CHAPTER 160: CHAPTER 150: A BUSHEL OF GRUDGES, THE AMBUSH OF THE CLAN LEADER

The abandoned village lay desolate, with twilight enveloping all.

The middle-aged villager clutched the wooden pole tightly, his eyes simmering with murky anger, his yellowed knuckles turning white from the strain.

Qin An’s eyes slightly narrowed, his Cold Star Saber already silently drawn out three inches, the blade and sheath producing a faint metallic ringing.

"In a place supposedly guarded by a benevolent pseudo-god, such hostility toward outsiders is unexpected..."

Qin An thought to himself, his gaze sweeping over the villagers huddled among the ruins.

This desolate village and its inexplicable animosity made him grip the hilt tighter.

This journey was far from ordinary.

The middle-aged villager saw Qin An draw the straight blade from his waist, his pupils dilating sharply, yet he still stood stubbornly in the path.

At this moment, the sound of subtle footsteps came from deep within the crowd.

The villagers parted like a tide, making way for a path.

"Young friend comes from afar, may I ask what business you have in Celestial Rain Village?"

An old man, leaning on a walking stick, shakily approached, squeezing a smile onto his wrinkled face.

Qin An said lightly, "The mountain path was winding, and I lost my way. Seeing there was a village, I came up to ask for directions."

He was not wearing the official uniform of the Evil Extermination Bureau, just simple black clothing.

After becoming a patrol officer, the official garb was actually a hindrance for the thousand-mile exterminations, hence many patrol officers used to wear ordinary clothes on assignments.

The scene earlier was somewhat strange, so Qin An did not reveal his identity.

The old man, hearing this, pointed his withered finger southeast, "Follow this road straight, and you will reach the official road."

Qin An shook his head, tossing a money bag, the clinking of silver tael’s strikingly clear in the twilight, "It’s already late, I wish to stay overnight; I have some silver coins which I can use for lodging."

The old man’s grip on the cane suddenly tightened, "The village is in the midst of the annual sacrificial festival, we cannot host guests, please forgive us, young friend."

Qin An locked eyes with him for a moment, then suddenly chuckled and turned, "Since it is so, I will not bother you further."

The middle-aged villager wanted to say something, but the old man stopped him.

After Qin An’s figure disappeared, the old man raised his hand and slapped a villager across the face.

"Incapable of success, but clever enough to ruin it; if someone were truly to die, word gets out, Lord Fire God will be displeased."

The villager covered his face, not daring to utter any complaints, only continuously apologizing.

The old man looked back at the surrounding villagers, and said, "Wait another half incense stick time, then bring out the General."

The villagers nodded repeatedly.

...

After leaving the village, Qin An did not depart but found a hidden spot, using the Dragon Roar Wind Step, he landed quietly atop one of the houses in the village’s open space.

He did not act with force.

There was clearly something wrong here; acting by force would reveal nothing.

If so, it’s better to investigate secretly.

Under the moonlight, the villagers were moving a sandalwood box to the old locust tree.

Two villagers approached, opening the box, and lifted out a person clad in armor.

This person had evil qi emanating from them, but their limbs and chest were pierced with fiery feathers, rendering them unable to move a bit.

Qin An stood at a high spot, using the house as cover, thinking to himself, "Why has Celestial Rain Village’s pseudo-god turned out this way, those fiery feathers seem familiar."

After scrutinizing for a moment, Qin An finally realized where he had seen those fiery feathers before.

He had slain many monsters of the Fire Crow Race, and this was unmistakably something from them.

He just didn’t understand why a pseudo-god would be subdued by fiery feathers.

While pondering this, something strange occurred beneath the old locust tree.

One villager carried a knife, while another held a tray, walking to the pseudo-god’s front.

The villager with the knife sliced open the pseudo-god’s chest, causing blood to flow copiously into a copper tray.

The pseudo-god’s aura became immensely weak, releasing a hoarse wail, "For decades, I have protected this village, and yet you treat me like this!"

The villagers’ expressions remained indifferent as they brought the blood-filled tray before the elder.

The elder drank greedily, his murky eyes taking on a bizarre red glow, "What a delightful feeling, Lord Fire God did not deceive us, your blood can cure all diseases, ensuring eternal health."

The pseudo-god struggled a little, but was held down by two villagers, "That is the path of evil, being further influenced by evil qi, you will lose yourself; help me remove the fiery feathers and I will..."

The elder kicked the pseudo-god in the wound, snapping, "Silence."

The pseudo-god froze slightly.

The elder said displeased, "You have provided us a comfortable life, but we have also given you livestock in return, it is a trade."

"Now we wish for healthy bodies, inexhaustible energy, which you cannot provide us."

"Lord Fire God can provide for us, so of course, we must believe in him."

The pseudo-god gritted teeth, saying, "Greed will be your downfall; I have been nothing but kind, saving the village from hardship multiple times, and this is how you repay me?"

More greed crept into the elder’s eyes, "Lord Fire God said, you were born because of us, we created you, and now your creator demands your life, you should hand it over obediently."

"Enough talking, take turns enjoying it, remember not to overdo it, he is like cattle and sheep, needing to be kept always penned up."

The numerous villagers, upon hearing this, without hiding their greedy expressions, proceeded towards the pseudo-god.

Qin An, standing on the roof, took in the entire scene before him.

"What is this considered?"

"A rumored kindness met with revenge for a bushel?"

"The farmer and the snake?"

"Requiting kindness with enmity?"

Thinking for a moment, he couldn’t qualify it precisely, but he had a rough idea.

If he continued to watch at this point, the pseudo-god before him would likely perish.

Qin An circulated the True Qi within him, employing the Dragon Roar Wind Step, descending from the sky.

The villagers, who were closing in, were all shocked thoroughly.

After recognizing Qin An’s visage, a trace of anger rose in their eyes.

The elder, with a grim expression, said, "Young friend, didn’t you leave?"

Qin An glanced over the elder, saying, "Find a rope, tie yourself up, and you may live."

Before Qin An finished, a fierce wind arose.

The villager who had yelled for Qin An to leave raised the wooden pole, aiming a blow at the back of Qin An’s head.

This was a lethal strike.

If a normal person were hit by such a blow, they would undoubtedly die on the spot.

The pole moved swiftly, but the next moment hung suspended in mid-air.

Qin An drew the Cold Star, flicked away the blood from the blade, "Don’t believe?"

The middle-aged villager fell to the ground, twitched a few times, then went silent.

As for dealing a killing blow, Qin An saw it lightly.

The person before me was no different from a monster.

The death of the middle-aged villager plunged the remaining villagers into fear.

They had never witnessed such brutality and were all trembling, not even daring to take a step.

Even the elder from before now had a look of terror in his eyes.

Qin An waved his hand, and a strong wind appeared from his sleeve.

The fire feathers embedded in the Pseudo-God scattered under the wind.

The Pseudo-God, who had been on the brink of death, instantly recovered, though he remained exceedingly weak and no longer was in a state where he breathed out more than he inhaled.

The elder, seeing this, finally came to his senses and shouted, "Run!"

Qin An lifted his gaze and swept across them: "Who wants to run?"

The villagers were swept by Qin An’s gaze, making it even harder to move their steps.

The elder gritted his teeth, discarded his cane, and quickly ran outside.

Qin An picked up a stone from the ground and flicked it with his finger.

The stone pierced through the elder’s forehead, leaving a bloody hole.

The elder’s body convulsed on the ground for a moment, then became still.

The remaining villagers’ legs went weak, causing them all to sit down on the ground.

The Pseudo-God hobbled forward: "Thank you for saving my life."

Qin An replied indifferently: "Name, and what has occurred here."

He did not wish to waste words afterward.

The Pseudo-God paused slightly, sensing the coldness from Qin An, and smiled bitterly: "Xiyun, the guardian Pseudo-God of Celestial Rain Village."

"Not long ago, the Fire Crow Clan Leader arrived severely injured, captured me, and forced me to serve him like livestock."

"I secretly sent a message for the villagers to flee overnight, but he found out."

"He captured me and beguiled the villagers to consume my fresh blood..."

At this point, Xiyun’s expression turned impossibly complex.

As the protector Pseudo-God of the village, he should be held in reverence by its people.

Yet they repaid kindness with betrayal, rendering him so miserable, with pains known only to him.

Qin An frowned and said, "The Fire Crow Clan Leader, truly an unexpected delight."

Currently, the three major superior monster factions and the Monster Hall regard him as a thorn in their side. Though it’s unclear why the Fire Crow Clan Leader is gravely injured, it would be wonderful to seize this opportunity to eliminate him, wouldn’t it?

Thinking of this, Qin An spoke again.

"What cultivation does he possess now?"

Xiyun was slightly taken aback, not expecting Qin An to ask about it, but he answered: "Originally at the Great Success of Vein Condensation Realm, but his wings are broken, reducing his strength to less than forty percent, probably only the Return to Storage Realm Perfection."

Return to Storage Realm Perfection?

Qin An pondered, uncertain whether he could eliminate him with his own foundation.

After much deliberation, Qin An decided he might give it a try.

This is a good opportunity to significantly reduce his risks in Lingzhou.

If missed now, there would be no subsequent chance.

When he was at Jade Bone Realm Perfection, he could use various means to defy the Half-Step Gui Cang Realm.

Now at the Small Success of Gui Cang Realm, he might use his foundation and Secret Techniques to slay a Return to Storage Realm Perfection.

After all, he forged his supreme foundation with five Yang Elixirs, and now one of his governor vessels turned into an earth vessel.

Xiyun noticed Qin An in deep thought and seemed to realize something, fearfully said, "Brother, you must not undertake dangerous acts!"

How could he not know Qin An’s intention? Though the Fire Crow Clan Leader fell to Return to Storage Realm Perfection, he was once high combat power in Lingzhou.

Not something an ordinary Gui Cang could eliminate?

Qin An shook his head: "Don’t concern yourself with this. Where is he?"

Xiyun opened his mouth, wanting to say a few more things, but feeling a cold chill when swept by Qin An’s gaze, he could only close his mouth and point to the old locust tree behind him.

"Under the old locust tree is an underground cave where I usually reside."

"He comes up daily to see my wretched state and mocks me in passing."

"Mocks you?" Qin An raised his eyebrows.

Xiyun nodded, his complex gaze sweeping across the villagers: "He said, no matter how kind I am to these people, nothing changes the fact that we are ultimately two different races."

"Just a little provocation, and they will eat my flesh and blood. I initially didn’t believe it..."

"But now, it seems I must believe..."

Qin An remained silent for a while: "Help me with something."

Xiyun asked in confusion: "What is it?"

Qin An glanced at the old locust tree: "Naturally, it’s about killing him."

...

Below the old locust tree, in the cave.

The Fire Crow Clan Leader opened his eyes, breathed deeply, and showed a trace of helplessness on his face.

"The monster crystal is damaged, only equivalent to ten monster essence capacity, still unable to assist me in returning to Vein Condensation."

"The livestock’s vital energy is ultimately too faint, just consuming some cannot restore completely."

During these days, the Fire Crow Clan Leader utilized the village’s livestock to recover his injuries.

Yet, even so, the livestock’s energy and blood still couldn’t satisfy him.

"Risking a bold move, devour this village and that foolish Pseudo-God, perhaps that will enable a return to Vein Condensation Realm."

The Fire Crow Clan Leader’s eyes showed a hint of ruthlessness.

Doing so might lead to exposure.

But he could no longer wait.

Every day not returning to Vein Condensation left him uneasy.

Thinking of that foolish Pseudo-God, a mocking look appeared in the Fire Crow Clan Leader’s eyes.

Clearly a Pseudo-God yet helping humans, wanting to reveal his location, utterly laughable.

He wanted to teach this Pseudo-God that monsters and Pseudo-Gods were fundamentally opposed to humans.

The Fire Crow Clan Leader ascended toward the exit: "Surely he has been tormented to the extreme, alright, today he shall be freed."

Outside, the night was like a curtain.

When the Fire Crow Clan Leader emerged from the old locust tree, he saw the villagers surrounding the Pseudo-God, quietly conversing.

Without even looking, he knew these disgusting humans were again consuming Pseudo-God’s blood.

The Fire Crow Clan Leader took a step forward, baring his sharp beak: "It’s time to harvest the blood feast."

After being nurtured by Pseudo-God’s blood, these villagers’ flesh and blood would become even more savory, just the thought made his mouth water.

But just as the Fire Crow Clan Leader stepped forward a few steps, he suddenly noticed something amiss.