Chapter 280

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Protagonist:

Jiang Xuan

When the group arrived at Shi Cun, the villagers had already been waiting for a long time.

Shi Yunfeng led a group of villagers forward to welcome them, offering fragrant fine wine and a sumptuous feast.

The people of Shi Cun have always been warm and hospitable, especially after learning of Shi Qingfeng and the old man's experiences, they were filled with even greater respect for them.

"Welcome to Shi Cun!" Shi Yunfeng cupped his fists with both hands, his expression solemn, "We have long heard of your deeds, especially you, young brother, you suffered so much for Boy. That you can come here today is our Shi Cun's honor."

The villagers nodded in agreement one after another, many with tears shimmering in their eyes.

They had long heard of Shi Qingfeng's ordeal; now seeing him safe and sound, everyone was overwhelmed with emotion.

Shi Qingfeng stood among the crowd, feeling the warm gazes cast from all around.

He lowered his head slightly, his cheeks flushing faintly red, yet his heart was filled with deep emotion.

At this moment, he finally felt a long-lost sense of belonging.

On the first night in Shi Cun, Jiang Xuan personally treated Shi Qingfeng's injuries.

Although Shi Qingfeng's injuries had already received preliminary treatment, Jiang Xuan decided to thoroughly purge the hidden dangers within his body.

"Your leg injury has improved, but there are still residual toxins and internal injuries in your body." Jiang Xuan pressed lightly on Shi Qingfeng's leg, sensing the subtle fluctuations hidden within, "If not thoroughly cleared, they may trigger greater trouble in the future."

Shi Qingfeng nodded, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes.

Jiang Xuan smiled faintly, a layer of faint golden light emerging on his palm.

He began massaging Shi Qingfeng, guiding the toxins in his body to gradually expel.

As Jiang Xuan's technique deepened, a warm current began circulating within Shi Qingfeng's body. The originally somewhat numb sensation in his legs gradually dissipated, replaced by an indescribable comfort.

"How does it feel?" Jiang Xuan asked.

"Very comfortable." Shi Qingfeng answered truthfully, "Like a warm current flowing in my legs."

Jiang Xuan nodded, continuing the treatment.

Gradually, Shi Qingfeng felt the toxins in his body being cleaned up bit by bit. His breathing became steady, and a relaxed smile appeared on his face.

Shi Qingfeng stood up, tried moving his legs, and discovered to his surprise that his legs had completely returned to normal.

"Thank you, Uncle Jiang!" Shi Qingfeng said excitedly, "Now my legs really have no problem!"

Jiang Xuan smiled faintly: "You suffered so much, you deserve to be whole."

Early the next morning, Shi Qingfeng couldn't wait to explore this brand new world.

He followed a few little companions and ran all over the whole Shi Cun, from the small stream at the village entrance to the bamboo grove at the village end, every place made him feel endlessly novel.

"Look over there!" A boy named Xiao Ming pointed at a big tree in the distance and shouted, "There's a nest of baby birds there!"

Shi Qingfeng looked up and saw a few baby bird heads poking out among the treetops.

He and his little companions immediately ran over, carefully observing the birds' every move. They also picked up some small stones under the tree, trying to attract the birds to fly down.

"Bang!" A loud noise suddenly rang out.

It turned out a little boy accidentally kicked a stone, the stone rolled down and hit a baby bird that was foraging.

"Oh no!" Xiao Ming said annoyedly, "We scared the baby bird!"

Shi Qingfeng hurriedly ran over to check.

The baby bird was frightened, its wings trembling slightly, but it didn't seem to be injured.

He gently cupped the baby bird in his palm, soothing softly: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."

Gradually, the baby bird calmed down, nestling peacefully in Shi Qingfeng's palm. The other children also gathered around, sighing in amazement at this scene.

"Brother Xiao Feng is so amazing!" A little girl said admiringly, "Even a baby bird was tamed by you!"

Shi Qingfeng smiled embarrassedly: "Actually I just didn't want to hurt it."

During the days in Shi Cun, Shi Qingfeng gradually walked out of the shadows of the past.

His smiles became more and more, his personality also becoming more and more cheerful.

One evening, Jiang Xuan discovered Shi Qingfeng sitting alone under the old locust tree at the village entrance, staring into the distance in a daze. He walked over and asked softly: "What's wrong? Is something on your mind?"

Shi Qingfeng turned his head, revealing a brilliant smile: "Nothing, I was just thinking, the days before were really too bitter. Now having so many friends and a good teacher like you, I really feel very happy."

Jiang Xuan ruffled his hair: "As long as you're willing, everyone will always stay by your side."

From then on, Shi Qingfeng became even more positive and optimistic.

He worked even harder in cultivation, and in life more actively helped others. Gradually, he became a little leader among the children, leading everyone to study and play together.

As time passed, Shi Qingfeng's life in Shi Cun became fuller and fuller.

He built deep friendships with his little companions, and also felt the care from Jiang Xuan and the whole village.

And for Shi Qingfeng, Shi Cun was not only a new starting point, but also a place full of hope.

Here, he found his own happiness and future.

"Roar!"

……

A deafening roar came from the deepest part of the Primitive Mountain Range, as if from the ancient Cosmos.

That sound contained endless power and pressure, making one's heart tremble and spirit shake.

In the depths of the primitive vast mountain range, a brilliant divine light rushed into the sky, illuminating the entire heaven and earth.

Accompanying that roar, heaven and earth resounded with bursts of heart-pounding rumbling, shaking mountains and rivers into turmoil, grass and trees all aflutter.

However, in the core area of that primitive mountain range, a layer of hazy mist shrouded.

There, an earth-shaking fierce battle was unfolding; the beings in the battle inscribed runes throughout heaven and earth with peerless divine abilities, blocking all prying from the outside world.

The boundless mountain ranges seemed to have received some mysterious force's Calling, and began to tremble violently.

Rocks collapsed, dust flew, the entire Great Wilderness fell into unprecedented turmoil.

Xiao Hong perched in the High Sky, and as she beat her wings fire rain poured down, like a heavenly calamity descending; the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow could swallow Qian Kun with a single mouthful, swallowing mountains whole in one gulp; Qiong Qi devoured all light with boundless Darkness; Zhu Yan swept away thousands of troops with supreme divine power. The battle between the Four Beasts had long surpassed an ordinary contest of strength, more like enacting an Ancient Era myth.

Although this fierce battle had already caused the Great Wilderness to tremble, the depths of the mountain ranges were still shrouded in a layer of mysterious mist.

The beings in the fierce battle imprinted runes among all things in heaven and earth, concealing all truth.

"The Mountain Treasure has emerged!" Countless people were filled with longing, yet dared not rush into the battlefield.

Time passed second by second, and the Mountain Treasure finally revealed its true appearance.

A strand of boundless Immortal Light rushed into the sky, interweaving with Chaos Qi, rendering the depths of the entire mountain range hazy and misty.

At this moment, it seemed as if time flowed backward, returning to the Ancient Period.

The Mountain Treasure's emergence triggered an even more tragic battle.

The confrontation between the Four Beasts escalated to a life-and-death decisive battle; every strike was enough to destroy a heaven and earth.

In this earth-shaking fierce battle, Shi Cun, though hidden at the edge of the Great Wilderness, could not completely avoid the Fluctuation's influence.

However, under the protection of the two powerhouses Willow Deity and Jiang Xuan, the villagers were safe and sound.

Shi Yunfeng and the others, though in a safe place, were frightened into heart palpitations by this battle that was thousands of miles away yet still capable of Destruction of Heaven and Earth.

They all speculated on the root of this battle, and anticipated the revelation of the Mountain Treasure's final ownership.

Finally, with the Mountain Treasure's emergence, the Four Great Divine Beasts' struggle also entered a white-hot stage.

Who can obtain this supreme treasure?

"Does Willow Deity truly have no interest in the Mountain Treasure?" Jiang Xuan's gaze condensed slightly, looking at that chaotic turbulent mountain range in the distance, and asked softly.

"Does Master have no interest in the Mountain Treasure either?" Boy tilted his head, repeating in a childish voice, a pair of spirited big eyes flashing with curious light.

"Enough, enough, don't learn to talk like me." Jiang Xuan laughed and lightly flicked Boy's forehead, yet a deep look flashed in his eyes, "The Mountain Treasure may be a Heavy Treasure, but to me it is merely a speck of dust. The Great Wilderness is vast; we cultivators each have our own Dao to walk, how can we be trapped by external objects?"

Boy nodded in seeming understanding, his childish voice carrying a few parts seriousness: "Oh!"

Willow Deity stood quietly to the side, branches and leaves swaying gently in the wind, emitting a rustling sound.

She did not directly answer Jiang Xuan's question, merely shook her head lightly, a faint ripple appearing in her eyes.

"The Mountain Treasure is good, yet not what I need." Willow Deity's voice was like a Cool Breeze brushing over the forest crown, carrying a touch of ethereality, "A mere treasure, how could it be placed in my eyes?"

Jiang Xuan smiled faintly, a look of realization flashing in his eyes: "So it is. It seems we two have reached the same destination by different paths."

"The world's people are all burdened by treasures; rare to have you and I with such a state of mind." Willow Deity smiled, branches swaying in the wind, as if narrating something, "The so-called Great Dao is utmost simplicity, it is just so."

The distant mountain ranges still churned restlessly, the fierce battle between the Four Beasts growing ever more intense.

However, in Jiang Xuan and Willow Deity's eyes, all this seemed to have become no longer important.

Their gazes had long transcended the present strife, cast toward the broader heaven and earth.

"The Mountain Treasure will ultimately return dust to dust, soil to soil, but we cultivators' Dao is endless." Jiang Xuan said with emotion.

"Precisely so." Willow Deity nodded, a trace of Xian Rong appearing in her eyes, "May you and I both walk even further on this road."

Words not yet fallen, a deafening roar came again from the distant mountain ranges, the Mountain Treasure's light growing ever more dazzling.

However, in Jiang Xuan and Willow Deity's hearts, all this was already no longer important. Because they had long since found the Dao belonging to themselves, with no need to be moved by external objects.

In the depths of the Great Wilderness, an earth-shaking struggle was being staged. The Four Great Venerable Beasts launched a near-mad slaughter for a supreme treasure named "Mountain Treasure".

And this Mountain Treasure is actually the location of the most Core Disciple inheritance of the Supreme Hall in the Three Thousand Dao Provinces of the Upper Realm.

Inside this seemingly Ordinary Mountain Treasure are hidden three heaven-shaking supreme heavenly arts: "Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Art", "Grass Character Sword Art", and "Original True Solution" Transcendent Chapter.

Among them, "Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Art" can be called a peerless marvel; legend says it was created by a Peerless Powerhouse expending his life's heart's blood, aiming to integrate the Ten Fierce Treasure Techniques.

Once this art reaches great success, it is one against ten, its power earth-shaking. It is heard that in the Xian Gu period, there were cultivators who relied on this art to kill Yi Yu great powers, provoking Yi Yu's fury.

"Grass Character Sword Art" is the supreme Sword Art created by one of the Ten Vicious, Nine-Leaf Sword Grass; its sharpness can be called number one in the World.

Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, though low-key and reclusive, has strength reaching heaven; in the Xian Gu period it once alone resisted Yi Yu's Four Great Immortal Kings, from which its method's might can be seen.

As for "Original True Solution", it is even more the current world's number one immortal art, containing supreme profundities.

The existence of these three heavenly arts, if known by Immortal Kings, would certainly make their hearts move incessantly.

However, in Jiang Xuan's eyes, all this appears plain and unremarkable. Because he has long since walked out his own Dao, and the Hongmeng Treasure Mirror moreover contains countless inheritances surpassing this level, with no need to struggle further.

"Are you certain the Mountain Treasure truly hides these?" Willow Deity asked softly.

"Naturally would not speak falsely." Jiang Xuan's gaze fell on that chaotic turbulent mountain range in the distance.

Hearing this, Willow Deity fell silent, her gaze also looking toward that battlefield.

She felt a bit of regret.

But only for an instant.

The Four Great Fierce Beasts were fighting heaven-turning earth-overturning for the Mountain Treasure; runes collapsed and shattered, Rune Bones scattered flying.

No matter how strong they are, before a true Immortal King they are merely ant-like Existences.

On the distant battlefield, the Mountain Treasure finally emerged.

The Four Beasts surrounded it and launched a desperate struggle, the scene so tragic it made one's heart tremble with fear. Yet in Jiang Xuan and Willow Deity's eyes, all this was merely a lively spectacle.

Their gazes had long transcended this battlefield, cast toward even more distant heaven and earth.

"The so-called Great Dao is not sought externally." Jiang Xuan laughed, "We cultivators should seek our own Dao and walk it, why need to be trapped by external objects?"

"Precisely so." Willow Deity nodded lightly, "This Mountain Treasure to us is merely a speck of dust."

In the conversation, the two's gazes passed through layer upon layer of Chaos, looking toward that vast boundless Star Sky.

In this heaven and earth, everyone has their own Dao to walk, and this mere Mountain Treasure, how could it shake their resolve?

"Boom—"

Qiong Qi, wrapped in ten thousand zhang of evil mist, shattered mountains as it stepped; wherever its green beast pupils swept, vegetation withered entirely. "The news of the Mountain Treasure's emergence..." A low growl rolling in its throat shook the Cloud Layer into collapse, "Must use blood to silence it."

"Jie!"

The Sky-Swallowing Sparrow tore open the Curtain of the Heavens and dove down, wings condensed from nether fog veiling half the Great Wilderness. Its Main Body was three sizes larger than the Vermilion Bird's complete form, blood-red vertical pupils locking on to every Human Race tribe within a thousand li: "Starting with the two-legged sheep!"

"How dare you?!"

The Vermilion Bird beat its wings, stirring up sky-burning crimson flames, within the Fire Light the vague Emergence of an Ancient Times Divine Phoenix Shadow. Zhu Yan's Iron Staff swept horizontally, clearing a hundred li of killing intent, the Three Heads Six Arms Dharma Form invoking war drum thunder: "To move the Great Wilderness's living beings, first ask the Iron Staff in my hand!"

The instant the Four Great Fierce Beasts' Mysterious Qi collided, Space cracked like Glass. Qiongqi spat out Annihilation Black Fog that corroded the Dadi, rock strata turning into foul-smelling blood water wherever it passed; as the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow's Claws tore, the protective formations of twelve Human Race cities simultaneously collapsed.

"Retribution?" The Sky-Swallowing Sparrow Swallowed a mouthful of thunder, purple lightning arcing between its Fangs, "Laozi IS the Heavenly Tribulation!" The hurricane from its dive lifted ten-thousand-catty boulders, smashing down on the wailing villages like Rain.

The Vermilion Bird cried tragically, spewing Nirvana True Fire, yet it exploded into a sky full of Fire Light before Qiongqi's killing intent barrier. Zhu Yan's six arms formed a Battle Law Seal, the Iron Staff turning into a Brilliance Heaven Pillar smashing toward the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow's Vital Point, yet it was clamped dead tight by a ghost claw condensed from nether fog. (Chapter End)