Desolate Village Land

"Air."

As Ling Qing held the feather high in his hand, he chanted the incantation aloud.

In an instant, the air rippled, and a pair of large, transparent wings coalesced behind his back.

The moment the wings took shape, he felt his body grow light, as if he could break free from the ground and fly at any moment.

Feeling that sense of weightlessness, Ling Qing tapped his toes, and his entire body left the ground, soaring into the sky.

As he rose higher, a feeling of exhilaration brewed within his chest.

"Whoo-hoo!"

When he burst out of the canopy and stood suspended in mid-air above the treetops, he finally couldn't help but let out a shout.

Since ancient times, whether it was the Taoist art of riding the clouds or mortals using contraptions like hot air balloons and airplanes, it all pointed to humanity's longing and yearning for the sky.

After experimenting for a while, Ling Qing discovered that the Sky Mastery spell was less of a flight spell and more of a sky-walking technique.

The effect of the spell wasn't to create a pair of air wings to fly like a bird as he had imagined, but rather to allow him to walk through the air as if he were on solid ground.

The wings behind his back were purely for show.

Moreover, the duration of each casting was extremely brief, lasting only a few seconds.

Fortunately, once he inscribed this spell into his spellbook, he could use it continuously as long as he had enough feathers, thereby extending his flight time.

Spells triggered by the spellbook would not fail due to intense movement or combat, provided he could recite the incantation correctly.

However, Ling Qing was still a long way from being able to fly freely in the sky, though this did not dampen his curiosity about flight.

At the same time, it made his motivation to seek immortality at Mount Lao even stronger.

Presumably, once he achieved success in his cultivation and mastered the art of riding the clouds, he would be able to roam the world to his heart's content.

He was also very much looking forward to the flight ability he would gain from Wild Shape when he reached level 8.

However, when Ling Qing finally snapped out of the joy of flight, he found himself somewhat bewildered.

"Where on earth have I ended up?"

He looked at the map in his hand by the fading light of the sunset, only to realize he had no idea where he was.

The surroundings were desolate, and there was not a soul in sight as far as the eye could see.

After sensing the direction using his Druid abilities, Ling Qing set off toward the east.

Normally, a Druid walking through the wilderness could record the environment of the places they passed, much like exploring a map in a game, forming a mental map.

But because he had taken to the skies—and had even pushed himself to fly as high as possible to test his limits—his sensory data had been broken in many places.

He was now like someone holding two map fragments, wanting to piece them together but having no idea how much distance lay between them.

Fortunately, shortly after nightfall, he spotted traces of cultivated crops.

Following these traces, he found a path that likely led to a village.

Sure enough, after walking a bit further, Ling Qing quickened his pace as he saw the village not far ahead.

However, as he drew closer, he sensed that something was wrong.

Although it was late autumn, a time when birds and beasts were hidden and insects were silent, the surroundings were far too quiet.

At the same time, the village was deathly still, like a predator lurking in the shadows of the night.

It looked like a deserted village.

Ling Qing tightened his grip on his staff and tapped his spellbook, causing it to float around his left hand for easy access.

He walked toward the village with extreme caution.

It wasn't that he was knowingly walking into a trap, but although the village was abnormally quiet, neither his senses nor the Ghost-Repelling Pill he wore showed any signs of danger.

That was why he dared to approach; otherwise, he would have preferred to sleep in the wilderness rather than take the risk.

At the entrance to the village, under a large tree with a canopy like a royal parasol, he saw a small, dilapidated temple standing quietly.

He stopped and looked at the waist-high temple, or more accurately, at the clay statue inside.

It was a classic Land God Temple. Looking closely, he saw a couplet pasted on either side.

"Earth can give birth to all things, The land can bring forth a thousand blessings."

In his perception, this ordinary little temple radiated an aura he was very familiar with, and the statue was the source of that aura.

It was the aura of the earth itself.

Along his journey, Ling Qing had seen many Land God Temples, but most were connected to villages and the surrounding farmland.

While the temple before him was the same, he felt that in this particular patch of land, something primordial was converging upon this clay statue.

If ordinary Land God Temples were linked to the surrounding villages and land, that very connection also restricted the Land God from leaving its current territory.

Yet, the Land God Temple before him gave him the feeling that once all this essence was fully gathered, it would be as if the temple could uproot itself and depart at any moment, completely unbound.

Just as Ling Qing was deep in thought, a ripple of energy flashed across the idol inside the temple.

Shortly after, an old man with white hair and a beard, leaning on a rattan staff, appeared before him.

Seeing this, Ling Qing abruptly took a step back, held his wooden staff in front of him as a shield, and simultaneously gripped his spellbook tightly.

"Do not panic, young scholar. This old one is the Land God of Locust Tree Village. I only revealed myself because I saw that you possess an extraordinary aura."

The Land God looked at Ling Qing, stroked his snow-white beard, and spoke with a smile.

"May I ask why the Venerable Deity wishes to see me?"

Sensing that the Land God before him truly held no malice, Ling Qing felt his heart ease slightly as he cupped his hands and asked.

"Hehe, I am unworthy of the title 'Venerable Deity'. I am merely a local Land God; you may simply call me Old Land God."

The Land God chuckled, swept the dust off two stone stools beneath a tree with a wave of his sleeve, and gestured, saying, "Please, take a seat, young scholar."

"You please sit as well, sir." Ling Qing gestured in return, and the two took their seats.

Then, the Land God began to speak: "When I was young, I worked as a farmhand in Changyang Town, and I have always held scholars in high regard.

Locust Tree Village is located in a remote area, near Miao Mountain and off the main road, so few outsiders ever pass through, let alone a scholar well-versed in the classics.

Seeing you today, I could not help but intrude; I hope you do not take offense."

"Not at all. Did you say this place is near Miao Mountain?"

After instinctively offering a humble reply, Ling Qing pressed further: "Is that the Miao Mountain plagued by tigers?"

He had been willing to spend over ten extra days taking a detour just to avoid those tigers.

He never expected that after flying for a while, he would end up delivering himself right to their doorstep.

"So, you have heard of it as well. Indeed, the tiger demon deep within Miao Mountain has recently been leading a pack of vicious mountain tigers down to devour people.

Many nearby villages have already suffered, and the neighboring Jujube Flower Village met with disaster just the day before yesterday. It seems it will be our turn soon."

Hearing this, the Land God sighed.

He then stood up and bowed deeply, saying, "In truth, the reason I stopped you tonight is that I have a favor to ask."