txolops Chapter 73 Returning Home After Climbing the Mountain
Chapter 73 Returning Home After Climbing the Mountain
Huang Chen glanced at the direction of the torch, and his Mountain and River Boots suddenly sank, sending him flying out into the darkness like a piece of iron being swung around and smashed.
With the first step, the rock beneath his feet cracked open.
With his second step, he had already crossed a ditch, the back of his robes fluttering in the wind.
He did not look back.
The half-finished code given by Li Chenshuo was still faintly burning in his palm, the veins like a thin snake, intermittently pointing to the nearest loop in the Broken Bone Ravine. Huang Chen moved swiftly while circulating the Ash Breath Concealing Vein Technique, forcibly suppressing the surging blood and qi in his body after his breakthrough.
That new life force was too strong.
It felt like there was fire hidden in the bones; when the fascia tightened, a deep, resonant sound would arch upwards along the spine.
If it's not suppressed, not only will the rat demon smell the blood, but even the great demons and evil creatures deep within Buzhou Mountain that occupy the cold and fire veins will have to look up at it.
Huang Chen exhaled a breath of hot air, tasting a faint rust flavor on his tongue.
It was blood that had come up from the throat.
He raised his hand to wipe it away, and then casually caught the fragment of the Emperor's Seal in his palm.
The ancient seal trembled slightly, and a layer of almost invisible human energy spread out along the skin and flesh. Only after the Ash Breath Concealing Meridian Technique was applied did the restlessness in the chest cavity subside somewhat.
Walking at night is not easy.
The terrain around Duan Gu Ravine is extremely fragmented. Underfoot are either knife-edged cliffs or withered vine-covered stone bridges hanging in mid-air. When the mountain wind blows, the bridge surface lashes left and right, as if it might break at any moment.
Huang Chen doesn't use the bridge at all.
Leap when you can, step on the wall when you can, constantly using the soles of your boots for leverage, your whole body leaps up along both sides of the rift valley, your figure appearing and disappearing in the night.
Half an hour later, it was completely dark.
In the distance, a strange beast howled from the mountains, its sound echoing through the valley, sounding like crying.
Huang Chen didn't stop, but his eyes grew even colder.
What he fears most now is not a direct confrontation.
It's slow.
If they were even a step too slow, those rat demons might have already found their way to the outer edge of the Flame of Fire by following its scent. No matter how well the Flame of Fire has been cultivated over the years, it is still ultimately a sanctuary hidden in the mountains, not a place where it can directly confront sects, mountain gates, or the lair of demon kings.
After running for a while, they suddenly heard the sound of water ahead.
A dark mountain river bursts forth from a crevice in the rocks, flowing along the valley floor; it is as black as oil.
Huang Chen's body sank, stepping directly on several exposed blue stones as he skimmed across the water, splashing up a string of white foam from the soles of his shoes, and a chill crept up his trouser legs.
As soon as he landed on the other side, his ears twitched.
Rapid breathing came from the gravel slope behind.
"Master Huang...Master Huang..."
Huang Chen tilted his head, his hand already on the hilt of the Asura Blood Blade.
From the shadows of the hillside, three figures emerged, stumbling and crawling. They were the scouts they had rescued earlier from beside the Soul-Locking Gate. The men were still wrapped in simple cloth, their faces ashen, and they looked like they were about to burst from exhaustion.
Seeing Huang Chen turn around, the eldest among them quickly waved his hand.
No, I'm not pursuing you.
'
"There's a landslide at the fork in the road ahead, but the old ditch on the right is still passable."
Huang Chen glanced at them and frowned.
"I'm telling you to take the safe waterway to the outer camp."
The servant smiled bitterly, panting heavily as he leaned on his knees.
"After walking for a while, we encountered a mountain tide that buried the original path."
"We were afraid of taking the wrong path again and running into the Xuantian Sect and the demon team, so we could only follow the trail you left behind."
'
A younger scout next to him wiped his face, his voice trembling.
"Master Huang, we are not a burden."
Twenty miles further ahead, there's an abandoned temple with a mountain god statue still standing; people can hide there. We can find our way around on our own after resting for half an hour.
'
Huang Chen didn't swear.
In this terrain, it's already incredibly lucky for an injured person to even reach this spot.
He raised his hand and waved.
"lead the way.
'
The three scouts were taken aback at first, then nodded hastily as if they had breathed a sigh of relief.
After traveling for another quarter of an hour through the night, a mountain god temple, half of which had collapsed, finally appeared ahead.
The temple gate is long gone, the door frame is stuck in the ground at an angle, and cobwebs hang all over the beams and pillars inside. The clay statue of the god has been decapitated, with only half of its body sitting behind the offering table, staring blankly outside.
When the wind blows, there is a musty smell of dust and ash in the temple.
It also carried the stench of moldy wood and wild animal droppings.
Huang Chen first scouted around to make sure there were no monsters lurking there before letting the three of them in.
He casually tore off the Human Concealment Veil and covered the three of them with it. The thin, grayish-white veil spread out like water, suppressing their remaining blood and soul aura.
The three slaves stared wide-eyed.
The youngest one couldn't help but whisper, "Master Huang, this treasure..."
"Ask less."
Huang Chen squatted down, took out two Qi-replenishing pills from his storage, broke them into small pieces, and tossed them over.
"You're too injured to take the full dose of the medicine, so share it."
"Behind the temple is a dry ditch. Follow the ditch westward, then turn north, and you will find the man with the sharp spear."
When you see the sentries, give them this code.
He drew a short vein on the ground with his finger and wrote down two commands to break the spell.
The older servant remembered it vividly, his eyes reddening, and he suddenly wanted to kneel down.
Huang Chen hooked his foot and pinned his knee down.
Don't try that on me.
"Being able to reach the outer camp alive is more useful than kneeling before me."
'
The group swallowed hard, but ultimately said nothing more.
The wind was strong outside the temple, and the broken windows rattled loudly.
Huang Chen leaned against the broken pillar, closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a moment. His internal energy and blood were calming down, but also becoming agitated again due to the long journey. He could feel that after stepping into a new level, his physical body and energy were changing. His meridians were wider, his joints were tighter, and even the sound of the wind in his ears was clearer than before.
The cost was also considerable.
The pressure was too intense; it felt like a piece of red-hot iron was pressing against my chest.
Just then, the jade slip containing the firewood communication device in his arms suddenly felt a slight warmth.
Huang Chen opened his eyes and probed with his divine sense.
The first sound wasn't human voices, but a series of clanging hammer blows, the crisp crackling of sparks exploding even through the array patterns. Then, Old Tie's rough, chuckled voice burst forth.
"Sir, can you hear me?"
"Say something if you can hear me. The furnace here is burning brightly, and I'm almost deafened by the iron's roar."
'
Huang Chen's gaze softened slightly.
"explain.
'
There was a loud "bang" from the other end of the jade slip, like someone throwing a red-hot iron into cold water, followed by a hissing sound of white steam.
Lao Tie lowered his voice, but it still carried a hint of excitement.
"My lord, according to the map you left earlier, I have dismantled 70% of the flying boat's remains."
"The most usable outer layer of spirit iron plates were all used to repair the outer soul pattern armor plates of the Firewood."
It's also inlaid with the old scales of the Black Scale Demon King, making it resistant to tearing and poisonous fog; it wouldn't break instantly even after being hit by a round of ordinary flying swords.
He chuckled as he finished speaking.
"The remaining flames from the Crimson Flame Demon King's demon core weren't wasted either. I drew out the fire veins three times, burning a seal pattern onto the outer edge of the armor plate. Those little beasts like the Rat Demon, who burrow into walls and gnaw at formations, would be charred the moment their mouths touched them."
'
Huang Chen didn't move his feet, but he quickly reviewed the outer defense of the Fireworks in his mind.
The thinnest layer originally consisted of several transitional walls on the outer layer of the miasma valley.
If we can get the old iron to repair the armor plates now, and use the remaining flames of the Crimson Flame to seal the edges, we can at least delay the monsters that come smelling blood.
Where are they?
'
Huang Chen asked.
"The old man in the prison led more than twenty people who could walk, and they were carrying food and medicine packages."
'
"The rescued miner B and his gang weren't idle either; they were moving the stone crossbow bases to the back ditch. I dismantled all the black tiger demon general skeleton, green python demon general tendons, and all sorts of other demon corpse materials that you collected before."
'
When Lao Tie got excited, his voice got louder again.
"Black Tiger's tough bones are perfect for serving as the load-bearing backbone of the heavy crossbow."
The tendon of the green python, when stretched, was tougher than cowhide. There were also some fragments of old demon armor, all of which were made into mechanism linings.
'
"Damn it, I knew all these years I wasn't lacking in skills, I was lacking in brains."
A few laughs came from the other end of the jade slip, along with the sounds of someone carrying a heavy object and shouting.
Huang Chen could almost picture the flickering flames and the clansmen bustling about in Xinhuo Valley. Some were carrying grain, others were dismantling old wood from the corners of houses to make supports, still others were carrying parts of stone crossbows up to higher ground, and the wounded old people and women were neatly stacking bundles of arrows, medicine powder, and bandages.
It's not chaos.
They're racing against time.
A moment later, the old man's voice from the prison cell broke in, aged, steady, and with rapid breathing.
"Master Huang, the first warehouse in Qian Gu has been emptied."
'
"According to Lao Tie, salt, medicine, kerosene, and children should be sent to the back cave first. If the enemy manages to sneak into the outer edge, the front valley can be abandoned at any time."
'
Another, slightly younger voice followed, belonging to the rescued miner B.
"Master Huang, two stone crossbow bases have been installed."
'
"Several old winches are badly rusted, so I had someone smash them open with a mining hammer and rebuild them. If you can get back in time, the outer valley can still hold out for another round."
'
After listening, Huang Chen only replied with two words.
"good.
'
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the jade slip.
It's probably no one who expected Huang Chen to praise someone at a time like this.
Immediately afterwards, Lao Tie grinned and cursed.
Did you hear that?
The adults said it was good. All of you, straighten your backs and stop shaking your hands!
'
A few chaotic responses came from the crowd, a mix of old and young, which actually drowned out the sound of the stove.
Huang Chen didn't say anything more.
He raised his hand to cut off the echo, put the jade slip back into his pocket, and the tense anger in his chest seemed to have been suppressed, no longer as agitated as before.
Three servants in the temple were swallowing medicine against the wall. When they saw him get up, they quickly stood up straight.
"Remember the route."
"When you see Li Chenshuo, first give him the code, then tell him that you came out of the Soul Lock Gate."
'
"Don't get close to the flame."
"yes!
'
The three of them agreed in unison.
Huang Chen turned and left the temple. With a flick of his black hood, he disappeared back into the night.
This rush took two days.
During the day, he would walk on high ridges and shady rocky ridges, using the strong winds to disperse the remaining bloodstains.
At night, they would traverse valleys and forests, avoiding main roads and herds of beasts. Occasionally, they would encounter monsters hunting in the mountains, but they would avoid them by a great distance, without expending any effort.
He only rested three times during that period.
Once, he sat cross-legged in a crevice in the cliff for a short while, swallowing air and suppressing blood.
One session used the marrow from the Earth's core to treat the shock to the muscles and bones.
The last time, in a pine forest blackened by lightning, he sealed up the old scabs that had seeped out of his chest again.
The outline of the Ten Thousand Mountains finally came into view the following evening.
The familiar miasma began to swirl at the foot of the mountain, layer upon layer of grayish-green, then purplish-black, like a vast, rotting tide lying dormant in the forest. The wind blew out from the valley entrance, carrying the scents of damp grass, rotten wood, and faint wisps of cooking smoke.
Huang Chen slowed down instead.
The closer you get to the flame, the less you should rush.
He first circled around to a high slope, lay down behind a half-collapsed rock, and used a breath-concealing technique to suppress his breathing to almost nothing. Then he slowly pushed aside the bushes in front of him and looked out of the valley.
Huang Chen slowed down instead.
The closer you get to the flame, the less you should rush.
He first circled around to a high slope, lay down behind a half-collapsed rock, and used a breath-concealing technique to suppress his breathing to almost nothing. Then he slowly pushed aside the bushes in front of him and looked out of the valley.
With just one glance, his eyes darkened.
On the outer edge of the miasma, a mixed force is slowly advancing.
Leading the way were a dozen or so rat-like scouts, short and thin with arched backs, their noses black and shiny, their limbs almost touching the ground as they crawled. Every few feet they would stop, press their paws into the mud, and then raise their heads to sniff the wind, their movements as practiced as if they were searching their lair in a hunting ground.
Two of the rat demons were lifting a round plate together.
The disc was inlaid with demon bones and blood copper on its edge, and a layer of dark red liquid flowed slowly in the middle; it was the Demon Blood Compass.
Whenever the rat demon dripped blood from its fingertip into the dish, the bloodline on the surface would gently shift, pointing deeper into the miasma valley.
The group of about thirty rat demons at the rear spread out in a fan shape, protecting the several immortal cultivators in the middle.
Those immortal cultivators had all changed into their outer robes, and at first glance they looked like ordinary rogue cultivators. Some wore gray, some wore blue, but their cuffs were too neatly gathered, and their steps were too uniform. In particular, two of them walked without their feet touching the mud, and their aura was as deep as well water, clearly indicating that they were not ordinary people below the level of Earth Immortal.
Huang Chen's gaze fell on the unfamiliar immortal cultivator at the front.
The man was tall and slender, with a pale face, thin eyebrows, and a crescent-shaped black jade pendant hanging from his left ear.
His outer robe was a faded light blue, but a silver belt, inappropriate for his status, was tied around his waist. His fingers were long and slender, and his nails were neatly manicured, as if he had never done any rough work in years.
What's most striking about him are his eyes.
He looks at things at a moderate pace, as if he's measuring them.
They don't seem to be looking for someone; they seem to be taking inventory of goods.
The unfamiliar immortal cultivator suddenly raised his hand.
He held a slender jade token in his hand, gently tapped it in the direction where the Valley of Firewood had disappeared, and whispered something to a nearby Earth Immortal.
Because of the distance, Huang Chen couldn't hear what was being said.
But the place the other person was pointing to was the outer valley of the fire.
The rat demons nearby immediately became excited, their noses twitching wildly. One of them couldn't even hold back anymore and started digging into the soil under its feet, trying to crawl through the side slope first.
Huang Chen slowly tightened his five fingers, and the veins on the back of his hand gradually bulged.
The mountain wind swept across the high slope, carrying miasma and also the fragmented sounds of the team below.
"The flavor kept coming back..."
"Right here in these mountains."
'
"It has a strong human touch, a strong blood smell, and can't be hidden far away."
"Turn the compass half a circle again."
'
The unfamiliar immortal cultivator did not rush to give orders, but stood still, squinting slightly as he looked at the churning miasma in front of him.
A moment later, the corner of his mouth turned up slightly, but only slightly.
"Burn up the fog over there."
As soon as he finished speaking, a rat demon scout immediately rushed forward, clutching the Demon Blood Compass.
Huang Chen silently crouched down behind the rock, his palm already on the Asura Blood Blade.
The knuckles gripped the knife handle tightly, inch by inch.
The edge of the scabbard emitted a very faint scraping sound.
Click.