On the ground, Pang Liu's face was deathly pale. He looked up in terror at the black-robed figure that was now floating in the void. Cold sweat kept sliding down his forehead, quickly soaking his clothes.
"Who... who are you...?"
"The one who killed you."
Without further ado, Xiao Yan stretched out one hand and flipped it in mid-air towards Pang Liu. Almost simultaneously, a powerful force crashed down on Pang Liu's head. Before Pang Liu could even scream in alarm, his body and soul were instantly crushed, turning into a cloud of blood mist that slowly dissipated.
The moment this scene unfolded, the girl beside Xiao Yan covered her delicate face in shock, her exquisite features filled with astonishment. Behind her, Zhu Qiang and his group stared wide-eyed in disbelief, looking rather comical.
Then, Xiao Yan turned around indifferently, looking at the shocked gazes. He was already used to it, shrugged helplessly, and smiled at the girl beside him:
Is this okay?
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, the girl timidly removed her fair hands from her face, glanced hesitantly at him, and then quickly looked away. At the same time, she nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice in response.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan smiled casually, then turned his gaze to the few Nine-Star Half-Emperor. His expression suddenly turned cold, and he said indifferently:
"Get out of here. Go back and tell your master that not a single person here is to be touched, or he will suffer the same fate."
With a single cold shout, several Nine-Star Half-Emperor were so frightened that they sat down on the ground. Only after Xiao Yan finished speaking did they scramble away in a panic, fleeing the area as quickly as possible.
"Junior Zhu Qiang is grateful to senior for saving my life!"
Just as Xiao Yan turned around, Zhu Qiang and the villagers behind him knelt down and respectfully bowed to Xiao Yan.
"This..."
"My dear Cai'er thanks you, senior, for saving my brother."
Just as Xiao Yan was about to speak, the girl beside him quickly knelt down, her pretty face filled with gratitude.
With a flick of his sleeve, an invisible force emanated outwards, lifting the kneeling crowd to their feet. The crowd was even more shocked by this sight, and as they rose, their respect for Xiao Yan deepened.
"We juniors thank you, seniors..."
"There's no need for further explanation. I was only acting on someone's behalf."
Xiao Yan glanced casually at Zhu Qiang, then turned his gaze to the girl beside him. His dark eyes were fixed on the girl's colorful pupils, and he couldn't help but marvel.
If the request from Venerable Heavenly Severing was one of the reasons he stayed, then the girl before him was another reason why he was still standing here.
Seeing that Xiao Yan's gaze had actually fallen on Cai'er, Zhu Qiang's expression changed slightly. He took two steps forward, cupping his hands to Xiao Yan while pulling the girl behind him.
"Whether or not I was asked to do so by someone else, since you saved our entire village, I dare to ask you to come and sit in the village. I hope you will agree."
"Heh, little guy, looks like this kid thinks you're a lecher."
Suddenly, Xiao Xuan's slightly teasing and playful laughter rang out from inside Xiao Xuan Xiao Yan's body. This obvious scene was so clear that it was hard not to notice it.
Since Xiao Xuan is currently in a soul state and his physical body is relatively weak, he entered Xiao Yan's body to nourish himself with Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flames while organizing the inherited power contained in the Soul Origin Venerable Heavenly Severing.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan could only smile wryly, his expression unchanged. He nodded to Zhu Qiang, and then, led by the latter, headed into the village.
Along the way, Zhu Qiang led the way for Xiao Yan, while the others obediently followed behind, their voices filled with both relief and worry.
Although Pang Liu is dead, they are temporarily safe. However, Pang Liu's death will not bring them lasting peace. On the contrary, Zhu Family Village will soon face an even greater threat.
"Alas, Pang Liu is dead, but what about the taxes from above? One hundred Spirit Stone —perhaps we could have come up with that before, but in recent years the taxes have been hefty, and the yield from spirit veins has been decreasing. Collecting one hundred Spirit Stone every month is already a huge burden for us. And to make matters worse, they've gone to such lengths this time! It's only been less than half a month since the last tax payment, and they're already pressing us again. They're really pushing us to the brink!"
"Yes, the spiritual veins have been acting strangely lately. Although Spirit Stone are everywhere, it's incredibly difficult to mine even one, despite all our manpower and resources. This is the first time in so many years. And this time, even Cai'er's efforts were in vain. It's truly unsettling."
"Um?"
As Xiao Yan was walking slowly, he suddenly heard voices coming from behind him. He couldn't help but pause slightly, frowning as he turned around to look at the two old men who were talking.
Upon seeing Xiao Yan's gaze fall upon them, the two elders paused, their expressions momentarily stunned. Then, they hurriedly bowed to Xiao Yan, afraid of slighting him.
"You just said that when you say 'spirit veins,' you mean mountain ranges that are specifically used to produce Spirit Stone?"
With a slight lift of his hand, Xiao Yan helped the two bowing elders to their feet and asked curiously.
"Well..."
The two paused, exchanged a glance, and then nodded, saying:
"What you say is correct, senior. The spiritual veins we are talking about are precisely the mountain ranges that produce Spirit Stone."
"You just said that Spirit Stone are everywhere in the spiritual veins, but they can't be mined, is that right?"
Xiao Yan nodded and spoke again.
"Yes, could it be that you, senior, know the reason behind this?"
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's question, a hint of joy appeared in the eyes of the two elders, and they quickly asked in return.
"Perhaps. If it's really as I think, then maybe I can help you solve this problem. Of course, first, I need to see the spiritual vein."
Xiao Yan smiled slightly, his joy was indeed almost uncontrollable. If it was really as he thought, then he had no choice but to go to this spiritual vein.
"I'm sorry, senior, but the spiritual vein concerns the lives of everyone in our village. If anything happens to it, everyone in Zhu Family Village will likely be implicated, so..."
"Brother, is this the time to be concerned with these rules? If we can't come up with a hundred Spirit Stone, the people from the Northern Wasteland Hall will definitely send someone here. We'll end up in the same situation then. Instead of that, why don't we try and let the senior take a look? Perhaps he can help us get through this difficult time safely."
Just as Zhu Qiang was about to speak, Cai'er interrupted him, her pretty face showing a hint of expectation as she looked at Xiao Yan.
"Yes, yes, senior's cultivation is powerful, you will definitely be able to help us overcome this difficulty!"
"Yes, the fact that they're willing to help us is already a huge favor; we can't just refuse!"
"Since there's no good outcome if I can't pay the Spirit Stone, I might as well give it a try. Once I pay the Spirit Stone, Pang Liu's death will have some closure!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Upon hearing Cai'er's words, before Zhu Qiang could make a move, the villagers behind him spoke up one after another, and the crowd overwhelmingly sided with Xiao Yan, leaving Zhu Qiang isolated.
With an embarrassed expression, Zhu Qiang's gaze quickly swept over the group of villagers before landing on Cai'er. Seeing the expectant smile on her face, Zhu Qiang then looked at Xiao Yan, respectfully cupped his hands, and awkwardly smiled:
"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, senior!"