Chapter 250 - 217: Mountain God

"Mountain God?"

Hearing the Earth Elder’s words, the look of astonishment in Zhao Xuanqi’s eyes deepened.

’A Mountain God? What is that supposed to mean?’

’One of the deities from the legends?’

"It’s hard to explain right now. Come with me."

The Earth Elder spoke and continued to lead the way.

The temperature within this miasma-shrouded Blessed Land was pleasant. It seemed the miasma and the magnetic field had naturally created a sort of greenhouse effect. The sun shone down from the sky, and an occasional cool breeze would drift by, feeling wonderfully refreshing.

Zhao Xuanqi noticed that the vegetation here was generally far larger than in the outside world. Some plant species were even varieties that had all but vanished from existence outside.

MOOO!!

A long bellow echoed from a stretch of grassland, where Zhao Xuanqi saw a herd of animals grazing on the verdant grass.

The creatures resembled yaks, but they were a size larger and had no fur. Instead, their bodies were covered in a layer of dark, bluish-black scales. A pair of horns grew from their heads, somewhat like an elk’s antlers, with tips that split into three prongs, resembling a pair of tridents.

Just then, two of the strange oxen seemed to get into a dispute. They faced off, then suddenly charged, smashing their horns against each other.

BOOM!!

Even from over a hundred meters away, Zhao Xuanqi could feel the ground tremble from the collision. The force was immense; he suspected that in terms of pure physical power, even a Martial Artist at the Five Qi Tongxuan Level would be no match for one of these beasts.

The Deer-Horned Scale Ox. It was a fairly uncommon type of Rare Beast, born with immense strength and powerful muscles. Its scales were harder than steel, making them an excellent material for crafting armor.

Every part of this Rare Beast was a treasure. Its flesh and blood had potent restorative properties, and its organs were superb materials for those in the Tongxuan realm of Inner Cultivation. A single one was priceless and couldn’t be bought even if one had the money.

The two continued onward. Suddenly, Zhao Xuanqi tensed and took a small step to the side.

SWOOSH!!

A nearly invisible shadow shot past him, accompanied by a faint hiss. Zhao Xuanqi glanced over to see a shadow as thick as a wrist drop to the ground, then vanish in a blur.

’No, it didn’t disappear.’ It seemed to have merged with its surroundings. Its skin had the same camouflaging ability as a chameleon, changing to match its environment.

Moreover, that alone shouldn’t have been enough to fool the intuition of a master at the Harmony level like himself. The creature must also have some ability to conceal its magnetic field, which was how it had managed to get so close without him sensing it.

Zhao Xuanqi looked in the direction the creature had vanished and saw it: a snake-like being, almost perfectly camouflaged, staring at him from the shadows. It had a fleshy crest on its head, much like a rooster’s comb.

The Phoenix Crowned Shadow Serpent. Adept at concealment, capable of camouflage, and lethally venomous—a single touch meant death.

This was another type of Rare Beast. Back when he was cultivating the Black Tortoise Gangsha using the Five Evils Technique, he had used his connections with the Zhen Nan Chamber of Commerce to procure a Phoenix Crowned Shadow Serpent’s gallbladder from the Martial Arts Association.

As they walked on, Zhao Xuanqi saw many more strange and wonderful beasts. He had only ever seen them before as illustrations in bestiaries; this was his first time seeing the real things, and it was quite an eye-opening experience.

He was incredibly curious as to how these peculiar Rare Beasts had come to exist.

’What must the Divine Land have been like during the Ancient Times?’

Most of the creatures in this Blessed Land were Rare Beasts, with only a small number of common ones.

"I never expected the Martial Arts Association to have such assets,"

Zhao Xuanqi remarked with some awe. The number of Rare Beasts here was considerable, and many were of rare varieties. If their existence were known to the outside world, it would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar.

"No, you’re mistaken. In truth, only a very small fraction of the Rare Beasts here belong to the Martial Arts Association. We wouldn’t dare do as we please with the rest. We can only trade materials from the outside world with this place’s true master in exchange for them. Mostly, we get the ones that have died accidentally or from old age. The resources we can procure each year are quite limited, but at least it’s a small but steady stream,"

the Earth Elder explained.

"Oh?"

Zhao Xuanqi’s brow furrowed slightly.

"We’re here. Look over there."

Suddenly, the Earth Elder stopped walking and pointed toward a distant mountain peak.

The peak was unusual, jutting up like a sword with incredibly steep cliffs on all sides. Its summit was wreathed in clouds and mist.

Faintly, Zhao Xuanqi could make out what seemed to be a figure seated upon the summit.

’A person?’

AARROOOOO!!

Suddenly, the figure threw its head back and let out a long howl. The sound shook the very clouds and mist. A fierce wind whipped up in the sky as dark clouds gathered, rumbling with thunder. In an instant, a localized downpour began.

It commanded the forest with its roar, summoning the wind and rain.

It was like a scene straight out of myth and legend.

’So that’s the "Mountain God"?’

Just then, the figure seemed to sense Zhao Xuanqi’s gaze. It had been facing away, but now it twisted its body a full one hundred and eighty degrees to look toward him.

Its two pairs of deep, dark eyes were incredibly striking.

WHOOSH!!

The figure flashed, disappearing from the summit. A moment later, it could be faintly seen bounding down the steep cliff face, covering dozens of meters with every leap.

The "Mountain God" was heading straight for Zhao Xuanqi and the Earth Elder.

"That is the master of this place," the Earth Elder said. "It has existed since our master’s time, making it at least one hundred and fifty years old. Its precise age is unknown, but it has certainly been here longer than our Jinmen Martial Arts Association has existed. It is not human. You’ve likely heard the legends of the Ancient Exotic Beasts. Well, this is one of the few beings in the Divine Land that still possesses the bloodline of an Exotic Beast."

"Our master was traveling the world in his youth, observing the great mountains and rivers, when he stumbled upon this Blessed Land. He met this being and forged a bond of goodwill, and that is how we earned the right to use this place. But we may only use it. Without this being’s consent, we dare not overstep our bounds in the slightest."

"In the Eight Dragons Muddled Pearl Land, a Dragon Embryo is nurtured among the eight dragons. There is a formation’s core there that gathers the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. What is being nurtured within might be able to satisfy your needs. However, we have no authority to claim it. We need that one’s approval. Whether you can get it or not will depend on your own abilities,"

the Earth Elder explained to Zhao Xuanqi.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!!

As the two spoke, the figure had already leaped down from the mountain and was rapidly approaching them, its passage marked by whistling winds and swaying trees.

It covered several kilometers of mountain terrain in less than half a minute.

"By the way, his name is Jiang Wu,"

the Earth Elder said.

THUD!!

As he finished speaking, the figure landed. The ground trembled slightly, as if the newcomer weighed a ton.

The figure stood nearly four meters tall. It had the body of an ape with snow-white fur, its long arms hanging so low they nearly touched the ground. Its head, however, was not that of an ape. It had the face of a deer, topped with two pairs of deep-black horns. Behind it, a tail like a rattlesnake’s twitched and shook, letting out a soft rattling sound.

The beast’s eyes were a pale, bluish-green, filled with a sense of tranquil wisdom, lacking the dimness and Chaos common to other animals.

Its aura was peculiar. Despite its immense size, which suggested limitless strength, it exerted no oppressive pressure. In fact, as it stood before them, it was almost as if nothing was there at all—as if it, the earth, and the jungle were all one and the same.

"It has been a long time, Elder Jiang,"

the Earth Elder said, bowing respectfully to the Exotic Beast. He treated it with the deference a disciple would show a master, not regarding it as a mere animal in the slightest.

In truth, the Three Elders owed their current accomplishments not only to their master’s teachings, but also to the guidance of the giant beast standing before them.

The Exotic Beast waved a hand, seemingly understanding human speech even if it could not speak it. It ignored the Earth Elder, fixing its gaze on Zhao Xuanqi.