Chapter 244: The Butcher
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong, both wielding spiritual weapons, under the stimulation of the spiritual essence within their weapons, forcefully resisted the suppression from Mi Village and madly ran towards the outskirts of the village.
However, after only running for a quarter of an hour, the speed of Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong gradually slowed down, and they finally came to a halt.
With the speed of practitioners at the Aperture Tempering realm, not to mention a village, they could have circled a city like Immortal Cloud City several times over.
But at this moment, no matter how they ran, all they could see around them were thatched cottages, and there was no sign of the outskirts of Mi Village. It was as if Mi Village itself was boundlessly vast, with no visible edge.
“We’re trapped in a mysterious domain; we can’t escape like this!”
Hua Daohong’s expression grew anxious, and at the same time, he felt regret. Before, when they were chasing Chen Fei and saw the strangeness of this place, they thought that two Aperture Tempering realm cultivators could not possibly run into trouble here.
But they didn’t expect this place to be so sinister; even with their Aperture Tempering realm mental strength, they were forcibly suppressed, only able to remember what the mysterious domain allowed them to remember.
Now, with the loss of their origin and the spiritual essence of their spiritual weapons dissipating, if they couldn’t find a way out soon, their mental strength might be forcibly suppressed again.
Whether they could wake up from that state later was a huge question.
Two practitioners at the Aperture Tempering realm might actually die here under inexplicable circumstances, and their deaths would be sucked dry. How could Hua Daohong endure such a fate?
“Find the nodes of the mysterious domain, forcefully break through it, and we’ll have a chance to get out!”
Lu Zhichun glanced at the spiritual weapon in his hand, his eyes filled with reluctance. But immediately, that reluctance was replaced by determination. In the next moment, a dazzling light burst from the spiritual weapon in Lu Zhichun’s hand, and cracks appeared on its surface.
At the cost of self-destructing the spiritual weapon, he unleashed its power to the maximum limit. Unless absolutely necessary, no Aperture Tempering realm cultivator would do such a thing.
Any personal spiritual weapon had to be painstakingly nurtured during normal cultivation, constantly harmonizing with one’s own essence.
Apart from the effort put into this, gathering the resources needed to forge a spiritual weapon was an extremely difficult task for a wandering cultivator. Now, to destroy his own spiritual weapon, Lu Zhichun didn’t know how many years it would take to create such a weapon again.
But Lu Zhichun had no choice. The longer they waited, the more hopeless their chances of leaving this place became.
Wandering cultivators might lack techniques and resources, but they certainly didn’t lack this kind of desperate attitude.
In the central open space of Mi Village, the village chief was contemplating whether to send Chen Fei out of Mi Village when he suddenly looked up and saw the actions of Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong in the distance.
The village chief’s expression showed some surprise, but a mocking smile quickly appeared on his lips.
They were determined, but if it were so easy to leave Mi Village, the pond wouldn’t be teeming with fish.
The village chief shifted his gaze back to Chen Fei, who was at his side. At this moment, Chen Fei had his eyes closed, continuously comprehending the Wind Gathering Technique. Therefore, he hadn’t stopped absorbing energy from the old woman.
The feeling of constantly getting stronger just by blowing air was too exhilarating, and Chen Fei had no intention of stopping.
The village chief turned to look at the fleeing old woman; the contract was already established, and her escape wouldn’t change anything. Now, all they could do was hope for Chen Fei’s understanding and wait for him to stop, giving the old woman a chance to survive.
Normally, no matter how strong one’s comprehension and talent were, there would be stages in comprehending a new technique, and it was impossible to keep comprehending without pause.
However, strangely, this law seemed to be invalid in Chen Fei’s case, making it hard to understand.
“Who among you will go up and teach him the new technique?”
The village chief turned to the other villagers. Although the contract between Chen Fei and the old woman was still in effect and couldn’t be forcibly dissolved, it wouldn’t prevent a new contract from being formed.
By then, they could divert Chen Fei’s attention and save the old woman’s life.
Several villagers exchanged glances, never having encountered such an anomaly when teaching martial techniques to warriors in Mi Village. Over the years, many Aperture Tempering realm cultivators had visited, but such a situation had never occurred before.
Usually, when teaching a martial technique to a warrior, they would explain some key points to attract the warrior’s curiosity and keep them interested.
Whose village was this, anyway?
“I’ll do it!”
Now, the butcher stepped forward, his body bearing traces of blood, and said with a cruel expression, “I want to see how quickly he can learn the Soul-Cutting Technique!”
In the past, when teaching martial techniques to warriors, they would usually explain some insights to attract the warrior’s curiosity and keep them interested.
However, the butcher seemed intent on explaining the technique straightforwardly, curious to see how quickly Chen Fei could learn the Soul-Cutting Technique.
“Ah!”
Just as the butcher had taken a couple of steps forward, a scream suddenly came from the distance. Without warning, the old woman had been drained of her strength, and she had crashed to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
The butcher’s expression of cruelty froze for a moment. Had she been drained so quickly? This was too fast.
“Save me, Village Chief, save me!”
The old woman screamed loudly. In the past, it had always been warriors who were sucked dry by her, and she couldn’t accept being in this situation herself.
If the old woman had known that a martial artist like this would come to Mi Village, even if you gave her ten times the courage, she wouldn’t have dared to step forward first. It was too hasty; if she had been the second to step forward, this situation might not have occurred.
The village chief remained silent because he couldn’t save her; this was the rule of Mi Village, the mysterious domain. He might be the village chief, but he wasn’t the one in control of Mi Village.
The power resided in Mi Village itself, not in him as the village chief.
The village chief turned his gaze towards the butcher, and the meaning in his eyes was clear: hurry up and interrupt Chen Fei, teach him the Soul-Cutting Technique, and there might still be a chance to save the old woman.
The butcher glanced at the village chief and then at the pitiful state of the old woman. Her arms were almost disappearing, and without any unexpected events, she would be drained completely in a few moments.
The butcher looked at Chen Fei, the martial artist who was genuinely comprehending the Wind Gathering Technique without a pause.
The Soul-Cutting Technique was much more difficult than the Wind Gathering Technique, but suddenly, the butcher didn’t feel the same confidence he had moments ago. If Chen Fei also learned the Soul-Cutting Technique, what would happen? Would his fate be the same as the old woman’s?
The scene of being drained completely flashed in the butcher’s mind, and he shuddered with a cruel expression.
He realized that he had provoked someone he couldn’t handle, this martial artist—someone he couldn’t afford to provoke!
The butcher silently took a few steps back, returning to his previous position as if he hadn’t made those boastful claims earlier. The villagers who were standing beside him glanced at him with disdain.
But none of them spoke up because they didn’t dare to step forward now.
In the past, whenever a martial artist appeared in Mi Village, they had all been eager to teach martial techniques, and they had even argued over the order of instruction for the next day.
All the villagers, including the village chief, fell silent, and only the old woman in the distance continued to scream. But as time passed, her cries gradually grew weaker until they finally disappeared.
The village chief looked at Chen Fei, determined to send him away. This was an anomaly, and Mi Village still had other means, but the village chief wasn’t sure if they could restrain Chen Fei.
Although it was frustrating that they hadn’t gained anything from Chen Fei, and they had even lost two villagers in the process, continuing to drag this out might lead to even greater losses. There was even a question of whether they could eventually send Chen Fei away.
After absorbing the old woman’s energy, Chen Fei had developed some resistance to Mi Village’s suppression.
In other words, after a few more times, Chen Fei might become like the other villagers, no longer suppressed mentally, able to access all his memories, and with fewer restrictions.
Would Chen Fei then go on to teach martial techniques one by one?
While Chen Fei was still comprehending the Wind Gathering Technique by blowing air, the energy that had been making him stronger suddenly disappeared. He opened his eyes in surprise and looked around.
Whether it was his own perception or not, Chen Fei felt that his mind had become much more agile. Before, it had been as if something was weighing him down, and his brain had been sluggish, like a stone.
“Guest, you said there was something urgent outside earlier, and it’s still early in the day. If you want to leave, we won’t stop you,” the village chief appeared beside Chen Fei, wearing a smile.
It seems like I’m not in such a hurry for what’s outside,” Chen Fei replied.
The newfound agility in his mind was something he had never experienced before. Despite not being able to recall many things, Chen Fei felt like this place was quite good.
He had only been here for a day, but the gains seemed much greater than what he could have achieved outside. In his subconscious mind, he had never grown so rapidly before.
The village chief’s expression suddenly stiffened. It seemed like Chen Fei had become addicted to being here.
“We have other matters in the village, and we really can’t accommodate guests,” the village chief said in a low voice.
“Don’t worry about me; I can handle things like food and lodging on my own.”
Chen Fei understood the situation and, now that he had discovered the benefits of this place, he was determined to stay for a while.
“Well, that’s not up to you!
The village chief’s expression turned cold as he waved his hand. Chen Fei was pushed backward by a powerful force, and he involuntarily fell backward. The surroundings became shrouded in mist, and he couldn’t see anything.
The village chief watched Chen Fei disappear, and his right hand, which he had just used to gesture, had also disappeared.
In Mi Village, there were rules to follow, a give-and-take. If Chen Fei didn’t want to leave, the village chief would forcefully send him away, but there would be a price to pay.
Fortunately, the power to drive people away was within the village chief’s authority. If it were any other villager, sacrificing themselves wouldn’t achieve this result.
As Chen Fei was being sent away, the village chief turned his attention back to Lu Zhichun and Hua Daohong. Thinking of leaving? It wasn’t going to be that easy!
In a desolate mountainous area, Chen Fei found himself suspended in mid-air, looking around in confusion. However, in an instant, all the memories that had disappeared flooded back into his mind.
With graceful acrobatics, Chen Fei landed on the ground and looked around. It was the same place he had been before entering Mi Village.
So, this is how it is? Can’t play, so you’re throwing a tantrum?” Chen Fei muttered to himself as he gazed at the direction of Mi Village, a faint smile playing on his lips..