Guan Ming's eyes glazed over. "The divination..." she whispered,
"...reveals great misfortune!"
"What?!"
All the chieftains stared at Green Valley Town in the distance, now eerily silent. The blood tree, its nature unknown, grew increasingly vibrant and dazzling!
Suddenly, the character "Li" in the sky seemed to press down upon the heavens, causing them to feel an immense and boundless pressure!
"Priestess, how is this possible? Just now, it was only slight misfortune. How can it be..."
"Let's retreat, Priestess!"
"It's just a small town. The Bloodstained Family... how could they possibly pose such a great threat to me?!"
The chieftains muttered in fear.
But Guan Ming ignored all the chieftains.
She retrieved the tortoise shells from the sky and, under the astonished gazes of the chieftains, crushed them in her hand. She said calmly, "It's just great misfortune. I've already found a way to overcome it. Order the tribe to prepare for battle. We will win this war."
With that said, Guan Ming summoned a giant eagle and, under the suspicious gazes of the Giant Rock tribe members, flew toward the small town.
She looked up at the sky.
The character "Li" was so dazzling. The sky, previously filled with dust and sand due to the arrival of the Giant Rock tribe, was now clear and bright, the character "Li" dispersing the dust clouds.
The closer she got to the Li family., the more she could feel the freshness of the air. She breathed deeply, greedily, committing all the beautiful colors of the world to memory with a sense of longing.
Then, she stopped at a distance from Li Dalong and his wife, outside Green Valley Town.
She saw them.
Within this small town, sheltered by the enormous tree canopy, all the humans were fiercer than any she had encountered on her journey. They were fearless, unafraid of death!
Their willpower caused the very atmosphere of Green Valley Town to rise, even piercing the clouds!
And the source of all this, came from this man who looked like a simple farmer.
No.
Or rather, it came from a family.
The ancestral tablets beside them shone brilliantly. This was their most devout faith, even stronger than the Wu Clan's reverence for the natural world!
As she approached, sword energy locked onto her. A pair of bewitching fox eyes stared at her from above the clouds. She could even sense the ghostly figures within the coffin beneath the farmer's feet, ready to tear at her flesh.
They... they were only at the Golden Core stage!
"Friends of the Li family," Guan Ming began, "I..."
Guan Ming tried her best to maintain a friendly smile.
But before she could finish, Xu Cuihua, nestled in Li Dalong's arms, parted her red lips slightly and asked, "Your name is Guan Ming?"
"...Yes."
The smile on Guan Ming's face froze.
Xu Cuihua, as always, maintained her gentle demeanor. After all, the person who came was a woman, so it was better for her to speak. "Don't say anything," she said. "Our Li family will not beg for mercy. Qingyun County is our land."
"Since you have invaded, we don't care what kind of tribe your Giant Rock Spirit Jade is, and you don't need to concern yourselves with what kind of family my Li family is."
"Prepare your people. Today..."
"...blood will stain Qingyun."
Guan Ming turned back.
She felt like she had swallowed a bitter pill, unable to speak. What "beg for mercy" from the Li family?
She wanted to say that they only wanted to pass through Li family territory, that they wanted to be friends with the Li family, that they no longer desired their land or sought to uncover their secrets!
But...
Behind her, Li Dalong heard his wife's words and was extremely pleased. He turned and looked at his old friends in Green Valley Town.
"Everyone," he called out, "did you hear that?"
Just as casually as when he used to walk around Green Valley Village, leading the villagers into the Silver Iron Forest to hunt, he spoke with the same carefree demeanor:
"My wife already said it—don't give a damn who they are! These bastards have shown up at our doorstep. So what do we do now?"
Memories of the past were awakening!
The former village chief, leaning on his cane, slowly walked to the middle of the street. He was old and decrepit, his wrinkled face dark and withered, yet flushed with a reddish hue. His eyes were bloodshot as he shouted, "Fuck those foreign invaders! Master Dalong, this old man can still wield a blade!"
"Young man," he called out, "give me the sword on your back!"
The young man who was addressed grimaced, reluctantly drawing the sword from his back and handing it to the old village chief. "Village Chief," he pleaded, "this sword... my wife saved up for a long time to buy it for me. It's even a low-grade Spirit Weapon. You... you remember to return it to me, okay?"
"Look at you, so stingy!" the old man scoffed.
"Hahaha!"
he people of Green Valley Town laughed heartily, watching the young man and... the old village chief, who had thrown aside his cane and raised his long saber high. At this moment, the old village chief's legs were trembling, but his back was straighter than ever before. His gaze was resolute, as if he had rediscovered something he had lost.
"Master Dalong," the old village chief declared, "I truly can still wield a blade!"
The laughter in Green Valley Town abruptly ceased. They had been afraid when the Giant Rock Spirit Jade Tribe arrived, but now, their fear was gone!
The Li family had returned. The old and decrepit village chief of Green Valley Town raised his long saber high.
They, too...
Could fight!
Li Dalong took a deep breath, his memories also awakening.
He was, just like before, the hope of the entire village, the man who had led Green Valley Village forward, step by step!
He turned his head and looked into the distance.
The Giant Rock Spirit Jade Tribe numbered over a hundred thousand. Their oppressive aura was boundless, their power unmatched. At least, they were far stronger than the current Green Valley Town.
But...
"Then what are we waiting for?!"
As his words echoed, everyone in Green Valley Town burst into laughter and charged out of the small town, fearless!
---
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