Song Yin originally found it very strange.
From his perspective, the water in this lake is somewhere between a den of ghosts and demons. It has the aura of both, but neither the demonic nor the ghostly component has reached a critical point. Although there is resentment, that resentment is not generated by the lake itself, but is forcibly added by something, which looks very strange.
But no matter what, the lake water must have changed.
"Protect?"
A pale and skinny man stood out from the crowd, his eyes bloodshot, and yelled, "How can it be protected?! My mother, my wife, my children! They all fell into the lake, how can it be protected!"
"We are just waiting for the lake to call us and then die! If it is really for protection, why don't you let us go! It is obviously water that harms people, it is something that harms people!"
"Fuck you, how can you talk to my senior brother like that!"
Wang Qi was breathing heavily and glaring at the man.
"What? Can you still kill me?! I can't die, and neither can you now! In the end, we'll all be the same!" The man said without fear.
Wang Qi was about to step forward with his eyes wide open and fists clenched, but Song Yin shook his head and waved his hand, stopping Wang Qi.
"You were meant to die."
Song Yin said in a deep voice: "It's just lake water, not a person. Rather than protecting you, it's better to say that it's protecting itself. You are just a part of it. For it, recycling the lives here and ensuring its own survival is the most important thing."
"The grass, the trees, the creatures on the land, the life of the land, anything that depends on it, will be 'protected' by it and finally collected into the water, because the lake itself wants to survive, and in order to fight against the seeds that can take away life, it will only act according to its instinct."
"So, are we hopeless?" asked the village chief.
Song Yin raised his hand, and a ball of white fire appeared in his hand. At the same time, a wisp of yellow wind appeared from his sleeve.
"I have two methods. One is the Great Dao Fire, which can restrain all methods. The other is the Yellow Wind, which can destroy life and also grow bones and flesh. But it is useless to you."
"If I could have saved you at the beginning, several years have passed. You have been waiting for several years without food or water. If you were a Qi Refiner, I could still help you. But you are just mortals. Once I start refining, your life will be accelerated and you will skip three years. Your body cannot bear the demands of three years and you will die immediately."
The village chief stared blankly at the direction of the lake, muttering: "It's just because I planted the seeds."
"Yes, that's why. Sorry, our Golden Immortal Sect's purpose is to save the world and save people, but now I can't save you either."
Anger appeared in Song Yin's eyes, and the flame in his hand suddenly increased by three points, "But I will not let that evil path go!"
"Then let us stay here." The village chief sighed and said, "Great Immortal, don't worry about us anymore. Take Doctor Lingdang away."
Song Yin was silent at this time, standing there without saying a word for a long time.
Wang Qizhen thought that his senior brother was unwilling to bear it, so he advised: "Senior brother, then take Lingling away. How can you control her if you can't control her?"
Zhang Feixuan, who was standing behind him, was staring blankly. Suddenly, he thought of something and walked over to him and said, "Brother, do you want the lake water?"
"Um."
Song Yin closed his eyes and nodded, "Only by refining that lake can this land lose its protection, but once it is refined."
There is no need to explain what comes next, everyone understands it.
Without the lake water, these people’s lives would be wasted, and Song Yin would have no way to protect the people here.
The Great Dao Fire can refine everything, but it cannot fill a person’s stomach.
Although Huang Feng can grow bones and flesh, it cannot resist the erosion of time.
Because they are just mortals
"I'm sorry, I'm only at the Qi Refining Stage and don't have the ability to go against the flow of time." Song Yin said.
The village chief looked at the confused child that Song Yin was holding, shook his head, and said, "You don't have to blame yourself, Immortal. This matter has nothing to do with you. You are just a quick-witted person. At this time, it's okay even if you are just trying to trick us."
"As a member of the Golden Immortal Sect, I will not deceive others. I will not hide my purpose and actions!"
Song Yin said seriously: "My sister is also trapped here, but she can survive, so I want to save her. I also want to save you, but I really have no way."
"clear."
The village chief nodded and said, "So this time, we will definitely die, right?"
"Yes, no matter how you try to stop me, I will definitely save people. If you delay any longer, I won't be able to save even my junior sister." Song Yin said.
The village chief looked at the villagers and asked, "What do you think?"
"I've lived enough anyway!"
The pale and thin man looked at Song Yin and said, "You said you want to kill the evildoer who gave us the seeds?"
“Must kill!”
"Okay, I'll trust you this time. If you don't kill him, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!" the man said gritting his teeth.
"Fuck you."
Wang Qi was about to curse at him, but when he looked into the man's eyes, he suddenly couldn't speak.
"I'm going to die. Never mind. It's almost time. My husband, my mother, and my children are all gone. It's my turn now."
"It's almost time. I also feel that I will be summoned soon. After all, I have held on for so long. I will die sooner or later. I might as well buy another life."
"Do I have any incense? Can you burn paper for me when I die?"
A group of people were talking at once, but the core idea was very clear.
They are willing to die!
"This great immortal."
The village chief bowed and said, "After we die, can we erect a monument here to tell all this and let people know our past so that others don't end up in the same situation. Of course, it would be best if we could have a cenotaph, but I won't force you to worship us during festivals or anything like that."
Song Yin opened his eyes, looked at the group of people whose faces were beginning to calm down, and slowly said, "Yes."
"Thank you, Immortal."
The village chief bowed first, and the rest of the people bowed together.
"We were born and raised here. This lake has been very kind to us. So, let's give our bodies to the lake."
The village chief, leaning on his crutches, tried to take the lifeless child from Song Yin's hands, but when he pulled, he couldn't move.
"Master, please let go. This child is going to die anyway." said the village chief.
Song Yin clenched his other hand into a fist, with veins brimming all over the back of his hand. His face looked extremely solemn, but in the end, he let go of his hand.
The village chief took his hand and led everyone towards the lake.
Song Yin just followed them, step by step, and watched them come to the lake.
The lake is calm, with jagged waves that shimmer in the sun. If it weren't for the drought around it, it would look like just an ordinary lake.
This group of people walked into the lake one by one, first submerging their feet, then their calves, and then their thighs.
At this time, some people's shoulders relaxed and they sobbed softly.
After all, it is death.
Not everyone can face death calmly.
The village chief turned around and bowed to Song Yin again: "Great Immortal, please don't forget our agreement."
Song Yin closed his eyes and shed tears.
Their bodies were half submerged in the lake, as if they had melted. Their clothes fell off and floated on the surface of the lake, but they had completely disappeared and merged into one with the lake water.
Song Yin stood there in a daze, not saying a word for a long time.
Zhang Feixuan and Wang Qi looked at each other, with no sadness or joy in their eyes.
That's the way the world is.
I have seen too many mortal deaths.
There is nothing tragic about dying in this way.
Gao Sishu, on the other hand, was staring at Song Yin blankly, his eyes full of fluctuations.
Why shed tears for the death of a mortal
Back then, most of it was taken for granted.
"Brother?"
Seeing Song Yin standing there motionless, Zhang Feixuan said cautiously, "It's time to do something."
Song Yin opened his eyes, looked at the lake, and took a deep breath.
"We have a long way to go!"