The snow beasts besieging the village were numerous, tens of thousands of them. Ye Ju leaped from the flying ship and recalled her Sky Piercer Sword. Some snow beasts were too close to the barrier, and she feared accidental harm. Thus, she could only engage in close-quarters combat on the ground. With wave after wave of sword qi, snow beasts fell continuously, yet this couldn't stop them. It was as if the village held something they desperately desired.
Ye Ju was shocked. These snow beasts were the strongest she had encountered during this period. What could be the reason for them to gather here and attack this village? Furthermore, their assault seemed to be directed by a leader.
A You, while fighting, scattered a paralyzing powder. In the end, all the snow beasts either died, were knocked unconscious, or fled. This great battle between humans and beasts finally concluded.
Ye Ju brought Xuan Yuan Che and his wife down from the flying ship. Steward Zhu Ye had emerged from his seclusion. The commotion had been so great that after ending his seclusion, he had guarded the flying ship's base camp. Ye Ju had long since learned her lesson; it was essential to leave someone guarding the flying ship, lest their rear be captured.
The villagers within the barrier were released by Ye Ju. They had all believed they were doomed to die this time, but who could have imagined a celestial maiden descending from the sky, defeating the snow beasts, and rescuing them from their confinement.
"Father, Mother!" Xuan Yuan Che, spotting his unharmed parents amidst the crowd, rushed over.
"Che'er, Xue Niang!" The four elders, the parents of both families, saw their son and daughter before them and could hardly believe it. The situation had been dire at the time, so they had no choice but to send Che'er, who had the highest cultivation, to seek help. His departure was fraught with peril. Xue Niang, however, had insisted on accompanying her husband. Though gentle in appearance, she possessed a resolute spirit, and had decided to face life and death with Xuan Yuan Che. They would live together if they lived, and die together if they died…
"Father, upon leaving, I encountered a celestial maiden. It was she who saved us. And now, she has saved our entire village. She is our great benefactor." Xuan Yuan Che happily pulled his father over to pay their respects to Ye Ju.
"Celestial Maiden, may I know your name? I am Xuan Yuan Hong, the village chief and also the clan leader of the Xuan Yuan clan. Thank you for saving our Xuan Yuan clan!" As he spoke, he knelt on both knees. A wave followed him, and all the villagers knelt before Ye Ju, offering a deep bow.
Ye Ju was startled and quickly helped the elder up. "Elder, please rise quickly!"
After Ye Ju spoke, she channeled spiritual energy with her hand to prevent him from kneeling further. The elder could no longer kneel. He could only wave his hand, signaling his clansmen to rise as well.
"Elder Xuan Yuan, this junior's name is Ye Ju. There is no need for such formalities. Please quickly instruct your clansmen to dispose of the snow beast corpses, as the scent of blood may attract danger."
"Aye~ Aye~, very well! As the Celestial Maiden says." Xuan Yuan Hong, his face filled with gratitude, repeatedly instructed his clansmen to handle the aftermath. The clansmen dispersed, clearly indicating the chief's high prestige within the village. After everything was settled, he earnestly invited Ye Ju to his home as a guest. The group arrived at the chief's home. Fortunately, the chief's house was adjacent to the ancestral shrine and within the village's protective shield, thus it had not been damaged.
The chief's wife, gentle and courteous, brought tea and offered the finest pastries to entertain Fairy Ye and her companions.
Meanwhile, Xuan Yuan Che, along with other clansmen, was tending to the injured. The collapsed houses also began to be repaired and reinforced.
Ye Ju observed that despite the calamity that had befallen the village, the people showed no despair or numbness. Instead, their faces, reflecting rebirth from near extinction, were filled with smiles. This Xuan Yuan clan was extraordinary; its members were optimistic, resilient, and positively inclined towards life. A good family, to be passed down through generations, required a strong family ethos.
"Chief, do these snow beasts often besiege the village like this?" Ye Ju was very curious. If this happened annually, how had the villagers survived?
"Celestial Maiden, this is also what puzzles us. In previous years, there had never been so many snow beasts attacking the village; the village's protective formations were sufficient to handle them. Moreover, every household had dug cellars, and all rice, grain, and valuables were stored underground, so they wouldn't starve when besieged. Initially, the villagers paid it no mind, believing the snow beasts would disperse on their own as in past years once blocked by the protective shield. But this year, tens of thousands of snow beasts arrived, as if a beast tide was imminent, attacking the village like madmen," the Xuan Yuan clan chief also expressed his confusion.
Having dealt with snow beasts most frequently during her time on the flying ship, Ye Ju had a basic understanding of their habits. They killed based on instinct, seizing food and spiritual plants with spiritual energy. Cultivators were their favorite prey, appearing to snow beasts as mobile spiritual energy reservoirs. The villagers, in Ye Ju's observation, were mostly ordinary people, lacking much spiritual energy. By deduction, there must be a treasure or spiritual plant appearing in the village to have attracted such a beast tide.
"Chief, may I ask if there were any unusual phenomena in the village before the snow beast tide arrived?"
Ye Ju was very certain that there was something in the village attracting the snow beasts. Therefore, she inquired of the chief.
"Celestial Maiden, now that you mention it, I do recall something."
"Oh? What is it? Did a spiritual object or treasure appear?"
"Celestial Maiden, you are correct. Before the beast tide, the treasure guarded by our Xuan Yuan clan suddenly exhibited an anomaly. A stone that had remained motionless for hundreds of years emitted golden light these past two days. After the golden light appeared, it returned to its original state, so none of our clan members paid it any mind," the chief recounted, after some thought.
"Then it is likely that is what attracted them," Ye Ju stated with certainty.
"Oh? Is that so? Celestial Maiden, please wait a moment." Xuan Yuan Hong turned and left. He intended to find the clan elders to inform them of this matter, as it was a matter of life and death for the clan. Even as chief, he could not make such decisions alone.
After a quarter of an hour, the chief and several clan elders came to pay their respects to Ye Ju, wishing to invite Ye Ju to the ancestral shrine to investigate. They wanted confirmation on whether it was indeed this object that had attracted the snow beasts.
"Celestial Maiden, please follow me." The chief paid little attention to this treasure that had nearly brought about the clan's destruction. To him, the lives of his clansmen were far more important.
Ye Ju was also very curious about what this treasure might be. She immediately followed the chief and his party to the ancestral shrine. Upon reaching the front hall of the shrine, the chief activated a mechanism. The spot where cushions were placed for kneeling in the ancestral shrine suddenly recessed, revealing an underground passage. The chief and the elders led the way. Ye Ju descended with Little White, leaving A You and Little Forget Worry to guard the entrance to the passage.
Candles lined the sides of the passage, indicating that people frequented it. Ye Ju expanded her divine sense, but detected no dangerous entities. After walking for about two quarters of an hour, they arrived at a vast underground hall. It was immense, capable of accommodating several hundred people. In the center, on a raised platform, sat a giant stone. Currently, this stone looked like an ordinary rock. If it hadn't been placed on the platform, Ye Ju would have mistaken it for a mere stepping stone.
"Celestial Maiden, this is our clan's treasure," the chief said, pointing at the stone.
Ye Ju circled the stone, unable to discern any patterns. She then expanded her divine sense but found she could not see through it. She tapped it with her hand; it was hard and solid, undoubtedly a stone. What exactly was it?