223: An era without saints!? (Twenty-two)

An unnamed frontier village had now been reduced to a living hell on earth.

Severed limbs and broken arms were scattered in the snow, and hot blood melted the accumulated drifts.

At the village entrance, a slender figure was sent flying backward, slamming heavily against a ruined wall.

Boom.

The ruined wall collapsed, and dust rose everywhere.

Li Shuang struggled to stand up.

The spiritual sword in her hand had snapped into two pieces, her green daoist robe was tattered, and her skin was covered in claw marks deep enough to see the bone.

Facing this Earth Spirit Realm wolf yao before her, her resistance seemed so feeble.

Thump.

Thump.

Heavy footsteps rang out, and the ground trembled along with them.

“A Human Spirit King... the taste should be quite good.”

The wolf yao leader stuck out its barbed tongue and licked the blood from the corners of its mouth.

Behind it, dozens of Yao Race cavalrymen riding demon wolves were waving their weapons and letting out excited, strange cries.

Li Shuang looked behind her in despair.

There, hundreds of shivering Mortal elderly and children were huddled together. They were the last survivors of this village, and the ones she was desperately trying to protect.

“Run, quickly...”

Li Shuang's voice was weak as she tried to burn the last of her essence blood to launch a final, suicidal strike.

“Still want to resist?”

The wolf yao leader showed a look of impatience and gave a casual wave of its paw.

Bang!

A massive wolf claw instantly shattered the spiritual energy shield Li Shuang had just condensed, pinning her entire body to the frozen earth.

“Ah—!”

Li Shuang let out a cry of agony as her life force rapidly ebbed away.

The wolf yao leader didn't kill her directly; it enjoyed watching its prey die slowly in pain and despair.

It turned its head and looked fiercely at the group of Mortals.

“Boys, it's time to eat.”

The wolf yao leader waved its hand dismissively.

“Roar!”

The Yao Race cavalrymen in the rear instantly erupted in excitement.

Despair shrouded everyone.

The villagers collapsed to the ground; some closed their eyes to await death, while others held their children and wept bitterly.

“Don't... don't you dare hurt Sister!”

A childish, angry roar rang out abruptly from the front of the crowd.

The wolf yao leader froze for a moment, seemingly not expecting anyone to dare speak up at such a time.

It looked down.

It saw a Mortal boy, only seven or eight years old, dressed in rags and covered in filth, standing at the very front of the crowd.

The boy's legs were trembling violently, his teeth were chattering, and his face was covered in tears and snot.

But in his small, dirty hands, he gripped a wood-chopping knife tightly.

The entire scene froze.

Then, the Yao Race cavalrymen burst into ear-piercing, mocking laughter.

“Hahahaha! What am I seeing? A little ant?”

“What is he holding? A fire poker?”

The wolf yao leader was also amused. It leaned down, its massive head approaching the boy; the foul stench it exhaled nearly suffocated him.

“Little thing, aren't you afraid of death?”

The boy was scared to death.

His heart was racing wildly, and fear made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

But he glanced back at Li Shuang lying in a pool of blood, then at the even younger brothers and sisters behind him.

He did not retreat.

“Get away!”

The boy closed his eyes and used all his strength to swing the wood-chopping knife at the wolf's claw.

Clink.

A crisp sound rang out.

The wood-chopping knife snapped.

“Boring.”

The wolf yao leader stopped playing, its eyes turning cold.

“Since you want to die, I will eat you first. Such tender skin and meat will make a fine snack.”

It raised its giant claw and swiped mercilessly at the boy's head.

The shadow of death loomed over him.

Li Shuang struggled desperately but could not get up.

However.

The expected sound of bones shattering did not ring out.

The wind stopped.

The snow ceased.

Even the wolf yao's descending sharp claws hovered three inches above the boy's head, unable to advance even a fraction further.

A calm and indifferent voice suddenly rang out in the area.

“Good courage.”

The voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every living being present.

Then, space distorted slightly.

Two figures appeared out of thin air in front of the boy.

The leader was dressed in white, with a handsome face and an extraordinary temperament.

Behind him stood a burly man of massive build carrying a broken sword on his back.

It was Gu Yun and Gu Zhan.

Gu Yun looked down at the boy who was trembling all over while clutching his broken knife, yet hadn't retreated a single step.

A trace of daze flashed through those pure eyes.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

This scene was so similar to the little Quan Yun in his deep memories, who had thrown punches ten million times in that dilapidated courtyard to protect Sister Yu.

“You have done well.”

Gu Yun spoke softly.

Then, he slowly raised his head, his gaze falling upon the massive wolf yao in front of him.

His gaze instantly turned ice-cold.

Buzz!

The invisible Heart Sword erupted instantly.

Puchi.

That overbearing wolf yao leader, who possessed an Earth Spirit Realm cultivation base, didn't even have time to let out a scream.

It instantly exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

Blood fell like rain, dyeing the snow in front of Gu Yun red, yet it miraculously avoided the boy, not staining him in the slightest.

The wolf yao leader's Divine Soul was completely annihilated.

The dozens of Yao Race cavalrymen in the rear who were preparing to charge pulled hard on the reins of their demon wolves, their eyes wide with sheer terror.

That was an Earth Spirit Great Yao!

A hegemon who acted without restraint in this area had actually exploded just because someone looked at it?

“A... a Human Race expert!”

“Run!”

Fear destroyed the Yao Race's Battle Intent; they screamed, turned their wolves around, and fled in all directions.

Looking at the scattering yao group, Gu Yun remained expressionless.

“Since you've all come... why leave.”

He stood with his hands behind his back, his mind moving slightly.

Thousands of invisible Sword Intent ripples spread out from him like waves on water.

Puff puff puff puff!

A series of dull explosion sounds rang out.

No matter how far those fleeing Yao Race members ran, their bodies were pierced, cut, and crushed by invisible Sword Qi in the same instant.

In just a single breath.

The entire Yao Race cavalry squad that had been ravaging the village was wiped out.

“We're... we're saved?”

“Is that an immortal?”

The villagers watched this scene in a daze until they confirmed those demons were truly dead, and only then did they erupt into cries of relief after the disaster.

The Mortal boy looked up at Gu Yun in even more of a daze, his eyes filled with worship.

Not far away.

Li Shuang forced her heavily injured body to stagger forward.

She was also a Sword Cultivator, so she understood better than anyone what had happened in that instant.

That was a Realm of the Dao of the Sword that she didn't even dare to imagine in her dreams.

Swords born from the mind, cutting through all things.

Thud.

Li Shuang knelt in the snow and kowtowed heavily to Gu Yun, her voice trembling:

“Flowing Cloud Sect Disciple Li Shuang, on behalf of all the villagers, kowtows to thank Senior for saving our lives!”

Gu Yun turned around, his expression calm.

Gu Zhan stepped forward, standing beside Gu Yun like an iron tower, his aura intimidating.

Gu Yun looked at the devastated village and the emaciated, poorly clothed villagers, frowning slightly.

“Although this place is remote, it still belongs to Human Race territory.”

Gu Yun spoke indifferently, his voice cool.

“Why does the Yao Race dare to be so unscrupulous, keeping Mortals like livestock?”

In his perception, there were no powerful Human Race forces guarding this area; the Mortals were like abandoned orphans.

Hearing this, Li Shuang gave a bitter smile, her expression sorrowful.

“Senior might not know.”

“This area has long been occupied by a Yao Race force called the ‘Blood Wolf Tribe’.”

“Here, Mortals are no longer subjects, but ‘Two-legged sheep’. Living sacrifices and being used as blood food occur frequently.”

“The nearby Sects can barely protect themselves. To survive, they have to regularly offer Mortals as tribute to the Yao Race.”

Li Shuang bit her lip, tears in her eyes.

“The Flowing Cloud Sect I belonged to was wiped out half a month ago because we refused to offer tribute...”

Speaking to this point, she was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Gu Yun's eyelids lowered slightly, a flash of killing intent in his eyes.

Offering Mortals as tribute.

What a world where humans are worth less than dogs.

“If the Sects are powerless, then what about the Divine Dynasties?”

Gu Yun pressed, his tone becoming a bit heavier.

“Where is the Divine Dynasty army of the Northern Plains? Why haven't they sent troops to suppress this, instead of allowing the people to become blood food?”

In his understanding, based on the memories of Jun Yun's previous life, although the Northern Plains saw much warfare, its combat power was second in the Five Domains. The various Divine Dynasties had deep foundations and enjoyed the Luck provided by Mortal offerings; they naturally had the responsibility to guard the land and pacify the people.

Hearing this, Li Shuang shook her head, a trace of desperate irony appearing on her face.

“Young Master... you must have been in seclusion for a long time, right?”

“The current Northern Plains has long since turned into a chaotic mess.”

“The Withered Minor Age has arrived. The various Divine Dynasties have already fought themselves into a frenzy over limited Spiritual Vein resources, even engaging in internal strife. Facing the large-scale Yao Race invasion, the defenses of many Divine Dynasties have already collapsed, and they only care about shrinking their forces to protect the imperial capitals and core major cities.”

“How could they still care about the lives of Mortals in these frontier lands?”

“Here, human life is cheaper than grass.”

Gu Yun fell silent.

This was the “Flesh and blood mill” the Ancient Ancestor spoke of.

This was the cruel truth of the Dharma-Ending Age.

Rules had broken down, order had vanished, and the law of the jungle was being played out to the extreme.

Suddenly.

Li Shuang's tone shifted, and a glimmer of hope actually appeared in her dark eyes.

She looked toward a direction in the north where the wind and snow were even heavier, yet it seemed to hold some kind of faith.

Her tone became respectful and full of longing.

“If one were to say there is still any pure land for the Human Race in the Northern Plains, it would probably only be the ‘Great You Divine Dynasty’.”

Great You Divine Dynasty.

Hearing these four words, Gu Yun's calm face showed a slight ripple.

“Great You...”