"I don't know when you brought the tombstone back, but ever since it entered the village, your generations have been cursed. This is not the power of gods. It is the colorless and odorless gas emitted from the tombstone that causes you a series of pains!"
After a pause, Yang Tian continued, "But now, I can help you unveil this tombstone and restore you to normalcy!"
All the villagers were frozen.
Yet, some villagers stubbornly said, "The tombstone was left to us by the Divine Spirit, we cannot unveil it. Once we do, we will die!"
"If you don't unveil it, you might be tormented for a lifetime!"
Wang Ying said coldly.
Hearing Wang Ying's words, the villagers fell silent.
The village chief glanced at Yang Tian and, for some reason, began to believe him.
After all, just now, Yang Tian alone had resisted the entire village.
Even the Divine Mirror in the village chief's hand was blocked and swiftly shattered by Yang Tian.
This sheer power made the village chief believe Yang Tian: "We now suffer from headaches, palpitations, and a pressing gas in our abdomen. Every night, we have to perform rituals to sustain our lives. If you now unveil the tombstone and our condition improves, then you are right!"
"Alright, I will now unveil the tombstone, and you can see if you recover."
Yang Tian said calmly.
"Father, never! Once the tombstone is unveiled, the Divine Spirit will punish us!"
A young man said anxiously.
It was the village chief's son, Celestial Master Liao.
"It's been hundreds of years; we've been here generation after generation, living neither as humans nor ghosts. Such a Divine Spirit can invoke fear, but we cannot give up the chance to eliminate it!"
The village chief said in a deep voice.
Hearing this, all the villagers were moved.
For these hundreds of years, they have endured unbearable pain daily, only finding some relief by tapping their wrists with a wooden fish at night, like a devout dog walking on its knees. They have had no interests, no goals, and even no normal sexual life.
It's time to defy the Divine Spirit.
"This young man can begin now..."
The village chief said to Yang Tian.
"Alright!"
Immediately, everyone went to the grass hall behind the village.
The sky had yet to brighten, and at a glance, everyone saw the tombstone burning red.
"You all take a step back."
Yang Tian said and walked up, drew out the Holy Sword, and struck it fiercely.
Bang!
With that strike, the Holy Sword in Yang Tian's hand split the tombstone into two halves.
Instantly, the originally emitted gases from the tombstone stopped abruptly, and the surrounding villagers let out a sound of surprise.
"I think I'm better!"
A villager's face became rosy, and he waved his hands continuously.
Other villagers also exclaimed in astonishment.
"I think my headache is gone, and my face isn't so pale anymore."
"I feel instantly filled with strength!"
"My pain is gone too..."
One by one, the villagers said excitedly.
Upon hearing this, the village chief suddenly fell to his knees with a loud bang before Yang Tian, his face excited as he said, "Young man, thank you, you are like a god!"
"Village chief, please get up quickly!"
Yang Tian said hurriedly.
He wanted to help the village chief up, but the chief was determined not to rise.
Instead, the chief kept saying, "Young man, you truly are like a god!"
The other villagers were immersed in joy, and seeing the chief kneel, followed him to kneel before Yang Tian.
"All of you, please get up..."
Yang Tian said quickly.
But Wang Ying shot a glance at Yang Tian and whispered, "Lecher, they admire you, just let them kneel!"
"Haha..."
Wang Yue was no longer afraid and cheered when she heard Wang Ying's words.
Yang Tian chuckled but still helped the village chief up.
After being helped by Yang Tian, the village chief kept saying, "Young man, not only must I thank you, but I must also admire you. Do you know? For fifty years, I have wanted to smash this tombstone every few years!"
"What?"
Everyone was extremely surprised to hear the chief's words.
The village chief's son said anxiously, "Father, what are you saying? You've always wanted to smash the tombstone?"
"That's right! Although this tombstone was given to us by the Divine Spirit, I suspect it has made us suffer worse than death for generations, so I wanted to destroy it. But I tried every method and couldn't succeed, and this young man shattered it in one blow, that's what excites me!"
The chief said excitedly.
Hearing the chief's words, Yang Tian said calmly, "Do you believe what I said now?"
The villagers looked at themselves, then glanced at the fellow villagers, confirmed everyone was back to normal, and nodded heavily: "Young man, it's our fault for doubting you. We never thought the thing that harmed us was a tombstone we worshiped!"
"From now on, you can live like normal people!"
Yang Tian said.
"Living like normal people?"
The people exchanged glances, becoming excited.
That night, the village transformed from its previous gloom to joyfulness, and the villagers, no longer lifeless, were full of energy.
They held a grand banquet for Yang Tian and others.
The next morning, Yang Tian found the village chief: "Village chief, to tell you the truth, we're here to find the Dark Land."
"Dark Land?"
The village chief stood there stiffly.
"That's right, the Dark Land."