Chapter 45: Ning Yangran and Zhen Siqi’s Village
As the three quickly sped through the sky, they soon arrived at a decent-sized village. The three people then landed on the outskirts and walked in through the entrance.
Looking around, Jiang Yun saw the residents of the village looking tired and dark-faced, as if they had gone through heavy manual labor. Ning Yangran and Zhen Siqi quickly led Jiang Yun through the village, having a clear destination in mind.
Ning Yangran explained, "The last time we came here and met our parents, the villagers looked fine and far from the sorry state they are in now. When we were finishing our business and were about to leave, a man suddenly came to the village with profound power."
Zhen Siqi then said in fear, "The man instantly saw that we were cultivators and attacked us. For some reason, the man wanted to chase us out of the village, and after a quick battle, we were defeated and had to rush to escape."
Ning Yangran continued, "I don’t know where that man is now or what he intended to do here, but before we left, the man said that this village belonged to him now and no cultivators were allowed inside."
As the three continued walking, Jiang Yun wanted to understand what the man was trying to do here and what secret this village hid. Jiang Yun then spread his divine sense, trying to look for a clue.
Soon after expanding his divine sense, Jiang Yun understood why the cultivator wanted this village. Jiang Yun didn’t know how the cultivator found it, but very deep underground was a spiritual vein which was very useful for cultivators. This spiritual vein was very high-grade and could be used by a Mahayana realm cultivator to ascend to immortality.
The reason the cultivator wanted other cultivators out was to monopolize this spiritual vein and use it for himself. As for why the villagers looked so tired, it was probably to dig for this spiritual vein, as it was so deep underground that even a Tribulation Transformation realm cultivator would have trouble finding it unless they focused deeply.
Jiang Yun then continued to follow the two girls further into the village and soon arrived at a small home. The building was very simple and humble, as it could only house a handful of people.
Ning Yangran explained, "This is my home. I lived with my mother and little sister here before joining your sect. The last time I came here, they seemed to be doing well. I’m worried about how they are doing now, considering the state of the village."
After explaining, Ning Yangran then continued moving into her family home, with the two following close behind. Upon entering, two women appeared, both looking visibly exhausted.
Ning Yangran quickly moved forward, wanting to ask what had happened. She then asked, "Mom, what happened while I was gone? You and my little sister both seem so tired."
Ning Yangran’s mother then replied, "I’m fine. It’s just that cultivator who came to this village of ours has been forcing us to do manual labor to dig something up from deep in the ground. I don’t know what he is looking for, but he keeps forcing us to dig until near exhaustion before letting us go back to rest until the next day."
Ning Yangran’s younger sister then said, "That cultivator is extremely cruel, forcing everyone in the village to work regardless of age, or else he gets angry and punishes the person refusing heavily. So far, we have barely managed to hold on."
Listening to the explanation, Zhen Siqi quickly started to worry about her mother and father, who were also living nearby. She then quickly excused herself and left to look for her parents.
Jiang Yun, after hearing about the situation, asked, "Where is that cultivator now?"
Ning Yangran’s mother then asked, "Who are you? Considering you came with my daughter, you must be her friend. I should warn you that cultivator is very strong and not easy to deal with."
Jiang Yun then replied, "You don’t have to worry. I am more than strong enough to deal with this cultivator you are so afraid of."
Ning Yangran’s mother hesitated for a while before deciding to speak. "That cultivator that you are looking for is currently at the center of the village. He is watching the other villagers dig a giant hole in the ground. He oversees to make sure everyone is working without stop and only lets them go once they are close to collapsing."
Knowing where to go now to resolve things, Jiang Yun turned and was heading to the center of the village to deal with the person who messed with his sect’s disciples, along with their families.
Seeing that Jiang Yun was already preparing to leave, Ning Yangran’s mother gave a final warning: "Be very careful. Even though I am not a cultivator, I can tell that he is strong, even among other cultivators."
Jiang Yun nodded, but didn’t care, as no one in the lower realm was worth his worry since he could easily kill them all. Jiang Yun then left swiftly towards the center of the village, with Ning Yangran following close behind to watch her sect master in action.
As the village wasn’t particularly big, the two soon arrived at their destination. The sight before them could only be described as brutal. Many of the villagers were dragging and carrying large amounts of soil out of a gigantic hole in the ground. The villagers who were inside the hole had their hands covered in blisters as they had to continuously dig deeper into the hole.
Jiang Yun then looked around for the cultivator who was causing this mess. Soon, his eyes landed on someone—a cultivator who was stepping on one of the villagers. In front of the cultivator was Zhen Siqi, who had left early to look for her parents.
Zhen Siqi said worriedly, "Get your foot off my father! My sect master is here, so if you don’t stop soon, you won’t escape unscathed."
The cultivator then replied, "With your cultivation, what realm could your sect master be to threaten me? I’m a dignified ninth-level Tribulation Transformation cultivator! Unless your sect leader is at the Mahayana realm, what trouble could he give me? Ever since the demonic cultivators attacked, such powerful people are now rare. It’s impossible for your sect leader to be in the Mahayana realm, so why would I even bother listening to you?"
Zhen Siqi did not know what to do, as she knew she wasn’t a match for this cultivator in front of her. After worrying for a long time, she saw Jiang Yun in the distance and was no longer worried.
Zhen Siqi then yelled towards Jiang Yun, "Sect Master, please come help me!"
The cultivator then turned his head to look at who the woman in front of him was relying on. Once his head was turned, he saw Jiang Yun, and beside him was a familiar face he had already kicked out of this village before. As Ning Yangran was beside Jiang Yun, the cultivator guessed that the man next to her was their sect master.
The cultivator then said mockingly, "That’s your sect master? That man has no presence whatsoever. That man might as well just be a mortal. You dare rely on that trash to help you?"
To the cultivator, Jiang Yun looked like an ordinary person and wasn’t worth his attention. He assumed these two girls were trying to trick him into believing they actually had a backer. The cultivator refused to be tricked by their schemes.
With a casual move, the cultivator sent a blast of energy toward Jiang Yun, as he thought a mortal couldn’t possibly be able to survive his attack.
The cultivator then said confidently, "Watch as I easily kill your so-called sect master right now."
As the wave of energy closed in, it disappeared as it was about to make contact with Jiang Yun. Not knowing what had happened, the cultivator was confused. Not wanting to make a fool of himself, he attacked again with more force.
This time, too, the attack dissipated into nothing. Jiang Yun then decided to stop messing around, appeared in front of the cultivator, and grabbed his neck, lifting him up.
At this point, the cultivator realized that this man was no ordinary person and was actually strong, just as the girl had said before. The cultivator then struggled in Jiang Yun’s hands, trying to find a way to escape from his dire situation.
As Jiang Yun started to close his hands, intending to end the life of the cultivator immediately, the cultivator tried to say something to save his life.
The cultivator then quickly said, "I am part of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance! If you kill me now, you’ll be tracked down by my alliance for killing their member! As we are rogue cultivators unaffiliated with sects, we managed to preserve our power during the attack of the demonic cultivators. The head of the alliance is a Mahayana cultivator who is still at the peak of his power and is someone not to be trifled with! If you kill me, then you will be hunted by a Mahayana realm cultivator!"
Jiang Yun was then amazed, as these rogue cultivators were like cockroaches. These people managed to hide so deeply in hard-to-find places and passed through such a crisis as the demonic cultivator attack. Nevertheless, Jiang Yun wasn’t worried. Instead, he wanted to deal with a possible trouble for the future.
Jiang Yun then said, "Then go ahead and call your alliance over right now. I will deal with you all right here and now."