Everything happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that it was hard to react. The heavenly lightning and the black snake’s wails undoubtedly stunned everyone into a stupor, leaving them unable to move.
It wasn’t until the second bolt of heavenly lightning struck, shattering the sedan chair and exposing the black snake and the divine statue to everyone’s sight, that panic finally erupted and spread throughout the crowd. Once the first person screamed uncontrollably, it was as if a switch had been flipped, and more and more people began to cry out.
They tried to run, scrambling to get away from there.
Compared to those who were brought here unknowingly and treated as sacrifices, there were more people who knew what they were doing, and their emotions could be described as fear and despair.
Most people just wanted to bolt and run, while some screamed mournfully and lunged towards the black snake and the divine statue.
This did not include the village chief of this small mountain village, but it did include the guesthouse owner, Mei Mei. Why they did this was baffling, yet in a moment, it also seemed understandable.
The village chief’s expression was solemn and grave. He frowned, and although he was flustered, he was still much calmer than the others.
He did not flee, nor did he try to protect the divine statue and the black snake. He seemed to be observing.
Seeing that those who remained were unlikely to be innocent anymore, and there was no need to be polite or hold back, the little fox urged the lightning talisman again. The third bolt of heavenly lightning struck, engulfing the divine statue, the black snake, and even those who tried to protect them, striking them fiercely.
It was precisely after this third bolt of heavenly lightning fell that the village chief finally stopped hesitating and also took to his heels, leaving the place.
Neither Ye Tiancheng nor the little fox stopped him. Seeing that their objective had been largely achieved, they immediately began to withdraw. All that remained was to wait for Nie Chongyang and the others to arrive the next day, so they could join forces to deal with the black snake.
The little fox had paid a heavy price to achieve what he had done so far.
The lightning talisman he used could only be activated three times. After the third use, the talisman would turn to ash, rendering it completely useless.
The materials needed to craft such a lightning talisman were extremely rare and precious. The key was that the materials were scarce, and crafting it required a significant investment. Moreover, the quantity that could be made was insufficient because the materials were difficult to find.
This meant that the little fox himself did not have many in stock, and using one lightning talisman like this caused him great pain.
If it were an ordinary lightning talisman used on the black snake, it might not have been as effective.
In the situation just now, it was better to make the scene more complicated and serious, to scare everyone away in one go. This way, they would have no time to think, and would not return so quickly. Even if they did return, they would not be able to continue the ritual.
However, if ordinary lightning talismans were used, the black snake would probably not sustain much damage and would be able to block a large portion of it.
In that case, the onlookers might have been frightened at first, but upon seeing how strong the black snake was, capable of withstanding lightning without injury, they might have become even more fanatically devoted to the black snake.
If things had developed this way, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox might have been the ones to suffer.
This way, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox would have been forced to confront the black snake earlier, making it difficult to protect the innocent people who were being used as sacrifices.
Seeing that the situation was proceeding as smoothly as imagined, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox felt a sense of relief. As they ran back, they simply waited for the next day to end it all.
They returned to the guesthouse, but Ye Tiancheng and the little fox did not disturb Fatty anymore. Instead, they returned to their own room, closed the door, and waited for the night to pass.
Ye Tiancheng sent a message to Nie Chongyang, informing him that there was an emergency situation here. To prevent the ritual and stop some innocent people from becoming sacrifices, they had acted preemptively. He asked Nie Chongyang to prepare quickly and to be ready to engage the black snake in battle tomorrow, and also to evacuate the tourists and villagers.
Upon receiving the message, Nie Chongyang immediately took action.
After hearing Ye Tiancheng’s explanation, he did not blame Ye Tiancheng. After all, in that situation, if it were Nie Chongyang himself, he would have done the same to save people. Therefore, Nie Chongyang understood Ye Tiancheng very well.
Thus, Nie Chongyang immediately made arrangements.
First and foremost was the crucial evacuation of people, and the dispatch of personnel to the small mountain village. Time was of the essence. The best course of action would be to directly mobilize helicopters, carrying the supplies they had prepared to deal with the black snake, and head directly to the small mountain village.
If they traveled by land, it would be too slow, and the situation might become even more uncontrollable.
Evacuating people was not that difficult. Nie Chongyang immediately submitted a request for an early warning to be issued, stating that a major disaster would occur in the small mountain village, and that tourists and villagers there must be evacuated immediately to prevent the populace from suffering any accidents.
This night was undoubtedly a very lively one. The warning was issued overnight, and coupled with the fact that some people had participated in the recent ritual, many wanted to flee overnight. Hou Mingzhu received the warning, but Ye Tiancheng had given her a reminder, and knowing that Nie Chongyang and the others had created an excuse to evacuate people, she remained relatively at ease in the villa area and was not in a hurry to leave.
A vanguard unit from Nie Chongyang’s side also arrived quickly, as they had come directly by helicopter.
However, the evacuation of people was not yet complete, so it was not time to act. Their main task at the moment was still to evacuate the villagers, as many of the villagers in this mountain village were very difficult to persuade. Even if they were told that a disaster was about to occur, they might not be willing to leave their homes.
In fact, because many villagers were followers of the Dragon God, they believed that with the Dragon God’s protection, they would be fine. They had endured for over a thousand years, so it was naturally difficult to trouble them now.
Due to this situation, Nie Chongyang did not have the opportunity to meet Ye Tiancheng immediately and join forces with them.
Nie Chongyang was very troubled by the current situation. He had no other way. The tourists from outside were generally easy to persuade. They valued their lives and, upon hearing the news, were eager to leave overnight, so they were not reluctant to go.
If there were any who were unwilling to leave, it was likely that they had problems and might be related to the “mountain god” black snake. In that case, if these people didn’t leave, so be it. Nie Chongyang and the others would definitely look for them later.
As for some of the local villagers, they were the most difficult group to deal with.
Finally, Nie Chongyang could only try to contact Ye Tiancheng to ask if Ye Tiancheng had any solutions. He dialed Ye Tiancheng’s number. The phone rang several times, and finally, it indicated that no one had answered, and it was actually unreachable.
Nie Chongyang tried several more times, and even called the little fox, but found that it was still the same.
He couldn’t help but worry, wondering what had happened to Ye Tiancheng that he couldn’t even be reached by phone. Although Nie Chongyang was anxious, he remained relatively calm and remembered that there were others he could contact.
Nie Chongyang could contact Hou Mingzhu, but given that Ye Tiancheng would definitely protect Hou Mingzhu, contacting her in this situation would likely not be of much use. Nie Chongyang then thought of Fatty. Fatty was Ye Tiancheng’s good brother, and he might know something about Ye Tiancheng’s situation.
Fortunately, Fatty’s phone was answered quickly.
Seeing that the call had finally gone through, Nie Chongyang immediately explained the situation to Fatty.
After listening, Fatty’s first reaction was to ask Nie Chongyang, “Why don’t you ask Brother Ye? He should be more knowledgeable about these matters.”
Nie Chongyang could only say to Fatty helplessly, “I don’t know what’s going on. Ye Tiancheng and the little fox can’t be reached, and no one is answering their phones… Aren’t they with you?”
Fatty also became anxious upon hearing this.
He explained to Nie Chongyang, “Didn’t Brother Ye save an innocent little girl? This child needs someone to take care of her, so I was left behind to stay with this child. I didn’t act with them, so I’m not with them now.”
Nie Chongyang couldn’t help but frown.
“This is bad. Could they have encountered something?”
He couldn’t help but worry. If Ye Tiancheng and the little fox couldn’t solve the problem, how serious could the problem be?
However, regarding the evacuation of people, Fatty was more knowledgeable.
It’s not that he knew the solution, but Fatty understood why these people were unwilling to leave. Fatty told Nie Chongyang, “Unless the Dragon God appears and tells them to leave, these people probably won’t agree to leave.”
“These villagers have lived here for thousands of years, always under the protection of the Dragon God. Even when facing natural disasters and man-made calamities, they have not suffered any harm because of the Dragon God’s protection. Therefore, they believe that with the Dragon God present, nothing will happen, so it will be difficult to persuade them to leave.”
“If the villagers must be evacuated, do they have to be willing? If that’s not possible, can some compulsory measures be used?”
Nie Chongyang was extremely troubled, rubbing his temples. “That’s probably not feasible… Moreover, in an emergency, if it were just a few people, it would be one thing, but now this village is not small. What compulsory measures can be used to tie them all up at once?”
Just as Nie Chongyang was in great distress, a team member suddenly came to report to him excitedly.
“Captain! You don’t need to worry anymore! Those villagers are willing to leave!”
Nie Chongyang was surprised and temporarily hung up on Fatty, asking his team member, “What’s going on?”
The team member’s expression suddenly became a little strange.
He naturally knew the reason. If their team had not become a special operations unit, and faced with such a ridiculous reason, he would never have believed it in the past.
Even now, after knowing many incredible and bizarre events and encountering the other side of the world, because he was still new to the job, he couldn’t help but feel awkward and uneasy when facing these matters.
However, when answering the captain, he could only report truthfully.
“This… it’s a bit strange to say, they suddenly agreed to leave, it seems because they heard some kind of divine oracle?”
Nie Chongyang was slightly stunned, and suddenly remembered what Fatty had just said.
Fatty had told him earlier that unless the Dragon God appeared and told these villagers to leave, they would absolutely not agree to leave.
The Dragon God… So, does this village really have a Dragon God?
Then why did the Dragon God suddenly appear at this time? Does a dragon truly exist in this world?
Their problem here was temporarily resolved, and the villagers were finally willing to leave. Nie Chongyang and the others naturally seized the opportunity to quickly find ways to evacuate all of them.
Meanwhile, at the village chief’s house, the village chief was packing his belongings and preparing to flee. However, it was a pity that as soon as he reached his doorstep, he was intercepted by Nie Chongyang’s men and arrested on the spot.
On the other side, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox faced a different situation.