"Xiao Li, don't talk nonsense. Brother Mu is just going through a rough patch, he might discover the traces of the Life and Death Sect and make a contribution in a few days." Zhu Ping, worried Xiao Mu might be upset, quickly scolded Li Gujian.

"Brother Zhu is right. Brother Mu, I misspoke earlier. In fact, with Brother Mu's diligence, I am sure he will soon find the traces of the Life and Death Sect and contribute to the Alliance." Li Gujian hurriedly corrected himself.

"Brother Zhu worries too much, Xiao Li, you don't need to be so cautious with your words. I'm not a petty person, I can face the facts," Xiao Mu said with a smile, clasping his hands behind his back.

"With Brother Mu's capabilities, success will surely come soon."

Zhu Ping offered another polite remark, then added, "Brother Mu, Old Zhao, you two chat. I will head back to my room first. I have a task tomorrow, and I need to recharge the Spirit Lamp tonight."

"Me too, Big Brother Zhu, wait for me. Brother Mu, Brother Zhao, please excuse me."

After bidding farewell to Xiao Mu and Zhao Jingyan, Zhu Ping and Li Gujian went upstairs.

"The Protective Spirit Lamp, this treasure, must be charged before it can be used. Within the tolerance range of the Spirit Lamp, the more energy charged, the stronger the power of the lamp. If fully charged, it can even withstand attacks from those in the Divine Spirit Realm."

After Zhu Ping and Li Gujian left, Zhao Jingyan began explaining the principle of the Protective Spirit Lamp to Xiao Mu.

"Brother Zhao is truly experienced and knowledgeable!" Xiao Mu casually praised Zhao Jingyan.

At the same time, he couldn't help being secretly amazed at the power of the Protective Spirit Lamp, which with its protection, could save someone in the Yin God Realm from assassins of the Divine Spirit Realm.

"You flatter me! Brother Mu, what you don't know is that I know these secrets about the lamps because I took part in their creation," Zhao Jingyan said with a forced smile.

The sound of a car echoed, and Tian Zhen drove into the courtyard. "Old Zhao, haven't finished work yet? Is Brother Mu here too?"

As Tian Zhen got out of the car, he noticed Xiao Mu and casually took out a bag of vegetables he had bought from the market.

"Sister-in-law is back. By the way, how was your visit to the temple today? Did everything go smoothly?"

Xiao Mu seized the opportunity to inquire about the conditions of the Spire, concerned about any changes there since his departure.

"It went well, quite smoothly."

Tian Zhen didn't suspect Xiao Mu's motives, thinking he was merely concerned about her, a smile appearing on her face.

That's good!

Xiao Mu felt relieved, "I'm going back to cultivate, Brother Zhao, sister-in-law, please go ahead! By the way, Brother Zhao, what was the name of Ge Lian's father we met when entering the village?"

"Ge Changkong, why is Brother Mu suddenly interested in him?"

Zhao Jingyan looked up at Xiao Mu, puzzled.

"I just remembered and wanted to ask, Brother Zhao, please don't mind. By the way, what kind of person is this Ge Changkong? What is his current cultivation level?" Xiao Mu posed as if he was just making casual conversation.

Zhao Jingyan, not suspecting Xiao Mu's motives, replied, "Ge Changkong, he's in the early stage of the Divine Spirit Realm. Although his strength isn't the strongest in our Twilight Forest Village, his reputation is not low, and he is currently the village head."

"Old Zhao, Brother Mu, you talk, I'll go cook."

Tian Zhen took the opportunity to leave a message and went to cook with the vegetables.

The village head?

Xiao Mu pretended to be worried about encountering trouble, "Brother Zhao, could you create an illusion of what Village Head Ge looks like? I worry that if I meet him, I may not recognize his identity and cause trouble."

"Brother Mu worries too much, Village Head Ge won't mind someone not showing him respect over minor issues."

Zhao Jingyan chuckled, thinking Xiao Mu's concerns were superfluous, but still enthusiastically stretched out his right hand in the air, using energy to create an illusion of Ge Changkong.

It was indeed him!

The illusion of Ge Changkong in the air looked exactly like the Old Ge Xiao Mu had seen at the Spire.

The Ge father and son both had ties with Mr. Qu. Rumor had it that Thunder God Qing Jie was terrifyingly formidable in Twilight Forest Village, such that even Mutated Beings like Zhao Jingyan would change color when mentioning him, possibly influenced by the Ge family.

"By the way, Brother Zhao, when the villagers and many ordinary people worship Divine Spirits, is it guided by Village Head Ge's family?"

"Guided? Village Head Ge's family? No way, Brother Mu, why would you say that?"

Zhao Jingyan looked at Xiao Mu, puzzled, feeling that his expression didn't seem deceitful, making Xiao Mu start to doubt again.

The Ge family father and son clearly had collusion with the Spire, yet Zhao Jingyan was unaware. The Ge family father and son deliberately disassociated themselves from the Spire, obviously plotting something.

"Brother Zhao, do you know where your sister-in-law went to worship?"

"The temple on the west side of the village. Why, Brother Mu, are you also interested in the temple?" Zhao Jingyan asked in surprise.

"How well do you understand that temple, Brother Zhao? How many times have you been there?" Xiao Mu didn't answer Zhao Jingyan's question but continued to inquire.

"This..."

Zhao Jingyan looked ashamed, "Speaking of the temple on the west side, I really don't know much about it. The temple forbids anyone other than believers from entering, unless they worship the Divine Spirits. Brother Mu, you must know that I can't possibly be a follower of the Divine Spirits..."

Xiao Mu nodded and did not continue his line of questioning.

He bade farewell to Zhao Jingyan and returned to his own room.

Xiao Mu sat cross-legged on the floor and began to organize the information he had gathered.

The Spire was very likely related to the Thunder God of Qing Jie, but why the Great Array in the Seven-story Spire had suddenly been activated, he still didn't understand.

Mr. Qu seemed to be a Mutated Being from the human world; his identity was still unclear, perhaps colluding with the Thunder God of Qing Jie, setting up the Spire in Twilight Forest Village to guide the villagers into becoming believers to collect Incense Fire.

From the information known, collecting Incense Fire might be solely for the purpose of cultivation. However, apart from cultivation, Mr. Qu must have other motives for staying in Twilight Forest Village.

And that motive, like Mr. Qu's identity, remained unclear.

The Ge family father and son colluded with the Spire but also hid information, not daring to let the villagers know, obviously with another purpose.

But this purpose was still unclear to him.

To investigate the Spire, he could start from Mr. Qu, and also from the Ge family father and son.

Compared to Mr. Qu, the Ge family father and son had lower strength, and without the protection of the Spire, it might be easier to start investigating from them.

Yes, he would go to the Ge family tomorrow. He wouldn't go today, as he had just probed information about Ge Changkong from Zhao Jingyan. Crashing into the Ge family tonight, in case of an accident, could arouse suspicion.

Also, Ge Changkong had just visited the Spire, there might be vigilance.

Considering these two reasons, tonight was not suitable for investigating the Ge father and son.

Zhu Ping and Li Gujian had joined the Village Protection Team, which could also be utilized, having them help collect information.

A large number of Mutated Beings died at the hands of Cultivators of Illusion, among which there might also be some secrets.

However, if he wanted to investigate these dead Mutated Beings, he also had to start from Zhu Ping and Li Gujian, waiting until they formally participated in the Village Protection Team Task.

One thought after another flashed through Xiao Mu's mind, and he started to consider his next plan.

The Cultivator of Illusions must be found out as soon as possible; each delay would bring disaster to the Great Tang Ruins.

After all, the Cultivator of Illusions in Twilight Forest Village had already attacked the External Affairs Group multiple times in a short period, causing harm to the group.

If not found soon, Xiao Mu worried that someone else in the External Affairs Group might die.

Gathering his thoughts, he began cultivation, took out the Energy Fruits, and ate them one by one, turning them into Power to enhance his strength.

The next day, Xiao Mu specifically left his room early and went downstairs.

Downstairs, Zhao Jingyan was still in the courtyard, fretting over a pile of materials, seemingly having worked through the night.

"Brother Zhao, haven't you managed to create the Execution Stake yet?"

While saying this, he looked to the left of Zhao Jingyan, unsurprisingly, yesterday's pile of discarded materials had grown.

"Brother Mu, good morning!"

Zhao Jingyan's expression was gloomy, and he casually greeted Xiao Mu, "I failed three more times last night. I think my strength is too low; I temporarily can't forge a Grade B Treasure, sigh!"

After finishing, he sighed deeply, filled with a strong sense of defeat.

"Does the success of forging the Execution Stake depend on personal strength?" Xiao Mu's gaze fell on the materials in Zhao Jingyan's hands, then saw a Refining Treasure diagram on the table next to him.

The mutated design, drawn with ordinary ink, faintly revealed flashes of Brilliance. The diagram of the Execution Stake looked like a round column from the shape, simple and unadorned; from the looks of it, absolutely nothing special.

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