The Mountain God's Temple

Lan Caihe was extremely anxious. His telepathic transmission was blocked by the fierce wind, and the Five-Colored Flower Basket had been snatched away by Garuda, leaving him unable to aid Zhuang Yan.

Before Zhuang Yan, there was only the raging wind and swirling dust, completely obscuring his vision. He constantly shifted his position, finally finding a gap where the wind was slightly weaker. He looked up and saw a sky full of golden light attacking him.

He seized the opportunity and once again unleashed the One Thought Seal.

In an instant, the fierce wind ceased, transforming into tiny wind clusters that fell into Zhuang Yan's hands. Over a hundred golden halberd shadows were also enveloped by the sealing power and collected along with the wind.

The true form of the Heavenly King Golden Halberd sensed the sealing power and rapidly flew back. Garuda's mind raced, wanting to recall it.

Before Garuda could react, the Heavenly King Golden Halberd transformed into a golden light and landed in Zhuang Yan's palm.

"My golden halberd!" Garuda roared. This was his life-bound Immortal Artifact; how could he allow others to covet it? He flapped his wings, his body like lightning, and charged straight at Zhuang Yan, "Give it back!"

Zhuang Yan laughed heartily. He flipped his hand and refined the Fierce Wind Golden Halberd, then swung his arm. The hundred golden halberd shadows, carrying the fierce wind, attacked Garuda in return.

The wind howled, golden light pierced the sky. Garuda was caught off guard and swallowed by the fierce wind, with a hundred halberd shadows rushing towards him. He suddenly retracted his golden wings to protect himself. The halberd shadows struck his wings and shattered, failing to harm him in the slightest.

When the wind subsided, Garuda swept his wings, and the air waves churned, dispersing the fierce wind in an instant. A gentle breeze blew, slightly lifting Zhuang Yan's immortal robes. In his left hand, he held the Three Treasures Silver Pestle, and in his right, the Heavenly King Golden Halberd. He looked up and laughed, "This Immortal Artifact belongs to me now, consider it your offering!"

Garuda's mind trembled as he realized his connection with the golden halberd was completely severed—it had been refined by Zhuang Yan!

Enraged, Garuda soared into the sky, golden flames erupting all around him. A piercing screech echoed through the heavens as he revealed his true form—a hundred-zhang Golden-Winged Divine Bird, its wings like knives, its claws like swords.

"Swish!" The Golden-Winged Divine Bird swooped down, as fast as flowing light. Zhuang Yan's figure flickered, leaving afterimages in his wake. The ground was already torn open by cracks of golden light.

"Boom—!"

Dacang Mountain shook. Where the two clashed, the mountainside collapsed, and smoke and dust blotted out the sun. When the dust settled, the Golden-Winged Divine Bird hovered high in the sky and said sternly, "You can hide for now, but let's see how you dodge this attack!"

Before his voice faded, it was engulfed in sky-burning golden flames and plunged towards Zhuang Yan like a falling meteor, carrying the force of destruction!

The giant golden-winged bird dived down, creating monstrous waves that swept Lan Caihe and his cloud away.

The entire Dacang Mountain trembled violently. Zhuang Yan was pinned to the ground by the oppressive pressure, his evasion abilities completely nullified.

But he remained calm in the face of danger. He quickly crouched down and planted the Heavenly King Golden Halberd upright in the ground, its cold, sharp tip pointing directly at the Firmament.

Garuda's pupils contracted sharply at the sight—he knew the sharpness of this life-bound divine weapon better than anyone.

At this point, neither side could retreat. No matter where the halberd blade struck, it would pierce his body.

Garuda's ferocity surged. He clasped his claws together, aiming for the halberd tip, his divine power surging. He would rather be heavily wounded than not crush Zhuang Yan into powder!

As the colossal shadow, obscuring the sky and earth, descended with destructive force, Zhuang Yan's evasion still failed to trigger.

At the critical moment, Garuda's divine power suddenly dissipated, and his protective golden flames extinguished in an instant.

His massive body transformed from a meteor into a withered leaf, its imposing power completely lost.

Zhuang Yan quietly activated his status buffs, applying them to the enemy while gaining benefits himself.

High in the sky, Garuda felt utterly exhausted. His golden wings drooped, and his strength drained away like a receding tide.

With a thunderous roar, the giant bird crashed to the ground. The Heavenly King Golden Halberd pierced its abdomen, and Zhuang Yan was also pinned beneath it.

Mountains crumbled, and smoke and dust engulfed the entire Dacang Mountain.

A long time later, Lan Caihe returned on his cloud. Seeing Garuda crushing half the mountain like a colossal peak, with no sign of Zhuang Yan, he couldn't help but sigh, "I told you not to come..."

Before he could finish speaking, the giant bird suddenly raised its head and vomited blood, its head crashing heavily back to the ground, its wings hanging limply.

The combination of the weakened state, the divine weapon's piercing effect, and the critical hit rendered Garuda completely immobile. He could only gasp and glare at the sky.

Sensing the aura of a powerful enemy's decline, Lan Caihe's eyes gleamed. Although his self-healing state had disappeared, his injuries had stabilized, and his divine power had recovered by more than half.

He formed a hand seal and summoned immortal light, slowly lifting Garuda's massive body. This heavy body almost exhausted his remaining divine power.

Once the giant body was off the ground, Zhuang Yan, deeply embedded in the earth, was finally revealed. He lay quietly in a pool of blood, with only the Golden Halberd standing tall. Blood dripped continuously from Garuda's abdominal wound.

Lan Caihe leaped to Zhuang Yan's side and asked with concern, "Mountain God of Lingtai, can you still hold on?"

Although Garuda's divine power was suppressed by the status effect, the sheer weight of his massive body was still unbearable for Zhuang Yan's mortal form.

Zhuang Yan grunted twice, gritting his teeth, "I'm quite comfortable."

Lan Caihe frowned, "Strange, your left leg and right arm are clearly broken, yet you feel comfortable?"

Zhuang Yan retorted irritably, "You know the answer, yet you ask! Hurry up and help me get out of here!"

Despite his injuries, he still dared to be stubborn. Lan Caihe, though displeased, quickly pulled Zhuang Yan out of the pit and carried him into the clouds.

High above the clouds, Lan Caihe took out an immortal pill. "Your injuries aren't too severe. Take this Spirit Pill, and you'll be fine."

Zhuang Yan shook his head, "No need. Just reset my broken limbs."

Lan Caihe did as he was told, first straightening his left leg, then moving to adjust his right arm. However, Zhuang Yan's right hand was tightly gripping the Heavenly King Golden Halberd, making it difficult to adjust.

"Put down the weapon first," Lan Caihe reminded him.

Zhuang Yan's mind stirred, and the Three Treasures Silver Pestle in his left hand and the Golden Halberd in his right instantly vanished into the void.

As his bones realigned, under the status effect, Zhuang Yan's broken bones, tendons, and damaged organs rapidly healed.

At this moment, a loud noise echoed from the ground again—Lan Caihe's divine power was depleted, and Garuda's body fell back down.

"Quickly help me up," Zhuang Yan urged, the status effect on him about to disappear.

"What status effect?" Lan Caihe asked, completely bewildered.

"No time to explain!" Zhuang Yan urged. Though unwilling, Lan Caihe immediately helped him to his feet.

Zhuang Yan focused his gaze. Garuda's status showed only ten breaths remaining. He quickly retrieved a clay pot from the void, aimed it at Garuda with his left hand, and activated the One Thought Seal.

Instantly, Garuda's massive body rapidly shrank, turning into a stream of light that vanished into the pot. The pot trembled lightly, then a crystal-clear sealing barrier appeared on its surface.

Lan Caihe leaned in curiously to observe. He saw that Garuda had become as tiny as a cricket, angrily smashing against the pot. Although it had regained its strength, it couldn't budge the seal even a fraction.

Looking up at Zhuang Yan, Lan Caihe's eyes were filled with admiration. Truly remarkable!

Zhuang Yan put away the Sealing Pot and descended from the clouds with Lan Caihe. The demons of the Dark Gold Cave had scattered like birds and beasts the moment Garuda was captured. Now, not a single demon could be found in the cave.

After the two entered the cave and rescued the trapped villagers, Zhuang Yan summoned the Heavenly King Golden Halberd and hurled it forcefully at the Dark Gold Cave.

With a sky-shattering roar, the Heavenly King Golden Halberd struck the roof of the Dark Gold Cave heavily. Rocks collapsed instantly, and the entire cave caved in, turning into ruins in a flash.

Lan Caihe waved his sleeve, summoning auspicious clouds that carried thousands of terrified mortals, slowly descending to Xiaotian Village at the foot of Spirit Platform Mountain. Upon landing, these mortals finally came to their senses, realizing that two immortals had saved them.

They all knelt on the ground, tears streaming down their faces, repeatedly kowtowing to Zhuang Yan and Lan Caihe in the clouds. Someone shouted, "Thank you, immortal masters, for saving our lives! Please tell us your honored names so we may build a temple to worship you!"

Lan Caihe called out from the clouds, "Remember, it was the Mountain God of Lingtai who saved you." With that, he activated the cloud talisman, turning into a stream of light and returning to the mountain.

Back at the Mountain God Temple, Lan Caihe returned the Thousand Light Cloud Talisman to Zhuang Yan. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Mountain God, could you return my flower basket?"

Zhuang Yan looked puzzled. "I didn't take your flower basket."

Lan Caihe hurriedly grabbed his sleeve. "When I was fighting Garuda earlier, he snatched my flower basket. It must still be on him."

Zhuang Yan chuckled. "Returning your flower basket isn't difficult. However, you only mentioned my name to those mortals just now, not your own. Why is that?"

"This was your accomplishment. I merely lent a little strength," Lan Caihe paused, then lowered his voice and chuckled, "Besides, this Garuda is connected to a Bodhisattva from the Buddhist Sect. It's not convenient for me to get too involved."

Zhuang Yan nodded in understanding and took out the clay pot from his sleeve. Garuda lay at the bottom of the pot, seemingly exhausted. Zhuang Yan said sternly, "Garuda, hand over the Five-Colored Flower Basket."

Upon hearing this, Garuda immediately jumped up and shouted fiercely, "I am a divine bird under Akashagarbha Bodhisattva! How dare you imprison me? Can you bear the karmic consequences?"

Zhuang Yan remained unmoved. "Hand over the flower basket, or I'll break your wings." As he spoke, he extended the Heavenly King Golden Halberd into the pot.

With a clang, the golden halberd pierced Garuda's left wing, splashing blood. Garuda writhed and wailed in pain at the bottom of the pot.

"I'll say it one last time. Hand over the flower basket," Zhuang Yan said coldly.

Garuda gritted his teeth. "Fine! Mountain God of Lingtai, I will remember this day's humiliation!" A multicolored light flashed, and the flower basket flew out of the pot.

Lan Caihe quickly caught it. After carefully inspecting it, he happily cupped his hands. "Thank you, Mountain God, for your assistance."

Zhuang Yan retracted the Heavenly King Golden Halberd and casually placed the clay pot beneath the statue of the Mountain God.

Seeing this, Lan Caihe asked in surprise, "You're just leaving it there? Aren't you afraid someone will steal it and release Garuda?"

Zhuang Yan smiled faintly. "Try it and see."

Lan Caihe indeed reached out to grab it but missed. His hand passed straight through the clay pot. He looked astonished, tried repeatedly, and even used immortal techniques, but still couldn't touch it.

"This object has my seal on it," Zhuang Yan explained. "Unless I unseal it, others can only look, not touch."

"Marvelous!" Lan Caihe praised repeatedly. "Making you the Mountain God is truly a waste of your talent." Changing the subject, he asked, "Akashagarbha Bodhisattva will certainly not stand by while Garuda is captured. How do you plan to deal with it?"

"I will report it to the Heavenly Court according to heavenly law," Zhuang Yan replied.

Lan Caihe nodded. "That's reasonable. At least you'll be in the right." He paused. "I'll co-sign the memorial with you. Let's return to the True Palace of Great Mystery first. Once your memorial arrives, I'll submit it together."

"Didn't you not want to get too involved?" Zhuang Yan countered.

Lan Caihe chuckled. "I have my own considerations. Mountain God need not worry too much." He then cupped his hands in farewell. "I'll be going ahead."

Zhuang Yan noticed that the injuries on his chest had mostly healed and nodded. "Alright."

Lan Caihe transformed into a beam of immortal light and shot into the sky. Zhuang Yan immediately drafted a memorial, detailing Garuda's man-eating atrocities, and placed it in the shrine to be sent directly to the Department of the Mortal Realm.

In the Western Pure Land, Buddhist light shone, and precious radiance permeated the realm.

On the Spirit Mountain dojo, Akashagarbha Bodhisattva sat cross-legged on a lotus pedestal, wearing the Five Buddha Crown. His right hand held the Wisdom Sword, and his left hand cradled a Precious Lotus, upon which a bright pearl shone brilliantly. The wheel of merit behind his head glowed resplendently.

Suddenly, the Bodhisattva opened his eyes and summoned an attendant. "Is Garuda in the mountain?"

The attendant bowed his head and replied, "Since Your Excellency entered seclusion three years ago, Garuda has been on leave and descended the mountain."