CH 58

They slept the night away, and in the morning the thick fog had dissipated somewhat, but visibility remained poor.

Yun Xi anxiously studied the map, “I wonder how accurate this ancient Kunlun map is. After all, it has never been verified. We’ve been heading west and if the map is correct, we should be able to reach Gai Ze Peak in Kunlun Mountain today. After reaching there, we can go north for another one hundred miles to enter the Kunlun Immortal Boundary.”

Tian Rong said in a depressed tone, “The fog is so thick and we haven’t even reached the Kunlun Immortal Boundary yet. I can’t run at full speed. My vision is only two hundred meters now. If I run at full speed, it doesn’t give me enough time to stop if there is danger.”

Depressed tone=monotone? Let his words tell the story.

“Slow down, safety is the top priority,” Yu Ren Shu said. “The food we brought this time is enough for half a year.”

Jiang Chao Ge boasted, “Thanks to this whale’s storage bag, we can carry much.”

Yun Xi glanced at him, “You obviously stole it.”

Jiang Chao Ge pretended not to hear and said, “By the way, my body can really withstand the cold now. It’s freezing, but I won’t get frostbite like I used to.”

Yu Ren Shu laughed, “Yes, the stronger your spiritual power, the better your physical condition. I can get by with just thin clothes in this climate.”

After chatting for a while, everyone closed their eyes to cultivate, pushing themselves to become stronger after experiencing several near-death situations.

After walking west for most of the day, in the afternoon, they vaguely saw a black shadow appear in the thin mist.

Ruàn Qiānxiǔ exclaimed happily, “Is that Gai Ze Peak?”

Zhi Xuan said, “It’s very possible.”

Tian Rong and Zuo You rushed towards the black shadow, and as they got closer, they realized that its shape was unusual. It didn’t look like a conical mountain peak, but rather somewhat round and stout. They became cautious. Such a large figure could either be a mountain or an ancient beast. But if it were an ancient beast, Tian Rong and Zuo You, not to mention Zhi Xuan, should have sensed it already, which made them even more curious.

Yu Ren Shu said, “Perhaps Gai Ze Peak is just an unusual shape. In any case, let’s go take a look.”

As they got closer, the true form of the black shadow gradually appeared behind the thin mist and turned out to be a huge statue.

The statue was carved from a large mountain, but because they were too close, they couldn’t see the whole statue clearly. They could only make out that it was cylindrical in shape and seemed to have four wings and multiple legs, without a head or face.

Zhi Xuan had the best eyesight and had already penetrated the mist to see the full statue. He suddenly stood up from Jiang Chao Ge’s arms, his small face twisted in a terrifying manner as he let out a ferocious roar towards the statue. The sound was not something a human could make but was the roar of a Qilin.

Jiang Chao Ge was startled. “Zhi Xuan, what’s wrong with you?”

Zhi Xuan seemed extremely angry, constantly roaring towards the statue while shaking all over.

Yu Ren Shu said in a deep voice, “That’s Di Jiang, one of the Twelve Ancient Witch Ancestors.”

Yun Xi widened his eyes, staring without blinking at the statue, his expression full of suspicion.

Jiang Chao Ge suddenly understood. Thousands of years ago, the Twelve Exotic Beasts caused havoc in the world while competing for the essence of heaven and earth. The heavenly gods sent the Twelve Witch Ancestors to subdue the beasts, but both sides suffered heavy losses, and in the end, the beasts were sealed and the Witch Ancestors perished. Di Jiang was the natural enemy of the Exotic Beasts.

Zhi Xuan roared with rage, “Di Jiang, yes, that’s him! He killed Yin Chuan! Yin Chuan has guarded Kunlun Mountain and kept it peaceful for thousands of years. To prevent almost breaking ties with humans, he was sealed, but those despicable humans actually erected a statue for Di Jiang! I want to destroy this statue!”

Jiang Chao Ge hugged Zhi Xuan tightly. “Zhi Xuan, calm down! It’s just a statue!”

Zhi Xuan roared fiercely. Jiang Chao Ge pressed his small head tightly against his chest, feeling Zhi Xuan’s spiritual power raging inside him. He was afraid that if Zhi Xuan acted impulsively again and revealed his true form, he would be injured just like last time after the battle with Xiao Xue. He couldn’t let Zhi Xuan damage his cultivation again.

Zhi Xuan slowly calmed down in Jiang Chao Ge’s embrace. He pressed his ear against Jiang Chao Ge’s chest, listening to the beat of his heart. His ferocious expression also softened. He gently bumped his small head against Jiang Chao Ge’s chest and whispered softly, “I hate this statue. Once you can summon my true form, I will definitely destroy it.”

“Okay. Once I can summon your true form, the first thing we’ll do is to knock it down.”

“I remember the name of the Witch Ancestor who sealed me. He’s called Gong Gong.” Zhi Xuan’s golden eyes were full of hatred and killing intent. “If I obtain the essence of heaven and earth, I will find Gong Gong’s reincarnation and destroy his three souls and seven spirits. Let him become an earth-bound soul, unable to reincarnate forever!”

Jiang Chao Ge heard the name “Gong Gong” and felt a strange sense of familiarity. He realized that Gong Gong was a figure in their mythological history who had knocked down Mount Buzhou, no wonder the name sounded familiar. He lightly patted Zhi Xuan’s back and comforted him, “Alright, alright, we’ll kill him and leave nothing.”

Zhi Xuan hugged Jiang Chao Ge’s neck and rubbed his face against him quietly, acting spoiled.

After comforting him for a while, the group passed by the majestic statue of Di Jiang and continued westward.

At sunset, they saw a mountain peak in the thin mist. Although there was fog, it didn’t affect their sense of direction. Most likely, it was Gai Ze Peak.

Yun Xi exclaimed excitedly, “I didn’t expect to find this place with you people.”

Long Xiang raised an eyebrow and asked, “What do you mean by ‘with you people’?”

Yun Xi ignored him and took out a set of cooking utensils from his storage bag, chopping vegetables and slicing meat with a clanging sound. It seemed that he was preparing a hotpot for himself.

Jiang Chao Ge teased him, “Why did you come all the way here if you’re not going to eat with us? Come and join us.”

Yun Xi turned his head and glared at him darkly, “I’m not eating with you people, don’t come over.”

Ruan Qiansu chuckled, “Why is he so antisocial?”

“It’s just the way he is, let’s eat our food,” Jiang Chao Ge said.

Not long after, the aroma of Yun Xi’s hotpot wafted into their noses. Yu Ren Shu looked at the bread in his hand and furrowed his brows.

Zui You wrinkled his nose, stood up, and walked gracefully towards Yun Xi. He squatted down next to him, and Yun Xi moved several steps away in fear.

Zui You chuckled. “What are you afraid of?”

“You’re a fox spirit.”

“But I’m not going to eat you.”

“Then why did you come over?” Yun Xi lowered his head and dared not look Zui You in the eye.

“You’re cooking chicken, and I love chicken the most.”

“But you said you don’t need food.”

“But I still crave food,” Zui You said with a smile, picking up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks and putting it into his mouth. “It’s delicious.”

“Is it really that delicious?” Yu Ren Shu walked over and said, “Let me try.”

Slowly, everyone moved closer and gathered around Yun Xi’s small hotpot, eating together.

Yun Xi was pushed to the outer circle, staring blankly as they discussed what meat to put in and even got into a fight for a piece of radish. He wanted to drive them away several times, but he couldn’t get a word in and could only bite his chopsticks, feeling sad as he shrank to the side.

After resting for a night, they continued to walk northwards from Gai Ze Peak. As they approached Kunlun Immortal Boundary, the fog became denser, until it was almost impossible to move forward. Even if there were cliffs and ravines in front of them, they couldn’t see them until they were close. The thick fog combined with the heavy snow made their movement extremely slow.

Suddenly, Zhi Xuan became alert and raised his head, “There are beasts in the sky, and not just one.”

Everyone looked up and through the dense fog, they could vaguely see six or seven giant birds circling in the air.

Zui You sniffed, “They are Chi Birds.”

After circling several times, the Chi Birds flew down. These fierce-looking birds had one head and three bodies that resembled a bird of prey, but their faces were similar to an eagles. Upon closer inspection, there was even a man sitting on one of them, but due to the heavy fog, they couldn’t see his appearance clearly. The man yelled something in a language they couldn’t understand. 

Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

The Chi Birds circled again, and the man switched to their language, “Who are you people?” His pronunciation was awkward, and his tone was peculiar.

Yu Ren Shu said, “We come from the central region and are going to Kunlun Immortal Boundary.”

“Kunlun Immortal Boundary doesn’t accept outsiders.”

“We must go because we’re looking for something.”

“What are you looking for?”

Yu Ren Shu replied flatly, “I can’t reveal that.”

The man snorted heavily, “You can’t enter, so go back.”

Jiang Chao Ge said, “We have to. Do you think you can stop us?”

“It’s suicidal to go to Kunlun Immortal Boundary just because you want to.”

“Whether it’s suicidal or not is our business.”

The man laughed strangely, “Alright, since you’re rushing to your death, I’ll show you a shortcut. Walk thirty miles northeast from here until you see a fan-shaped hill. After that, walk another twenty miles west, and you’ll reach Kunlun Hill, which is the entrance of Kunlun Immortal Boundary that you’re looking for.”

“Why should we believe you?” 

“Believe it or not, in the end, you will die on Kunlun Hill, and I will wait there to take your spirit artifacts after you die.”

Jiang Chao Ge glared at him. “Don’t even think about touching our spirit artifacts.”

The man burst into laughter, and with his flock of Chi Birds, flew away.

Jiang Chao Ge said unhappily, “What is this person trying to do? This is such bad luck.”

Zhi Xuan said, “He could be a patrol from the Kunlun Mountain tribe. It appears that there are still humans living here.” He said ominously, “Perhaps this group of humans was responsible for the statue of Di Jiang. I want to eat them.”

“I’ve heard that the meat of Chi Birds is quite delicious,” Zui You licked his lips. “I love eating flying birds the most.”

“I also like eating flying birds; their meat is more tender than that of land animals,” said Tian Rong.

Yun Xi said in a deep voice, “Aren’t you all going to pay attention to what he said?”

Zhi Xuan said, “Kunlun Hill is the only way to Kunlun Immortal Boundary, and a large group of hungry beasts live there all year round.”

Jiang Chao Ge said, “Why don’t we fly over?”

“It’s no use. There are more fierce birds in the sky,” replied Yun Xi worriedly.

“How are we going to pass through Kunlun Mountain?” asked Yun Xi.

“Just walk through it,” Yu Ren Shu said matter-of-factly. He clenched his fist and said, “Even God or Buddha can’t stop me. If they do, I will destroy them.

Yun Xi sighed deeply and said resignedly, “It’s too late to go home now.”

They walked skeptically towards the northeast for 15 kilometers until they really saw that fan-shaped hill. Occasionally, everyone could feel that there were a few strange beasts lurking around, too afraid to approach the party.

Thinking that they might soon face a fierce battle, they decided to stop and rest. They ate a hearty meal and went into their respective tents.

Jiang Chao Ge saw that Zhi Xuan had been sulking for the past two days and knew that he was still angry about the statue of Di Jiang. He said, “Are you still thinking about that statue? It’s just a statue, and Di Jiang didn’t really come back to life.”

“Di Jiang won’t come back to life. The reason we can live is because we were made into spirit weapons,” said Zhi Xuan gloomily. “Di Jiang and other witch ancestors have already entered the cycle of reincarnation.”

“So now there are no more Witch Ancestors. Only exotic beasts. You have the chance for eternal life, but they don’t. What else do you have to be angry about?”

“I’m just a bit worried.” Zhi Xuan frowned. “The reason we couldn’t enter the Wheel of Reincarnation was because the Heavenly Gods were afraid we would cause chaos in the underworld, so they sealed us. But the Witch Ancestors lost their spiritual power after entering the Wheel of Reincarnation. If the Heavenly Gods had known that we would awaken one day, they would have…”

“Left a contingency plan?” 

Zhi Xuan nodded. “The fact that the exotic beasts have awakened now proves that the fundamental elements of heaven and earth will inevitably reappear in the mortal world. Disputes are unavoidable. With the Witch Ancestors dead, what can the Heavenly Gods use to stop us this time?”

Jiang Chao Ge grabbed his hair. “Maybe they still have other heavenly generals and soldiers.”

Zhi Xuan shook his head. “We’ve already eaten most of them.”

Jiang Chao Ge looked confused. “Then how did the Twelve Witch Ancestors seal you all?”

Zhi Xuan’s eyes went blank as he fell into his memories. “We fought for the fundamental elements of heaven and earth for thousands of years, and our spiritual power was depleted by more than half. The Twelve Witch Ancestors had their own strengths and could control the winds and storms, move mountains and overturn the seas. Gong Gong was the water god and happened to be my nemesis. We tangled for several years, and there were constantly human spiritual and heavenly soldiers descending to assist him.” Zhi Xuan snorted heavily. “If not for that, he wouldn’t have been my rival. Anyway, he eventually sealed me and cut off my horn to create this sword. He also died due to the depletion of spiritual power and essence.”

Jiang Chao Ge listened to this short narrative and could already sense the cruelty of that devastating battle. He didn’t know what kind of monster Gong Gong was, but he could not be underestimated if he fought the Qilin for several years and was hated by Zhi Xuan. Jiang Chao Ge said, “Even if you find the reincarnation of Gong Gong now, he would just be an ordinary human.”

Zhi Xuan said fiercely, “Although the reincarnation of Gong Gong is an ordinary human, his three souls and seven spirits are still present, and he still has a chance to awaken the power of his former self. When I find him this time, I will scatter his three souls and seven spirits and let the water god Gong Gong disappear completely.”

Jiang Chao Ge suddenly realized, “You are afraid that the Twelve Witch Ancestors will still have a chance to be reborn.”

Zhi Xuan nodded, “I don’t know how they will be reborn after entering the Wheel of Reincarnation, but I am still worried. The best way is to tear their souls into pieces to prevent future troubles.”

Jiang Chao Ge sighed deeply, feeling that this world was too complicated. Fortunately, his goal was neither to save the world nor to obtain the fundamental elements of heaven and earth. He just wanted to return to his own world and live a peaceful life.

Zhi Xuan nestled in Jiang Chao Ge’s arms and whispered in a low voice, “I saw Gong Gong chop off my horn with my own eyes.”

Jiang Chao Ge’s heart trembled slightly. Because he and Zhi Xuan had similar spirit powers, he could often sense his emotions. At this moment, he felt Zhi Xuan’s anger and sorrow, and couldn’t help but pat his head.

“At that time, I was already dead, but I still ‘saw’ it and felt the intense pain,” Zhi Xuan clenched his fists tightly. “I will never forget the humiliation and pain he caused me. I want to make him pay a hundred times over!”

Jiang Chao Ge didn’t know how to comfort him.

“If we find Yin Chuan, before summoning him, I want to destroy the statue of Di Jiang.”

“Why?” 

“I don’t want Yin Chuan to see that statue,” Zhi Xuan said angrily. “Yin Chuan wanted to protect the fundamental elements of heaven and earth for humanity, but humans are ungrateful. They regarded him as a savage beast like us and joined forces with Di Jiang to fight against him. Yin Chuan boasted that he had read ten thousand books, but in the end, he proved to be an idiot and died. I hate him.”

Jiang Chao Ge smiled. “But you still care about him.”

Zhi Xuan fell silent for a moment. “He is also my friend.”

Jiang Chao Ge rubbed his hair. “For the sake of your friend, we will definitely destroy the statue of Di Jiang.”

At dawn, everyone set off together with nervousness and anticipation, heading towards Kunlun Mountain.

The man they met yesterday obviously thought they would all perish here, so he didn’t lie. They walked twenty miles, and sure enough, they saw Kunlun Mountain.

Zhi Xuan sighed deeply and said, “Kunlun Mountain… It’s been thousands of years, and it’s still the same as before.”

Jiang Chao Ge looked at the mountain in front of him. It looked very ordinary, without any special features, but he could still sense the spiritual power surging forth from within. Thinking that there were countless exotic beasts inside, eyes sunken with hunger, he couldn’t help but feel a little scared.

However, there was someone who was even more afraid than him, and that was Yun Xi.

Yun Xi shrunk into Zui You’s arms, clutching the fox fur tightly and nervously said, “There must be many man-eating exotic beasts inside. Do we really have to enter the mountain?”

“We’ve come all the way here. Is there any reason not to enter the mountain?” 

Yun Xi cried and said, “I don’t want to die.”

Jiang Chao Ge said, “We will protect you.”

“Don’t lie to me. You can’t even summon spirit beasts. Who do you think you can protect?”

Jiang Chao Ge’s face was a little embarrassed. “I naturally have a way to protect myself.”

Ruan Qinsu said, “You ride on the Zhen Niao and follow me. I will protect you.”

“Yes, flying creatures are always less common than those on the ground. You guys go to the sky,” Yu Ren Shu took a deep breath, “We will run forward without fighting, and pass through Kunlun Mountain at the fastest speed possible.”

Everyone nodded, feeling a little nervous.

Yu Ren Shu shouted loudly, driving Tian Rong towards Kunlun Mountain.

Zui You followed closely behind, while Zheng Chen and Zhen Niao took Ruan Qinsu and Yun Xi to fly into the sky.

Kunlun Mountain consisted of seven continuous mountain ranges, each not high, but it was surrounded by dense fog. When they rushed into the fog, they felt that it had formed a thick net, which not only made it difficult for them to breathe, but also hindered their speed.

Jiang Chao Ge, sitting on the back of Tian Rong, grabbed its fur with one hand and held a sword with the other. Just as they rushed onto the mountain, a fierce beast head suddenly appeared in the dense white fog, causing Jiang Chao Ge’s heart to skip a beat. He swung his sword, infused with spiritual power, and broke through the thick fog, cutting the beast’s face and body into two pieces.

Yu Ren Shu praised, “Very good!” He swung his mace, and with a loud bang, the sound of bones shattering could be heard. A thousand-pound black boar twisted and flew out.

Yu Ren Shu laughed, “This is my first time fighting in a thick fog. It’s especially exciting!”

Jiang Chao Ge used to be just as daring. His own strength gave him the confidence to face any opponent with the courage of inevitable victory. But now he doesn’t have such confidence. Luckily, he had these powerful companions. He took a deep breath and boldly shouted, “Yes, it’s exciting!” He swung his sword, splashing blood everywhere.

Tian Rong ran and bit like a meat grinder, Yu Ren Shu and Jiang Chao Ge kept cutting down various exotic beasts that pounced on them, and the snowy ground under their feet quickly turned blood red.

Suddenly, Jiang Chao Ge felt a pain in his shoulder, was knocked from atop Tian Rong and fell heavily to the ground. Tian Rong was already fast, and with his tall stature, he fell quite heavily. If he still had the physique of when he first arrived on the Tianling Continent, he would definitely have been killed in the fall, but he realized that he was not the same person he used to be. Not only did he not die, he quickly got up. When he looked up, he saw that there was blood on the talon of an eagle beast as it flew proudly in the sky.

Jiang Chao Ge was afraid that Tian Rong would lose him in the fog, and shouted loudly, “Tian Rong, Zhi Xuan!”

Zhi Xuan called out, “I know where you are. Don’t be afraid.”

Jiang Chao Ge felt an exotic beast pounce at him and became truly panicked. After all, he now was fighting alone, and that exotic beast pierced through the fog, revealing a fierce black face and coarse fur. It was another boar!

The wild boar charged towards him, swinging its four hooves. If it hit him directly, even if he now had a superhuman physique, he wouldn’t be able to withstand it. Fortunately, he knew that wild boars only ran in a straight line, so he immediately ran around the bend. As he saw the wild boar charging towards him, he turned around and ran to a giant rock. The wild boar hit the rock head-on, immediately bashing its head and spurting blood.

Jiang Chao Ge used his strength to jump onto a two-meter high giant rock, raised his sword, and jumped down. His Zhi Xuan Sword pierced through the wild boar’s neck, causing its warm and pungent blood to splash all over him.

He jumped down from the wild boar’s body and felt a different wind direction behind him. He turned his head and saw the eagle who had just attacked him trying to use the same tactic again. He swung his sword, but the eagle’s movements were very agile. It dodged his attack and flew up again.

Jiang Chao Ge angrily shouted, “Zhi Xuan, Yun Xi? Get me a bird. I want to kill this damn beast.”

Soon, Zhen Niao with Yun Xi and Zhi Xuan, flew over and Jiang Chao Ge jumped onto its back. The obedient bird followed his commands, chasing after the eagle. The two birds had similar body sizes, but the Zhen Niao bird was poisonous, and the eagle didn’t dare to engage it head-on. They flew back and forth in the air. Jiang Chao Ge shouted, “Faster! Get closer to it and fly above it!”

The Zhen Niao bird flapped its wings desperately and chased after the eagle. Soon, it flew above it.

Jiang Chao Ge lay on the back of the Zhen Niao, looking down at the large bird below. He gritted his teeth and made a decision. He grabbed his sword and jumped down, his Zhi Xuan Sword swinging in mid-air. The eagle tried to dodge the blade again, but it couldn’t avoid the spiritual power infused into the sword by Jiang Chao Ge. The sharp spiritual power severely damaged its wings.

Jiang Chao Ge fell quickly, screaming in fear as the ground grew closer and closer. Fortunately, when he was only twenty or thirty meters from the ground, Zhen Niao flew down and caught him. Jiang Chao Ge lay on the back of the bird, feeling its feathers, his heart racing. He gasped, “That was wild! I want to get myself a flying creature too!”

Just then, Tian Rong caught up, and Jiang Chao Ge jumped onto its back. Yu Ren Shu was covered in blood like a god of war. Without turning his head, he asked, “How many did you kill?”

Jiang Chao Ge laughed, “Two.”

“I’ve always known you had a way to protect yourself,” Yu Ren Shu said, smashing a beast’s skull with his Tian Rong spirit weapon mace. He turned back to look at Jiang Chao Ge and said, “Since our first meeting, I knew you were capable of protecting yourself.”

Jiang Chao Ge grinned, “I knew it too.”

Zhi Xuan looked at Jiang Chao Ge, who carried a broad-bladed sword on his shoulder, covered in blood, but still full of spirit. He felt a strange flame ignite in his eyes. It was as if he was going to burn Jiang Chao Ge to ashes in the next second.