The Primordial World, by the shores of the Eastern Sea.
Since the Great Calamity of the Demon Clan's slaughter, countless humans perished. Only a small number of humans escaped to the shores of the Eastern Sea.
The humans by the Eastern Sea were protected by a Saint, so the Demon Clan dared not set foot. The humans managed to survive.
Beneath a chain of mountains by the Eastern Sea, there was a small tribe of several thousand humans.
Within the tribe, there were many houses built with wood and stone. Many new-generation humans played and laughed, and many humans wearing beast-skin clothes were busy.
In the central part of the tribe, there was a small square paved with crushed stones. An old man with deep eyes and a melancholic heart looked at the group of ragged, gaunt, sallow-faced humans around him and sighed: "Alas... rest assured, we are all humans. Of course, we must help each other."
"Re-really?" The hoarse words were spoken from a throat that had not had water for a long time. The sound was so bitter.
The old man nodded, his eyes flickering with sadness as if thinking of something: "No matter what you have suffered, since you have come to our tribe, the leader of our Sky Walk Tribe will surely accept you. From now on, you will live peacefully in the tribe."
"Thank you, Elder Ye. We, we... sob..." Weeping echoed, infecting everyone, causing them to cry.
Elder Ye remained silent. He understood their grief. The Demon Clan's slaughter of humans had not been long ago, the tragic plight of humans was still vivid in their minds, causing pain.
Among that grief, there was one exception. It was a woman who came with the ragged humans. Although her face was pale and she seemed weak, her beast-skin clothes were a little old, yet her bearing was superb, she was beautiful and charming, her eyebrows carrying a hint of coldness. Compared to the bony humans, she was simply different.
Her brows furrowed: "Elder Ye, we are truly grateful that the leader is willing to accept us. May I ask where the leader is? We would like to thank him personally!"
"Young lady, there's no need to be so polite. Accepting suffering people is a rule set by our leader. The leader is out hunting now. When he returns, he will surely come to see you." Elder Ye stroked his beard and smiled, reassuring the suffering humans who were like startled birds.
Before Elder Ye could continue to reassure them, the children playing in the tribe began to cheer.
"The leader is back with the hunting team's uncles! They brought back a lot of prey, we can eat meat again!"
"I saw the leader carrying a tiger that looked like a mountain. The leader is the strongest in the tribe."
...
Amidst the cheers, they saw a group of people walking into the tribe.
There weren't many of them, just a hundred or so. Each of them carried prey, and when they entered the tribe, they were greeted with cheers from everyone. Then, they happily received the prey.
The leader, who was carrying a tiger that looked like a mountain on his shoulder, casually threw it to the ground, causing a slight tremor. The villagers gasped, praising the leader's strength.
The leader of this tribe was named Xuan Xiao. Although he only appeared to be eighteen or nineteen years old, he was of noble bearing, with a strong physique that was extraordinary.
Xuan Xiao, who led the tribe's several thousand humans, laughed heartily: "My people, this hunting trip was plentiful. There's enough food. Let's have a bonfire feast tonight, everyone eat your fill!"
Cheers, excitement, and shouts spread through the tribe. Then the villagers got busy, dividing and storing the hunted prey, and preparing the food for the evening's feast.
Xuan Xiao wiped his sweat and drank the water handed to him by a child. Elder Ye also approached with a group of anxious suffering humans: "Thank you, leader, for bringing back abundant food for our tribe."
"Haha... Elder Ye, you are an elder of the tribe. There's no need to be so polite. Moreover, as the leader of the tribe, I naturally have to work hard for the tribe's survival." Xuan Xiao laughed heartily, his bearing was unrestrained and he refused to accept those words.
On the contrary, Xuan Xiao was grateful to the old man in front of him. When he first transmigrated to the Primordial World, he was at the tail end of the Demon Clan's slaughter of humans. Although it was the tail end, it was still extremely dangerous. If he hadn't been protected by the old man in front of him, he would have died on the road escaping the calamity.
Xuan Xiao was grateful in his heart, but he didn't show it much. Instead, he looked at the ragged, bony humans behind Elder Ye. Their fearful and numb gazes looked at Xuan Xiao cautiously, filled with longing and supplication.
Xuan Xiao was familiar with this kind of look. He guessed their origins in his heart and sighed slightly, but he still asked: "Elder Ye, they are all..."
"Alas... they are all humans who have just escaped from outside the shores of the Eastern Sea, seeking refuge on the Eastern Sea." Elder Ye spoke with undisguised anger.
Xuan Xiao also clenched his fists, his eyes crimson, hatred and anger surged within him, but he could do nothing: "Those hateful Demon Clan."
Xuan Xiao, who had transmigrated from another world, remembered all he had suffered. So, Xuan Xiao held an absolute hatred for the Demon Clan, but unfortunately, he didn't have the strength to avenge himself yet.
Suppressing his inner hatred, he let out a sigh and turned to the refugees with a warm smile: "The human race of the Primordial World are all one family! My people, rest assured, you are safe now that you are on the shores of the Eastern Sea. You will never be chased by the Demon Clan again, nor will you have a life of hardship and displacement. You will live peacefully in the tribe from now on..."
Perhaps it was Xuan Xiao's reassurance, or perhaps it was the peaceful life in the tribe that finally touched their hearts, causing them to become excited and to weep freely.
Xuan Xiao felt the same way, but he could only shake his head and sigh. But as his gaze swept over the crowd, he saw the girl who looked like a crane standing among a flock of chickens.
The girl was beautiful, even more beautiful than the women in the tribe. Her aura was like that of a fairy. Xuan Xiao was instantly captivated by her.
Xuan Xiao was slightly stunned. He leaned closer to Elder Ye: "Elder Ye, this girl is..."
"Leader, although this girl is extremely beautiful, she did come here with the suffering people." Elder Ye didn't hide it, but he also praised the girl's beauty.
Xuan Xiao nodded when he heard this and didn't say anything. But he couldn't help but admire the girl's beauty in his heart.
As if sensing Xuan Xiao's gaze, the girl also looked back. Her eyes were cold yet gentle, full of gratitude.
With gratitude, the girl walked closer to Xuan Xiao: "Yun Xiao thanks the leader for taking us in!"
"We're all family, there's no need to thank me! Wait, your name is Yun Xiao?" Xuan Xiao was startled. Before he could speak, his mind was racing.
The name Yun Xiao was not simple. The villagers didn't know, but Xuan Xiao, who had transmigrated from the future, naturally knew what the name Yun Xiao meant.
Yun Xiao, one of the Three Xiao. One of the outer disciples of the Intercession Sect. In the Battle of Gods, she transformed into the Nine-Bend Yellow River Array, directly suppressing the twelve Golden Immortals of the Enlightenment Sect.
Could this be the Yun Xiao in front of him?
Yun Xiao's hazy eyes, filled with confusion, blinked: "Leader, is there something wrong with my name?"
"No, nothing wrong. On the contrary, the name Yun Xiao is extremely beautiful. I am just curious, how did you get this name?" Xuan Xiao curiously asked back.
Xuan Xiao remembered that in the Primordial World, one's Daoist name couldn't be taken randomly. A cultivator's Daoist name was related to many aspects of the cultivator. So, in the Primordial World, there were rarely duplicate Daoist names.
So, was the Yun Xiao in front of him a coincidence, or was she some kind of Immortal of the Intercession Sect who had come to experience the world? Xuan Xiao needed to find out.
Yun Xiao smiled slightly, very dignified: "Leader, I am a descendant of the 'Yun Family,' naturally taking Yun as my surname. When I was born, nine heavens thunderbolts descended from the sky, killing many sinful demons. So my father, taking the meaning of 'Nine Heavens', named me Yun Xiao. Unfortunately, during the great calamity, my ancestors, my parents, and my clan all perished. Only I survived. Luckily, I entered the Eastern Sea."
Speaking of this, Yun Xiao couldn't help but feel sad, tears of grief flowing down her cheeks. Her red eyes expressed a deep longing.
Xuan Xiao could only reassure her, but his heart was touched. Elder Ye beside him, however, looked at Yun Xiao with respect: "I didn't expect that you, young lady, would be a descendant of the 'Yun Family' ancestors. When the Demon Clan invaded, the three ancestors, Sui Ren, Zi Yi, and You Chao, led countless human ancestors to resist the Demon Clan. Many ancestors also guarded our human race's escape."
"Among them, the 'Yun Family' ancestors and others died to resist the Demon Clan. Then it was the ancestors' relatives who stepped up, then their clan, their tribe... finally, they died fighting continuously to protect us humans, which is why some of us are still alive."
"These human ancestors, although they have passed on, their deeds in protecting our human race have been passed down through the generations. Even though the humans have been slaughtered by the Demon Clan for countless years, we humans have never forgotten the deeds of these ancestors."
"Yes, we humans have never forgotten!" Xuan Xiao sighed, feeling a mixture of emotions.
Although Xuan Xiao had transmigrated, he was also familiar with human history. Ever since Nüwa created humans, the human race had given birth to the three ancestors, Sui Ren, Zi Yi, and You Chao, who led humans to gradually develop and establish human civilization. As humans developed, many humans embarked on the path of cultivation.
Those who achieved cultivation were also given titles by the ancestor Sui Ren and the others, such as those who became ancestors, who led humans to disperse and develop, eventually transforming into human tribes and forming the earliest tribal system of humanity.
These ancestors, as they developed, also gave themselves Daoist names like the ancestor Sui Ren, such as the Yun Family, the Qing Ze Family, and so on.
Unfortunately, many ancestors perished during the great calamity of the Demon Clan's slaughter of humans.
In front of him, Yun Xiao claimed to be a descendant of the Yun Family ancestors. Her surname being 'Yun' and her name being 'Xiao', there was nothing strange about that.
However, humans had been suffering from the calamity for many years, and many of the ancestors' descendants and tribes had been slaughtered. Yet, he didn't expect that there were still descendants of the Yun Family ancestors alive.
Xuan Xiao was also filled with respect. He didn't dwell on the issue of the Daoist name, instead, he reassured Yun Xiao in front of him.
......................................................................