As spiritual energy revived, I, having acquired certain attributes, gradually ascended to immortalit

Chapter 157 An Unexpected Joy

"village head?!"

The person standing in front of Shen Qing was the village chief who had been talking to him just a few minutes ago. He was dressed the same way, but his eyes were completely different.

He was no longer the timid and submissive man who wanted the villagers to survive; his eyes now held only depth and peace.

"Thank you for helping me deal with those demons, young friend."

The old man didn't notice Shen Qing's wariness and bowed slightly.

Shen Qing subconsciously took a step back, her whole body tensing up. The other party was clearly not an ordinary person, so how could she not be wary?

Although, at present, the other party does not seem to have any malicious intent.

"Young friend, there's no need to be nervous."

The old man shook his head, glanced at his own illusory appearance, as if he were about to vanish at any moment, and said, "How could I possibly pose a threat to you in this state?"

I summoned you here simply to express my gratitude.

grateful?

Shen Qing frowned slightly, remaining vigilant. "Who exactly are you?"

"I?

The old man paused, gazing into the distance, seemingly lost in memories. "I am now just the village chief here."

As the "village chief" recounted his story, Shen Qing not only learned about his identity but also about everything in the village.

The "village chief" in front of us can be considered a village chief, but he is not. He is just a remnant soul attached to the village chief, although he can influence the village chief's decisions at crucial moments.

But it's also for the sake of the village's continuation.

His true identity is that of a powerful cultivator who once came to this cave to search for treasures.

A thousand years ago, the third disciple of the sage in the picture fought a fierce battle with the great demon king, even though he had deliberately chosen a remote place and even set up an array.

The aftershocks of the battle still destroyed countless cities and mountains, especially human settlements that were kept by demons.

The ancestors of these villagers within the cave were ordinary people who were affected.

After discovering them during the battle, the powerful figure took them into his cave to protect them from the aftershocks.

However, after the battle, the enemy was also exhausted. In his sleep, his injuries not only failed to heal but worsened, and he was no longer able to send the villagers away.

Before his death, the powerful figure had already foreseen what might happen next.

The blood that splattered during his battle with the great demon king was already considered a treasure by many supernatural beings.

This will inevitably attract a large number of powerful individuals to break through the cave and search for treasures. At that time, the ordinary people he saved will certainly be affected.

At first, this powerful figure could use his lingering resentment to protect the villagers.

However, due to his injuries, he also had to divert his power to suppress the lingering resentment of the great demon king, and his lingering resentment did not last long.

But before his lingering spirit was about to perish, he saved another relatively stable remnant soul, who is now the village chief.

They hoped he could continue to shelter the villagers in their place, or find a way to send them out.

"I agreed to it in order to survive."

The village chief said calmly.

However, he was already on the verge of death. After being saved by the remnant spirit of that powerful figure, he was left with only a wisp of soul and no fighting power whatsoever.

They were barely able to maintain their existence within the village's boundaries.

The reason the invading half-demon didn't massacre the village was because it sensed his presence; the two sides maintained a peaceful coexistence.

water.

"Actually, I didn't originally consider these ordinary people as my own kind."

The old man shook his head and sighed.

"But as I spent time with them day after day, I possessed several different identities, seeing off generation after generation, and watching new generations being born, growing up, and growing old —"

His voice gradually lowered, "In the end, I became part of it."

He began to feel unable to bear watching them become food for the dead and be enslaved, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

Until Shen Qing appeared and killed all the demons.

"According to that senior, if a supernatural being appears who is willing to protect the villagers, they should give him some of the things he left behind as a token of gratitude."

"Then why not use treasures as an exchange? Why haven't you found a suitable candidate after all this time?"

Shen Qing frowned. How could he have appeared so coincidentally?

The village chief shook his head.

Over the millennia, many powerful individuals have entered the grotto-heaven, but these powerful individuals have always looked down on ordinary people.

Weak gods are even more likely to oppress and enslave.

The land of the dead is inherently difficult to survive in; kindness often leads to one's own demise, and those who manage to survive are mostly wicked people.

Even he himself wasn't exactly a good person at first.

As for why they didn't just use treasures as an exchange to send the villagers away, it's because the exchange is based on equal footing.

If you lure them with treasures, those with supernatural powers will only think there are more good things here, which will cause a fight and be a disaster for the villagers.

Besides, what that powerful figure left behind was merely a token of gratitude to the kind-hearted, not some truly priceless treasure.

If they were to be accused of deception, given the nature of those so-called supernatural beings, not a single villager would survive.

"It's not that I haven't tried, I've even gone to great lengths to distance myself from the villagers—but in the end, it still resulted in the deaths of many people."

The original tens of thousands of people have been enslaved by those with supernatural powers and ravaged by demons, and now only a hundred or so remain.

At this point, the village chief fell silent.

After that, he gave up on actively communicating with outsiders.

Later, as time went by, no real treasures were ever found in this grotto-heaven, and gradually, people with supernatural powers began to appear less and less.

So it wasn't until today that this gift of gratitude was finally given to Shen Qing, someone who had received a modern education.

After hearing the general outline of what happened, Shen Qing was slightly taken aback.

He simply couldn't stand seeing humans being devoured by demons, but he never expected such a pleasant surprise.

Shen Qing did not believe that the "village chief" was lying to him.

Or rather, doubt is useless; the other party claims that they have no strength and no way to kill those demons.

Yet, he could easily summon his soul to this strange place. With that ability alone, killing him in the village wouldn't be difficult.

However, powerful supernatural beings usually look down on ordinary people, but the third disciple of that saint was an exception.

There was also the saint mentioned by the female knight-errant, who seemed to be there to suppress demons and monsters for the world.

Just as Shen Qing was lost in thought, the village chief suddenly raised his hand, pointed it at his forehead, and directly displayed a memory in his mind.

After doing all this, the village chief bowed again, "Thank you very much, young friend."

His voice was very soft, as if he had finally unloaded a burden that had lasted for hundreds of years. As soon as he finished speaking, his figure began to dissipate little by little.

Shen Qing knew that the village chief's remnant soul was nearing its end, having barely managed to survive the last few decades.

Soon, the white surroundings gradually faded, restoring the previous colorful appearance.

The village, the bonfire, and the villagers singing unknown tunes with smiles on their faces reappeared.

Shen Qing found the village chief, who was sitting by the fire. The deep and peaceful look in his eyes was completely gone, but his previous timid demeanor had also faded considerably.