Chapter 12: Taihang Sacred Mountain

Late at night, a continuous rumbling echoed through the Taihang Mountains as hundreds, even thousands, of majestic peaks rose from the ground, appearing out of nowhere. It was a truly magnificent sight.

Some peaks soared over a thousand *zhang*, piercing the firmament like divine swords. They were incredibly steep and virtually unclimbable.

Other mountains were grand and mighty, massive in their entirety, sprawling like primordial demonic oxen from myths, exuding an ancient, wild aura. Some reached heights of ten thousand meters.

On some of these mountains, silver waterfalls cascaded. From a distance, they looked like shimmering silk ribbons under the moonlight, with mist rising, indicating abundant spiritual energy.

"Is this still the Taihang Mountains I know?" Zhou Quan exclaimed, utterly astonished. He almost bit through his lip, certain this wasn't a dream.

The changes were too drastic, earth-shattering!

The strange phenomena left them dumbfounded and incredulous.

Chu Feng was in a daze, also somewhat lost in thought.

Ahead, vast stretches of colossal mountains had appeared out of thin air, far taller than the original Taihang Mountains. They gleamed with vibrant colors and pulsed with vital energy, like a fairyland.

The Taihang Mountains had become much vaster, more majestic than before.

Chu Feng and Zhou Quan had both grown up in this region and knew it intimately. The changes before them were nothing short of spectacular, and an ancient, primordial aura washed over them.

This left them both awestruck and alarmed.

"Do you think there might be divine fruits or immortal dwellings inside?" Zhou Quan asked, his mind racing and his eyes shining with excitement.

In the past two days, he had seen reports on his communicator that various supernatural phenomena had appeared in specific places like Mount Song and Mount Wangwu, where even ordinary rocks glowed with purple light.

The young man who had consumed a strange silver fruit and grown silver wings lived near Mount Wangwu and was later taken away by people from Heavenly God Biological.

This made Zhou Quan's heart flutter, his imagination running wild.

Chu Feng remained calm and said, "Wake up. Don't think of things too optimistically. With so many colossal mountains, there will surely be no shortage of fierce birds and beasts inside. If a few break out, there will likely be major trouble."

Zhou Quan's heart skipped a beat at his words. This wasn't impossible, and it could perhaps happen at any moment.

"Roar..."

As if to confirm Chu Feng's words, a beast's roar echoed from deep within the mountains, followed by an eruption of smoke and clouds, as a giant beast howled at the sky, venting its frustration.

Zhou Quan's hair stood on end. He looked towards the mountains, meticulously searching for the source of the sound.

"It's that mountain. How could I... Is that a monster howling on the mountaintop?" He could barely speak coherently, pointing to a colossal mountain in the range.

Although far away, they vaguely saw a flickering firelight, as if a red-furred beast was gazing out, roaring, and then absorbing the essence of the sun and moon.

There really were fierce beasts, and with their home just outside the Taihang Mountains, it was simply too dangerous.

Zhou Quan's face was drained of color. He and Chu Feng had just returned and encountered this. Did they have to stop in their tracks and start fleeing again?

"Whoosh..."

In the distance, it seemed as if wind had picked up. A dark cloud drifted by, eventually descending into the mountains.

"A giant bird!" Chu Feng's eyelids twitched. How huge was that bird?

"Did I... did I see that right?" Zhou Quan's Adam's apple bobbed as he frantically swallowed.

The huge bird's body was a dull grey as it landed deep within the mountain range.

"What if it targets people outside for prey? We wouldn't be able to escape," Zhou Quan sighed. "Such a raptor is incredibly fast; if it wanted to leave the mountains, it would be out in a flash."

As they spoke, a purple raptor from the mountains, not as large as the previous one but still significant, seemingly over ten meters long, soared with outstretched wings, flying towards the outside of the mountains.

It was very special; its wings gleamed with an astonishing luster, as if forged from metal.

"Oh no, I've really got a big mouth! A fierce bird really is coming out!" Zhou Quan wished he could slap himself.

Both felt a chill run down their spines and quickly hid behind a large tree by the road, fearing they would be discovered and become the first prey.

In the dark night, the divine bird emitted a bright glow, like a purple streak of silk, rapidly darting towards the outside of the mountains. It let out a long cry, seemingly excited and longing for something.

Boom!

Suddenly, its body burst into a ball of purple flames, illuminating the sky and making the entire firmament as bright as day, consumed by a roaring inferno.

This sight made their hearts tremble.

That firelight was terrifying even from a great distance, making them feel waves of heat plummeting from the sky. Zhou Quan wiped away sweat.

The purple giant bird, like a purple celestial sun traversing the sky, made the area exceptionally dazzling.

"How terrifying! This is a demonic bird. Just one of them could destroy a town," Zhou Quan whispered, his heart filled with worry.

Chu Feng also fell silent, because who knew how many terrifying fierce birds and beasts were in the Taihang Mountains; hundreds and thousands of colossal mountains had just appeared.

However, a mournful cry from the sky left both of them stunned.

Purple flames surged. The giant bird was burning, wailing, struggling violently, and plummeting towards the ground.

What was happening? Chu Feng and Zhou Quan exchanged bewildered glances.

Just moments ago, it had been awe-inspiring, looking as if it would spread its wings and strike the heavens, rushing towards the outside of the mountains. They had thought those luminous flames were a display of its power; who knew it would ultimately ignite itself?

Bang!

In mid-air, an explosive sound reverberated. The purple giant bird disintegrated with a loud bang before even hitting the ground, accompanied by firelight, turning into vast amounts of ashes that scattered everywhere.

It just died like that? For a long time, neither Chu Feng nor Zhou Quan spoke.

"May the divine mountains protect us!"

Finally, Zhou Quan broke the silence, cupping his hands and bowing towards the Taihang Mountains. The stout man was becoming a bit superstitious, driven to it by all the strange occurrences.

Suddenly, there was movement again deep within the Taihang Mountains. A monster, emitting red light, shaped like an upright giant crocodile but with wings, possibly ten meters long and entirely fiery red, flew outwards.

Boom!

As it approached the outside of the mountains, a burst of fierce light erupted. It too burst into flames, screaming, plummeting mid-air, and turning into black ashes.

"Another big one dead!"

At this point, Chu Feng and Zhou Quan began to faintly grasp something: they couldn't get out?

They exchanged glances, both hesitating.

"Should we go take a look?"

With the world undergoing dramatic changes and strange phenomena appearing frequently, they knew the world might be completely different from now on. If they were bold and proactive enough, they might seize unexpected opportunities in the early stages.

Of course, they might also forfeit their lives.

Both were quite courageous, and despite some concerns, they couldn't help but walk forward. Entering the mountains was impossible; they just wanted to observe from outside.

What was there that caused the colossal beasts to burn to death?

It didn't look very far, but they walked for many kilometers before reaching the mountain exit. On the ground were large patches of black ash and charred bone fragments, bearing burn marks from parts that hadn't completely burned away.

"Why do I feel like there's an overwhelming malevolent aura ahead?"

For some reason, Zhou Quan felt his legs trembling, almost unable to stand, his calves cramping and twitching uncontrollably.

Chu Feng also felt a deep unease, as if he were being targeted by a fierce beast. His body stiffened, all the hairs on his body stood on end, and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

Both took a deep breath and steadily retreated. Their initial idea had been too naive; this mountain range should not be approached too closely now. It was completely different from before.

A moment later, as they hid in the woods, they suddenly saw pair after pair of lantern-like glowing orbs emerge right at the mountain exit. Some were blood-red, some deep blue, and some golden yellow, all emitting a cold light.

There were too many; the place was densely packed with them.

"Eyes! There are pairs and pairs of eyes there, they want to come out!" Zhou Quan yelped in a low voice, almost scared out of his wits.

So many pairs of eyes were exceptionally conspicuous at the dark mountain pass; many were as large as washbasins. The thought alone made their scalps tingle.

For some reason, that place was extremely dark, unlike the glowing depths of the mountain range. The light seemed to be absorbed, allowing only those terrifying and merciless eyes to be seen clearly.

Bang!

Suddenly, a creature burst out. The ground trembled, the mountain forest swayed, and leaves rustled down — a terrifying sight.

However, just like the terrifying sight they had witnessed earlier, as soon as it burst out of the mountain pass, it disintegrated with a loud bang, turning into a burst of fire and burning completely away.

"Is it self-immolating? Does it want to die?" Zhou Quan mumbled. He spoke lightly, but his legs were actually trembling.

Subsequently, several roars followed one after another as primordial beasts charged out, some even house-sized silver spiders. It was a terrifying scene, but the outcome was the same for all of them: each turned into ashes.

Not a single one could make it out alive.

"Taihang Divine Mountain!" Zhou Quan almost knelt down, muttering incessantly.

A long time later, there was no longer any movement at the dark mountain pass; it was completely silent. However, the primordial malevolent aura still lingered, indicating it was clearly still dangerous and the creatures had not left.

Not until golden light flowed and a hazy glow appeared was the tranquility broken.

A calf, about one meter tall, inched its way outwards, moving extremely slowly. It seemed very afraid, yet also hopeful, walking outwards with extreme caution and care.

"Is this calf made of gold?" Zhou Quan stared in a daze.

Chu Feng was also surprised, looking ahead.

The calf was entirely golden, glowing in the darkness, its fur shimmering as if truly cast from gold. Even its pupils and a pair of very small horns were golden.

Lacking the clumsiness of an ordinary cow, it possessed a spiritual quality, appearing extraordinary at first glance.

At the very least, they had never seen a calf like pure gold.

The mountain pass was quiet. Pair after pair of cold, lantern-like eyes were fixed on the golden calf, watching to see if it could make it out alive.

One step, two steps... ten steps, then a hundred steps!

The calf remained unharmed the whole time; nothing happened to it. It was very excited, showing human-like emotions, able to express them. Its courage grew, and it sped up.

Finally, it actually succeeded in walking out of the mountain pass, appearing alive outside the mountain range.

Zhou Quan let out a low curse. He was somewhat worried but also eager to try, whispering, "A divine ox has come out, completely golden! There must be something special about it. It's so small, can we catch it?"