Cruelty

The Water Origin Turtle opened its mouth, revealing two rows of sharp teeth. No one doubted that those teeth could easily bite through the iron chains.

But the Water Origin Turtle didn't do that. Instead, it opened its mouth and sucked in a breath.

In an instant, the water vapor between heaven and earth surged around it. A massive water dragon violently rose from the White Wave River and charged straight toward the Chain Bridge.

BOOM!

With a deafening crash, nearly all the planks in the middle of the Chain Bridge were swept away. The packed crowd on top of them was swept away too. They screamed as they plunged uncontrollably into the river.

Just then, shadow after shadow appeared in the water. The smallest were about half a meter long, while the largest were two or three meters.

Those shadows were packed together, and every one of them was a Water Origin Turtle.

Seeing the people fall right in front of them, they eagerly rushed forward.

Before long, the river's surface had turned red with blood.

The people left on the bridge, along with the lucky ones who had made it to shore, stared at the scene in a daze.

At last, those still on the bridge were the first to react. They scrambled toward shore, throwing away nearly all their belongings to save their lives, keeping only the Spirit Stones tucked close to their chests.

Yu Dashan even saw someone shove the companion in front of him off the bridge just to escape.

After destroying one section of the bridge, the Water Origin Turtle made no further attack. It simply watched quietly as its descendants fed.

It didn't even seem to regard the Qi Refining Realm cultivators on the bank as a threat.

To it, everything that had happened seemed no more than a casual gesture.

Humans hunted Demonic Beasts, and Demonic Beasts did the same to humans.

At its core, it was simply the law of the jungle.

And the cruelty of this world extended far beyond this tiny corner.

As for the Qi Refining Realm cultivator responsible for guarding Ox Ridge Settlement, he hadn't acted from beginning to end. He hadn't even changed his posture, simply watching the tragedy unfold.

Only when the river fell silent did the Qi Refining Realm Water Origin Turtle lazily sink beneath the surface. Before disappearing, it even gave the Qi Refining Realm cultivator on the bank a "provocative" glance.

Once all the Water Origin Turtles had vanished, sobbing gradually rose from the survivors on both banks.

That Water Origin Turtle's attack, combined with the crush of the crowd, had sent seventy or eighty people into the river—nearly a tenth of the group.

More importantly, most of them had been able-bodied adults.

For Ox Ridge Settlement, which was already sparsely populated, this was a devastating blow.

Some families had all fallen into the river together; others had been lucky enough to escape with one or two survivors.

The crying on the bank now mostly came from those who had lost loved ones.

But more people were quietly turning their eyes toward the Qi Refining Realm cultivator, as though blaming him for not stepping in.

He clearly noticed their stares. His brow furrowed, and he swung out a blast of force much like a blade aura, cleaving someone hiding in the crowd in two.

Blood sprayed everywhere. At the same time, it was like a basin of cold water poured over everyone's rising anger, leaving only fear behind.

The man who had just been killed had been somewhat well-known in Ox Ridge Settlement. He had reached Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment.

Yet even someone at Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment had been utterly powerless against a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, despite standing more than ten meters away.

Everyone clearly understood the difference between the Qi Refining Realm cultivator before them and ordinary people like themselves.

After killing the man, he flashed away and returned to the carriage.

Then a middle-aged man standing beside the carriage stepped forward and called out, "Sun Hai deliberately pushed someone into the river to save himself. He deserved to die!"

Sun Hai was the one who had just been cleaved in two, the man at Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment.

He was also the man Yu Dashan had seen earlier, shoving the companion in front of him off the bridge as he fled.

Clearly, Yu Dashan wasn't the only one who had seen it. So no one spoke up for Sun Hai.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man continued, "That Water Origin Turtle just now was already equivalent to the middle stage of Qi Refining Realm. In the White Wave River, even a late-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator would have struggled to kill it.

"And the reason our lord didn't act was that he feared that if he fought it and enraged it, fewer than half of you would survive.

"The Chain Bridge would certainly have been destroyed as well. If this route were cut off, would the people on the other bank still be able to come over? When you return to the settlement next year, do you want to swim back?

"Besides, do you really think that Water Origin Turtle would have let you go so easily if our lord hadn't been there to keep it in check?

"And you think you have any right to resent our lord for standing by while people died?

"Fools!"

"Please forgive us, my lord. We never thought such a thing. To thank you for saving our lives, the Zhou Family is willing to offer five hundred Spirit Stones."

An old man whose clothes clearly set him apart from the people around him stepped out of the crowd and bowed respectfully toward the carriage.

He was the Zhou Family Head of the Insect Hunter Team.

He was also the uncle of the Zhou Family's Qi Refining Realm cultivator, who was practicing in the Blessed Land.

But unless some special need arose—such as being assigned by the Blessed Land to oversee a settlement—the other cultivators would remain in the Blessed Land.

The Blessed Land offered a far better cultivation environment and far more resources than any settlement could.

Once they reached Qi Refining Realm, their main task was cultivation. The family's everyday affairs were usually handled by the family head.

"Zhou Family Head, you're too kind. Guarding the settlement is simply my lord's duty."

The middle-aged man who had spoken earlier nodded slightly.

Then the other small families with some influence, each with a Qi Refining Realm cultivator supporting them openly or behind the scenes, also "expressed" their gratitude.

They had been at the front of the group and had crossed the bridge early, so they hadn't suffered any losses in the attack.

But ordinary people like Zhao Kun and Yu Dashan didn't even get the chance to step forward and offer their thanks.

Although the man had explained why their lord hadn't intervened, and no one seemed to object anymore, only they knew what they truly thought.

The weak were so powerless that even their anger was useless.

Even a single look could bring death upon them.

Afterward, under the man's direction, they dismantled the planks along the undamaged edges and laid them down again to form a narrow bridge, allowing those who had reached the other bank, along with those who hadn't yet crossed, to make their way over.

After what had just happened, those crossing the bridge again were trembling with fear, yet they didn't dare stop for even a moment. They hurried across at nearly a run.

As for relaying planks across the entire Chain Bridge, that would have to wait until next year.

Otherwise, even if the Water Origin Turtle hadn't destroyed the planks just now, they wouldn't have survived the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster.

Once everyone had crossed and regrouped, they continued toward the Blessed Land.

But the atmosphere was no longer what it had been.

Even Zhao Jiadong, among Zhao Kun's group, walked with his head down.

What had happened earlier had clearly shaken him badly.

Unlike him, Zhao Cuilian hoisted her luggage onto her back again and did her best not to fall behind.

Tiezhu's Wife held the hands of her two children, her face filled with relief.

If she and her children hadn't been traveling with the three brothers of the Yu Family, they wouldn't have had the chance to join the middle of the group.

Then they might have been among those swept into the river.

But the ones most shaken by what had happened were undoubtedly the three brothers of the Yu Family.

Because they were different!