Grandpa, times have changed.

Xu Xing originally intended to find out the details first.

But those pure white shadows didn't give him that chance at all.

The pure energy body, like phosphorescent flames, suddenly elongated, following closely behind the materialized mental attack, and attacked Xu Xing like seven pure white streaks of light!

hum~
An invisible ripple spread out.

With that pure white shadow of the Divine Forging Realm as the main element, a special formation was faintly formed, constantly influencing the surroundings.

The spiritual energy drifting in the void seemed to become viscous, like a swamp, which greatly restricted Xu Xing's every move.

The surging malice was made without any attempt to conceal it.

A battle formation?
Xu Xing remained calm and did not retreat even a step. He simply channeled his magical power and raised his hand to make a sweeping motion in front of him!
boom!
The weak point of the formation formed by the seven pure white shadows was struck, and the violent spiritual energy surged in all directions.

The approaching pure white shadows were struck as if by lightning, their forms momentarily unsteady.

Boo!
After letting out a terrified scream, they seemed to realize something.

Without the slightest hesitation, they scattered and fled.

Nourish my realm!
It's actually the Yangwu Realm?!
Weren't all the beings in the nearby Yangwu Realm absorbed by the Ancestral Spirit?

Could it be the Yangwu Realm from elsewhere?
We have to go back!

This news must be brought back to the clan; the ancestral spirits are about to...

however.

call out!
A flash of sword light appeared, slicing through the sky and sealing off all directions.

The pure white shadow of the Condensation Realm shattered into tiny specks of light almost instantly upon contact, leaving only the pure white shadow of the Divine Forging Realm intact. It was pierced by an invisible sword light and brought before Xu Xing.

Their bodies, as bright as phosphorescent phosphorescence, had dimmed somewhat, and they were on the verge of death.

From the moment Xu Xing appeared, to the moment several pure white shadows chose to attack but were instantly defeated.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

The men carrying the palanquin were stunned, but the woman sitting on it remained calm and composed.

Before Xu Xing could say anything, she spoke first.

"Are you the one who passed down the cultivation method 156 years ago?"

Although it was a question, the tone carried a hint of certainty.

"..." Xu Xing paused, "Instead of that, why don't you explain what's going on here first?"

As he spoke, he pointed a finger at the pure white shadow that had been pierced by the sword light and was on the verge of death.

He used a secret technique he had obtained from the Myriad Races Academy to read the memories within the soul.

The Floating Moon Spirit Clan... First Ancestral Spirit... Yan Xu... Soul... Nourishing...

Perhaps because he had only recently mastered the Mystic Search Technique, or perhaps because the soul structure of the Floating Moon Spirit Clan was rather unique, Xu Xing only obtained some fragmented and complex memories.

Fortunately, this was enough for him to extract the information he wanted to know.

With a thought flashing through his mind, Xu Xing exerted a little force in his palm and directly crushed the Floating Moon Spirit at the Divine Forging Realm.

Xu Xing glanced at the few people carrying the palanquin who were clearly not quite there yet, and then looked at the people on the palanquin; his expression had turned somewhat unfriendly.

"So, they were all sacrifices?"

The first ancestral spirit of the Floating Moon Spirit Clan is about to advance to the Void Transformation stage, and needs the divine souls of beings with a Yin attribute as resources.

This is why the Floating Moon Spirit would send the offerings over at this time.

"..."

The woman on the palanquin remained calm.

"Yes."

She seemed to notice the hostility in Xu Xing's eyes and added another sentence.

"There always has to be a price to pay so that more people can survive, doesn't there?"

That same phrase again...

Xu Xing clenched his fist and took a deep breath.

"I will pay the price for you, but I also hope you are prepared."

There are too many helpless situations in this era.

Sometimes, they really don't even have a choice.

indeed.

There are no sacrifices too great to be unacceptable, but all sacrifices should be meaningful.

If the sacrifice is only to allow the 'majority' who ignore all of this to survive, then all the sacrifices will be meaningless.

This is just a last resort, and it's never been right or a given!
After saying that, Xu Xing turned and left.

It transformed into a streak of sword light and headed towards the ancestral land in the memories of the Divine Forging Realm Floating Moon Spirit.

The few people who remained behind were somewhat at a loss.

"So, what should we do now?"

The envoy of the Floating Moon Spirit Clan was killed by someone who appeared out of nowhere. That person said a few incomprehensible words and then ran away.

They were all prepared, but now...

I really don't know what to do.

"You can go back now."

"But……"

They've already been chosen, so going back like this... won't that be...?

"It's alright. If the elders ask, just say I sent you back," Ruo said softly.

Although he still hesitated upon hearing this, he put the palanquin down.

"then you……"

"Let me take another look," Ruo said calmly.

It seemed that the series of changes that had just occurred were not enough to stir any ripples in her heart.

The group looked at each other for a while, then finally turned and left.

At first, they would look back a couple of times, but as they walked, their pace quickened.

Before long, their figures disappeared around the corner.

From the time they could remember, the leaders, elders, and everyone around them told them that they bore the heavy responsibility of saving the entire settlement.

They have always regarded this as an honor.

Now that they can no longer fulfill this glorious mission or enjoy this honor, they should feel lost.

But it didn't!

Aside from feeling fortunate to have survived, I felt no other emotions.

Just after the group left, if you look up and see the sword light disappear into the distance, that's in the direction of the Floating Moon Spirit Clan's ancestral land. On that person from before…

She definitely felt the killing intent.

That person seemed to understand some things, but not completely, so they misunderstood something.

"Because of that sentence..."

She lowered her head and sighed softly.

He then stepped down from the palanquin and sat down by the lake, hugging his knees and gazing at the shimmering surface of the lake, lost in thought.

High up.

Chi Jiuyu scratched his head.

emm...

She wondered if it was just her imagination, but the first encounter between her martial aunt and the Spirit Ancestor didn't seem so 'friendly'.

Surely the Spirit Ancestor wouldn't do something like using someone else as a sacrifice...

She was somewhat uncertain.

Although she personally has great faith in the Spirit Ancestor.

But along the way, there were far too many similar incidents.

Moreover, in many situations, individual will is meaningless.

Therefore, she couldn't guarantee it 100%.

"Let's follow our martial uncle and see what's going on..."

Thinking this, she also transformed into a streak of sword light and followed Xu Xing.

……

……

Night was falling.

The evening breeze grew increasingly chilly.

He gazed at the lake, lost in thought.

From a young age, she and several others were chosen by the envoys of the Floating Moon Spirit Clan.

It can be said that she was burdened with a mission from the moment she was born.

Therefore, she had never seen her parents since she was a child, and everyone around her told her that she should strive to cultivate herself and then die on a night like tonight.

As the resources used by the first ancestral spirit of the Floating Moon Spirit Clan to advance to the Void Transformation Realm, he died.

This is the fate she cannot escape, nor should she be able to escape.

When she became a little more sensible, the people around her said to her again—

'There's always a price to pay so that more people can survive.'

Guilt, sadness, reluctance...

And I'm also relieved.

Even now, she still doesn't understand, even though she has already accepted the so-called 'fate'.

Why do they keep repeating themselves, and why do they look at me with such complicated expressions?

She felt very uncomfortable.

Until tonight.

She, along with several others, finally faced their so-called destined 'fate'.

Honestly, she didn't know what the others were thinking, but she herself felt a sense of relief.

Knowing that she was destined to die on this journey, she felt no turmoil in her heart.

Over the years, her world had become stagnant, and she had fully accepted that she would die tonight.

But at that moment, an accident occurred.

Suddenly, someone appeared and blocked their way.

Although she had never seen him before, she recognized him immediately. He was one of the few people in the village's books who had saved their ancestor and passed on the cultivation method.

He was also someone the leaders and elders would mention every time they returned from a trip.

At that moment, she was a little curious about how this person would look at her.

Is it the same guilt and reluctance as others, or perhaps relief?
And it turned out exactly as she had predicted.

He did show reluctance when he looked at the others, but his eyes only held disappointment and anger.

stunned.

Although it was only for a very brief moment, she was indeed somewhat taken aback.

Ruo finally realized what was happening when he said he would pay the price, but they also had to be prepared.

This person probably understood something, but not completely, which led to the misunderstanding.

His anger and disappointment were not directed at her, but at her in his mind, who treated others as sacrifices while ignoring everything else.

Once she understood this, she suddenly felt a sense of anticipation.

Although she herself wasn't quite sure what she was expecting.

It's been many years.

Everyone in the settlement felt either guilt, sadness, reluctance, or relief when they saw her.

But they all thought this was normal and expected.

It's normal to pay a price so that more people can survive!

But since the person we met tonight felt disappointed and angry, does that mean he doesn't genuinely feel that this is normal, like the leader, elders, and others?

after a while.

An invisible sword light pierced the sky and landed on the lake shore.

Call ~
A powerful airflow surged outwards, carrying with it a pungent smell of blood.

A figure covered in blood, his clothes almost soaked through, emerged from the sword light, holding a sword in one hand and a white bead the size of an egg in the other.

Blood flowed down the blade, dripping from the tip of the sword onto the grass.

He tossed the white bead in his hand forward.

"I paid the price for them."

The bead rolled down the grass and stopped right next to Ruo.

Xu Xing looked at her, his tone completely flat.

"I'll give you one last chance to explain yourself." (End of Chapter)