Could It Be the Work of the Guardian Spirit?

If Ye Yun had known what the Wolf Village's chief was thinking, he would have burst out laughing - the latter's thoughts were a little too far-fetched.

But only the Wolf Village's chief knew his own thoughts. The rest simply followed their leader.

The battle had finally ended but in a way and with an outcome that was beyond anyone's expectations.

Now that those from Wolf Village had left, only the cultivators of the desolate Stone Village remained, still staring at each other and their surroundings with slight confusion.

Why did the sword Qi come from the direction of their village?

"Village Chief, do you think the sword Qi from before was sent by our guardian spirit?" Huang Feijiao was the first to speak, breaking the silence.

"It can't be..." The village chief sighed and shook his head to indicate that he didn't know either.

"But the sword Qi did come from the direction of our village." Huang Linhu agreed with Huang Feijiao.

The battle earlier had been chaotic, but the appearance of the sword Qi's light had made everyone stop to stare at it.

Its swift yet ferocious fatal blows on Suan Ni and Wolf Village's guardian spirit had terrified them - it was like witnessing someone stomp on two ants - so much so that they did not expect to be able to get through the night alive.

And it was clear to them that there was no way a human cultivator could attain the ability to kill a guardian spirit. Maybe if they used the ancestral artifact, but it would not have been an easy feat.

"But Grandpa, if it wasn't the guardian spirit, who else would help us?" Shi Hao, who had stained his hands with the blood of others, was still on guard, worried that the sword Qi had originated from an enemy.

"Shi Hao, you worry too much. If it was our opponent, why did they suddenly stop attacking after killing Wolf Village's guardian spirit and Suan Ni? In my opinion, it was our guardian spirit who acted," said Huang Feijiao with a smile.

"You're right. Sorry." Shi Hao bashfully nodded his head and his muscles started to relax. Shi Hao finally looked like the child he should be.

"Alright, everyone. We do need to figure out whether it was our guardian spirit or someone else that had come to our aid. But right now, standing here won't give us any more answers than we already have here. Let's pack up and go home. We'll return to this place later with a fresher mind and set of eyes," said the village chief.

"I agree with the village chief. We must return as soon as possible. I'm sure the others back in the village are getting worried about us."

"That's right. We have to move fast or we might get trapped by the desolate beasts around here. After all, this is the central area and we never venture this deep unless we're out hunting," said Huang Linhu.

"But we found our way here with the mountain as our guide. Now that it's dark and we can barely see a thing, how are we going to find our way back? What if we get lost?" asked one of the cultivators.

"Didn't Shi Hao get here on the Green Scaled Eagle earlier? How about we just get the Green Scaled Eagle to bring us back?" asked another cultivator.

But the person beside him patted his shoulder helplessly. "Are you OK? Didn't get enough sleep yesterday? You want to go home just like that and leave the blood essence and secret treasures here? Are you seriously thinking of returning empty-handed? Don't you remember the reason we have traveled all the way here and risked our lives? What, did you think we came here just for some sightseeing?"

There were quite a lot of spoils to bring back from the corpses of the ancient descendant Suan Ni, the divine beast Bai Ze, the flying mighty beast, and the various desolate beasts that had died after getting caught up in the battle earlier.

The village chief couldn't help but laugh as he said, "The blood essence and treasures we obtained today will help our young cultivators in their cultivation and to temper their bodies. Though we still won't be able to catch up with the larger tribes, we are still quite fortunate."

"However, I don't think we have considered how to bring back our spoils to the village," said Huang Linhu.

"There's no need to follow the path from before. We have a new and more straightforward one now." As Shi Hao spoke, he pointed at the straight path that had been left behind by the sword Qi.

The path was so clear that it didn't seem that they would encounter any random obstructions along the way. This was probably the best choice they had of finding their way back right now.

"Shi Hao is right. This path will take us back to the desolate Stone Village."

"Moreover, since it was paved by the sword Qi, I don't think the wild beasts would dare to approach it any time soon. It should be safe."

"Alright, let's get to it then," said the village chief, and the others got to work.

Ye Yun felt more at ease after seeing the aftermath of his use of the Shu Shan Sword Method.

It was finally over. He did not have to worry about the people of Stone Village suffering any more casualties. Ye Yun closed his eyes with relief and prepared to cultivate.

The villagers who had been praying to the Willow Deity had also stopped and returned to the village to await the arrival of their loved ones. The world was finally quiet.

It was midnight when the Stone Village's cultivators led by the village chief approached their homeland with the spoils of the battle after spending the whole day away, risking their lives just for the future cultivation of the younger generation.

Even though they were still a little far away, the group noticed that the willow tree was surrounded by a pure light under the moon, appearing calm and peaceful.

"We're finally back." Shi Hao felt an incredible sense of relief in his heart.

Everything that happened today had been quite shocking to him.

Even if it was already so late in the night, everything that they had been through and obtained had made their journey worth it.

The returning group did not feel sorry for Suan Ni as they placed its fresh meat on the altar by the Willow Deity.

The other people in the village joined them to participate in the sacrificial offering.

"I sincerely thank the guardian spirit for protecting my village all this while, and I hope that we will be able to continue receiving your blessed protection in the future."