CHAPTER 98: CHAPTER 97: DRASTIC CHANGE IN THE IMMORTAL PALACE!

At this time, the year of the boar had passed, and spring arrived.

The streets should have been lively and bustling with vitality.

But after entering Beiliang City, Gu Yuan quickly sensed that something was off within the city’s atmosphere.

The streets were sparsely populated, and most people wore expressions devoid of joy, some even filled with worry and a hint of panic.

He knew something must have happened.

Gu Yuan headed straight to the Jade Cauldron Tower. When he reached the second floor, he indeed did not find Old Man Chen.

On the other end of the second floor, Gu Yuan submitted his task. Under Yang Han’s somewhat surprised gaze, Gu Yuan simply recounted the course of the task.

Of course, he didn’t speak the whole truth, merely stating that the disappearance of those people was indeed related to the Qian Mansion, and besides the Qian Mansion, the Cyan Bamboo Gang was also involved.

Yet, as just a Martial Master, he didn’t dare investigate further, lest he invite disaster upon himself.

Yang Han didn’t find it surprising. Matters involving the Qian Mansion and the Cyan Bamboo Gang were indeed beyond what Gu Yuan could handle.

That Gu Yuan could uncover these things was already quite unexpected for him.

After settling the task, Gu Yuan went to the first floor to find a few acquaintances to gather information and ask what had recently happened.

Then, Gu Yuan learned a piece of news.

In recent days, within Beiliang City and even the surrounding county towns, numerous wild beasts descended the mountains, frantically attacking the villages and towns below.

There have been many innocent mountain dwellers, hunters, and passersby who have perished.

If it were just wild beasts, it might have been manageable, but there were even demons among the beasts, which even Martial Masters found difficult to handle.

Anything called a "demon" means it has broken free from the shackles of ordinary beasts, gained increased spiritual wisdom, and possesses formidable strength, maybe even awakened a demon art, making it impossible for anyone but an Innate Martial Master to deal with.

Many Martial Masters who took on tasks to eradicate the wild beasts, due to lack of preparation, met tragic ends at the mouths of these demons.

Such events have naturally led to massive losses and widespread panic!

As of today, this matter has made people extremely anxious; not only have traders been affected, but even many ordinary people’s daily travels, work, and meals have become troublesome.

"Wild beasts coming down the mountain?!"

Gu Yuan’s heart trembled. After repeatedly asking, he learned that the villages attacked by the beasts did not include Gu Family Village, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Simultaneously, in his mind emerged the image of that Immortal Palace deep within the Yunmeng Mountain Range.

The only thing capable of causing such turmoil in Yunmeng Mountain must be that Red Dragon Immortal Palace!

Gu Yuan then had no mind to linger at the Jade Cauldron Tower.

After leaving Beiliang City, he headed straight for the Gu Family Village.

At Gu Yuan’s speed, it took less than half an hour to reach Gu Family Village.

Now it was just noon, and from a distance outside the village, he could see wisps of cooking smoke rising.

Gu Yuan’s heart settled, knowing nothing major had happened.

When he returned to his own courtyard, Father Gu and Mother Gu were eating.

Father Gu kept his head down, saying nothing, just stuffing his mouth with food.

Mother Gu, on the other hand, was chattering incessantly, her expression unpleasant:

"Well, now that the family has money, you’re getting more and more devious, aren’t you... Even daring to mess with Widow Dong at the eastern end of the village."

"You old rascal, at your age, you really have no shame!"

Father Gu couldn’t help but refute, "Old woman, what are you thinking? I just lent Sister Dong some grain, and you make it out like this. Aren’t you tarnishing reputations if word gets out?"

Mother Gu sneered, "Lending grain? Why doesn’t she borrow grain from anyone else, only from you? Isn’t it because you old thing are lusting after her body!"

"And, who borrows grain and then throws themselves into a man’s arms? Look at you, all tender-hearted, aren’t you?"

"I know this Widow Dong, just one sniff and she cries pitifully; don’t you men all love this kind of thing?"

"What are you thinking, I really did just lend grain..."

Father Gu, red-faced and thick-necked, wanted to explain further but, being less articulate, couldn’t outargue Mother Gu.

In no time, he gave up arguing, lowering his head to eat in resignation.

"Hmph, weren’t you in the right? Why not speak now?"

"Did I hit the nail on the head? I’ll tell you, our Yuan is learning martial arts in the city with difficulty, and if you sully his reputation by dragging him down, I’ll break your leg even if it takes my life!"

Seeing the two still had the energy to bicker, Gu Yuan realized they must be fine.

Just listening, his expression turned somewhat odd.

Unexpectedly, his old father, at such an old age, still had quite the youthful heart.

However, knowing his father, Gu Yuan was sure Father Gu hadn’t done anything inappropriate; it was likely Mother Gu taking the opportunity to assert some authority, while also curbing any small thoughts his father might have.

"Ahem! Dad, Mom, I’m back!"

He deliberately called out loudly, to give them both some notice, avoiding any awkwardness for everyone.

Upon hearing Gu Yuan’s voice, Mother Gu immediately fell silent, then acted like nothing had happened as she pushed open the door to greet him.

Seeing Gu Yuan, she smiled and said, "My son is back, have you eaten? Let me make you something nice."

"No need, Mom. You better start packing your things. This time, I’m planning to take you both to the city."

Gu Yuan stated his intention, explaining the recent incidents of many wild beasts descending the mountains attacking people.

This time, the parents did not refuse, agreeing to follow Gu Yuan’s arrangements.

They had also heard of the incidents of wild beast attacks, and even nearby villages had experienced such events where people were killed by bears, wolves, and other beasts coming down from the mountains.

Both parents knew that Gu Yuan was worried about their safety.

So, despite their attachment to their homeland, to avoid being a burden on Gu Yuan, they left without hesitation.

As the parents packed, Gu Yuan seemed to remember something and asked:

"By the way, Mom, what about Sun Zhong and his mother? Why don’t we invite them to come along too?"

Gu Yuan didn’t have much of a relationship with the others, nor did he have a good impression of them, but he was quite impressed with Sun Zhong.

Saving a couple more people was just a small effort for him; it was nothing.

However, Gu Yuan was shocked by his mother’s response:

"Sun Zhong is truly blessed. A few days ago, an immortal descended from the sky, saying that Sun Zhong has a fate with him and wanted to take Sun Zhong as his disciple, so he took Sun Zhong and his mother away."

Descended from the sky to take Sun Zhong as a disciple?

Gu Yuan was stunned.

He knew this was certainly no immortal; it was most likely a passing cultivator.

However, being able to fly in the sky and accomplish such a feat, they must at least be a Celestial Human Realm Cultivator!

That Sun Zhong, he truly is lucky, being noticed and taken as a disciple by such an existence.

For Sun Zhong, who was born a poor mountain villager, it’s as if he’s a carp leaping over the dragon gate!

But it’s not surprising either.

Gu Yuan had always suspected that Sun Zhong had a special physique or some secret.

Because every time Ah Huang, Big Mouth, and Ah Wu approached Sun Zhong, they felt somewhat uneasy and slightly fearful.

This is obviously not normal!

It’s just that due to his limited knowledge and low strength, he couldn’t detect anything.

Now it seems the secret on Sun Zhong’s body has been discovered by someone.

...

Not long after, Gu Yuan’s parents finished packing, and Gu Yuan rented a carriage from the city and returned.

He helped load some miscellaneous items onto the carriage, assisted his parents onto the carriage, and then sat in the front, waving the whip, leaving Gu Family Village amidst the complex glances of some people.

The carriage left the village and headed along the official road towards Beiliang City.

Along the way, they encountered similar vehicles, though mostly ox carts.

Most were bringing their whole families, clearly, like Gu Yuan, they had sensed the danger and decided to take their families to the city to avoid calamity.

Compared to their own fences built with stones and wood, Beiliang City, with its high and thick walls, was obviously safer, at least able to withstand wild animal attacks!

Yet those who could make up their minds to leave home to avoid disaster were still the minority, as more people were reluctant to leave their previously peaceful environments and their farmland.

Clip-clop—clip-clop—clip-clop—

"Whoa..."

On the road, the yellow horse was pulling the carriage at a leisurely pace. Suddenly, Gu Yuan looked up, pulled the reins, made the horse stop, and looked ahead.

His keen ears had already caught the sounds of a fierce fight ahead.

"Let me go take a look!"

Gu Yuan gave a signal to Ah Huang, who was hiding in the shadows, and Ah Huang immediately dashed forward.

...

"Quick! Kill them!"

"These beasts all deserve to die!"

"Dad, watch out..."

By the roadside, a fierce battle was unfolding.

On one side were martial masters wielding sabers and swords, and on the other was a pack of wolves!

A pack of slender, agile, and ferocious hungry wolves!

These wolves were not small in size; even the smallest was as big as a colt, with sharp teeth, gray-yellow fur, and they cooperated seamlessly, having already bitten quite a few people to death.

"Kill!"

Zhou Zhong swung a sharp axe, forcing a wolf back with difficulty, but he was already injured, with many parts bitten to the point of being bloodied and mangled.

These wolves were exceptionally cunning, well aware of the strategy of retreating when attacked and advancing when the enemy retreated.

When faced with a fierce attack, they would retreat, and when they saw the enemy weaken, they would rush forward to bite relentlessly.

It was clear they intended to wear down everyone’s strength!

Human stamina was ultimately no match for these beasts. Even though there were martial masters among them, they were still ordinary martial masters, without a single Bone Refining Realm martial master.

Once their stamina was exhausted, facing these ferocious hungry wolves, the result was predictable.

But they, they could not retreat!

Because they had their families with them.

If they retreated, their parents, wives, and children behind them would suffer!

"Ahhhh..."

Before long, screams rang out as a martial master fell to the ground, surrounded by several hungry wolves tearing at his flesh, the scene too tragic to bear.

Many people watched until their eyes were red with anger, Zhou Zhong gritted his teeth and roared:

"Cloak Axe!"

The sharp axe in his hand seemed to gather tremendous force, suddenly chopping down and splitting the head of the hungry wolf in front of him.

But just as this wolf fell, two more wolves lunged at him.

"My life is over!"

Seeing this, the exhausted and severely injured Zhou Zhong sighed, feeling a bit of despair.