Chapter 133: He Who Returns
Han Yuexin asked the Falcon to fly around the town in case they needed its help for an emergency exit. Then, the two of them ran towards the village silently.
It was the first time Ye Jun was seeing an Origin Realm Cultivator in action, so even though she didn’t fight yet, he was very excited.
As they moved, not even leaves made any sound because of Han Yuexin. Ye Jun didn’t know any details because she had just played the flute and they were suddenly caged in an invisible air bubble.
It moved with them without alerting anything in the surroundings, keeping them hidden from all eyes and senses. He wondered if it was related to Wind Affinity or not.
Soon, they found the Greywood village and went to its eastern side. Ye Jun had noticed fewer people there, so it was a good place to sneak inside.
’We need to know first what’s going on here,’ Ye Jun thought. ’If it’s too dangerous, then ask for help from the sect.’
Getting across the stone wall was very easy. Before entering, Han Yuexin played a silent tune that erased their presence. Even though he stood by her side, he couldn’t sense her at all.
’And Meihui said she can beat three of her,’ Ye Jun wondered just how strong Meihui was.
They sneaked inside and went a bit deeper by taking the houses as cover. Fortunately, the village was small, so they could see everything even from a distance.
Han Yuexin could have used her Soul Sense, but that might alert the entity, so they had to rely on their eyes alone.
Then, she played another tune and moved her lips. No sounds came out of her mouth, but her words reached Ye Jun just fine.
"We can talk like this. It won’t notice us." Were her words.
Ye Jun nodded.
They reached a point from where they could observe the entire village without being seen and hid themselves. From there, they observed everything happening here.
Ye Jun noticed the changes instantly. The eerie silence still reigned over the atmosphere, as if the village had been abandoned long ago. The people who were previously scattered around doing their work had gathered near the village’s centre.
’Probably like four hundred people?’ he guessed, though he couldn’t see the kids properly, so maybe there were more.
Gradually, they surrounded the well where the three young men were still deep in meditation.
"There’s something wrong with those three," Han Yuexin said, narrowing her eyes. "Their Qi feels off. Weird."
Ye Jun could feel it too. Though he wondered what was happening now. Why did everyone gather near them?
Old Xu came forward and knelt before the three men, saying, "We have done as you commanded, Lord. We drove him away. If he knows what’s best for him, he wouldn’t come here again."
Then, he stood up and said, turning towards the villagers, "It’s time for the Salvation. I have chosen my grandson for it. I hope you don’t mind me prioritising my blood."
"It’s fine, Old Xu." A woman waved her hand. "Our turn to achieve salvation will also come. The Lord will reward our patience."
"Very well." Old Xu smiled, his eyes hollow. "Then, start the ritual. Bring my grandson."
"What the hell are they talking about?" Ye Jun muttered. "Salvation? I have a bad feeling about this. These terms never suit insane people."
"I agree," Han Yuexin nodded. "This lord... it’s probably the entity controlling everyone. Their minds have been twisted. I don’t know if we can save them or not."
Ye Jun stayed silent as he focused on the supposed ritual.
A few men dragged out a stone slab and put it before the three men. They bowed before them and backed away. Then, two women came forward with a boy.
’He is probably around twelve,’ he grimaced, already having a guess of what this might be.
The boy’s face was full of smiles and brimming with excitement. He stopped before the slab and asked cheerfully, "Grandpa, is it finally my turn? I can meet my friends too."
"Yes, my child. You’re about to receive the grace of the Lord himself. Salvation awaits you," Old Xu smiled warmly at him and said. "Be grateful for it."
"I am! Let’s start it right away!" The boy jumped in excitement and then lay down on the stone slab.
"You don’t want to stop this?" Ye Jun asked.
"He’s a lost cause," Han Yuexin clenched her jaw. "His mind and body both have been corroded by something."
’I was right,’ Ye Jun thought. ’There is something eroding their minds. Didn’t expect the body too.’
He watched silently as a muscular man walked out of a tree’s shadow, carrying a metre-long butchering knife. The faint hue of red on the blade told enough about its history.
"Don’t get agitated," Han Yuexin warned him. "Don’t react no matter what you see. We need to find out more about it."
Ye Jun didn’t need that reminder.
The butcher stood beside the stone slab, looking down at the boy’s excited smile. Then, he pulled the boy’s arm up and severed it from the shoulder with a ruthless strike of his knife.
Blood splattered everywhere as tears formed in the boy’s eyes. However, his smile didn’t go down. In fact, it only grew wider as he shouted, "He Who Returns!"
Old Xu raised his hand and smiled too, "He Who Returns!"
The villagers followed the shout, having eerie smiles on their faces as they all began chanting in a strange harmony that would chill even the hardest hearts.
"He Who Returns!"
"He Who Returns!"
"He Who Returns!"
Their chanting continued as the butcher resumed his work. One after another, all the limbs were cut off, then the other parts followed even after the boy’s shouts were drowned by the zealous chants of the villagers.
Ye Jun watched everything in horror, his body shivering. He had experienced things that could traumatise a human, but he couldn’t help but feel terror looking at the scene before him.
The gore didn’t affect him. It was their smiles, their excitement, their behaviour that made him question reality. The boy’s smiling face as he was butchered flashed repeatedly in his mind.
’W-What the fuck!’ he barely managed to keep himself from running away.
He glanced to his side. All colour had drained from Han Yuexin’s face as she gritted her teeth. Even he could feel anger boiling inside her.
Ye Jun turned back towards the butchering, intending to watch this through no matter how much it disturbed him. He was also curious how this ritual would affect their Lord.
When the ritual ended, all people knelt before the stone slab as blood stained the ground below, changing it into its colour.
"It’s indoctrination of the soul," Han Yuexin mumbled to herself. "They truly believe that this will give them salvation. They’re genuinely happy."
The butcher put the knife away and gathered all that remained of the body. His steps then took him to the well, as he threw everything inside and bowed, "Please bless him with your grace, Lord."
The villagers stood up one by one and began talking in low voices.
"Young Pei was so brave," an old woman clasped her hands together, her hollow eyes shining with something that looked almost like pride. "Did you see his smile? Right until the very end."
"The Lord will embrace him," another replied, nodding slowly. "He will be whole again. More than whole."
"My daughter is next," a thin man said. There was no grief in his voice. "She has been waiting for months. She cried when Old Lin’s son was chosen before her."
"She cried from envy?" the old woman asked.
"What else would she cry for?"
A young woman nearby turned to them with bright, empty eyes. "The Lord is generous. He will call upon all of us eventually. We simply must trust in the order of things."
"I heard the Paragons stirred when the boy went in," someone muttered from the edge of the group, glancing toward the three men with reverence. "Did you feel it? The warmth?"
Several of them nodded at once.
"I felt it," Old Xu said, loud enough for those near him to hear. "He stirs more with each offering. He is waking. Soon, our Lord will open his eyes fully, and our patience will be rewarded. His Paragons will soon awaken and lead us to Great Salvation."
"How long?" someone asked.
"Not long," Old Xu said. "A few more. Perhaps ten. Perhaps fewer if the offerings are pure enough."
Silence settled over the group again, comfortable and communal, the way silence falls between people who share the same dream.
From their hiding spot, neither Ye Jun nor Han Yuexin spoke for a long moment. They were disturbed by the things happening before them.
Ye Jun whispered, "Ten more."
"I heard," Han Yuexin replied. The anger in her voice had gone cold and flat, which somehow felt worse than if she had shouted.
"Can we save any of them?"
She didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze moved slowly over the crowd, the smiling faces, the kneeling figures, the man who had just thrown a child into a well and bowed after doing it.
"Their minds are gone," she finally answered. "Their bodies are corroded. Even if we purge the entity tonight, I don’t know what would remain of them." She exhaled quietly. "But none of that matters now."
Ye Jun looked at her.
"We need to stop their Paragons from awakening," she said. "We don’t know what will happen if they do."