"They seem to have called for reinforcements!"
As Ye Yunfei saw a total of twelve Earth Immortal experts, he couldn't help but frown.
With so many Earth Immortal masters, if a real fight broke out, Su Qingluo would certainly be no match.
"Let's not mind them for now. We should go in and take a look," Su Qingluo said.
At this moment, Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo had arrived at the entrance of the small mountain hamlet.
All the houses in the village were constructed from stone, wood, and thatch. They were very simple, yet looked neat and orderly, possessing a unique kind of beauty.
A yellow dog lay under a large tree at the village entrance, basking in the sun. It glanced up casually at Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo, seeming utterly disinterested.
A hen clucked, leading a brood of chicks here and there, as if enjoying the leisurely afternoon hours.
"We must remember that senior's words: Be polite, respect all living beings, bow to the deities you encounter, and maintain a pious heart," Su Qingluo and Ye Yunfei reaffirmed to each other before cautiously walking into the small mountain hamlet.
"Hmm? Guests have come to our village!"
Several children playing chase saw Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo and became very curious, immediately gathering around them.
As Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo watched the children approach, their hearts grew tense and wary, prepared to react at any moment.
Many things that seemed utterly ordinary in this place might conceal terrifying dangers.
"We must be polite and respect all living beings!" Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo reminded each other once more via Sound Transmission.
"Big Brother, Big Sister, where are you from? What brings you to our village?" A little boy with dusty clothes suddenly asked.
"Little one, we've come from a very faraway place. We're here mainly to look for something," Ye Yunfei replied.
"Look for what?" the little boy asked.
"Heavenly Immortal Soul Fruit," Ye Yunfei answered directly.
The two of them had indeed come here for that very thing; there was no need to hide it. Though his interlocutor was just a child, he was, in truth, very likely a terrifying existence in disguise. Ye Yunfei knew deceiving him would be futile.
"So it's for the Heavenly Immortal Soul Fruit," the child nodded.
"That thing sits in the ancestral hall, already covered in dust. No one has touched it for thousands of years; I'm not even sure what it's good for. You came all this way just for that? What a waste of time," another child said, curling his lip.
"It seems there really is a Heavenly Immortal Soul Fruit in this small mountain hamlet, and it's placed in the ancestral hall!" Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo exchanged a look.
This small mountain hamlet truly did contain a Heavenly Immortal Soul Fruit!
"Little one, is that true?" Ye Yunfei wanted to confirm.
"Of course it's true. I've known about it since over a thousand years ago. It's not some big secret," yet another child chimed in.
"Over a thousand years ago? Little friend, how old are you?" Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo were startled.
"About fourteen hundred, maybe? I'm not sure of the exact age; my mom would know," the child answered.
Could it be? Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo looked at the innocent-faced child before them, hardly able to believe it. This child looked no more than five or six years old but was already over fourteen hundred years old!
A thousand-year-old being was considered an ancient fossil in most worlds of the Three Thousand Realms!
"Little friends, and you others, how old are you?" Ye Yunfei asked cautiously.
"Big Brother, you keep asking us so many questions but haven't offered any benefits," a seemingly cleverer child said, curling his lips, a glint of cunning in his eyes.
The other children also stopped responding.
"Well..." Ye Yunfei was at a loss for words.
"Ah, that's right, little ones. I have some *bing tang hulu* (sugar-coated haws on a stick) here. Would you like to try some?" Ye Yunfei suddenly thought of something and spoke up.
"Bing tang hulu? What kind of candy is that?" Hearing this, the children perked up with interest.
Ye Yunfei opened his palm, and as if performing magic, five bing tang hulu appeared in his hand, emitting an enticing aroma.
These sugar-coated haws were something Ye Yunfei had brought from the Canghuang Realm!
Back in the Canghuang Realm, when Ye Yunfei first encountered the Canghuang Origin, she had taken the form of a little girl, staring intently at a peddler's bing tang hulu.
Later, after Ye Yunfei and the Canghuang Origin became acquainted, he always kept some with him. Whenever the Canghuang Origin was unhappy, Ye Yunfei would bring them out to cheer her up.
The Canghuang Origin's intelligence was equivalent to that of a five or six-year-old child, her words and actions no different from a human child's.
"Would you like to try some?" Ye Yunfei waved the bing tang hulu in his hand.
"Yes!" The children stared fixedly at the treats in Ye Yunfei's hand, drooling already.
"Then I'll give one to each of you first," Ye Yunfei said, distributing one to each child.
"So delicious!" The children ate with great relish.
"Now, can you tell us how old you are?" Seeing the situation, Su Qingluo asked in a very friendly tone.
Because the old man fishing in the center of the lake earlier had told Ye Yunfei to be polite and respect all living beings, Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo had been acting in accordance with that senior's words since entering this small mountain hamlet.
"Big Sister, I'm about fifteen hundred years old," a chubby boy answered while savoring the bing tang hulu in his hand.
"I'm a hundred years older than him. I think I'm around sixteen hundred," another slightly taller boy said, his mouth stuffed with the sweet, his cheeks bulging, the words muffled.
Subsequently, the other children also reported their ages.
The youngest was over fourteen hundred, the oldest over sixteen hundred! If placed in the outside world, such ages would make them all ancient fossils!
"Little ones, where is your village's ancestral hall located?" Su Qingluo asked. This was the question she and Ye Yunfei most wanted to know.
As soon as Su Qingluo finished asking, Ye Yunfei immediately cooperated by handing out another bing tang hulu to each child.
"Big Brother, you're such a good person!" The children viewed Ye Yunfei more favorably by the minute.
"The ancestral hall is at the back of the village, the oldest-looking stone house there. You'll see it as soon as you pass through the village," one child answered Su Qingluo's question while munching on his treat.
"However, the ancestral hall is our village's Forbidden Land. Outsiders can't enter. Even us villagers can't go in either, so you won't be able to get the Heavenly Immortal Soul Fruit," a relatively short little girl said.
Hearing her words, both Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo felt a chill in their hearts.
Judging by the little girl's meaning, the ancestral hall was indeed the Forbidden Land of this small mountain hamlet. Getting in would likely be very difficult.
"Since we've come this far, no matter what, I have to try," Su Qingluo said, her gaze shifting toward the direction of the village's rear. After a moment's thought, she conveyed this to Ye Yunfei via Sound Transmission.
"Look! More people are coming! Let's go ask them for candy!"
Suddenly, a little boy exclaimed excitedly.
At this moment, a group of beings had arrived at the village entrance and were scrutinizing the tranquil yet strangely unnerving small mountain hamlet before them.
The children ran over and promptly asked these newcomers for candy.
"A bunch of little brats, scram! Don't meddle," a young man said impatiently, raising his hand as if to strike.
"Don't do that! This small mountain hamlet isn't ordinary. We should avoid stirring up trouble if possible!" An elder beside him stopped him.
"Elder Zeng, if the Heavenly Immortal Soul Fruit is truly here, there will certainly be a terrifyingly fierce battle. So we're destined to take action anyway. No need to be timid and hesitant. While there are still few people, we should simply charge straight in and hurry to find the fruit. Why proceed with such caution? That's too slow. More and more people will arrive, and our competition will become much more intense!" The young man dismissed the elder's concern.
"That makes sense," the other beings who came with the young man all agreed with him, nodding one after another.
"Let me clear the way!" Seeing so many supporters, the young man stepped forward and unleashed his energy pressure, sweeping it overwhelmingly in all directions.
"You brats, get lost, or else don't blame me for being impolite!" The young man waved his hand, intending to push the children aside.
Grr...
Suddenly, the yellow dog that had been lying lazily in the sun at the village entrance stood up, releasing overwhelming demonic energy. A terrifyingly powerful surge of demonic force instantly suppressed the young man where he stood, rendering him immobile.
Then the yellow dog's mouth suddenly opened wide, continuously enlarging. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into an enormous mouth resembling a dark, bottomless abyss, which surged forward and swallowed the young man whole.
"Stop!"
Elder Zeng beside him and several other masters were greatly alarmed. Before the young man could be devoured by the dog's maw, they all acted, trying to save him.
BOOM!
A dog's paw shimmering with rolling yellow light tore through the air, directly blasting this entire group of beings into the air. Each one paled, with blood seeping from the corners of their mouths.
As for that young man, he had long since been devoured by the yellow dog, leaving not a single shred behind.
The yellow dog stretched lazily, then returned to its original spot beneath the large tree, lying down again to continue sunbathing.
"Be careful! That yellow dog might be an ancient monster with sky-toppling power!"
By now, many beings had gathered before the small mountain hamlet. Witnessing this scene, they were all startled.
"Why do I get the feeling this dog possesses the bloodline of the legendary Devouring Heaven Hound?" someone wondered aloud.
The legendary Devouring Heaven Hound?
Hearing this, everyone's expressions changed as they looked warily at the seemingly ordinary yellow dog.
"Good thing we haven't released any energy pressure at all. Otherwise, we'd surely have come into conflict with that yellow dog," Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo were also somewhat shocked and secretly relieved.
Although Su Qingluo, as an Earth Immortal expert, couldn't exactly be described as afraid, this small mountain hamlet exuded strangeness from every corner. Apart from the yellow dog, there were certainly many other beings of unknown power.
Avoiding conflict was definitely the best course!