Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"Grandpa Immortal, if there's nothing else, may I leave now?"

Seeing Lu Feng deep in thought, another slightly older farmer couldn't help but whisper and probe. At this moment, a bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, clearly indicating immense pressure, and he dared not linger for even a moment longer.

Seeing this, Lu Feng didn't make things difficult for the two of them. He immediately waved his hand, indicating that they could leave.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Just as the two farmers were about to turn and leave, several plumes of smoke and fire suddenly rose in the sky above the dense forest a few hundred meters away, accompanied by the distant sounds of fierce fighting, which made Lu Feng and the others stop in their tracks.

"The aura of elemental energy? And there seem to be quite a few of them, around a hundred..."

Turning his head to look at the smoke and fire rising slowly on the horizon not far away, Lu Feng habitually released his Yuan energy to sense the surroundings, a hint of surprise flashing across his brows.

After all, Shanggu Town is just a small border town of the Western Qin Kingdom. Although there are quite a few caravans and travelers, it is not particularly prosperous. The total population is at most two or three hundred thousand, and the number of martial artists is even smaller. It is incomparable to the former Dongyun Imperial City.

The sudden emergence of so many powerful martial artists in this small border town suggests there's more to it than meets the eye.

"This is... a signal fire for war?!"

"Oh no! It must be those barbarian soldiers from the southern tribes beyond the border attacking! Run!"

Compared to Lu Feng's calm and composed demeanor, the two farmers beside him changed their expressions drastically the moment they saw the smoke signals, as if they had remembered something terrible, and immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

Seeing this, Lu Feng did not intervene. His gaze remained fixed on the rising smoke and beacon fires in the distance. Then, a hint of curiosity appeared on his face. "Invading the border town of Western Qin with such a large force, aren't these barbarian soldiers from the Southern Barbarian tribes afraid of provoking a counterattack and retaliation from the Western Qin court and the Yunfu Sect?"

"Something's not right. I need to see what these foreign barbarians are up to..."

Thinking of this, Lu Feng did not hesitate for a moment and immediately flew towards the direction where the smoke and fire were rising not far away.

...

On the border of the Western Qin Kingdom, in an unnamed village

The village was engulfed in flames, and as far as the eye could see, there were only ruins and rubble everywhere. The air was filled with a pungent smell of blood, as if a massacre had just taken place, which was shocking to behold.

Deep within the village, flames soared into the sky. Dozens of unfamiliar figures surrounded an elderly man with white hair. The leader, holding a long sword and with a red headscarf tied around his head, was surrounded by Yuan energy, clearly indicating that he was a highly skilled cultivator, having reached the sixth level of the Condensation Realm!

"Village Chief Li, I'm giving you one last chance. Joining the Holy Sect now will not only preserve the last bloodline of your Lychee Village, but also ensure you enjoy countless riches and honors in the future. Otherwise, you'll only face death..."

Zhang Huchen glanced at the frail, white-haired old man opposite him, frowned slightly, and then said in a deep voice.

"Hehe, please forgive this old man for being unable to comply."

However, facing Zhang Huchen's threat, Li Yu shook his head slightly. His aged face showed no fear. "My lord, there's no need to waste words with an old man like me who is about to die. Please make your move..."

"With your strength, let alone me alone, even if all the able-bodied men of our Lychee Village joined forces, they would not be a match for you."

"Village Chief Li, are you really going to...?"

Seeing that Li Yuning refused to yield even in the face of death, Zhang Huchen's brows furrowed into a deep frown, as if he did not want to take the other's life, but had no choice but to do so.

"Captain Zhang, why waste time talking to this old geezer! Since he doesn't want to join our Wusheng Cult, let's just send him to meet the King of Hell!"

Seeing that Zhang Huchen's attempt to persuade him to surrender had failed, a bald-headed henchman stepped forward and whispered a reminder.

"Shut up!"

Faced with the reminder from the henchman beside him, Zhang Huchen's expression darkened, and a rare hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes. "The Wusheng Sect is the faith of all living beings, a divine kingdom on earth!"

"Don't forget that our purpose in coming here is to strengthen the Holy Church and accumulate power, not simply to kill. Have you all forgotten the maxims and precepts ordained by our former leader?!"

Zhang Huchen's tone was gloomy, and his face was ugly, as if he was about to explode in anger at any moment.

"I wouldn't dare! It was my oversight; I hope Captain Zhang will forgive me!"

Seeing Zhang Huchen suddenly fly into a rage, the henchman immediately realized he had said the wrong thing and hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, his tone filled with tension and unease.

As the saying goes, a higher-ranking official can crush you!

The Zhang Huchen before him was not only a squad leader under the Wusheng Sect, but also possessed considerable strength and cultivation, having reached the sixth level of the Condensation Realm. He was far beyond what a mere follower like him could provoke.

Therefore, faced with Zhang Huchen's rebuke, even though this member of the Wusheng sect was extremely confused, he could only kowtow and admit his mistake.

"My lord, since you have already chosen to unleash a massacre, why bother with this pretense now..."

Seeing Zhang Huchen angrily rebuke his subordinate, Li Yu remained unmoved and instead responded with a mocking tone.

After all, the order to massacre Lizhi Village just came from Zhang Huchen, who was standing right in front of him!

In addition, in the entire Lychee Village, regardless of age or gender, anyone who dares to refuse to join the Wusheng Cult will inevitably face certain death!

"Village Chief Li, since you've made up your mind, then I, Zhang, have no choice but to offend you...!"

Seeing Li Yu's determination to die, Zhang Huchen also took a deep breath, then slowly raised the long sword in his hand, a complex look appearing in his eyes, as if he had given up on persuading him to surrender and intended to give him a quick death.

...

Meanwhile, at the entrance of Lizhi Village

"These guys...aren't they barbarian soldiers from the Southern Barbarian tribes?"

Lu Feng quietly crept to the outskirts of the village and found that not only was the village engulfed in flames and littered with debris, but there were also two young martial artists with large swords and red headscarves guarding the entrance. He couldn't help but feel surprised.

"Something's definitely fishy..."

Lu Feng stroked his chin, his eyes flickering.

He had initially thought the village had been invaded by a southern barbarian tribe, but now it seems that this was not the case!

This is because the barbarians from abroad are very different from the people of the four kingdoms of Lingnan in terms of clothing, appearance, and temperament.

In addition, due to differences in combat habits, these barbarian soldiers from foreign southern tribes generally do not act alone, and are likely to be accompanied by battle pets.

The two warriors guarding the village entrance did not meet these criteria, and they were not accompanied by any battle pets, so they were clearly not foreign barbarian soldiers.

"Looks like it's time for me to take matters into my own hands...!"

Thinking of this, Lu Feng also composed himself, and then leaped towards the entrance of the opposite village.

"Who goes there?!"

"Watch out, enemy attack!"

Seeing Lu Feng suddenly appear from the side, the two Wusheng Sect members guarding the village entrance were startled. The next moment, they drew their swords and looked at the man in front of them with fear.