Xu Yueping spoke up. "Xiao Qin, want to go take a look?"
"Have Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing gone?" Qin Ming asked. Although he was curious about the top-tier anomalies in the great mountains, when weighing the options, he naturally prioritized safety above all.
Xu Yueping said, "They already passed our village entrance and headed over. They got permission from the higher-ups, who said it's fine as long as we don't get too close."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Old Man Liu perked up at once, being the first to chime in.
Qin Ming did not object either. Since Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and the others had all gone, there was no need to worry excessively.
A moment later, the group set out and soon arrived outside the great mountains. Many Newborns had already gathered in this area; silhouettes bustled as everyone craned their necks in eager anticipation, desperate to see the higher-ups of Chixia City make their entrance.
Qin Ming stared at the donkey, keeping silent. It looked very similar to the one he had hunted in the mountains a few days ago—surely it wasn't one of its offspring?
A pure-white weasel sat cross-legged on the donkey's back, silent as an attained eminent monk. It was extraordinarily steady, its eyes deep and seemingly able to perceive all worldly affairs.
Qin Ming visualized tranquil emptiness to conceal his vitality, using "Harmonize with Light and Dust" to blend naturally into the crowd.
"It's here!" someone whispered. Beneath the night sky, at the far edge of the snow-covered ground, a figure appeared, drawing closer and growing clearer.
"This must be one of our Chixia City's higher-ups arriving, right?" Even the nobles could no longer remain composed, whispering among themselves as they all peered into the distance.
Soon, the area fell silent again—because it was another anomaly.
It strutted with elegant feline steps, approaching unhurriedly until it reached the very front of the mountain slope.
It was actually a tabby cat, about three feet long and weighing several dozen jin. It did not walk on all fours, but upright on two legs.
Qin Ming was somewhat speechless. High-level anomalies did not seem all that exotic; creatures like these could be seen on ordinary days.
Moreover, tabby cats and weasels were natural enemies—would the two of them start fighting here in the mountains?
Many people had the same thought, but none dared speak up, maintaining a tense silence.
"I thought top-tier anomalies were all like the Moon Insect..." Old Man Liu mumbled indistinctly.
Having guarded the mountains for decades, he had heard countless legends: terrifying, peerless mountain lords, famous birds standing unbowed for two hundred years—each more mystical than the last. Yet not one had appeared.
"They aren't... about to turn on each other, are they?" someone noticed something amiss.
For the large tabby cat strutting with elegant steps and the old weasel on the donkey's back were bristling with hostility, at each other's throats as if about to come to blows.
On the snow, the large tabby cat stood quietly, carrying a crimson longsword on its back that was nearly as long as its upright body. The sword had already leaped half a foot from its scabbard on its own, casting crimson sunset-glow all around, like the legendary twilight descending and dyeing the nearby snow red.
The snow-white weasel was no longer serene. It hopped off the donkey's back and patted the old donkey, sending it off to wait in the distance.
The snow-white old weasel stood there on its own; its upper limbs were no different from human arms. One "hand" was held behind its back, while the "hand" in front was wound with a strand of prayer beads.
Pure white all over, it looked up toward the sky with an easy, otherworldly grace, slowly rolling the prayer beads. A faint white mist drifted from it, holding back the crimson glow opposite.
The crowd was somewhat bewildered. Were these two creatures really not on the same side? They were confronting each other!
"One of them is probably human, but because they walk a different path, their form has gradually lost its human shape," someone murmured.
Hearing this, those present felt great turmoil in their hearts. Such paths were far beyond their reach.
And right now, they could not even tell which was human and which was a higher being from the mountains.
Many people were present, including a large number of mountain patrollers who had rushed over upon hearing the news. Though they guarded the endless mountains, they only remained on the perimeter and had no hope of ever seeing top-tier anomalies; today, they had come just to broaden their horizons.
Chixia City had also sent many Newborns, both young and old. Some were from noble houses, others from powerful organizations, forming a dense, dark crowd as far as the eye could see.
The boldest Newborns from neighboring villages and towns had also come to watch.
Meanwhile, in the dense woods opposite them, a vast number of creatures appeared as well—even more numerous than those on this side. All belonged to strange species, appearing especially intimidating in the dim forest: some were fiery red, others coiled in purple mist, and the clamor they made was far louder than the murmurs of the humans outside.
"Stay sharp. The other side might cause trouble!" Cao Long said. His three-meter-tall body was clad in polished armor, and his hand firmly gripped a sharp, heavy lance.
"Aren't they supposed to hold the final negotiation? Are both sides really going to fight?" someone asked in confusion.
Mu Qing, enveloped entirely in a black cloak, spoke up: "We won't provoke anything, but if those anomalies dare cross the line, fight with everything you have. The higher-ups will back us up."
At the same time, experts from Chixia City's other organizations, great clans, and mountain patrollers were also transmitting voice messages: if things looked wrong, don't hesitate to fight.
"I haven't seen such an imposing spectacle in a long time. Is it really about to begin? I remember the last large-scale mountain clearing was thirty years ago," Old Man Liu said, slightly excited as his right hand tightened around his thick-backed broadsword.
He, Qin Ming, and the others had arrived relatively late and stood near the back, which was comparatively safer.
Yet Qin Ming dared not let down his guard. Since their side shared a consensus and had passed down such words, he also readied himself, gripping his long-handled purple-gold hammer in hand.
With the appearance of a tall, imposing figure, all the commotion was suppressed. Both the anomalies in the mountain forest and the Newborns on the snowy ground fell silent.
No one saw how he had appeared; abruptly, he was simply standing in the midst of the tense standoff.
He was roughly ten meters tall, an extraordinarily massive figure clad in mottled, ancient-looking armor. Holding a black spear in one hand, he carried an invisible, mighty aura that intimidated the anomalies across the mountains and ravines, and raised goosebumps on the Newborns in the snow.
Fortunately, that invisible aura dissipated quickly; otherwise, it would have suffocated everyone present.
The man had sharp, chiseled features and appeared to be in his forties. With such an immense stature, he naturally brought to mind the path of the Giant Spirit God.
"This must be an important figure from our Chixia City, but why haven't I ever seen him before?" someone wondered.
Even direct descendants of noble clans like Cao Long and Wei Zhirou were conferring and asking questions, for they had never seen him either.
In any case, this was an indisputably pure human, not an anomaly.
His black hair fluttered in the wind, his face etched with resolve. Holding his black war spear, the man stood beside the snow-white old weasel, facing the tabby cat carrying the crimson sword on the snow.
With his arrival, the crimson longsword—unsheathed of its own accord and dyeing the surroundings red like twilight—let out soft chimes, as if warning of the newcomer's power and danger.
An old mountain patroller spoke up: "Now the situation is clear. The ten-meter-tall stalwart man is an expert invited by our Chixia City, so the weas—er, Senior Huang must also be on our side, having developed an alternate true form through walking a different path."
People nodded in agreement; clearly, the tabby cat bearing the crimson sword came from the depths of the great mountains.
In the clearing, the ten-meter giant and the one-foot-tall pure-white weasel rolling prayer beads stood side by side—the contrast was so stark that many wished to comment, yet none dared speak, keeping their mouths firmly shut.
"Brother Wei, Wei Mo. It has been twenty years since we last met. Traveling through deep mountains and marshes, cultivating near the forbidden lands—have you been well?" A calm voice rang out, so suddenly that no one saw how another figure had appeared on the snow.
This, too, was a human man, looking to be in his early forties. Clad in white robes, he was remarkably elegant and handsome; standing casually, he seemed to blend seamlessly with the snow.
He took up a position beside the tabby cat bearing the crimson sword and looked toward the ten-meter-tall human giant opposite him.
This time, many people in the snow were completely bewildered, slack-jawed and unable to tell which side was Chixia City's leadership and its allies.
The giant addressed as Wei Mo nodded, the dull red-gold armor on his body clanking. He spoke: "Indeed, twenty years have passed. Ling Xu, you are showing your age as well."
The onlookers were baffled. Why would Wei Mo say the white-robed man showed signs of aging when he looked to be in the prime of his life? It seemed people at their level had entirely different criteria.
At the same time, some people from Chixia City gasped in shock.
"Ling Xu... he's the City Lord!"
Qin Ming, Old Man Liu, and the others were dumbfounded several times over, but they finally understood which side belonged to the higher beings of the great mountains and which represented the leadership of Chixia City.
In such a brief span, everyone's assumptions had been turned upside down multiple times.
The elegant, middle-aged man in white, Ling Xu, nodded. "Who can escape aging? No one can resist the passage of time—not even the most enigmatic handful of top-tier beings."
Then, looking at Wei Mo, he said, "You chose to delve deep into the night mist, lingering outside boundless forbidden lands, never to return. Is that right?"
"Yes!" Wei Mo replied with just that single word.
"Understandable," Ling Xu nodded.
Many wore solemn expressions. A few elders had heard Wei Mo's name and knew how formidable he had been back then. In the past, his body had been far taller than it was now—had he initiated an even higher level of transformation?
"Why is he standing on the side of the anomalies from the mountain depths?" a youth from Chixia City couldn't help lowering his voice to ask the elder beside him.
The elder murmured, "When one cannot find a path and loses all hope, one walks into the boundless night. So in the deep mountains and marshes, within the boundless darkness, some higher beings and mysterious anomalies are not necessarily monsters—they were once human!"
Hearing this, Qin Ming fell into a daze as well.
"Let us sit and talk," City Lord Ling Xu of Chixia City said, making a welcoming gesture.
Four beings of four starkly different forms sat down in the snow to begin the final negotiation.
However, the onlookers realized they could not hear a single sound.
This was a confidential talk between the top echelons, not meant for their ears; being allowed to watch quietly from a distance was already an opportunity to broaden their horizons.
It was evident the scene was far from peaceful. Crimson glow steamed and white mist swirled; the clothing, armor, and fur of the four beings fluttered violently, as if an appalling force field churned between them.
One could even see the large tabby cat draw its sword directly. The crimson light shone everywhere, so dazzling it seemed as though a red sun were rising from the earth.
Meanwhile, the pure-white old weasel appeared thoroughly infuriated, unable to maintain its previous serenity. With one hand rolling its prayer beads, it patted the snow with the other to express its displeasure.
At once, everyone was horrified, feeling the earth shake as vast amounts of snow were thrown into the air.
Many saw clearly that it had only lightly patted the ground, not actually launched an attack.
Even so, this certainly heightened the tension in the clearing.
In fact, as various anomalies in the dense forest began roaring in response, several other terrifying higher beings emerged from the great mountains.
Some stood on mountain peaks, watching coldly; others flapped their wings and hovered high in the sky, looking down.
One insect was the most peculiar: because it was so brilliant, it illuminated several nearby peaks, and it had advanced all the way to the edge of the mountains.
"The Moon Insect!" many cried out in shock.
Opposite it, however, outside the great mountains, a powerful being also appeared in the night sky. A large azure bird, shimmering with brilliant radiance, carried a figure in fluttering feathered robes. High in the air, this person stared down the Moon Insect with an ethereal, transcendent aura, instantly checking the terrifying pressure expanding from the insect.
Looking at the figure atop the large azure bird, Qin Ming felt a sudden ache in his head. It was not because of the person, but because of those wide feathered robes—like a bolt of lightning crashing straight into his heart, cleaving through the dust over his subconscious and granting him an instant glimpse of scenes that revealed the bloody events from when he was fourteen.
Chapter 27