The village was quite small, containing only several hundred buildings. The forests for tens of miles around the village had been cleared out as farmland replaced it. Clearly the village focused on foodstuffs, and not on cultivation-based aspects.
The village relied on the local powers surrounding it for protection, as it focused on growing food and feeding themselves and the surrounding powers.
"Now that I'm here, how should I go about finding these beasts?" John mused as he watched the townsfolk meander through the village below, going about their last duties for the day before retiring to bed. The strongest of the villagers seemed to be in the Meridian Forging Realm, which was an Elderly man. The rest seemed to be in the Core Formation and Qi Condensation realm, and were most likely in those realms from passively cultivating the high-density Qi of the Divine Martial Continent.
'Makes sense as to why they need help with Heaven Tribulation Grade beasts. I suppose even on a continent as powerful as this, not everyone strives for absolute power.'
Upon inspecting the village, John descended and landed in the village square. His arrival caught the attention of those nearby, who jumped in fright at his sudden arrival. However, they seemed to breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing it was a human.
A small buzz broke out, and the Elderly man who John had spotted from high above soon arrived in the village square, along with dozens of other villagers of all ages. He inspected John for a brief moment, before his wizened voice spoke out to him.
"Who are you? What brings you to our village?" the man asked, his voice raspy with age. However, there was also a sense of wariness in his voice, as he did not recognize John's robes. John was still wearing his black and red War Hall robes, which were different from the robes worn by most Heavenly Lightning Sect disciples.
"I'm a disciple from the Heavenly Lightning Sect, and I'm here to ȧssist with the mission your village posted," John replied, his voice calm and respectful.
The Elder, as well as those gathered around him fell silent for a moment, before the Elder spoke up once again.
"How the hell are you supposed to help with the beasts?" the Elder raged, clearly frustrated by the situation. "We've had this mission posted for months and in the meantime have lost months worth of crops and livestock, and even several villagers as well, and when it's finally answered, it's taken up by a boy who has bȧrėly started to grow hair? Preposterous!"
John remained calm as he listened to the Elder rage, as he could understand where the man was coming from. From what he could tell, John was even lower cultivation than him, and despite being from the Heavenly Lightning Sect, was not strong enough to help with their problem.
"Ahhhhh!"
A fearful cry suddenly echoed out in the distance, catching the attention of all in the village.
"The beasts, they're back!" the voice sounded out, causing the village to erupt into a panic.
"Retreat! Retreat to the safehouse!" the Elderly man instructed with a booming voice as he turned around with the other fleeing villagers. The villagers were all retreating towards the largest building in the village square, and a brief inspection from John revealed that the building had some simple formations surrounding it to provide it some protection.
Upon retreating, the Elderly man suddenly stopped and turned around to look at John.
"Come now boy, follow us into the safehouse. You'll be safe from the beasts there!"
John raised an eyebrow at the Elder's actions, as despite his frustrations, he still extended protection to John despite him being a stranger. Clearly the Elder was a good man at heart, despite his earlier rage.
"Thanks, but no need," John smiled as he thanked the Elder.
"No need? Boy, you're not thinking of fighting those beasts are you? They're far too strong for you to hand-"
Roar!
The roar of the creatures sounded out as they approached the village square. Hesitation appeared on the Elder's face for a moment before he grit his teeth and turned around.
"Fine, but your death is no longer on my hands," the Elder cursed before he fled towards the safehouse. The villagers all rushed into the building, upon which point the Elder began to slam the door shut once he confirmed that everyone had entered.
Boom!
The door closed loudly, shaking the building for a moment before silence descended on the area. The villagers all gathered at the windows that overlooked the village square, and focused on the lone youth standing calmly within.
Awooooo!
Loud howls sounded out as black shadows started to appear in the village square. Their eyes were the only thing visible as they reflected the firelight from the village. Their presence seemed to dim the surrounding light, as if they were the night itself. John raised his eyebrows slightly at this ability, as he had never seen such a thing.
A knowing smile appeared on John's face as he fell into a state of nostalgia.
"Night Wolves huh? Just like the one I slaughtered all those years ago, only much stronger. I guess everything truly is stronger on the Divine Martial Continent," John mused out loud as his scythe appeared in his hands. "I always wondered why they had such a name, but it seems as though when they get strong enough, they have an innate ability to turn the areas surrounding them dark, as if they control the night."
The villagers watched in rapt attention as they looked upon the village square. In the darkness of night and the wolves ability, they could only see the glow of eleven sets of eyes, as well as the slight glimmer of John's scythe.
Peng!
Peng!
Peng!
Sparks between the collision of scythe, claws and teeth occasionally but briefly illuminated the area, revealing short scenes of the battle taking place between John and the wolves as their battle erupted in the village square.