The team successfully arrived at the village.

The village was not small, but the houses were extremely old, even exuding a kind of dying "dampness" aura.

— Low courtyard walls, walls covered with white moss, and not very bright lamps filled the snowy night with a sense of decay and dilapidation.

For a Cultivator like Li Ye, with keen Spiritual Sense, this place was akin to a demonic cave — he had never experienced such a feeling even at his lowest point.

The pervasive aura interwoven by various Cultivators and Demonic Qi was probing to erode his pure Magic Body, nurtured by Sun and Moon Essence and pure Spiritual Rhythm.

In theory, he should use some Magic, or simply grasp the fragment of the Earth Book, thus isolating the filthy Demonic Qi here.

But he did not do so.

Without the support of power, the myriad changes of Magic left him only to use his body to perceive the changes around him.

Only by stepping into this quagmire oneself.

Can one personally experience the profound suffering of this almost demonized land.

He is a Cultivator.

Eliminating demons and defending the path is the ancestral mandate of the Four Seasons Sect.

This land has provided the sect with countless units of winter Seasonal Power, and he has the responsibility to save it.

At the very least.

He cannot let it truly fall into the Demon Path.

He jumped off the bear's shoulders and lightly stepped onto the hard-frozen ground from endless winter; as he stood on the earth, the Earth Qi surged toward him.

The piercing cold Qi flowed into the soles of his feet, with a life of its own, attempting to penetrate his meridians and Dantian.

But it was all slowly resolved and purified by his Cultivation Technique.

At this moment.

Their arrival had already caught the villagers' attention, with Cultivators coming over first to greet Li Ye.

Then came the children and the mundane mortals without Cultivation.

To these people, Li Ye's expression remained gentle as always; he first answered some Cultivators' questions, then turned his gaze to the neatly dressed children.

A Spiritual Light flickered in his eyes.

Perhaps his scrutinizing gaze was too obvious, causing some unease among the surrounding Cultivators and mortals — could it be that this Immortal required a blood sacrifice of children?

If it's truly needed...

The village head, Fu You, clenched his teeth; if a blood sacrifice was really necessary, he'd have to send his younger siblings, even though it meant sacrificing his own family.

"Immortal..." He opened his mouth to say something.

When he saw Li Ye suddenly reach out and gently rub a young boy's cheek, this Immortal, seemingly bathed in bright light, softly asked:

"What do you feel about it…?"

The child stared blankly at the flame dancing in Li Ye's palm.

The phoenix fire burned lightly, brilliant and bright, like a beating heart, untainted in Li Ye's white palm.

The child's clear eyes reflected the firelight.

His voice was like a murmur:

"I..."

"I seem to see a bird."

"A very beautiful bird..."

Oh?

He really can sense it.

This child probably does have the bloodline of a phoenix.

Then it is worth a try.

Upon hearing this, Li Ye gently patted his head, then directly asked: "Would you like to learn something from me?"

The young boy hadn't yet reacted.

The surrounding Cultivators and mortals were already in an uproar.

Learning from an Immortal?

This boy, this daft little Iron Bull, how could he have such luck!

Their eyes were filled with obvious envy, yet no one dared to voice it, knowing such an opportunity cannot be forced.

However, Iron Bull's parents, feeling no such qualms, worriedly urged, "Iron Bull, Niu! Quickly accept it!"

Hearing his parents' urging, Iron Bull snapped back to reality.

Though he was only ten, he was already quite clever, merely caught off guard by the Immortal's presence; realizing this golden opportunity, he immediately knelt and kowtowed.

"I am willing!"

Iron Bull prostrated on the cold ground, his hands numb with cold, yet with fiery excitement and joy in his heart — this was an Immortal, willing to teach him something!

"Stand up." Li Ye used a bit of mana to lift the boy; he had no intention of taking a disciple, as becoming his disciple wasn't something just anyone could achieve.

He only needed this boy to sense the phoenix fire.

If he guessed correctly, there are likely phoenix remains beneath this village, a perfectly pure phoenix striving to save itself.

But unfortunately, as they age, people gradually get tainted by omnipresent Demonic Qi, losing the chance to receive the phoenix's blessing.

Only children still have a touch of Innate Spiritual Light from birth, untainted, making them able to see the Undying White Wraith born from the phoenix's remains.

Because the power of the Undying White Wraith and the phoenix have the same origin.

To resolve the problem here, Li Ye needed children to aid in at least invoking the remaining phoenix power to slowly purify the surrounding areas.

It's akin to Yin and Yang, a balance; if the White Wraith's power truly suppressed the phoenix, the world would truly fall into the Demon Path.

It would be beyond saving.

"Later, just do as I instruct." Li Ye extended a finger, dipping it in phoenix fire, beginning to mark the boy's forehead.

His actions were slow.

Almost each stroke was painstaking.

The Earth Book he kept close flickered lightly, channeling muddied Spiritual Qi into his meridians, alleviating some pressure.

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