Mountain North

"Wow, it's so big! It must be at least a three-thousand-year-old ginseng spirit! And it's been blessed by the power of the moon. I think it can be sold as a ten-thousand-year-old ginseng monster! We're rich!"

Ginseng is not produced locally in Mozhu Mountain. This spirit has cultivated so much. It is probably because it is about to transform, its talent is enlightened, and it has awakened the method of earth escape. It escaped from the north. I never expected that it would fall into your hands. Zetian, your immortal fate is so unbelievable! Here is the first pot of gold for your cultivation!

Tsk, what a pity, what a pity! This idiot gnawed it all to pieces! If you're going to eat it, then eat it properly! Isn't one arm enough for you? Why did you have to gnaw it all to pieces?

After circling the ginseng remains three times, Song Dayou increasingly regretful and heartbroken, and kicked Tu Lou in the rear.

Tu Lou, "Baa--!"

Zheng Zetian remained expressionless. "Master, this ginseng has a bloody, foul odor. It doesn't seem like something a proper mountain spirit would acquire by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Will it really kill someone if used as medicine?"

"Yes, it does seem to have been cultivated using evil methods. It would definitely turn mortals into demons if they used it, and it would be extremely poisonous to ordinary cultivators as well. But it doesn't matter. Those demons in Mo Mountain are used to eating these kinds of things, and their stomachs are very strong. Moreover, Lou Guan's alchemy is also very powerful, so it would be a valuable ingredient for refining pills. Don't worry, leave it to me! I'm sure I can sell it for a good price!"

So Song Dayou made a hand seal and summoned a flying sword. After working for a while, he dismembered the ginseng monster into eight pieces, wrapped them in yellow talismans and red paper, and put them into his Storage Jade. When he finished, he saw Zheng Zetian staring at the flying sword with curiosity, so he casually pointed and let the sword fall into his disciple's hand so that he could take a closer look.

"This is the Black Sword forged by our sect. This is a semi-finished sword blank, which can only be considered a magical Magic Treasure that can be controlled. It is a defective product that has been selected through multiple rounds of sword forging by the sect."

Look at the engravings on the hilt of this sword. This sword only has seventy-three inscriptions, which is not up to Huangfu Sword Master's standards for selecting swords. However, it is still usable, so I won't waste resources on spirit enhancement. I'll give it to the disciple as a reward for self-defense. Of course, if you find it easy to wield, you can upgrade and spirit enhance the sword yourself when you become skilled."

"Unqualified?"

For once, Zheng Zetian showed a rare expression. The sword in his hand gleamed with a purple light, its Sword Light cold and sharp, capable of cutting hair in two and slicing stone like mud. He Dao Breath of Dao onto the spine of the sword, and frost formed on it. One could even see densely packed talismanic patterns between the dragon patterns, flashing past like lightning.

Such a divine weapon, in the past, would have fetched at least several million strings of cash at auctions, and the bidding would have at least resulted in the deaths of a hundred or eighty rogue cultivators, right?

"The standards at Ink Bamboo Mountain are so strict..."

"That's not it. It's mainly because some swordsmiths are a bit too meticulous, and the sword-making process is indeed too complicated, requiring too much equipment. The experimental factory over there doesn't have enough capacity or layout. Now that the trial production line is open, once the first batch of swords from Tai Su Tian is produced, if there are no major problems, I heard that they will be preparing to build a dedicated factory in the South China Sea."

"Eh..."

Now even flying swords can be mass-produced in factories...?

Song Dayou laughed,

"Ze Tian, if you're interested, you can go to Tianyu Mountain to participate in the Inner Sect competition. There are two types: sword fighting and an exam."

The exams are relatively difficult, with two sessions each year: midterm and final exams. Only the top three students in the Six Arts College Entrance Examination simulation are eligible to exchange bamboo talismans for flying swords. Because Tianyu Mountain has many Daoist disciples from various sects studying there, competing with those top students for the top three spots is indeed quite challenging.

However, Tianyu Mountain also has a sword fighting playoffs, with plenty of opportunities for sword fighting and magical duels each season.

For example, there are monthly sword-fighting tournaments in one-on-one, two-on-two, three-on-three, and five-on-five formats. Every quarter, there is an arena challenge tournament where sealed and captured demons and monsters are released and executed, and the winner is determined by who can clear the level or kill the most monsters.

Based on the situation at the front, there are still four major battlefields to fight in: the Ten-thousand-mountains, Yu Mountain, the South Sea, and Xun Kingdom. Occasionally, there will also be open-world demon god team battles to compete for the first kill of the Devil Embryo Demon God.

In addition, when Lei Marsh opens, there are various designated demon-slaying events sponsored by merchants, designated task item collection, and various challenge matches, such as winning twelve consecutive matches without using magic weapons.

At the end of each year, there is also the First Martial Arts Competition of the Disciples of the Tribulation, which is modeled after the Yuntai Grand Competition.

The top ten players in the entire season, as well as the winners of each sub-event, will receive corresponding rewards such as Bamboo Talisman Sect Merit, Elixir, Cloud Seal Magic Treasure, and can also exchange these rewards for the qualification to redeem a flying sword.

In short, any disciple with ability, determination, and courage will have no shortage of opportunities to stand out.

"Wow..." Zheng Zetian stared, mouth agape, looking at the sword and then at Song Dayou. "Master, you must be very powerful to have obtained such a sword, right?"

Song Dayou embarrassed, "... It's alright, this sword was a reward I got when my friends and I teamed up and got first place in a five-person raid. It's just that my lightning magic cultivation was slow, and before I could even show off my skills after I mastered the Dao, I was ambushed by the demon prince and couldn't catch up with them anymore..."

No, however! This is because my talent is mediocre; my Dao Thunder Technique is still very powerful!

Zheng Zetian nodded, "Yes, Lei Fa is quite powerful."

Although I can't remember too many details, back then quite a few disciples of the Luo Sect died from lightning magic, even more than from flying swords.

Song Dayou was probably afraid that his hard-won disciple would want to learn swordsmanship after seeing the flying sword, so he cleaned up the ginseng scattered all over the ground and quickly took him to Moshan to apply for permission to teach from Qingtingzi, who was in seclusion.

The scenery in Moshan is quite different from that in Lou Guan City.

From afar, one can see a massive city that almost obscures the sky. The city walls, built using the earthen construction method of the Moshan Dao, reach the heavens, which are shrouded in dark clouds, blocking out the sun. Even birds have to detour around it.

This is the place where that great master secluded himself for cultivation, and also the place where the evil-transformed Tai Su demon was suppressed.

The entire Moshan Five Sons Peak were arranged by the Grand Master using the Mountain Moving Technique, raising the earthen walls to a height of hundreds of feet like city walls. The outer perimeter was further enclosed by the Weak Water, like a moat, enclosing the entire Moshan area within the walls and forming a huge, isolated nature reserve, resembling a crater.

Not only was he exposed to the daily False Moon, and not only were he exposed to the demonic beings Devil Embryo transformed by the Tai Su evil, but the Giant also continuously Moon Worship, introducing a large number of animals, plants, and demonic creatures from the Tai Su Realm, and putting them all into the Ink Mountain for experiments.

This is equivalent to the Ink Mountain within this wall, which is accelerating the evolution of the Tai Su Dao and the future of the entire Taiji Realm.

This kind of Devil Domain on earth is so powerful that ordinary cultivators wouldn't dare to enter unless they possessed the Nascent Soul Stage realm, advanced Tai Su transformation cultivation, and considerable Dao heart and composure.

Although Song Dayou some Moon Worship equipment such as umbrellas and sunglasses, he didn't dare to enter such a realm. So he took Zheng Zetian and flew down to the outside of the giant city gate, waiting at the train station platform marked 'North of Moshan'.

Yes, the railway station and the railway bureau headquarters have a dedicated line that runs through the tunnel beneath the giant city gate into Moshan, transporting and trading special materials between Lou Guan City and Moshan. There is also a corresponding station on the other side of the city gate to prevent creatures from the Moshan Devil Domain from traveling through the railway to the outside world and causing irreparable pollution to the natural environment.

"We're going into the mountain to pay our respects to our master, so we don't need to bring our mounts. We'll need to buy tickets anyway, so you can go around to the front of the mountain and wait for us."

At Song Dayou's command, Lei Yun, carrying Tu Lou, whooshed into the clouds and disappeared around the mountain.

So Zheng Zetian followed Song Dayou into the station. There was a bright and clean Hall of Light. On one side, there was a counter with Mechanical Puppet on duty, and on the other side were benches for passengers to wait. The railway platform was right across the door.

Zheng Zetian looked around, "It seems like nobody's here..."

Besides the two of them, the only other person in the waiting room was the puppet on duty.

"Why would there be anyone at the entrance of Moshan? People usually board the bus from Lou Guan City. I just flew here to save on transportation costs. Besides, it's almost sunset. We can't cross Moshan after dark."

Song Dayou said, "Go sit for a while, I'll send a telegram to my master first."

Then he went to the shop window and spoke to a Mechanical Puppet. The puppet made a series of clattering sounds, like it was using an abacus, on some iron lump. After a while, something started beeping and clattering. The puppet then made another series of clattering sounds and passed a note to Song Dayou through the window.

Song Dayou looked at them, nodded, held up two fingers, and took two cards back from the puppet.

"Master happens to have some free time. Let's wait a bit; there's one last bus around 3 PM. Here, take the tickets."

Zheng Zetian looked at the ticket. He saw that it was only half the size of the talisman paper. The texture was hard and looked like a bamboo sign. When Zheng Zetian took the ticket in his hand, the ink on the ticket actually flowed and turned into the word "".

Song Dayou silently looked at his 'sky' and then at his own 'man'.

"I was thinking that this was probably it. Tai Su Daoist is indeed extraordinary. Usually, only a true person who has read the Great Learning can be rated as 'Heaven'."

"Hold your ticket safe. They'll give you a cape when you board. You need to stick your ticket to your chest. Other instructions will be explained on the train, but they're mainly for passengers, so I won't go into details."

"Oh..." Zheng Zetian turned his head again to look at the machine in the counter.

"That's a telegram. I don't know why it's called a 'telegram,' but it's a kind of Magic Treasure that can send messages to cultivators on Ink Bamboo Mountain using the primordial spirit technique. As long as the recipient isn't in seclusion, it can send a reply instantly, even faster than a messenger talisman. We used to use the Mountain God and City God to send messages, but now the Immortal Palace has been deified, and even the Investiture of the Gods can't be done anymore."

Branch hospitals, train stations, mines, and medicinal gardens all use this for communication, which is quite convenient, but it's a bit expensive—ten taels per word. If you use it, remember to be frugal; you know how precious words are."

"Oh."

Zheng Zetian sat down on the chair, waited for the car, took out a plum and started eating it, and gave one to Song Dayou.

Song Dayou shook his head and said, "You eat. I've long since stopped eating. I live on air and dew, saving money wherever I can." Then he sat down and took out a math book to pass the time.

After waiting for about half an incense stick's time, it seemed that fog was rising outside the station, and then, faintly, Zheng Zetian heard the shrieking sound of some monster.

"That's a ship's horn. Come on, let's get in."

After finishing the plums in a few bites, Zheng Zetian followed Song Dayou to the platform. To his surprise, the weather, which had been fine just moments before, was now shrouded in thick fog, and even a person could not be seen more than two zhang away.

Then from the other side of the railway, some enormous iron beast, with its single eye gleaming with brilliant light, roared as it broke through the clouds and mist!

Zheng Zetian stared dumbfounded at the locomotive that was slowly slowing down and passing in front of him, his face full of astonishment.

"... Why are you so shocked to see a railway vehicle? Isn't that just a locomotive? Lou Guan City has those too."

Song Dayou was also baffled, marveling at how unique Daozi's way of thinking truly was.

Zheng Zetian glanced at him, then looked at the 'motorcycle' in front of him, and after thinking for a moment, decided not to say anything.

Could it be that this mechanical railway car is actually alive? Or perhaps it's best to forget it; sometimes, not being able to see or recognize something right in front of you doesn't necessarily mean you've missed out on a destiny of immortality.

It could also be a form of self-protection.

"Welcome aboard the mechanical railway. Please change into your raincoats."

A woman stepped out of the carriage; she was a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, a Spirit Race who had transformed into human form. Judging from her deliberately beast-like ears and tail, she was probably a feline like a leopard or lynx. She wore a rather strange dark blue outfit, a short skirt revealing her long thighs, covered by a black, transparent silk thinner than gauze. Her upper body resembled a short jacket, but the cut differed from Central Plains customs, suggesting it was barbarian clothing. Between her two cat ears, she wore a peculiar hat with a gold plaque engraved with the character "Heaven."

"They are Railway Warden," Song Dayou explained.

Zheng Zetian had never seen such strange clothes before, but it didn't matter. What the real people liked to wear was none of his business. Going naked wasn't out of the question either, since what race, besides humans, didn't go around naked?

What interested him was the clothes the other party had given him. Of course, this 'shadow cloak' wasn't the miniskirt guarded by cat ears; it was just a hooded cloak that automatically generated a faint mist when worn. Its main function seemed to be to completely cover the face under the cloak, and it also seemed to isolate one's Divine Sense and perception to a considerable extent.

Following Song Dayou's example, they put on cloaks and affixed their train tickets to their chests. The Railway Warden commander smiled at them, gesturing for them to come in. He continued to stand on the station, his eyes gleaming with a bright yellow light as he scanned back and forth in the mist, seemingly wary of something.

Interestingly, once he got into the car, Zheng Zetian began to hear his cloak talking to him.

"Welcome aboard. This station is Moshan North. Your destination is Moshan South. You are traveling in economy class. After boarding, please turn right and continue forward."

Song Dayou seemed to be following the cloak's instructions, walking along the carriage aisle. On one side were exterior windows, and on the other side were passenger compartments. It seemed that the doors to each compartment were closed and sealed with talismans, and could only be opened from the inside.

As they walked, Zheng Zetian came to understand what it meant to say, "It will be explained on the bus."

"North of Moshan, we've arrived."

Attention all passengers: After entering the Moshan section, the train may make a brief stop. The dining car will be closed. Please do not enter or leave the carriages, and please do not get on or off the train.

Attention all passengers in the "Tian" class: If you experience any psychological or physical discomfort during your journey on the Moshan section, please immediately call for the Railway Warden or seek assistance from fellow passengers in the "Tian" class. *3

Attention all passengers: If anyone outside your carriage requests entry during your journey in the Moshan section, please do not Door Opening. Railway Warden and other passengers in your carriage may Door Opening themselves. *3

Passengers with the word "ghost" please note that if you find the word "ghost" in the carriage, please call the railway guard immediately or ask for help from the passengers with the word "" on the same train.*3'

Goodness, this cloak-wearing guy just keeps babbling on and on, and he repeats every single sentence three times, with the rest of the text also multiplied by three...

Attention all passengers!

If the train stops for an extended period in the Moshan section, or if the carriage doors cannot be closed, or if the train is damaged, or if the Railway Warden are unable to respond to your call in a timely manner.

Please do not panic, please do not remove your raincoat, please try not to stray far from the carriage, and please try not to stray far from the railway tracks.

There are two hidden pockets inside your cloak.

Note that this is a first-aid kit. Please do not tear it open beforehand, otherwise a fine of five thousand taels will be charged for each bag.

Note that this item is only recommended in life-or-death situations; other problems will be quickly resolved by the Railway Warden and the "Sky" passengers.

In the hidden pocket on your left, there is a blue pill. Swallow the blue pill, and you will wake up from your dream.

In the hidden pocket on your right, there is a red pill. Swallow the red pill, and your dream will come true.

Please confirm your ticket first.

When you are a 'ghost', take the blue pill immediately.

If you find yourself having a nightmare, take the blue pill immediately.

If you find yourself having a pleasant dream, immediately take the blue pill.

If you notice yourself getting bigger, take the blue pill immediately.

When you notice yourself shrinking, immediately take the red pill, then take the blue pill.

When you are injured by a 'ghost', immediately take the red pill, then take the blue pill.

If you are unsure of your condition, take the blue pill immediately.

Please note that the left hand holds a blue pill, and the right hand holds a red pill.

If you cannot distinguish the colors, take the pill in your left hand.

If you cannot distinguish between your left and right hands, but can still hear this sentence, please take one pill.

If you do not wake up, take another pill.

"..."

Zheng Zetian pinched his cloak.

"Why don't I have any pills?"

"Because you are a traveler of the 'Heaven' element, the pills will be ineffective for you. Besides, it's better to rely on yourself than others. If you see a 'ghost' harming 'people,' then you should deal with it yourself."

Eh...

"We've arrived. This is our carriage. Master will board the train and meet us when we reach Shenzi Peak."

Song Dayou opened the car door and went inside.

This is a four-person carriage with leather seats on both sides, and you can see the mountain view from one side. It looks quite spacious.

Zheng Zetian stood at the door of the carriage, glanced inside, frowned, and hesitated for a moment whether to go in.

Because there was already a 'ghost' sitting in the carriage.