Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

The three of them did not see a single monster until the carriage entered the territory of Black Rock Village.

The rocks underfoot are black and flat, with textures layered like clouds, hence the name Black Rock Village.

The deserted village was desolate, with no smoke rising from its chimneys. A deathly silence reigned.

Ning Che was the first to lift the curtain and leap down. His fingertips rested on the hilt of the Crescent Moon Blade, and he instinctively looked around.

Lin Ye and Zhong Hongyao got out of the car.

The moment Lin Ye's feet touched the ground, he ran forward hastily, shouting, "Lin Fenfang, Lin Youtian, I'm back!"

Zhong Hongyao adjusted her azure outfit, her brows furrowing slightly. She had grown up in the Zhong family of Feihu City since childhood, accustomed to pavilions and towers, but had never set foot in such a dilapidated and desolate village.

The unnatural stillness made her wary, so she activated her magic, and a faint blue light emanated from her body.

Ning Che noticed their movements and adjusted his position so that the three of them could look out for each other.

"Captain, this place is too empty." Zhong Hongyao's voice was clear and crisp, and she spoke faster than before: "Even if the village was massacred by monsters, there should be traces of resistance. But there's nothing here. Something's not right."

Ning Che did not respond.

She didn't need to say anything; she knew before coming that nothing normal would happen here.

He crouched down, his fingertips brushing over the footprints on the ground; they were still relatively fresh. And there was more than one pair; judging from the size and stride, there were men, women, and even children.

There are still people alive in the village.

Strangely, there were also traces of something being dragged. Did they have prey?

He hesitated for a moment, then stood up and called to Lin Ye, who was still heading forward, "Come back, stop shouting. Zhong Hongyao, you keep watch from behind. Lin Ye, come with me and break through. The coachman, guard the carriage. If there's any unusual movement, shout loudly."

Lin Ye wanted to retort upon hearing this, but when he met Ning Che's gaze, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

"It's not that I'm afraid of him, it's for my family's sake," Lin Ye thought to himself.

The three advanced into the village in a simple inverted triangle formation. Along the way, Ning Che knocked on doors to test if anyone was still alive. But Lin Ye was impatient and couldn't wait for the knocking to stop, so he just broke down the door.

The series of loud noises made Ning Che frown. He felt that something was off. Why did the three of them look more like bandits than the three from Shizhu Village?

Before he could stop him, Lin Ye had already made a discovery.

He burst through the door of a house and froze in the doorway.

Ning Che quickly followed, his gaze sweeping over Ning Che's shoulder and into the room.

The room was a mess: tables and chairs were overturned, and bowls and dishes were broken all over the floor. Three people were huddled in the corner.

A young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, was protecting two children. The older girl, who appeared to be around ten years old, was staring at them with wide eyes. The younger boy, who looked only four or five years old, was being held in the woman's arms.

The woman gripped a wood-chopping knife tightly in her hand, the tip pointing downwards, her hand trembling slightly from tension.

Ning Che noticed dried, dark brown bloodstains on the blade, and his expression shifted.

"Don't come any closer." Her voice was as hoarse as sandpaper. "Take one more step, and I'll fight you to the death!"

Lin Ye couldn't stand the threat and was about to lash out when Ning Che pulled him back.

"We are the guardians of this mountain," Ning Che said in a calm and kind voice. "We've come to investigate the case here to help you."

The woman stared at him for several breaths, then looked at Lin Ye and Zhong Hongyao behind him, her gaze lingering on Zhong Hongyao for a moment.

Her grip on the knife loosened slightly, but she didn't put it down.

"The mountain guardian?" Her voice carried a hint of sarcasm. "The mountain guardian died here long ago. You're too late."

Lin Ye's expression changed, and just as he was about to speak, Ning Che squatted down and looked the woman in the eye.

"What's your name?"

"...Lin Xiuer."

"Lin Xiuer," Ning Che said flatly, "you just said the mountain guardian died here. How did he die?"

Lin Xiuer's lips moved. She didn't answer immediately, but instead looked down at the child in her arms. The child's face was buried in her shoulder, breathing rapidly, as if having a low-grade fever. She gently patted the child's back twice before speaking.

"I don't know. Something came at night. I only heard sounds. A woman crying, footsteps coming from the outpost, and the sound of something being dragged. It sounded like someone was being pulled by the foot and dragged across the ground."

Her voice trailed off, as if recalling something horrific. "Neither of the mountain guards escaped. One died at the outpost, and the other... we don't know where he went. We have no idea."

Zhong Hongyao's breath hitched. These two mountain guardians were cultivators, after all. The fact that they could leave the mountain defenseless meant that their strength was immeasurable.

She stepped forward, about to ask more questions, but Ning Che raised his hand to stop her.

"Where's your man?" Ning Che asked again.

Lin Xiuer's eyes dimmed for a moment. She didn't cry, but her voice became even hoarser: "He's gone too. He was sleeping next to me, and I heard a noise in the middle of the night. When I opened my eyes, he was gone, but the door was still locked. I looked for him, searched for a long time, and by dawn, I still couldn't find him."

He disappeared at night, the doors and windows were intact... and only he disappeared, while his wife was unharmed. Why?

Just as he was about to ask another question, Lin Ye suddenly shoved him aside and rushed in front of Lin Xiuer.

"Where's my father!" Lin Ye's voice rose, carrying a savage and fierce tone. "Lin Youtian! The hunter from Black Rock Village! I've only been gone for less than a month! Where is he?!"

Lin Xiuer was startled and instinctively raised the wood-chopping knife again. The child in her arms woke up and burst into tears. The older one's eyes also reddened, and he clung tightly to the woman's clothes.

Ning Che grabbed Lin Ye's shoulder and dragged him back a step. Lin Ye struggled but couldn't break free. Ning Che's hand was like an iron clamp.

"Lin Ye," Ning Che's voice was soft, but undeniably firm, "Stand at the back."

Lin Ye's chest heaved violently, and his eyes were already red. He stared intently at Lin Xiuer, as if trying to find an answer in her face.

"My father—" His voice began to tremble, "What happened to my father?"

Lin Xiuer looked at him with a calmness that comes from having experienced too much.

"They've all disappeared," she said. "The problems started happening a few days after you left. Your father... he disappeared yesterday."

The color drained completely from Lin Ye's face in an instant.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He opened it again, but still no sound came out.

Ning Che could understand this feeling; intense emotions would get stuck in the throat and couldn't be expressed.

Immediately afterward, Lin Ye slammed his fist into the door frame. Splinters flew everywhere. His bloodthirsty aura surged, like an enraged beast, turning to charge out.

Ning Che grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him back. Lin Ye threw a punch, which Ning Che dodged by dodging to the side. Ning Che then twisted Lin Ye's arm behind his back, pressed his knee into Lin Ye's lower back, and pinned him to the ground.

"Let me go!" Lin Ye roared, his voice strained as if forced from his chest. "My father is dead! My whole family is dead! Let me take revenge—"

Ning Che did not let go.

His lips moved slightly, as if he were humming a song.

Ice Purification Spell.

Although he didn't get the chance to be alone that he wanted.

But at this point, there was no time to wait.