Chapter 1931: Reason

The Human World

A large rock smashed onto the ground and bounced up, then rolled down the hillside, crossed the mountain path, and finally fell into the gully.

Grass blades flew, and a booming sound echoed through the mountains.

The young man used all his will, scrambling with hands and feet, climbing outward with all his might. He narrowly escaped being crushed by the large rock, thus avoiding death in his own trap.

"Huff, huff!"

The young man gasped for air, turning his head to look upwards.

A poisoned spear was lodged in the tree trunk, and the white ferret's body hung from it, its head, tail, and limbs dangling lifelessly. Demonic blood flowed down the spear, vibrant red blood mixed with dark greenish-black venom.

The white ferret was motionless, appearing to be dead.

Yet, the young man dared not let his guard down. Enduring intense pain, he propped himself up and loaded a new bolt into his light crossbow.

'Whoosh!'

The crossbow bolt struck the white ferret squarely.

The white ferret made no move to retaliate. Struck by the bolt, its body shook violently but remained hanging on the poisoned spear, blood gushing out.

Once he confirmed the white ferret was dead, the young man's entire body seemed to deflate, and he suddenly slumped to the ground.

There was no pride in having hunted down a demon beast with a mortal body. He simply lay on the grass, staring blankly at the clear sky, murmuring, "Master, I've finally avenged you!"

Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes.

Scenes from the past resurfaced. The warmth of those days now brought an equal measure of sorrow.

When he was young, his mother was frail and sickly, and soon passed away. His father was a hunter who, unfortunately, died in the mountains when the boy was eight.

At eight years old, he had to start fending for himself. His relatives and friends were not unkind, but they were all poor and, despite their willingness, unable to take him in and raise him. They could only help him as much as they could.

He knew he was a burden and tried his best not to trouble others, supporting himself.

Until Master appeared, teaching them to read and write, and imparting wisdom.

The Master encouraged him to pursue studies, refusing any tuition fees. The Master's wife showed particular care for him, an orphan, allowing him to experience long-lost familial affection.

However, good times did not last.

That day, the Master went to town to buy paper and ink for his apprentices. He didn't return even after dark. The entire village went out to search, but they only found a corpse.

The Master's death was gruesome: his chest was torn open, his internal organs were gone, and all his blood had been drained, leaving him a desiccated corpse.

The young man clearly remembered the moment he confirmed the body was the Master's; it felt like being struck by lightning.

The Master was the first innocent soul killed by the demonic ferret. Afterward, one person after another met a tragic end. The village organized hunts for the demon several times, but to no avail. Instead, the demonic ferret took advantage of the chaos and claimed several more lives.

No one dared to speak of slaying the demon again. The young man couldn't find any help, but the flame of revenge in his heart never extinguished.

He knew clearly that demons possessed vast supernatural powers, and even a small mistake could lead to his plan failing and his life being wasted. But he had to do it; he had to avenge the Master, otherwise, he would be unworthy as a son!

'A gasp!'

Intense pain interrupted the young man's thoughts.

He tried to lift his left arm, but the pain intensified, allowing him to raise it only halfway. He removed the iron plate from his body, revealing a shocking wound.

His internal organs must have been injured too; it felt as if a large hand had fiercely clenched his vital organs.

The young man stuffed a piece of cloth into his mouth and bit down hard. He dressed his wound, then took deep breaths of fresh air, struggling to get up from the ground and move to the base of the tree. He tugged at the poisoned spear.

The poisoned spear was deeply embedded in the tree trunk. He had little strength left and couldn't pull it out.

The young man took the white ferret off the poisoned spear, picked up a spear to use as a crutch, and staggered back.

The entire village was surrounded by earthen walls, and after the demonic ferret appeared, watchtowers and patrols were also set up.

When he reached the village, the young man was almost completely exhausted. He raised the white ferret in his hand and shouted, "I've killed the demon!"

Then he collapsed to the ground.

Little Five and Vermillion Bird had watched the "great play" for a month, and though it had finally ended, they still felt a sense of incompleteness.

Qin Sang paid no attention to external affairs, focusing intently on repairing the Thunder Altar. He grew increasingly skilled, having already restored ninety percent of it.

It then took him less than a month to successfully restore the Thunder Altar.

Qin Sang rested briefly, then activated the Thunder Altar. As expected, a faint connection emerged with the other two Thunder Altars.

He immersed himself completely, grasping this connection tightly, and initiated another transformation of the Thunder Altar.

Concurrently, the positions and relationships of the three Thunder Altars were outlined in his mind.

'Crackle!'

Above the Thunder Altar, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.

Qin Sang was bathed in the lightning, yet it did not harm him in the slightest. Each fluctuation of lightning was unique, representing a new transformation.

After experiencing numerous transformations and using the other two Thunder Altars for comparison, Qin Sang's deductions became increasingly clear, eventually pointing to a specific direction.

Qin Sang was overjoyed. Although he still couldn't sense the main altar, knowing its location would make finding it much easier, unless the main altar had been completely destroyed.

'Whoosh!'

The lightning converged entirely into the altar, and the Thunder Altar fell silent.

Qin Sang set up a formation to conceal the Thunder Altar, preparing to immediately go search for the main altar.

Seeing Qin Sang emerge from the rock crevice, Little Five and Vermillion Bird both looked over.

"Fixed?" Vermillion Bird asked.

Qin Sang nodded. "I've confirmed the direction of the main altar... Hmm? Taiyi has brought someone over and is waiting in the distance. Perhaps they've found something."

He sent out a signal, summoning Taiyi.

Before long, a white cloud drifted from afar, carrying Taiyi and an old Daoist priest.

"Master, this is Daoist Master Jingchun, the abbot of Xinhuo Temple," Taiyi said, then introduced the old Daoist priest next to him, emulating Luohou by also addressing Qin Sang as 'Master' in front of others: "This is my Master, whose Daoist name is Qingfeng."

"Greetings, Senior Qingfeng," the old Daoist priest said.

For days, Daoist Master Jingchun had been discussing the Dao with Taiyi and deeply admired him. Faced with Qin Sang, whom even Taiyi addressed as 'Master,' he showed utmost reverence.

From Taiyi's account, Qin Sang learned that Xinhuo Temple was the largest sect in the vicinity, possessing a lineage of Thunder Dao teachings.

Taiyi had mostly investigated the details of this lineage. Although its heritage was related to the Daoist Court's Thunder Division, there was little remarkable about it. Fearing he might have overlooked something, he summoned Qin Sang to review it.

Daoist Master Jingchun, perhaps having received some benefit from Taiyi, answered all of Qin Sang's questions without reservation. Unfortunately, Xinhuo Temple's lineage truly had little of note.

Qin Sang was about to take his leave when Vermillion Bird stopped him, acting playfully.

"There's a good show still unfinished! A few more days won't hurt, let's just wait!"

Upon learning the full story, before Qin Sang could say anything, Daoist Master Jingchun erupted in an angry shout.

"Demon beasts causing trouble, how could this be! Our temple has an agreement with the Divine Path that no local earth deity shrines be established nearby, with our sect overseeing the area. Such an incident is our negligence, for which I apologize to you all."

Daoist Master Jingchun was filled with righteous indignation. However, as the abbot, if his actions matched his words, the young man would not have had to fight for his life; the demon would have been slain as soon as it harmed anyone.

Qin Sang was noncommittal. He glanced at Little Five and said, "Since you two are interested, waiting a few more days won't hurt."

The group sat down on the ground.

Daoist Master Jingchun was uneasy. Only when he saw that Qin Sang had no intention of blaming Xinhuo Temple did he relax.

With nothing else to do, Qin Sang asked Daoist Master Jingchun if there were any ancient legends in the area.

Daoist Master Jingchun racked his brain, recounting various legendary tales. Most were absurd, though some content was quite interesting. Unfortunately, they were impossible to verify.

The sixth day.

A rainbow light appeared in the distance, heading directly towards them.

"The real owners have arrived," Vermillion Bird chuckled wickedly.

Vermillion Bird chuckled wickedly, glancing at Daoist Master Jingchun beside him, an expression suggesting another good show was about to unfold.

The group stood up, concealed their forms, and disappeared from the mountaintop.

The rainbow light was indeed a beam of light, enveloping a flying shuttle within which sat a man and a woman.

Both appeared very young, their demeanor and attire as elegant and noble as that of royal children.

The man was comforting the woman: "Junior Sister, don't worry. The aura is getting clearer; the Jade Dragon Ferret must be nearby. That little creature is clever to have escaped from my residence and wouldn't dare provoke strong enemies. At most, it would eat a few mortals; it'll definitely be fine."

"Don't even mention it!" the woman retorted.

The woman's face was full of resentment. "It's all your fault! You kept insisting that your people would surely take good care of it, convincing me to leave it at your residence, and now it's gone. If anything happens to my Jade Dragon Ferret, I'll go beg Master to hold you accountable!"

"Alright, alright, hold me accountable. If the Jade Dragon Ferret dies, I'll compensate you with a new one and kill those maids to appease your anger, how about that?"

The man offered a cautious, placating smile.

"I don't want a new one; I want *my* Jade Dragon Ferret!"

The woman pouted deeply, then suddenly her face lit up with surprise as she cheered, "Found it!"

'Whoosh!'

The rainbow light descended from the sky, directly over a village below.

The two appeared above the village, their gaze falling on the northern part of the village, where a small earth deity shrine stood.

Seeing the scene inside the earth deity shrine, the woman's face instantly turned ashen, and the man's face became livid.

Ever since the young man brought back the white ferret's corpse, he had become the village hero. No one dared to eat the demon's body, so it was offered to the Earth God.

"Who! Who dared to kill my Junior Sister's Jade Dragon Ferret!" the man roared.

The man was furious.

Upon seeing the wounds on the Jade Dragon Ferret's body, the woman's heart ached, and tears fell. The man, however, was stunned.

"These wounds..."

The man didn't sense any traces of magical power or artifacts, nor was there an Earth God present in the shrine. He said incredulously, "Could the Jade Dragon Ferret have been killed by mortals?"

Even if the Jade Dragon Ferret was weak, it was still a demon beast that had gained sentience. How could mortals possibly withstand demonic arts?

The man's roar startled the entire village. Unknowing why, villagers of all ages emerged from their homes and, following the angry shouts, came before the shrine, where they saw the man and woman.

"It's an immortal!"

Someone noticed that the man and woman were not touching the ground but floating in mid-air, and couldn't help but exclaim, instantly causing a commotion.

"They really are immortals!"

"The immortals have manifested! They've come to apprehend the demon!"

The villagers spoke over each other, never imagining that the demon was raised by immortals. They truly believed the immortals had come to slay demons and banish evil, their eyes filled with fervor.

"Who killed my Junior Sister's Jade Dragon Ferret? Step forward now!"

The man's gaze was like a knife, filled with murderous intent.

The woman didn't even turn her head, cradling the ferret's corpse and sobbing.

The villagers finally realized something was amiss. They exchanged glances, fell silent, and then began to cower under the man's piercing stare.

"I killed it!"

A strong, resonant voice emerged from the crowd, and an old man, the village chief, stepped forward.

"Village Chief..."

Someone whispered, about to say something, but the old village chief waved his hand to stop them.

The old village chief stepped out from the crowd. Facing the immortals, his back remained as straight as an arrow shaft. "In our village alone, this demon brutally murdered over a dozen people, tearing open their bellies and draining their blood, leaving no complete bodies. It was a gruesome sight. I killed it to avenge my fellow villagers! If you two immortals wish to avenge this beast, then kill me. Do not vent your anger on others; I, this old bag of bones, have lived long enough."

These words were not solely addressed to the two immortals, but also to his fellow villagers behind him.

The villagers understood the old village chief's intent: the old chief was aged, while the young man was still very young.

He had slain the demon for everyone; he was a hero. The old village chief was willing to die in his place.

The old village chief's family could only sob softly.

Several strong men surrounded the young man, firmly holding back the impulsive youth.

"Heh heh..."

The man sneered coldly, "You mere mortals, daring to deceive this immortal to my face? Your crime is compounded! Get out here!"

His furious roar nearly scattered the villagers' souls.

The young man felt his entire body tighten, seized by an immense force. He was involuntarily lifted into the air and violently slammed to the ground.

The few strong men who tried to intervene were immediately flung away, spitting blood and unable to struggle back up.

How could the old village chief's attempt to take the blame deceive his discerning eyes? A faint lingering resentment clung to the young man, making him the undeniable culprit.

But the man didn't believe the young man could have killed the Jade Dragon Ferret alone. He sneered, "Who else? All of you, step forward! Or did your entire village participate?"

"You!"

The old village chief's face instantly changed. Was the man actually going to slaughter the entire village?

"So demons are allowed to eat people, but we're not allowed to fight back? What kind of logic is that!" the young man cried out in grief and indignation.

"Hmph! What are you insignificant beings? A bunch of ignorant rustics dare to lecture this immortal on logic!"

The man had been keeping an eye on his Junior Sister, and his display was also to appease her anger. "No one stepping forward, huh? Fine!"

Seeing his Junior Sister had no reaction, the man raised his hand, palm forward, fingers like swords. He unleashed five streaks of sword energy, directly slashing towards the villagers.

"Stop!"

An angry roar came from above.

Seeing that he truly intended to slaughter the villagers, Daoist Master Jingchun couldn't help but reveal himself. The five streaks of sword energy were dispersed by his shout.

Qin Sang and the others also descended to the ground.

"Senior Jingchun!"

Upon seeing Daoist Master Jingchun, the man instantly turned pale with fright.

The woman, too, trembled, dropping the ferret's corpse to the ground, her face losing all color.

Their sect had some power, but even their master would have to bow respectfully before the abbot of Xinhuo Temple.

"Absurd! You allowed your spirit beast to descend the mountain and harm people, and now you indiscriminately slaughter an entire village? What fine disciples Yin Xiao has!"

Daoist Master Jingchun's stern words were like a bolt from the blue to the two of them, and they knelt on the ground, trembling.

"Senior, how should these two evildoers be dealt with?" Qin Sang asked, as Daoist Master Jingchun's actions made the two even more terrified.

"Since your temple has promulgated laws, then handle it justly," Qin Sang said. He then turned to Little Five and Vermillion Bird and asked, "Have you seen enough?"

"Boring! They're too weak. It would be much better if a Void Refinement stage old monster appeared," Vermillion Bird said, shaking its head and tail. Its wild tone startled even Daoist Master Jingchun.

"You really do dream big."

Qin Sang shook his head. If a Void Refinement old monster were truly drawn here, even his avatar wouldn't fare well.

"This matter is concluded. We shall take our leave."

The group clasped their hands in salute to Daoist Master Jingchun and bid farewell.

In a short span, the villagers had experienced a roller coaster of emotions, from despair to hope. As if waking from a dream, they now understood that these immortals were benevolent and had come to save them. They all knelt, expressing their gratitude.

"Mingyue, the immortals saved us! Hurry and kowtow to them in gratitude for saving our lives!"

Seeing the young man still in a daze, the old village chief quickly stepped forward, tugged at him, and together they knelt on the ground.

Qin Sang, who had already turned to leave, suddenly stopped, turned back, and looked at the young man. "Is your name Mingyue?"

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