White Marsh Cub

Shushan's thirty-six peaks actually referred only to those with inheritances. If all the desolate, ownerless mountains were counted, there were far more than a hundred amid the endless sea of clouds.

Pagoda Peak was one such remote, uninhabited mountain.

Though no one lived there now, this peak was one of Shushan's most famous. Back in the day, it had been the site of the Demon-Suppressing Tower, the number-one supreme divine artifact in the human realm on the Myriad Treasures Record!

Five hundred years had passed. Now, green mountains framed the landscape, forests stood lush and verdant, waterfalls poured in flying streams, and the place looked like an earthly paradise beyond the world.

Though none of Shushan's living disciples had experienced it, they had seen scenes from that era in old paintings.

An incomparably majestic bronze tower had stood between heaven and earth. Yin winds howled in fury, demonic tides rolled through the sky, and all of it had been suppressed beneath that colossal tower.

It had seemed like a miracle.

That bronze giant tower had carried Shushan's glory for thousands of years. Yet now, though birds sang and flowers bloomed here, Shushan was no longer what it had once been.

Looking over the scenery, Chu Liang could not help feeling faintly wistful.

As for Xu Ziqing, he had not taken her too seriously. Though he did not know why she had arranged to meet here, since she had invited him, basic courtesy required him to come.

Still, the letter had felt rather suspicious. It was quite possible that Xu Ziqing had not written it herself, and that it was someone else's prank.

But it did not matter. He could use this chance to see who was behind it.

It was not that Chu Liang was being careless. He simply was not too worried about his personal safety. After all, he had no real enemies within the sect, and besides...

This was Shushan, and his master was Empress Feng.

This master of his might not be useful for much else, but when it came to making him feel safe, she had certainly delivered.

Throughout Shushan, people generally believed that it was already good enough if Empress Feng's disciple did not bully others. Who would dare provoke him?

With that thought in mind, Chu Liang had barely landed before he began surveying his surroundings.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded from the woods ahead. They did not sound human, but more like some wild beast.

"Hmm?" Chu Liang grew slightly wary.

Immediately afterward, a magnificent white figure burst from the forest!

It stood around seven feet tall, silver-white all over. Its head resembled a dragon's, its antlers a deer's. Pure white mane covered its head and neck, its long tail resembled that of a tiger or leopard, its four hooves raced like galloping horses, and white scales across its body reflected the sunlight.

"Rrrrrooo—"

With a cry like a deer's call, the creature shot out of the woods. It was unbelievably fast, like a streak of silver lightning!

Chu Liang only recognized it after a brief pause, and cried out in surprise, "White Marsh?"

That was right.

This was one of the cubs of White Marsh, Shushan Sect's mountain-guarding divine beast.

It gave him no time to react. The silver lightning charged wildly ahead and pounced straight at him! He had no chance to dodge!

Bang!

"Yeah!"

On a large tree atop a distant mountain, three figures draped in leaves and grass gave furtive cheers.

They were Shang Ziliang and his two lackeys.

Seeing Chu Liang collide with the divine beast White Marsh, Shang Ziliang wore a smug grin. "Hehe, no matter how powerful Empress Feng is, would she dare trouble White Marsh?"

"Boss, we should still be careful," Lackey A said in a low voice, curled up tight. "If White Marsh notices us, we'll be in danger too."

"Of course I know that." Shang Ziliang sounded impatient.

The reason they had thought of luring Chu Liang here was because they had suffered a huge loss not long ago.

Every major immortal sect had its own mountain-guarding divine beast. These beasts were born from the world's Great Dao—loyal, powerful, and blessed with long lifespans. Once an agreement was made, they could often guard an immortal sect for thousands upon thousands of years.

Shushan Sect's mountain-guarding divine beast was White Marsh.

Of course, it was not the one before them. An adult White Marsh understood human speech, knew yin and yang, communicated with ghosts and gods, and could command the Heavenly Origin. It was an existence close to divinity.

The ancient White Marsh that guarded Shushan had once been responsible for overseeing Shushan's Demon-Suppressing Tower. Since the tower's disappearance, it seemed to have blamed itself and had secluded itself in cultivation for many years without appearing.

The one before them, meanwhile, was merely its child—a White Marsh cub not yet six hundred years old.

That was right. To divine beasts with immense lifespans, a century might be equivalent to only one human year. This White Marsh truly was only a child.

Shushan had a specially designated Guardian Peak where the sect's divine beasts lived. Disciples were forbidden from disturbing them, and ordinarily, it would not leave that place.

But some days ago, when the bored Shang Ziliang and his companions had come to Pagoda Peak to play, the White Marsh cub had attacked them like mad the moment they landed.

Not only had they not dared fight back against this super-protected animal of Shushan... in truth, White Marsh possessed strength close to the fifth realm from birth. They had been completely incapable of resisting.

That had been a painful memory...

The three of them had been trampled mercilessly by the White Marsh cub, then sent flying one by one on its antlers... After returning to Cloud Distant Peak, they had been able to sleep only on their stomachs for four or five whole days.

Only afterward, when he asked his father, Shang Shuwen, did Shang Ziliang learn that the White Marsh cub had recently been coming to Pagoda Peak for a few days every month. Whenever it was on the mountain, no one was allowed near Pagoda Peak, or it would become extremely aggressive.

Shang Ziliang could only accept his bad luck.

Today, seeing someone about to suffer the same misfortune they had, the three could not help leaping with joy.

But...

The delighted expressions on their faces lasted only a moment before slowly stiffening. Then... they turned into shock and disbelief.

It seemed they had witnessed something unimaginable.

Shang Ziliang's eyes were filled with confusion as he muttered, "Isn't something wrong here?"

Lackey A stood dumbstruck. "I don't understand."

Lackey B said nothing, but his gaze was equally full of bewilderment.

Three utterly baffled faces.

"White Marsh..."

The instant the White Marsh cub pounced and knocked him down, Chu Liang had felt a trace of foreboding.

It was his first time seeing this divine beast, but every Shushan disciple had been taught since childhood that White Marsh was Shushan's most precious friend and absolutely could not be harmed.

Even if it beat someone up, they could only swallow the loss in silence.

And this divine beast's speed and strength far surpassed his own. He had no room to fight back at all...

Yet after Chu Liang hit the ground and shut his eyes, the pain he expected never came. Instead, there was a warm, wet sensation on his face.

Slurp, slurp...

When Chu Liang opened his eyes again, he saw a long pink tongue. That incomparably majestic White Marsh divine beast was... licking his face?

And from up close, he could see unhidden delight in its eyes, along with a profound sense of affection.

As though it knew him.

"Huh?" Chu Liang was somewhat puzzled.

The White Marsh cub's affection could not be an act, but he had never met it before. And even if they had encountered each other by chance, what virtue or ability did he possess to earn a divine beast's favor?

After a brief thought, Chu Liang came up with the likeliest possibility.

Could it be because...

He was handsome?

"Rrrrrooo—" The White Marsh cub gave another joyful cry.

It seemed to be speaking to him?

But Chu Liang did not understand beast language, so he could not grasp the cub's intentions for the moment. To respond, he could only reach out and stroke its neck.

"Rrrrrooo—" The White Marsh cub happily ran two circles around Chu Liang, then lowered its upper body and brought its head close.

"Hmm?" Chu Liang furrowed his brow.

Could it be asking him to ride it?

Divine beasts rarely allowed people to ride them. If one did, it represented considerable recognition.

Presented with such a rare opportunity, and seeing how enthusiastic it was, Chu Liang could not well refuse. He tried to stand, then slowly edged closer.

He moved very slowly and carefully, afraid that he had misunderstood. If the White Marsh cub suddenly turned hostile... he could immediately pull back and explain.

I'm just rubbing against you. I'm not getting on.

Fortunately, it seemed he had understood correctly.

Only after he was securely seated on the White Marsh cub's back did it let out a happy "Rrrrrooo," straighten up, and suddenly spread its four hooves.

It broke into a wild sprint!

Whoosh—

In an instant, it raced like wind and flashed like lightning. It was several times faster than Chu Liang's full-speed sword flight, and in the blink of an eye, it had charged into the vast forest ahead.

The surrounding trees flew backward. Chu Liang could barely make out the scenery along the path with his naked eye, when the beast suddenly leaped—and a silver waterfall appeared before him!

This was the great waterfall on Pagoda Peak!

Legend had it that after the Demon-Suppressing Tower left, it had left behind an enormous deep pit here, which later became a lake. This waterfall plunged straight into that lake, rumbling with the force of thunder.

Even as it reached the lake, the White Marsh cub did not slow at all. With a sudden leap, it crashed toward the waterfall ahead.

"Hey!" Chu Liang could not help shouting.

Bang—

A muffled crash rang by his ears as the White Marsh cub carried him straight into the waterfall. Yet beyond the curtain of water was not a mountain wall, but a hollow cave.

There was another world hidden within!

A Water Curtain Cave?

Passing through the vast forest and drilling into the Water Curtain Cave was not the end... It seemed to intend to go all the way through?

The cave ahead was pitch-black and seemingly bottomless. The White Marsh cub raced onward with Chu Liang, covering who knew how many miles in the blink of an eye. At last, another drop appeared ahead, and it leaped once more!

Only then did Chu Liang see the end of this Water Curtain Cave.

There was a cavern, and inside it was...

A woman?

Thanks to "Bai Chuan of the Cat-Eared Household" for becoming this book's fifth Alliance Leader. Thank you, thank you.

This counts as ten thousand words updated today too. I had just woken from my afternoon nap and was still playing on my phone in bed when I suddenly realized I was running low on saved chapters. I had to hurry up and crawl out of bed to write...