榆神泪 第一章

“Zila—zila—“ The piercing sound of metal friction, like the shriek of a malicious ghost, shattered the heavy and sweltering afternoon of Annan County. That was not the sound of sawing wood at all; it sounded almost like sawing through human bone, making one's skin crawl.

“Stop! Stop now! It's alive, it can feel pain!” Thirteen-year-old Li Xian wailed loudly, trying desperately to break through the wall of people, but he was held fast by a pair of strong, rough hands.

The man holding him was his Third Uncle. Although Third Uncle felt pained, he still held him tightly and growled in a low voice: “Xiao Xian, are you crazy? That is a tree demon identified by the Taoist! This year's drought is because it sucked up all the moisture. If we don't kill it, the whole village will die of thirst!”

Li Xian retorted angrily: “Nonsense! When there was no food, it was the big tree that saved everyone's lives! If it were a demon, it would have eaten you all long ago!“ Li Xian's shouting made the surrounding villagers feel some shame, but in the face of survival pressure and fear of authority, everyone chose to remain silent.

In the center of the crowd, the century-old elm tree that had protected the village was surrounded by soldiers. The iron saw had already cut into the trunk; strangely, what flowed from the wound was not sap, but red, thick blood. The villagers screamed in terror and retreated one after another.

The soldiers were also pale with fear. Just then, an old Taoist in brown robes flew into mid-air. He looked down coldly at the tree, a trace of greed hidden in his eyes: “Today is the 'Heaven's Ban Day,' when demons are at their weakest. Why haven't you started yet? If we miss the timing, none of us will survive!”

Fear turned into madness, and the soldiers pulled the saws desperately. Li Xian, in tears, stared fixedly at the Taoist, engraving that face into his heart. Half an hour later, the tree fell. Thunder rumbled across the sky without warning, dark clouds rolled in, and a gale instantly began to blow.

The old Taoist gave a cold laugh, and the tool in his hand instantly transformed into a sharp long sword. A powerful burst of sword energy sliced right through the trunk. Then, he quickly plucked a glowing green pearl from the heart of the tree, tucked it into his sleeve, and a satisfied smile finally appeared on his face.