https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-138-Are-There-Immortals-in-This-World-/12575486/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-140-Immortal-Techniques-On-the-Eve-of-the-Decisive-Battle/12575490/
Chapter 139: The Mountain God Descends, Punishment
Chapter 139: The Mountain God Descends, Punishment
The autumn wind howled through the mountains as Zhan Qin and her companions followed Xuan Miao Zhenren, forging ahead.
Xuan Miao Zhenren, at the forefront, left a trail of blood in his wake, causing concern among those trailing behind. Yet, they knew their words of comfort would be in vain, and so they refrained from disturbing him, offering him silence instead.
Boom!
A deafening explosion reverberated from afar, accompanied by a gust of wind that swept through the trees. The group summoned their spiritual energy to withstand the onslaught.
Xuan Miao Zhenren raised his sword to deflect the brunt of the attack, his Transcendent Realm cultivation base shielding them from the worst of it.
He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, his condition worrying the Tai Xuan Gate's Enforcement Hall disciples who trailed behind.
After a few breaths, the wind subsided, and Xuan Miao Zhenren knelt on the ground, propping his sword against it to steady himself.
The surrounding trees were almost all toppled, leaves and debris flying everywhere in disarray.
Zhan Qin and the others quickly gathered around, concerned for Xuan Miao Zhenren's well-being.
Ever since Xuan Miao Zhenren rescued them, they had endured fierce battles daily, leaving him little opportunity to recuperate, only worsening his injuries.
Xuan Miao Zhenren lifted his head, his pale face filled with reluctance. Gritting his teeth, he said, "The enemy is approaching. Everyone, meditate!"
Hearing this, the group hastily sat down. After spending several days together, they had developed an unwavering trust in Xuan Miao Zhenren. Without him, they knew they wouldn't have survived this long.
Xuan Miao Zhenren took a deep breath and said softly, "Together, call out to the Mountain God in your hearts and pray for his salvation!"
He was left with no other choice. His spiritual energy was insufficient to activate the Spirit Summoning Mystic Gate again, and the Mountain God was his only hope.
Although they were far from the Mountain God's abode, he believed that the Mountain God would surely sense their pleas.
The group was taken aback by his words, and some disciples grew anxious.
"Why are we calling for the Mountain God instead of running away right now?"
"Yes, with chaos reigning in the world and battles erupting everywhere, we might be able to escape in the confusion."
"Let's take turns carrying you, and we'll definitely be able to escape!"
"We can't just sit here and wait for death!"
"Mountain God? Does such a being even exist in this world? If it did, how could it allow the Dark Flower Sect to wreak havoc unchecked?"
The disciples' voices grew more agitated as they spoke, their anxiety heightened by the approaching formidable presence.
Xuan Miao Zhenren spoke up, "There's no escape. They've already locked onto us. Quickly, meditate and do as I say. There's still a glimmer of hope. If we delay, we'll be captured, and our fate will be worse than death."
Reluctantly, the disciples sat down, gritting their teeth.
Zhan Qin sat among them, her eyes closed as she began to call out to the Mountain God in her heart.
She had no intention of dying here!
In that moment, everyone sat on the ground, their minds united in a desperate plea to the Mountain God.
...
Inside the Inner Sect's city, Gu An was selecting seeds of high-grade medicinal herbs in the Pill Hall when he suddenly sensed something peculiar, his expression turning strange.
In the depths of his consciousness, he felt as if someone was calling out to him.
This sensation was mysterious and unlike anything he had experienced before.
He extended his spiritual sense, enveloping the entire Nine Provinces, and soon located Xuan Miao Zhenren.
It was Xuan Miao Zhenren who was calling out to him! Although there were others meditating alongside Xuan Miao Zhenren, Gu An could clearly discern that only Xuan Miao Zhenren was calling to him. He couldn't hear Xuan Miao Zhenren's thoughts, but he could feel his strong desire to meet with him.
Could this be related to the Mountain God's identity? Gu An wondered. He suspected it might have something to do with the Nirvana Realm, as he had not experienced such a sensation before his breakthrough, despite having known Xuan Miao Zhenren for some time.
Gu An noticed Zhan Qin's presence and the group of Dark Flower Sect cultivators approaching them.
After a moment of hesitation, Gu An put down the seeds in his hand and turned towards the entrance.
...
In the northern mountain range by the sea, in an area where trees lay toppled, Xuan Miao Zhenren, Zhan Qin, and the others sat with their eyes closed, their determination palpable.
A group of black-robed cultivators flew in from the horizon, led by an elderly man holding a wooden staff. His head was full of white hair, his face covered in brown spots, and a large python coiled around his shoulders, giving him an evil and chilling appearance.
He looked down at Xuan Miao Zhenren and asked, "Xuan Miao Zhenren, are you surrendering without a fight?"
He didn't strike immediately. According to the information he had received, Xuan Miao Zhenren possessed a divine ability to summon powerful cultivators, and several of the Dark Flower Sect's elite cultivators had perished due to this ability.
Xuan Miao Zhenren ignored him, continuing to chant silently in his heart.
The wooden-staff elder scanned the others, his eyes flickering with indecision.
The Enforcement Hall disciples were tense, cold sweat forming on most of their foreheads. They dared not open their eyes, instead frantically calling out to the Mountain God in their hearts and praying for a miracle.
After a while, the wooden-staff elder coldly huffed and raised his staff, tapping it in the air. Instantly, demonic energy burst forth from the bottom of the staff, rapidly enveloping the sky within a ten-mile radius.
The Tai Xuan Gate's Enforcement Hall disciples sensed something amiss and opened their eyes. To them, it was as if they had been plunged into darkness, and the hovering Dark Flower Sect cultivators resembled vengeful evil spirits, glaring down at them.
Everyone was tense, their faces reflecting despair and fear, including Zhan Qin.
Xuan Miao Zhenren also opened his eyes, sighing as he looked up at the sky, his gaze calm.
"Are you disappointed?"
A voice reached Xuan Miao Zhenren's ears, causing him to turn instinctively. His eyes widened, and his face lit up with surprise.
"Mountain God!"
Upon hearing these two words, everyone turned their heads in unison, and their eyes widened in astonishment as they landed on Xuan Miao Zhenren's shoulder.
Perched upon Xuan Miao Zhenren's left shoulder was a diminutive figure clad in white, wearing a theatrical mask. The little person's head barely reached Xuan Miao Zhenren's ears, leading some of the disciples to wonder if they were seeing things, with a few even rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
The elder with the wooden staff, hovering in the sky, furrowed his brow as he, too, noticed the white-clad figure.
The other Dark Flower Sect cultivators began to whisper amongst themselves, for this was the first time they had seen someone so small. When they probed with their spiritual sense, they were unable to discern the little person's true appearance, nor could they sense any trace of malicious intent from him.
Gu An leaped off Xuan Miao Zhenren's shoulder and landed on a tilting tree nearby.
Xuan Miao Zhenren immediately knelt and bowed to Gu An, pleading, "Please, Mountain God, intervene and save us. The Dark Flower Sect has committed countless atrocities and even intends to sacrifice the people of the Nine Provinces. Their actions are heinous and harm both heaven and earth. Please, Mountain God, save the innocent lives of this world!"
The Enforcement Hall disciples snapped back to their senses and promptly followed suit, kneeling and bowing to Gu An.
Zhan Qin also knelt, feeling an inexplicable sense of closeness as she gazed at the white-clad figure.
"Mountain God? This is blasphemy! I advise you not to meddle in matters that don't concern you!" The wooden-staff elder glared at Gu An, his voice cold and threatening.
Gu An paid no heed to the threat from this powerful Combined Realm cultivator. Instead, he turned to Xuan Miao Zhenren, his tone casual as he said, "The Mountain God does not save mortals; I only safeguard this land. You are not natives of this place, yet you ask me to intervene. That goes against the rules of the immortals."
"If you help us, we will worship you from now on!" Xuan Miao Zhenren quickly replied.
"Hmm, sincerity begets miracles," Gu An mused.
He turned to face the wooden-staff elder, not bothering with pleasantries. Gu An's right hand rose, palm facing upward.
As he lifted his hand, the earth trembled violently, stirring the emotions of all who witnessed it.
Boom! Boom! Boom...
Huge tree roots burst forth from the ground, like a writhing mass of pythons racing towards the sky. The wooden-staff elder hastily dodged, but the other Dark Flower Sect cultivators were not so lucky; they were pierced through by the roots, their bodies pulverized, and their blood splattered across the sky.
The demonic energy in the sky instantly dissipated, making way for the sun's rays. As Zhan Qin and the others beheld the majestic scene before them, they were left utterly dumbfounded, and even Xuan Miao Zhenren was deeply moved.
Countless trees soared skyward, standing side by side, their ends stretching beyond sight. It was as if a green mountain had suddenly risen, piercing the clouds and leaving all who saw it utterly awe-struck.
The wooden-staff elder scrambled to escape, frantically waving his staff and unleashing a grandiose spell. Demonic energy surged and shook the heavens and the earth, but in less than a breath's time, he was entangled by vines. With growing terror, he realized his spiritual power was being suppressed within his body, unable to be released.
"How can this be... Could it really be the Mountain God?" The wooden-staff elder's eyes widened, his face contorting with despair. Soon after, his expression was hidden as the vines covered him, his body disappearing amidst the crisscrossing branches, becoming one with the trees.
From above, the scene was even more breathtaking—a hundred-mile radius was filled with dense, towering trees. These trees intertwined, forming a mountain of foliage, a sight that shook the very souls of those who bore witness to it.
Xuan Miao Zhenren gazed upward at the tree mountain, and even with his keen eyesight, he couldn't discern how high they reached.
In front of Gu An's eyes, a row of prompts began to appear.
Reap some rewards!
It's passable. The combined lifespan of so many people doesn't even amount to five thousand years!
Gu An withdrew his power, and the terrifying and majestic tree mountain gradually dissolved, transforming into countless green starlights that scattered and vanished in a short time.
The enormous chasm-like fissure in the ground ahead was a testament to the reality of what had just transpired!
The Enforcement Hall disciples turned to Gu An once more, their eyes filled with reverence and disbelief.
Such a tiny being possessed capabilities comparable to ghosts and gods. He truly was the Mountain God!
And even stronger than the Mountain God of legends!
Gu An looked at Xuan Miao Zhenren, stroking his chin as he mused, "I told you not to reveal my existence, and now I must punish you."
Hearing this, Xuan Miao Zhenren quickly took out a rectangular wooden box from his storage bag and said, "I willingly accept the punishment, and I offer this treasure as a token of gratitude for the Mountain God's rescue."
Gu An waved his hand, bringing the wooden box in front of him before placing it into his storage bag. He had many storage bags to prevent Zhan Qin from discovering it, so he specifically used a different one.
He leaped into the air and flew in front of Xuan Miao Zhenren, gently patting his forehead as he said, "Your punishment is to have your cultivation regress by one year."
In an instant, Xuan Miao Zhenren's face changed, and his cultivation level rapidly declined, falling all the way back to the Foundation Establishment realm.
This was Gu An's divine ability, the Primordial Cycle Technique!
It was a divine ability awakened by the Primordial Cycle Art, capable of sealing another cultivator's cultivation.
Zhan Qin and the others also sensed Xuan Miao Zhenren's rapidly declining cultivation, their faces filled with shock.
When Gu An turned his gaze to them, they all took out their treasures and offered them to him, promising never to reveal the existence of the Mountain God to anyone.
Gu An waved his sleeve, collecting their offerings, and then waved again, summoning a gentle breeze that sent them flying towards the horizon, with Xuan Miao Zhenren among them.
"There is a distinction between the immortal and the mortal. If you break your promise, even if you hide at the ends of the earth, I will find you."
Gu An's voice echoed in the ears of each Enforcement Hall disciple.
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