Although Han Li and Mei Ning were unfamiliar faces, the guards merely glanced at them without questioning, instead gathering excitedly around others who had just returned, discussing something animatedly. They urged the tall men to reveal the fish and shrimp from their leather bags, eliciting gasps of surprise.
All this made Han Li, who was observing coldly, frown slightly. It seemed that fish and shrimp were either extremely rare here or food in general was scarce.
Han Li then swept his gaze across the entire village.
The village was enclosed by identical tall stone walls. All the buildings were constructed from dark, rough-hewn black stones, mostly simple and square in shape. The most striking feature was a stone platform at the village center. Though not large, it towered several times higher than the other structures, standing at least thirty or forty feet tall. From its summit, a faint purple mist emanated, shrouding the sky above the village. Whenever a blue lightning bolt struck from above, the mist absorbed it completely. This purple mist was undoubtedly some kind of protective barrier, yet Han Li sensed no spiritual energy from the platform—only a chilling, eerie force lingered there.
Despite his inability to project his spiritual sense outward, his sensitivity to spiritual energy remained sharp. There was no mistake about it. Han Li couldn’t help but feel deeply puzzled.
Near the platform stood several grand halls, much larger than the ordinary stone houses. At the entrance, a few people were pointing and whispering about the lean man and his companions. One of them cast a sharp glance in Han Li’s direction.
Han Li’s heart tightened. This was the first person he had encountered here with profound inner strength.
In the outside world, he could have crushed such a person effortlessly with a single finger, but now he had to be on high alert. Just then, the lean man approached the group, spoke a few words, and gestured toward Han Li and Mei Ning. Immediately, their gazes swept over Han Li.
Han Li remained composed, showing no fear, but Mei Ning beside him grew visibly uneasy, unsure of how they would be treated.
“You two, come here. The village elders have some questions for you,” the lean man beckoned to them.
Han Li nodded calmly and led Mei Ning forward.
The group turned and entered the hall first, with Han Li following closely behind.
“Please, take a seat. Since you’ve arrived here, and we are all fellow humans, we will naturally do our best to help. However, this place is quite different from the outside world. Could you first introduce yourselves? Afterward, I’ll explain more about this place,” said a slightly plump elder seated at the center of the hall, his expression kindly.
On either side sat several others, including a pale-faced man with narrow, sharp eyes—the one who had glanced at Han Li earlier outside. His gaze, though piercing, now swept past Han Li and lingered on Mei Ning behind him, his eyes flickering with an unreadable expression.
“There’s not much to say about us. We were caught in ghostly mist at sea and ended up here. As for our past identities, what use are they now? It’s hardly worth mentioning,” Han Li replied casually with a calm smile.
Hearing his vague answer, the elder chuckled.
He narrowed his eyes, studying them for a moment before suddenly saying something that startled Han Li.
“You two are cultivators, aren’t you? There’s no need to hide that identity.” As he spoke, the elder’s gaze fell on the bulging storage pouch at Han Li’s waist.
Han Li’s expression remained unchanged, though he fell silent. Mei Ning, however, paled, her heart filled with unease.
“There’s no need to fear. While cultivators who end up here aren’t numerous, they’re not rare either. Compared to ordinary people, we actually welcome former cultivators into our village. But you must already know that in this Yin Nether Land, spiritual and magical powers are unusable. The only forces that work here are Yin Nether energy and crude martial techniques,” the elder explained matter-of-factly.
“Yin Nether energy?” Han Li asked, a flicker of doubt crossing his face.
“Indeed. It’s an external force similar to spiritual energy. Though it can’t be used to cast spells directly, cultivators can harness the Yin Nether beast crystals found within certain creatures to set up small formations, which are quite useful for the village. Even those unfamiliar with formations still possess bodies far stronger than ordinary people, making them valuable assets,” the elder said, stroking his short beard.
“You seem quite knowledgeable about cultivators. Are there others like us in the village?” Han Li asked after a brief pause.
“Yes, of course. There are five or six others. I, for one, was at the Foundation Establishment stage before being sucked into the ghostly mist,” the plump elder replied with a faint smile.
A trace of surprise flashed across Han Li’s face. He hesitated, about to ask more, when suddenly the entire hall trembled violently. A series of thunderous roars echoed from the distance, as if some colossal creature were charging toward the village.
The expressions of everyone in the hall changed. Without another word to Han Li, they all stood and rushed outside. Han Li, equally puzzled, followed without delay.
Outside, the village elders were urgently directing hundreds of able-bodied men and women to climb the thick stone walls, armed with white spears and crude bows. Though tension filled the air, their movements were orderly, showing no signs of panic—clearly, this was a familiar drill.
Han Li turned his gaze toward the source of the noise, but the towering walls blocked his view. The ground shook even more violently, yet he could see nothing.
Frowning, Han Li glanced around and swiftly approached a nearby tall house. Seizing the moment when no one was watching, he lightly stepped onto the wall and scaled it effortlessly, standing atop the roof for a better view.
From this vantage point, he finally saw what was happening in the distance.
Beyond the village, a storm of sand and stones raged, whipped up by a furious black wind that obscured everything in its path. Wherever the wind passed, the ground froze over with a layer of black frost, radiating an unnatural cold.
This must be the “Yin Wind” the lean man had mentioned—something no ordinary person could endure.
Yet as the wind approached within a hundred paces of the village, it dissipated on its own, unable to cross an invisible boundary.
Amidst the howling wind, a series of heavy thuds grew louder. Though still distant, an overwhelming presence was palpable. Moments later, a massive shadow, over a hundred feet tall, burst forth from the storm.
When Han Li saw the creature clearly, he gasped.
At first glance, it resembled a gray ape, magnified over tenfold. But this beast had four eyes, a pair of fleshy wings on its sides, and wielded a sinister black club in one hand. It charged toward the village with terrifying speed, its four blood-red eyes gleaming with boundless bloodlust.
“It’s a Jiaozheng Beast! This time it’s a Jiaozheng Beast! Bring the heavy shields, quick!” several voices shouted in unison upon recognizing the monster.
Immediately, a crowd of women, children, and elderly men emerged, carrying various shields. They hurriedly passed them to those on the walls before scrambling back down in panic.
By now, the beast had closed within a hundred paces of the walls. Each thunderous step made Han Li wonder if the seemingly sturdy stone barrier would collapse before the creature even reached it.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen. The beast closed another thirty paces in the blink of an eye—then, suddenly, several thick purple tendrils of mist erupted from the ground, coiling around its legs and yanking it down. The monster crashed heavily before the walls, sending tremors that nearly toppled the defenders.
Han Li’s eyes widened in shock. Instinctively, he glanced back at the stone platform—only to find four figures now seated there, their bodies wreathed in faint purple energy as they performed some kind of ritual.
“So this is Yin Nether energy?” Han Li thought, intrigued.
“Attack!” came the command almost instantly.
A hail of spears and arrows rained down upon the fallen beast, engulfing it completely.
Han Li’s heart clenched at the sight.
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