The purple-eyed man's race was unknown, but the aura he exuded just now definitely had the strength of the mid-stage of orifice transforming. Such a cultivator had real power, yet when faced with the Blackwater River, he fell into it without any resistance.
It was as if an invisible hand in the river had pulled him down, leaving him no chance to resist.
Several Yi Tribe cultivators flew out from the cliffs a kilometer away, also chased by the Giant Spirit with terror in their hearts. Three clueless cultivators, in their panic to cross the river, had barely flown out when they fell into the river with screams.
"There's something wrong with this river!"
Everyone realized this, and their expressions grew increasingly astonished.
With this lesson in mind, the remaining four or five Yi people immediately stopped, standing uncertainly by the cliff edge.
At this moment, an old man in blue robes who had reached the Heavenly Connection realm led his men charging out of the Giant Spirit Village. He had also intended to cross the river, but upon seeing many cultivators standing by the cliff, he immediately stopped with his subordinates.
"What has happened?" the blue-robed elder asked aloud.
But no one responded to him; some cultivators just glanced at him before withdrawing their gazes, remaining silent.
On another cliffside dozens of meters away, there were approximately a dozen cultivators of various races who had reached the Heavenly Connection realm. These Yi Tribe cultivators had fled the Giant Spirit Village earlier than Xiang Beifei and Li Qianluo, but they too were stopped here. They had clearly already noticed the eerie nature of the river, yet they did not speak up to stop those who came after them from attempting to cross, watching as those clueless Yi people rushed towards the water.
Everyone had come to the Land of Inheritance for the chance at fortune. Since they were competitors, they would rather have the newcomers test the crossing. If those people died, it meant one less rival. And if a way to cross the river were found, they could follow suit – it was a win-win. Hence, when other cultivators inquired, they pretended to hear nothing.
"Fellow Daoist, may I ask what has happened?"
The blue-robed old man saw Xiang Beifei and approached with his subordinates, asking politely with a bow.
Even though he was unaware of what had happened before, he was not careless. As a master of the Heavenly Connection realm, he maintained the necessary vigilance. With so many cultivators at the orifice transforming and God Refining stages not crossing the river, even though he himself was at the Heavenly Connection realm, he was not so arrogant as to risk his life.
"Something's wrong with the river; you'll fall if you fly over," Xiang Beifei responded without concealment since the other had inquired politely.
"There's a problem with the river?"
The blue-robed old man stood solemnly at the cliff edge, picked up a palm-sized stone from the ground, and hurled it towards the Blackwater River, intending to test the river.
He concentrated his Spiritual Power on the stone, which emitted a red glow, turning into a streak of light in midair, heading for the opposite shore of the river.
However, the stone had barely been thrown three meters when it suddenly seemed to be caught by something. The force covering it vanished instantly, and it fell vertically into the Blackwater River.
The stone, once covered with powerful Spiritual Power, dropped into the water like a common pebble – simply and without splashing.
The blue-robed old man's expression changed slightly!
As someone at the Heavenly Connection realm, anyone with a discerning eye could tell how powerful the stone thrown by the old man was. Even a casual toss could not be caught by an orifice transforming cultivator, not to mention throwing it across a river hundreds of meters wide – throwing it ten kilometers would not have been a problem.
Yet despite such force, the stone sank within less than three meters!
Now he no longer underestimated the Blackwater River, nor did he dare to risk crossing it.
The others exchanged glances, watching the cultivators from other races warily, waiting for someone to take the lead in discovering a way to cross. Meanwhile, they looked for a secluded spot on the cliff to avoid the pursuing Giant Spirit.
The blue-robed elder bowed again to Xiang Beifei, speaking earnestly, "Thank you for the information, fellow Daoist!"
"No problem," said Xiang Beifei.
The blue-robed old man spoke frankly, "This is the second time you've helped us; I really must thank you."
Xiang Beifei turned his head, looking quizzically at the elder, as he did not recognize him.
The blue-robed old man explained, "Have you forgotten, fellow Daoist? Earlier, in that terrifying village, several of us were cornered by a Giant Spirit, nearly losing our lives. It was you who passed by and deliberately punched the Giant Spirit, drawing it to another location and aiding our escape."
After pondering, Xiang Beifei vaguely remembered. When he and Li Qianluo had been moving through Giant Spirit Village earlier, they were often blocked by the Giant Spirits. He had indeed been targeted several times.
However, at that time, his intention was not to rescue the Yi Tribe people but to punch the Giant Spirit's arm, then use the Giant Spirit's tremendous force along with the recoil to propel himself away and run faster.
But it seems he had inadvertently saved them by chance. Perhaps, in the blue-robed old man's eyes, he was like a hero who couldn't walk away from injustice, suddenly appearing to punch the Giant Spirit, drawing its attention and creating a chance for them to flee.
Li Qianluo, standing beside, immediately said with a smile, "Oh! So we saved you then! No worries, we always have warm hearts! If we can save someone, we must lend a hand. We saved so many on the way here, it's hard to keep track!"