Liu Chengfeng rode Ah Yuan, stood atop another mountain peak, and looked down into the valley. He couldn't help but freeze.
The God Tomb had vanished. He immediately opened the Celestial Body, used the Heavenly Mound to sense for it, and peered through the Sky Eye.
But he couldn't find a trace of the God Tomb. Even when he turned the Heavenly Mound and called out to it, there was no response.
"Where's the God Tomb?"
Liu Chengfeng woke Little Meng Mountain.
"It moved."
"Where did it go?"
"I don't know."
Little Meng Mountain had no answer. This was beyond its abilities; the God Tomb was too mysterious for it to glimpse.
Liu Chengfeng couldn't help feeling a headache coming on. The corpse had told him to worship at the God Tomb during Full Moon Mid-Yin, but hadn't mentioned that the tomb could move.
Unwilling to give up, Liu Chengfeng used the Heavenly Mound and the Sky Eye to communicate with it.
He asked the rivers in the mountains, then the flowers and trees, but they had no idea where the God Tomb had gone either.
"It's still somewhere in Little Meng Mountain."
In the end, that was the only definite answer Little Meng Mountain could give.
Little Meng Mountain was vast. Liu Chengfeng had no idea where to look.
Just then, the struggle for the Medicine King had reached a fever pitch.
The youth with the Flame Golden Feather and the peerless woman with the Seven-Colored Flying Sword held an absolute advantage. One of the two was bound to emerge victorious.
Neither yielded to the other. They fought a battle to the death.
They were evenly matched when, suddenly, an even more powerful being descended from the sky.
The might of the Great Dao crashed down, sweeping over the mountains like a raging tide.
With a thunderous boom, the newcomer struck and sent both of them flying.
The one who had descended wore Golden Dragon Armor. She was tall and willowy, with long, jade-like legs and a full, shapely figure. It was clear at a glance that she was a woman.
A Phoenix Plume Helmet covered her head, hiding her face. No one could tell whether she was beautiful or plain.
"The Nine-Transformation Earth Silkworm is mine."
The Dragon Armor Woman was not only domineering, but powerful.
The might of the Great Dao she unleashed made the cultivators and thousand-year-old exotic beasts present tremble.
"She's so strong."
"She could kill me with ease."
Ah Yuan was deeply wary of such a powerful cultivator.
Cultivators this powerful loved to take their true blood.
The Dragon Armor Woman was so formidable that none of the cultivators or exotic beasts present could oppose her. The Nine-Transformation Earth Silkworm was about to fall into her hands.
Suddenly, a roar rang out. A mighty beastly aura surged like a giant wave, laying waste to everything in its path and smashing a forest of towering trees.
A Giant Ape, a hundred meters tall, appeared. It strode forward, stepping over mountain peaks, its massive shadow covering the entire battlefield.
The Giant Ape's appearance struck terror into the hearts of every cultivator and thousand-year-old exotic beast present.
"Over ten thousand years old? This is bad."
Even Ah Yuan shuddered at the sight of the Giant Ape. A beast this old was already an Exotic Beast Emperor.
The Giant Ape carried an Ancient Copper Staff on its back. It swung the staff, bringing it down on the Dragon Armor Woman like a mountain.
The Dragon Armor Woman cried out in alarm. With a spear in hand, she let out a long, unbroken shout. A phoenix soared through the sky as ice sealed the earth, and she charged to meet the Giant Ape.
The Giant Ape possessed boundless strength, while the Dragon Armor Woman's Dao might was fierce. The two clashed, shattering forests and splitting valleys.
The cultivators and exotic beasts nearby suffered for it. Their screams rose and fell as blood sprayed everywhere.
The other cultivators and thousand-year-old spirit beasts fled in terror.
"Let's go—"
Liu Chengfeng had no interest in watching the battle, nor did he want to be caught in the crossfire. He had to find the God Tomb, so he turned Ah Yuan around and left.
Liu Chengfeng had no idea where the God Tomb had moved. He could only use the simplest method.
Riding Ah Yuan, he searched mountain peak after mountain peak and valley after valley.
At the same time, he activated the Celestial Body in his mind, communicating with all things on the land and searching for any trace of the God Tomb.
While Liu Chengfeng hurried from place to place in search of the God Tomb, the battle on Little Meng Mountain took a turn.
The Dragon Armor Woman and the Giant Ape fought until all of Little Meng Mountain shook. Countless towering trees were smashed apart, and rivers were broken in two.
In the end, the Dragon Armor Woman was no match for the Giant Ape and was defeated.
Liu Chengfeng saw that the Dragon Armor Woman was wounded as she fled through the sky.
Close behind her were not only the Giant Ape with the Ancient Copper Staff in hand, but also a Fire Sparrow.
The Fire Sparrow spread its wings. Its flames blazed so fiercely they could burn a hundred meters of sky. Like a sun, it was immensely powerful.
"A Fire Sparrow—another giant beast over ten thousand years old."
Ah Yuan couldn't help but shudder at the sight of it.
The strongest of them, the Dragon Armor Woman, had been routed. The other cultivators on Little Meng Mountain stood no chance against the exotic beasts.
Some fled in panic; others were killed by the beasts.
Not a single cultivator remained on Little Meng Mountain. It had become a world ruled by exotic beasts.
After the exotic beasts seized Little Meng Mountain, the giant beasts over ten thousand years old issued a summons.
They called every exotic beast on Little Meng Mountain. Ah Yuan was among those summoned.
"Three ten-thousand-year-old giant beasts..."
Liu Chengfeng didn't need the Celestial Body to observe or sense what was happening. From the summons issued to the exotic beasts, he knew that Little Meng Mountain had fallen under the control of three giant beasts more than ten thousand years old.
"There!"
Night fell, and the full moon rose into the sky.
Beneath the moonlight, an ancient tomb stood atop a mountain peak, its stone stele reaching toward the heavens.
It was the vanished God Tomb.
At the same time, every exotic beast on Little Meng Mountain surged toward the mountain where the God Tomb stood, summoned by the three great beasts. They swarmed toward it like a tide.
All of Little Meng Mountain was silent. Aside from the sound of the beast tide moving, not a voice could be heard.
The scene was eerie and frightening to behold.
Riding Ah Yuan, Liu Chengfeng followed the beast tide toward the God Tomb.
Fortunately, Ah Yuan carried him. If he had appeared among the exotic beasts' pilgrimage as a cultivator, the other beasts would have attacked him.
Ah Yuan carried Liu Chengfeng to the mountainside. Here, the beast tide had already knelt in a dense mass, all of them bowing before the God Tomb.
Thousands upon thousands of exotic beasts knelt together, preparing to hold a grand sacrifice. It was a breathtaking sight, one the human world had never seen before.
Beneath the moonlight, the God Tomb stood atop the peak, towering over the exotic beasts and seeming all the more mysterious and terrifying.
Watching this, Liu Chengfeng couldn't help recalling the vision he had seen on the river, and the scene of a supreme, invincible figure slaying millions of exotic beasts.
Imperial Pass Slays Ten Thousand Beasts, One Technique Suppresses the Ages.
Liu Chengfeng silently repeated the words to himself, unsure what the God Tomb meant.
Three ten-thousand-year-old giant beasts presided over the sacrifice. Besides the Giant Ape and the Fire Sparrow who had appeared earlier, there was also a White Tiger.
The White Tiger was enormous, no smaller than the white ape or the Fire Sparrow. A tuft of golden fur on its forehead formed the character for "king."
Before the three giant beasts lay a number of captured cultivators. Every one of them was deathly pale, with no hope of escaping death.
"What are you worshipping?"
"A god, I suppose. I don't know either."
Ah Yuan couldn't answer Liu Chengfeng's question.
He couldn't say what the God Tomb represented, or why giant beasts had suddenly come to worship it.
Now, all the exotic beasts on Little Meng Mountain were under the command of the three giant beasts.
The sacrifice began. The three giant beasts ordered the captured cultivators killed, and screams rose one after another.
The slain cultivators were laid before the God Tomb like offerings. The three giant beasts filled a sacrificial vessel with fresh blood, each holding one.
They knelt before the God Tomb and worshipped with utmost reverence.
"May our master descend into the world, slay the myriad races, and rule Qingmeng."
"May our master descend into the world, slay the myriad races, and rule Qingmeng."
As the three great beasts chanted their prayers, every exotic beast on Little Meng Mountain roared in unison.
Their roars shook heaven and earth, and their beastly aura rolled in waves, terrifying to behold.
Even Ah Yuan couldn't help himself. He could only kneel and join the worship.
Incense was burned, offerings were presented, and blood was sprinkled. The sacrifice began, its chants resounding across Little Meng Mountain.
The scene was eerie yet sacred, enough to make one's hair stand on end.
"Our master?"
Liu Chengfeng's heart skipped a beat. Who exactly were the three great beasts asking to descend?
Was it the invincible figure, or the One-Legged Exotic Beast, whose body was like that of a god or devil?
What was buried in the God Tomb? Was the Source of the Origin God really here?
For a moment, all kinds of thoughts crowded into his mind.
But no matter how the exotic beasts called out, no matter how they performed their sacrifice, the God Tomb showed no sign of movement. The "master" they called for did not appear.
For a time, the three giant beasts were at a loss.
This was not how they had imagined the sacrifice would go. They had summoned their master before all the beasts, but couldn't bring him forth. That was a problem.
At that moment, dark clouds appeared in the sky, slowly covering the full moon.
"Full Moon Mid-Yin."
When Liu Chengfeng saw the clouds cover the moon, his heart jolted. It was time for him to worship.
He and Ah Yuan were on the mountainside. Whether out of fear of the pressure or due to their difference in status, Ah Yuan could only bring Liu Chengfeng this far.
If he wanted to reach the peak, Liu Chengfeng would have to go alone.
With the three giant beasts' overwhelming pressure and hundreds, even thousands, of exotic beasts surrounding him, the danger was unimaginable.
Liu Chengfeng took a deep breath. The Celestial Body in his mind began to turn as he called to Little Meng Mountain.
"Help me climb the mountain. I'm going to worship at the God Tomb."
Little Meng Mountain hesitated. In this situation, helping Liu Chengfeng reach the summit would come at a great cost.
"If you want the God Tomb's benefits, you'll have to pay the price."
Liu Chengfeng stood upon the earth, his body rooted like a mountain, the Sky Eye covering Little Meng Mountain.
Little Meng Mountain had no choice but to pour all its spiritual energy into Liu Chengfeng's body. The Spirit Vein became his root, and his momentum rose like a mountain.
Liu Chengfeng strode forward, like a mountain peak in motion, forcing aside even the exotic beasts kneeling on the ground.
Little Meng Mountain chose to lend Liu Chengfeng its strength and help him ascend.
Liu Chengfeng reached the peak. The three giant beasts looked down at him. Before their enormous bodies, he was like an ant.
Liu Chengfeng and the mountain were one, towering and unmoving.
"Your sacrifice failed. You couldn't summon your master. Let me try."
The three giant beasts were enraged by his disrespectful words. But they were also shocked that Liu Chengfeng could communicate with them directly.
The hundreds upon hundreds of exotic beasts kneeling on the ground were also startled as they watched Liu Chengfeng.
"This is your only chance. Will you accept your failure, or let me perform the sacrifice?"
Liu Chengfeng kept his composure, showing not the slightest fear as he faced the three giant beasts.
The three giant beasts' pressure made even Ah Yuan tremble. Anyone else there, with hundreds upon hundreds of exotic beasts surrounding them, would have been shaking with fear.
The three giant beasts exchanged glances. They were already at a loss, and had no way to open the God Tomb. Why not let this little ant try?
The three giant beasts stepped back, allowing Liu Chengfeng to stand before the God Tomb.
Liu Chengfeng took out the Golden Incense Stick, bowed deeply, and shouted.
"Imperial Pass Slays Ten Thousand Beasts, One Technique Suppresses the Ages."
His shout reached every exotic beast's ears. They were all astonished.
In an instant, the dark clouds covering the full moon parted.
Moonlight flowed down like water, illuminating the Golden Incense Stick in Liu Chengfeng's hand. Wisps of green smoke rose from it.
The smoke reached the stone stele, which began to tremble.
Every exotic beast was overjoyed. The three giant beasts cried out in excitement, and the others joined them. Their roars rolled over the mountains like landslides, while their beastly auras surged without end.
The God Tomb seemed to sense their beastly aura and began to tremble.
The exotic beasts' auras gathered wildly, causing the Golden Incense Stick in Liu Chengfeng's hand to burn brighter and release more smoke.
The smoke enveloped the stone stele, and runes emerged.
Like invisible hands, the smoke manipulated the runes, forcibly pushing open a doorway among them.
Now!
Liu Chengfeng's body flashed like lightning as he rushed through the doorway and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Before you continue