The village chief led the way, with the villagers following behind to watch the spectacle, until they reached a spot at the back of the mountain.
A riverbed flickered in and out of sight, covered in fallen leaves and surrounded by overgrown withered grass, without a single drop of dew to be seen...
However, it was not difficult to deduce from what lay before them.
In the past, this river had been quite large.
The water output from this underground spring had also been significant.
On the way here, Xu Xian had also taken the opportunity to survey the terrain of Luoxia Village.
Situated deep in the mountains at a high elevation, the nearby water sources simply could not be diverted here. If they wanted to dig a canal to bring in water, they would have to go much further.
It was nearly a hundred miles away and would require cutting through several large mountains; this was no trivial matter.
Even as a cultivator, he couldn't just handle that on a whim.
Therefore, Xu Xian wanted to see the state of the original spring to determine if an earthquake had caused the underground river to divert or if it had been blocked.
If it could be salvaged, he could save himself a lot of effort.
The village chief said, "Immortal, look. This is the village's original spring. We call it the Spring of Life."
"When I was young, I often heard the elders say that when our ancestors chose to settle here and built Luoxia Village, it was because they took a fancy to this spring. The water that flowed from it was clear and pure, warm in winter and cool in summer—it was incredibly sweet."
"It has nourished who knows how many generations of our Luoxia Village. I don't know what happened the year before last, but after an earthquake, the spring water just stopped."
"Without water, the village hasn't had a rice harvest in two years. The people have had to make a living by hunting in the mountains, and several young men have already died."
"The main issue is drinking water. Spring and summer are okay since the heavens grant us rain every now and then, but autumn and winter are truly difficult to endure. We can only trouble the immortal to take action..."
Xu Xian expressed his understanding.
Approaching the spring, he used his core formation stage divine sense coupled with the Pupil of Insight to peer deep underground.
A startling light flashed through his eyes.
Xu Xian frowned.
"So that's how it is!"
"Immortal, how is the situation?"
Xu Xian said calmly, "Constable Zhang, Village Chief, take the people and retreat first. The further, the better..."
"What's happening?"
"It's nothing. I am going to cast a spell, and I fear I might accidentally injure you."
"Right, right, right. Everyone, fall back."
Soon, the village chief led the crowd of villagers far away.
Xu Xian wasted no more time and summoned Wait.
"Go!"
Wait understood his intent and plunged into the earth, moving through the soil as easily as a fish through water. After a short while, the entire ground began to shake violently.
Even Luoxia Village began to tremble along with it.
"An earthquake!"
"What's going on?"
"Mother, I'm scared."
"Don't panic, the immortal is casting a spell. It's fine, it's fine."
The violent commotion naturally terrified the villagers of Luoxia Village, leaving them frantic.
A moment later, beneath the site of the former spiritual spring, the shaking intensified. Then, the ground began to collapse as soil and stone burst apart, and a massive creature broke through the earth.
"Roar!"
It let out a deafening cry.
It was a beast as large as a small hill, covered in armor with dark red eyes, snarling incessantly.
Its body had been pierced with two bloody holes by a sword, and blood was currently gurgling out of them.
Its appearance threw Luoxia Village into chaos.
"A beast! It's a beast!"
"Heavens, what on earth is that thing?"
However, Xu Xian did not dodge or hide. He calmly watched the large fellow before him.
[Pangolin · early fourth-grade berserk beast.]
It had not yet developed sapience.
Logically, it should be in the same realm as himself, and their strength should be evenly matched.
Yet, Xu Xian didn't take the opponent seriously at all.
After being forced out of its underground nest by Wait, the Pangolin locked its gaze onto Xu Xian. Its savage aura swept out wildly as it raised its pair of blade-like claws and lunged at the youth...
"Roar!"
Xu Xian narrowed his eyes. When the Pangolin's claws were about to fall on his head, he slowly raised his hand.
Unerringly, he caught one of the opponent's claws.
Then, with a sudden surge of strength, he swung upward.
The mountain-sized beast was actually tossed into the sky like a piece of refuse.
Xu Xian exerted force through his feet.
With a light leap, he reached a height of several hundred meters.
He stomped down.
His foot landed exactly on the opponent's face.
Boom!
Crash!
The massive commotion startled the birds within the surrounding hundred miles, causing them to flee the forest in a chaotic, chirping flurry...
As for the villagers of Luoxia Village, their jaws had long since dropped, their minds going completely blank.
Especially when the dust settled and they saw from afar the small figure of the youth standing on the head of the mountain-sized beast.
Their eyes went wide.
What is an immortal?
This is an immortal.
Truly terrifying.
The adults were too stunned to speak, but the children couldn't help but shout.
"So powerful!"
"So cool!"
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he had forced out the beast and beaten it into submission. His strength was frightening.
The one equally dazed was not just the villagers, but also the Pangolin beneath Xu Xian's foot.
It had been sleeping in its burrow, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth.
A sword had attacked it for no reason, piercing a large hole in its body. The pain was excruciating, so it had tried to flee, but the sword followed and stabbed it again.
Emerging from the ground, it saw a human.
In its fury, it had wanted to tear the opponent to shreds on the spot.
But that tiny human was actually a master. With a light toss, it had gone flying; with a heavy stomp, it was completely numb.
Lying on the ground now, the bitterness in its heart far outweighed the pain in its body.
Who had it offended?
It simply hadn't reached the fifth-grade sapient beast stage yet; otherwise, it would have surely cursed a few times...
Xu Xian withdrew his heavy sword and held it in his hand. Standing on the Pangolin's head, he pressed the sword's edge against the creature's eye and suddenly asked, "Do you want to live?"
The Pangolin, having lost all will to resist, nodded its head vigorously, not forgetting to let out a whimper.
With a flick of his hand, Xu Xian sent Wait back into his sleeve. He hopped down from the Pangolin's head, stood on the ground, and placed his hands behind his back.
The Pangolin scrambled up from the pit, shook its head, and then lowered its body in a submissive posture unique to beasts.
Xu Xian asked, "Do you know why I hit you?"
With tears in its eyes, the Pangolin shook its house-sized head.
Xu Xian said slowly, "Your nest cut off this spring, leaving this village with no water to use. Therefore, you are guilty."
The Pangolin was confused, feeling that it was incredibly unlucky.
Xu Xian continued, "I see that you are quite foolish and likely did it unintentionally, is that so?"
Even though it had been intentional, now that it had been beaten like this, it took the offered out and nodded frantically.
Xu Xian feigned difficulty and sighed.
"Very well, then I shall give you a chance to atone."
The Pangolin looked up with anticipation.
"The underground river beneath this spring has been completely destroyed by you. Asking you to restore it to its original state would be a bit too much, but the village cannot go a single day without water. Therefore, I punish you to carve through the mountains and rocks to lead the water from outside the mountains into the village. Do you have any objections?"
The Pangolin shook its head wildly, not forgetting to let out a low cry.
Xu Xian nodded slightly and praised, "Your attitude is quite good. Let's go."
He leapt onto the beast's back.
The Pangolin beast didn't dare to linger for a moment. With a few leaps, it reached the mountains beyond, and following Xu Xian's requirements, it began digging into the earth to divert the river water toward Luoxia Village...
The villagers were left stunned in place, unable to recover for a long time.
Each one of them was in a daze.
They looked at one another, and in their shared gaze, only bewilderment remained!
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