35: Chapter 35 Golden Light and Shadow

Following the Old Helmsman, the rest of the villagers also turned their gaze toward the nearby temple, their eyes filled with devotion.

"Thanks to Lord Qinling."

"Thank you for your protection, Lord Qinling."

"With Lord Qinling here, Qin Family Village will surely be safe."

Above the temple, Qin Ling was gazing in this direction.

Sensing an unusually large number of Cone Snails coming in with the tide this time, he had specifically sent the Clam Spirit to assist Qin Yin and Qin Mo.

As for himself, he would naturally only act if a demon with a higher cultivation than the Clam Spirit appeared.

Qin Ling looked out at the sea beneath the dim, distant sky.

With the number of Cone Snails arriving with each tide increasing, he knew there had to be a reason behind it.

Most likely, that Little Li Dragon was getting closer and closer to the coastline.

A battle with the Little Li Dragon seemed unavoidable.

Qin Ling returned to the shrine and closed his eyes.

Inside the shrine was his true body, while his divided spirit patrolled around Qin Family Village.

...

Over the past few days, Zhou Family Village finally showed some signs of life.

After Zhou Ping returned alone from Qin Family Village, he and Zhou Hu hit it off immediately.

Relying on the three and a half baskets of catch brought back from the sea under Lord Qinling's protection, the two summoned back some of the Zhou Family Village villagers who had fled as refugees.

Nowadays, in most coastal villages, fishing boats went out to sea and never returned, leaving no surplus food in other villages either.

These villagers of Zhou Family Village who had fled were already desperately homesick, so hearing that there was food in the village, they naturally all returned.

But just as Zhou Family Village was improving through the efforts of Zhou Ping and Zhou Hu, the ebbing tide brought uninvited guests.

While mending fishing nets at the Zhou Family Village pier, Zhou Hu suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the beach.

He looked up toward the seashore.

On the beach exposed by the low tide, many dark purple things had appeared.

With a single glance, Zhou Hu dropped the net in his hand onto the ground.

"Cone Snails..."

His voice trembled with terror.

"How did these things end up here?"

Zhou Hu's eyes were filled with horror.

Previously at sea, he had seen that boatload of scythe-like tentacles and pale eyeballs.

Those monsters that had almost dragged their entire crew into the ocean!

If Qin Family Village's fishing boat hadn't passed by that time, carrying the idol of Lord Qinling for protection, he and his crew would have likely died long ago on the East Sea.

And now, they were back.

And swarming toward Zhou Family Village.

"Everyone! Into the village! Run inside!"

Zhou Ping shouted at the top of his lungs.

He yelled at the villagers still near the shore, and they began running toward the village.

Hearing the commotion, Zhou Ping grabbed a pitchfork from his house and rushed out. Calling upon all the men in the village, he shielded the elderly, women, and children as they ran toward the west.

"Zhou Hu, catch!"

Zhou Ping tossed a spare fish spear to Zhou Hu.

Zhou Hu caught the fish spear and nodded forcefully.

In the past, the village chief Zhou Ping and the village bully Zhou Hu had never gotten along in Zhou Family Village.

But ever since they had reached an understanding in the house last time, a tacit harmony had grown between them.

Fish spear in hand, Zhou Hu held off a charging Cone Snail.

Meanwhile, Zhou Ping protected an elderly woman who had fallen, pushing her toward the back.

"Hurry, go! Go!"

They ran past the fish-drying ground and past an old house that had half-collapsed.

Further ahead was a small hill outside the village; once up the hill, perhaps those things wouldn't easily catch up to them.

But right then, Zhou Ping at the front of the group saw four or five Cone Snails already waiting at the foot of the hill.

They were already Rank 1 demons, moving swiftly.

Scythe-like tentacles brandished in the air, their pale eyeballs all staring fixedly at them.

Zhou Ping's heart sank.

"Run back!"

They turned around.

On the path behind them, four or five Cone Snails stood as well.

Tentacles flailed and pale eyes stared as they advanced step by step.

Zhou Ping stood rooted to the spot, his face pale as death.

He looked at the trembling elderly, women, and children behind him, at the men holding fish spears, and at Zhou Hu's sweat-drenched face.

There was no way out.

Zhou Hu gripped his fish spear tightly and took a step forward.

"We fight to the death."

His voice trembled, yet his tone was unflinchingly resolute.

"Kill as many as we can."

The other men stepped forward as well, shielding the vulnerable behind them.

The Cone Snails drew closer and closer.

The whooshing sound of swinging tentacles was already right by their ears.

Zhou Ping gritted his teeth and gripped his fish spear tighter.

And then—

"Buzz—"

A streak of golden light swept across the horizon.

It moved so fast the villagers couldn't even make out what it was.

They only saw a flash of golden light swooping down from the azure sky.

Wherever the golden light passed, those Cone Snails froze one after another.

Their scythe-like tentacles halted mid-air.

Their pale eyes lost their luster.

Their shells were sliced cleanly in two, black fluid splashing all over the ground.

"Thud, thud, thud, thud—"

Over a dozen Cone Snails collapsed to the ground simultaneously at that very instant.

Zhou Ping stood dazed on the spot, staring at the fallen demons, his mind a complete blank.

Behind him, the trembling elderly, women, and children, as well as the men who had been ready to fight with their fish spears, were all struck dumb.

What had just happened?

Who was it?

What was that?

Zhou Hu stood there, slowly raising his head.

He saw the golden silhouette in the air that was slowly dissipating.

His hands began to tremble.

Not out of fear.

But because he recognized it!

That golden light—he had seen it out at sea!

That time at sea, he had thought he was going to die on the ship.

It was just such a golden light that had swept past and slain those Cone Snail Demons.

That was Lord Qinling!

The deity of Qin Family Village!

With a thud, Zhou Hu fell to his knees.

Zhou Ping was a breath slower, but he fell to his knees as well.

He recognized this golden light too.

In Qin Family Village, on that rainy night when the Cone Snails had come ashore, he had seen just such a streak of golden light shoot from Lord Qinling's temple toward the shore.

And after that, the villagers of Qin Family Village had remained safe and sound.

He remembered this golden miracle!

"It's Lord Qinling."

His voice trembled with excitement, yet the nearby villagers of Zhou Family Village heard him loud and clear.

"It's Lord Qinling of Qin Family Village! He saved us! Lord Qinling is the deity of Qin Family Village, a deity who protects humanity!"

Seeing Zhou Ping and Zhou Hu kneel one after another, the stunned villagers of Zhou Family Village finally snapped back to reality.

One, two, ten...

Every single villager of Zhou Family Village dropped to their knees in unison.

Old people knelt on the ground, pressing their foreheads into the soil.

Women held their children, tears pooling in their eyes.

The men holding fish spears laid them on the ground and knelt down.

They raised their heads, gazing at the golden silhouette slowly dissipating in the sky.

Zhou Hu knelt on the ground, his throat bobbing.

Without saying a single word, he simply kowtowed heavily.

His forehead touched the dirt—once, twice, three times.

Behind him, everyone followed suit and kowtowed.

Zhou Ping looked up at that golden silhouette, knowing his choice had not been wrong.

Lord Qinling had protected the villagers of Zhou Family Village too!