Chapter Thirty-One: Zhao Yang Mountain

  As the sun sets in the west and the sky grows dim, Mu Yuan and Yuan Longtai ride their horses, heading straight for Zhao Yang Mountain in the midst of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains!

  Zhaoyang Mountain is over 200 miles away from Feilong Village, heading east, crossing mountains and hills, swamps and dense forests. It's said that this place is the highest point of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, where the red sun rises first, shining on it. This is also the place where Yuan Longtai discovered the remnants of the ancient curse in his ancestors' books.

  Two men each rode a brocade deer, carrying light food and water, and immediately set out on their journey. Fortunately, the brocade deer were extremely fast, and as the head of a village, Yuan Longtai's family had raised top-quality brocade deer. Climbing mountains and crossing rivers was like walking on flat ground. Although 200 miles was not close, it didn't take much effort, and they arrived at the foot of Zhaoyang Mountain in one night.

  At this moment, the morning light is faintly hazy, but the Zhao Yang Mountain is shrouded in clouds and mist, with half of its peak hidden in the sea of clouds. The mountain range undulates, with its peaks as the center, stretching out in all directions for dozens of miles, extremely vast. Surrounding it are other mountain ranges, making it even more majestic and magnificent.

  After a sleepless night, Jin Lu didn't show any signs of fatigue, but Yuan Longtai was panting slightly. The two washed their faces by the spring water at the foot of the mountain, refreshed themselves, and then set off on foot to climb the mountain.

  "Wood brother, this is indeed the Zhao Yang Mountain. According to legend, our ancestors hid here and spent their old age here, and it's estimated that the magic spells they researched are also hidden here. I've come several times, but each time I was blocked by the poisonous miasma in the mountains and the ferocity of the beasts, so I could only look on from afar. This time, I'll have to rely on you again!"

  Mu Yuan smiled slightly, seemingly nonchalant, and the two of them climbed the mountain for about half an hour. As expected, they saw that the clouds and mist in front of them had turned a purplish color, indicating the presence of toxic gas. Immediately, he closed his breath, circulated his true energy internally, and crossed over to Yuan Longtai, forming a light shield about half a meter outside his body to block out the poisonous miasma as they traversed through it.

  Yuan Longtai saw Mu Yuanshen's magical powers, and his heart was finally at ease. Although he was exhausted, he was excited beyond measure, his footsteps hurried as he thought of the mighty spells recorded in the ancient tomes, and he couldn't help but feel stirred up.

  The poisonous miasma was about two miles away, fortunately, Mu Yuan's cultivation was high and profound, and Yuan Longtai also lived in the mountains for a long time. They passed through with ease, and after a short while, they crossed over the miasmic area. In front of them, the pale-colored cloud mist reappeared. Both of them let out a long sigh, passing through the poisonous mist, even though they had true energy protecting their bodies, they still felt uncomfortable.

  After walking a few more miles on the mountain road, Mu Yuan heard the sound of a babbling brook and followed it to find a wide stream about 7 or 8 feet across. The water was crystal clear, with fish swimming back and forth, and lush aquatic plants growing in abundance. As they had not eaten all night and were hurrying along the road, they were both quite hungry. They immediately started a fire, caught some fish, roasted them, and found the flesh to be tender and fragrant. After eating, they sat down to rest.

  "Master Yuan Zhai, this Mt. Zhao Yang is so vast, do you have an exact destination?" Mu Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked softly.

  Yuan Longtai nodded, "According to the records, it should be at the highest point of the main peak of Zhao Yang Mountain, a thousand feet above the ground. Once we get there, we should have some kind of response."

  Mu Yuan's heart was calm and quiet, feeling utterly speechless towards Yuan Longtai. He sat down to regulate his true energy by the spring water, where the grass and trees were lush and the spiritual energy of the wood element was extremely dense. The water spirit in the spring water was also abundant beyond compare. As the two great techniques circulated and operated together, it wasn't long before he felt an abundance of energy in his meridians, his spirit refreshed and revitalized. When he opened his eyes again, he found that the scenery around him had become much clearer.

  Yuan Longtai was indeed already asleep, Mu Yuan shook his head and smiled, having run all night, even he felt a bit tired, let alone Yuan Longtai, after all, he was just an ordinary person, usually practicing some boxing and kicking, but completely unaware of the way of cultivating energy, no wonder.

  As he looked around, he realized that there were many rare flowers and strange trees on Mount Zhao Yang, and the spiritual energy was much denser than elsewhere, making it particularly suitable for plant growth. Mu Yuan had seen some unusual flowers and grasses, so he transplanted a few unknown species into the Black Water Gourd, which had an extremely large space inside. Mu Yuan loved plants, animals, and birds, and whenever he saw something rare and strange, he wanted to raise it as his own.

  Yuan Longtai was fiddling with a pair of chopstick-like objects on the ground, arranging them in rows and columns, sometimes beaming with joy, sometimes laughing, and sometimes looking worried. Mu Yuan knew this was a type of divination method for asking about one's path, which he had also learned during his time at Changsheng Palace. However, he didn't think much of this method, as it wasn't very precise. On the other hand, he was quite fond of physiognomy and had even achieved some small success in it. Seeing Yuan Longtai fiddling with the objects, Mu Yuan ignored him.

  Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet shook violently, and a low, muffled roar came from the front, where smoke and clouds swirled together. Mu Yuan's heart tightened as he stood up straight, and then a pungent, nose-piercing smell wafted over on the mountain wind. A faint rustling sound quickly drew near, and even Rong Longtai had his hands clenched into fists, with a faint golden light flashing in his palms.

  A gust of wind dispersed the mist, and a gigantic python appeared before the two people. The front half of its body was as thick as a water bucket, while the back half was hidden in the clouds. Its entire body was covered with scales as large as palms, shining like secret silver. The skin under the scales was smooth and lustrous, like brocade. Two narrow snake eyes narrowed slightly, seeming to have thoughts flashing in their gaze. The snake's mouth opened wide enough to swallow a face basin, revealing sharp fangs, its tongue darting in and out, emitting a strong bloody odor that made one want to vomit, causing dizziness and nausea.

  Even Mu Yuan was shocked, not expecting that in the midst of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, where the strange and unknown were everywhere, he would encounter divine creatures one after another. Feng Luan, Shan Gui, and today, such a gigantic snake-like insect - but thinking about it, the Ten Thousand Great Mountains rarely had visitors, and over the years, some powerful living beings had survived by avoiding heavenly disasters, growing to such a size wasn't unusual!

  However, Mu Yuan saw that the giant python's scales were solid and its skin was smooth and clean, obviously a rare creature. He didn't dare to be slow and stood up straight, just as he saw the python see the two of them, extremely delighted. Its huge body slightly shrunk back, then shot out like an arrow leaving a bowstring, rushing towards the two people!

  Mu retreated a step, forcing the python to open its jaws, just as he was about to strike. Suddenly, a golden light flashed beside him, and a silver long spear emerged from the light, swirling like a dragon rising from the sea. The spear's body twisted and turned, unleashing a powerful force that struck the python's forehead, causing a burst of sparks to erupt.

  "What a hard forehead!" Mu Yuan didn't need to turn his head, he knew it was Yuan Longtai's Golden Corpse, and only this Golden Corpse could explode with such a strong and fierce force.

  This python was about ten zhang long, and the force of its full-strength shot was enormous. Mu Yuan thought to himself that he had to avoid its attack first, wait for it to tire, and then launch a fierce counterattack. With just his physical strength alone, he was no match for such a massive python. But Jin Shi was unfazed, using one spear to block the enemy, his body steady and unwavering, making Mu Yuan feel envious.

  However, the violently colliding forces caused even the silver spear in Jin Shi's hand to bend slightly to dissipate the force, but this python simply burst out a cluster of sparks, shaking its huge head, somewhat dazed.

  Mu Yuan's eyes narrowed, and only then did he see the appearance of the golden corpse. It was clad in a dark cyan-colored fine iron armor, resembling a seasoned general who had been through hundreds of battles. Its height was eight feet tall, with an air of majesty and grandeur. The lines on its face were as sharp as if carved by knives and axes, making it appear resolute and unyielding. It stood proudly, its beauty striking fear into the hearts of those who beheld it.

  The golden corpse's large hand grasped the gun, with joints bulging out, but its palm was incredibly wide and thick. The gun blocked the python, yet didn't harm it. The flames in the golden corpse's eyes suddenly became fierce and intense, jumping about wildly. A low, thunderous roar burst forth from its throat as the silver gun shot out even more swiftly to stab at the python!

  The python seemed to be somewhat afraid, its body coiled and twisted, opening its mouth to spit out a large amount of black smoke mixed with sparks that suddenly burst forth, enveloping the golden corpse. The black smoke emitted a continuous hissing sound, as if it were scorching the fur, with an unbearable stench.

  "This snake is quite sinister!" Mu Yuan was shocked to see the python swallowing smoke and spitting out fog, knowing that Jin Shi's combat strength was powerful but his technique was not proficient. On his right arm, a wave of air rolled in, spinning and swirling, and suddenly a flying whirlwind of air soldiers was spat out, surrounded by a halo of light, forming a strong and fierce whirlwind that sucked up all the black smoke in the sky, then swallowed it up and dissipated on the spot!

  Since the Changsheng Sword and Changsheng True Qi merged and lay dormant in the Dan Tian, Mu Yuan's hand released a powerful energy, and within the Canglang Water Sword, there was a swirling cutting force. The Swallowing and Spitting Yuan Qi technique is the ultimate way to break through with martial arts, and although Mu Yuan still hasn't grasped its subtleties, it's more than enough to deal with this python.

  The python saw its magic broken, and with a rustling sound, it shrunk back into the vast clouds and mist. Then came a gurgling sound like a spring, which was the python's scales rubbing against the rocks as it disappeared into the distance!

  Mu Yuan had not yet moved, but saw Jin Shi's feet tread the ground, already far away and gone, while Yuan Longtai exerted his strength with both hands, dozens of wasps flew out buzzing, disappearing into the clouds.

  "Wood Brother, this giant python is probably over two hundred years old, with abundant vital energy. If it's fed golden silkworms, I'm afraid there will be quite a few benefits!"

  Yuan Longtai's face was filled with excitement, but Mu Yuan felt a sense of unease in his heart. This python could spit smoke and fire, and it was likely that someone had been raising it. Those who could live on Mount Zhaoyang were certainly not ordinary people. With the intention of avoiding them, he hadn't spoken yet when he heard a loud clanging noise from the front, followed by a cacophony of hissing sounds and the clashing of metal. Yuan Longtai's expression changed, and Mu Yuan had already rushed forward!

  Things at home are finally back to normal after being busy for a while. These past few days have been exhausting and sweltering, causing me to fall behind on updates. I'll work hard to catch up!