To the north, right in front of the village border, there were several people gathered. They were Xiao Ling and the other villagers who were currently preparing to deal with some magical beasts that had slipped through the barrier and were trying to approach the village.
"In about a hundred meters, they will come here. There are less than fifty of them, most of them are Night Wolves. I will prepare to set up the formation."
Understanding the situation, Xiao Ling prepared to set up a formation by spreading the talismans around fifty meters. The talismans scattered in the area connected with each other to form a circle with Xiao Ling in the center.
"Less than fifty? That is quite a number, but if most of them are Night Wolves then they are not a threat." Yan Nansu said with a wide smile on his face.
Night Wolves—are animals that have evolved a beast core and possess magical powers.
The main uniqueness they have is their speed mobility that is extraordinary compared to ordinary wolves. And their jet-black fur that is like the night itself that can blend into the darkness of the night.
They have four blood-red eyes that can easily see in the dark. Their two pairs of eyes allowed them to cover a wider radius.
Everyone seemed to have prepared with weapons in their hands. They were just waiting for the signal from Xiao Ling.
"They're coming!" There was a shout from Xiao Lin to the others.
"[Formation: Earth Gravity Pressure]"
Xiao Ling activated the formation he created by raising both index and middle fingers upwards to create a hand seal.
[Earth Gravity Pressure] is a formation technique whose effect is the suppression of gravity in the formation area. This causes whoever it targets to receive ten times the pressure of normal gravity. Those who do not have gravity immunity or those who are weak to gravity and those who do not have the spiritual energy to endure will be suppressed by this technique.
Among the many supression-type formation techniques, it can be said that [Earth Gravity Pressure] is one of the most fundamental.
Upon entering the formation area, the Night Wolves that should have had high speed and mobility suddenly slowed down, as if there was an invisible pressure weighing them down.
Yan Nansu and the other villagers quickly began to attack as the Night Wolves began to slow down due to the formation effect.
"Hahaha! Even the Night Wolves that have the advantage in terms of speed look like turtles now!"
The Night Wolf, whose main ability was to make impromptu attacks thanks to its jet-black fur color that could allow it to disguise itself in the dark and kill opponents instantly at high speed, now looked like a turtle waiting to be cut down.
Yan Nansu began to cut down the Night Wolves one by one along with the rest of the hunting party. Not long after the battle began, everything began to look like a sea of blood.
It takes less than half an hour to eradicate the Magical Beasts that come to attack the village, especially from the hunting group. It was all thanks to the experience and cooperation of those who were already used to hunting Magical Beasts spotted in the village area.
And that also applied to Xiao Ling's formation technique, which was the main reason why they could easily do so. However, this is because the supression-type formation technique was a strong counter to enemies who only relied on speed and mobility.
Seeing the corpses of Night Wolves and other Magical Beasts. The hunting party began to collect and separate the beast cores and other important items from the corpses.
For example, the corpses of Night Wolves in addition to the beast cores they had, their fangs, claws, and fur were extremely valuable.
These items can be used for various things, for example, their fangs and claws can be processed into weapons such as knives, while their fur can be used as material for making clothes. Of course, items made from magical beasts are of much better quality than ordinary animals.
As for beast cores, these are much more valuable than their corpses, except for magical beast corpses that are rare or have certain qualities and effects.
After checking the village barrier and confirming that no more monsters had sneaked in, Xiao Ling turned his gaze towards the Misty Mountain and sighed, "It looks like the Heavenly Tribulation is coming to an end."
"So, did nothing else sneak in?" Yan Nansu approached him while looking in the same direction.
"No, I didn't sense any monsters entering the barrier." Xiao Ling replied.
Xiao Ling, who was the person in charge of the village barrier, could sense the presence of creatures entering the barrier uninvited.
"And also because the Heavenly Tribulation is coming to an end, so the number attracted by the waves of spiritual energy is starting to decrease."
"Unfortunately... I think this phenomenon will attract Demon Beasts as well." Said Yan Nansu, who could only sigh and shrug.
"Of course, if there are Demon Beasts with a radius around the Heavenly Tribulation area, then they will definitely come to it." Xiao Ling said. "After all, that means it is either a sign of the birth of one of them or a sign of one of them trying to ascend higher."
"Well, you're right, but it would be a shame if none of them entered the barrier. After all, rather than a collection of Magical Beasts, they are much more valuable to us, aren't they?" Yan Nansu said in a slightly disappointed tone.
Xiao Ling realized the meaning of his words also thought that it would be a great fortune for them.
"That's right... But don't worry, Elder said he will go himself to check on the Heavenly Tribulation."
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Hearing that made the corners of Yan Nansu's lips lift upwards, so that a composition of pure white teeth could be seen in them.
"If it's him... There's no doubt that he'll get it, right?"
"Yes... If that Demon Beast manages to pass through the Heavenly Tribulation and there are no other disturbances, then Elder will manage to get the core."
Xiao Ling said it confidently because he was sure that the Demon Beast that had just passed through the Heavenly Tribulation wouldn't be able to survive if it had to fight Elder.
A Demon Beast that had just passed through Heavenly Tribulation would usually be in a weak and helpless state due to having to endure the fierce spiritual energy. No matter if a Golden Core Realm Cultivator was in the weakest state, it was still not difficult for a Cultivator of that level to obtain the core of a Demon Beast.
"By the way... What are you planning to do next?" Asked Yan Nansu.
Xiao Ling looked puzzled as Yan Nansu suddenly changed the subject. He peered at him to figure out the meaning of his question.
"...What do you mean by that?"
Xiao Ling did not answer directly, but answered with another question to make his point clear.
"I'm sure you knew what would happen to our village when you discussed it with all of us when Elder came. But, you still haven't told us about what we should do next, have you?"
To be honest, Xiao Ling had thought of all sorts of things to do after he spoke with Elder, but at that time he still hadn't found the right course of action.
Even after Xiao Ling told everyone in the village about the Elders' arrival, he was still unsure of what would happen in the future.
Perhaps Yan Nansu was questioning him as a representative of the other villagers because of the uncertainty felt by them. Xiao Ling understood it well, but fortunately after this incident, Xiao Ling had gotten some clues about what to do in the future.
Xiao Ling knew very well what answer he would give, but before he gave his answer, there was one thing he had to do first.
"I already know what we're going to do next.... But before that, there's something else I have to do that's just as important as this."
The something else Xiao Ling said was a request from Elder, and he had already thought of someone suitable of it.
But there was a problem, the person Xiao Ling was referring to didn't even know about any of this.
"What makes it complicated is that it's related to that child."
"That child...? Oh you mean that boy? Have you still not told him anything?"
Yan Nansu seemed to know who the child Xiao Ling was referring to was, the child was the only orphan in the village and Xiao Ling decided to take care of him.
"At that time, I hadn't found the right time."
Xiao Ling felt that there was no better time than now. After all, the boy would definitely come to see him.
With this incident, Xiao Ling had no choice but to tell the boy everything. Staring up at the vast sky made him feel helpless with everything that was happening.
Of course, he was aware that the boy would definitely feel alienated and isolated after realizing this, but that was the decision he made back then.
After realizing that everything was over, Xiao Ling took a deep breath and sighed, "The Heavenly Tribulation is over, it's time for us to return to the village."
Everyone decided to return to the village following Xiao Ling from behind.
***
The sun had set and darkness began to replace the light, the thunderstorm that had been visible at the peak of Misty Mountain had disappeared.
Mo Shatian, who was waiting in the main square with the others saw that Xiao Ling and his party had returned. None of them had been injured or victimized during their battle with the monsters.
"The Night Wolves that entered the barrier have been cleared, for now there is no longer any threat to the village. So don't panic and please return to your respective activities."
The villagers began to return quietly following village chief Xiao Ling's instructions, but there were still some who remained in the main square such as Mo Shatian, Xiao Lin, and Xiao Ning along with the members of the hunting party.
"In that case, I'll tell you about the goods after we finish processing them." Yan Nansu left together with the rest of the hunting group as if he did not want to be bothered by other things.
Xiao Ling, who was left behind with the others began to look towards the remaining few people, "Alright... let's go home, and Shatian come with us, there must be something you want to ask, right?"
Even from the moment he came back, Mo Shatian kept staring at him, it was impossible for Xiao Ling not to notice if he was being blatantly stared at.
Mo Shatian tried to make it obvious that there was something he wanted to know from Xiao Ling.
"Um... Yes, that's right, there are some things I want to know, and I think Uncle Ling is the most appropriate person to tell it to." Mo Shatian replied without taking his eyes off him.
Xiao Ling could only smile wryly after Mo Shatian told him directly, Mo Shatian left him no other choice.
"Alright, let's go back, the sooner the better," Xiao Ling said as he quickened his pace.
***
They arrived at village chief Xiao Ling's wooden house. Mo Shatian followed Xiao Ling into a special room that only had a few chairs and tables made of wood. In the corner of the room there was a fireplace to heat the room made of stone that used a chimney to release the smoke, it was not the first time Mo Shatian entered this room but no matter how many times he entered it, he always felt relaxed and calm.
There are hardly any decorations or other pieces of furniture adorning the room. However, this does not detract from the ambience and impression it gives, making it look simple and elegant.
"Sit down, make yourself at home."
Xiao Ling sat down while looking at the empty seat in front of him as if asking Mo Shatian to sit in front of him.
Accepting the invitation, Mo Shatian sat right in front of Xiao Ling, and also Xiao Lin who followed them also took a seat and sat beside him.
"This will be a private talk, so I hope you can leave us alone, my dear." Xiao Ling said gently to his daughter.
Xiao Lin, who listened to her father's request only raised her eyebrows and looked into her father's eyes as if pleading.
Seeing no change after a few seconds, Xiao Lin could only sigh and give up, "Haaah... alright."
With a slight frown on her face, Xiao Lin got up from her chair and started walking towards the door and gave Mo Shatian one last look before completely leaving the room.
A long sigh sounded from Xiao Ling's mouth, making it look like he had made a difficult decision.
Woah... This is really a surprise. For Uncle Ling to stay firm and not budge even if it's a request from his daughter.
Mo Shatian simply observed the rare event happening before him without expressing any of his thoughts.
"Are you curious why I didn't let her stay here? Well... if I had to say, it's probably because this conversation is only about you." Xiao Ling's words drew Mo Shatian's attention towards him.
"Having said that, I feel a little rude if I let her and overhear this conversation, but you are free to tell her or not after this."
Perhaps to Xiao Ling, it is rude for someone to listen about something without getting permission from the person in question, especially if it relates to that person directly.
But even so, Mo Shatian didn't seem too bothered by it, probably because he didn't know what Xiao Ling would say to him.
"Alright... It seems like you don't have too much of a problem with it, let's put that aside... If there's anything you want to ask first feel free to say it, but if there isn't, I'll start," Xiao Ling said with a smile for a response from Mo Shatian.
There were many things Mo Shatian wanted to ask, but after thinking about it, he decided to remain silent.
I think it's better to ask after listening to Uncle Ling's words.
Mo Shatian chose to listen first, even if he forcefully tried to impose his will, he realized that this might be something deeper than he thought.
He chose this decision not without reason, but based on Xiao Ling's previous words and attitude.
After a while of no response back from Mo Shatian, Xiao Ling seemed took it as his approval.
Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Xiao Ling began to speak in a soft and distant tone, "I wonder where I should start..."
After a moments of hestitation, Xiao Ling found the right moment and opened his eyes, as if memories that had been buried for a long time began to flow back swiftly. "Yes. I think we should start with that... Lets start by talking about your parents."
Looking towards the window that looked directly towards Misty Mountain, Xiao Ling said in a tone filled with sadnes and loneliness as he began his story.