175: Unwelcome guests from outside the mountains
Outside the mountains.
Many villages were built against the mountains.
These villages nestled against the great mountains, far from the border, and were originally the places least affected by the chaos of war.
But today, that tranquility was shattered.
Groups of people wearing various types of clothing appeared at the foot of the Taihang Mountains.
Most of them were idle Cultivators from other provinces and prefectures, commonly known as Loose Cultivators.
Hearing of the war in Yunzhou and that the government was widely inviting experts from across the world, they naturally came with joy.
After arriving, however, they discovered that their Dao techniques were shallow, and they didn't even qualify to enter the military camps.
Having traveled thousands of miles, most were unwilling to leave just like that.
Moreover, the more chaotic the world, the more Opportunity there is.
The most critical point was... Yunzhou is adjacent to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains!
It is said that the mountains are filled with Spirit Medicine, countless Opportunities, and rampant Yao Race; in the eyes of many Cultivators, it is a massive treasure trove.
Huangni Village, a small village located on the edge of the mountains.
In front of the newly built mountain god temple at the village entrance, it was a scene of chaos.
Dozens of villagers were herded together; regardless of age or gender, all wore expressions of terror and were trembling.
Standing before them were five or six Cultivators dressed in robes.
Each one had a sinister expression and greedy eyes, toying with various Sharp Weapons in their hands, while their bodies exuded a heart-palpitating Spiritual Pressure.
"Is this all the Spiritual Plant and silver money in your village?"
The leading One-Eyed Strongman kicked several tattered cloth bags on the ground, revealing a few roots of ginseng, some wild fruits, and a few blackened lumps of silver.
He wore a ferocious sneer on his face: "Are you trying to dismiss a beggar? The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains are filled with countless Spirit Medicine. You've been making a living in these mountains for so many years, and this is all the junk you've managed to gather?"
"Spare us, Immortal Masters!"
The village chief of Huangni Village knelt on the ground, kowtowing incessantly, his forehead already a bloody mess. "It is true there are treasures in the mountains, but those things are guarded by monsters; how could we possibly pick them?"
The One-Eyed Strongman snorted coldly, knowing that the old man before him spoke the truth.
His purpose... was not to rob any Spiritual Plant or treasures.
There was another reason.
When he first entered the village, he had only intended to rest for a moment, but who would have thought he would see a mountain god temple at the entrance.
Inside, it worshipped a Essence Spirit Prodigy, not an official deity appointed by the Fengxian Division.
At the time, there were many villagers in front of the temple, their expressions extremely devout, which... made him feel immense disgust.
The One-Eyed Strongman did not hate evil people, treacherous people, or Yao people; in his life, he only detested stupid people!
A filthy beast, what qualifications does it have to be a mountain god in people's hearts?
Therefore, the villagers kneeling to worship the mountain god immediately filled him with extreme disgust.
So much disgust that... it caused a thick sense of hostility to well up in his heart.
He needed to vent.
The One-Eyed Strongman scanned the crowd and his gaze landed on a young girl hiding behind her mother.
Although the girl was wearing coarse hemp clothing, she had the advantage of youth and was quite pretty.
"I don't think so."
A lewd glint flashed in the One-Eyed Strongman's eyes as he pointed at the girl: "That girl looks quite spirited. Take her away to serve as a Cauldron for the brothers; consider it your tribute."
"No! Don't!"
The girl's mother screamed in terror, clutching her daughter tightly. "I beg you, Immortal Masters, please let my daughter go; she is still so young!"
"Get lost!"
The One-Eyed Strongman impatiently flicked his sleeve, sending a flash of spiritual light that knocked the woman away. She slammed heavily into a millstone in the distance and passed out on the spot.
"Mother!" The girl let out a heart-rending cry.
Seeing this, the other Cultivators let out strange laughs and stepped forward to drag the girl away.
"You... you bunch of beasts!"
The village chief was grief-stricken and furious, trembling as he pointed to the mountain god temple nearby. "Lord Mountain God is watching! If you commit such evil, Lord Mountain God will not let you off!"
"Mountain God?"
These words happened to touch the One-Eyed Strongman's reverse scale. He seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world and threw his head back in laughter.
"Bullshit Mountain God!"
"It's just a mongrel beast from the mountains!"
"In this world, having the biggest fist is the hard truth. Today, I'm going to play right here and see if that so-called Mountain God of yours dares to come out!"
As he spoke, he kicked the village chief to the ground and walked toward the girl with a sinister smile.
Despair spread in the hearts of the villagers.
In this world where human life is as cheap as grass.
As Mortals, facing Cultivators who possessed extraordinary power, they had absolutely no ability to resist.
Their only sustenance, their only hope, was the deity rumored to be guarding the great mountains.
"Lord Mountain God... save us..."
"Lord Mountain God, manifest your presence..."
It was not just Huangni Village.
In many villages surrounding the great mountains, similar scenes were constantly playing out.
A large number of Loose Cultivators gathered in Yunzhou, and among them were many with vicious Heart-Nature, burning, killing, looting, and committing every evil.
At this moment, the cries and prayers of countless commoners gathered into an invisible torrent, surging toward the depths of the great mountains.
Inside the Demon Alliance, in the Bronze Grand Hall.
Xu Qing was immersed in the mysteries of Spirit Refining, with a pale golden light flowing around his body, resembling a deity.
Suddenly.
He slightly furrowed his brow, sensing something in his heart.
The mountain god seal, radiating divine light, trembled slightly, as if it, too, had sensed something.
Golden eyes lit up within the hall, and a fiery gaze was cast toward the distant Taihang Mountains.