315: Chapter 313 Two Choices

Yun Ming made his move.

He drifted down from the tree, silent and soundless, like a leaf blown down by the wind.

The Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record was running continuously, completely concealing his aura, so not a single one of the Yao cultivators noticed him.

He landed among the crowd of Yao cultivators, and the cicada wing sword flew silently out of the map of mountains and rivers, its transparent sword light flashing in the twilight.

It was not just one flash of sword light, but hundreds.

Every flash of sword light precisely slashed across the neck of a Yao cultivator. The sword light was too fast—so fast that the bodies of those Yao cultivators had not even reacted.

Heads flew, blood spurted, and the corpses, still maintaining their lunging postures, rushed forward a few steps before crashing to the ground.

Hundreds of Yao cultivators lost their lives in the exact same instant.

There were no screams, no struggles, and not even a single Yao cultivator realized what had happened.

That Yao cultivator at the Late Golden Core Stage was the last to die.

Its head had already flown into the air, its eyes still wide open and its mouth agape, as if it still didn't understand why its field of vision had suddenly risen.

Its Golden Core flew out of its Dantian, attempting to flee.

Yun Ming reached out and grabbed at the air. The Golden Core stopped three inches away from his palm, trembling violently, but unable to fly away no matter how hard it tried. He glanced at the Golden Core—it was turbid, greyish-dead, and carried a thick Demonic Qi.

Clenching his five fingers, the Golden Core shattered, dispersing into Spiritual Qi.

The mountain valley fell silent.

The Demonic Qi dispersed, and the smell of blood permeated the air.

The people in the temple stared blankly at this scene. Some had their mouths agape, some stared with wide eyes, and others slumped on the ground, trembling all over.

No one spoke; no one dared to speak.

They hadn't even clearly seen what had happened. They only saw a blur of light flash by, and then all those Yao cultivators were dead.

Ah Yuan raised her head and saw the figure in the sky.

A moon-white robe, long hair tied up, and a youthful face. She recognized that person. She had waited ten years for him. Tears welled up in her eyes; her body went limp, the xuanming heaven-covering umbrella slipped from her hand to the ground, and she collapsed toward the earth.

Before her consciousness plunged into darkness, her lips parted slightly, uttering an extremely soft whisper. "Master..."

Yun Ming descended from the sky, stepping to Ah Yuan's side in an instant, and caught her just as she was about to fall to the ground.

He squatted down and let her lean against his chest.

Ah Yuan's face was as pale as paper, her lips purple, her eyes deeply sunken, and wrinkles had already begun to creep into the corners of her eyes.

Her spiritual energy was completely depleted, and she had burned a significant portion of her Lifespan. Her body was like an oil lamp on the verge of burning out.

Yun Ming retrieved a Jade Marrow Soul-Returning Pill from the map of mountains and rivers, pinched Ah Yuan's mouth open, and popped it inside.

Once the Medicinal Pill entered her stomach, Ah Yuan's complexion improved slightly, but she remained pale.

Her injuries were too severe, and her Foundation was damaged. She would need a long period of recuperation to recover.

Yun Ming picked up the xuanming heaven-covering umbrella that had fallen to the ground. The eerie light on the canopy was still flickering unsteadily, and it was covered in cracks. He injected his spiritual energy, forcibly suppressing the violent power accumulated within the umbrella.

The eerie light gradually faded, the cracks slowly healed, and the canopy returned to tranquility.

The rank of this umbrella was too high, and Ah Yuan's cultivation level was too low, making it impossible for her to unleash its true power. Otherwise, with the defensive strength of this umbrella, even if that Yao cultivator at the Late Golden Core Stage attacked for three days and three nights, they wouldn't have been able to breach it.

Yun Ming stored the xuanming heaven-covering umbrella into the map of mountains and rivers, then gently picked Ah Yuan up. With a thought, the map of mountains and rivers unfolded, and Yun Ming sent Ah Yuan inside.

In the area at the edge of the world inside the map, the people had already settled down.

The Sect Head had led the Disciples to build several rows of wooden cabins by the river. Some were farming, some were meditating, and some were mending clothes.

"Take good care of her," Yun Ming said. The Sect Head knelt outside the door, nodding repeatedly. "Rest assured, Senior. This Junior will definitely take good care of this young lady."

Yun Ming nodded and put away the scroll. He turned around, preparing to leave.

A voice came from behind him. "Immortal! We beg the Immortal to save us!"

Yun Ming stopped in his tracks, not looking back. More and more voices joined in—men and women, young and old, some crying, some shouting, and some kneeling on the ground, kowtowing.

"Immortal, you can't leave! What will we do if you leave?!"

"There are still Yao outside, we can't get out!"

"Merciful Immortal, please take us with you!"

"Immortals are supposed to protect Mortals! It's only natural!"

The last voice was particularly grating, and Yun Ming recognized it as the boy's. Ning Yuanzhou did not stop him, nor did he speak up to defend him. He merely stood at the temple entrance, staring at Yun Ming with hesitation, struggle, and an imperceptible trace of calculation in his eyes.

Yun Ming turned around and looked at them. His gaze swept over the people kneeling on the ground, over the weeping faces, and over the terrified eyes. His expression remained unchanged, his eyes calm. He looked at Ning Yuanzhou. Ning Yuanzhou felt a bit unnerved by his gaze, but he gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and fell to his knees with a thud.

"Master." His voice was very loud, and everyone in the temple heard it, falling silent. Ning Yuanzhou raised his head to look at Yun Ming, tears welling up in his eyes. "Master, you've finally returned. I have been waiting for you."

Yun Ming looked at him expressionlessly. "Where is your sister?"

Ning Yuanzhou's tears finally spilled over, his voice choking up. "Wanqing... she died at the hands of the Yao. Those beasts rushed into Linan City, killing everyone in sight. To protect Mother, Wanqing was..." He didn't continue, burying his face in his hands, his shoulders trembling. His wife also began to weep, clutching their child as she shrank into a corner.

Yun Ming fell silent for a moment. His impression of Ning Wanqing wasn't bad. Although that girl came from a wealthy background, she didn't possess the slightest hint of arrogance; she was gentle to others and kind-hearted. He hadn't expected her to die at the hands of the Yao.

Ning Yuanzhou wiped away his tears, raised his head to look at Yun Ming, and spoke with a calculated sincerity in his voice. "Master, by killing those Yao, you have avenged Wanqing. I, Ning Yuanzhou, will never forget this immense kindness. I will serve you like an ox or a horse in this life, and I will do the same in the next. Please, take us with you."

Yun Ming looked at him for a long time. Then he sighed, a long sigh that seemed to slowly exhale from deep within. For Ah Yuan's sake, and for Ning Wanqing's sake, he wouldn't kill Ning Yuanzhou. But saving him? Impossible.

He let out a sigh—it was very soft, but Ning Yuanzhou heard it.

Ning Yuanzhou snapped his head up, a flash of wild joy crossing his eyes. He thought Yun Ming's sigh was out of sympathy for him, and that Yun Ming was going to save him. He crawled forward on his knees a few steps, his voice carrying an irrepressible excitement.

"Master, by killing those Yao, you have avenged Wanqing. I, Ning Yuanzhou, will never forget this immense kindness. I will serve you like an ox or a horse in this life, and I will do the same in the next. Please, take us with you." His wife also began to kowtow, and even the boy's head was pressed down to kowtow a few times.

He only watched Ning Yuanzhou in silence, observing the calculation hidden beneath that tear-stained face.

The commoners also assumed Yun Ming was going to take Ning Yuanzhou away, and they all began to beg Yun Ming to take them along as well, showering him with all kinds of praise and flattery, practically lauding him to the heavens.

A few people even egged Ning Yuanzhou on to say some good words so that they could be taken along together.

Seeing that Yun Ming remained silent, Ning Yuanzhou assumed he was still hesitating. Subconsciously wanting to maintain his own image, he quickly added another sentence.

"Master, why don't you bring these commoners along as well? Saving so many people is also a form of Karma, which will benefit your cultivation."

Hearing this, the commoners in the temple nodded one after another, praising Ning Yuanzhou.

"Lord Ning is truly a benevolent official, still thinking of us even on the brink of death!"

"Lord Ning loves the people like his own children. Heaven will surely bless you!"

"Lord Ning is truly worthy of this Karma!"

Ning Yuanzhou kept his head lowered, his lips twitching slightly.

Yun Ming caught his subtle movement and sneered inwardly.

"Very well," Yun Ming said. Ning Yuanzhou snapped his head up, a flash of wild joy crossing his eyes. His wife also stopped crying, straightening up while holding their child.

"There isn't much space left in the map of mountains and rivers." Yun Ming extended a finger. "Your family, or these commoners—it's a choice of one or the other. Whomever you choose, I will take away. Lord Ning, make your choice."