Chapter 99: Mountain God and Bamboo Sword

The white serpent possessed a physique as slender as a maiden, its wings transparent and crystalline, not overly large, almost imperceptible unless closely examined. It was hard to fathom how such wings could lift it from the stone terrace, leading one to speculate whether it commanded some sort of levitation art akin to the Qi refiners.

But all that was inconsequential now. The white serpent arched its back and plunged downward, jaws agape, aiming to devour the comely servant girl, Zhu Lu. Unexpectedly, a youth wielding a cleaver appeared out of nowhere, using the black snake's back and head as stepping stones, and leaping forward, precisely struck the point where the white serpent's wings connected to its body. The white serpent depended on those wings for flight and direction; with a wing severed by the cleaver, its momentum carried it forward, but it veered wildly, crashing onto the stone terrace. Its gaping maw narrowly missed the maiden, and its entire body landed heavily upon the stone.

Zhu Lu and the three young scholars behind her narrowly escaped death. Taking advantage of the serpent's disorientation after the crash, Li Baoping hurriedly picked up his book satchel and shouted for them to run. Lin Shouyi silently grabbed his baggage and followed. Li Huai, terrified, ran some distance before noticing the absence of the annoying Zhu Lu. Turning around, he was stunned to see her standing there dumbly, as if waiting for death. He couldn't help but shout, "Zhu Lu, run! Are you waiting to die?!"

Zhu Lu finally snapped out of her daze, regaining her senses. She turned her head, her eyes still vacant, towards Li Huai, who was running and yelling, "Run! Are you waiting to die?!"

Once Zhu Lu recovered, she displayed the agility of a peak Second Realm martial artist, covering several steps to reach Li Huai and retreat with them to a safer area of the stone terrace. Just as well, for moments after Zhu Lu left her original position, the white serpent, its severed wing gushing blood, began to thrash violently, its tail whipping wildly, sending stone shards flying. Had Zhu Lu delayed even a moment, she would have been smashed into a pulp by the serpent's massive tail.

Seemingly crippled by the loss of a wing, the white serpent thrashed aimlessly, kicking up dust and debris, its fury unabated.

However, the youth was not in much better condition. The web of his left hand, gripping the cleaver, had split open, covered in blood.

Chen Ping'an knelt on one knee, raising his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow, preventing it from blurring his vision.

The cleaver had snapped in half. As the sharp blade rebounded, Chen Ping'an barely managed to turn his head in time, narrowly avoiding having the broken cleaver pierce his face, or at least gouge out a large chunk of flesh.

Chen Ping'an now stood in a strategic position with the black snake and the white serpent forming a triangle. The black snake, acting strangely, did not rush to confront Chen Ping'an after seeing the white serpent severely wounded, instead, it seemed even more relaxed and composed, slowly swaying its upper body, maintaining its standoff against Zhu He. Its eerie silver-white eyes occasionally glanced at the white serpent, the look in its eyes no different from the white serpent's earlier gaze at Zhu Lu, as if she were a delicious meal.

In the center of the stone terrace, the white-robed old man, clutching a green bamboo staff, trembled. The broken cleaver had landed close to his feet. He gingerly approached, squatted down, and cautiously stroked the blade with his fingertip. Instantly, a yellowish-brown blood tinged with gold flowed from his finger. Startled, he quickly withdrew his hand and tapped the blade with his knuckle, his face filled with bewilderment. He pinched his snow-white beard, muttering, "Incomparably sharp, worthy of the name, yet it's just an ordinary cleaver, not even a martial artist's refined blade. Hence, the blade is brittle and lacks durability. If the blade's quality matched its sharpness, and it were given to that honest, albeit unskilled, man as a weapon, there might have been a sliver of hope. Now, it's all over."

The old man carefully examined the clear and bright edge of the blade, sighing with emotion, "As for the secret of this cleaver... it can only be in that youth's sharpening stone? But the question is, how good must a sharpening stone be to hone such a cheap cleaver to this sharpness?"

Greed flickered in the old man's eyes as he secretly glanced at Li Baoping's and Zhu Lu's baskets. Undoubtedly, the sharpening stone was hidden within.

He then sighed heavily. No matter how good the item was, even if he could get his hands on it, he probably wouldn't live long enough to enjoy it.

He bitterly regretted the Fifth Realm martial artist's bizarre use of the "Gathered Earth into Mountain" technique. It was an earth manipulation art lost for countless years. The old man, hiding underground at the time, had initially regarded it as a ridiculous farce, only to fall victim to it in the end. In truth, this earth-gathering technique wasn't particularly profound or advanced, it's just that such arts had been dormant for too long. During his tenure as the Earth Deity of Qidun Mountain, he had only been summoned once from his mountain abode using this technique. That was by the two immortals who came to play chess on the mountaintop. Of course, those two were terrestrial immortals with transcendent powers, far beyond a mere Fifth Realm martial artist. The reason he was summoned to the mountaintop was merely because the two immortals didn't want to violate certain old rules, and were showing respect not to him, the small Earth Deity of Qidun Mountain.

Chen Ping'an wasn't unwilling to seize the opportunity to finish off the white serpent, but his internal organs were churning violently, leaving him powerless to do much. After wiping the sweat from his brow once, it would quickly return, covering his face again. Chen Ping'an simply stopped wasting his energy, focusing instead on regulating his breathing, trying to calm the chaos within his body, like trying to patch up a leaky window in a heavy rain.

The sound of drums echoed from his chest, growing louder, not entering his ears, but rather like a mysterious inner voice, clearly conveying the trembling and wailing of his body.

This near-instinctive feeling originated from the gut-wrenching pain he had experienced as a child in Mud Bottle Alley, and again once on the mountain.This time, Chen Pingan didn't writhe on the ground because he sensed that the strange energy resembling a fiery dragon within his body was flowing upwards from his abdomen. As it passed through the acupoints and meridians—those he'd learned from the wooden dummy at Song Jixin's house—it greatly reduced the pain. It was like a general leading troops to quell a rebellion, or, as Song Jixin would say, a royal crusade from historical dramas. The effect was significant; while it couldn't solve the root of the problem, it at least allowed the "rebellious energy" to avoid a direct confrontation.

Though seriously injured, Zhu He's aura didn't diminish; instead, his formidable fighting spirit soared. His sleeves billowed in the wind, giving him the dignified presence of a martial arts grandmaster.

The black serpent, slithering slowly along the edge of the stone platform, narrowed its eyes. Despite Zhu He's impressive combat power, it remained calm and unhurried, swaying its head from side to side as if clumsily searching for weaknesses. In doing so, it inadvertently gave Zhu He a precious opportunity to suppress his injuries.

The old man watched, hesitated, and then weakly warned, "Stop struggling. This fiend isn't in a hurry to devour you; it simply wants you to fully stimulate your vital energy. It's just waiting for an unripe fruit to ripen. Don't think it can't handle you. Otherwise, even if it swallows your body, it won't be able to digest your essence, qi, and spirit—that's the real nourishment."

The old man sighed and began to tidy his disheveled hair and tattered clothes, mocking himself, "I'm still the local earth deity, after all. I should at least look like a mountain god before I die."

Seating himself on the ground, he continued with a cold laugh, "Oh, and this fiend isn't just physically strong and agile. A hundred years ago, it devoured a Taoist cultivator at the Middle Fifth Floor realm. By now, it must have mastered one or two basic Taoist arts. They might be crude, but when used by this beast, even a Fifth Realm body won't be able to withstand them. In the end, it's just bad luck that a Fifth Realm martial artist is leading the team into the mountains. If it were a Sixth Realm cultivator, the two fiends might be able to eat them, but they wouldn't be willing to risk a mutually destructive battle. If it were a Seventh Realm cultivator, they would have already fled dozens of miles away, eager for you to leave Qidun Mountain."

Zhu Lu, the young girl, shuddered, all hope draining from her face after hearing his words.

Lin Shouyi murmured, "Ah Liang, where is Senior Ah Liang?"

Li Huai suddenly noticed Li Baoping secretly rummaging through her book case. She pulled out a small porcelain bottle and clutched it tightly in her hand.

Following her gaze, Chen Pingan subtly nodded to them from afar.

Li Huai suddenly felt envious of the tacit understanding between Li Baoping and her little martial uncle.

The books said it was called telepathy.

Upon hearing the earth deity's revelation, Zhu He showed no fear. He twisted his wrist and laughed, "To die cowering and useless is still death. To die fighting fiercely is also death. Since death is inevitable, why worry about becoming a stepping stone for that fiend's transformation into a dragon?!"

A Fifth Realm martial artist is qualified to be called a minor martial arts grandmaster, with a strong soul and a firm spirit. All that remains is to condense a martial will.

Zhu He, trapped in a certain death situation, showed no intention of retreating, embodying the martial arts principle of "forging martial will through fighting to the death." However, he still needed more tempering and refinement.

Zhu He's martial spirit had already reached its peak, ready to be unleashed.

The black serpent instantly abandoned its previous leisurely manner, as if truly convinced that Zhu He had no reserves left and his soul was boiling within his qi reservoirs. With his vital energy rapidly circulating throughout his body, it could finally sink its teeth into this delicacy.

The black serpent raised its head, opened its mouth, and revealed the terrifying sight of two ivory-colored fangs. As thick as a young man's arm, compared to the white python's filthy, drooling maw, this black serpent, destined to become a divine ink dragon, was relatively clean. The inside of its mouth was pure white, exuding waves of cold air. The contrasting black and white colors made this monstrous beast appear dignified and majestic, even more so than the disheveled old man, more like a genuine earth mountain god.

The black serpent launched a sudden attack, no longer using the feigned weakness of a headbutt. It instantly opened its mouth to its fullest extent, seemingly biting down on Zhu He's head on the stone platform, but in reality, it spat out a mouthful of extremely foul-smelling, snow-white miasma halfway through. The miasma solidified, resembling a bed crossbow bolt shooting straight at the ground.

Zhu He was a native of the small town, the Li family's serf. His combat experience was limited. In his martial arts career, he mostly engaged in controlled sparring with the family's ancestors. A life-or-death battle was a first for him. However, having learned from the fiend's feint attack once, Zhu He was wary of the black serpent's treachery, and his body moved accordingly, determined never to confront it head-on.

As expected, the sharp, icy miasma arrow missed, shattering the stone platform. Zhu He, having moved several steps to the side, immediately felt a gust of wind sweeping towards him. It was another one of its feints, both direct and indirect attacks. Zhu He anticipated this, pushed off with his toes, and instead of retreating, advanced straight towards the black serpent's abdomen.

Unexpectedly, the black serpent leaned back, frequently spewing miasma from its mouth, not intending to pierce Zhu He's body, but to hinder his advance. At the same time, its tail continued to extend until it formed a coil around the mountain, creating a large, circular cage, instantly trapping Zhu He and forcing him into a desperate struggle.

After encircling Zhu He with two layers of "city walls," the black serpent's long body still managed to raise its tail high, like a city patrolman, preventing Zhu He from flying out. Zhu He's reaction was already quick enough. He was about to take off before the second layer of the serpent body was completely formed. However, the moment his body lifted off the ground, the black serpent's tail slammed down violently. Zhu He protected his head with his arms and was knocked back onto the stone platform. Although his internal organs were unharmed, his qi sea was boiling, causing his face to turn red. His soul and spirit, out of goodwill, had to deviate from their designated meridians in order to protect their master from harm, infiltrating the more peripheral flesh and skin.

A hint of smugness appeared in the black serpent's cold, silver eyes.

If the martial artist was a delicious dish that was 70% cooked before, now he was 90% cooked.

Therefore, it stopped wasting its vital energy and instead opened its mouth, repeatedly lowering its head to pounce on Zhu He.

Zhu He's fists were like rainbows as he nimbly dodged and weaved within this arena. A green aura emanated from both arms, and each punch could crack the air, creating a mighty roar.Despite being at an absolute disadvantage, Zhu He showed no signs of decline. His eyes blazed, and his spirit was more vibrant than ever before.

The white-robed old man perked up his ears, marveling to himself. Although he hadn't witnessed the battle firsthand, he could guess what was happening. "A promising martial arts grandmaster," he thought, "cut down in his prime. A pity, a pity."

Suddenly, as if his backside were on fire, he sprang to his feet, snatched up the dull green bamboo staff, and shouted to the martial artists' companions, "Quick, someone come here, anyone will do.童男童女 are preferable, stomp on the '岳' character your elder etched. Then I can break free from this talisman's restraint. I can then assist him, if not slay the fiends, escaping shouldn't be difficult! Quick!"

The old man's anxious gaze darted across their faces.

Lin Shouyi smirked.

Li Huai, summoning his courage to risk his life, was about to step forward when Li Baoping grabbed his arm.

The old man was stunned, then hopping mad, he cursed, "You ungrateful fools! Do you want to watch your elder fight to his death?! Have you little brats' consciences been eaten by dogs?"

Zhu Lu flashed like lightning towards the Chess Mound Mountain Land Deity.

Far away, Chen Ping'an suddenly shouted sternly, "Zhu Lu, don't go! If you don't help him, he'll have no retreat. He might have to fight alongside us. If you do help him, with his cowardly nature, he'll definitely run! Besides, we're not even sure if he's in league with those two beasts! Don't be rash! From beginning to end, he seems to be helping us, but have you noticed that he hasn't actually helped Uncle Zhu at all!"

Zhu Lu, unwilling to heed Chen Ping'an's words, just kept charging forward.

The moment Chen Ping'an started speaking, he had already begun to rush towards the Land Deity old man, his speed no less than Zhu Lu's.

If there were no surprises, the straw-sandaled youth might be able to stop Zhu Lu.

The Land Deity old man's face was a mask of uncertainty as he stood in place, clutching the green staff.

The white serpent, with a severed wing, writhed and then lay still on the stone plaza, gasping for breath, as if unable to continue the fight.

But as Chen Ping'an rushed towards the Land Deity old man, appearing within ten steps of its head, the white serpent lunged forward without warning, its jaws snapping towards the youth. Gone was the near-death posture.

Chen Ping'an abruptly halted, retreated backward, dodging the white serpent's deadly attack. He roared, "Zhu Lu! See that! This beast also wants you to destroy Uncle Zhu's '岳' character! That person and the two beasts probably have a secret agreement!"

Chen Ping'an's view was blocked by the white serpent's body, preventing him from seeing the white-robed old man's side.

But the white serpent's head, first glancing towards the girl's direction with a hint of panic, slowly turned towards the youth, its eyes filled with mockery.

At that moment, the youth was filled with anger and disappointment.

So much so that even when the fire dragon within his body, passing through the three high-level qi acupoints, inexplicably changed from a force of crushing momentum to a cautious and humble posture, the youth did not notice.

The girl, Zhu Lu, her mind a blur, ran to the vicinity of the '岳' character, her face streaming with tears. She stamped her feet wildly, sobbing, "I want to save my father! I want to save him! I know, because he's my father, you don't care whether he lives or dies!"

The ashes of the yellow talisman on the '岳' character were trampled into the soil, finally disappearing from sight. The '岳' character, under the girl's feet, was finally blurred beyond recognition.

The white-robed old man stared blankly at the girl's feet, a suppressed laugh erupting from the depths of his throat, "Heh heh..."

Then the old man raised his head, staring playfully at the flustered girl. The old man casually twisted his wrist, the green bamboo staff tracing a path of emerald light in the air. His aged face bloomed with life, like dead wood meeting spring. He smiled broadly, nodding, "Heh heh, eager to save her father, understandable, understandable."

The old man's body began to grow rapidly, his face becoming younger and younger. His bones stretched, emitting a series of ear-piercing sounds like popping beans. Already in the guise of a middle-aged man, he threw back his head and laughed, half-crying, half-laughing, with extreme delight, "Hahaha!"

The green-staffed man, transformed into a handsome being, smiled at the white serpent, "As agreed, I'll help you deal with that hooded man hiding his head and tail. As for these guys, you can do whatever you want with them. Of course, from now on, our relationship can't continue as it has for the past centuries. Don't worry, once I'm officially appointed as the Mountain God, I'll promote you to be the Land Deity here. As for your man's journey down the river, I'll also support it. In the end, everyone benefits each other, a grand undertaking together."

Having said these words, the green-staffed man was already a handsome young man. He smiled and looked at the stunned girl, "Your father has a connection with me. Originally, in this round of land and river deity appointments for the Great Li Dynasty, I was just hoping to seize the opportunity to restore my status as a Land Deity. But he was actually able to call out the name of that 'Sir', which was truly shocking. It was like helping me reaffirm the Land Deity status that was originally stripped away by the immortals. To be honest, if he had written the '岳' character of that mountain-opening essay back then, I might already be the orthodox Mountain God of Chess Mound Mountain without the need for Great Li's official appointment."

The man looked incredibly happy, pacing slowly, waving his hand to himself, and smiling, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, I'm very content. Your father is a good person, and so are you. You are my benefactors. It's just a pity that a drop of kindness deserves a spring in return, but such a great conferment of grace, I really can't repay it."

The girl's face was ashen, her lips trembling, repeatedly muttering, "You're lying, you're lying..."

The elegant man glanced at the white serpent, "The severed wing was something we didn't anticipate. Don't expect me to compensate anything extra. I'm very poor right now. Chess Mound Mountain has been ransacked by you all for hundreds of years, leaving this dignified Land Deity only with a layer of dirt, it's very inappropriate."

The white serpent nodded obediently, revealing a rare hint of flattery, then gently shook its head.

The man waved the green staff boldly, "I don't care for your pitiful little fortune. Let all the past grievances be swept away by the wind."

Finally, he looked around and grinned, "Where's that brother you call A'Liang? It's fine if he doesn't pay respects to the mountain, but he even dared to sit in my chair, and in the end, he caused the '嶽' character to be demoted to a '岳' character..."The mountain deity, in the full bloom of his vigorous power, suddenly lowered his head with a blank stare, his face etched with unbearable agony and disbelief.

A simple bamboo blade had pierced straight through his heart.

The man in the bamboo hat stood shoulder to shoulder with him, only facing the opposite direction. The man released his grip on the hilt, then patted the mountain god's shoulder, answering with a smile, "Were you looking for me?"