The sky was gradually darkening, but it wasn't completely black yet. Ye Tiancheng, Fatty, and the little fox were gathered by the stone.
The stone, of course, showed no new changes. It remained standing there, unmoving. However, even though the stone hadn't changed, before Ye Tiancheng and the others could feel disappointed or sigh, Ye Tiancheng sensed something was amiss, and it wasn't because of the stone.
Ye Tiancheng stood there calmly, but he could feel that more people were gathering, and they were all heading for this stone. What was even more unsettling was that it seemed more than one group was coming.
The current situation was that the foreman and the migrant workers on the construction site were ordinary people. They truly couldn't come out and do anything now. Those who were arriving were all cultivators, and it was unclear how many were from the righteous path and how many were from the evil path.
However, regardless of whether they were from the righteous or evil path, since they were coming for the Nuwa Stone, they were undoubtedly not here with good intentions. Forcing ordinary people to deal with them would only result in unnecessary casualties. For safety's sake, Ye Tiancheng had told the foreman and the workers not to appear at night anymore.
Although the foreman and the workers were hesitant, they also knew that Ye Tiancheng was doing it for their own good. They had witnessed what happened the previous night, and it was something they couldn't handle.
Therefore, despite their helplessness, the foreman and the workers still hid as instructed, so as not to hold Ye Tiancheng and the others back.
They also believed in the strength of the three of them, and besides, if Ye Tiancheng and the other two couldn't guard the stone, they certainly wouldn't be able to. The choice was obvious.
As for Ye Tiancheng and the other two guarding the stone, even without the foreman and the migrant workers being a burden, the situation wasn't much better.
Ye Tiancheng gave Fatty a look. Fatty had some vague perception of everything happening around them and immediately understood the meaning of Ye Tiancheng's gaze. Without any trace, he subtly moved to a position protecting the little fox.
"Little fox, we might have to fight people later. Be careful, and make sure to protect yourself. Stay close to me, understand?"
Fatty whispered to the little fox. The little fox was also a child with excellent talent and keen sensitivity. He could sense subtle movements and immediately understood Fatty's meaning. He looked at Fatty, then at Ye Tiancheng, nodded slightly, and also prepared himself secretly.
Since there were several groups of people coming, and as long as the sky wasn't completely dark, anyone with a brain would know it wasn't a good time to fight. Ye Tiancheng and the others weren't worried about an immediate confrontation.
However, for some reason, Ye Tiancheng suddenly felt his heartbeat skip a beat, as if it were several beats faster than normal. He felt a vague sense of unease in his heart, always feeling that something was about to happen.
As night gradually descended, the sky seemed to be covered with a black cloth. Perhaps it was because of the frequent rain recently, and the sky was always filled with dark clouds. That feeling of impending storm was present. Although it wasn't raining anymore, not a single star could be seen in the night sky, and the moon was faintly visible, casting only a few wisps of moonlight.
It was at such a time that Ye Tiancheng and the other two finally waited for the first group to show themselves, and it turned out to be a familiar face. If you counted, this was the third time they had met.
It was the muscular man they had encountered at the motel and later fought with Ye Tiancheng and Fatty at the construction site. As a cultivator, he was ruthless and merciless towards ordinary people, intending to take lives with his every move. Moreover, this muscular man was not alone this time; he had brought people with him.
Judging by the muscular man's personal style of conduct, the people he brought were likely not to be good people either, at least definitely not benevolent. They were clearly not here with good intentions.
Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had told the foreman and the migrant workers to hide. Cultivators like the muscular man, even if not from the evil path, were worse than the evil path. In short, they were not good people.
"I warned you not to meddle in other people's business and to leave. I told you we'd settle this later, but you're quite brave to be guarding here, and with such a small child?"
As soon as the muscular man arrived, he confronted Ye Tiancheng and swept his gaze over the little fox beside Ye Tiancheng and Fatty. His expression was clearly contemptuous, looking down on the little fox. Although the little fox appeared to be an ordinary person, and a child without much deterrence, his talismans were very powerful.
Facing the arrogant muscular man, Ye Tiancheng merely raised his eyelids with a smile, unconcerned, not even looking him in the eye. "Little fox, do you hear something barking?"
When the little fox heard Ye Tiancheng ask him, he rolled his eyes and then smiled innocently and naively, playing along with Ye Tiancheng to belittle the muscular man.
"I think I do! Brother Ye, listen, doesn't it sound like a dog barking? Isn't that just dog barks?"
When the muscular man saw that even a young boy like the little fox dared to mock him so unsparingly, he became furious. He felt deeply humiliated, so angry that he was beside himself.
He was indeed wary of Ye Tiancheng's strength. If not for that reason, he wouldn't have dared to fight Ye Tiancheng the previous night and would have left the construction site in a hurry after uttering a threat, without getting entangled with Ye Tiancheng further.
However, this time, the muscular man had specifically brought many helpers, making him feel much more confident. Feeling insulted by Ye Tiancheng and the little fox, and overcome with rage, he no longer bothered to say another word to Ye Tiancheng and the others. He directly beckoned to the people following him to attack Ye Tiancheng and the other two.
As for the muscular man himself, he charged towards the little fox. Instinctively, he sought to avoid danger and harm. He knew that Ye Tiancheng was not to be trifled with and that he was no match for him. He would not fare well if he confronted Ye Tiancheng, so he chose to pick on the weaker one.
As for whether the little fox was truly a soft persimmon, Ye Tiancheng himself did not have a definitive conclusion. However, on the surface, since the little fox had never revealed his true abilities, Ye Tiancheng primarily treated the little fox as an ordinary person and would not easily allow him to step into danger.
Fatty had already received a hint from Ye Tiancheng and had been keeping a close eye on the little fox. The moment the muscular man charged towards the little fox, Fatty immediately reacted, blocking between the little fox and the muscular man, and engaging in the fight.
The people brought by the muscular man received the order. Seeing the muscular man charge towards the little fox, some of them intended to cooperate, either to obstruct Fatty or to bypass and attack the little fox from behind.
Unfortunately, Ye Tiancheng was present. Ye Tiancheng easily held back everyone except the muscular man. It had to be said that Ye Tiancheng was indeed quite vigilant, but that was because he sensed the presence of several forces around him. The group brought by the muscular man was not enough to make him wary.
Ye Tiancheng handled them with ease. With Ye Tiancheng dealing with the others, Fatty was also easily holding his own against the muscular man, protecting the little fox without any difficulty.
"How, how is this possible? Who exactly are you people to have such strength... Damn it!" Blocked by Fatty, the muscular man stared at Ye Tiancheng in disbelief.
Ye Tiancheng had easily repelled the people he brought. It was no wonder this man didn't take him seriously. With such strength, he naturally didn't need to regard him highly. This was a world where strength was paramount and the weak were prey to the strong.
"You just wait and see! I will definitely come back! Let you be smug for a while longer, you'll get what's coming to you!"
After being repelled, the muscular man could only leave unwillingly with his men. Before leaving, he glared at Ye Tiancheng with great resentment, clearly holding a grudge, and it was uncertain if he would return.
The animosity was evident, but Ye Tiancheng was not afraid of him at all. Even ten muscular men combined would not pose any threat to him.
Ye Tiancheng twitched the corner of his mouth speechlessly. It was rare to see such a foolish person. Someone who could embody the phrase "simple-minded, strong-limbed" so thoroughly was truly shocking to Ye Tiancheng. He was no different from the arrogant cannon fodder in stories.
However, the fight between Ye Tiancheng's trio and the muscular man's group had, first and foremost, exposed some of their abilities to the other hidden forces. This was unavoidable.
Ye Tiancheng and his two companions were in the open, while all other forces were hidden in the dark. Ye Tiancheng had no choice. He would not bother with those who remained hidden for now, but he would fight those who showed themselves. Since they were guarding here, they couldn't avoid fighting even if they wanted to.
As expected, the hidden forces did not hold back for too long. Not long after the muscular man's group retreated, they all attacked simultaneously. Ye Tiancheng's brows tightened instantly.
"Fatty, you must protect the little fox well. If you have to, hide. Your own life is the most important thing, understand?"
After saying that, Ye Tiancheng no longer had the energy to say more to Fatty and the little fox. He had already engaged in a fierce battle with the people from those forces. Many people attacked Ye Tiancheng, and most of them were focused on Ye Tiancheng. Of course, some were also heading towards Fatty and the little fox.
Among them, some were also taking advantage of the chaos. They approached the stone that was suspected to be the Nuwa Stone. Ye Tiancheng and the other two were already unable to stop them, as they were spread too thin and helpless.
After a round of fighting, casualties were inevitable. Those forces were after the Nuwa Stone, and they were not all united in targeting Ye Tiancheng. During the fight with Ye Tiancheng, they were also attacking each other, and bloodshed was unavoidable.
Blood gradually soaked the ground, and some splashed onto the stone suspected to be the Nuwa Stone. Ye Tiancheng's unease grew stronger. However, he couldn't be distracted during the fight. He could only dedicate most of his attention to dealing with the enemies, with a portion allocated to Fatty and the little fox, and he barely had time to look at the stone.
Unexpectedly, at this moment of chaos, perhaps because many people's blood had splashed onto the stone, or perhaps some unperceived hidden condition was triggered, the stone suddenly emitted a dazzling white light.
For a moment, everyone stopped fighting and turned their attention to the large stone. Ye Tiancheng's ominous premonition grew even stronger. He hurried towards Fatty and the little fox. Fortunately, Fatty and the little fox seemed to be unharmed. Since Fatty and the little fox were fine, then his ominous premonition...
Ye Tiancheng suddenly looked towards the Nuwa Stone emitting the dazzling white light. At this moment, only one thought remained in his mind: Run!