his distance from Shen Zhen, and his gaze towards Shen Zhen contained a sense of estrangement and wariness.

But there were also those who were happy for Shen Zhen, such as the members of Shen Zhen's team and Ye Zhi Qiu.

Ye Zhi Qiu sometimes joked:

"With your constitution, you're practically a walking 'emotional purifier.' Our safety on the journey to the capital is entirely dependent on you this time!"

Shen Zhen didn't care about other people's opinions; he turned his attention to studying the "Night Watchman's" blue lamp.

He attempted to combine the purifying properties of the Green Lamp with his improved Blazing Sun Cage, so that the cage not only had the effect of trapping enemies, but also carried a sense of cleansing evil spirits.

Along the way, Shen Zhen immersed himself in his cultivation, and his aura became increasingly restrained and profound.

The others were not idle either.

Inspired by the martial arts demonstration, Chen Xi trained even harder, and his mental power became increasingly refined, showing signs of breaking through to the peak of the late stage of the first rank.

Ye Zhi Qiu and Zhao Huai Jin often sparred and verified each other's skills, which made their cultivation more solid.

Wu Xian seemed to have been stimulated, and he cultivated with almost desperate effort. Qi Xuejian, Li Qingyan, and Zhou Shi also worked hard to improve themselves, and the whole team was filled with a positive and uplifting atmosphere.

On this day, the group was about to leave the western border, and in the distance, the green mountains that symbolized the heartland of the empire could be seen.

Feng Yu pointed ahead and said to Shen Zhen with a half-smile:

"Special Envoy Shen, once we cross that canyon ahead, we'll reach the Shuoxi region. We're finally one step closer to the capital..."

He paused for a moment:

"You have made great contributions on this westward journey. The temple will certainly not treat you unfairly. When we return, I will also report to my father that you have eliminated a major hidden danger in the western border of the empire, and I will ask my father to grant you an official position."

Shen Zhen understood what he meant, smiled slightly, her expression calm and composed, and did not take his words to heart.

He clasped his hands in greeting and said:

"Your Highness is too kind. This trip was made possible by Your Highness's assistance. Shen Zhen only hopes that everything will go smoothly from here on out, and that he can do more for the temple and the empire."

However, just before the group was about to leave the western border and enter the Shuoxi region, they had to cross a treacherous canyon with a rocky beach inside, which was the "Shore of Vengeful Souls" that Boss Hu had mentioned before.

The canyon walls are steep and the rocks are jagged.

The valley was dimly lit and filled with an eerie atmosphere, with the occasional strange bird calls echoing through it.

The scouts who went to explore reported that there was nothing unusual in the valley.

But when the group reached the Ghost Beach in the middle of the rift valley, countless boulders suddenly rolled down from both sides with a thunderous roar, instantly blocking their way.

At the same time, hundreds of dark figures emerged from behind the rocks, exuding murderous intent, and surrounded the group.

These people were dressed uniformly, moved nimbly, and were all masked, but their eyes were fierce, clearly indicating that they were not ordinary bandits.

"Be on guard!" Shen Zhen gave the order, and the temple guards immediately formed a defensive formation.

"Who goes there? How dare you intercept the temple delegation!" Feng Yu shouted sternly.

The bandit leader, holding a ghost-head knife, grinned maliciously:

"A temple? That's what I'm robbing! Leave your valuables behind!"

He scanned the crowd, finally settling his gaze on Shen Zhen with a hint of certainty:

"And you, kid surnamed Shen, hand over that ancient lamp you're carrying, and maybe we'll spare your lives!"