"We want some too!"
The other children also spoke up when they saw this.
"Don't worry, everyone gets some."
Ye Yunfei handed out the candy hawthorn sticks to each child.
"Why do you have so many of these candy hawthorn sticks on you?"
Su Qingluo was somewhat curious.
"Back in the Canghuang Realm, I always kept a batch of candy hawthorn sticks handy to coax the Canghuang essence."
Ye Yunfei answered.
"So that's why."
Su Qingluo suddenly understood.
She couldn't help but recall that cute little girl from the Canghuang Realm long ago.
"Big Brother, you're such a good person!
Big Brother, you want to go to the ancestral hall at the end of the village, right? We'll take you there!"
The children grabbed Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo's hands and hurriedly dragged them towards the end of the village.
A few villagers who initially wanted to stop them, upon seeing the innocent, happy expressions on the children's faces and the candy hawthorn sticks in their hands, ultimately stepped aside and did not interfere.
Seeing this, Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Throughout the journey, Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo took the initiative to smile and greet the villagers they passed.
This was because they firmly remembered the words of the old man fishing on the boat in the middle of the distant lake: be polite and respect all living beings!
"Luckily that senior warned us. Otherwise, if we had shown the slightest disrespect towards these villagers, we probably wouldn't have been able to come this far so smoothly,"
Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
At this moment, within a house built of piled stones in the center of the village, a scholarly-looking man in white robes stood by a window, his gaze taking in everything happening in the village.
Sitting at a stone table next to the window was a woman in a long pink skirt. Her features were delicate, her expression gentle and kind, with the hint of a smile playing on her lips as she looked out the window.
"Rong'er, look, so many outsiders have come to our village today. It's quite lively,"
the white-robed man said softly.
"However, these people come to our place with ulterior motives.
If I'm not mistaken, they're probably all here for the Heavenly Immortal Soul Fruit.
That fruit holds no practical value for me anymore, but it carries a certain sentimental value. After all, it's the fruit of my efforts during a specific period long ago. I'm reluctant to let outsiders take it away.
Rong'er, what do you think?"
The white-robed man continued.
His deep, affectionate gaze turned towards the woman in the pink skirt.
However, the woman showed no reaction whatsoever. Her gaze remained fixed out the window, as if she hadn't heard a single word the man said.
"Rong'er, for me, the most important thing in this world is you.
As long as I can stay by your side, nothing else matters to me."
The white-robed man said tenderly.
But the woman still showed no reaction. Her gaze remained fixed on the outside. Looking more closely, one could notice her eyes seemed somewhat dull, as if fixed on a single spot, her pupils unmoving.
"Rong'er, look at those two young people. They've actually almost reached the end of the village.
It seems they remembered Elder He's words."
The white-robed man's gaze shifted towards Ye Yunfei and Su Qingluo's location.
But no matter what the white-robed man said, the woman gave no reaction. Her gaze stayed fixed out the window, always towards the same location.
"Although the Heavenly Immortal Soul Fruit holds no practical use for me, it does hold some sentimental significance.
I can't just let outsiders take it away for no reason.
So, I should let these two young people leave.
Rong'er, do you think what I'm saying makes sense?"
The white-robed man thought for a moment before speaking to the woman again.
***
Meanwhile, at the village entrance, things were getting very lively.
In total, five villagers stood blocking the path into the village.
"Everyone, since that's how it is, there's nothing more to say. Let's kill our way in together!"
a powerful Earth Immortal shouted loudly.
"Alright!
No more talk. Let's fight our way in!"
Other powerful Earth Immortals echoed his call.
Boom! Boom!...
The next moment, the powerful Earth Immortals unleashed their full strength, releasing a vast and mighty pressure of their auras as they pressed down upon the five villagers.
"We may just be simple mountain villagers, but we aren't to be bullied so easily!
As long as we stand here today, none of you will take another step into our village!"
one of the villagers roared loudly.
Boom! Boom!...
All five villagers erupted with power simultaneously, like five divine mountains. An immense wave of energy soared into the sky, shaking the entire Small World.
Five Earth Immortals!
Only when these five villagers fully unleashed their strength did everyone realize—these five villagers were all powerful Earth Immortals!
"Can't be... Does this mountain hamlet... have every villager at the level of Earth Immortals?"
Everyone felt a tingling sensation creep over their scalps.
Because within this small mountain village, there were many other villagers still watching from the sidelines.
If all those villagers were also at the Earth Immortal level... then the overall combat power of this mountain hamlet was truly terrifying!
At this point, even those Earth Immortal experts themselves furrowed their brows.
"No point worrying about it now. If we want to get the Heavenly Immortal Soul Fruit, we have to fight our way into this mountain hamlet!"
One Earth Immortal gritted his teeth and declared in a loud, clear voice.
"Kill!"
Hearing "Heavenly Immortal Soul Fruit," the other Earth Immortals couldn't remain calm. They all charged forward to attack.
The temptation of the Heavenly Immortal Soul Fruit was simply too great for Earth Immortals!
"Defend our home!"
The five villagers exchanged glances and shouted in unison.
Rumble...
The next moment, a fierce and terrifying battle erupted.
Close to twenty Earth Immortal experts joined forces in their assault.
These Earth Immortals hailed from the Main World, the Tianpo World, and some other special worlds, each possessing formidable combat prowess.
But the five villagers refused to give an inch, guarding the entrance to the village path, battling fiercely against the Earth Immortal attackers.
Although the weapons in the villagers' hands were just hoes, sickles, and other farming tools common in the countryside, each move and stance, while appearing simple, was incredibly practical and remarkably powerful.
What was even more surprising was that these five villagers were faintly forming a battle formation. They supported each other, coordinating their efforts, multiplying their fighting power!
"Everyone, join the fight!
Since we've come this far, we'd be wasting the trip if we didn't make a try for it!"
an old man at the Peak True Immortal realm declared loudly.
"Alright! Everyone, let's attack together!"
Others shouted in agreement.
So, all the gathered beings, without exception, charged forward to attack the mountain hamlet.
"Hmph!
Do you really think our village is easy to bully?!"
At that moment, a sturdy old man appeared at the village entrance. His face was filled with anger as he spoke in a low, stern voice.
The old man's voice was like Heaven roaring in fury, transforming into rumbling thunder that boomed and echoed, shaking the entire Small World violently.
"Village Chief!"
The five villagers battling the Earth Immortal experts were overjoyed when they saw this old man, and they called out in unison.
"Village Chief, these intruders dared to barge into our village. Their rudeness knows no bounds!"
one of the villagers reported to the Village Chief.
"All members of the Village Guard Team, step forward!"
The Village Chief declared with an imposing, stern expression.
"Village Guard Team?"
Upon hearing the Village Chief's words, all the outsiders who had forced their way in were startled.
The strength of those five villagers alone was already incredibly daunting. If another entire Village Guard Team came out, wouldn't it be even harder to deal with them?
"Village Chief, we're here!"
Following the Village Chief's command, over ten powerful and sturdy men charged out from within the mountain hamlet. Each exuded a formidable aura. They stood behind the Village Chief, staring coldly at the intruders from the outside world.