Canyun Mountain

"Ha, forget it."

Zhao Wei sneered, his gaze unconsciously flicking toward Wu Dao. When he saw the faint hostility Wu Dao showed toward Meng Qingshan, he finally relaxed.

His earlier attempt to win Wu Dao over had only been lip service. It wasn't as though Wu Dao had truly and wholeheartedly joined the White Whale Martial Arts Hall.

If Wu Dao and Meng Qingshan hit it off and found they shared the same temperament, that could spell trouble for the White Whale Martial Arts Hall.

"Tsk."

Seeing this, Meng Qingshan grew more wary of Wu Dao, then looked away and said helplessly, "It's been years, Brother Zhao, and you're still as short-tempered as ever.

"As the saying goes, even broken bones remain connected by sinew. However things stand, we trained under the same master. Why make things so..."

"Enough, Third Brother Meng. Aren't you tired of putting on airs all day? You and the Four Seas Gang—I know exactly what you're like."

Zhao Wei impatiently cut Meng Qingshan off. "Since you've come here, I take it you're after the Flesh Tai Sui in Canyun Mountain too. There's no point in saying more. We'll settle this with our own hands."

With that,

Zhao Wei put on a genial smile again and cupped his fists toward Mao Ba and Yun Tianliu. "Daoist, Brother Yun, let's be off. We'll be relying on you both along the way."

That display

made Wu Dao think even more highly of Zhao Wei.

He could bend as well as stand, and knew how to read the situation. That alone put him ahead of the vast majority.

Mao Ba and Yun Tianliu frowned at Zhao Wei's overture. After glancing at Meng Qingshan and Yingsha, they hesitated briefly before nodding, accepting Zhao Wei's offer of an alliance—for now.

The situation was just as Wu Dao had expected.

With the Four Seas Gang, that loathsome cancer in Guangqing Prefecture, as their common enemy,

the White Whale Martial Arts Hall's and Wu Dao's own little stain of disgrace seemed insignificant.

It proved the old saying:

He who follows the Way has many allies; he who abandons it has few.

Yet Meng Qingshan looked entirely untroubled, as if their alliance meant nothing to him. It was hard to tell whether he was simply steady by nature or confident enough not to fear them.

"Everyone, allow this humble Daoist one more word before we go."

Before setting out,

Mao Ba offered another pointed reminder. "Our priority on this trip is to subdue the demon. Don't lose sight of that and let the beast profit for nothing."

Anyone with eyes could tell

he was warning Meng Qingshan and Yingsha to behave themselves.

It was no wonder the young Daoist had such confidence.

He came from an Immortal Dao faction, and Huanglong Temple was renowned among Guangqing Prefecture's upper martial circles. Even if Mao Ba openly targeted him, Meng Qingshan wouldn't dare fall out with him.

To put it bluntly,

if Yingsha weren't there,

Wu Dao suspected Mao Ba and Yun Tianliu wouldn't have bothered showing Meng Qingshan any respect. They would have attacked him at once in the name of chivalry.

"Ha, Daoist, rest assured. Qingshan knows better than to be unreasonable."

Under Mao Ba's pointed warning,

a flash of brutality passed through Meng Qingshan's eyes, but he showed no anger on the surface. He remained the same smiling, easygoing soul.

Seeing Meng Qingshan's docile demeanor,

Mao Ba said no more. He formed a seal with his hands, chanted an unknown incantation, then called out, "Go!"

The Green Crane, which had been circling overhead, immediately obeyed. It beat its wings and soared away, darting more than ten meters ahead in the blink of an eye and steadily picking up speed.

"This humble Daoist will lead the way!"

Mao Ba called out. His robe flapped loudly as he shot off first, a gray blur, with Yun Tianliu following close behind.

"Zhang Long, Cui Shan, Li Hu, the three of you wait here. There's no need to come along."

Zhao Wei didn't set off right away. Instead, he cautioned the three martial artists from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, keeping them out of this dangerous business.

With Meng Qingshan and Black Shark, a Cocoon-Breaking Realm expert, on the scene, if they went berserk and started killing, Wu Dao and he would be too busy looking after themselves to stop them.

"Yes, Hall Master. Take care!"

The three Inner Strengthening martial artists knew better than to argue. They cupped their fists, then quickly left.

Bang!

Bang!

The bluestone ground burst into two sunken cracks beneath the crushing force.

Wu Dao and Zhao Wei sprang forward one after the other, racing off in a gust of wind to catch up with Mao Ba ahead.

"Uncle Ya, keep your eyes fixed on that man once we enter the mountain. He's no simple opponent."

Meng Qingshan narrowed his eyes as he watched Wu Dao's back and issued Yingsha a grave warning.

Of everyone present just now,

Wu Dao was the only one Meng Qingshan couldn't see through, and the one who gave off the strongest air of danger. He couldn't afford to let his guard down for even a moment.

Uncle Ya's hollow eyes rested on Wu Dao.

Like a robot that knew only how to obey, he stiffly nodded.

Then

the two of them set off as well, disappearing at the end of the street in just a few blinks and leaving the four wandering martial artists staring at one another.

Now that the contest had reached the Divine Strength Realm, Inner Strengthening Realm fighters like them would likely end up as cannon fodder sent to scout the way. The risks were simply too great.

But...

As the saying went, the bold grew rich while the timid starved. There were always people who thought they were Heaven's chosen.

After a brief hesitation,

one woman among the four turned back, but the other three still gave chase, clinging to a sliver of hope.

Since the age of the ancient forebears, when the world was still dim and untamed, people had always thought of mountains as rich places steeped in an inescapable mystery.

Those who lived by mountains ate from mountains; those who lived by water ate from water.

Mountains and rivers abounded in produce and resources, nourishing generation after generation, one region's people after another.

Yet while people felled mountains, cleared forests, and dug for treasure,

the sinister, uncanny things hidden in the mountains also kept surfacing. They shattered people's understanding, devoured unwelcome intruders, and shrouded the peaks in an inescapable veil of demonic mystery.

Mountain Spirits and Ghosts, man-eating beasts, Fox Immortal Worships the Moon, Evil Ghost Remains, Miasma Snakes and Insects...

Tales of the mountains' strange and wondrous mysteries had never ceased. Warnings from old mountain folk and stories passed around the streets deepened people's fear of the mountains with every generation.

In those shadowy depths, it seemed that Demons and Monsters truly roamed. Cut off from the world, they came and went without a trace, swallowing human lives at will and giving rise to one forbidden land after another.

Canyun Mountain.

In recent days, it had become a desolate wilderness shrouded in mystery and menace.

Ever since people first settled the land,

the boundless forest, rolling like waves through the mountain's deep recesses, had rarely seen a human visitor. Only a few bold souls who climbed high for a distant view had glimpsed a fraction of its true face.

But tonight,

a band of unwelcome visitors barged into this primordial wilderness, shattering the peace within Canyun Mountain.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The mountain wind howled, and the sea of trees rustled.

Above the forest canopy, beneath the stars and moon,

the group led by Mao Ba moved like wildcats and apes, their toes skimming the treetops as they leaped more than ten meters at a time, bounding ever deeper into the mountain.

There were nine of them.

The weakest had reached the peak of the Inner Strengthening Realm, with strength beyond a tiger or ox and the agility of a leopard or wildcat. There was no need for them to trudge over mountains and wade through rivers; they flew from rock to tree, darting high and far.

The beasts prowling through the forest at night heard only a gust of wind sweep overhead. The thick canopy swayed, but by the time they looked up, the travelers had already vanished.

Yet the group's unchecked dash didn't last long. When the towering Canyun Mountain, its summit piercing the clouds, loomed close, a bank of dense fog suddenly blocked their path. Mao Ba, at the front, came to a halt.

Thud, thud, thud—

Heavy impacts echoed as one after another landed.

Yun Tianliu, Wu Dao, Zhao Wei, Meng Qingshan, and Yingsha all touched down. They had raced for dozens of li, yet not one of them was even short of breath—a testament to their formidable stamina.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

But the three wandering martial artists were struggling. They landed panting, their strength nearly spent.

By rights,

an Inner Strengthening fighter had the stamina of a thousand-li horse, and running for dozens of li should have been nothing.

But their leaders were an entire group of Divine Strength Realm monsters. To avoid falling behind, they had to run with all their might, leaving them utterly exhausted.

Men died for wealth as birds died for food.

Wu Dao's nine-foot frame stood atop a boulder as he cast a cool glance at the three martial artists behind him.

What place was there for wild dogs to snatch food in a tiger's Hunting Ground? Those three were perfect examples of people who valued wealth over their lives.

He turned away

and looked up at Canyun Mountain. Abnormal fog shrouded it, blotting out stars and moon. Only a faint outline of its towering mass could be seen. Even with his keen eyesight, he couldn't see a hundred meters into the mist.

His other senses felt as though they had sunk into a mud pit. All around him lay a thick, deep stillness, like some world apart.

This fog...

Wu Dao narrowed his eyes, sensing something amiss. He didn't act rashly, waiting for the specialist up ahead, "Mao Ba," to speak.

"Brother Wu, be careful."

Zhao Wei gave a quiet warning, as if hinting at something.

"Ha, I'd wager Meng Qingshan's grown wary of me."

Wu Dao clicked his tongue against his teeth, understanding what Zhao Wei meant.

His gaze slid toward Yingsha, who stood some distance behind them in the shadow of a tree trunk, silent as a corpse.

Ever since they had left Panshui Town,

he had sensed Yingsha's cold gaze lingering on him off and on, like an eagle high above, locking onto its prey and ready to swoop down at any moment.

As for why,

he could guess.