The winter rain pattered endlessly.
On the desolate mountain, the sound of rain beating against leaves filled the air, the chill seemed to seep into one’s bones.
Inside a cold and quiet temple, a group of merchants stumbled in, shaking off water while they grumbled and checked their goods.
“We’re probably stuck on this mountain tonight. This shortcut is supposed to be quick, but who knew about this cursed weather?”
“Ugh, why’s this mountain path so hard to traverse?”
“Staying overnight on the mountain, we won’t run into any disaster beasts, will we?”
The merchants shivered and complained.
“Relax, this is the Mountain Lord’s temple. The priests from the nearby settlement worship here often, it’s quite effective,” the middle-aged guide said confidently.
Hearing this, the merchants felt a bit more at ease and started a fire to cook their meal.
After a short while,
There were noises at the entrance, startling everyone. They looked up to see two people entering.
“Sorry to intrude.”
The young man cupped his fist toward the group.
“When we’re out and about, it’s inevitable we’re inconvenienced by one another,” the guide beamed.
The boy gave the guide a thoughtful glance before sitting next to a lady wearing a delicate veil.
At first, the merchants were curious about the duo, but soon they ignored them, turning to their roasted cakes and drinks, chatting away.
“Have you heard? Many places’ spirits have been killed.”
“The spirits from Nine Spirit Village and Hu Fei Town are all gone now.”
“Who’s such a rebellious person?”
“It’s not a person; one’s an evil dragon and the other’s a bird monster. They somehow teamed up.”
“Huh?”
The young man looked a bit taken aback.
He was called the Peerless Sky Flood Dragon among the monster clans.
Along the way, he had been slaying monsters, but it seemed the reputation didn’t quite match what he imagined.
The merchants glanced at him, now that the fire was blazing, they could see the young man’s handsome face, gentle brows, and when he smiled, he seemed quite sunny and pleasant—maybe the refined gentleman folks spoke of in the South Border.
The lady next to him, hidden under her dark veil, obscured her features but gave a vibe that could keep anyone at arm’s length.
“What have they done to deserve this?” Little Li asked, eyebrows raised.
“They k*ll the spirits and don’t accept people’s worship. Who will people believe in after this?” one merchant answered as if it were obvious.
Li Mo: “…”
He couldn’t help but recall.
He and Ying Bing had taken down a fat-headed fish disaster beast that had been causing havoc in the river, tipping over boats.
It had been semi-violent but had been appeased through worship, allowing it to enjoy offerings in the temple without a care.
A small festival every month, a grand one each year.
Small offerings, like cattle and sheep; larger ones, like young boys and girls.
“If we don’t worship the spirits, then we don’t need offerings.”
“And how do we trade that?”
A merchant looked at Li Mo the way one would look at an oddity, clearly annoyed:
“It’s always been this way.”
“Right? A few cattle and sheep, and a couple of children could ensure everyone’s safety; it’s quite a bargain.”
“For instance, with the Mountain Lord’s protection, the wild beasts outside wouldn’t dare come in, allowing us to sit here and chat.”
“What if the ones offered up are you lot?” Li Mo remarked quietly.
At some point, the veiled lady had vanished from beside him.
The bonfire danced and flickered wildly as a gust of cold wind swept into the Mountain Lord’s temple, making the atmosphere even chillier.
It felt as if something was awakening…
Everyone was startled, scrambling to escape, just as they reached the entrance.
Bam—
A massive shadow crashed down.
It was the head of a blue and purple-striped tiger, fearsome and large enough to swallow a full-sized adult whole—a truly terrifying sight.
Conversely, it was dead now, its bl**d congealed and frozen, leaving only the strong stench of bl**d lingering.
The rain had stopped without them realizing.
Moonlight poured in.
In front of the headless tiger corpse stood a girl cloaked in moonlight, slowly sheathing her sword, her jade wings fading away behind her.
The night breeze lifted her dark veil, accidentally revealing a glimpse of her stunning beauty.
“This Mountain Lord isn’t bad at all,” Li Mo said, casually kicking the giant tiger’s head outside, chuckling, “Much better than that fat-headed fish and that crow.”
The merchants were so stunned they didn’t dare make a sound.
The discomfort they had been talking about had apparently been sitting right beside them the whole time!
“Mountain Lord!”
Suddenly, the guide let out a shriek and collapsed on the ground.
Then the merchants scattered, wishing they had been born with two extra legs.
“Your goods haven’t been taken yet!” Li Mo called after them.
But that only made the merchants run faster as if his words were a d*ath sentence from a monster.
“Sigh.”
Little Li shook his head, kicking the long-since dead tiger head out.
Maybe for Shang Qin Qing.
Up to now, they had yet to encounter any formidable disaster beasts, mostly the so-called “spirits” along the way.
But they had only made it a third of the way thus far.
Who knew what else lay ahead?
He tossed a few more pieces of wood onto the fire, and the temple fell silent again.
“Li Mo.”
Ying Bing removed her veil, storing it away in her large head pouch.
When she uttered those two words, her tone left no doubt about her recent decisive slaying of the Mountain Lord’s spirit.
“Here.”
Li Mo sat beside her, naturally taking her small hand.
“Take this.”
Ying Bing handed him the monster-slaying gourd while holding the Moon Radiance Crystal in her left hand.
The gourd was filled and could be used to nourish the Moon Radiance Crystal. Though not as potent as the strength of all living beings, it was still a quality item for enhancing consciousness souls.
“Let’s begin.”
“Mm.”
Li Mo furrowed his brow.
As everyone knows, opening the gourd requires two hands.
But he only had two hands, one of which was holding onto Ying Bing.
“….”
Ying Bing seemed to understand the boy’s predicament. She bit her lip, prepared to loosen her grip for a moment.
But then, to her surprise, she saw the boy bite open the gourd’s cap with a grand gesture.
“Do you think if both my hands are occupied, the dual cultivation effect would be lessened?” Li Mo asked after pouring in the Moon Radiance Crystal.
Ying Bing raised an eyebrow slightly: “If that’s the case, what if you hold with your feet? Would the effect still be the same?”
Li Mo: “!”
Had Ice Chunk learned to think outside the box? She seemed to be showing some of his genius!
“I think it’s worth a try. We might discover a new use for the ‘Phoenix Crying in the Heavenly Marsh.’”
“But I have to take watch tonight. You’ll have to practice alone.”
Ying Bing said, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes as her finger lightly tapped his forehead before she stood up.
“Alright.”
Little Li’s palm felt empty as he grasped at it.
At that moment, Little Li’s desire for the somersault cloud peaked.
A single flip might not cover tens of thousands of miles but would surely take him back to South Border City, right?
Now they had to take turns keeping watch and couldn’t dual cultivate.
Currently, he was still three transformations away from the seventy-two changes.
Completing these three transformations would bring him closer to the next divine ability…
