The Mountain God Temple

Zhu Lie suddenly commanded, "First, bring this general a chair."

Zhuang Yan, who was retrieving a jade scroll, looked up at Zhu Lie, wondering to himself, What is this Heavenly General's rank? He's even more high-handed than Marshal Deng.

Seeing Zhuang Yan hesitate, Zhu Lie glared, "Didn't you hear me speak?"

Zhuang Yan truthfully replied, "There are no chairs in the temple."

Zhu Lie frowned, "There isn't even a stool?"

Zhuang Yan shook his head, "There really isn't."

Zhu Lie scoffed, "So shabby, and you call this a temple?"

Zhuang Yan calmly said, "This is a Mountain God Temple, not a furniture shop. If the general doesn't mind, there is a bed available for rest."

Zhu Lie held his head high, "Very well, it's good to conserve strength before vanquishing demons."

Hearing this, Zhuang Yan took out an embroidered carpet and spread it on the ground, "Your superior resting place is here, please, general, rest."

The Heavenly Soldiers around them turned their faces away, struggling to suppress their laughter. Zhu Lie was furious, grabbed Zhuang Yan by the collar, and roared, "You ignorant fool! A mere minor deity like you dares to toy with this general?"

Zhuang Yan calmly met his gaze, "This subordinate was enfeebled by the Jade Emperor as the Mountain God of Lingtai, holding an Eighth-Rank Immortal Official position in the Lower Yuan."

Zhu Lie sneered, "Personally enfeebled by the Jade Emperor? An eighth-rank insignificant official deserves to trouble the Heavenly Court's supreme being?"

A Heavenly Soldier stepped forward and whispered, "General, Marshal Deng did mention that this deity was recommended by Laojun..."

"Laojun?" Zhu Lie's pupils contracted, and his knuckles unconsciously loosened. He adjusted Zhuang Yan's collar and his tone softened, "Quickly investigate the origin of that demon."

After flipping through the jade scroll, Zhuang Yan reported, "This demon occupies Ghost Sound Ravine and calls himself King Gelo."

"Is that all?" Zhu Lie knitted his brows.

"The jade scroll only contains this much," Zhuang Yan closed the scroll. Zhu Lie thought for a moment and sneered, A mere mountain spirit, hardly worth mentioning.

He suddenly patted Zhuang Yan's shoulder and laughed, "Mountain God, come with this general to Ghost Sound Ravine."

"This is not within my jurisdiction, I regret I cannot comply," Zhuang Yan took half a step back.

"A Sixth-Rank Immortal Official is requisitioned, and you dare disobey?" Zhu Lie's face darkened. Seeing Zhuang Yan turn to leave, he sternly commanded, "Guards! Escort the Mountain God to the clouds!"

The Heavenly Soldiers exchanged glances, and under Zhu Lie's glare, they reluctantly surrounded Zhuang Yan, "Apologies!" They awkwardly lifted him into the air.

"You are derelict in your duty!" Zhuang Yan struggled in vain, a golden light flashed in his eyes. The Heavenly Soldiers carrying him suddenly felt their legs go weak and fell, causing chaos on the cloud.

"Useless! You fall even while riding a cloud?" Zhu Lie cursed.

"General, please see..." The Heavenly Soldiers lay sprawled on the cloud, panting. They had suddenly felt weak...

Zhu Lie stepped forward to check on the Heavenly Soldiers' condition, finding no abnormalities. A moment later, the symptoms of weakness disappeared on their own, and the Heavenly Soldiers regained their spirits.

"Was it you who did this?" Zhu Lie stood up and questioned Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan pointed to the land below, "The culprit is down there."

Zhu Lie observed Zhuang Yan, who only had the cultivation of Qi Refining to Godhood yet was so mysterious, and thought to himself, As expected of someone recommended by Laojun, his methods are cunning, possessing the demeanor of a high-ranking Daoist master.

He followed Zhuang Yan's pointed direction and saw a mountain ravine filled with demonic energy between the peaks. It was undoubtedly Ghost Sound Ravine.

Zhu Lie immediately ordered, "One thousand Heavenly Soldiers to blockade the sky, one thousand Heavenly Soldiers to block the ground exits, and I will personally lead one thousand elite soldiers into the ravine to eliminate the demon."

Zhuang Yan cupped his hands, "This ravine's terrain is simple, there's no need for this minor deity to guide you. I shall take my leave first, wishing the Heavenly General success."

As he was about to leave, Zhu Lie grabbed him, "Since you're here, make yourself at home. It's a good opportunity to show you my skills."

Zhuang Yan secretly shook his head, This is clearly an attempt to regain face after being embarrassed earlier. Can someone with such a temperament be a Heavenly General? Could it be that the Jade Emperor...

Deep within Ghost Sound Ravine, in Evil Sound Cave.

King Gelo, clad in a black robe, sat on his throne, his face black, eyes yellow, wearing a feathered crown and a pointed beak. He shrieked, "Bring my beloved consort up!"

A group of crow-like imps cawed as they brought forth an ice sculpture, within which was sealed a peerless beauty.

King Gelo caressed the ice sculpture and said softly, "My dear, why imprison yourself in ice?"

The fairy's eyes flickered, and a clear voice emanated from the ice, "I am Fairy Nishang of Guanghan Palace. If Your Star Lord is here to punish..."

"Noisy!" King Gelo interrupted, "Does the Western Ox Continent allow the Heavenly Court to interfere? Even if Emperor Zhenwu himself came, he would have to follow the rules!" He then cajoled, "Follow me, and you'll be ten thousand times better off than in heaven."

The fairy closed her eyes, silently praying for the Heavenly Soldiers to arrive quickly.

"Light a fire!" King Gelo roared. The imps busily piled up firewood. He struck out with his palm, and the ice sculpture flew into the bonfire.

The imps frantically piled more wood around the ice pile, fanning the flames, determined to melt the ice for their king. As the cave became hot, a small imp suddenly flew in in a panic, flapping its wings and shouting, "Your Majesty, bad news! Heavenly Soldiers and Generals have arrived at the entrance!"

The demons immediately descended into chaos, dropping their firewood and fleeing in all directions. However, a hint of joy flashed in Fairy Nishang's eyes, who was still encased in ice.

King Gelo was startled at first, then calmly roared, "What are you panicking about! Grab your weapons and follow this king to meet the enemy!"

The demons then rallied, some grabbing weapons, others donning armor, and followed King Gelo out of Evil Sound Cave. They saw Heavenly Soldiers in silver armor filling the sky and ground, led by a Heavenly General and a thousand elite soldiers arrayed in waiting.

King Gelo stepped forward and roared, "Who goes there? How dare you trespass on Ghost Sound Ravine!"

Zhu Lie pointed his golden saber, "I am a Heavenly General before Lingxiao Hall! You demons dare to abduct a fairy from Guanghan Palace, and I am here today to exterminate you! If you are wise, release her quickly, and you may still have your whole bodies!"

"Such big talk!" King Gelo sneered, "Do you dare to fight me one-on-one?"

Zhu Lie laughed, brandished his saber, and leaped forward, "A mere Earth Immortal dares to be so arrogant!" The two immediately clashed in mid-air, sparks flying amidst the flashing blades. After thirty rounds, a crisp sound was heard. King Gelo's sword snapped, and he fell like a broken kite down the cliff.

The Great King! The demons cried out in alarm and swarmed forward. Zhu Lie pressed his advantage. "My men, follow me and flatten this demon cave!"

King Gelo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, suddenly formed a seal, and sneered. "Let me show you the power of the Eight Ghost Sounds!" With that, he opened his mouth and began to sing a strange melody.

As the song rose, the wind and clouds within Ghost Sound Ravine changed dramatically. King Gelo's voice echoed through the valley, the waves of sound interspersed with piercing demonic tones.

Zhuang Yan, who had thought victory was within his grasp, was suddenly struck by a splitting headache. His internal organs churned, his limbs felt weak, and his Blood Essence flowed backward.

He knew something was wrong. This was the invasion of demonic sound. He quickly brought up the "Add Status" interface and applied the "Soundwave Immunity" effect to himself.

As the status took effect, the pain vanished. Zhuang Yan looked up and saw the Heavenly Soldiers lying scattered on the ground, clutching their stomachs and retching, utterly pathetic.

Zhu Lie was even worse, curled up on the rocks with his head in his hands, rolling and groaning in agony.

But he still gritted his teeth and stood up, trembling as he waved his command flag. "Retreat... Retreat outside the mountain!"

Upon hearing the order, the Heavenly Soldiers mustered all their strength to flee the mountain, stumbling and vomiting all the way.

As Zhu Lie stumbled away, he looked back and shouted to Zhuang Yan, "Mountain God, hurry and leave! This demon's sound is too powerful. Let's retreat first and discuss it later!"

With that, he staggered out of the mountain. Just as Zhuang Yan was about to leave, he saw a graceful figure emerge from the cave behind King Gelo – it was Fairy Nishang.

She had heard the thunder of war drums outside the cave and thought the Heavenly Soldiers had won, so she put away the Cold Soul Divine Pearl and rushed out.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out of the cave, the demonic sound entered her ears. Fairy Nishang let out a scream and collapsed to the ground, dizzy and retching uncontrollably.

She struggled to look up and vaguely saw the fleeing Zhu Lie and the Heavenly Soldiers. Only then did she realize something was wrong, but she was too weak to activate the divine pearl.

King Gelo laughed wildly when he saw this. "What an unexpected surprise!"

He shouted to the retreating Heavenly Soldiers, "Dare to invade again, and I will scatter your souls to the winds! Hahaha!"

After speaking, he turned and approached Fairy Nishang, sneering, "Little one, you came to my door yourself. Are you perhaps thinking of this King?"

"Come, let this King dote on you!" He opened his arms and lunged.

"Stop!" Although Zhuang Yan was unwilling to interfere, he could not stand idly by.

"Who?" King Gelo suddenly turned his head and roared, "Who dares to disturb my pleasure?"

Zhuang Yan stood calmly in place. King Gelo frowned. "Who are you?"

Zhuang Yan said faintly, "Mountain God of Lingtai, Zhuang Yan."

"Mountain God?" King Gelo was stunned at first, then burst into laughter. "So it's a Mountain Lord! Just right, men! Invite the Mountain Lord into the cave. When this King marries my beloved concubine, I'll have him as a witness!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The demons responded and lunged at Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan raised his right hand, took out the Azure Sea Pearl from his infinite space, and threw it at King Gelo without hesitation.

The Azure Sea Pearl whistled through the air. King Gelo immediately felt a sense of crisis and hastily summoned a demonic wind to block it.

The Azure Sea Pearl suddenly erupted with brilliant azure immortal light, and the vast power of the surging sea spewed forth, directly at King Gelo.

The violent tidal wave crushed down, instantly turning hundreds of demons into dust. Evil Sound Cave collapsed amidst deafening roars. King Gelo hastily channeled his power to resist, but at the moment of contact with the immense force, he was sent flying dozens of miles, spewing blood, his body covered in torn flesh.

Zhuang Yan flew to the ruins, pulled out the buried Fairy Nishang, and brought her to a safe area. Before he could catch his breath, King Gelo, covered in blood, stood in the air and once again activated the Eight Ghost Sounds. Zhuang Yan's gaze sharpened, and a silent law descended – King Gelo's roar abruptly stopped, leaving only a beak opening and closing in vain.

As he turned, Zhuang Yan found Fairy Nishang tightly clutching his right arm, her eyes staring blankly at him. After calling her name several times without a response, he looked around and, seeing no one else, raised his hand and delivered two sharp slaps. Fairy Nishang cried out in pain and woke up, covering her cheeks and retreating in shame. She saw Zhuang Yan asking sternly, "Fairy, are you unharmed?"

Shouts of battle suddenly arose from the foot of the mountain. Zhu Lie led the Heavenly Soldiers to seize the opportunity. King Gelo, startled, let out a cry and transformed into his original eight-legged form, attempting to escape. But he was trapped by a celestial net and was beheaded by Zhu Lie within ten rounds. After sheathing his sword, Zhu Lie glanced at the Azure Sea Pearl in Zhuang Yan's hand and smacked his lips. "Ao Qu's treasure? What a piece of junk."

He then turned to Fairy Nishang, who was tidying her appearance, and solicitously said, "Fairy, you must have been frightened." Fairy Nishang lightly brushed her sleeves, and the dust fell away, leaving her as pristine as before. "Thank you, Heavenly General, for your concern."

Zhu Lie stood frozen, staring blankly at Fairy Nishang with his eyes wide.

Fairy Nishang felt a slight surprise, then understood – Zhu Lie at this moment looked like a foolish idiot blinded by lust, making her feel uncomfortable all over.

"General?" she called out softly, frowning.

Zhu Lie still smiled foolishly, lost in a daze.