Gale Breath Severing Slash

The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the earth in a crimson glow. In the fading light, Stone Village remained a place of peace and tranquility.

Stone Village was situated on the outskirts of the mountain range, far from the densest concentrations of ferocious beasts, which kept it relatively safe.

"Ha... ha... ha..." Bai Yixin found himself in an awkward position, unsure if he was the one being babysat or if he was the one babysitting.

"Sigh~" Bai Yixin listened to the chattering of the small children around him and let out a helpless sigh.

Although Bai Yixin considered himself young at heart, he truly couldn't integrate into this group of brats, and the adults were busy processing the day's hunt, having no need for his help.

If not for waiting for Little One and the others to return, Bai Yixin would have long since run into the mountains to grind his proficiency; he wouldn't be here playing these mindless games with these little kids.

Suddenly, a long cry echoed from the distant forest.

"An eagle's cry? Finally, I thought I'd misremembered." Bai Yixin's eyes lit up. He stopped circulating his internal energy and turned to the scrawny child beside him, who looked like a mountain monkey when he grinned.

"Pi Hou, go notify the Clan Elder quickly. Little One and the others are back, but it seems something has happened—the Green-Scaled Eagle's cry sounds weak and listless."

"Ah? Oh, alright." Pi Hou blinked, looked at Bai Yixin as he began walking toward the village entrance, and nodded. "What about you, Little Bai?"

"I'll go ahead and take a look. You make sure the Clan Elder and the others come quickly." Bai Yixin sped away, his voice trailing off into the dust, growing fainter by the second.

"Little Bai, be careful!" The other children couldn't keep up with his pace and could only watch as he vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye, shouting after him in a panic.

On the other side, Little One and the Green-Scaled Eagle, having played the role of the fisherman reaping the benefits, were returning in triumph with the Suanni Precious Body, the Demon Ape's arm, and the broken horn of the Li Fire Demon Ox.

However, the struggle for the spoils had not been without cost. During a recent battle, the Green-Scaled Eagle had been bitten by a Purple Gold Snake. Although it had decisively torn away a large chunk of flesh, it had failed to completely stop the spread of the toxin.

Eventually, the poison took its toll; the eagle grew weak and exhausted, leading to a crash landing.

"Auntie, are you alright?" Little Shi Hao scrambled up quickly and ran toward the Green-Scaled Eagle.

The eagle's condition was dire. The blood oozing from its wound was as black as ink and emitted a foul, fishy stench. It was completely drained of strength and unable to stand.

The Green-Scaled Eagle let out a long, high-pitched cry toward the sky, piercing and sharp, yet clearly lacking in vigor.

"Hold on, Auntie. The Clan Elder and the others will be here soon."

The sky gradually darkened, and the forest began to feel increasingly eerie and terrifying.

Suddenly, the hair on Little One's body stood on end. He dodged to the side just as a cold iron arrow whistled past his throat, slamming into the rock behind him with a metallic clang.

Shadows flickered all around. Over twenty people emerged, each wielding a heavy bow, their iron arrows aimed directly at him.

Little One was furious. He glared at them with wide eyes and shouted, "Last time, our Stone Village let you go, and you even swore a blood oath! Now you want to kill me? You..."

The attackers were from a nearby settlement called Bei Village. Their Sacrificial Spirit was an Old Bei, and their goal was simple: the Suanni Precious Body.

Silver light erupted. Little One, unable to reason with these treacherous bandits, spread his arms. He traced a circle, manifesting a brilliant, dazzling moon that poured forth silver radiance, as if a divine moon from the nine heavens had truly descended.

Little One moved with the moon, batting away arrows and iron spears, killing several men, though he was barely holding off the assault from Bei Village.

The people of Bei Village truly lived up to the "wolf and jackal" reputation of their name—cold-blooded and ruthless. They felt no shame in ganging up on a young child, their faces twisted in cruel, mocking sneers.

Seeing they couldn't take Little One down immediately, they even called for reinforcements, and their Sacrificial Spirit, the Old Bei, was already on its way.

A Sacrificial Spirit, also known as a "Spirit of Sacrifice," was the guardian of a tribe, worshipped and nurtured to protect the village and deter the ferocious beasts of the Great Wilderness.

Stone Village's Sacrificial Spirit was the Lightning Struck Wood at the village entrance—a willow tree with only a single branch left.

Others might think it was just a withered tree spirit, but Bai Yixin knew clearly that this was a supreme powerhouse, an Immortal King, merely fallen and temporarily stranded in Stone Village.

Compared to the Willow Deity, the Old Bei of Bei Village was nothing but trash, not worth mentioning.

But to Bai Yixin and the people of Stone Village, it was an insurmountable existence.

[Breath Concealment Art proficiency +1]

[Breath Concealment Art proficiency +1]

"These people are so shameless, truly despicable!"

Bai Yixin's speed was naturally fast; he had arrived at the scene a while ago. Instead of revealing himself, he found a VIP seat to watch the show.

This was a perfect opportunity to grind proficiency for his Breath Concealment Art.

Unlike the Gale Sword Technique, which required constant use to increase proficiency, the Breath Concealment Art only grew when he was in the presence of "people." The more people there were, and the longer he remained undetected, the faster his proficiency grew.

Since he was here to oversee things and Little One could still handle himself, Bai Yixin wasn't in a hurry. Besides, how could the Desolate Heaven Emperor grow without battle and blood?

Well, it's definitely not because I want to grind more proficiency.

Bai Yixin peeked his large eyes out from the dense canopy, carefully dodging the arrows that were being knocked away.

Keep it up, Little One! You have to become stronger so you can go back and beat up that Double Pupil brother of yours and get your revenge! Bai Yixin cheered for Little One internally, but he had to move to a more advantageous spot. He hadn't even gotten comfortable before he realized he couldn't stay.

This won't do. If I stay any longer, things will get out of hand.

The iron arrows were dense, flashing with cold light and whistling through the air. Each one was thick and immensely powerful, shattering the trees near the Green-Scaled Eagle.

"Clang," "Clang"...

The rain of arrows was dense, and Little One struggled desperately to block them, but it was to no avail. The Green-Scaled Eagle had already been struck by over twenty arrows, all of which were deeply embedded in its body, with blood gushing out like a fountain.

"Auntie Green-Scaled Eagle!" Little One cried out in grief and indignation, his voice choked with sobs and his eyes brimming with tears as he tried his best to fend off the assault.

An iron arrow slipped through the branches, striking silently and nearly piercing Little One's heart. Fortunately, he reacted with extreme speed, dodging to the side, but the arrow still tore through the muscle of his small arm, causing blood to spray out.

Not far away, Bei Shan, the leader of the Bei Village hunting party, sneered; it was he who had shot through Little One's arm. His face was pale, having had his abdomen sliced open by Silver Moon not long ago. He drew his bow once more, hiding in the bushes to begin a new round of sniping, ignoring the Green-Scaled Eagle and aiming only for Little One's heart or throat.

"So you're the damn camper!"

Suddenly, a voice that seemed to emerge from the netherworld drilled into Bei Shan's ears. Before he could even shout, "Who is it?", a small hand clamped over his mouth.

With a soft puchi, his head hit the ground.

"There can only be one camper here!"

Without the slightest hesitation, since he had made his move, he had to strike like a violent storm.

Never doubt a hunter's sensitivity to the scent of blood!

Bai Yixin swung his short sword toward the crowd, and in an instant, a howling gale rushed toward the group from Bei Village.

Because Bei Shan's position was behind the crowd, and Bai Yixin had acted with such decisiveness, almost no one noticed him, and everyone within the range was swept up into the sky by the gale.

"Wahoo, Gale Breath Severing Slash!" His shadow followed the wind as a joyful shout rang out.