Yellow Springs Mother Tree in the Night Village

That night, thick fog gathered between the mountains, obscuring the stars and moon, leaving only the vague outlines of two peaks visible.

The scent of cooking fires rose from Song Family Village as villagers who had been out returned in groups. The village filled with life and gradually became lively.

Only the ancestral hall remained, eerily silent, as if ghosts might appear at any moment.

Looking only at the exterior, that was indeed the case. But if one looked closely, it would take some consideration to determine who was human and who was a ghost!

Three figures emerged from the crowd, two tall and one short, two burly and one thin, heading towards the ancestral hall together.

Cheng Yong and Cheng He were among them. Like the third figure, they had shed their village clothes and donned black robes.

Disciples of the Yellow Springs Dao!

"That Bao Yi surnamed Xiang is quite well-behaved. I thought he'd stir up a lot of trouble, and I even prepared for it. I didn't expect him to be such a coward. With so many 'people' in the village, he didn't even dare show his face. We brothers had to invite him out for a meal."

Cheng Yong sneered, "He claims to have some skills, but he's all talk and no substance. I'd like to see how he deals with the Demonic Beings from the Southern Border!"

The thin, black-robed figure slowly said, "His arrival is timely. Whether it's a day earlier or later will affect the Senior Disciple's arrangements. Don't interfere later. No matter what skills he has, kill him directly."

"Senior Disciple, don't worry. We know. Senior Disciple is using the four hundred people of Song Family Village to raise a ghost god. We'll be able to benefit from it too." A flicker of envy flashed in Cheng Yong's eyes.

The Yellow Springs Dao had techniques for raising and controlling ghosts, but outer disciples like Cheng Yong could only learn the superficial aspects. They couldn't compare to the Senior Disciple, who came from the inner sect. Recruited by him, they stopped at Song Family Village instead of immediately leaving Fengxian County to explore the wider world.

Sharpening a knife is not as good as chopping wood. They came from the Yellow Springs Dao, one of the eight great demonic sects. Wherever they went, they would be driven out and hunted by the righteous sects. Rather than rushing into Western Chu, it was better to hone their skills at the doorstep of Western Chu.

Senior Disciple said that if he had meat to eat, his brothers would have soup to drink. When Senior Disciple obtained the ghost god, they could gain some resentment and yin energy, either integrating it into their cultivation techniques or raising their own ghosts. The benefits were plentiful, and everyone would get a share.

Cheng Yong knew that the 'Senior Disciple' they spoke of, Duan Wei, was not the true Senior Disciple of the inner sect. Calling him that was merely to curry favor with him.

There was a world of difference between the inner and outer sects. Duan Wei had received the True Inheritance of the Yellow Springs Dao, and his skills were far superior to theirs. It was rumored that he had even caught the eye of the Record Keeping Emissary, one of the six great emissaries. Once he refined the ghost god, he would be taken in as a disciple by the Record Keeping Emissary.

The Yellow Springs Dao, from top to bottom, worshipped the Yellow Springs Mother Tree. There was a Dao Master who presided over reincarnation and illuminated life and death, a Saintess who had reincarnated through many lifetimes, and eight powerful emissaries. In total, there were ten people, forming the highest echelon of the Yellow Springs Dao.

Among them, the eight emissaries were further divided. The Left and Right Dao Protecting Emissaries held transcendent status, their Spiritual Power unfathomable. They were the Dao Master's trusted aides, holding a higher position than the Soul Seizing, Life Claiming, Goodness Adding, Evil Punishing, Record Keeping, and Skill Transmitting Emissaries. They were almost on par with the Saintess.

These important figures were too distant. The outer disciples had never even seen their shadows. They only knew that Duan Wei was about to ascend to heaven, so calling him Senior Disciple was not disrespectful.

Therefore, as soon as Duan Wei invited them, those who sought to flatter him responded, gathering at Song Family Village. Under the cover of night, a hundred ghosts were summoned, and all four hundred inhabitants of the village were captured alive.

Tonight was the grand day for refining the ghost god, the most crucial event, allowing no room for oversight or carelessness.

That was why the black-robed figure said that it was neither good for the Bao Yi surnamed Xiang to arrive a day early or a day late. If he arrived early, the news would leak. If he arrived late, the news would also leak, attracting the Six Doors or self-proclaimed righteous martial artists. If they outnumbered them, they would not fare well.

The three walked to the ancestral hall. The thin, black-robed figure did not enter. Cheng Yong and Cheng He, the brothers, pushed open the ancestral hall doors one after the other. They heard the sound of meditation and breathing coming from a side room.

They don't even know death is upon them! x2

The brothers exchanged a glance. Cheng Yong boisterously called out, "Bao Yi Xiang, the village elders have prepared a feast for you. Hurry and come with us!"

Cheng He, taking advantage of his brother's loud voice, poked a hole in the oiled paper of the window and blew in poisonous smoke. He counted one, two, three, four, five, and heard dull thuds from inside the room as people collapsed.

It was done.

The two brothers smiled at each other. It was so easy, with no difficulty at all. As expected, he was just a young man who was all talk and no substance.

"Big Brother, he's even snoring."

"Hmph, when I was his age, I didn't sleep as soundly as him. Not a bit of caution, and he still dares to venture out."

The two pushed open the door and entered, only to see two points of residual starlight flashing, heading straight for their brows and faces.

Thump!

The brothers fell backward, each with a poisoned short arrow stuck in their brow. Their emotions were stable; they were already dead.

Like Cheng Yong, although his face was ashen and his eyes were wide open, clearly unwilling to die, he had, as he wished, obtained a quality sleep like a young man.

From the darkness, Xiang Yuan leaped out. Before the bodies of the two could be incinerated, he jumped out of the side room, grasped his long saber, and moved with the utmost speed towards the ancestral hall gate.

The original plan was not to use poison arrows but to defeat everyone with his saber. However, Wang Wenxu was right; plans never change faster than reality, and there was a slight flaw in the intelligence.

The numbers were wrong!

There were more than five Yellow Springs Dao disciples in Song Family Village. All of them were at the Acupoint Opening stage. If Xiang Yuan had acted according to the original plan, it would have been equivalent to delivering himself to his death thirty miles away.

Outside the ancestral hall gate, the black-robed figure heard two dull thuds and felt a sense of unease. He hid his right claw behind him, held his breath, and retreated two steps.

He had opened his ear and eye acupoints. The darkness of the night did not hinder his ability to see and hear in all directions. Seeing Xiang Yuan draw his saber and the faint fiery glow behind him indicating the imminent demise of his companions, his heart leaped in alarm, and he cursed the others as trash.

And this young Bao Yi, cautious and vigilant, had instantly killed two fellow disciples. He was clearly prepared.

The black-robed figure raised his five fingers, executing the 'Fierce Yin Wind,' the starting move for outer disciples of the Yellow Springs Dao. Halfway through the technique, he saw Xiang Yuan suddenly raise his hand, and a point of cold light shot towards him. He hurriedly changed his move, using his exquisite footwork to dodge.

His combat experience was not bad. In a moment of haste, he managed to twist his body and actually dodged it.

A near-death experience calls for a follow-up strike. Xiang Yuan, ever steady, had already made two preparations. The black-robed man's evasion was within his plans. The saber was drawn, and a roaring tiger seemed to ride the wind.

Seeing its ferocity, the black-robed man dared not confront it. He retreated repeatedly, opening his throat to shout.

The next second, the tiger's might dissipated, and he saw the most brilliant saber light of his life.

Heavenly Saber Style: Lone Star Chasing Moon.

The black-robed man clutched his neck, which was spewing blood, and let out gurgling sounds. His eyes dimmed, and he slowly collapsed to the ground.

Xiang Yuan wasted no words. He stepped forward and plunged his saber into the man's back.

With a bang, a fire ignited. The third Yellow Springs Dao disciple died.

Xiang Yuan's feet didn't stop. He had no time to retrieve the short arrows, nor the time to reapply poison and adjust the mechanisms in his sleeves. He took a black robe from his cloth bag and put it on, hid his saber on his back, and ran quickly towards the center of the village.

With his young height and build, pretending to be Cheng Yong or Cheng He would be seen through at a glance. Impersonating a relatively thin black robe was just right.

Thanks to the strict rules of the Yellow Springs Dao, disciples had a uniform when they went out.

"Ah!!"

A scream echoed through the night sky. Xiang Yuan clutched his chest and entered the dense fog. He simulated the footwork of the Yellow Springs Dao's cultivation techniques with the Formless Seal Method, borrowing the power of the yin wind to increase his speed.

In the village, dense fog swirled, and red light pulsed.

It was blurry and indistinct, like some sinister ghost slowly writhing, about to step out of the Yellow Springs and into the human world.

In the center, the four hundred villagers of Song Family Village were silently laid out on the ground. Their bodies were still, and though they breathed, their faces were pale, placed in the formation like sacrifices.

Four Yellow Springs Dao disciples, dressed in black robes, stood outside the formation, lighting red lanterns, their faces expressionless.

The formation was drawn with an unknown pigment, like fresh blood, containing yin energy. Under the enhancement of the red lanterns, talismans crisscrossed, and red light pulsed and flickered in the dense fog, forming a sphere like a chicken egg, or like the eye of a devil, pulling open a patchy bloody vein.

The bloody vein seemed to have a life of its own. After it took root, the giant eyeball disappeared, and a towering tree slowly grew.

Its roots were deeply planted beneath the Yellow Springs, its root system coiled, its branches and leaves swaying, covering the land. Its trunk was vigorous and covered with the marks of time, a spiritual root generated by heaven and earth, whose full appearance was rarely seen by the world.

The Yellow Springs Mother Tree!

A unique aura of the Yellow Springs spread out...

Although the great tree was illusory, merely a projection, its aura was distinct and its might terrifying. If unshielded, a bone-chilling cold could be sensed from afar.

Therefore, outside the formation, figures transformed into villagers. Old men played with their grandchildren, young couples were in love under the moonlight, and children chased each other playfully. Accompanied by the incense smoke from every household, it was a picture of a peaceful and happy little village.

Upon closer inspection, one would realize that their smiles were stiff, and their movements were like those of marionettes.

A hundred ghosts walking at night, disguised as humans to deceive the eyes!

"Ah!!"

A scream came from the direction of the ancestral hall. Soon, a stumbling figure ran over, clutching his chest. Yin wind accompanied him, and the ghosts ignored him.

His head covered and face hidden, who else could it be but Xiang Yuan.

"What's going on? Where are Cheng Yong and Cheng He?"

The four black robes protected their red lantern artifacts. One of them stepped out, blocking Xiang Yuan's path, and rebuked him, "Be careful. If you ruin the formation, you'll be held accountable."

"It's bad! That Bao Yi is so powerful, he cut Brother Cheng down with one strike..." Xiang Yuan replied tremblingly, his teeth chattering, his voice distorted with fear.

"Which sect is he from? What kind of saber technique?"

"I'll show you, it's just like this, one strike..."

Xiang Yuan suppressed his trembling voice, drew the long saber from his back, and looked up sharply, revealing a pair of ice-cold eyes.

The saber light flashed, shining silver-white, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. Its cold fangs bit into the neck of the black-robed man in front of him.

With a sidestep, the man's head flew into the air.

One dead, three stunned. The change happened too quickly.

Under the blood-red light, Xiang Yuan held his saber to his side, his figure leaping like a ghost, flickering in and out of existence with the yin wind and dense fog, heading straight for the second black robe's head.