### Chapter 5: Shaking the Small Thousand World (4) (Additional Update)
The chaos triggered by Sky Sword City had now spread across the entire Human Race continent.
Compared to the few million indigenous NPCs, many scattered in rural areas like little lost sheep, players who were used to flocking to cities were like a swarm of locusts, instantly filling up cities and towns of all sizes.
The major cities with Immortal Gates stationed were somewhat better off, as players dared not act too recklessly there.
Many of the small towns in between these major cities had no defense against the influx and division by players; once the few NPCs tasked with maintaining order were casually dispatched by high-level players, those small towns practically became players’ private playgrounds.
Since the Human Race continent lacked a unified government and was essentially a patchwork of autonomous regions governed by various Immortal Gates, NPCs found themselves utterly helpless in the face of this chaos, watching in despair as players overtook their towns to become the new landlords.
Lin Nan had repeatedly tried to establish contact with her male character, but to her surprise, during this closure of the Small Thousand World, even she couldn’t feel his presence—let alone those players still stuck in the place.
Even the forums were bereft of their tracks.
This meant that the situation in the Small Thousand World was similar to that in the East Sea; any player inside had been stripped of their system privileges. Initially, the only place for players to communicate had been the forum, but now it had all vanished.
Not just her male character, but also her comrades from the East Sea trip—Luo Ying, White Peach, and Fatty—were stuck there as well.
Out of concern, she simply couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
She had initially planned to bring along Shiyuan, but then remembered that Black Stone City was suppressing the last avatar of the Monster King. If this avatar allied with Black Stone City to oppose Cold Wind City, then with just the Great King of the Split Land and the Tiger Demon among the Great Demons, they likely wouldn’t stand a chance.
So sending two Shiyuans along was also a form of double insurance.
Before they parted ways, Lin Nan pestered the two Shiyuans, insisting they must obey the Tiger Demon’s orders; anyone who shows disrespect to him would essentially be disrespecting her, and when they returned, they would be subjected to her family rules.
The two boys touched their foreheads where the high-heeled shoe prints were and nodded in agreement, their hearts heavy.
With a nudge from Cold Moon, the Tiger Demon realized that this must be the Great King’s deliberate arrangement to give the two bodyguards a chance to earn their battle merits. So, he made sure they were well-fed and well-treated, waiting for the right moment to let them rake in some glory.
Seeing the two bumbling along obediently with the Tiger Demon to battle, Lin Nan finally felt a bit at ease.
Goodness, why does her mindset feel like she’s raising sons, especially the troublesome twin sons?
Thinking she’d be free from their antics and would feel exhilaratingly refreshed, soaring through the sky like a bird, she didn’t expect her brain to be bombarded with thoughts of those silly faces soon after.
No! From now on, absolutely no thinking about them!
With a major crisis looming in the Small Thousand World, she needed to check it out to get a grasp of the situation. During a critical time, she couldn’t afford to be troubled by personal feelings.
Pffft! What personal feelings anyway?!
With the Dark Feather Crane in tow, Lin Nan took off from the Chaos Forest, heading straight for Sky Sword City.
After leaving the Monster Race territory, the Human Race continent was surprisingly flat. From up high, she could see villages and farmlands scattered across the landscape; even in the face of impending winter, the square fields were still distinct and clear.
However, it didn’t take long before a billowing cloud of thick smoke near her route caught her attention.
What’s going on?
A fire?
Though she wasn’t the saintly type, ignoring a disaster wasn’t her style either.
No matter how big a fire, for her, just a snowfall would do to put it out—it was effortless, so why intentionally fly over it?
“Dark Feather Crane, let’s check that out over there.”
……
In Stone Treasure Town, about fifty kilometers from the edge of the Chaos Forest.
The nearby villagers primarily focused on farming, but in off-seasons, they would group together to hunt animals at the forest edge to supplement their income.
Stone Treasure Town wasn’t very big; one could stroll down the main street in just five minutes.
Usually, people enjoyed peace and tranquility; sometimes, they would even leave their doors open at night, truly embodying a place where no one picked pockets and doors weren’t locked.
But on this day, the NPC villagers were suddenly hit with a catastrophe.
A mob composed of hundreds, armed with sticks and makeshift weapons, charged into Stone Treasure Town, killing men on sight and pinning down young women to commit unspeakable acts.
The villagers’ years of accumulated wealth were raided completely.
Food stored in pantries was dragged out by the bags, and all the poultry and livestock met their end on the mob’s blades.
However, it seemed they had never dealt with livestock or cooked meals in the wild before—their whole bodies were a mess.
Desperate, they had to keep a few male villagers behind to cater to their eating needs.
Some timid women were also taken along, and as they left, the mob set fire to the place, plunging Stone Treasure Town into a blaze.
Watching their lifelong homes turn to ash in a flash, the surviving villagers fell to their knees, howling in anguish and heartbreak.
Yet, the mob roared with laughter, declaring it a great time.
At that moment, they suddenly felt a massive shadow pass overhead, and even in broad daylight, for an instant, sunlight was blocked by something.
But when they looked up, there was nothing there.
Were they seeing things?
As they pondered, the bright sun above unexpectedly began to pour down snowflakes as thick as goose feathers.
Moreover, the snow seemed to be localized solely over the burning town, and with the downpour of snowflakes, Stone Treasure Town swiftly extinguished, leaving only wisps of smoke trailing up.
Standing outside the town, the mob was struck dumb, having never imagined they would witness such a bizarre scene.
The villagers began to kowtow,
“Divine spirit has manifested, it has manifested… Boohoo… Thank you, divine spirit! Thank you for your great kindness and virtue!”
The mob exchanged puzzled glances,
“Holy cow, is it that creepy?”
“Right? We’ve been having a great time for days, and it’s the first time we’ve seen something so odd.”
“What divine spirit? This is just a bunch of cultivators who can’t even take care of themselves, let alone these ordinary folks.
It must be a random natural phenomenon—let’s not scare ourselves.”
“Quick, grab your stuff and let’s get out of here!
In a few days, we’ll hit another village and have some more fun!”
“Haha, boss is right!
Living this way is a blast!
Now I finally understand why so many people became bandits in history; here we’re basically the kings. Anyone who doesn’t listen? Boom, and their whole family’s gone!”
“Hahaha! Well said!”
And just as everyone was shrugging it off and preparing to leave, that shadow, which had briefly obscured the sky earlier, made its dramatic return.
Everyone looked up, and what they saw next gave them the fright of their lives.
A gigantic bird with wings spanning dozens of meters soared overhead, the gale it created almost knocking them off their feet.
“What the heck is that?! It’s just too crazy.”
But when their gaze returned to the ground, they spotted a stunning woman in a long black dress, who had appeared out of nowhere, coldly watching them.
