Emergence (Bonus Chapter for Mu Xingchen's 10,000 Reward)

No matter how grief-stricken and hostile the people of South Village were, Xiang Yang walked slowly toward its entrance. Two hot-blooded youths, indignant on Xiang Yang's behalf, wanted to make a move, but the elders beside them gripped them tightly, leaving them unable to budge.

The patriarchs of both clans were dead. Min Hengsha, regarded as South Village's hope and bearing the endless expectations of both clans, had also been killed by Xiang Yang. If the remaining people of South Village insisted on opposing Xiang Yang, only death awaited them.

Besides, before Zhuang Wei died, he had pleaded with Xiang Yang and admitted his fault despite his head of white hair. To betray such a sacrifice would truly be a sin that could not be redeemed even by dying a hundred times.

Of the more than twenty people, some had died and some had been knocked unconscious. Eighteen remained, scattered to either side and leaving the center open for Xiang Yang to pass through. Yet every one of them was deeply unwilling and held a fire in their hearts. One day, they would wash away this humiliation.

Within South Village, the atmosphere was equally tense, as if every rustle of wind and cry of crane heralded danger. Men, women, young, and old emerged from their homes, glaring hatefully as Xiang Yang passed their doorsteps. Most were merely strong-bodied commoners or people who had only roughly learned the Livestock Slaughter Blade Technique; they posed even less danger to Xiang Yang.

Following the route Min Ling had once led him along, he drew ever closer to the Dead Forest Stone Pool. A call that resonated with his heart grew increasingly intense, carrying even a sense of impatient urgency. It was Que Xie.

The hollow, cold, and silent withered forest was still choked