Chapter 353

Chapter 353: Changing the Drum

After successfully forming their Golden Core, cultivators greatly enhance their divine sense, allowing them to practice the art of heavenly listening and earthly perception. Nascent Soul true immortals can even see across thousands of miles.

Wang Chen had only recently broken through to open a house, so he obviously did not possess such abilities.

However, his soul was much stronger than that of other cultivators at the same level, giving his divine sense a range comparable to that of high-level Purple Palace cultivators!

His perception expanded with his divine sense, covering the entire village step by step.

Then he activated the Cave Truth Technique!

This Purple Palace level spell, combined with his own divine sense, could pierce through illusions, detect evil spirits, and reveal the truth, allowing all specters to show their true forms at the highest level of mastery.

Wang Chen had put a lot of effort into learning the Cave Truth Technique and had currently reached the advanced level, only a short distance from mastering it.

Once he activated the technique, his vision abruptly changed.

He could instantly “see” different things!

Datian Village had over three hundred households, with around four hundred houses, among which a dozen or so emitted a lightly black mist, swirling as if they were clawing at the air.

Wang Chen was taken aback.

He had been the village chief in Datian Village for some time, yet so many Evil Spirits were hiding right under his nose.

Of course, the presence of this black mist didn’t necessarily mean that Evil Spirits were hiding in every instance.

But the village had already faced evil incursions, and the appearance of sinister signs in many homes was an undeniable fact!

Wang Chen’s mindset sparked with urgency, prompting him to fly towards the nearest house with visible oddities.

He descended directly into the courtyard, waving his sleeve to force open the tightly shut door of the inner room.

Bang!

The family of four inside was startled, staring blankly at the intruding Wang Chen.

Wang Chen scanned the room and flicked his wrist, sending an Exorcism Talisman towards an elderly woman.

A burst of spiritual light suddenly erupted, completely enveloping her.

The elderly woman let out a horrified scream, black smoke rising from her body, which was then dissolved by the purifying light of the Exorcism Talisman!

In the next moment, she fainted.

“Everything is fine now.”

Wang Chen reassured the others, saying, “She was invaded by dark forces, but I have driven them away, so there’s no need to worry.”

The elderly woman had not been possessed by an Evil Spirit, but she had absorbed a significant amount of dark forces. Without Wang Chen’s intervention, over time she would have inevitably succumbed to darkness.

There would have been no chance for rescue.

Now, she was at most influenced by evil, and with some time to recuperate after the removal of the dark forces, she would fully recover.

It was not a major issue.

Wang Chen was concerned that her Family might develop a sense of rejection due to fear, so he took a moment to explain.

After saying this, he turned and left, heading to the next house to clear the evil.

In the homes of more than a dozen families that had been identified, there was no second Evil Spirit present, so it was relatively easy to resolve.

After cleaning up Datian Village, Wang Chen summoned the three elders to the village chief’s residence.

He asked, “Does the village have any town guardian tools?”

The so-called town guardian tools are spirit tools, magical artifacts, or spiritual treasures used to suppress evil spirits and stabilize the area—far beyond what ordinary magical tools can achieve.

A classic example is the Dingyang Bell from Yunshan City, said to be a third-tier magical artifact crafted by a Golden Core true master. It guards the protective formation of the city, automatically ringing every hour to alert everyone within a hundred miles of the time.

Anyone who hears the sound of the Dingyang Bell immediately knows the current hour.

However, the main purpose of this magical artifact is to intimidate and drive away Evil Spirits!

Datian Village, of course, cannot be compared to Yunyang City, but this is the West Sea Spiritual Realm, where circumstances are very different. Thus, Wang Chen needed to gain insight for the village’s long-term peace and safety.

“Yes, there is.”

The elders’ response surprised Wang Chen: “The village originally had an exorcising drum.”

This drum is a second-tier spirit tool, a public asset of Datian Village, and it was originally placed in front of Houtu Temple.

Whenever an Evil Spirit invaded the village, the exorcising drum would automatically sound, alerting the villagers while driving away the intruder.

Although the drum’s rank is not high and may not be effective against powerful Evil Spirits, its warning function is significant.

Wang Chen, curious, asked, “Where is it now?”

The three elders exchanged glances, and one of them awkwardly said, “It was with Huang Deqi.”

It turns out that Huang Deqi had claimed the exorcising drum for himself long ago and only displayed it around the New Year.

His excuse was to protect the public asset and conduct regular maintenance on this spirit tool.

Everyone knew that this excuse was quite ridiculous, but who dared to voice any objections?

Now that Huang Deqi had been taken away without a trace, and his possessions had been confiscated, where could they find the exorcising drum?

After hearing this, Wang Chen felt speechless.

This Lord Huang is exceedingly greedy, even seizing the drum that protects the village; one could imagine that even dung carts passing by his door would be stopped to "sample the taste."

Wang Chen thought for a moment and asked, “How many spirit stones does it cost to acquire an exorcising drum?”

One elder replied, “About thirty to fifty thousand spirit stones.”

That price isn’t too high!

After all, this is a second-tier spirit tool.

“Alright,” Wang Chen mused, “you all discuss a plan to acquire a new exorcising drum to guard against evil intrusions.”

Evil Spirits are hard to guard against; he cannot watch over the village every day. Having the drum act as a watchdog would certainly ease his mind.

But Wang Chen would not pay out of pocket again.

He had already contributed a lot of resources and spirit stones to organize the guard team for Datian Village.

Did they think Wang Chen was made of money?

The three elders understood this fact as well. They looked at each other, and one elder hesitated before saying, “Huang Deqi has a shop in Wancheng.”

Wancheng is the only county town within hundreds of miles, overseeing hundreds of nearby villages, with a dense population and prosperous commerce. Prices for shops there are not low.

Even if the location isn’t great, exchanging for an exorcising drum would be easy.

Wang Chen was puzzled: “But hasn’t Huang Deqi’s property been seized?”

The officials from the patrol guards are extremely skilled at confiscating property. Wang Chen had previously seen Lord Huang’s estate, and everything valuable had been taken, leaving only an empty shell.

How could they still hold on to the property deed of a shop in the city?

One elder explained, “He has one shop that’s registered under the clan’s name.”

I see!

Wang Chen didn’t care about the reasons for Huang Deqi’s registration; as long as he didn’t have to dig into his storage bag, it was fine.

“Then sell the shop and exchange it for an exorcising drum!”

Elder Huang’s eyes twitched, and he gritted his teeth as he replied, “Yes!”

He was extremely reluctant, as this shop was very valuable. If Huang Deqi fell and the ownership returned to the clan, everyone could benefit from it.

But it couldn’t be left unaddressed because others were aware of the shop’s existence.

If he didn’t voluntarily bring it up, and someone else reported it to Wang Chen, he would be put in a very passive position!

Elder Huang had no choice but to endure the pain of parting.