Chapter 742 - 672: Skeleton Mountain, War Relics

Chapter 742: Chapter 672: Skeleton Mountain, War Relics

「One year later, in X City.」

A handsome man, followed by a tall and powerfully built brute, walked down a deserted city street. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but ruins and crumbling walls, a scene of utter desolation.

"I can’t believe a major metropolis like X City has ended up like this. It’s in even worse shape than Wencheng."

The handsome man sighed and shook his head.

"Master, what kind of dump is this? You can’t even find a girl here. What are we doing here?"

The man smiled, tilting his chin up to gaze into the distance. "We’re here for the scenery, of course. Have you ever seen a giant mountain appear in the middle of a metropolis? How fascinating."

The brute looked up as well. In the distance, a massive mountain peak soared into the clouds, like a sharp sword plunged into the heart of the city.

Imposing and majestic, it pierced the sky.

"Holy cow, Master, is that mountain one of the War Relics?"

"Maybe this huge mountain *is* the War Relic, or maybe the Relic is *inside* the mountain. Who can say for sure? We’ll find out when we go take a look."

These two were none other than Tu Xiao’an and his Battle Companion, the Bull Demon King. Oh, wait, I mean the Bull Demon King.

A year ago, Tu Xiao’an had crushed the great army of the races, slaying both the Yellow Demon King and the Gray Demon King. He earned the submission of the Ten Thousand Races, becoming Lord Gong of the Yaoling Mountain Range under the title of Snake Emperor.

For a full year, Tu Xiao’an remained in the Yaoling Mountain Range to consolidate his power, receiving homage from the countless Kings of the Races.

Gradually, he won the hearts of his subjects, and his status as Lord Gong was thoroughly solidified.

Tu Xiao’an devoured the Golden Cores of two Deep Mountain Demon Kings, causing his Cultivation to skyrocket. He had become the Snake Emperor and reached the pinnacle of his life.

His next order of business, then, was to explore the War Relics.

He had originally intended to enter the War Relic in Wencheng, but it had special restrictions. With his current strength, Tu Xiao’an was no longer afraid of the Exotic Beast—the Taotie—inside, but he was afraid that if he went in, he wouldn’t be able to get out.

He would be a beast in a cage.

In fact, he was rather hoping the Taotie inside would break out.

After some thought, Tu Xiao’an realized he still knew too little about the War Relics. Many of them had now opened up all over the country.

He could start by investigating some of the other War Relics.

And so, Tu Xiao’an, the Snake Emperor, came to X City.

What attracted him to X City was that its War Relic was a colossal mountain from which many monsters had emerged to wreak havoc.

Long before, he had seen a post online saying this mountain was full of Skeleton Beasts that could run, jump, and hack at people, brimming with killing intent.

It was as if they had charged straight out of the arena of Asuras.

Now, nearly half a year later, X City was a veritable ghost town. To put it nicely, it was a fallen city, with no ordinary citizens left.

Its fate was far more brutal than Wencheng’s.

However, though it was devoid of ordinary people, it now teemed with Martial Cultivators. One after another, they ventured into the mountain of the War Relic like explorers.

Rumor had it that the mountain held both opportunities and monsters, making it an excellent training ground.

Eventually, the peak acquired a name of its own: Skeleton Mountain.

As the name implied, Skeleton Beasts would periodically come charging out of the mountain.

Tu Xiao’an had mulled it over for some time before deciding to come and see for himself.

In any case, Tu Xiao’an didn’t dare to enter the War Relic in Wencheng lightly, so he could at least test the waters with the relics in other cities first.

Besides, now that Tu Xiao’an had pacified his own backyard, the Yaoling Mountain Range, the only thing left for him to do was tackle the War Relics.

"Master, that mountain is truly magnificent! None of the main peaks in the Yaoling Mountain Range can hold a candle to it. I can’t wait to go in there and play!"

The Bull Demon King was a Demon King of his generation now; he wasn’t the least bit afraid, even of a War Relic.

Besides, this War Relic mountain was completely open-access; anyone could go in, as long as they weren’t afraid of the danger.

Tu Xiao’an smiled and began walking toward Skeleton Mountain, which seemed simultaneously distant and right before his eyes.

Soon, as he drew near Skeleton Mountain, Tu Xiao’an spotted a large number of human Martial Cultivators. The adjacent scene, however, was enough to completely shatter his worldview.

The area surrounding Skeleton Mountain was incredibly prosperous, with numerous supermarkets, hotels, and restaurants. It had everything one could ask for.

The Awakened Martial Cultivators there were all armed to the teeth.

’This really is different from the War Relic in Wencheng,’ Tu Xiao’an thought to himself.

Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought the mountain was some famous historical site and that everyone was just there for tourism.

With so many businesses for food, drink, and lodging at the foot of the mountain, if this had been the War Relic in Wencheng, wouldn’t it all have just been rations delivered to the Taotie’s doorstep?

It was said that when the Skeleton Mountain War Relic first appeared, it shocked the world. A massive number of Skeleton Beasts had charged out, followed by many grotesquely shaped Fierce Beasts, catching humanity completely off guard.

Over time, people discovered that the mountain was a veritable monster stronghold, with their population reaching an astonishing number.

As they were creatures from the War Relics, they became known as monsters. Gradually, humans even began to classify the monsters within into different Ranks.

Beast Soldier, Beast General, and Lord, corresponding to Rank One, Rank Two, and Rank 3.

Now, a great number of top-tier Martial Cultivators were flocking here for training.

The place had become a massive battlefield where human warriors and monsters could hone their skills in bloody combat. More critically, the Spiritual Qi here was exceptionally dense.

Many Peak second Rank Martial Cultivators would venture into the mountain; if they were lucky enough to survive, they would be Rank Three Creatures by the time they descended.

The government also strongly supported Martial Cultivators coming here to train, because there were too many monsters on the mountain. If no one went in to clear them out, they would pour out in great numbers.

This was the main reason X City had become a fallen zone.

To restore the city to normalcy, the only solution was to close the War Relic. Unfortunately, no one had yet found a way to do so.

Because no one had been able to reach the mountain’s summit.

A rumor from some unknown source claimed that in order to close this War Relic, one had to climb to the very summit, where an Exotic Beast was said to be entrenched.

Tu Xiao’an had done his homework, and he grew more and more interested in this particular War Relic.

"Haha, I didn’t expect to find so many restaurants here! I’m starving," the Bull Demon King said, then looked at Tu Xiao’an with pleading eyes.

Tu Xiao’an rolled his eyes. ’Does this bull really think we’re on vacation?’

Ignoring the Bull Demon King’s suggestion, Tu Xiao’an walked toward the mountain, which was suffused with dense Spiritual Qi. Along the way, Martial Cultivators stood about in small groups, chatting.

It seemed they were all sharing information about the specific conditions inside Skeleton Mountain.

Tu Xiao’an couldn’t be bothered to listen. He had only one objective: charge to the summit and see if there truly was an incredibly ferocious Exotic Beast entrenched there.

And while he was at it, he would see if he could close this War Relic.

These days, Skeleton Mountain could be called the tallest mountain in the world. At nearly 30,000 meters, it was several times the height of Mount Everest.

The mountain was wreathed in a dense fog. On the surface of this fog, a layer of what looked like celestial chains had naturally formed, wrapping around the mountain in an incredible spectacle.

But the most incredible thing was the faint azure light that suffused the air outside the fog. At first glance, it made the mountain look as if it were carved from azure rock. On closer inspection, Tu Xiao’an discovered that this azure light was constantly flickering.

’As expected of a mountain born from the War Relics,’ he thought. ’It really is one of a kind.’