"A village?"
Upon hearing Dong Gua's words, Ye Ling snapped back to attention. He looked in the direction Dong Gua was pointing and saw thick smoke billowing from the dense forest, with the faint sounds of shouting and killing.
The bandits were slaughtering the village!
Dong Gua exclaimed in shock, "That's my village! My village is being massacred by the Demonic Palace!"
Before her words even finished, Dong Gua charged towards the village!
The World-Destroying Spirit Fire remarked, "It seems time in the Eastern Profound Continent was frozen the moment that girl was teleported into the black hole. The current state of the Eastern Profound Continent is no mere coincidence!"
"Someone is manipulating all of this from the shadows!"
Ye Ling nodded in agreement, "Indeed. It appears highly likely that Dong Gua is the reincarnation of the Eastern Profound Heavenly Dao. Before we officially begin our investigation, we must first save the village to prevent Dong Gua from going berserk."
The Eastern Profound Continent had not yet completely withered. Ye Ling could still utilize the Great Dao of Reincarnation here.
Before the Eastern Profound Continent perished entirely, Ye Ling could resurrect all the deceased. Saving a village was not a difficult task for Ye Ling.
With that, Ye Ling teleported into the village.
At this moment, within Dong Gua's village.
A group of people wearing the uniforms of the Eastern Profound Demonic Palace were looting and massacring the village.
The village was engulfed in flames, with the bandits' shouts of slaughter and the cries of women and children filling the air. It was no exaggeration to call it a living hell.
In a world of the survival of the fittest, especially during a chaotic era, all beings without power would suffer immensely.
This village was merely a microcosm of the current Eastern Profound Continent.
Misfortune was occurring everywhere.
A bandit leader, clad in the uniform of a Demonic Palace steward and with a face full of flesh, rode atop a white tiger, directing his subordinates in plundering the entire village.
All the villagers were, in his eyes, lambs awaiting slaughter.
"Big brother, this village is impoverished and has nothing. Why don't we just take some women back for ourselves and kill all the men!"
"Agreed!"
"Big brother, our brothers have found the village granary. Quickly send some men over to collect it!"
"Alright, Third and Fourth, you send men to search and seize!"
"Help! Please don't kill my son... Please... Ahhhhhhh!"
Under the command of the bandit leader and the chaos wrought by the bandits, the entire village was in extreme disarray, filled with an atmosphere of despair.
"You scoundrels, stop this instant!"
At this moment, Dong Gua's furious roar descended from the heavens. The bandit leader, mounted on the white tiger, looked up and saw an enraged Dong Gua charging towards him.
The bandit leader, who had been laughing heartily, was instantly terrified by Dong Gua's approach and fell from the white tiger's back, exclaiming, "Who, who is this powerful expert?"
This bandit leader was merely at the Heavenly Palace realm. While he was a minor renowned expert in this northwestern frontier, in front of Dong Gua, who could barely exchange a single move with Ye Ling, he was no different from an ant!
With almost no resistance, the bandit leader was crushed into a pulp by Dong Gua's palm!
"Big brother!!!"
The other bandits, seeing their leader suddenly killed by a powerful expert who descended from the sky, all cried out in alarm, their faces turning deathly pale.
Dong Gua, however, had no intention of sparing any of the bandits who had plundered the village. She immediately unleashed her spiritual energy!
"You all shall die!"
A scream emanated from Dong Gua's mouth, and in an instant, all the bandits in the village exploded into bloody mist!
Ye Ling arrived belatedly. He quickly scanned the devastated village with his divine sense and couldn't help but sigh, "That girl is truly ruthless... She didn't leave any residue of those bandits, which adds a bit of difficulty to my investigation."
Dong Gua, however, paid no mind to this. After killing the bandits, she ran directly towards her home.
The World-Destroying Spirit Fire looked at Dong Gua, who had disappeared into the depths of the village, and chuckled to Ye Ling, "If that girl sees the tragic state of her family, she might blame you for all this sin. Aren't you worried?"
Ye Ling walked up to the bandit leader, who had been turned into a meat patty by Dong Gua's palm, and said calmly, "It wasn't done by my Demonic Palace. What do I have to worry about?"
As he spoke, Ye Ling activated the Great Dao of Reincarnation and resurrected the bandit leader who had been turned into a meat patty.
The bandit leader was still immersed in the terror of Dong Gua's formidable power and was filled with fear, not yet realizing he had been resurrected by Ye Ling.
"Wake up." Ye Ling casually drew a pool of water from a nearby well and splashed it forcefully onto the bandit leader's face, bringing him to his senses.
After regaining consciousness, the bandit leader didn't even dare to look at Ye Ling's face and immediately kowtowed, begging for mercy, "My lord, spare me! This humble one will never dare again!"
This sudden appearance of a powerful expert had completely terrified the bandit leader!
Ye Ling said calmly, "Who told you to impersonate Demonic Palace disciples? Where did you get those Demonic Palace uniforms?"
Although Ye Ling could tell at a glance that these bandits were not from the Eastern Profound Demonic Palace, their uniforms were indeed from the Demonic Palace, bearing a watermark personally designed by Ye Ling.
Those clothes could only be made by the tailors of the Eastern Profound Demonic Palace. Other sacred land powers could not easily replicate them, let alone these bandits from the northwestern frontier.
These third-rate bandits were absolutely incapable of making them!
The bandit leader, his mind filled with fear, quickly replied, "We merely wanted to rely on the prestige of the Demonic Palace to rob some goods. As for those clothes, we bought them from the black market in Qingshi City! I beg the senior to spare me!"
"Bought from the black market?" Ye Ling frowned, "The black market can still buy such things now?"
The bandit leader dared not think further and continued, "Senior should also know that the Demonic Palace is actively expanding outwards and conquering the thirteen states of the Eastern Profound. Countless disciples have died in the palace. With so many deaths... these clothes naturally leaked out."
Ye Ling's brow furrowed, "Is the Demonic Palace truly expanding?"
The bandit leader continued to beg for mercy, "Senior! The Heavenly Dao has fallen, and spiritual energy is scarce. Battles are being fought everywhere for resources! We humble ones only wish to find a meal in this chaotic world. Robbing the village was merely out of necessity for survival. I beg the senior to spare this humble one!"
Hearing the bandit's words, Ye Ling's eyes showed no sympathy. He said calmly, "Impersonating Demonic Palace disciples to commit evil, regardless of whether it's a chaotic era, is unforgivable. You should pay the price for your crimes."
After obtaining the information he wanted, Ye Ling had no intention of letting go of the bandit leader he had resurrected. He raised his hand again and completely erased the bandit leader into ashes.
For a moment, the sounds of slaughter in the village ceased, leaving only the villagers' sobs.
Although the bandits were eliminated, the damage inflicted upon the village remained.
At this moment, the World-Destroying Spirit Fire said again, "Kid, if you keep dawdling here, Dong Gua will truly go berserk."
"Ahhhhhhh! Demonic Palace! I will not rest until I am avenged!"
As soon as the World-Destroying Spirit Fire finished speaking, Dong Gua's scream echoed from not far away, shaking the entire mountain forest and startling countless birds.
It was clear that Dong Gua had witnessed the tragic deaths of her relatives with her own eyes.
The World-Destroying Spirit Fire chuckled, "That girl has indeed gone berserk. You're in for it, kid!"
Ye Ling sighed heavily and said with a hint of annoyance, "Instead of standing here and making sarcastic remarks, you might as well help me collect information about the Eastern Profound Continent. I need to grasp the overall situation as soon as possible."
With that, Ye Ling summoned the Great Dao of Reincarnation once more, covering the entire village.
Under the radiance of the Great Dao of Reincarnation, the villagers who had been massacred by the bandits were resurrected at a visible speed.
Dong Gua, who had been weeping over the loss of her loved ones, suddenly fell silent. She stared blankly at her deceased relatives being resurrected before her, her face filled with disbelief.
After reviving the entire village, Ye Ling did not rush to find the stunned Dong Gua. Instead, he closed his eyes to search for the Heavenly Dao power of the Eastern Profound Continent.
The Eastern Profound Heavenly Dao had already perished. Ye Ling's immediate priority was to replace the Heavenly Dao consciousness and obtain the Heavenly Dao authority of the Eastern Profound Continent to prevent its demise.
Otherwise, the entire Eastern Profound Continent might wither away before Ye Ling could uncover the truth.
However, just as Ye Ling was about to search for the Heavenly Dao power, several figures in black suddenly appeared above the village, encircling it.
"Found Ye Ling and the reincarnation of the Heavenly Dao. Kill them!"