Ding Yan stood in the void, hands behind his back, with his robe fluttering in the wind.
The power of the Hermit transcended the mundane, and his powerful divine consciousness instantly enveloped Wugu Mountain, and the information of every person on the mountain appeared in his mind. Ding Yan had deployed such a large-scale soul-searching many times before in his previous life, so, for him, there was no pressure when it was done on ordinary people.
Memories surged like a tide, countless scenes turned into numerous translucent streams of air flow, constantly pouring into Ding Yan's mind.
Above the void, Ding Yan kept his eyes closed.
Deep in his mind, the strong soul was like reading a book, reviewing the life experiences of these people...
A cold wind blew. After a long time, when the last stream of air entered Ding Yan's consciousness, Wugu Mountain returned to tranquility, and the people on the mountain returned to normal, without anyone noticing his presence from start to finish.
Standing in the wind, Ding Yan's gaze slowly swept over the people on the mountain, with a touch of sorrow in his eyes.
Many people in the caravan have their own stories. Among them, there may indeed be unforgivable scoundrels, but there are more people who have been forced into banditry by this era. They became bandits only for survival.
In order to survive, they gave up their original kindness.
In order to survive, they raised their knives against the weak.
To survive...
Every one of them had blood on their hands. They had long forgotten their former selves.
Ding Yan fell silent.
He stood quietly on top of Wugu Mountain, like a deity looking down on all living things. I don't know how long it had passed, but a bright light suddenly flashed in Ding Yan's eyes, and a terrifying killing intent pervaded the air.
The figure above the void appeared in the sight of the people.
In the memory, Ding Yan clearly saw the destruction of Yishui Village. A raging fire burned the entire village, and the old village head died miserably under the butcher's knife. In the raging fire, the despairing voices of the villagers, the crying of the infants, shook Ding Yan's soul.
The final scene was of a woman lying in a pool of blood...
"Who is that?"
"It looks like a person, but that's not right, how could a person be in the sky?"
"It must be a celestial being!"
The appearance of Ding Yan quickly attracted the attention of the people in the mountains.
*Cough*
Ding Yan stood in place, feeling a sudden intense pain in his chest, followed by a cough of blood!
Pain, piercing to the heart!
Ding Yan knew that this was the lingering consciousness of the original owner of the body. Until he completed the three tasks, this consciousness would not completely dissipate. As time passed, the pain in his chest became increasingly intense, as if it could split open at any moment. This pain was a kind of spiritual pain, and no elixirs could help.
Ding Yan covered his chest, his mind constantly flashing with scenes.
These scenes were all about Ding Ling.
"Little sister, when big brother grows up, I will make sure you eat your fill every day."
In the ruined temple, Ding Yan stroked his hungry belly, forcing a smile, comforting his little sister.
"Little sister, when big brother grows up, I will buy many warm coats for you so you won't be cold anymore."
In the snowstorm, Ding Yan hugged his little sister tightly, struggling to find a shelter from the wind.
...
Kill!
Ding Yan raised his head, his eyes suddenly filled with bloodshot veins, a bloodthirsty thought filling his heart.
They all deserve to die!
With a step in the void, an invisible ripple spread out. Extending his right hand, he gently pressed the palm of his hand towards the void below, where a faint green light appeared in his hand. The talisman flashed and disappeared. Suddenly, the people standing on the mountaintop felt the ground shake, and the next second, their bodies were pierced by withered vines that emerged from the soil.
The scattered immortals were furious, and blood flowed like rivers!
The caravan, comprising several hundred people, all died in an instant, and even their leader died in his sleep.
The Yin Yang Scholar stared blankly at the vine piercing his body, his consciousness gradually becoming blurred.
He didn't understand how he died, there were no signs at all. He, who had practiced martial arts all his life, couldn't even conjure the thought of resistance in the face of this mysterious force.
"Is it an immortal? Only an immortal has such power. In the face of this power, I'm just an ant, an ant..."
After the slaughter, Ding Yan's eyes gradually regained clarity.
Looking at the almost silent Wugu Mountain, Ding Yan sighed and descended.
In the room.
A woman was trembling as she held a sleeping baby. Just now, she had witnessed the death of the renowned Yin Yang Scholar, silently strangled by a vine that sprang from the ground, without even a chance to resist. Although she didn't know why the person who had struck didn't kill her, she chose to hide anyway, even though she knew it was futile.
Holding the child, the woman was full of fear, with the baby sleeping in her arms.
Suddenly, the woman felt a flash, and a young man who appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old stood in front of her. The young man was wearing a long robe and had a very handsome face, resembling a boy next door, making people feel irresistibly close to him.
The young man was Ding Yan.
During the earlier soul search, Ding Yan had discovered the existence of the child. He knew that this child was his sister's.
Ding Yan walked over, took the child from the woman's hands, and turned away. In just one step, he disappeared...
The woman stared at the place where Ding Yan had disappeared, feeling dazed.
She didn't understand why she had handed the child to him, as if it was an unconscious action.
As if in a dream.
"Who... is he?" the woman murmured.
After leaving the caravan, Ding Yan took the child and headed towards Qiu Shui Town.
"The one I entrusted has already passed away, but this child is her legacy. As a promise, I will accompany him for life..."
Qiu Shui Town, as usual, seemed somewhat desolate.
Old Yang sat against the gate, smoking as usual.
As dusk approached, he particularly enjoyed the sunset, cherishing the memories that settled in the sunset.
"Huh?" Old Yang was taken aback and looked towards the end of the street.
In the sunset, the figure of the other person stretched out. Old Yang looked for a long time, then suddenly slapped his forehead, remembering that the young man was the one who had asked him for directions two days ago, from Yishui Village.
"Why does he have a child with him?" Old Yang was startled and quickly noticed the baby in the man's arms.
The teenager entered the town and kept asking around for the whereabouts of something. Whenever the answer was negative, he would turn and move on to the next house, until he reached the shabby house next to the house of Yang Lao Han.
Yang Lao Han was puzzled and very curious about what the teenager was asking. He got up and walked over.
Because of the distance, Yang Lao Han only saw the teenager talking to the owner of the house. After a while, the owner of the house finally nodded, and then the teenager reached into his sleeve, took out a silver coin, and handed it to the owner of the house.
"Zhang, what's going on?" Yang Lao Han approached and asked.
When the owner of the house heard the voice and saw that it was Yang Lao Han, he smiled and replied, "Uncle Yang, I have sold the house to this scholar. From now on, this scholar will be your new neighbor."
Yang Lao Han was stunned.
It took him a while to realize that the teenager intended to live here.