Yellow Skinned Taoist Master

Chapter 180: Bizarre Village, Village Chief

The little girl ran off.

Running back toward the village while crying a torrential wail.

She knew, her Daddy was already gone.

Second Uncle, Third Uncle, and Fourth Uncle said there was a brutal, vicious thing that forcefully twisted off her Daddy's head.

And then right here by the riverside, roasted her Daddy alive over a fire and ate him.

Moreover, it didn't even spit out the fish bones.

Because the fish bones were roasted until utterly crisp and brittle.

Crunchy and popping when chewed, the taste was excellent to the extreme.

"Huang Er, I probably won't eat fish ever again in the future."

Chen Huangpi followed that little girl back to the village entirely from the shadows, continuously comforting himself as he went: "That little girl is human, the human-faced fish is a human-faced fish; they aren't even the same species! How could what I ate possibly be her Daddy!?""It must be because she's young and ignorant, mistakenly recognizing a demonic beast as her Daddy."

Yet although the words were spoken like this, Chen Huangpi still possessed an urge to dry heave.

Regardless, he would never ever want to eat fish again in the future.

The Brass Oil Lamp consoled: "The evidence is entirely in our hands. Just a mere few 'eyewitness fishes', nothing more. If it truly comes down to it, we'll just kill our way back there and have this little girl's uncles reunite with her Daddy inside your stomach and that'll do."

"That's not good, right...?"

Chen Huangpi said hesitantly: "There are quite a lot of fish in that water. If we don't do it cleanly enough, wouldn't we just let that little girl know I was standing right by the river watching her at the time?"

"Contract Master, murderers are all like this."

The Life-reaping Ghost said with a hint of self-satisfaction: "When I hung a post (served an official position) within the Yama Hall, I read many case files. Within the mortal realm, many criminals, after committing murder, would run back to the scene of the crime to admire their masterpiece."

"Therefore, there is no need for you to feel troubled or bothered by it."

"Killing one is killing, killing them all is also killing."

The Life-reaping Ghost advocated slaughtering them all.

This damnable place was incredibly strange; moreover, there was also a mysterious Village Chief who actually managed to sense the arrival of people from the outside.

If he found out the one who ate that little girl's Daddy was Chen Huangpi...

Perhaps it would become another troublesome affair.

Chen Huangpi naturally understood this clearly within his heart, however, he still refused: "That little girl looks quite pitiable. If I slaughter her along with every single villager in that village cleanly, what difference would there be between myself and those cultivators?"

"Furthermore, we came to search for the fishing rod. Investigating and clarifying the situation first before making plans ought to be the superior strategy."

Listening to Chen Huangpi's words.

The Life-reaping Ghost and the Brass Oil Lamp exchanged glances, instantly rendered speechless.

Didn't you want to kill the human-faced fish?

How come reaching Chen Huangpi, it suddenly turned into wanting to slaughter that little girl and the villagers clean?!

He must definitely be joking, right!?

And at this moment, that little girl also returned to the village.

At the entrance to this village, stood a tall, high stone pillar.

Wrapped entirely around the stone pillar was a tattered, torn piece of red cloth. Faintly written upon the red cloth were three characters.

But those three characters had long since become incredibly blurry and indiscernible.

Chen Huangpi stared for a long time but still couldn't make out what was written.

He only hazily beheld the first character appearing to be 'Town' (镇), while the remaining two were already impossible to identify.

However, this 'Town' character caused Chen Huangpi to feel somewhat familiar.

He had previously seen this identical style of calligraphy upon the tomb doors of the God-Burying Mound; sweeping and unconstrained like flying dragons and dancing phoenixes, holding an indescribable profound aura/charm (韵味).

Entering this village.

Chen Huangpi then beheld some villagers—similarly dressed in identically tattered rags, yet possessing Nascent Soul cultivation—surrounding that tearfully, torrential wailing little girl, asking ceaseless questions.

Once they questioned enough to understand, the expressions of these villagers became exceptionally complex.

Merely, those villagers surprisingly lacked any display of reaction toward this, instead hurriedly, hastily taking their leave.

What was even stranger was that the little girl seemed to have long since grown entirely accustomed to this.

And proceeded to walk toward a house constructed of stone and wood situated at the deepest inner part of the village.

From what they saw along the way.

This village looked exactly like a forgotten, ancient remnant settlement.

Furthermore, Chen Huangpi didn't spot the Crosser of Torments and his group of monks; he fundamentally didn't even sense their auras.

"Truly bizarre."

Chen Huangpi said in a low voice: "Didn't that Village Chief say many evil spirits ran inside from the outside? Could we have guessed wrong? The 'evil spirits' they refer to aren't the Crosser of Torments' group!?"

Not merely within this village.

The Brass Oil Lamp had even long since cast its divine sense out, ceaselessly investigating this world within the river.

Yet it also harvested absolutely nothing.

As if the Crosser of Torments' group—similarly swept into this world within the river—was not within the same world as them.

At this moment time, that little girl also arrived at her destination.

Thump, thump, thump... (Knocking sounds)

The sound of knocking upon a door rang out.

In the next second, the door of the house loudly creaked open.

Following closely behind, an ancient farmer wearing rough hemp garments and possessing incredibly dark, swarthy skin appeared at the doorway.

The cultivation of this ancient farmer was incredibly strong.

Chen Huangpi only cast a single glance to realize this person's cultivation absolutely wasn't merely Nascent Soul.

It was at least the Spirit Transformation Realm (化神期).

"Grandpa Village Chief."

Upon seeing this old farmer, the little girl immediately cried and shouted: "My Daddy died! A bad thing twisted his head off, and roasted him over a fire to eat! It even ate the fish bones completely clean!"

The Village Chief spoke with a strange/weird tone: "Yaya, that wasn't your Daddy, that was a monster."

"But it grew a face exactly the same as my Daddy's!"

The little girl cried: "The River God ate my Daddy, and that bad thing also ate my Daddy! They are both very bad!"

Saying so, the little girl was about to enter the house.

Yet the Village Chief hurriedly took a step back, saying helplessly: "Yaya, you go back first. Allow me to handle this matter. Tomorrow, during the River God Sacrifice, I will definitely give you an answer/account, alright?"

The little girl asked: "Will the River God eat that bad thing? Just like how it ate my Daddy and Second Uncle and the rest?"

"It ought to."

The Village Chief answered vaguely and ambiguously: "You go back first, rest properly. Do not go out at night, otherwise very bad things will happen."

"Yaya understands."

The little girl wiped away her tears, turning her head and walking toward the deepest section of the village.

There, existed a decrepit, tattered ancestral hall.

As if enshrining and worshipping some entity.

Seeing this, Chen Huangpi was right about to trail after her.

Yet exactly at this moment, that Village Chief suddenly took a step forward, coincidentally blocking precisely right in front of Chen Huangpi.

"Huang Er, have we been discovered by him!?"

"Shouldn't be possible..."

The Brass Oil Lamp said, somewhat lacking confidence: "My Concealment Divine Ability was learned from the Stone Pagoda. Although it isn't some supreme great divine ability, unless they are Immortals, or existences like Chi Xie who previously held an exceptionally high status, it is absolutely impossible for them to spot us."

The Pure Immortal Temple previously possessed many heavy treasures.

Within the Old Temple, there even existed an incredibly massive grand array formed utilizing these heavy treasures, arrayed utilizing three thousand Immortals serving as the array cores.

The objects anchoring the array numbered nine in total.

The Earth Scripture, Nine Separation Bell, Stone Pagoda, True Void (洞真), Dragon-Locking Well, Huang Er, Huang Yi, Flying Immortal Painting, and the Sacrificial Altar.

For the Stone Pagoda to serve as an object anchoring the array, its divine abilities were naturally not something a common, idle cultivator possessed the capacity to see through.

"Perhaps it's a coincidence."

The Brass Oil Lamp stated: "Look, this Village Chief has his back facing us, but his eyes are fixated upon that little girl. Merely, that little girl possesses naught but Golden Core cultivation, why does this Village Chief seem to deeply dread and fear her!?"

Suddenly.

That little girl snapped her head back.

The Village Chief then smiled and waved a hand toward her.

That little girl also responded with a smile, and then hopped and skipped as she entered the ancestral hall.

Once this little girl entered.

The smile upon the Village Chief's face slowly vanished. After which he twisted his head around, swiftly stating in a low voice: "Fellow Daoist, this place is perilous. Quickly enter the house with me to discuss details."

Within his eyes existed the intent of sheer excitement.

Chen Huangpi, oppositely, froze dumbfounded upon the spot.

"You can see me!?"

Yet that Village Chief stated: "Fellow Daoist, right now your heart must definitely hold ten thousand perplexities. Yet still, I ask you to trust me. There are many words I am forbidden to speak within this village. Once we return into the house, isolated by the array formations, I will inform you of the entire matter from beginning to end in the utmost detail."

Saying so, this Village Chief diametrically entered the house.

But the door was not closed.

As if awaiting Chen Huangpi to enter.

"Original Family, this old rat is ambiguous and vague, his behavior incredibly suspicious; you must not trust him lightly."

"The intent to harm others is permitted to occur, but the intent to guard against others is absolutely indispensable!"

The Brass Oil Lamp and the Life-reaping Ghost both advised against entering the house.

Chen Huangpi then cast a glance toward Golden Horn.

"Golden Horn, do you know how we ought to leave this place? Exactly how to find the fishing rod?"

Golden Horn gestured: "Huangpi Daddy, if I knew, I would have long since told you! I was merely dragged by Eldest Guanzhu to the riverside and saw that stone stele; everything else, I know absolutely nothing about!"

Chen Huangpi stated: "The four of us combined, even if this Village Chief hatches some sinister plot, he absolutely cannot possibly be our match! If he dares to act unrestrained, then I will simply have no choice but to launch a ruthless killing strike!"

The words having just fallen, Chen Huangpi spun around and immediately began leaving.

The Brass Oil Lamp said entirely dumbfounded: "Didn't you just say you were going to enter the house!? Why are you pulling up your legs to run!?"

Chen Huangpi replied: "Enter the house, we definitely must enter! But exactly when

we enter is entirely my final say! Let's first thoroughly scout the surroundings! I continuously feel all the people within this village are incredibly strange; perhaps we might make other discoveries, hard to say."Previously, regarding that affair with Chi Xie, Chen Huangpi had suffered a massive loss.

He initially thought he had schemed perfectly to the finest detail.

When in reality, from beginning to end, he had been jumping around directly under Chi Xie's eyelids.

Watching this Village Chief possess Spirit Transformation cultivation, he was indeed no match for himself.

But what if he had concealed his cultivation, and was an ancient, old demon/monster?

Then wouldn't that exactly be falling directly into his trap?

Chen Huangpi had no choice but to act with utmost caution.

Very quickly, leveraging this Concealment Divine Ability, he wandered everywhere throughout the village.

And this caused him to feel increasingly bizarre.

The amount of people within this village was not small, roughly sixty to seventy individuals.

Even within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, this could be counted as a medium-to-small sized village.

Furthermore, there wasn't a single mortal.

Every single one possessed Nascent Soul cultivation base; moreover, the feeling they bestowed upon him was significantly more powerful than those Nascent Soul cultivators of the outside world who cultivated using human qi.

It was exactly the clothing they wore that was truly far too tattered and torn.

Even more destitute and impoverished than the Remnants.

What was even more eerie and bizarre was that these immensely powerful villagers had been ceaselessly circling and wandering throughout the village the entire time.

Or perhaps phrasing it another way, they merely wandered within a fixed, set area.

Some walked shoulder-to-shoulder in pairs.

Others were solitary and moved alone.

The scopes of their activity areas were all entirely different.

Chen Huangpi strolled around the village for half the day, and ultimately only saw two villagers exit the village. Afterwards, they walked all the way sequentially to the riverside, directly plunging into the river water. And then, it wasn't until the sky was almost dark that they successively crawled out the river one after the other.

After these two villagers crawled out from the water, the clothing upon their bodies became noticeably less tattered and torn.

And their cultivation base swiftly plummeted down into the Golden Core Realm.

One of them asked in sheer astonishment: "What place is this? I seem to have felt the existence of spiritual qi; could it possibly be this is the Celestial Realm!?"

The other person oppositely said: "Look quickly! There's movement in the water!"

Splash!

A strange fish possessing a human face leapt out from the water, opening a bloody maw wide toward the two of them, seemingly wishing to swallow them both directly into its stomach.

And exactly during this moment, a little girl possessing twin braids and carrying a vegetable basket ran over, shouting loudly: "Second Uncle! Don't eat people! Don't eat people!"

Hearing these words, the strange fish hesitated for a brief instant.

And precisely during the duration of this brief instant, the two individuals who emerged from the water snatched the opportunity to escape with their lives, hurriedly running far away from the riverbank.

The little girl said: "Don't be afraid! That fish is my Second Uncle! He merely wished to greet you! He won't eat you!"

"The sky is about to go dark. Follow me back to the village! Inside the village is safe, outside is perilous!"

Saying so, that little girl carried her vegetable basket and began walking toward the village.

Whereas those two individuals exchanged glances—as if entirely forgetting they themselves were also villagers—and half-believing, half-doubting, followed this little girl back into the village.

Once inside the village, even more villagers surged out surrounding them.

Showering these two individuals with solicitous inquiries and warm care.

And seeing there actually existed such numerous cultivators in this place, these two individuals had no choice but to heed their arrangements, eventually getting settled in.

Merely, from beginning to end, those villagers hadn't initiated half a speck of contact with that little girl.

Looking at this scene, Chen Huangpi felt goosebumps rising upon his entire body.

"Quick, swiftly look for that Village Chief!"

"This damnable place is incredibly evil and sinister; there is definitely something absolutely wrong with that little girl!"