Before any suspicion arose among the villagers, Cultivator Cui immediately explained his intentions.
"From what I've heard, this little girl's mother was very likely a Cultivator, just like us. I don't know why her mother abandoned her. Still, by traveling outside the village with us, she might have a better chance of finding her mother's whereabouts than merely waiting for her mother's return here, without any certainty."
As the villagers focused their attention on him, Cultivator Cui continued elaborating, ensuring his intentions were clear.
"As I mentioned before, we are in search of children chosen by the Immortal Destiny. To show our gratitude for the village's kindness, we are willing to help her find her mother, and we can even take some other children from the village who show traces of Immortal fate."
The villagers exchanged hesitant and doubtful looks. They began whispering among themselves, seriously considering Cultivator Cui's offer.
Mao Xuelian, hidden behind Aunty Pu's plump form, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead as she observed Aunty Pu and the villagers discussing the situation. She had noticed the subtle change in the energies of Cultivator Cui and Cultivator Chou.
Where their energies had once felt like bubbling hot water, they now felt like a lava lake concealed beneath a glacier. Their energies were filled with suppressed bloodlust, as red as blood. And that energy, for some reason, was focused on her.
The discussion among the villagers lasted longer than expected. Even after thirty minutes, they had not reached a conclusion. After all, this matter involved their children's lives. They couldn't just send their children off with Cultivator Cui and Cultivator Chou—total strangers—believing they would find happiness at the Immortal Gate without second thoughts.
However, someone could no longer contain his feelings.
"What's the decision, fellows?" asked Cultivator Cui, smiling. Yet, his smile appeared more forced than sincere this time.
Li Gongxian felt guilty upon hearing Cultivator Cui's question. He quickly bowed and apologized, " I-I am sorry, Cultivator Cui! We were too engrossed in our discussion. But you must understand, this is not a simple decision for us. Letting our children go to a faraway place is something we've never done."
Cultivator Cui nodded in response and was about to speak when an elder's voice interrupted him.
"You can't! You will not take any children from our village. Never!"
Li Gongxian and the villagers, along with Cultivator Cui and Cultivator Chou, turned towards the source of the voice, their faces shifting to expressions of surprise as they recognized the elder man glaring at the two Cultivators.
"Father!" Li Gongxian called out.
"Village Chief!" the villagers exclaimed, sighing in relief. Now, they wouldn't have to bear the burden of making a difficult decision.
However, their relief quickly turned to confusion as they noticed the Village Chief glaring fiercely at the two Cultivators.
"You will take no one but yourself out of my village," the Village Chief barked. "Leave my village—now!"
The villagers were puzzled by the Village Chief's intense hatred towards the two Cultivators. Cultivator Cui and Cultivator Chou appeared normal and kind so far, so why would Village Chief resent them so much? The villagers exchanged glances, silently questioning why the Village Chief was so angry with them.
Li Gongxian, puzzled, asked his father, "What's wrong, Father? Cultivator Cui and Cultivator Chou were merely trying to lend a helping hand..."
Under the scorching sun, beads of sweat began to form on the faces of Mao Xuelian and the villagers. However, only Mao Xuelian realized that their perspiration was not caused by the heat, but by the presence of the two Cultivators.
Turning back to Cultivator Cui, her eyes gleamed with a green light before widening in alarm. Cultivator Cui's energy was boiling even more than before, threatening to explode at any moment. Filled with bloodlust and suppressed madness, it was palpable to her. Mao Xuelian then noticed that he was clenching his fists.
"Silence, Mortals!" Cultivator Chou suddenly shouted angrily at the Village Chief.
In the eyes of the confused villagers, the situation shifted in an instant.
Cultivator Chou vanished from where he stood and reappeared right in front of the Village Chief, his right fist poised to strike. Before the villagers could react, his fist collided with the Village Chief's face.
With a forceful impact, the Village Chief's head shattered under Cultivator Chou's blow, like a stone crushed by a hammer.
Li Gongxian's eyes widened in shock, then filled with horror and loss. Without thinking of anyone, not even the Cultivators, he ran toward his father's headless body. Sadness clouded his mind as fury boiled within him.
"FATHER!!" He stumbled to the ground, staring at the lifeless form of his father. "N-no... No..."
He glared at the two Cultivators: Cultivator Chou, who was grinning madly, and Cultivator Cui, who watched the scene with a calm smile.
"HOW DARE YOU KILL MY FATHER, BASTARD!!!" But it was not Li Gongxian who charged at the two Cultivators next; it was Li Zui, who was still drenched from the river.
He rushed toward Cultivator Chou, fury blazing in his eyes. His movements were surprisingly fast, catching Cultivator Chou off guard as Li Zui swung his fist, crashing into him like a rolling boulder.
Cultivator Chou's body was sent flying backward, landing roughly in the dirt nearly 14 meters away before finally coming to a stop, and stopped moving.
"Hah...!" Li Zui exhaled heavily, white mist-like air coming out of his mouth, his eyes bloodshot.
After his sudden assault on Cultivator Chou, blood covered his right fist—both the blood of Cultivator Chou and his own. He paid no attention to his injuries; his focus was locked on his new target: Cultivator Cui, who still maintained a calm smile.
"Oh, a Martial Artist? And a Master..." Cultivator Cui muttered under his breath, a wider smile spreading across his face.
Li Zui remained silent, inhaling and exhaling forcefully. The mist around his body showed just how heated he had become.
Gathering his energy, he launched himself forward, fists ready to attack.
"River Boil Style, Six Vaporizing Fists!"
...
Meanwhile, in a forest slightly distant from Li Village's mountain, two figures faced each other. One was a woman in modest brown clothes, and the other a man in a black-red robe.
"Blood Sect!" the woman barked at the man, "Explain why you have come so far from your territory to this southern edge!"
The man did not respond; rather, he couldn't. His wounds were so severe that he would have already died if he weren't a Blood Cultivator. Nevertheless, he forced a smile and let out a soft laugh. His gaze shifted momentarily on a destroyed crimson crystal lying on the grass before returning to the woman before him.
In stark contrast to the man's condition, the woman, Mao Yan, bore only a few bruises on her otherwise flawless, snow-white skin. Her typically soft and kind eyes turned sharp as she raised the ice sword she held. "So you choose death, Blood Cultivator?"