Chapter 124: Beneath The Thirty-three Li Mountains
Thirty-three Mile Mountain rose abruptly from the end of the grassland, extremely sudden.
It resembled a pyramid, but not neatly so. From afar, one could see steep cliffs and lush ancient trees, with waterfalls hanging like rivers from the sky.
Li Weiyi had seen this mountain peak before.
When he first arrived in this world, he had gazed at it from afar outside Zangxian Town, where he could see it.
He had done so because the giant stone statues standing outside Zangxian Town all gazed toward the mountain peak, so out of curiosity, he took a look.
Looking at it again today, many places in the mountain emitted profound yellow divine radiance, intermingling with the immortal mist drifting halfway up the mountain, making it truly like a divine mountain. It was completely different from half a year ago.
The giant dragonfly in flight felt an increasingly terrifying oppressive pressure the closer it got to it, as if facing a wall at the end of heaven and earth.
Below the mountain, a winding great river flowed past.
Along the riverbank also stood giant stone statues of various sizes, weighing tens of thousands of pounds or hundreds of thousands of pounds, all gazing toward Thirty-three Mile Mountain, like some special ritual.
Li Ling’s gaze was profound as she secretly observed the scene before her: “I never knew Li Zhou had such a mysterious realm. This mountain is unusual; its terrain hides an intangible majesty, just like an ancient immortal standing before one’s eyes.”
Li Weiyi said: “I heard that it’s called Thirty-three Mile Mountain because a stone tablet was discovered with writing on it that says so.”
“That’s right, that stone tablet is at the foot of the mountain.” Zuo Qiu Ting said.
Li Weiyi curiously asked: “I see this divine mountain covers far more than thirty-three miles; why name it so?”
“It’s not thirty-three miles in area, but thirty-three miles high.”
Zuo Qiu Ting’s gaze looked to the left front, where countless demonic birds flew over the vast grassland, blotting out the sky and making harsh, dense cries.
Below the dense flock of birds, a demonic cultivator team traveled on the ground.
“A large number of demonic cultivators from Tian Ya Ridge have also rushed here, which means the Jiu Li tribe’s Five Seas Realm martial cultivators have already broken free. Brother Sima, you don’t have to worry now, right?” Zuo Qiu Ting said.
A four-armed golden ape sat on a palanquin at the forefront of the demonic cultivator team, each hand holding a magic tool. It opened its eyes, revealing pupils like fireballs, glanced at the three people on the distant giant dragonfly, and revealed a cold chill.
If not for the interference from that Zuo Qiu Gatehouse’s successor, Cang Li would have been surrounded and killed; how could it have failed to achieve success at the last step like now?
Cang Li’s younger sister was also quite strange; its flame divine pupils were somewhat impenetrable.
…
Arriving at the great riverbank below Thirty-three Mile Mountain, the water roared, and the moisture was thick.
Zuo Qiu Ting stored the giant dragonfly into the insect bag, and the three headed toward the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse’s camp.
Li Weiyi looked at the insect bag on his waist, only the size of a palm; even if that dragonfly could enlarge and shrink, the space seemed too cramped.
Zuo Qiu Ting saw through his thoughts and said: “This insect bag is refined from the lung leaves of Five Seas Realm martial cultivators. The space inside the insect bag is as large as the sea of qi in the lung leaves. However, the success rate is very low; ten lung leaves can barely refine one. The larger the sea of qi, the harder it is to refine.”
“Later, I’ll give you a big one.”
Li Weiyi said: “Doesn’t that mean every corpse of a Five Seas Realm martial cultivator has considerable value?”
Zuo Qiu Ting was slightly stunned: “Your angle of thinking is quite novel.”
The Zuo Qiu Gatehouse’s camp was set up under a green yin banner over twenty meters tall. Green radiance enveloped the surrounding area, with hundreds or thousands of armored departed spirit shadows flying about inside, guarding the camp.
Two elders from the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse came out to greet Zuo Qiu Ting with a salute, and the three exchanged words via magic energy transmission.
Behind them, Li Weiyi also used magic energy transmission to ask Li Ling: “Doesn’t the Jiu Li tribe have any interest in the treasures in Thirty-three Mile Mountain?”
Li Ling said: “Immortal soil, bone-tempering golden spring, dyeing cloud exotic medicine… any one of them is incomparably precious, a supreme treasure for nurturing descendants. How could the Jiu Li tribe not want to obtain them?
“But Spring Gushing Realm martial cultivators and Five Seas Realm martial cultivators have successively met with mishaps on the way to Zangxian Town; this is a signal that a great battle is about to erupt. The Jiu Li tribe’s older generation naturally has to give up the benefits in the immortal realm space and instead seize the opportunity to scheme in the outside world, possibly striking first against the four great sects.”
Li Weiyi sniffed with his nose, drawn to a green python in the great river behind the camp.
This green python was over thirty meters long, with a body diameter exceeding one meter, a head as huge as a house, eyes like lanterns, and scales like cast bronze.
The fishy odor emanating from its body was extremely strong.
Atop the green python’s head stood a young man with his upper body bare, carrying a dense heavy soldier war saber on his back, his eyes revealing a wildness.
Seeing Li Weiyi and Li Ling, he drove the green python to the camp, leaped down, and laughed: “Li Ling, is this Sima Tan?”
Li Ling nodded.
The young man carrying the war saber hurriedly bowed and saluted Li Weiyi: “I am from the Shou Li Tribe, Shang Zhi. Thank you, Brother Sima, for your strong assistance on that Spring Gushing Realm martial cultivator road; the Jiu Li tribe will forever remember this favor. Haha, it’s just a pity I wasn’t there at the time and couldn’t witness Brother Sima single-handedly slaughtering the four great sects’ prowess.”
The Yao Li direct line was surnamed “Yao,” the Shou Li direct line surnamed “Shang,” the Qi Li direct line surnamed “Qi.”
Many direct line descendants were also granted the surname Li by the Jiu Li Divine Palace, regarded as the highest honor.
Li Weiyi was not a aloof and cold person, and smilingly asked: “Brother Shang, were you also invited by the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse?”
“Young Master Zuo Qiu helped the Jiu Li tribe greatly; it’s only right for me to help with a small matter.” Shang Zhi then lowered his voice: “Moreover, the dyeing cloud exotic medicine in Thirty-three Mile Mountain is far more abundant than elsewhere. If we can gather enough, metamorphosing into a pure immortal body would be a huge gain!”
Metamorphosing into a pure immortal body was the obsession of countless martial cultivators.
Which of those successor seeds was not a pure immortal body?
The rulers of the major powers had an extremely high proportion of pure immortal bodies.
Shang Zhi was not a pure immortal body, yet he was favored by Zuo Qiu Ting, showing how formidable his combat power was in the First Realm of the Five Seas Realm.
He was most likely one of the few Nine Springs Supreme Persons among the Jiu Li tribe’s younger generation.
Zuo Qiu Bai Ming walked out from a house in the camp.
He was a pure immortal body in the Second Realm of the Five Seas Realm, over two meters tall, with broad shoulders and long arms, exuding a strong practitioner’s aura. He glanced indifferently at the three and walked toward Zuo Qiu Ting.
Zuo Qiu Bai Ming transmitted via magic energy: “Why is there another mortal? Has the Jiu Li tribe fallen this far? In the First Realm of the Five Seas Realm, not even a single pure immortal body that has opened an ancestral field?”
An elder from the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse said: “Don’t complain. This time entering the mountain, you’ll lead the team. They’ll just help with odd jobs and dirty work.”
Zuo Qiu Bai Ming sighed: “I’m afraid they’ll drag me down. Anyway, if they die in the mountain, don’t blame me for not saving them. Sigh, it’s just that I didn’t have time to bring more manpower this time; otherwise, why ask for help from the Jiu Li tribe?”
“Sima Tan’s strength is still very strong; he’ll be an important asset to you.” Zuo Qiu Ting said.
Zuo Qiu Bai Ming showed a dismissive expression.
Zuo Qiu Ting walked toward Li Weiyi and the other two, smiling: “The immortal mist of Thirty-three Mile Mountain becomes extremely thick every three days; only then can Five Seas Realm martial cultivators enter the mountain. There’s still several hours until the next entry; you should rest and regroup first.”
“By the way, even below the mountain isn’t safe; there have been several strange murder cases, suspected to be departed spirits at work. Absolutely don’t leave the area covered by the yin banner’s green radiance.”
Li Weiyi had no mood to rest: “I want to go look for the golden spring first.”
Zuo Qiu Ting said: “You can, but don’t go too far. Below Thirty-three Mile Mountain, Five Seas Realm experts from multiple powers have already gathered; don’t get targeted by enemies!”
Li Weiyi and Li Ling left the camp, following the great river channel close to the mountain body, searching for the golden spring among the mountain cliff stone walls.
Li Weiyi prepared to resolve the doubts in his heart and first probed: “Li Ling, how do you know there’s a chance to find a golden spring below the mountain? Have you been here before?”
“I heard it from other Five Seas Realm martial cultivators.” Li Ling searched on her own.
Li Weiyi said again: “How long ago did you completely metamorphose into a pure immortal body?”
“It was the golden crow blood that Senior Disciple Brother gave…”
Li Ling turned her gaze sideways and said: “What exactly do you want to ask?”
Li Weiyi stopped beating around the bush: “How exactly do you always accurately find me every time? Even wearing high-grade magic tool night-walking clothes, you see through it; is the Nether Lantern Guide Envoy’s ability that profound?”
Li Ling had a ready response: “I know what you’re suspecting, that I’ve tampered with you. Have you heard of perceptive wisdom?”
Li Weiyi said: “A Nether Lantern Guide Envoy who has awakened perceptive wisdom can be called a priest successor, possessing the ability to predict fortune and misfortune.”
“There’s another ability…” Li Ling said.
Before she could say it, Li Weiyi spoke first: “When a priest or priest successor genuinely falls in love with a man, no matter thousands or tens of thousands of miles apart, they can find him through perception.”
“Since you know, why ask on purpose?”
Li Ling stomped her foot, shyly turning her head away, her snowy cheeks flushed with rouge-like red clouds.
Li Weiyi did not believe this was the real answer; Li Ling was a master actress, but how to disprove it was a headache.
“I shouldn’t be the villain disturbing your sweet talk, but you’ve gone farther and farther; I’ve been worried sick. How about it, found the golden spring?”
Zuo Qiu Ting fanned with a folding fan, stepping across the water, handsome like a banished immortal.
“Not easy to find.”
Li Weiyi shook his head and asked: “Young Master Zuo Qiu’s disguise art is truly exquisite, but why disguise as the Dragon Gate Successor? Is there some reason?”
Zuo Qiu Ting came ashore to their side: “No reason, purely because Long Ting looks too handsome, enviable and jealous-making. To be honest, though I’m a pure immortal body, it’s only skin like flawless white jade; my appearance really doesn’t grace the grand hall—big ears, flat nose, protruding teeth, crooked mouth, and among men, my figure is short and thin, often ridiculed. So, you see, born into a great noble family, enjoying mortal world riches from childhood, yet it’s hard to be perfect in every way.”
“Additionally, the disguise art is actually a very remarkable skill. If cultivated to the point of completely transforming into another person, Brother Sima, can you imagine what that means?”
Li Weiyi thought deeply, his eyes growing hotter and hotter.
