Chapter 18: The Hatred of Heaven and Earth is Profound

  Chapter 18: Sorrowful Skies and Hateful Earth, Two Vast Expanse

  The world is vast, with many strange and wonderful things.

  Lizhou City is located at the intersection of important roads, and it has always been a gathering place for those who practice Taoism. However, just 300 miles away, there is one of the most dangerous places in the world - Yunwu Mountain, where many demons live. The difference between these two places is so great that it's hard not to marvel at the wonders of creation. As a result, the area between Lizhou and Yunwu Mountain has become a place where humans and demons coexist. Whether you are human or demon, you must be extremely careful when traveling through this region.

  The Yunwu Mountain is quite high and steep, with clouds and mist lingering around the middle of the mountain all year round, making it difficult to see the true face of Lushan. The name "Yunwu Mountain" is actually just a local term used by the common people, as the mountain has many other names. The cloud gas that lingers on Yunwu Mountain contains toxic miasma, which is beneficial for the cultivation of many demon tribes. Therefore, in the mouths of demons, Yunwu Mountain is also known as Shengyun Mountain, while the cultivators of the world call this place Evil Miasma Ridge.

  The good and evil can be seen from this.

  The sun shone brightly on this day, and a gentle slope at the foot of the mountain was also bathed in warm sunlight that pierced through the clouds.

  On a high slope, a grey-backed rabbit quietly crawled out, stood up, vigilantly looked around for half a day, and then buried its head to eat grass with its two long ears still standing upright.

  Suddenly, a faint rustling sound came from afar, and the rabbit immediately stood up, then flashed towards the not-so-distant cave entrance. Its speed was much faster than that of an ordinary rabbit, and just as it barely squeezed into the burrow, a gust of cold wind swept across the entrance. The rabbit escaped with its life, but didn't dare to linger, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared deep within the burrow.

  On the high slope, a black giant leopard appeared, with golden cloud patterns on its back, looking like no ordinary species. It reluctantly sniffed at the entrance of the cave for half a day before letting out two roars and spraying two faint streams of cyan gas from its nose.

  At this moment, the high slope suddenly trembled slightly, and then the ground shook more and more violently. In the distance, trees in the forest fell down with a crashing sound, as if a huge beast was rushing towards here!

  The black leopard's tail was immediately clamped tightly between its legs, and it turned to escape. At this moment, a loud roar suddenly echoed through the forest, with a sound like a dragon or an elephant, and an overwhelming momentum!

  The black leopard trembled all over and fell to the ground, unable to even escape!

  Several small trees fell down at the edge of the forest, and a giant beast with a height of over 5 meters rushed out. Its body was dark black, its mane was like steel, and a row of blood-red long manes stood upright on its back, like a battle flag. It turned out to be a demon pig.

  The demon pig glared with its two bean-sized blood-red small eyes, raised its three-foot-long tusks, and galloped towards the black leopard with a shocking momentum!

  The black panther struggled to get up, but after escaping for several steps, it fell to the ground again.

  The giant boar demon charged forward with a loud roar, causing rocks and soil to fly everywhere. As it reached the top of the slope, its two small eyes suddenly widened in surprise, and it desperately tried to stop itself by digging all four hooves into the ground. However, its massive body had built up too much momentum, and it was impossible for it to come to a sudden halt.

  With a loud rumbling sound, the demon pig charged forward another ten zhang, only then did it barely stop its momentum. On that high slope, it had already plowed out a deep ditch with its four hooves!

  The monster pig ignored the black leopard that was within arm's reach, curled up its thick tail of over a foot in diameter, and stared fixedly at the distant mound shrouded in mist.

  The cloud and fog on the mound surged, the demon pig suddenly turned its head and fled towards the forest where it came from, its speed was several times faster than before. The black leopard also got up, completely forgetting that it had just escaped a disaster, and followed closely behind the giant pig as it ran away.

  The cloud and mist on the mound suddenly opened, revealing a slender figure. She stopped for a moment at the top of the hill, then floated gently towards the high slope like a colorful cloud.

  When she stood on the high slope, but saw that the top of the slope was in disarray, the fields were desolate, there was no vitality, no flying birds, no walking beasts, and even the sound of insects was not heard, only the wind and trees sounded between heaven and earth.

  The high slope which was just bustling with activity has suddenly become a desolate and uninhabited place.

  The girl's cherry lips were slightly open, her face was shocked, she looked around for a while, and finally gave up. She stomped her foot lightly and said angrily: "I clearly saw a big pig, how come it's gone now? Alas, I haven't eaten anything for three days. From now on, I'll just follow the official road." But... where is the official road?

  This desolate and hopeless place suddenly had a breath of life, all because of her presence. Her every frown and smile, every move and gesture, even her anger and scolding, were all unpredictable and full of subtle changes, enough to make one savor the flavor endlessly.

  This girl who had been starving for three days was Zhang Yin-yin.

  At the other end of the high slope, there were several giant stones lined up in a row. Behind the stones, more than a dozen small monsters huddled together, trembling with fear. These little monsters had green skin and sharp teeth, wore animal hides, and held crude weapons, apparently they were the lowest-ranking miscellaneous soldiers among the monster tribes.

  In the eyes of these demon soldiers, Zhang Yin's snowy skin and icy muscles, her stunning beauty, was at this moment the most terrifying thing in the world.

  A small monster was shivering and squeezing under a much more robust demon soldier, muttering non-stop: "Captain, that woman... That woman even dares to eat Lord Wugui's beloved pig! I've lived for fifty years, I've only heard of demons eating humans, but never seen a human eat a demon!"

  The team leader had a copper plate hanging from his chest, and he was holding an iron rod. This outfit made him look much more impressive than his peers. Although he was shaking just as hard as everyone else, at least he could maintain some dignity. With one swift motion, he pushed the little monster away and lowered his voice to scold: "You're so timid, I can tell you have no future! What are you squeezing for? You've squeezed me into a high position, what if she sees me like this?"

  "That little demon smiled and said: 'Captain, this woman is no ordinary person, let's... just let her pass?'"

  The captain glared with both eyes and shouted: "Nonsense! If we don't ask, let her go, and if the adults investigate later, the whole team will be refining demon oil! Moreover, Lord Wuyin is the bravest in the world, and as a seat-level demon, which of us doesn't have some heroic spirit? This woman may be terrifying, but as a majestic five-foot-tall demon, what are we afraid of? The greatest thing under heaven is no more than death. Of course, we must intercept her and interrogate her thoroughly!

  "Captain! I'm only four feet tall!"

  "The captain angrily said: 'Four feet five feet, aren't they all monsters?'"

  "Then who's going to stop her?"

  The captain's eyes widened and he said, "Of course it's you!"

  On this side, the stone was chattering away, while on that side, Zhang had already lost his patience. He slowly turned around, his phoenix eyes gleaming with a fierce light, and coldly shouted: "Are you done discussing?"

  The captain's whole body shook, and he immediately replied: "It's all over, it's all over!"

  As soon as he spoke, he realized that his prestige had already been swept away. Ashamed and annoyed, he grabbed the four-foot-tall demon and shouted: "Go and stop her!"

  "Rather die than go!" The four-footed monster struggled with all its might.

  The captain, indeed, had grown a foot taller and was incredibly strong. He arrived at the stone edge early, shouting loudly "You think you're good? Get out of here!" Then he kicked it out with one foot.

  Zhang Yin raised her head high, coldly staring at the four-foot-tall demon in front of her who was almost unable to stand upright. Unfortunately, these human-shaped small demons looked unappetizing no matter how she looked at them. Although Zhang Yin had been hungry for three days, she was still extremely picky and would rather go without than eat something subpar.

  That four-foot-tall monster was swept away by Zhang Yin's phoenix eyes, and his whole body trembled. With a "pa" sound, the wooden spear in his hand had already fallen to the ground. His mind was already a complete blank, and it was already quite good that he could struggle to say the blocking words:

  "Halt! Mount Sacred Cloud is the dwelling place of our demon tribe. Trespassers will be killed without exception! We are the generals under the command of the Great General, Lord Wujin, stationed here to guard this place. What is your surname and name? Where do you come from? What brings you here? Report everything truthfully! If there's any deception, you'll be beheaded without pardon!"

  But under Zhang Yin's pressure, the four-footed demon's voice became smaller and smaller, and that set of words gradually went out of style: "If the Holy Girl doesn't want to say it, we naturally won't force her. The offense just now, you are a magnanimous person, and you will not take it to heart. From here on, fifty miles east is the official road, Holy Girl, have a good trip... If you need us to escort you, just give orders!"

  The captain Wan did not expect the four-footed demon to say such an unimpressive remark, and was so angry that he cursed and said: "You cowardly thing, you have ruined the prestige of our demon clan! I knew you had no future!"

  But if he were asked to go out in person to revive the prestige of the demonic group, he would rather die than do it.

  Zhang Yin saw that this four-foot-tall little demon was so obedient, and he didn't want to make things difficult for it, so he said: "You say the official road is fifty miles east?"

  "Exactly! Exactly!" The four-foot-tall monster nodded desperately.

  At this time, a gust of dark wind suddenly rose on the high slope, and the sky suddenly darkened. A black fog surged up in the distance, rolling and churning, and soon arrived in front of us. The sound of clanging metal came from within the fog, and a giant demon emerged, its body shining brightly with copper armor. It held a three-foot-long golden halberd, looking majestic and powerful, like a rainbow. Compared to that four-foot-tall demon, it was as if they were from different worlds. Behind him, another 300 fully armed demon soldiers emerged from the fog, each one vigorous and spirited, their armor shining brightly, further enhancing the demon general's aura.

  The demon walked up to Zhang Yin's face, kicked the four-foot-tall demon away with one foot, let out a furious hum, and began sizing Zhang Yin up from head to toe.

  "Ah ha! I knew he had no future!" The team leader hiding behind the stone shouted, and the little demons beside him echoed in agreement.

  Zhang Yin's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her face suddenly froze. Her temper was originally not good, and she had been hungry for several days. At this time, being glared at by that demon general, she immediately wanted to turn hostile.

  The demon's face suddenly changed, and he inserted the golden tripod into the rock beside him. He clasped his fists and bowed, saying: "Miss Guan's aura on her body has a great origin with our clan, I wonder if Miss can tell me your name and what brings you here?"

  The demon general was arrogant in front but respectful behind, and it ended up with Zhang being unhappy. She coldly said: "My surname is Zhang, I have nothing to do with your demon tribe. It's just that my master told me before, when passing through the demon tribe's territory, if there's anything, just look for Wen Yu or Yi Xuan."

  The demon general was shocked and his voice trembled slightly as he asked again: "Miss Unknown, who is your master?"

  Zhang Yin said coldly: "Master's surname is Su."

  In a loud and clear voice, the demon general suddenly knelt down and said loudly: "General Wu has no intention of offending General Zhou's tent, and pays his respects to the young lady!"

  He knelt down, and hundreds of demon soldiers behind him also knelt down in unison, saying: "Greetings, Miss!"

  At this moment, the high slope was filled with a large number of dark and eerie soldiers and generals. Zhang Yin didn't expect such a situation and was also quite shocked at the time.

  "What instructions does Miss Unknown have for us now that she has arrived in her divine chariot?"

  Zhang Yin said: "I'm going to Luoyang, I just passed by here."

  "From here head east for fifty miles and you will reach the official road. Miss, follow the official road and you will naturally arrive at Luoyang in the east."

  Zhang Yin nodded and glanced at them, suddenly saying: "Hmm, this... do you have anything to eat here?"

  This question actually stumped him. He hesitated for a long time before saying, "Miss, this... Mount Holy Cloud has never prepared food for humans. The things that the demon tribe eats, this... must not meet your standards."

  Zhang Yin furrowed her brow and said, "The roasted pig head just now should be pretty good."

  "Miss, that's one of the mounts of the Uninjured Lord, you can't eat it! Even if Miss really wants to eat it, I'm not its match. Moreover, since it saw Miss Fengwei, it must have fled a hundred miles away by now, where can we catch up?"

  Zhang Yin hummed and said annoyedly, "Is this the way the demon tribe treats its guests? Not even a bite to eat? I'll go ask my master about it later. For now, I'm in a hurry, let's meet again if fate permits!"

  As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Yin's skirt fluttered and she ran down the slope.

  "Miss, wait!" they all cried out in unison!

  "What's wrong?"

  "Miss, it's... Luoyang is over there."

  Zhang Yin did not say a word, and suddenly dropped her head, like a colorful cloud, hastily going in the direction that Duanmu pointed to. This time, she didn't have any of the majestic aura she had when she came.

  Until Zhang Yin went far, Hu Du dared to stand up, wiped away the cold sweat on his head, and secretly called out a good danger. He suddenly looked at Si Chi Yao and nodded: "Hmm, your previous answer was very proper, not bad, promising! From now on, you are the captain of the patrol team!"

  Fifty miles, which would take an ordinary person a whole day to walk, is merely a matter of moments for a cultivator. Before long, Zhang Yin stood on the official road, looking around in all directions, and again did not know whether to go left or right.

  "A light carriage will take you straight to Luoyang for just one or two silver coins!" A shout suddenly came from far away.

  Zhang Yin's eyes lit up, and she looked in the direction of the sound. In the distance, under an ancient tree, a four-horse carriage was parked, with four fine horses tied beside it. The horses were majestic and unmatched, with snow-white coats and not a single stray hair on their bodies. The carriage was made of high-quality carved rosewood, with gold and colored paintings, surrounded by silk and satin. The top of the carriage was covered with white brocade, and the four corners were adorned with flowing tassels, looking exquisite and elegant, luxurious beyond compare.

  Zhang Yin's body moved slightly, and in the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of the carriage, asking the driver, "Can this carriage go to Luoyang?"

  The car driver was already middle-aged, with a spotless shirt and an air of serenity about him. Before he could respond, Zhang stretched out her hand and lifted the curtain to reveal an interior that was as beautiful as it was tasteful, with colors that perfectly matched her preferences, making it seem as if it had been tailor-made for her. She was overjoyed at the sight.

  Zhang Yin's slender fingers snapped once, and a pearl had already arrived in the car driver's hand. "I've hired this carriage to go to Luoyang!"

  The coachman took over the pearl and showed no surprise, but just smiled and said: "Please get on the carriage, miss."

  A crisp whip cracked, and the carriage sped away quickly along the official road.

  Suddenly, a auspicious cloud appeared in the sky, and Lan emerged from the cloud with her figure. She looked in the direction where the horse carriage disappeared, with a painful expression on her face, and repeatedly ordered: "Go to the front ten miles away and set up a small inn, and cook eight-color dishes quickly! I have instructed you all about what Yin loves to eat, if any of you make mistakes, you will be dealt with according to the mountain rules when we return!"

  Behind her, eight Taoist priests responded in unison and activated their magical artifacts. Suddenly, the air was filled with a radiant glow that quickly disappeared into the distance.