Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
"ROAR—"
The colossal Taowu crashed onto the Tongtian Plaza, bringing with it a destructive impact. In an instant, billowing waves of air and dust enveloped the entire peak, ceaselessly spreading towards the sea of clouds above.
This beast, a harbinger of calamity born from the natural order, was also known as "Arrogant Cruelty" and "Untrainable," representing the most ferocious and stubborn existence. Its massive head resembled a mix of tiger and leopard, with a mane like blazing flames around its neck, and its most terrifying feature was a pair of fangs that could shatter mountains with a single bite!
Apart from its size, this beast also carried an innate aura of evil. As soon as it appeared, it stirred the sea of clouds into turmoil and shook the surrounding peaks, seemingly determined to crush the thirty-six peaks into dust!
At the first sign of the beast's appearance, Wen Yuan Senior had already taken action. As a mighty practitioner of the Eighth Realm of Heavenly Strength, he had once subdued a true dragon with a single palm strike and certainly wouldn't falter before this ferocious creature.
But just as Wen Yuan Senior raised his hand, the dark clouds overhead churned as if curtains were being drawn back.
A massive face entwined with countless chains emerged, blocking out the sun, and many in the crowd recognized it at a glance.
"The Evil Earth Store!" Countless people exclaimed in shock.
Indeed, it was not just the Evil Earth Store, but the true form of this demonic deity.
Ranked tenth in the Wanbao Record, the true form of the Earth Store!
This demonic artifact was the foundation of the Ming King Sect's power. That it could be brought to Shu Mountain today, one could only wonder what price Lu Chengchou had paid to mobilize it!
And this was not just any artifact… No sect would allow an ordinary disciple to carry an artifact out into the world. An artifact, once deployed, must be accompanied by a practitioner of the Eighth Realm! Otherwise, the consequences of losing it would be unbearable.
Since the true form of the Earth Store had appeared here, it meant that the Sect Master of the Ming King Sect must have arrived!
The mysterious powerhouse who presided over the number one demonic sect was undoubtedly also a practitioner of the Eighth Realm, and with an artifact in hand, could be considered a half-step above the Eighth Realm, capable of severing the Heavenly Strength!
BOOM CRASH—
The winds changed, and thunder rolled!
Seeing this, Wen Yuan Senior's eyes grew serious, showing a stern light for the first time.
For these supreme beings who wielded Heavenly Strength, half a step was already in the heavens, leaving only half a step in the mortal world. Mundane matters were but trifles, rarely stirring their emotions.
Thus, the drama that Lu Chengchou had staged earlier was viewed by him with relative indifference.
But now was different. The only thing that could make them take things seriously was another practitioner of the Heavenly Strength Realm.
Gazing into the sky, he seemed to see a towering figure standing amidst the clouds, looking down upon all living beings with cold eyes.
The Ming King!
Accompanying the true form of the Earth Store were colossal entities from all directions.
A mountain-sized black whale, treating the sea of clouds as the Northern Dark Sea, loomed over ominously, as if swimming through the sea. Atop the whale's back stood a host of demonic cultivators, each exuding a menacing aura!
A pavilion adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, with big red lanterns hanging and colorful ribbons fluttering, moved slowly towards them. The doors creaked open, revealing a flash of red.
A skull as large as the Tongtian Peak, surrounded by dense thunderclouds and roaming lightning dragons, with a deep, unrepaired breach behind it!
Strangest of all was a green waterfall-like river, meandering from the distant sky! Countless waves surged on the river, each vaguely resembling a human face, as if wailing in sorrow!
The Northern Dark Sea, Red Attire, White Bone, Danqing… the Four Halls of the Netherworld had all arrived!
The Ming King Sect, an army bearing down!
Those who had originally thought it was an internal conflict within Shu Mountain and had stayed away, now witnessing the descent of the demonic sect, included righteous individuals who wanted to lend a hand to Shu Mountain.
But immediately, people from the same observing faction rushed out, shouting "The Netherworld is eternal," and began to slash wildly at the surrounding crowd!
Chaos erupted in an instant, friend and foe indistinguishable!
With the pressure of the artifact above, no one dared to act rashly, so most chose to retreat further, watching from a safe distance.
Yet there were a few who made a different choice.
"Before you demons try to wreak havoc, ask if I agree!" A burly man swung a large halberd, his clothes bursting open to reveal a body of gleaming, muscular strength!
If not Yun Zhaoxian of the Heavenly Strength Sect, then who else could it be?
"Ah… Senior Brother, it's so chaotic, I'm so scared…" Tang Shi, the little junior sister beside him, appeared like a delicate flower in the storm, whimpering in terror.
"Junior Sister, you hide further away, don't get hurt!" Yun Zhaoxian shouted from within the battle.
"Ah, so scary—" Before she could finish speaking, Tang Shi's voice suddenly deepened.
It turned out that a demonic cultivator had made a move on Tang Shi behind Yun Zhaoxian, seemingly trying to take a hostage to restrain Yun Zhaoxian, but he had clearly miscalculated.
The seemingly frail girl instantly bulged with muscles, transforming into a figure no less imposing than Yun Zhaoxian's. Swinging a large spear in her hands, anyone touched by it would at best be left with a bloody hole, and at worst, explode into a shower of gore!
What was bizarre was that while she slaughtered all around her, she continued to cry out, "Ah… don't come near, wuwuwu… don't hit me, stay away…"
But with such a rough voice, the cries not only lacked any sense of frailty but also seemed somewhat perverse.
She quickly cleared a vacuum around herself.
Terrifying.
The Ming King Sect had numerous members, some of whom had arrived with the Four Halls' artifacts, while others had already blended in with the crowd observing the event on Shu Mountain. The disciples of the demonic sect were not very familiar with each other, and now, each wore a black ribbon around their waist to identify fellow sect members.
This was a secret signal known only to the disciples of the demonic sect.
But as soon as the chaos erupted, the demonic cultivators immediately sensed something was amiss.
Those Shu Mountain disciples who were casting sword lights across the sky also tied black ribbons around their waists upon landing. Many demonic cultivators mistook them for allies, only to be pierced through by a sword.
The battle had barely begun when casualties soared.
Some elite Shu Mountain disciples, wearing black ribbons and shouting "The Netherworld is eternal," approached the disciples of the Ming King Sect and struck with their swords.
That was bad enough.
But there were also groups of Shu Mountain disciples forming a large sword formation of forty-nine, each wearing a black ribbon and shouting "The Netherworld is eternal," trying to deceive the disciples of the Ming King Sect into coming closer.
And that wasn't even the worst of it.
The most outrageous was a tall woman, her body ablaze with golden flames, wings of fire forming behind her as she darted through the crowd. Upon encountering a demonic disciple, she unleashed a flame that instantly incinerated them. Those who had watched the Shu Mountain summit for several days naturally knew this was Di Nvfeng. Even she had tied a black ribbon around her waist. After clearing an area of demonic cultivators, she loudly called out, "The Netherworld is eternal! Brothers of the Ming King Sect, gather around me!"
Not only terrifying but also infuriating.
Was Shu Mountain taking everyone for fools?
***
Meanwhile, not far below the sea of clouds, Chu Liang and Jiang Yuebai were also facing a crisis.
The thirty-six peaks of Shu Mountain occupied only the part above the sea of clouds, at most up to the mountainside. The vast area below the mountainside still belonged to the wild beasts of the mountains.
Below the sea of clouds was a vast expanse of primeval jungle.
The half-bodied man in a black robe transformed into a howling black wind, his divine sense rolling over every flower, grass, and tree, determined to find the two of them.
A green aura lingered at the wound on his shoulder and chest, preventing it from healing. If not for the sword qi of the divine sword constantly eroding his divine powers, such an injury would not be considered serious for a disciple of the Northern Dark Sea Hall.
But now, the pain tormented him incessantly.
He had been locked onto the direction of their fall, convinced they were in this area. The black wind roamed back and forth, unwilling to spare a single blade of grass or leaf.
What he didn't see was that within an unremarkable cliff, Jiang Yuebai was still holding Chu Liang, the two squeezed tightly into a crevice in the rocky wall, breathing close to each other.
When they had fallen here, the man in the black robe had followed closely. Jiang Yuebai, in a moment of quick thinking, took Chu Liang with her and entered the cliff.
The technique was not difficult, but to carry someone into it and still move forward required a high level of skill. This showed that Jiang Yuebai's mastery of her techniques had indeed reached an astonishing level.
After waiting a while, Jiang Yuebai moved forward again. She dared not return the same way but continued forward through the cliff. After traveling more than ten yards, suddenly there was a void.
The scene opened up.
Behind this cliff was another spacious valley, with lush green grass covering a vast open space.
And on the open ground stood a wooden hut!
"Who would have thought there's such a place behind the cliff?" Chu Liang was surprised by the space before him.
But after a moment's travel through the cliff, they had passed through the rocky barrier and arrived at another valley hidden within the mountain's belly. This place was already below the sea of clouds and so well-hidden that they might never have discovered it in their lifetimes without this chance encounter.
"Could someone actually be living beneath the sea of clouds on Shu Mountain?" Jiang Yuebai was also quite astonished. "Let's go in and take a look."
"We can go in and look…" Chu Liang said somewhat sheepishly, "but Jiang Senior Sister, can you put me down first?"
The experience of being held in Jiang Yuebai's arms wasn't unpleasant, but as a man, it was somewhat embarrassing to be carried by a young lady.
"Can you manage?" Jiang Yuebai wasn't concerned with formalities but asked with a hint of concern.
"I'm much better now," Chu Liang quickly replied.
In fact, the reason he had been so weak was that the Qing Suo Sword had drained all his vital energy in an instant, including his spirit, causing an immediate depletion.
But it wasn't due to any injury.
With his dual Golden Elixirs furiously recovering, his energy sea had already been restored by half, and he was completely back to normal.
Now, Chu Liang didn't dare to boast about anything else, but when it came to recovery speed, he was definitely unrivaled in his realm.
Since he said he was fine, Jiang Yuebai put him down, and they walked side by side towards the wooden hut.
"It looks like no one has been here for a long time." Chu Liang approached the hut, noting the thick layer of dust at the doorway.
With that, he gently pushed the door.
It opened effortlessly, creaking as it did. Due to the long passage of time, it had begun to rot, and with this push, half of it fell off.
A cloud of dust flew towards them, but Chu Liang waved his hand, and a breeze swept it away, allowing them to step inside.
The furnishings inside were very simple: a small bed, a desk with ink and paper, and a yellowed book that looked like the kind of paper used by Shu Mountain children for practicing calligraphy.
Chu Liang leaned in for a closer look and indeed, it was that familiar type of paper. Out of curiosity, they flipped through it.
The first page was filled with a child's scrawl.
"Ha ha, the master wants to punish me by making me face the wall in contemplation? Dream on! Who would have thought there's such a small valley beneath the sea of clouds? From now on, this will be my secret territory, unknown to all in Shu Mountain!"
"These monkeys in the mountains are so annoying, always trying to compete with me for territory."
"The people on Shu Mountain are no better than these monkeys; at least they are willing to befriend me."
"Damn, my secret of using the escape technique to come down here during contemplation seems to have been discovered by Lu Wuqi. He's really smart!"
"Hmm?" Seeing this name, both of them exclaimed in surprise, "The little disciple who recorded these things grew up with Senior Wuqi? That must be a Shu Mountain predecessor from at least four or five hundred years ago…"
Thinking that this rough paper had survived such a long time and continuing to read, the middle pages were filled with the trivial matters of a child, then the thoughts of a growing youth. Witnessing the growth of a predecessor from hundreds of years ago was indeed quite fascinating.
"The Shu Mountain summit is really just for Lu Wuqi alone; there's no point in competing for the top spot. I'm already doing well to get second place."
"The master said it's a pity his father is the headmaster, otherwise with his extraordinary talent, he would definitely be the one to lead Shu Mountain. But I think, if he's deprived of the right to succeed just because his father is the headmaster, isn't that a bit unfair?"
"So my mother is…"
"No wonder…"
"Why… why?!"
There must have been some upheaval in the middle, as it took a long time before the next entry. Chu Liang knew it had been a while because the handwriting on the next page was clearly more mature and steady, indicating the growth of a person over the years.
"What should I do?"
"So my mother has been suppressed under the Demon Suppression Tower all these years! It was for me that she…"
"Cai Yi said the only way to break the Demon Suppression Tower is in… Shenxu Temple."