Offering (Seeking Collection)

Slowly exiting the template fusion state, a sense of weakness arrived as expected.

However, it seemed that because he had just eaten his fill, this time felt much easier than the last.

Just standing there, catching his breath a couple of times, Su Heng felt his condition had recovered considerably.

Looking at the two corpses on the ground, Su Heng found himself unexpectedly calm.

His first time killing someone felt no different from controlling a small snake to strangle those evil spirits in a dream.

Not only was there no discomfort, but there was also a faint… indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Was this due to the template's influence, or was this simply his personality… Su Heng's gaze was distant, feeling his heart beating rapidly, but not from fear or worry after killing.

"I need to get rid of these two corpses first…"

Su Heng moved to carry the bodies, but as he touched the short-haired man's clothes, the system chimed with a notification.

[Congratulations to the Host for discovering a True Relic.]

"Hm?"

Su Heng's heart stirred, and he felt around in the short-haired man's pants pocket, finding a small box.

Opening the box, he found a broken wooden comb inside.

[Received 50 True Points. To unlock the next template, 150 True Points are still needed.]

The unexpected gain was delightful, but the relationship between these three people was also quite intriguing.

Su Heng wasn't satisfied and searched the blonde man for a while longer. Regrettably, he found nothing this time.

"Is there a possibility that these guys were specifically collecting True Relics?"

Su Heng thought this was possible, and the probability wasn't small. If this guess were true, then perhaps he could find a way to obtain True Relics in large quantities later.

Rumble…

A dull thunderclap suddenly echoed from the sky.

The surrounding air became somewhat stuffy and hot; it looked like it was about to rain.

"This is good, it saves me the trouble of dealing with these bloodstains."

Although he had controlled his strength, the deaths of these two young men were still quite tragic.

The blonde man's entire face was smashed beyond recognition. Looking at his face alone, no one could identify him. The short-haired man was even worse off; his head had exploded, splattering red and white matter everywhere.

Su Heng stood up, grabbed a leg in each hand, and tossed the bodies of these two into the river.

He had originally planned to find a large rock to tie to them, but he had no rope and no sufficiently heavy stones nearby, so he had to give up on that.

As summer arrived, the Dragon River's current became swift and fierce, rushing into the uninhabited forbidden zone.

By then, even with the greatest skill, no trace of these two could be found.

After tossing these two into the river and simply cleaning up the bloodstains on the ground, large raindrops began to fall.

Summer weather was unpredictable; just moments ago it was clear skies, and now a torrential downpour had begun.

However, this was perfect, saving Su Heng the trouble of staying to clean up the scene.

Glancing around to confirm no one else was nearby, Su Heng unhurriedly hurried back through the rain.

Upon returning home, he threw his clothes in the washing machine, ate something, and then lay down on the bed to rest.

This time, he gave himself a break, not entering the game, but sleeping soundly until morning.

He had expected to have nightmares that night, but he didn't. He slept very comfortably. Opening his eyes in the morning and pulling back the curtains, he saw a curved rainbow hanging in the city sky.

In the small mountain village within the primeval jungle.

The village chief, the Medicine Elder, the blacksmith, and the militia captain responsible for the village's security were gathered together.

In the room, candlelight flickered, weak and unsteady.

Shining on everyone's faces, they all looked somewhat tense.

"Sir, do you know what the origin of that giant serpent is?"

The elderly village chief coughed twice, drawing everyone's attention, then asked the monk Ren Guang tremulously.

"Yes, yes."

The blacksmith, wearing a short jacket with his chest open and dark skin, also repeatedly agreed. "Is this great serpent good or bad? Can we still continue to stay here?"

Despite having been attacked by evil spirits.

Compared to other places, this location was already a very good spot.

The surrounding land was flat, adjacent to a clear lake, with a mountain forest rich in resources behind it. Furthermore, precious seeds had already been sown, and if nothing unexpected happened, they could expect a harvest by next year.

For these simple villagers, this was not only their home for survival but also their hope for the future.

"Yesterday, I went to pay homage to that great serpent."

Monk Ren Guang did not keep them in suspense. His gaze was clear, and his voice carried a calming power as he slowly began, "That great serpent is by no means merely a yokai as I initially imagined."

His voice was so resolute that it was impossible not to be convinced.

"However..."

Before the village elders could breathe a sigh of relief, Monk Ren Guang changed his tone, his voice becoming solemn.

"Although this Great Serpent is not a Yokai, you must not let your guard down."

"And why is that?"

Everyone asked, confused.

"It's because the Great Serpent itself is a more powerful existence than a Yokai."

"More powerful than a Yokai? Could it be a legendary Deity?"

"Hiss..."

The village elders exchanged glances, seeing fear and bewilderment in each other's eyes.

"I suspect this Great Serpent is a legendary Divine Beast, born of nature. Even without the Red Moon's radiation, it could possess unimaginable power and wisdom beyond human comprehension."

"Then what should we do?"

Compared to Ren Guang's shock when he first saw the Great Serpent.

These villagers were more accepting of the facts. They had witnessed the terrifying scene of the Boa killing and Devouring those mountain spirits.

And as ordinary people, they found it difficult to understand the difference Ren Guang spoke of between Yokai and Divine Beasts.

In reality.

They didn't need to understand; they only needed to figure out what they should do.

"Hmm..."

Ren Guang pondered for a moment before offering his suggestion, "Having a Serpent God active around your village is actually a good thing for you. If you can gain its favor, you might be able to escape the invasion of Yokai."

Joy appeared on the villagers' faces.

Living in the wilderness, their greatest fear was being harassed by Yokai.

If they could solve this problem, their lives would be almost as good as those of the adults in the city. It was truly a momentous occasion.

"But..." the village chief quickly frowned, "We are just a small mountain village of a few hundred people. We are not wealthy, nor do we have any treasures. How can we gain the favor of the Serpent God?"

Ren Guang, however, smiled and said, "Foolish thoughts!"

"Even the most precious treasures of mortals, how can they enter the eyes of a Deity?"

"A Temple, three sticks of incense, offered with sincere devotion and a clear heart, is enough."