Running A Cemetery in North America

Cre-eeak!

A few villagers pushed open the doors of the ancestral hall and headed straight for the eastern wing.

Before stepping through the door of the eastern wing, they all uniformly reached into their robes and pulled out masks to put on.

The masks were covered in purple tendrils, with only a hole allowing the eyes to peek through, to see what lay beneath their feet.

Upon entering the eastern wing, they immediately opened the cellar and brought up the bound sacrificial priests.

"Those outsiders haven't been found yet. What are we going to do about the lack of people for the sacrificial rites at sea?" someone suddenly asked.

"We'll just have to use collateral villagers as we did last time."

"The Saintess Cizhou demands more and more sacrificial priests. Just capturing people near the village isn't enough to meet her needs. If this continues, Chai Family Village's situation will become very awkward. I think it's time we sought help from the ancestors on the Immortal Island."

"It's too soon to think about that now. For now, let's deliver this batch of sacrificial priests first."

The group hoisted all the sacrificial priests onto their shoulders and left the ancestral hall, heading towards the outskirts of Chai Family Village.

In a nearby alley, three figures slowly emerged, watching the leaving villagers of Chai Family Village. Lin Wan, with her arms crossed, said, "These Chai Family villagers sure are up to something. It seems like the rumors about villagers disappearing at sea at midnight are definitely connected to them."

"Since they're heading out to sea tonight, let's secretly follow them. Maybe we can uncover the true secret of this village," Shi Langfei suggested, pointing ahead.

Immediately, a centipede bee cautiously followed them, acting as an extra set of eyes for the group.

Just then, the notebook in their pocket suddenly reacted.

Task Requirement ①: Investigate the reason behind the disappearance of fishermen and fishing boats (Achievement unlocked).

Task Reward ①: Based on the divine temple you claimed, receive a corresponding unique magical treasure.

Sun Yan was startled, feeling a sudden flash of white light appear in his hand. Before he could react, the light transformed into a short golden iron axe.

It was one of the famous magical treasures of the Erlang God in the myth—the Mountain-Cracking Axe!

Not only Sun Yan but also Shi Langfei and Lin Wan each received their own rewards, and their faces lit up with joy.

Shi Langfei was holding a black iron spear, while Lin Wan received a wooden spatula.

"Is this your unique magical treasure from the divine temple? What's its use?" Sun Yan curiously asked.

"This is the Kitchen God's spatula. It can make food taste better and influence people's emotions," Lin Wan said happily, waving her spatula.

"..." Sun Yan was speechless.

It was the first time he had seen such a plain magical treasure.

Looking at Shi Langfei, who expertly twirled his spear with excitement, Shi Langfei said, "This is Gao Jinneng's weapon, definitely more powerful than an ordinary weapon."

"What about you?" Lin Wan asked, looking at the short axe in Sun Yan's hand. "What's your magical treasure?"

"It's the Mountain-Cracking Axe of the True Monarch of Pure Origin and Mysterious Dao. Have you ever played Hack 'n' Slash? It's the axe Erlang God used against the Great Saint in the beginning," Sun Yan explained.

"That's what it is! Can you make it grow huge and split mountains?" Shi Langfei asked in envy.

"Well..." Sun Yan looked troubled. "That's probably not possible since I don't have the powerful mana of Erlang. I can only use it to chop people."

"Tch..." Shi Langfei lost interest.

Sun Yan was taken aback, thinking, "You have the nerve to scorn me?"

Lin Wan put away her spatula and urged, "Stop chatting, hurry and follow them; otherwise, they'll get too far ahead."

...

At the shore, several fishing boats marked with 'Chai' were moored by the dock, brightly lit, as many villagers held torches to illuminate the sea.

Villagers from Chai Family Village, wearing masks, carried blindfolded men and women onto the boats, proceeding with calculated precision.

Once all the sacrificial priests were on the deck, the fishing boats slowly set sail into the dark night, heading toward the depths of the sea.

By the shore, Sun Yan and his friends, from a small fishing vessel Lin Wan had bought with gold ingots yesterday, hid in the cabin watching the departing boats. They quickly controlled their boat to follow suit.

"Where do you think they're going?" Shi Langfei curiously asked.

"To the Immortal Island," Sun Yan replied gravely.

All the sacrificial priests were meant to be delivered to the Immortal Island, where the people of Chai Family Village seemed to undergo a process called 'cultivation.'

Since before the Qin Dynasty, they had been tirelessly sending villagers to the Immortal Island for cultivation. Some passed the tests of the Saintess Cizhou, but some did not.

These were things Sun Yan had seen in the ancient trees of the ancestral hall.

"Do you think that Saintess Cizhou is an actual divine spirit? Could it be that not all divine spirits have left this world, and some have survived?" Lin Wan asked.

"It's uncertain. Didn't an old man mention a Dragon King in the East Sea? But as you saw, the so-called Dragon King was just a mature flood dragon. Maybe Saintess Cizhou is just some monster mistaken by the villagers as a deity," Sun Yan speculated.

"That makes sense," Shi Langfei nodded in agreement.

As the fishing boats moved further from the coastline, the surrounding terrain became obscure. The boat rocked on the deep sea, like a giant abyss that could devour Sun Yan and his companions at any moment.

Fortunately, the bright lights of the fishing boats ahead served as beacons, guiding Sun Yan and the others forward.

After who knows how long at sea and approaching exhaustion, a massive shadow suddenly appeared on the horizon—a huge island.

The island was shrouded in dense purple mist, enveloping it entirely, making it hard to discern any details on the island.

Without the guidance of the Chai's fishing vessels, Sun Yan's group of outsiders wouldn't have found this place in the vast East Sea.

"Wake up, stop sleeping," Sun Yan nudged Shi Langfei and Lin Wan, waking them from their slumber.

"What's the matter? What's going on?"

Shi Langfei stepped onto the deck, gasping at the sight of the island enveloped in purple fog: "Whoa, what's that?"

The Chai Family Village's fishing boats passed through the fog, quickly disappearing from view inside it.

Sun Yan piloted their fishing boat into the mist after them. Having journeyed this far, there was no turning back. They had to uncover the truth about the Immortal Island to complete the second mission and receive their rewards.

Shi Langfei retrieved the centipede bee bag and released his centipede bees, only to soon wear a troubled expression: "Something's wrong."

"What is it?" Lin Wan asked.

"All the centipede bees I released disappeared suddenly. I lost contact with them. This never happened before; this place feels inauspicious," Shi Langfei lamented, packing away the centipede bee bag and sighing at the mist surrounding the boat: "Damn, I knew this mission couldn't be that simple."