Chapter 719: Great Winds Rise and Clouds Fly

“The wind sighs and the Yi River runs cold, old yak leaves and never returns…”

On the eve of his departure, the big black yak drank large bowls of wine, ate large chunks of meat, and sang loudly to the bright moon in the sky, bidding farewell to everyone.

Everyone was silent. Although the big black yak had not yet entered the depths of the Undying Mountain, perhaps his fate would indeed be as he had sung—they might never see him again after this journey.

“Old Yak, don’t be pessimistic, we believe you can come back alive!”

“Brother Yak, if it’s too difficult, don’t go. Hearing you sing like that under the moon breaks my heart, Old Donkey; I feel like crying.”

The group spoke up. The Northeast Tiger, showing a rare burst of loyalty, drunkenly declared he could go in place of the big black yak. “Losing a head is just a scar the size of a millstone, nothing to worry about!”

“What are you all so dejected about? Why the sighs? Old Yak here just felt that not reciting a poem at the time of departure would make me seem a bit lacking in literary talent and flair. Come, come, come, let’s have another one!” The big black yak cleared his throat, then sang loudly: “A great wind rises, clouds are scattered. My might extends within the seas, I return to my hometown!”

“How about that? Just now I sang about not returning, but now I’m singing about coming back! Old Yak will definitely return alive, I guarantee to reappear in this world!” the big black yak declared, then gulped down a jar of wine, smashing the jar with a bang. “Let’s go!”

Then, he, along with Yellow Ox and Ouyang Feng, set off, entering deep into the mountain gate.

“Brother Yak, take this!”

The group chased after them, stuffing a jade jar into his hand.

“No, this precious medicine should be kept. Don’t waste it on me!” the big black yak refused.

“Old Yak, just take it. You’re going to do something important; you must preserve your life!” Everyone insisted he take it.

Even Yellow Ox and Ouyang Feng nodded in agreement. Finally, Old Yak put away a jar of golden liquid medicine, which had been refined from the body of the Unblemished Divine Physique, Zhou Shang.

Don’t underestimate this small jar; it’s all essence!

The Unblemished Divine Physique, Zhou Shang, had his blood drained dozens of times, constantly refined and purified, eventually yielding this jar of potent medicine, which everyone made Old Yak take with him!

Then, Old Yak, Ouyang Feng, and Yellow Ox ventured deeper into the trial grounds of the Undying Mountain.

In an instant, as they stepped into the mist, it was as if vast changes had swept through the world, stars shifted, and everything transformed. The farewell crowd and their voices behind them vanished in a flash.

Ahead of them, north winds swept the land, breaking white grass, and withered bones on the ground flew with the wind. This was a battlefield, exuding an aura of desolation, with some tattered banners stuck in the ground, flapping fiercely in the wind.

More prevalent were skeletons, stretching as far as the eye could see, and a mournful whistling wind emanated from above the dark red ground.

Furthermore, indistinct figures emerged from the distance, then howled and charged at the three of them.

Those were living dead, skin and bones, their eye sockets now glowing with dazzling light. They lacked conscious thought but possessed a predatory awareness.

“Kill!”

The three roared and pressed forward.

There was also a moon here, high in the sky, but it was somewhat desolate, and as the fierce battle on the battlefield raged, the full moon became tinged with blood, a ghastly red.

Clang, clang, clang!

Sparks flew. Even Yellow Ox and Ouyang Feng, who had entered here more than once, dared not be careless. Each wielding a long sword and a halberd, they struck fiercely.

“What demons and monsters! Grandpa Yak has arrived! Today, I’m breaking through to move that three-legged demon cauldron with Little Yellow and Ouyang. From now on, we can permanently reside in Undying Mountain, mastering this place, instead of being mere passersby!”

The big black yak roared, already fighting desperately. Before long, his body was stained with blood. In his hands appeared two crescent-moon sabers, which were his horns, transformed into blades, wielded by him as he furiously hacked and slashed.

However, on this ancient battlefield, countless shadowy figures, clad in armor, densely packed, continuously charged at them.

“Roar…” The living dead roared, incredibly dense, tens of thousands of them, like a horde of vengeful spirits erupting from hell, charging toward them.

From the sky, the roars of ferocious birds and beasts were deafening.

Several pterosaurs could be seen flapping their ragged wings, spewing out large clouds of black mist as they swooped down.

Additionally, Western black dragons and silver dragons, among others, carrying an aura of decay, opened their mouths and unleashed streams of runic light, attacking from high above.

On the ground, there were also bone dragons, as well as creatures like Taotie and Qiongqi – all ancient demigod beast corpses. At this moment, they seemed to revive, tearing open the earth, filling the night sky with dust and smoke, roaring like thunder shaking the world. Countless monsters appeared, their eyes blood-red, charging forward.

Yellow Ox, Ouyang Feng, and the big black yak had only one goal: the three-legged demon cauldron deep within the forbidden land.

This was the conclusion they reached after repeated, careful study: it was a crucial artifact of the demon race’s holy land, requiring three beings to each embrace a leg of the cauldron and perform a blood sacrifice to potentially gain control and be recognized by the place.

This was because they had spent these days studying many steles in Undying Mountain, inferring much from ancient inscriptions left by predecessors.

“Kill!” The battle cries shook the heavens. As the slaughter continued, the living dead and various monsters on this battlefield seemed to truly revive, able to shout loudly and let out long howls.

Moreover, when blades struck their bodies, it was no longer like chopping wood; blood truly splattered.

In the fierce battle, Yellow Ox and Ouyang Feng both sustained bleeding wounds, but they pushed forward relentlessly, attacking fiercely.

As for the big black yak, his situation was somewhat grim: his chest was pierced by an iron spear, a broken sword was stuck in his shoulder, bone spears were embedded in his back, and his abdomen bore tooth marks from a giant beast.

He was covered in blood, yet he was exceptionally brave, his eyes bloodshot, as he wielded the crescent-moon sabers formed from his large horns and charged forward ferociously.

Finally, they escaped this battlefield and entered a vibrant area, though even here, under the moonlight, there was a chilling aura.

“There are strange fruits here, but also killer plants and various terrifying creatures. Be careful!” Yellow Ox warned.

No sooner had it spoken than a golden ant, the size of a fist, flew swiftly towards them, its teeth razor-sharp, like two glinting knives, aiming to sever Yellow Ox’s throat.

Yellow Ox punched, shattering it.

But with a buzz, a swarm of golden ants rose from the jungle, charging toward them. Not far away, there were also many gold-eating beasts, like jackals, but entirely silvery-white, that loved to consume metal and also kill, now pouncing madly.

As they fought their way out, the big black yak stumbled, now riddled with over a dozen bloodied holes. These were inflicted by monsters called “earth dragons,” just over a foot long, with bodies as hard as sharp swords, capable of easily piercing metal and rock.

Facing tens of thousands of these creatures, the big black yak was ultimately not as strong as Yellow Ox and Ouyang Feng, and suffered severe injuries.

“Old Black, if it’s truly too much, we’ll send you out!” This time, even Ouyang Feng spoke seriously, no longer giving sidelong glances, genuinely worried that the big black yak couldn’t hold on.

The big black yak shook his head, insisting on going. “No, according to the inscriptions on the steles, that three-legged demon cauldron requires three people to activate. If I don’t go, no matter how strong you two are, we’ll still be one person short.”

“Drink some of the Unblemished Divine Physique’s blood medicine.” Yellow Ox urged him to heal his injuries, not to be stingy with the potent medicine in his hand.

The big black yak shook his head. “No, keep this for now. I have a feeling that three-legged demon cauldron might require some special divine blood during the blood sacrifice.”

Ouyang Feng said, “Old Black, don’t push yourself too hard. Drink it. Grandpa Ouyang, the Divine King’s blood, is also divine blood; we can sacrifice some of that when the time comes.”

The big black yak nodded, saying, “I’ll save it for now. If I truly can’t hold on, I’ll drink it.”

“Old Black, don’t be impulsive. I know you’ve hidden a stele that describes a method of blood sacrifice for the three-legged demon cauldron, inferred by predecessors, which speaks of sacrificing oneself. Don’t believe it,” Yellow Ox said with utmost seriousness, urging him not to act rashly.

In fact, it had secretly seen that stele. Although the big black yak had hidden it, Yellow Ox had actually seen it long ago.

Ouyang Feng was startled upon hearing this. “Old Black, you really are something! Don’t be foolish. If you sacrifice yourself, how can we accept it? Can we just stand by and watch our brother die? And Chu Feng wouldn’t agree either. Do you want us to feel guilty for the rest of our lives?”

“Isn’t it because I always feel like I’m holding you back? Now I finally have a chance to shine and contribute, so I want to try it out. Don’t worry, Old Yak here has thick skin and flesh, and more blood than anyone; I won’t die!” the big black yak said nonchalantly.

“No!” Yellow Ox and Ouyang Feng shook their heads in unison.

“Let’s go, on our way!” After recovering, the big black yak waved his hand and charged forward first.

At Kunlun, Chu Feng spoke with eloquent persuasion, even frothing at the mouth, finally managing to reason with the old sacred tree. From it, he obtained a large jar of pollen.

“Be careful, don’t let it touch you, or it will melt you down and turn you into a human weapon!” the Weapon-Refining Sacred Tree warned.

Chu Feng immediately vanished, disappearing in an instant.

“You little rascal! You get what you want and run off! You promised to chat with this old man! Where are you?!” the old tree grumbled.

Chu Feng was already a thousand li away. He simply couldn’t take it anymore. He had chatted with the old tree for half the night, his mouth dry and his throat hoarse, yet the old tree was still listening with keen interest. He felt like he was about to spit blood.

Especially since the old tree itself was a chatterbox, talking along endlessly.

Jiangning, Purple Gold Mountain.

Chu Feng arrived again, directly venturing underground to find Chu Ba Wang, then had Chu Ba Wang lead him to the small world deep within the earth’s core, enveloped in primordial chaos.

“You’ve come, but have you thought it through? Once I emerge from here, the consequences will be unpredictable. Perhaps I’ll never return to my past self, and from then on, I’ll be a boundless force of destruction, a scourge upon the cosmos, becoming a source of disaster, especially for this planet…”

That deep, hoarse voice emanated from the ancient coffin, carrying a hint of madness and boundless tyranny, like a malevolent spirit awaiting liberation.

At this moment, Chu Feng hesitated, a wave of trepidation washing over him. Was he saving his home planet, or was he unleashing blood and chaos?

He even wondered if he had been deceived by that deranged old man, who seemed to possess nothing but tyrannical and murderous intent. Was the old man merely seeking his own escape?

“If you’ve made up your mind, give it to me. This pollen can smelt mother gold, but it also takes time, especially with the mother gold from the Yang World, which is even more terrifying and contains runes from supreme powers. It will take at least half a day or more.” A deep voice, accompanied by heavy breathing, came from the ancient coffin, like a prehistoric beast gathering strength, ready to break free from its cage.