Eyes Like Ghost Fire, Luofu's Law

Compared to a few days ago, besides being more familiar with the terrain below one-third of this steep mountain peak and knowing which spots were easier to climb, the youth's physical condition had actually worsened slightly. He had no less than ten obvious wounds, most of which were from the first day of climbing. Back then, the youth refused to give up, and when he was utterly exhausted, he could barely hold onto the chains, sliding down by the friction between his hands, feet, and the iron chains. The climate in the Luofu mountain range was humid and warm, and now most of these wounds were red and swollen, festering. Any slight movement or pull caused piercing pain. And the unfavorable conditions didn't end there; the provisions in the Miao Yi hut could only last for another three to four days at most. In the past two days, the youth had to spend a considerable amount of time searching for food in places teeming with venomous snakes and insects, and where fierce beasts roamed. Now, although the youth had thought of a method to tie himself to the iron chain with a rope when he was exhausted to rest, it was impossible to fully recover this way. By the time he reached this height near the mountainside, the youth felt his limbs were as heavy as if they were filled with lead. At first, he could secure himself, rest, and climb another seven or eight meters before resting a second time. But now, he had to stop and rest every two to three meters he climbed.

The youth knew he was at his limit, and looking up, he had no idea how much further he had to go. However, his heart held no trace of dejection or disappointment. All he thought about was that this method was indeed effective, and he had already climbed twice the usual height. If he couldn't climb it today, he would climb again tomorrow. As long as he climbed higher each day, he would eventually reach the summit.

He wasn't exactly intelligent, but he possessed a tenacity and simplicity that most people lacked. Any other youth his age might not even reach one-third of the way. Now, the youth gritted his teeth and continued to climb, while also carefully observing his surroundings without daring to relax for a moment. Bushes and vines grew densely around the iron chains, and the scenery and terrain were different from below. Suddenly, with a "rustling" sound, the youth was startled. While his left hand gripped the iron chain firmly, his right hand swiftly grabbed a chopping knife tucked into his waist. Before climbing, the youth had discarded everything unnecessary to reduce his weight. The reason he still carried this chopping knife was twofold: firstly, it could cut through obstructing thorns and bushes to clear a path; and secondly, and more importantly, one day while climbing, he had discovered a terrifying venomous snake, withered in color but as thick as a child's arm, on a vine nearby.

Following the sound, the youth suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out to be a small gray monkey. After glancing at him with its rolling eyes, it also disappeared into the rocks and trees as if startled.

"Oh no, it's going to rain!" Just as the youth re-sheathed the chopping knife he found in the Miao Yi hut, a fierce gust of mountain wind blew past, nearly blowing him off the iron chain and leaving him drenched in cold sweat. In a moment, the mountain, which had been sunny, was suddenly covered in dark clouds, and the sky turned dark.

Woo woo! Woo woo!

The youth suddenly heard such strange noises again. The sound was like someone blowing a giant conch shell in the distance, loud and hollow.

Another fierce mountain wind blew, and the strange sound grew louder. This time, the youth looked closely. Not far above his head, several dry branches and leaves, caught by the wind, disappeared as if being swallowed by something.

Just as a downpour was imminent and it would be safer to descend the iron chain as quickly as possible, the youth's curiosity was piqued, and he couldn't help but climb up. With a "swish," a thorny bush tore his clothes and added another bloody gash to his back. But the youth let out a cheer instead. What appeared before him was a mountain cave, mostly hidden by vines. The woo woo sound was the wind blowing into this cave.

Inside this cave, barely large enough for one person to crouch through, it was pitch black, and its depth was indiscernible. As the mountain wind gusted, it carried a damp, musty smell. To an ordinary person, it would surely seem eerie and terrifying, but the simple-hearted youth only saw it as a pleasant resting spot. If he brought food tomorrow and rested here, he might be able to reach the summit in one go. Even today, it could shelter him from the wind and rain. So, without much thought, he pushed aside the vines and crawled inside.

***

The dry leaves and branches at the cave entrance were thick, making the ground as soft as cotton. As the youth's foot landed firmly, his heart relaxed, and his entire body slumped down at the cave entrance as if falling apart. After sitting for a moment, raindrops began to fall like pearls from a broken string.

The entire Luofu instantly became a vast expanse, with layers of white mist rising above the dense green. People accustomed to comfort might never see such a sight in their lifetime. However, the rainwater brought by the mountain wind quickly soaked the youth, who felt no poetic sentimentality. With a wry smile, the youth gritted his teeth and stood up, beginning to explore the cave.

Except for the area near the entrance, which was damp from the rain, the ground inside the cave was dry, with no signs of snakes or insects. It became narrower as he went deeper, but after several yards, the cave widened, and a faint light could be seen. The youth walked a bit further, supporting himself against the stone wall, and his eyes suddenly widened. Before him was a cave spanning dozens of meters. Several holes at the mountain peak connected to the outside, and rainwater fell like a beaded curtain along them. The faint light came from these holes. The youth paused for a moment before understanding. No wonder, apart from the damp, musty smell within a few yards of the entrance, the air inside didn't feel stuffy at all. The mountain wind must have blown in from the entrance and out through these holes, causing air circulation and producing that woo woo sound.

Below the holes at the mountain peak grew clusters of shrubs. As the rainwater fell, it made a rustling sound. At a glance, apart from some jagged rocks in the middle of the cave, most of it was flat, providing ample space for a resting place. Who would have thought that inside the mountain cave there would be such a hidden paradise? The youth couldn't help but feel overjoyed, even imagining that on clear days, sunlight would form beams of light, falling upon these shrubs.

"There are even fruits growing, I wonder if they're edible?" The youth suddenly noticed a cluster of shrubs with dark branches and only a few fern-like leaves. However, each branch bore five to six thumb-sized red berries, looking quite tempting.

The youth couldn't help but walk closer, about to pick one to examine when suddenly, with a sharp "hiss," a piercing sound came from his left.

The sound echoed suddenly in the spacious cave, startling the youth. He immediately turned his head, a cold sweat breaking out all over his body. He saw four fiery red eyes staring intently at him, and the owner of these four fiery red eyes was a monster with two heads, neither human nor beast!

This monster was no more than three feet tall and stood upright like a human. It had two heads, one on the left and one on the right, with clear features and white hair, its face covered in spider-like wrinkles. If not for its fiery red narrow eyes, its appearance would be at most that of an ugly old man, not something so shocking. The monster also had two arms and two legs, but its limbs looked thin and weak, especially its hands, which were shriveled and curled like chicken claws in front of its chest. Its support while standing upright was a shocking, crocodile tail-like appendage.

The youth retreated two steps, instinctively grabbing the chopping knife from his waist. "Hiss!" The monster's face on both heads suddenly showed a vicious expression. With a surge, it actually leaped from the standing rock and lunged towards the youth. The youth's heart constricted, his hair stood on end, and he raised the chopping knife to hack at the monster. With a whoosh, the monster didn't dodge or evade, and its tail swept across. The youth's chopping knife struck like hitting leather, merely leaving a white mark on the monster's tail. Although the monster appeared weak, its tail sweep was incredibly powerful. The youth's body went numb, blood flowed from his tiger's mouth, and he lost his grip on the chopping knife, which clattered to the side.

The youth rolled with the momentum, grabbed a stone from the ground, and began throwing it wildly at the monster. The monster couldn't dodge and was hit twice. It seemed even more enraged. With a "whoosh," the youth's eyes lit up. One of the monster's heads opened its mouth and spewed a torrent of fire. The flames contained a powerful force. The stones the youth threw not only sizzled and crackled from the high temperature but were also cut into pieces by the fire.

"It can breathe fire too!" The youth was horrified. He suddenly realized there were no more stones to throw nearby, and he was already exhausted, lacking the strength to even stand up and run!

At the summit, Yuan Tianyi's figure was somewhat blurred in the wind and rain, faint and lonely, like ink on paper slowly dissolving, about to disappear at any moment. In fact, ever since Yuan Tianyi stood at the edge of the cliff against the mountain wind thirty years ago, Old Zhao Nan had felt this way. He always suspected that one day he would suddenly be carried away by the wind and vanish. Old Zhao Nan knew that Yuan Tianyi was already at the pinnacle of this world back then. Figures like him had little interaction with ordinary cultivators. Mountain spirits and wild creatures in their ignorance, and ordinary people, were clearly distinct from him. But the Mò Chà Pearl was what bound him. The iron chain and the height of this nameless mountain peak were the only rules he had set for the youth, and he would absolutely not allow anything to change the rules he had established right under his nose. "Presumptuous!" In the midst of the wind and rain, Yuan Tianyi coldly uttered these two words. He slightly extended a hand as if to catch the raindrops falling from the sky, and a pale red sword light appeared out of nowhere, plummeting down from the mountaintop.

Judging by its color and radiance, this pale red sword light couldn't compare to the flying swords of Shushan. But just like the laws in the Luofu mountains, sometimes the least noticeable things are the most dangerous and deadly.

"I don't want to die like this! I finally found a resting place, only to encounter such a monster!" Inside the cave, watching the monster lunging at him, the youth's heart was filled with unwillingness and resentment! In an instant, his eyes turned blood red, like a wounded lone wolf. Even without strength, he would tear at his opponent with his teeth. "Presumptuous!" But at this moment, Yuan Tianyi's voice rumbled like thunder from the sky.

The pale red sword light was actually faster than the sound!

The youth's ears were still ringing from the shock, his body felt like it had been struck by lightning, and the pale red sword light had already appeared in his sight, twisting towards the monster.