Grandpa, times have changed.

Do destined sacrifices need no name?

Looking into those clear and pure eyes, Xu Xing was momentarily at a loss for words.

half an hour...

"Let's go, I'll take you back," he said in a deep voice.

As he spoke, he waved his hand and released a golden light. The light circled around the space of the tree trunk once before drifting out and transforming into a gray, unremarkable leaf-shaped magical artifact.

It was an unexpected creation of Xu Xing during his previous attempt at weapon crafting.

Although its appearance is not good, the ritual implement itself is still very good.

The little girl was the first to get up.

But because he was too weak, he felt his vision go black before he could take two steps and almost fell to the ground.

Fortunately, Xu Xing reacted quickly and grabbed her.

"Sorry……"

The little girl looked at him somewhat shyly.

“There’s nothing to apologize for…” He paused, then took out a jade bottle. “Never mind, just drink this first.”

"Oh."

The little girl obediently took it, opened it, drank it, and then looked at Xu Xing.

"Go outside and wait for me there."

"Uh-huh."

With the replenishment of the spirit bamboo essence, she was no longer as weak as before. She quickly ran outside and climbed onto the dusty, leaf-shaped magical artifact.

Xu Xing turned to look at the remaining children.

He found them huddled together, tears still on their faces, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at him.

"..."

A while later.

The remaining eight children drank the essence of the spiritual bamboo one by one and climbed onto the leaf-shaped magical artifact released by Xu Xing.

Xu Xing rubbed his temples and followed them out.

Coaxing a few kids is more tiring than fighting that tree.

Afterwards, he collected the Willow Ghost Wine produced by the Willow Ghost Tree and asked the little girl for the location of the nearby human settlements.

He immediately activated his magical artifact, transforming himself into a streak of sword light and heading towards the human settlement.

Behind Xu Xing lies a dimension independent of the rest of the world.

Chi Jiuyu looked completely bewildered.

Time stopped jumping, so logically, the next thing the master should be meeting is either the Spirit Ancestor or the Charm Ancestor.

Can……

What about people?

Spirit Ancestor or Demon Ancestor...

It couldn't possibly be one of those little brats, could it?

The image of the little girl who stood out the most, who didn't cry at all from beginning to end, came to mind.

Could it be her?

But is she the Spirit Ancestor or the Charm Ancestor?

Forgive her poor eyesight, but she really couldn't see any resemblance between the little girl and the two elders.

emm...

Could it be the settlement we're going to later?

……

……

On the edge of a land where spiritual energy is scarce.

There was a wide-open space in the lush woods.

Scattered among the small houses built of wood and stone, they looked quite rough, and the whole settlement exuded a primitive and wild atmosphere.

Inside the settlement at this time, there was a stone house that was much more exquisite and larger than the other huts.

Several burly figures were sitting around a long wooden table.

Clad in clothing made of animal hides, each person resembled a small mountain, exuding a powerful aura.

Beside the leader lay a large sword the size of a door panel. He was burly and had slightly narrowed eyes, yet he exuded a chilling and menacing aura.

介！
The leader of this settlement.

The elders of the settlement stood on either side of the long table.

Each elder's cultivation had reached the Unity Realm, and Jie, as the leader, had even reached the Perfect Unity Realm.

"What do you think of the tremor just now?" Jie asked in a deep voice.

I just handed over the offerings to the Willow Ghost Clan this morning, thinking I could finally have some peace and quiet for a few years.

Just now, a strange tremor came from the direction of the ancestral tree of the Willow Ghost Clan.

Since the undercover agents responsible for surveillance had not yet sent back any news, he had no choice but to organize the elders to discuss the matter first.

"Perhaps... the ancestral tree of the Willow Ghost Clan is about to decay?" one of the elders speculated.

This caused the expressions of the others to change slightly.

This is not a good thing.

It's not that I'm worried that the ancestral tree of the Willow Ghost Clan will go on a killing spree after it dies; the main concern is that the spiritual energy here will not be enough to support its cultivation after it dies.

If the Willow Ghost Clan leaves...

The hard-won stability is likely to crumble again.

In this region, the human race, which only has cultivators at the Condensation Realm, is not the strongest race besides the Willow Ghost Clan.

Compared to that chaotic situation.

They preferred to offer nine sacrifices to the Willow Ghost Clan every five years in exchange for peace.

They're just kids with low potential and no future.

You can have another child if you lose one.

They are at the Condensation Realm, shouldering the heavy responsibility of the rise of the human race.

"Not necessarily. I haven't sensed any change in the flow of spiritual energy," another elder said calmly.

Empirical...

That's a realm beyond mere self-cultivation!

Once this is achieved, the flow of spiritual energy in the surrounding area will change, and things will never be as stable as they are now. "I think other races are probably trying to do something while the Willow Ghost Clan's ancestral tree is enjoying the offerings..."

"You mean the Qiu Yueyang clan? That's unlikely. Wasn't their ancestor in the Yangwu realm killed by the ancestral tree of the Liu Youling clan long ago?"

"It might not be Qiu Yueyang, it could be..."

The crowd started talking all at once, and the once quiet stone house instantly became noisy.

Aside from saying one sentence at the beginning, Jie didn't speak again, only listening to the elders argue with his eyes slightly narrowed.

Just as the elders were each sticking to their own opinions, arguing heatedly for their own viewpoints...

boom!
A similarly burly guard at the Nascent Soul stage burst through the door and stumbled in.

"Chief, Chief! Something terrible has happened! You must go out and see!" His expression was full of panic.

Some of the elders, seeing his flustered behavior, were about to reprimand him.

However, the guard's next words stunned him.

"The offerings! The offerings for the Willow Ghost Clan have been brought back!"

Ok? !

Everyone was startled upon hearing this and stood up.

Even Jie, who had been keeping his eyes half-closed, opened them, stood up, picked up the giant sword beside him, and strode out.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he saw a figure in black in the center of the settlement, and beside him, in a leaf-shaped magical artifact, nine children were being offered as sacrifices to the Willow Ghost Clan.

"..."

This is bad news.

The same thought arose in the minds of all the elders, followed by a murderous intent towards Xu Xing.

With the offerings brought back, will the ancestral tree of the Willow Ghost Clan believe that they, the humans, harbor rebellious intentions?
He must be killed!

Then return the offerings to the Willow Ghost Clan to beg for their forgiveness!
Xu Xing was covered in blood, his face was pale, and he looked very disheveled.

Therefore, they only assumed that he had stolen the offerings from the Willow Ghost Clan who were transporting them, and did not consider the possibility that he had killed the Willow Ghost Tree.

human race...

How could they possibly have won against the Willow Ghost Clan's Ancestral Tree, which was at the peak of the Yangwu Realm?

In the blink of an eye, the three elders behind Jie exchanged a glance and prepared to make their move.

However, Jie was one step ahead of them and blocked their attack route.

“My fellow clansman,” Jie said in a deep voice, “I don’t know where you come from, but you’d better send them back as soon as possible.”

The Willow Ghost Clan members escorting the sacrificial offerings were all at the Condensation Realm.

He was able to retrieve the sacrificial offerings from the clutches of the Willow Ghost Clan, and he himself was still unaware of his own cultivation level.

Why not lure him to the ancestral tree of the Willow Ghost Clan...?

"Send it back?"

The moment the sound rang in his ears, he felt a blur before his eyes, and the black-clad figure that had just been in the center of the settlement appeared before him without warning.

Her clear, black and white eyes stared at him, devoid of any emotion.

"The Willow Ghost Tree, the ancestral tree of the Willow Ghost Clan, is dead. Where do you expect me to send them?"

Ok? !

It resembles the ancestral tree of the Willow Ghost Clan?!

A storm raged in his heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

"Could it be that you—!"

“I can feel it,” Xu Xing said calmly.

"I could feel your barely suppressed malice..."

"You really want me dead?"

Jie Gang was about to deny it.

puff!
A gaping hole opened in his chest, and his life force was extinguished as quickly as a candle flame in the wind.

A second later, the light in Jie's eyes disappeared, and he fell backward uncontrollably.

The elders behind him were so startled that they all stepped back.

The strongest enemy was dealt with in an instant; such swift and decisive action truly astonished everyone in the settlement.

Xu Xing's expression remained unchanged.

Over two hundred years, he has honed his swordsmanship to a state of clarity and purity.

Therefore, the moment he arrived at the settlement, he felt the intense malice that was almost impossible to conceal.

Especially after the intermediary opened his mouth, the malice reached its peak.

Amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd, Xu Xing strode forward, stepping over Jie's corpse, and arrived before an elder whose figure was somewhat hunched and who already showed signs of old age.

Do you remember me?

The man was initially frightened, and even more confused after hearing these words, but after staring at Xu Xing for a while, he seemed to finally recognize him.

"It's...it's you?!"

The confusion and fear in his eyes quickly turned into helplessness.

Recalling what she had done over the years, she lowered her head in shame, not daring to meet Xu Xing's gaze.

"I saved you back then, and now you're returning my life. It's not too much to ask, is it?" Xu Xing said calmly.

The man was startled, then suddenly looked up!

"No! No way!!"

His expression was ferocious, and a hint of panic appeared in his eyes.

He immediately channeled all his magical power, but had no intention of resisting. He transformed into a streak of light and soared into the sky.

However, before they had escaped far, they were grazed by a streak of sharp blades flying by.

The light that had been escaping paused for a moment, then immediately went out, turning into two lifeless pieces that fell from the sky and crashed heavily to the ground.

"..."

quiet--!
The entire settlement was excessively quiet.

No one could have imagined that not only would the leader die, but even the most senior elder who survived the chaos would be killed by this mysterious person.

he……

What do you plan to do next?

Apart from the little girl in red sitting on the leaf-shaped magical artifact, everyone else was somewhat uneasy.

Especially those elders who had just harbored murderous intent towards Xu Xing, now hung their heads, not daring to look up, for fear that Xu Xing would notice them. (End of Chapter)