As he charged forward with the instinctive force of a wild beast, the old locust tree seemed to be unable to bear the weight.

Withered locust leaves fell one after another as he moved, branches broke one after another, and even cracks began to appear on the thick trunk.

"Stop struggling, it's over, Chen Hua!"

I took a breath and felt some strength returning to my body. I picked up the Yin-Breaking Nail, slowly stood up, and looked at him, saying...

Upon hearing my words, Chen Hua's feigned composure crumbled instantly.

His expression was incredibly ferocious, as if he wanted to devour me alive!

The tentacles on his face writhed constantly, making him look like a demon from hell.

"A mere brat and an old bastard, they dare to dream of ending me? They're dreaming!"

He cursed viciously.

Uncle Qi leaned against the broken wall, his breath barely a whisper.

He struggled to lift his eyelids and instructed me:

"Hurry, hurry up and make your move! Be careful, or a cornered beast might fight back!"

I nodded slightly, completely ignoring Chen Hua's blustering but cowardly threat.

Taking a deep breath of the air, which was filled with the stench of blood and stench, I strode resolutely toward the barrier.

At this moment, the Yin-breaking nail was emitting a warm white light and was even slightly hot.

"With your level of skill, you think you can kill me? You're just delusional!"

Chen Hua grinned maliciously, a sudden glint of ferocity flashing in his eyes.

He suddenly gathered all his strength, and countless roots twisted into a braid-like shape, slamming hard into the barrier.

The golden light trembled violently like ripples on water, making a sound like porcelain, and it almost broke open!

I was startled and knew I couldn't delay any longer. My eyes locked onto the trunk of the locust tree like lightning.

I poured all my remaining energy and spirit into the Yin-breaking nail, exerted force from my waist and legs, pulled my arms back like a fully drawn bow, and then swung them out violently!

This moment brought together all my strength and will.

"This damn nail can't kill me!"

Chen Hua continued to put up a stubborn resistance, but his voice revealed a hint of despair.

The piercing nail precisely penetrated the locust tree!

Although it's called a nail, it's actually not that sharp.

But when faced with this old locust tree, the drilling nail was like a hot knife meeting butter, easily drilling a hole in the hard locust tree.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Immediately, a golden-red light exploded like the rising sun!

The blinding light made everyone's eyes sting, and they instinctively closed them.

The locust tree withered and decayed at a visible speed, its bark cracking inch by inch, and the roots that were wrapped around the villagers snapped off, writhing on the ground like severed venomous snakes.

As the locust tree withered and decayed, Chen Hua didn't even get to utter his last words before turning into a handful of ashes.

Seeing this, I couldn't take it anymore. My head spun, and I collapsed to the ground.

I heard Li Huai and Luo Tianhe exclaim in my ears. I struggled to raise one hand and waved to them to indicate that I was alright.

They both breathed a sigh of relief.

This time, it took me a long time to get up.

I looked around, searching for Seventh Uncle's figure, and suddenly my pupils contracted.

At this moment, he was practically on his last breath.

Li Huai, Luo Tianhe, Lao Chen, and others surrounded him.

Old Chen, that tough and resolute man, was now crying his eyes out.

"Seventh Uncle..."

When Uncle Qi saw me get up, his gaze slowly swept over me, and he managed a weak smile.

"It's nothing. Actually, I should have died a long time ago. Living these extra years has been torture for me."

"Finally, thank you all. Especially you, Chen Yan!"

Before he finished speaking, his hand slowly fell to his sides, and he closed his eyes forever.

The face, etched with deep wrinkles, finally seemed to have shed all its burdens, and appeared exceptionally serene.

"Seventh Uncle!" Old Chen knelt on the ground and wept bitterly, his voice echoing among the ruins.

We stood silently before the old man's body, our hearts filled with mixed emotions.

To be honest, I used to really dislike Uncle Qi. He was always rambling on and on, and he never said anything more than what he meant.

But even after he died, I found myself feeling a pang of guilt.

In any case, he never harmed us; on the contrary, he saved us several times. If it weren't for him, we might have died long ago.

There were no relatives left. A few of us simply dug a hole for him, erected a grave, and did not hold a funeral.

Old Chen also became taciturn. He silently found the tools and fixed the car for us, then remained silent, like a wooden figure.

Over the years, everyone in the village has become like walking corpses, and the only person he can talk to is his seventh uncle.

But now that Uncle Qi is gone, it seems like he's all alone in the whole village.

I watched him hesitate, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't, and finally couldn't help but ask:

"Why don't you come with us? Haven't you always wanted to leave the village?"

Hearing my words, Old Chen's eyes focused. He glanced at me and smiled bitterly:

"I wanted to leave before because there were no people in the village, only ghosts. But now the village has returned to normal, so I'll stay here and retire."

Seeing him say that, I could only nod silently.

He still has feelings for the village.

Now that most of the villagers have suddenly died, the village is in a state of disarray and needs to be rebuilt. He will not leave the village at this time.

We still have things to do; at the very least, we need to rescue Old Knife.

After saying goodbye to him, Luo Tianhe started the car and drove us out of the mountains.

"Sigh, Uncle Qi has had it tough too."

While driving, Luo Tianhe suddenly blurted out this seemingly random statement.

Li Huai, sitting in the back seat, nodded and echoed:

"Who can argue with that? But when I first met him, I really didn't think he was a good person."

"Heh, you still think Wang Fugui is a good person?"

I said, pursing my lips.

"Wang Fugui was indeed a good person, but he was manipulated by Chen Hua later."

Li Huai thought for a moment and then retorted.

Hearing his words, I suddenly fell silent. Wang Fugui was indeed an honest and kind man, but later, he could be said to have died a gruesome death.

Li Huai also realized this and found that he had said the wrong thing, so he couldn't help but show a look of annoyance.

Luo Tianhe sighed.

"Don't blame yourselves. We can say that we saved the rest of the villagers. As for those who died, there was nothing we could do. That's fate."

I nodded, rolled down the car window, and lit a cigarette.

On the way back, we were both preoccupied and didn't chat much, just staring blankly into space.

It didn't feel like long before the rugged mountain road was suddenly replaced by a wide, smooth road, and we returned to the city.