Chapter 236

The group soon arrived at Black Wind Mountain.

The dark, thick fog resembled a monstrous beast ready to devour its prey, and the air was filled with an eerie stench of decay and blood.

Yang Jian stood on the mudflat, holding Three-Pointed Double-Edged Halberd, with golden light flickering in his Divine Eye between his forehead.

In search of clues to the final key item for Split the Mountain to Save Mother — the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe.

"Second Master, this place is incredibly eerie!"

Kang Anyu Xuanhua Great Axe in his hand tightly, cautiously glancing around.

Before the words were finished, a piercing squeaking sound suddenly rang out from the thick fog all around.

Immediately afterwards, countless scarlet eyes lit up in the darkness, densely packed, like the red spider lilies blooming in hell.

"Oh no! It's Poison Fire Demon Bats!" Zhang Boshí exclaimed in alarm.

The next second, a swarm of dark bats, like a bursting dam, carrying a foul-smelling poisonous gas, rushed out of the fog!

Although these demonic bats were small in size, their fangs glowed with an eerie green light, and tiny sparks flew as they flapped their wings.

"Back to back, form a battle formation!"

Yang Jian roared, showing no sign of panic; years of battle had ingrained his composure into his very bones.

The Six Monsters of Mount Mei responded instantly, quickly forming a circular formation with Yang Jian at the center.

The Howling Celestial Dog, like a black lightning bolt, pounced left and right on the front lines, tearing apart a demonic bat with each swing of its sharp claws and fangs.

"Watch me, Lao Yao!"

Yao Gonglin laughed loudly and spewed out a burst of raging fire, instantly turning a large group of demonic bats in front of him into charred remains.

Li Huanzhang swung out a gleaming golden chain, which, like a serpent emerging from its hole, strung dozens of demonic bats together like a candied hawthorn.

Guo Shen and Zhi Jianshen were the most agile, wielding their weapons with such precision that they formed two impenetrable barriers.

However, the number of demonic bats was simply too great; they were fearless and relentlessly charged forward.

A thick layer of corpses quickly piled up around the Array Formations, but more and more demonic bats continued to pour in from the depths of the mist.

"This won't do! Their poison will deplete our magical power!"

Jin Dasheng roared, exhaling two streams of white vapor that dispersed the approaching poisonous mist.

Yang Jian's eyes sharpened, and the golden light from his Divine Eye on his forehead shone brightly, like an indestructible sword that instantly pierced through layers of mist and locked onto a huge, faintly visible shadow deep within— the Bat King!

"To catch the thief, first catch the king! Brothers, cover me!"

At his command, Yang Jian shot out like an arrow.

The Three-Pointed Double-Edged Halberd drew a dazzling silver river in the air, and wherever the blade passed, the demonic bats were all reduced to blood and gore.

The Six Monsters of Mount Mei roared in unison, each unleashing their most powerful abilities, forcefully carving a bloody path for Yang Jian.

Sensing a deadly threat, the Bat King opened its blood-red maw and spewed out a thick, inky stream of poisonous flames towards Yang Jian.

Yang Jian snorted coldly, neither dodging nor avoiding, his figure suddenly accelerating, his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Halberd bursting forth with divine light, and he shouted, "Break!"

The blade's edge collided with the poisonous flames, instantly purifying and evaporating them.

The blade continued its momentum, severing the Bat King's head.

"Squeak--!"

With a short, mournful cry from the Bat King, the countless demonic bats that had been flying around fell stiffly to the ground like puppets that had lost their souls.

The thick fog that had enveloped the area seemed to have thinned out somewhat with the death of the Bat King, revealing the outline of a majestic and ancient temple not far away.

The temple was entirely constructed of unknown black boulders, and the group dared not be careless, cautiously pushing open the heavy stone door.

The hall was empty, with only a few huge stone pillars supporting the dome.

The moment they stepped into the center of the hall, the stone slab beneath their feet suddenly made a crisp cracking sound.

"Oh no, there's a trap!"

As soon as Yang Jian finished speaking, countless dark square holes instantly appeared in the walls on all sides.

The next moment, a swarm of arrows, as dense as locusts, shot out from all directions with a piercing whistle that tore through the air!

"Get behind me, all of you!"

Yang Jian's Divine Eye had already seen through everything. In that split second, he saw the trajectory of each arrow and even saw through the complex mechanisms behind the wall. He pulled the group along, continuing to move forward.

"Three steps to the left, turn right, one step forward!"

Under his command, the group made their way through the hail of arrows without incident, finally arriving at a smooth stone wall.

Yang Jian pointed his fingers like a sword, concentrated his magical power, and suddenly pressed down on an inconspicuous relief on the stone wall!

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, just as they were about to relax, when a cold voice boomed through the hall:

"Those who trespass on this sacred ground shall die!"

The sound seemed to come from all directions, carrying a powerful pressure that penetrated straight to the soul.

Immediately afterwards, from the shadows at the far end of the hall, a figure draped in a black cloak, whose face was obscured, slowly emerged.

"Who are you? We are here to search for something and have no intention of offending you!" Yang Jian said in a deep voice, holding his sword in front of him.

He could sense that the strength of the person in front of him was unfathomable.

"No reason can justify desecrating this place."

The man in black robes spoke in an icy voice, slowly raising a hand with his fingers spread wide, "Accept your punishment!"

Before the words were even finished, the black energy ball transformed into countless jet-black chains, coiling towards Yang Jian and the others like venomous snakes.

"Second Master, be careful!"

The Six Monsters of Mount Mei attacked together, unleashing all their magical weapons and treasures, which collided with the black chains, creating a series of booming sounds.

However, the chains were incredibly strong and managed to block all six attacks.

Yang Jian's eyes flashed, and he said loudly, "This junior, Yang Jian, has come only to find the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe and rescue my birth mother who is trapped under Peach Mountain! If I have offended you in any way, I hope you will forgive me!"

"Save your mother?"

The man in black robes let out a disdainful sneer, "The same old excuse! Heavenly Rules are strict; to indulge in worldly desires is punishable! Your mother was punished, and so are you!"

The resentment he expressed towards the Heavenly Court in his words stirred something within Yang Jian.

But the enemy's attacks became increasingly fierce, with dark spells appearing one after another, forcing everyone to retreat step by step.

"Heavenly Rules are merciless, but the human heart is full of love!"

As Yang Jian swung his sword to defend himself, he shouted, "Although my mother violated the Heavenly Edicts, the suffering of a thousand years of suppression has already atoned for her sins!"

"What meaning is there for a son to become an immortal if he cannot save his mother from suffering? Today, I, Yang Jian, am willing to perish in body and soul to split Peach Mountain!"

His voice was strong and resolute.

Upon hearing this, the black-robed man's attack slowed down, and the murderous aura emanating from him gradually dissipated.

"Even if my body and soul are destroyed... I must save my mother..."

He murmured to himself, as if lost in a distant memory, his body trembling slightly beneath his cloak.

Seeing this, Yang Jian knew that his words had touched a nerve, so he immediately sheathed his sword, stood up, and bowed deeply. "Senior must have been a member of the Heavenly Court as well, and must know the helplessness that comes with it."

Yang Jian's request today is not to overthrow the laws of Heaven, but only to fulfill his filial duty!

The man in black robes sighed, his dark aura completely dissipating, and slowly said, "You may leave."

"Senior?"

"I believe in your filial piety."

The black-robed man's voice carried a hint of weariness and desolation, "Do you know that even if you obtain the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe, you still cannot split Peach Mountain? That mountain is blessed by the Jade Emperor's Imperial Decree; how could it be easily broken?"

Yang Jian's heart sank. "Please enlighten me, senior!"

"The Mountain-Splitting Axe is a divine weapon, but it needs a catalyst to unleash its true power."

The man in black robes slowly revealed a shocking secret. "You need to find the Ancient Spirit Pearl and embed it into the axe to break the Jade Emperor's restriction."

"Ancient Spirit Pearl?" Yang Jian asked in confusion.