Their destination was Huangyun Town, located about fifty or sixty kilometers away from the village, which required crossing several mountains.
The path to the town was already deeply familiar to Ye Hun and Ye Feng. Every month, the village organized a trip to the market town to sell the pelts and bones of the demonic beasts hunted over the past month in exchange for essential daily supplies. On these trips, they also brought along a few of the village's children to broaden their horizons and get used to the mountain trails, since the village would sooner or later be handed down to them.
Having made the journey many times, Ye Hun and Ye Feng knew the mountain paths quite well. The two of them walked at a steady, unhurried pace along the familiar route, and at their current speed, they would likely arrive before nightfall.
"Hey!"
"Ye Hun, did the Old Village Chief tell you what you're supposed to pick up?" Ye Feng asked curiously, staring at the bundle.
"No, just as I was about to start my morning practice, Grandpa gave me this bundle and told me to pick up something at the money shop."
"He also warned me not to come back too late and to stay the night there." Ye Hun thought for a moment and explained to Ye Feng.
"So that's how it is!" Ye Feng walked along in a swaggering manner, with his hands locked behind his head and a blade of wild grass dangling from his mouth.
Meanwhile, Ye Hun was carefully observing everything around them. Although they had walked this mountain trail many times, he remained very vigilant just in case. Fortunately, after walking for quite a while and only running into a few people from neighboring villages, they had not encountered any danger.
A few hours later, they had already crossed two mountains, with only one left before reaching their destination. Chatting and laughing all the way, they no longer worried about any danger.
Along the way, looking at the towering, precipitous mountains, Ye Feng poured his heart out to Ye Hun. He declared that sooner or later he would walk out of these encircling mountains to head into the real world—to seek adventure, make a name for himself, and find like-minded companions to write his own legend. He was unwilling to spend his whole life cooped up in this small mountain village, and he had long yearned for the power to ride swords through the air, slay demons and vanquish devils, and overturn rivers and seas with a mere wave of his hand. None of this could ever be achieved in this little mountain village; life here was far too bland, and doing the exact same thing every day was simply too boring.
As Ye Feng spoke, his eyes shone brightly, filled with longing for everything he described. He turned to look at Ye Hun and asked, "What do you say, Ye Hun? Do you want to come with me and explore this vast world?"
"Together, we can surely carve out our own domain!"
Ye Hun smiled and asked, "What about your parents? What will they do? If they can't see you for so long, won't they miss you?"
Ye Feng gave a chuckle. "My dad always says that a true man should stand tall and proud, and he must surely loathe this kind of nagging sentimentality. Besides, once we make a name for ourselves out there, we can bring them over too, and we'll never have to return to this little mountain village, nor go hunting and do such dangerous work every single week. By then, I'll find a fairy maiden and give them a grandson, and they can just spend every day enjoying the blessings their son brings them."
The more Ye Feng talked, the more excited he became, as if he were about to drag Ye Hun off on an adventure the very next moment. Finally, he asked expectantly, "Well, Ye Hun, will you come with me when the time comes?"
"I'm afraid I can't. My grandfather is getting old, and I still need to take care of him," Ye Hun said apologetically.
"True, you still have the Old Village Chief to look after. But it's fine, I can go alone, and once I become powerful, I'll come straight back and bring you over with me," Ye Feng said magnanimously, patting Ye Hun on the shoulder.
Talking and walking, they finally reached the summit of the final mountain. Standing atop the towering peak and looking down, they could faintly make out the silhouette of the market town.
Just then, the previously clear sky suddenly filled with dark clouds and darkened instantly. Accompanied by flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder, the sudden change felt like the end of the world.
"What is going on?!" the two of them cried out in alarm.
Before the horrified gazes of Ye Feng and Ye Hun, dozens of shooting stars suddenly streaked across the sky, flashing past behind them. Faint human figures could be seen flickering within the rays of light, moving at a speed that their eyes could barely keep up with.
That wasn't all. Following the trail of light, a mass of black mist as dark as ink drifted slowly by. Wherever it passed, an icy, bone-chilling cold took hold; though it looked slow, it was only a fraction slower than the stellar lights!
Afterward, within the lightning-churned dark clouds, some creature seemed to be frolicking about. Its massive form was comparable to a high mountain, and upon the giant beast, several tiny black dots could faintly be seen standing—though what they were remained a mystery.
These successive sights thoroughly battered the minds of the two youths. They stood frozen in place, and Ye Feng was even trembling all over.
This was still not the end. Before the two of them could recover from their shock, the sky suddenly grew brilliantly bright, and a dazzling sunlight shone down upon them. Yet right now, they could not feel a shred of warmth.
The dark clouds had not dissipated; rather, they had been rammed apart by a "great ship." A massive vessel was suspended in mid-air out of nowhere, its left and right sides fitted with two enormous wings that flapped slightly. With a gentle sway, it could travel several miles in an instant, quickly vanishing from their sight.
After a long, long time, the two slowly recovered, staring at each other in utter stupefaction. Positioned atop the mountain peak, that sense of shock was particularly intense; they could not believe their eyes, as the scene they had just witnessed had completely shattered their understanding accumulated over more than a decade.
"Were those... people?" Ye Feng stammered, his clothes already soaked in sweat. To say he wasn't terrified would be a lie. With such terrifying spectacles happening right above their heads at such close range, how could he possibly remain calm?
"Were all those indistinct shapes human figures?"
"Just how powerful must one be to create the kind of spectacle we just saw?" Ye Hun was equally shaken. Though he often heard his grandfather talk about powerful cultivators, hearing about them and seeing them with one's own eyes were entirely different things. Only by witnessing it firsthand could one truly understand that feeling!
With a dull thud, the two collapsed onto the ground, only then beginning to gasp for heavy breaths.
After a long while, they exchanged glances and burst into hearty laughter. So this was the outside world—far more magnificent than they had ever imagined.
A moment later, the two finally calmed their racing hearts, stood up, dusted off the dirt, and headed down the mountain toward Huangyun Town.
Along the way, the two walked in complete silence, clearly still unable to fully digest what they had just witnessed. Far from finding his own confident boasts ridiculous, Ye Feng felt them reinforce his determination to venture out into the world. He wanted to be the one up in the sky creating those earth-shaking marvels, not the one trembling in terror atop the mountain peak.
Soon, the two arrived in Huangyun Town, the market town closest to Ye Family Village.
The town was far more populated than Ye Family Village. Both sides of the street were lined with various small shops, and an endless stream of people—all sorts of different folks—passed back and forth.
At this moment, the street was unusually quiet, lacking its usual bustle. Without needing to ask, it was obvious that the townspeople had certainly witnessed what had just happened as well. The shock to their souls was no less than that experienced by Ye Hun and Ye Feng. Some elderly men were even continuously bowing toward the sky, chanting under their breath that the immortals had manifested their presence.
Wasting no time, Ye Hun and Ye Feng headed straight toward the center of Huangyun Town, where the money shop was located. Cutting through the dense crowd, they didn't linger to look at the various rare curios being hawked around them.
Before long, they reached the very center. The money shop was a massive multi-story pavilion, crowned with a plaque bearing the characters for "Money Shop."
Just as the two were about to step inside, a shop assistant at the entrance walked over and said politely, "I'm sorry, you two, the money shop is closed for the day. If you have any business, please come back tomorrow!"
"Ah?!"
"We're so unlucky!"
The two cried out in dismay, and after exchanging a helpless glance, they had no choice but to turn back.