Shrouding the Sky: The System Arrived Thirty Years Early

It can be said that Luo Qianqiu no longer needs to worry about cultivation in the Bitter Sea Realm.

There's even enough left over for Lin Jia's cultivation.

The current favorable situation has made Luo Qianqiu realize that cultivation requires struggle—struggle against heaven, struggle against earth, and struggle against people!

If he hadn't fought with the Crocodile Ancestor's Divine Embryo, he would still be struggling to keep up with the main force; if he hadn't fought with himself back in the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land, he wouldn't have these five large bottles of Divine Spring Liquid now.

In a world like Shrouding the Heavens, there is absolutely no future in simply trying to survive; one must have a mindset and will that is relentless and courageous in moving forward.

"Well……"

Just then, Lin Jia woke up, curiously looked around the cave for a moment, her expression somewhat tense, until she saw Luo Qianqiu's figure, then she relaxed.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked curiously.

"It's the power of the ancient forbidden land, capable of stripping people of their lifespan. It suddenly erupted just now, and your body couldn't withstand it, so you fainted," Luo Qianqiu said succinctly.

"Taking away a person's life!" Lin Jia was shocked and quickly raised her hands to examine the scene carefully by the bright firelight in the cave.

Her hands were fair and delicate, showing no signs of aging; in fact, they seemed even softer than before.

Lin Jia looked at Luo Qianqiu, her eyes filled with doubt.

Although he didn't speak, his expression made his meaning perfectly clear.

"You forgot, the sacred fruit has the effect of prolonging life. You ate two, which counteracted the power of the forbidden area. Not only did you not age, but you actually looked younger," Luo Qianqiu said.

Lin Jia suddenly realized what had happened and breathed a sigh of relief.

If she were to transform into a frail, elderly grandmother in front of Luo Qianqiu, she would absolutely go insane.

"Eat something first, then we'll continue on our way." Luo Qianqiu picked up the roasted rabbit from beside the fire and handed it to Lin Jia.

A quarter and a half minutes later, the two emerged from the cave. The sun was blazing, and it was roughly afternoon.

Luo Qianqiu carried Lin Jia on his back again and started running at a brisk pace, his speed even increasing compared to two hours ago.

They sped along, the sun gradually setting in the west, and as the last rays of sunlight disappeared, a village finally appeared ahead.

At this moment, they had already traveled more than 700 miles away from the desolate forbidden land. After running at full speed for a long time, even Luo Qianqiu, who was so powerful at this moment, felt a sense of fatigue.

Lin Jia, who was on his back, was also in bad shape. After the bumpy ride, she was already dizzy and felt like her whole body was about to fall apart.

Seeing this, Luo Qianqiu knew he had to stop and rest, so he walked towards the village ahead, intending to rest there.

The village is small, with about thirty households, all nestled at the foot of the mountain, standing close together. A small stream flows down from the mountainside, serving as the source of life.

Luo Qianqiu carried Lin Jia into the village and found that every household had its doors and windows tightly closed. If it weren't for the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking, he would have thought it was an abandoned village.

This phenomenon is very unusual. At this time, the sun is setting, and it is the time for people to return home after sunset. There should not be any smoke rising from the chimneys above the village, but it should not be so quiet.

Suppressing his curiosity, Luo Qianqiu stopped outside a small courtyard.

The courtyard is not large, about fifty or sixty square meters. The walls are made of rammed earth mixed with chopped straw, and judging from the cracks in the walls, they have been there for many years.

Luo Qianqiu arrived at the main gate, reached out and knocked, the wooden door making a dull sound.

"Is anyone there? I'm just passing through your village, and it's getting late. Would I be able to stay the night?"

After waiting for a while, no one answered.

"Is nobody here?" Lin Jia asked weakly.

Luo Qianqiu shook his head. Just as he knocked on the door, his powerful senses caught heavy breathing and barely perceptible gasps, as if he were extremely nervous.

This reaction was clearly abnormal; the villagers seemed to be afraid of something.

His doubts deepened, but he didn't continue knocking. Instead, he went to the next shop, and the result was surprisingly the same.

Undeterred, Luo Qianqiu knocked on one door after another. Finally, when he knocked on the sixth door, the door opened.

The person who opened the door was an old man, about fifty years old, with wrinkled skin, black and white hair, and wearing a very rough linen outfit.

"Old man, we are passing through your village. It is getting dark and not suitable for us to stay overnight. May we ask if we can stay the night?" Luo Qianqiu said.

The old man glanced at the two of them, stepped aside, and said in a low voice, "The conditions are simple, but if you don't mind, please come in and rest."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qianqiu thanked him and carried Lin Jia into the courtyard.

The courtyard was small, with a main house and a side house. The kitchen was located outside, surrounded by piles of firewood, and some farm tools were placed in the corner.

"I have a daughter who is now married. If you two don't mind, please make do with the night in my daughter's old room." The old man led the way, guiding the two to a side room, and gently pushed open the door.

The room was very clean, with things neatly arranged and no dust. It was regularly cleaned by someone.

Luo Qianqiu stopped outside the room, put Lin Jia down, and said, "This is your father-in-law's daughter's bedroom. As an outsider, I won't go in. You go to sleep."

Lin Jia was taken aback, but said nothing and obediently went into the room.

Outside, Luo Qianqiu solemnly clasped his hands in thanks to the old man and said, "Thank you for taking me in, sir."

The old man remained silent, staring blankly at Lin Jia's retreating figure. After a long while, he suddenly said, "It's alright, young man, go to sleep too. Poor people don't care about such things. It's late at night and the dew is heavy; staying outside makes it easy for external evils to enter the body."

Luo Qianqiu shook his head, insisting on not going in. Lin Jia was a woman, so it was fine for her to stay one night, but if he, an outsider, went in to sleep, it would cause trouble for the old woman's daughter if she minded.

As for the deeper dew and heavier rain, this was nothing to Luo Qianqiu, who had already escaped the sea of ​​suffering.

Seeing that Luo Qianqiu insisted, the old man did not try to persuade him further and instead brought up other matters.

"Young man, rest for the night and leave as soon as possible tomorrow morning. Peace Village has been unsettled lately."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qianqiu became curious. He had already noticed that the atmosphere in the village was strange, and now that the old man was mentioning it, he followed up by asking, "May I ask, sir, has something happened in Ping'an Village recently? Why are all the doors and windows tightly closed?"

The old man sighed softly and said, "Recently, a group of bandits has gathered in Qingfeng Mountain. They make a living by robbing and plundering. That's fine, but the key is that they are violent and kill people at the drop of a hat, causing panic in the nearby villages."

At this point, the old man paused, a hint of sadness in his eyes, but he continued, "Just a few days ago, in Black Stone Village, thirty miles away, all the men in the village were slaughtered for resisting bandits. Even infants in swaddling clothes couldn't escape. As for the women, from toddlers as young as seven or eight to old women as old as forty, they were all abducted to Green Peak Mountain and subjected to wanton humiliation."