Green Rain Village was once a small village of little note, but due to its location, it was big enough to accommodate thousands of homes. However, in practice, less than a hundred families lived there.
In the Immortal Region, land was scarce and pricy. Situations like this were few and far between.
The village couldn’t compete with major cities outfitted with formations to enhance spiritual power absorption, but setting up residence in any such city required vast sums of gold. Ordinary spiritual body cultivators and pseudo spiritual body cultivators, no, even most immortals, couldn’t afford it.
Nearby villagers were their only remaining choice!
More importantly, this village was in range to receive nourishment directly from the newly-awakened leyline. Logically speaking, it should have been prime real estate, swarming with people, but the population was still pitifully sparse.
All of this was because, this village was located beside…
The Immortal Region’s official danger zone, Howling Valley.
Due to their proximately, despite the leyline nurturing its inhabitants, no outsiders chose to settle here. Even members of the younger generation would do everything they could to leave once they grew up. The more time passed, the more the village stagnated and declined. It had gone from hundreds of families to less than a hundred.
But it was in precisely this kind of village that…
“Village head, there’s another group of would-be settlers outside.” A youth dashed into the village, looking somewhat troubled.
His name was Bai Yu, and he was born and raised in Gree
He’d just barely become a spiritual body cultivator, and he wasn’t yet strong enough to wander far from the village. He’d only ever really interacted with the other villagers, but not long ago, a large group of travelers showed up in search of accommodations.
Bai Yu was excited at first; he’d never seen so many strangers before. The village head prepared a warm welcome, but who would have thought that this was just the beginning? Before long, more and more people showed up and started staying in the village.
The travelers carried all sorts of marvels and novelties, and told tales of the world outside the village. Bai Yu was, at first, delighted at the increase in population, but as people kept pouring in, this curious youth was starting to feel rather troubled.
There were just too many of them!
In just half a month, the village’s thousand or so houses were packed.
Quite a few of the new arrivals simply set up camp on the ground, but when the village head made it clear that the village was already packed, the guests responded with violence. Quite a few villagers were even ousted from their homes as new arrivals moved in.
As for the earlier waves of travelers, those who’d once laughed and joked with the villagers?
Not one of them so much as lifted a finger to help. They simply stood back and watched coldly as all this played out.
The villagers considered resisting, but the travelers’ cultivators were too high. There were human immortals, sky immortals, and even a few immortal kings.
Even though the village head was an earth immortal expert, how could he possibly fend off so many immortals?
They could only make concessions…
But their concessions only invited further impositions. They gave the travelers an inch, and they took a mile.
“If they’re here, they’re here. Let them settle wherever they want. If they take a shine to someone’s house, have however lives there give it up. Don’t argue with them.” The old village head stared out the window and took a melancholy puff of his pipe.
“Village Head, many of the villagers have started following…”
“I know, but that’s their choice. Let them go. To them, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” The village head smiled indifferently. He was fully aware of what Bai Yu was trying to tell him.
Numerous experts had come to the village of late, and quite a few villagers seized the opportunity to butter them up and become their attendants.
It was inevitable. Everyone had their own ambitions. Even as their village head, he found it hard to criticize them.
Besides, the Green Rain Village they’d once known was no more; “village head” was already an empty title.
“Grandpa Village Head.” Bai Yu scrunched up his face bitterly. When the travelers first arrived, he’d been more excited than anyone, but now, he was the most upset. He lowered his head and looked at the endless stream of immortals streaking by. Occasionally, he heard the sound of fighting.
This youth, once so full of curiosity about the outside world, was deeply uncomfortable.
“Village head, when do you think they’ll leave?”
“What, weren’t you the most excited about this?” the village head chuckled. “They probably won’t be leaving any time soon. At least, not until that mausoleum in Howling Valley opens. No…. Once it opens, even more people might show up. The remnants of Green Rain Village might very well have to pack up and migrate.”
“We have to leave?” Bai Yu was stunned. “Why should we be the ones to leave? We’ve always lived here! This village is our root! What right do those immortals have to force us from our ancestral homes?”
“It’s not as simple as you think You’re not seeing the big picture.” The village head let out a puff of green smoke, and his aged, leathery hands pressed against the window frame. “The appearance of a hidden realm will undoubtedly lead to strife, and our village’s foundations are too weak, too frail. They can stop us from leaving should they so so choose, but we aren’t strong enough to interfere in their battles, much less to fend for ourselves. If they decide they really want us gone, do you think they’ll be open to a reasonable discussion?”
“Why not? When there are conflicts within the village, everyone will listen to reason, and you’ve always been able to resolve things,” said Bai Yu.
“This is different…” The village head reached out and patted Bai Yu on the shoulder.
At that moment, someone kicked down the door.
The door was nothing but wood, and the kick shattered it into fragments. Sunlight streamed inside, and now, two well-built men stood in the doorway. They looked like twins. Both were bare-armed with battleaxes strapped to their backs. They were stern and imposing, and based on their auras, they were likely both immortal kings.
“What a bunch of dimwits. There’s still such a nice house left, so why set up camp and life in degradation outside?”
The man on the left wore red pants. He snorted, then took his ax from his back and dismissed the village head and Bai Yu with a lordly flick of his finger.
“Hurry up and scram. My brother and I live here now.”
“Who do you think you are? This is grandpa village head’s room. If you want somewhere to live, go talk to someone else, or set up camp outside. What right do you have to demand the village head’s home?” Bai Yu glared at them both.
“Hah? What right do we have? My battleax, of course!”
The man in red pants swung it, and cut the wooden table directly in half. Bai Yu’s eyes went bloodshot; the village head had made all the furniture in here himself, by hand.
“You…!”
“Big Bro, why waste words with them? Just swing your ax and be done with it.” His brother, identical save for his pants, which were blue to his brother’s red, really did swing his ax at Bai Yu. He didn’t even hesitate.
The village head hurriedly pulled Bai Yu into his arms, but at his cultivation…
“A mantis trying to block a chariot!” The man in blue pants laughed indifferently, but at that moment, an unknown spiritual energy appeared and blocked his ax…
“How domineering!” They heard a cold snort rung out, and the ax cut the spiritual energy, too.
