Mountain Lord Temple, the Desire for the Somersault Cloud Reached its Peak
The winter rain was drizzling.
On the barren mountain, the sound of wind rustling through the trees and leaves was incessant, and the chill seemed to penetrate to the bone with the air.
In the desolate temple, a group of merchants barged in, grumbling as they shook off the rain and inspected their goods.
"We're probably going to be stuck on the mountain tonight. This path is short, but who knew the weather would be like this?"
"Sigh, who knew this mountain path would be so difficult to walk on?"
"Won't we encounter Demon Beast if we spend the night on the mountain?"
The merchants shivered and complained.
"Don't worry, this is the Mountain Lord Temple. The High Priest of the surrounding villages make regular offerings here, and it's very efficacious."
"With the Mountain Lord's protection, I sometimes stay here overnight without any problems."
The middle-aged guide, who was leading the way, said confidently.
Seeing his confidence, the merchants relaxed and started a fire to cook.
Not long after.
There was another noise at the door, and everyone was startled. They looked up and saw two people walking in.
"Excuse me."
The young man clasped his hands in a fist salute to the crowd.
When traveling, it's natural to want to help each other out.
The guide had a big smile on his face.
The young man glanced at him thoughtfully, then sat down next to the woman wearing a light veil.
The merchants were initially curious about the two, but soon stopped paying attention and started chatting while eating flatbread and drinking.
"Have you heard? In many places, the Witch Spirit worshipped have been killed."
"The Witch Spirit of Nine Spirits Stockade and Humao Town are gone now."
"Who is so outrageous?"
"They're not human. One of them is a vicious dragon, and the other is a bird demon. I don't know how they ended up together."
"Ah?"
The boy was somewhat taken aback.
He's known as the Peerless Sky Flood Dragon among the Demon Race.
He slayed demons and monsters along the way, but the public's perception of him seemed to be a little different from what he had imagined.
The merchants glanced at him in the direction of the sound. The fire was burning brighter now, and they could see that the young man had a handsome face, gentle features, and a bright, cheerful smile. He was probably the kind of gentleman that people from outside the Southern Border spoke of.
The woman beside him was covered by Black Cloud Gauze hat, obscuring her face, yet she exuded an aura of unapproachability.
"What... bad things did they all do?"
"The evil dragon, Xiao Li, asked."
"They killed the Witch Spirit, but they don't accept people's worship. Who will people worship in the future?" a merchant said matter-of-factly.
Li Mo: "..."
He couldn't help but think of it.
Together with Ying Bing, he killed a fathead fish Calamity Beast that deliberately stirred up trouble in the river and capsized boats.
Only after receiving the offerings will things calm down a little.
It simply committed fewer evils, yet it was able to openly enjoy incense and offerings in the temple.
A small festival is held once a month, and a large festival is held once a year.
From small animals like cattle and sheep to large ones like boys and girls.
"If you don't believe in Witch Spirit, then you don't need to offer sacrifices."
"That won't do."
One of the traveling merchants looked at Li Mo as if he were an alien, and said somewhat angrily:
"It has always been this way."
"Yes, some cattle and sheep, two children, can be exchanged for everyone's safety. It's a good deal."
"For Mountain Lord, with the protection of the Mountain Lord, no wild beasts dare to come in, so we can sit here and chat."
"What if... it's you who are being offered up as tribute?"
Li Mo suddenly said quietly.
The woman in the straw hat who had been beside him had disappeared without him noticing.
The bonfire flickered violently, and a gust of cold wind swept into the Mountain Lord Temple, making the air even colder.
It's as if something is reviving...
Everyone was terrified and scrambled to run out, but they had barely reached the door.
Bang--
A huge black shadow crashed to the ground.
It was a purplish-blue striped tiger's head, ferocious and enormous, capable of swallowing an adult whole with a single open mouth, utterly terrifying.
It was dead at this point, but its blood had congealed and frozen, and all that could be smelled was a pungent, fishy stench.
The rain stopped sometime ago.
Moonlight streamed down.
Before the headless tiger's corpse, a girl bathed in moonlight slowly sheathed her sword, and the jade wings on her back gradually dissipated.
The night breeze lifted her black veil, unintentionally revealing a corner of her stunning beauty.
"This Mountain Lord is quite formidable."
Li Mo kicked the enormous tiger head out the door and chuckled:
"It's much better than that fathead fish and that crow."
The merchants remained silent for a long time.
The person they were just talking about had actually been sitting right next to them from the very beginning.
"Mountain Lord!"
Suddenly, the guide let out a shrill scream and fell straight to the ground.
As a result, many merchants scattered and fled, wishing they had more legs.
"You haven't picked up your goods yet?"
Li Mo called out from behind.
But these words, like a death knell from a demon, made the merchants run even faster.
"Well."
Little Li shook his head and kicked the long-dead Tiger Minion away as well.
Perhaps it's because of Shang Qinqing.
So far, they haven't encountered any powerful Calamity Beast along the way; most of them have been the so-called 'Witch Spirit' they encountered along the way.
But we've only covered less than a third of the distance.
Who knows what unexpected events might occur next?
A few more pieces of firewood were added to the campfire, and the temple fell silent.
"Li Mo."
Ying Bing took off her straw hat and put it into the Big-Headed Doll.
When she uttered those two words, the girl's tone made it impossible to imagine the Sword Qi that had just slain the Mountain Lord.
"They've arrived."
Li Mo sat down next to her and naturally took her small hand in his.
"Take it."
Ying Bing took out the Demon-Slaying Gourd and handed it to Li Mo, then held the Moon Soul Crystal in her left hand.
Demon-Slaying Gourd is full, it can be used to irrigate the Moon Soul Crystal. Although it is not as powerful as the Power of All Living Beings, it is still a sacred item for enhancing Will Soul.
Let's begin.
"Um."
Li Mo frowned.
As we all know, it takes two hands to unscrew a gourd.
But he only had two hands, one of which was holding Ice Block.
"..."
Ying Bing seemed to understand the boy's dilemma. She pursed her lips and was about to loosen her grip for a moment.
Then the boy was seen biting open the gourd lid with a rather bold gesture.
"Do you think the effect of dual cultivation would be better if we held hands?" Li Mo asked after infusing the Moon Soul Crystal.
Ying Bing raised an eyebrow slightly. "In that case, wouldn't massaging the feet with your hands have the same effect?"
Li Mo: "!"
Has Ice Block learned to apply what he's learned to other situations? He's showing signs of his genius!
"I think we should give it a try. We might have discovered a new use for <Phoenix Singing in the Heavenly Marsh>."
"But I have to keep watch at night, so you'll have to practice on your own."
Ying Bing's eyes held a hint of a smile as she gently tapped his forehead with her index finger and stood up.
"Profound."
Little Li clenched his fist and felt a sense of emptiness.
At this moment, Little Li's desire to use the Somersault Cloud reached its peak.
Even if it's not a 108,000-mile somersault, surely it can return to Nanguan City?
Now they have to take turns keeping watch at night, so they can't practice dual cultivation anymore.
There are still three transformations to go before the Seventy-Two Transformations are complete.
Completing these three transformations will unlock the next Divine Ability...