Mountain God

The Mountain God had already departed. Between heaven and earth, the moonlight was clear and bright, wisps of clouds rising. Only the old friend was nowhere to be seen. Qi WuHuo remained sitting upright, holding a wine cup in his right hand, offering a toast from afar. He saw the reflection of the full moon in the wine cup, as if it were filled with moonlight. He tilted his head back and swallowed the Spiritual Liquid, which felt like a line of fire. Though it was wine that wouldn't intoxicate, it brought a sense of parting.

Qi WuHuo murmured to himself:

"In this life of cultivation, I shall be the Great Sage..."

"What kind of realm is the Great Sage, then?"

He looked at the Mountain God Talisman Seal on the table. It was a square seal, simple and ordinary in appearance, with a dark luster. Qi WuHuo finished the last of the Spiritual Liquid, then reached out and picked up the Mountain God Talisman Seal, holding it in his palm. Though not large, it felt surprisingly heavy. He didn't know what material it was made from. As Qi WuHuo held the Mountain God Talisman Seal, his Primordial Spirit naturally flowed into it.

The silver talismanic script on the Mountain God Talisman Seal lit up one by one, flowing and changing slowly. Finally, below the seal, several characters formed.

[He Lian Mountain · Qi WuHuo].

Qi WuHuo had never seen this kind of script before, yet he inexplicably understood its meaning. After these six characters took shape, they connected completely, glowing faintly before quickly retracting and disappearing, leaving the seal looking as simple and unremarkable as before.

The weight of the Mountain God Talisman Seal, which had been quite heavy, instantly became as light as a feather.

At his current level, he wouldn't have been able to control this item.

However, the Mountain God had already detached this seal and removed all the imprints within it.

Coupled with Qi WuHuo's own pure Primordial Spirit cultivation.

And his path followed the orthodox Mystic Gate.

It took him about an hour to subdue the item.

When the last imprint merged with Qi WuHuo's Primordial Spirit, he felt the same sensation as when he had woken from the Yellow Millet Dream, his Primordial Spirit flying out. But this time, unlike the last, he didn't suffer great damage to his Primordial Spirit due to the lack of Primordial Qi and Primordial Essence to support it. He only felt an incredibly powerful, gentle, and immense force supporting him.

His Primordial Spirit consciousness gradually ascended, reaching an extremely high and distant status.

When he regained consciousness, Qi WuHuo's 'gaze' looked down.

In an instant, he saw the wind flowing, passing through the mountain forests. He saw clouds like flowing water sweeping over every path of the mountains and rivers. The moon in the sky was bright, and the human cities in the distance were also within his sight. He could hear myriad sounds but was not disturbed by them. He could see ancient, sturdy rocks standing tall and feel the vitality of countless living beings in the winter.

Qi WuHuo's mind was shaken by the scenery before him, and he couldn't recover for a long time.

At that moment, he suddenly understood why the Mountain God had hoped he would take over this position.

To see all beings from a human perspective and to see them from a divine perspective were two different things.

And after his Primordial Spirit came into contact with the Mountain God Talisman Seal, Qi WuHuo naturally knew what he could do under the Mountain God's status. The Primordial Qi of the entire mountain was now supporting his Primordial Spirit. With this Primordial Qi, he could summon clouds and rain. His breath would become a gale, and a wave of his sleeve could disperse the clouds. He could borrow the flow of the earth's veins to quickly reach any part of this mountain.

He could use the Qi of the earth's veins to unleash supernatural abilities within a certain limit.

Within these mountains and rivers, his strength could reach the level of a Mystic Gate Daoist master wielding Primordial Prenatal Qi.

His power output was comparable to that of the three Earthly Deities, Elder Tao, and Luo Yizhen.

However, their methods were naturally superior to his.

Qi WuHuo looked in the direction the Fierce Tiger had gone, cupped his hands slightly, and stood up. He subtly flipped his right wrist, and the Mountain God Talisman Seal emitted a stream of light before directly sinking into his palm, disappearing. He tried to grasp the flow of the earth's energy, then took a step forward--

It felt like he had never known a path existed before, but now he could see it and walk on it.

Using the changes in the earth's Qi, he unleashed the earth-escape technique. The surrounding, incredibly hard mountain rocks parted before him like flowing water. It was like walking through water; a distance of dozens of miles was covered in an instant. Before him was a simple courtyard, the Mountain God's former residence. It was vastly different from Elder Tao's dwelling, being very clean.

Inside, there was only a bed, a table, and a bookshelf.

On the desk lay an item: the treasure the Mountain God had used to roam freely in his youth, a three-legged Bronze Cauldron.

Qi WuHuo was stunned. He hadn't expected the Mountain God to not even take this treasure with him. There was also a letter on the table. Qi WuHuo reached out, took the letter, and unfolded it. The elegant and casual script read: "The position of Mountain God will help you see the true nature of all beings."

"I have left the Earthly Origin Body Refining Heart Art here. Remember this well: when your Primordial Qi and Primordial Essence are refined into Primordial Prenatal Qi, come to this earth's meridian to cultivate this supernatural ability."

"At that time, it will have its own wondrous uses."

"In battle, your body will be no less resilient than sentient mountain rocks, and you will naturally master several supernatural abilities. Even if you seek the Dao and leave the Mountain God Talisman Seal behind, you can still use the earth-escape technique. It is truly a foundation for calming the spirit and protecting the Dao. I learned this method after obtaining the Mountain God's position, but it was too late. The seed of Primordial Prenatal Qi had already been sown, and I have no regrets about my Dao. I disdain to re-cultivate, but you still have time."

"We hit it off immediately. I am happy for you that you have this opportunity."

"I will leave the Earthly Origin Body Refining Heart Art to you."

"Beside it are my cultivation notes, which you may view freely."

"I will preach once every three years to enlighten the beasts in this area."

"As for this cauldron, it was originally my magic treasure. It can refine all kinds of Primordial Qi between heaven and earth into Spiritual Liquid, which is of great benefit for cultivation and for enlightening intelligence. If you encounter enemies, you can also release it and refine them. I will leave it to you as well. You can handle it as you see fit, but there is one condition."

"When it is time for you to venture out to seek the Dao, you must leave this item behind for the next generation's Mountain God."

"I was originally a Fierce Tiger in the mountains, who accidentally attained the Dao."

"I know the suffering of ignorant wild beasts, who eat meat and are greedy for blood, lacking enlightenment."

"Without a master, without scriptures, unable to awaken, closing off their spiritual nature, acting willfully, driven by instinct and desire, sinking into suffering."

"Their six senses are deluded, willingly enduring toil and hardship, wandering endlessly in life and death."

"I know this suffering, hence I leave behind this method, hoping they will not have to endure such hardship."

"And because I was merely a traveler, yet this mountain sheltered me for three hundred years."

"Therefore, I leave this cauldron to repay the mountain's kindness."

"One cause and one effect, one drink and one peck. The mountain owes me nothing, and I owe the mountain nothing."

"The highest good is like this."

This letter left for Qi WuHuo ended here. The handwriting was elegant and unhurried, and Qi WuHuo could almost see the man in the dark blue robe, holding a spear and a wine flask. Looking again, the magic treasure and cultivation notes were all here. Recalling these three hundred years, he had come alone, attained enlightenment, and left, calm and unhurried, possessing his own unique style.

It was the god he knew.

Qi WuHuo put the letter away, then collected the cauldron.

"We will meet again someday."

With a slight smile, he turned and walked away. The earth veins flowed, and in an instant, he was already dozens of miles away. This platform was where the Mountain God usually meditated. At this moment, the other spirit beasts were all present, along with two mountain divine generals who were commanded in this mountain. They wore armor from hundreds of years ago and had stern expressions, but now they were all tense.

"The Mountain God has left, what will we do from now on?"

"Alas, this is too sudden."

Elder Tao stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Don't worry, don't worry. Are you two, as the mountain's Guardian Divine Generals, so nervous?"

"How can we not be worried!"

"He Lian Mountain is the largest among the surrounding mountains. If the Mountain God is gone, won't it attract covetous eyes?"

Elder Tao chuckled, "Can't that tiger think of what you can think of?"

"The candidate has already been found."

The two mountain Guardian Divine Generals' faces lit up with joy. "Who is it?"

Elder Tao stroked his beard, about to answer, when he suddenly sensed the movement of the earth veins. He smiled and pointed, saying:

"Look, isn't that him arriving?"

PS:

The previous chapter had some dialogue added around 6:40 PM yesterday.

The plot and direction have not changed. (Bows)