Three Mountain Town.
This is a town nestled between three towering mountains, each stretching for hundreds of miles and rising thousands of feet into the sky.
The town is famous for producing a few rare specialties, all of which are incredibly valuable.
But if the townspeople want to venture outside, they have to navigate through the treacherous peaks and valleys, a dangerous and lengthy journey. They can only hope for the blessings of the Shaman Lord to keep them safe.
At this moment, in the temple.
The Old Town Chief, along with a group of elders, was carefully eyeing a portly priest decked out in golden robes and a shamanistic getup.
“Dear Priest, winter is just around the corner. If we don’t head out soon to exchange for supplies, many of our villagers won’t survive the season. What do you think…?”
“What’s the rush? We’ll wait for the Shaman Lord’s divine command.”
“But the Shaman Lord’s statue hasn’t lit up for ages…”
The Old Town Chief furrowed his brow, his worry as palpable as a hot potato.
The farming land in Three Mountain Town is limited, and there’s hardly any sunshine, resulting in barely enough crops to go around.
The only way to scrape by is to haul precious goods from the mountains out for a trade-in food.
And now, snow has already fallen.
If they wait any longer, a heavy snowfall will seal off the mountains, leaving the town completely isolated, and who knows how many villagers would starve or freeze to d*ath?
“You don’t need the Shaman Lord’s protection. You can try wandering off the mountains on your own.”
The priest was leisurely munching on a piece of beef, grease smeared all over his face.
“That’s impossible.”
The Old Town Chief’s expression darkened.
At least for as long as he could remember, the people of Three Mountain Town were never allowed to enter the mountains alone.
There was something terribly odd about those three mountains, almost as if they were hungry for humans.
Anyone who dared enter on their own would surely get lost. Unless they sought permission from the Shaman Lord and got the Mountain God’s blessing, they would never come out unscathed.
Many of the young folks in the tribe longed for the outside world, and some even dreamt of sneaking out.
But without exception, none of them ever returned.
He knew what had happened to those poor souls.
The Old Town Chief had once been a young dreamer too, longing for the vast world. He had even gathered a few like-minded youths to venture out together in hope of finding a better path for their fellow townspeople.
They had made all the preparations, yet they still got lost in those mountains.
One by one, his companions disappeared.
Only he was lucky enough to be guided out after sending some hefty tributes to the priest.
Five years later, when he once again entered the mountains with the young folks, he found familiar bones lying around.
Those were the remains of the young dreamers who had wanted to escape with him.
Since that day, he had harbored a deep respect for the Mountain God’s authority.
Without the Shaman Lord’s permission, one must never leave the mountains!
This was the rule everyone in Three Mountain Town strictly adhered to.
But now, there’s a problem.
The Shaman Lord had disappeared.
Without the Shaman Lord, how could they face the mountains that seemed eager to devour them?
“You don’t need to worry; the divine command has already been given.”
Seeing the Old Town Chief and the elders were all on edge, the Fat Priest felt it was about time to stir the pot.
The Fat Priest was actually a member of the Huanmo Sect.
He was genuinely afraid these people, fearless and reckless, might try to venture outside.
After all, there were currently no Disaster Beasts around, and the mountain fog had lifted.
If the townspeople discovered there was no such thing as ‘divine assistance’ and they could simply wander outside, well, that would be the end of it!
After months of struggles, no one dared challenge the divine authority…
“The Shaman Lord will return shortly. During this time, keep the villagers in check and absolutely do not do anything that might offend the divine presence.”
The revered Qilian of the Three Mountain Town had virtually perished.
The leader sent him a message; soon a new ‘Mountain God’ would come.
“Oh, and prepare another batch of offerings.”
Hearing they needed more offerings, the Old Town Chief and the elders’ faces turned sour.
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That afternoon, at the temple entrance of Three Mountain Town, a divine altar was set up with various offerings gathered by the Old Town Chief from door to door.
Around the altar stood banners, each emblazoned with the image of a creature with the head of a deer and the body of a bird.
“Great heavens, the Shaman Lord will soon respond to my call and manifest a divine sign!”
The Fat Priest glanced at the offerings, feeling quite satisfied.
He received word that a new Mountain God was arriving soon.
One by one, the townsfolk carried heavy baskets, their eyes gleaming with hope.
As soon as the divine blessings came, they could safely navigate around the mountains, bringing winter hopes back to their families.
The Fat Priest’s flab quivered as he jumped into a bizarre ceremonial dance.
This totem would connect with the nearby ancestors.
Just halfway through the dance, the villagers suddenly erupted in cheers.
“The mist! The mist is coming down!”
“Could it be the Mountain God is making a personal appearance?”
“Huh?”
A question mark popped above the Fat Priest’s head.
He did the dance merely to create an ambiance, to add a dash of ritualistic flair, so the villagers would believe in his act more ardently.
He hadn’t even begun the real invocation!
The atmosphere still hadn’t reached peak hype, so there couldn’t possibly be any connection with the Shaman.
So what on earth was coming down?
The Fat Priest squinted his eyes to see better.
A young man sporting deer antlers and garbed in golden robes, appearing extraordinarily otherworldly, was gracefully descending to the altar on a cloud.
He knelt down on one hand (think Terminator entrance), emotionless as he slowly rose to his full height—a true ethereal being descending from the heavens.
By his side were the Golden Robed Young Man and a woman whose skin glimmered like polished metal, crackling with arcane energy.
These two exuded an aura of unmatched dominance, encircling the young man in the middle.
Suddenly, before these three, the Fat Priest felt utterly ridiculous.
“You are…?”
The Fat Priest squinted, ready to throw some serious questions.
“How dare you speak to the divine being like this!”
Look at how they spoke with thunderous voices, so incomprehensibly profound.
“I…”
“I what? Upon witnessing the divine being, why do you not bow?”
The hooded Golden Robed Young Man shouted.
“Huh?”
The Fat Priest, with his green bean-like squinting eyes, felt a moment of confusion.
These lines sounded eerily familiar.
Aren’t they all his own snappy retorts?
Yet the Shaman sent from the main hall certainly wasn’t acting like this.
Furthermore, he had communicated using the invocation techniques and felt no connection whatsoever.
These were clearly not the Shaman from the main hall!
The Fat Priest seethed with rage:
“How dare you impersonate the divine being! What audacity! You…”
“You impudent person who blasphemes the celestial beings.”
The young man with deer antlers interjected, emotionless.
His voice was deep and resonant, like velvet.
His eyes seemed to harbor eternal embers of the stars, daring anyone to look away.
“I have slumbered for millennia and originally cared little for mortal affairs. But it seems there are those who use the celestial name to swindle and deceive. Have you not heard? The heavens’ net is vast; nothing escapes its grasp!”
“Standing before you is the Heavenly Lord of the Ten Thousand Celestial Sect, and you still harbor no remorse!”
“You lack awareness of heavenly fate, possess a meager fortune, do not cultivate your powers or virtues, and attend to base instincts instead!”
“You’re bold!”
Li Mo, embodying an ice chunk’s icy seriousness, emanated an authority that inspired fear without even needing to be angry.
