Chapter 41 Massacre

Chiyang Mountain

As the rising sun bathed the quiet mountain village in its light, not a trace of life could be seen.

The wisps of cooking smoke that once drifted from the chimneys had been replaced by billowing smoke and raging flames.

The peace and tranquility of the village had vanished.

Houses lay in ruins, their walls collapsed.

Blood stained the ground throughout the village.

Among the ruins, beneath the trees, at the entrance, and even along the mountain paths, corpses lay scattered everywhere.

Soon, a small team of Gu Masters arrived at the entrance.

The moment they took in the scene before them, their expressions changed dramatically.

What had happened here last night?

They were a team of Gu Masters from Chijia Village.

Since this village was under their jurisdiction, several Gu Masters had been stationed here permanently.

They had come today to meet with those stationed Gu Masters.

None of them had expected to find such a horrific scene.

“How could this happen?

Who did this?

Which heartless demon committed such a cruel massacre?” Among the group, a gentle-looking Gu Master stared in horror.

He had never imagined that this once peaceful mountain village would meet such a tragic end.

Blegh…

Unable to withstand the horrific sight and the thick stench of blood, the only female Gu Master in the group hurried to the side, leaned against a tree, and vomited.

“Who could have done this?

An outsider Gu Master?

Or a beast tide?” Another Gu Master tugged at the sleeve of the leader, his face filled with anxiety.

“Boss, what should we do?

Should we report this to the village immediately?”

The leading Gu Master kept a solemn expression as he silently surveyed the devastated village.

“The current situation doesn’t look like the work of wild beasts.

Judging from the traces left behind, it seems the village was attacked by one or more powerful Gu Masters last night.”

“It’s hard to say, but I’m certain this matter is related to Xu Village.

Those hypocritical scoundrels lost to us in the last inter-clan competition, and it’s hard to guarantee they won’t seek revenge.”

After careful consideration, the leading Gu Master, Chi Hong, stroked his chin and gave his teammates the answer he had in mind.

On Chiyang Mountain, there is not only Chijia Village, but also Xu Village, a long-time rival of equal strength.

In terms of size, population, and number of Gu Masters, Xu Village is on par with Chijia Village.

The two villages were founded within a few decades of each other.

Since their founding, the two clans had fought for over five hundred years.

Countless people had died or been injured, yet neither side had ever managed to gain a decisive advantage.

To avoid exhausting their strength through endless warfare, the two clans gradually adopted a different approach.

Whenever disputes over territory or resources arose, they would often settle them through inter-clan competitions instead.

Beyond Chijia Village and Xu Village, dozens of smaller villages were scattered across Chiyang Mountain, inhabited almost entirely by mortals.

The two clans divided these villages between themselves, ruling them from behind the scenes.

Whenever they needed servants, laborers, or fresh recruits, they simply selected them from the villages under their control.

However, regardless of the village, neither was willing to nurture these mortals into Gu Masters.

When it came to nurturing Gu Masters, the clans trained only their own members.

Even if they knew that some of these villagers possessed cultivation aptitude, they would still ignore them, despite their small numbers.

Outside Central Continent, the other four regions placed great importance on bloodlines and kinship.

Keeping cultivation resources and power within the clan was the foundation of a family’s long-term prosperity.

The others nodded in agreement with Chi Hong’s analysis.

The two clans had been bitter enemies for generations.

After losing the last inter-clan competition, it was entirely possible that Xu Village had resorted to such a ruthless act of revenge.

“Spread out and search the area.

See if there are any surviving mortals who can tell us what happened.

Look carefully as well.

Since a Gu Master was most likely behind this, they must have left some clues.”

Chi Hong wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling the weight of the situation.

The overnight massacre of an entire village was no trivial matter.

If I return empty-handed without a single clue, the clan will definitely hold me accountable.

I’ll be in serious trouble.

Unfortunately, even after searching every corner of the village, they found nothing.

“Boss!

Boss!

We found someone alive!” Suddenly, the female Gu Master who had earlier been vomiting beside a tree cried out in surprise.

Together with another companion, she pushed aside a pile of collapsed rubble, revealing a villager who had somehow survived the massacre.

Judging from his clothes, he was one of the guards stationed at the village entrance.

“There’s actually a survivor?” Chi Hong hurried over, pushing aside the Gu Masters blocking his path.

The moment he saw the surviving guard, he frowned slightly.

A thick black thread had been stitched across the man’s mouth, leaving him unable to utter a single word.

His hands and feet were tightly bound, yet he struggled desperately and nodded at them again and again, as if trying to tell them something.