Chapter 1933: Eliminate All Evil

Behind the elder and the young girl stood the village's surviving residents. The village itself was small, originally home to only about a hundred people. After the bandits' rampage, only half remained alive, mostly women, children, and the elderly. At this moment, they all looked with reverence at Lu Ye, who sat before them. This immortal master had just displayed immense power, single-handedly eliminating over twenty bandits. Many of them had witnessed it firsthand, knowing that had it not been for him, they all would have perished today. So, even if the immortal master had seemed somewhat suspicious for a moment, the villagers remained profoundly grateful.

Lu Ye looked up at the villagers, his eyes immediately dazzled by the large numbers hovering above their heads. The bandits were living Asura Marks, and so were these villagers! Moreover, their value was even greater than that of the bandits. The young girl he had initially encountered on the mountain was worth two thousand Asura Marks. The elder she was now supporting was even more astonishing; a large "5000" above his head almost made Lu Ye think he had seen wrong. The bandit minor leader he had just killed was only worth three thousand Asura Marks, so why was this frail elder, seemingly half-buried in the ground, worth five thousand? And these villagers, their value started at two thousand, with a few already at three thousand. Even if there were only fifty people, their total value would be at least over a hundred thousand Asura Marks. If Lu Ye wished, eliminating these unarmed ordinary people would yield an income nearly equivalent to a single cultivation trial. Furthermore, these people were likely just shadows, not real living beings, so killing them wouldn't entail any psychological burden.

"Immortal master," the elder spoke, "Mount Dafeng has suffered heavy losses this time and will certainly not let this rest. They have six major leaders; the one who died was merely the weakest. We hear that the Great Leader of Mount Dafeng has cultivated for many years, and his strength is unfathomable. It would be best for the master to make plans early."

"Hmm?" Lu Ye's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Mount Dafeng... where is it?"

Even if these people in front of him were truly just shadows, Lu Ye wouldn't lay a hand on them. He was merely curious as to why these ordinary folk were worth more than the bandits. However, eliminating bandits carried no psychological burden; it was a win-win situation—acting righteously while gaining benefits.

The elder, likely the village chief, responded, "This is Mount Dafeng, but its range is vast. Many years ago, a group of bandits took over the mountain, using the name 'Mount Dafeng' to commit atrocities everywhere."

"Then do you know their exact location?" Lu Ye asked again.

"I'm not sure," the elder shook his head, looking at Lu Ye with a strange expression. He had kindly come to warn Lu Ye, mainly hoping he would leave quickly, as Mount Dafeng would certainly seek revenge. Who would have thought this immortal master not only showed no fear but seemed... excited? What kind of person was this?

"Does anyone among you know where these bandits' lair is?" Lu Ye asked, looking at the surviving villagers. Most shook their heads, indicating they didn't know. Only a man dressed as a hunter spoke up: "Immortal master, the bandits of Mount Dafeng are deeply hidden. Ordinary people truly don't know their exact location, and even if someone accidentally sees it, they would be silenced. But someone does know."

"Who?" Lu Ye looked at him.

The hunter turned his head and pointed to the side: "It!"

Following his gaze, Lu Ye immediately saw the sturdy black horse left behind after the Sixth Leader's death. His eyes instantly lit up. Of course, an old horse knows the way. As long as he rode it, the black horse should be able to lead him to the bandits' lair. With this thought, Lu Ye no longer hesitated. He slowly rose and walked towards the black horse.

"Where is the immortal master going?" the elder asked tremblingly. Although he had some suspicions, he couldn't be sure.

"To eradicate evil, of course!" Lu Ye said as he swung himself onto the horse, casually picking up the thick, long spear left behind by the Sixth Leader. This thing weighed about two hundred pounds, and indeed, it was not something an ordinary person could wield. Since his Pan Mountain Blade was unusable, this spear, in this environment, would surely become an unyielding weapon. The black horse was somewhat unruly, but Lu Ye simply patted its back with a casual hand. With the flow of spiritual power, he calmed it down.

"Immortal master, Mount Dafeng has many strange beasts; please be careful," the hunter-like man couldn't help but call out as he watched Lu Ye's retreating back. Lu Ye simply waved his hand casually.

After watching Lu Ye's figure disappear, everyone turned to the elder. The hunter asked, "Village Chief, what should we do now?" The village was destroyed, and over half the villagers were dead or injured, but that was secondary. The crucial point was that Mount Dafeng would certainly seek revenge. If they stayed, their fate would undoubtedly be grim. No one knew if the departing immortal master could truly eliminate the bandits of Mount Dafeng. If he could, that would be wonderful, but if not, then utter destruction surely awaited them.

The elder pondered for a moment, then sighed and said, "Take whatever we can carry, and let's migrate." They couldn't stay here; they would have to find another suitable place to settle down. But in this current world, who knew what fate awaited those who left their homes? The villagers fell silent for a moment, then dispersed to gather their belongings.

In the mountains and forests, Lu Ye let his horse wander freely while he rummaged through a package he held. This package was on the black horse's back and likely belonged to the Sixth Leader. After searching, Lu Ye found a good amount of dried meat, two changes of clothes, and a few items resembling gold leaves, which he guessed were the currency of this realm.

A rumbling sound echoed. Lu Ye quickly patted his chest, relieved to find that his Fate Dice were still there. Immediately after, his eyes widened, and an incredulous expression appeared on his face, as he finally realized what the rumbling sound was. It was unmistakably coming from his own stomach. He was actually hungry! Lu Ye didn't know how long it had been since he felt this sensation. As his cultivation gradually increased, he had long surpassed the need for food; eating was merely to satisfy his cravings. But now, he was genuinely feeling hungry! The aroma of the dried meat suddenly became more intense. Lu Ye immediately picked up a piece, put it in his mouth, chewed, and then grabbed a water flask from the horse's back and took a few gulps.

His Talent Tree suddenly reacted. Lu Ye immersed his mind to observe and saw a faint wisp of grey mist flash across the Talent Tree. Poison? Lu Ye was surprised. What kind of person was that Sixth Leader, poisoning his own food? Who was he trying to guard against? However, judging by the Talent Tree's reaction, the poison didn't seem very potent. Lu Ye paid it no mind. He ate a few more bites of dried meat, took a sip of water, and slowly, he confirmed one thing: the poison was not in the dried meat but in the water. To him, it made no difference.

After eating his fill, Lu Ye began his cultivation, converting his own vital essence into spiritual power. Although the Talent Tree could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish his consumption, the spiritual energy in this world was too scarce; even fully activated, its effect was limited. Instead, the cultivation method of converting vital essence into spiritual power was quite efficient. This was also how he first cultivated, as his innate talent back then was insufficient, preventing him from absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth or from spirit stones, so he could only use this method. Even after many years, Lu Ye had not forgotten it. Furthermore, back when he was at this stage, his Talent Tree had not yet undergone its transformation. Unlike now, with its powerful absorption ability, once food entered his stomach, Lu Ye only needed to slightly activate the Talent Tree to fully refine and absorb it, converting it into his own vital essence, and then transforming that vital essence into spiritual power. His cultivation efficiency was many times faster than it had been years ago.

An hour later, he was hungry again. Lu Ye continued to gorge himself, then cultivated. After just a few cycles, a large package of dried meat was consumed, and the spiritual power he had expended in combat was also replenished. Gradually, Lu Ye discovered something that surprised him: the Asura Field's suppression on him was not absolute. He could break open more spiritual apertures through cultivation, thereby enhancing his own strength! This was undoubtedly a delightful and promising discovery.

As they traveled, the black horse's pace wasn't particularly fast. Lu Ye didn't know if it was taking the right path, but since things had come to this, he could only trust it.

As evening approached, they reached a certain spot, and the black horse suddenly began to stir restlessly. Lu Ye, who was cultivating, sensed something and turned to look in one direction. From a thicket of bushes, a pair of glowing green eyes were staring at them. Their eyes met. A foul, predatory stench filled the air, and a huge, agile figure sprang out, roaring like a beast. A gaping, blood-red maw filled Lu Ye's vision.

The black horse was startled and neighed loudly. Lu Ye raised his hand, gripped the thick, long spear left by the Sixth Leader, and thrust it forward. The two-hundred-pound spear felt weightless. The pouncing beast was pierced straight through and hung on the spear. "Stop neighing!" Lu Ye slapped the black horse's back.

A short while later, Lu Ye sat cross-legged beside a roaring bonfire. A large piece of beast meat sizzled over the flames, its aroma filling the air. The hunger in Lu Ye's stomach became even more pronounced. With the Talent Tree at his side, no matter how much he ate, it would be quickly digested, thus becoming capital for enhancing his strength. Moreover, after killing this creature that looked like a leopard, he discovered something else: the wild beasts of this world didn't seem to be ordinary animals. They were much fiercer and stronger than the beasts he knew. Even the black horse left by the Sixth Leader was like this. Considering that while Lu Ye himself didn't weigh much, the spear was quite heavy, yet the black horse showed little fatigue after a full day of travel. Were these strange beasts? Lu Ye recalled the hunter's warning before he left. It seemed that so-called "strange beasts" were creatures fiercer and stronger than ordinary wild animals, but not yet reaching the level of demonic beasts. This was consistent with the level of this world, which was a low-level realm where the concept of cultivation had emerged but had not yet truly entered the cultivation stage.

Suddenly, footsteps approached. Under the flickering firelight, two figures came from the front. Before they even arrived, one of them spoke: "Forgive us for visiting so late at night. The mountain path is truly difficult, and the night is cold. Seeing your fire, we hoped to find some warmth. Please don't take offense, friend."