An Aberration in the Scholar Forest!

Qiu Yan shook his head and said, "That's not the case. I need you two to act as if you are guiding the believers and strengthening the defenses of Nine Spirits Mountain." His gaze swept across the two gods' faces. "Regardless of your Karma, no one is safe when the nest is overturned. Right now, you must unite as one."

"What good will it do if we do as you say? Do you think you'll let us go?" the Black Marsh Patriarch asked.

"There's no benefit to it," Qiu Yan said bluntly. "Your talismans and Law Seals are all under my control. You have no right to bargain with me."

These words left the two gods on the other side speechless.

"I won't hide it from you, the things I'm asking you to do don't have much impact on the overall situation; they're mainly for deceiving the enemy."

As Qiu Yan spoke, he flicked his fingers, and divine power surged from the two deities, freeing them from their restraints and restoring their freedom. The two deities stood up from the ground, looked down at their hands, and showed expressions of surprise and doubt.

"I'll give you a few hours to consider. During this time, you can try to familiarize yourself with this body. This body is something I created by combining the physical structure of mortals with the Strongman Method as the framework. It's almost indistinguishable from flesh and blood, but for now, it can only be used within my Domain of Law."

"Divine Body of flesh and blood—this is a divine Divine Ability that only Third Grade deity can master," the Black Marsh Patriarch, after all, was well-versed in many things. "You actually managed to create one? Hmm? Your steps are unsteady; it's not real flesh and blood, but rather something you visualized. Even so, it's not simple..."

He looked at Qiu Yan, his eyes filled with shock.

"The human body, seemingly simple, actually contains great secrets of the universe. Visualizing it is not easy. Not only must one understand the transformation between divine power and flesh, but one must also have a meticulous understanding of the human body. We gods, even if we were human in life, are different from mortals once we are enshrined as gods. Even with Divine Sense, it is difficult to reproduce the most subtle details. How did you do it? Moreover, this body also contains a trace of Literary Qi, giving it the air of worldly life. It is almost indistinguishable from the real thing!"

People say that Immortal are ethereal and gods are above, referring to these two kinds of beings whose composition is fundamentally different from mortals. Even if they strive for similarity, their outward temperament is quite different.

Without cultivation and the pursuit of knowledge, ordinary things can hardly reveal the temperament of extraordinary beings. Conversely, the true form of an extraordinary being can hardly disguise itself as an ordinary thing, at least in terms of senses, it is difficult to avoid the perception of those at the same or higher levels.

However, in the perception of the Black Marsh Patriarch and the Ghost Mother, they were enveloped by an outer layer of body, and their outward aura was no different from that of ordinary beings!

While the two deities were still in surprise, Qiu Yan had already flicked his sleeve, which stirred up the air currents and created a wind around them. The light and shadow shifted, sweeping the two deities away. When the two deities looked again, they were already in the Nine Spirits Mountain, where the mountains were covered with lush greenery.

"Near and Far. A leap from the Ghost Gate Pass of hell. The abilities of this Third Grade deity are truly beyond imagination."

After taking a few glances, the Black Marsh Patriarch sighed and suppressed some of his resentment. In truth, there was still hatred between him and Qiu Yan, as his original master, the Tongshan Demon King Shi Jianhui, had perished at Qiu Yan's hands.

However, his relationship with Shi Jianhui was complicated, and he didn't have much of a desire for revenge at the moment.

A gentle breeze blew by, carrying the scent of grass and earth, and a sense of comfort welled up within him. The aura of connection between his Divine Office and the Black Marsh south of Nine Spirits Mountain wafted through the wind, echoing the Black Marsh Patriarch.

"This body is truly wondrous. It really feels like I've returned to hundreds of years ago. However, this Nine Spirits Mountain is still the Domain of Law of my Primordial Spirit. If I were to leave, without the support of my Divine Office, my body would immediately collapse."

As he pondered this, a question suddenly arose in his mind.

"What is the purpose of Min Primordial Spirit releasing us?"

As he was thinking, he heard footsteps behind him. Ghost Mother walked over, bowed to him, and then asked a question, which of course concerned Qiu Yan.

Since entering the Central Plains, the Ghost Mother has been hiding and fleeing, and she is not familiar with the layout and changes of the Divine Path in Jiannan Circuit. However, over the long years, she has met the Black Marsh Patriarch several times. Although they are not close friends, she knows his background and has a basis for conversation.

Not long ago, her whereabouts were exposed, and she was pursued by the Underworld Office of Jiannan Circuit. Before she could figure out what was going on, she was captured by Qiu Yan. Now that she is temporarily able to act on her own, she will definitely need to gather as much information as possible for future use.

Leaving aside the two gods' discussion, after Qiu Yan saw them off, he opened his palm, and the book "New World Observations" immediately floated up, spinning in the air, revealing a mysterious aura, rippling with invisible waves, and causing changes in the surrounding space.

After a while, the ripples subsided, and the book returned to normal.

Qiu Yan reached out and turned the book to the last page. It was still the same picture: a pavilion in mid-air, a spring with mist, but now there was a figure in it, drifting and swaying as if sinking in the water, with divine power spreading outwards from the figure.

"At this rate of descent, it will take several months to reach that location. By then, the wisp of Divine Sense hidden inside should be able to transmit some information, serving as a trial balloon to confirm our guesses and also to investigate the situation over there."

As he pondered this, he opened his mouth and inhaled, taking the "New World Observations" into his mouth.

Since obtaining this book, Qiu Yan has almost never stopped exploring its mysteries. In recent months, he has even directly absorbed it into his Divine Body, using his Divine Sense, incense, and divine power to slowly investigate. Finally, he has glimpsed some of the mysteries and made some speculations and guesses.

However, speculating or guessing without evidence, even if it leads to a conclusion, will not be accurate; empirical evidence is still needed.

"If I'm not mistaken, the scene in the painting subtly repels divine power, which is very likely..."

As Qiu Yan walked out of the attic, a sudden jolt went through him, and he looked up.

Above the gray sky, the River of Forgetfulness flowed ceaselessly, surrounded by several round objects resembling the sun.

Boom!

Suddenly, a violent tremor came from the sky, coalescing into clear ripples that scattered in all directions, affecting a large area of Netherworld, causing it to shake.

Qiu Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.

Rustling...

With a rustling of the grass, the three Confucian scholars' souls darted about rapidly, their expressions contorted in pain.

"It's just ahead! The Academy Secret Path is over there. If we can survive this, escape the Scholar Forest, and save our souls!"

This thought sustained the three Confucian souls, allowing them to continue their journey. However, in their frantic rush, they stumbled upon grass and branches, or, when they were not careful, were stained with a little Doubt Frost.

As a result, the souls of the group were corrupted by Scholar Forest's intentions and had already changed. Moreover, they had been flying wildly, their minds were extremely focused, their nerves were constantly on edge, and they had exhausted their mental strength. Their souls were very erratic, and their limbs showed signs of disintegration.

Even so, the three of them showed no sign of stopping.

Swish!

Behind the three, a slender figure flashed through the Lin Zhong, moving with the wind, from which several flashes of cold light suddenly burst forth!

Claws flashing!

"Ah!!!"

One of the three scholars screamed as a cold glint flashed across his body, tearing him into several pieces!

With a jolt of cold light, he scattered and turned into Chaos thoughts, then screamed as he was sucked in by something!

The remaining two didn't even turn their heads; their faces were filled with grief, and they continued walking.

In the blink of an eye, the person behind him had vanished without a trace, leaving only a sound like a cat's meow.

A sudden gust of wind rose again, and the two men in front felt a chill on the back of their necks, realizing something was wrong. But the next moment, their faces lit up with joy, and they lunged forward, plunging directly into the swamp ahead!

Glug glug!

The murky swamp churned, and the two souls plunged into it, disappearing without a trace.

Snap!

A bubble burst, and the sound of reading aloud filled the air.

At the edge of the swamp, a gust of wind blew, and two figures appeared out of thin air—a man and a woman. The man was tall and the woman was charming. They looked no different from ordinary people, except that each of them had a tail on their back, curled up and waving.

"Those two ran pretty fast, what a pity. They're so delicate and tender; swallowing them would have really boosted my spirit." The woman said in a sweet, coquettish voice, her words filled with resentment.

The tall man watched the bubbles gradually subside, shook his head, and said, "Don't forget the important matter. We Soul Devourers are here to find the person who stole the Sage Ancient Tree."

The woman chuckled and then said, "I know perfectly well enough, Second Brother. But since it's such a chance, I didn't want to miss it. These Living Soul, and they're not connected to the Scholar Forest, so there's not much danger in swallowing them. In the past few days, I've only swallowed more than thirty people, and I'm almost ready to condense another spirit. When I return to my physical body, I'll immediately gain another life!"

The man nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. Scholar Forest is much more peaceful than our Idle Capital Continent. As long as we are careful, there is no danger of us perishing. This time, with the help of the Fox Clan, our stay has been extended considerably, and we cannot waste it."

The woman's eyes darted around, and she suddenly said, "Second Brother, someone who can gain the approval of Sage must be no ordinary person. Even in other Continent, they must not be unknown. Why don't we go to the strongholds of the Donghua People and inquire about them?"

"No," the man shook his head, "There are powerful figures protecting that place; we cannot approach easily, or we will be easily exposed."

The woman, having anticipated this, smiled and said, "Going directly will, of course, be discovered. But if I absorb enough Confucian scholars' souls, condense a spirit, and use the substitution technique to replace my own life, how many people would be able to see through it?"

The man laughed, "After all this back and forth, you still have the same plan. However, this method isn't bad..."

At the same time, in the Mortal Realm, on the outskirts of the Eastern Capital, at the Nine Abyss Academy.

Deep within the academy, in the Sage Worthies Hall, a dozen or so Confucian scholars sat cross-legged, surrounded by Literary Thought that drifted and gathered like smoke and mist, enveloping them all.

Suddenly!

One of them trembled violently, his Literary Thought pouring out, his life force dimmed, and his muscles and bones stiffened!

"Hmm?" Outside the hall, the Life Cultivation guarding the entrance sensed something and stepped towards the hall. But before he reached the door, the door suddenly opened, and two scholars stumbled out.

"Something's happened in Scholar Forest!"