Heroes Mountain

Upon arriving at the Ink Fragrance Shop, the first stop was Book Pillow Mountain. Book Pillow Mountain was steep and sharp-edged, looking as though several books had been pieced together on a bed to make a pillow. On Book Pillow Mountain, Li Banfeng found Cloud Skein Ravine—a bottomless mountain chasm. On its cliff face hung a waterfall, over a hundred meters wide at the top and magnificent in momentum. After falling several dozen meters, it dispersed into countless tributaries, each fine as spider silk, pouring downward. Among these tributaries, one ran the swiftest, said to be powerful enough to snap ordinary weapons. Reluctant to risk his Tang dao, Li Banfeng carried Banfeng Yi along to test the waters. After walking a dozen-odd meters, Banfeng Yi cried out repeatedly, "Danger ahead! We can't go any farther! It hurts, it hurts too much—!" Having located the swiftest stream, Li Banfeng used its flow as his guide and flew upward against the current. Guided by the Judge's Brush, Li Banfeng used the Riding the Wind and Driving the Clouds technique to fly toward the highest cloud in Puluo Province. "Does this cloud have a name?" After flying for a long time, Li Banfeng faintly made out the cloud's edge. Estimating roughly, it sat three to five times higher than most clouds in Puluo Province. A cloud this distinctive had to have a name. The Judge's Brush replied, "It has plenty of names. Which one are you asking about?" Li Banfeng said, "Tell me all of them." The Judge's Brush took a short nap to gather its strength before telling Li Banfeng, "The name Shu Wanjuan gave it is Firmament Zenith Mountain, meaning the utmost reaches of the clouds. "The name the imperial court gave it is Fallen Watchtower Mountain—fallen watchtowers signifying ruin and decay. "The name the Peddler gave it is Heroes Mountain. That one you can understand." Li Banfeng nodded. "The Peddler really knows how to name things. But this is a cloud—why did they all name it as a mountain?" "You'll know once you get up there." Li Banfeng flew up onto the cloud and finally understood what the Judge's Brush meant. Standing at the cloud's edge and looking ahead, he saw no flat land. Less than a li out, mountains rose up—peak after peak, range beyond range, layered and undulating endlessly. Li Banfeng used Golden Eyes Discerning the Finest Detail and spotted a distant peak poking through, likely the highest crest of this mountain range. "A'bi, is your body on that peak?" The Judge's Brush murmured an assent. "Mm!" Li Banfeng gazed out at the rolling peaks. "Why did you have to put your body so high up?" The Judge's Brush snorted. "A sixth-tier Travel Cultivator of the Clouds—are you afraid of this?" "If you're not afraid, why don't you walk yourself?" "If I walk away, who's going to guide you?" Li Banfeng said nothing. Further talk was pointless; if they kept bickering, the Judge's Brush would get angry and doze off. On Heroes Mountain, one truly did need a guide. After flying for more than an hour, Li Banfeng realized the towering peaks beneath him were repeating, and the highest peak in the distance wasn't getting any closer. "Am I lost?" The Judge's Brush said, "You're not lost. A Joy Cultivator's Layered Peaks and Multiplying Ridges technique is at work here." "This cloud was created by a Joy Cultivator?" "Not just Joy Cultivators. The heroes of the world created it together. This was the first cloud ever forged in Puluo Province. Back then, Cloud Gate techniques didn't exist yet. The founding patriarchs of every path gathered together, expending immense effort before they finally..." Halfway through its sentence, the Judge's Brush grew exhausted to the point of collapse and fell asleep. Li Banfeng shook the Judge's Brush. "Don't sleep yet! Which way do we go next?" Half-asleep and half-awake, the Judge's Brush merely pointed the way with its brush tip, uttering not another word. At the foot of the highest peak, the Judge's Brush rested for a good while before speaking again: "Shu Wanjuan called this peak Heaven's Decree Terrace. The imperial court called it Chief Culprit Ridge. The Peddler called it Chief Peak. The earliest leaders of the Daoist schools were decided upon this very peak." As it spoke, the Judge's Brush panted heavily. The wine gourd hurriedly sprinkled some liquor onto it. "Brother, take your time speaking, don't strain yourself." Li Banfeng asked, "Were you among that first batch of leaders back then?" "Not me. I was young, far younger than them. This happened a very long time ago, but I consider this place sacred—this is the source of Puluo Province!" Having finished speaking, the Judge's Brush collapsed from exhaustion once more. To force itself to finish speaking despite being worn out to such a degree proved how much weight this peak held in its heart. While the Judge's Brush recovered, Li Banfeng rested for a moment halfway up the slope. The projector was filming the mountain scenery, growing increasingly excited as it shot. "I sense an art filled with power! Where does this power come from?" Li Banfeng heard the companion dwelling's voice: "This is a technique left behind by the Strength Cultivator patriarch Qing Wanjun. If I remember correctly, it was called Blood Sacrifice of Mountain Collapse. "Back in the day, quite a few felt a hidden strength here. The Joy Cultivator patriarch Ye Shengge loved cultivating here, always saying this place let him put his back into things." "Old Master, you've been here?" Li Banfeng asked in pleasant surprise. "I have!" the old man replied. "Traveling this path has brought back many memories. A'qi, head two or three li further up the slope. There's a cave there. Once you reach it, the road gets easier." Following the companion dwelling's directions, Li Banfeng climbed higher up the slope. The further up he went, the harder it became. This wasn't merely due to the steep terrain; Li Banfeng felt a peculiar effect permeating the mountain, sapping his physical stamina. "This is the technique of the Sloth Cultivator patriarch Yan Wolong," the companion dwelling said with a yawn. "If I recall correctly, it's called Hanging by a Single Breath. Those afflicted by it gradually lose all bodily strength until only their final breath remains, barely keeping them alive." Wiping away sweat, Li Banfeng asked, "Why was this technique used on Chief Peak?" The companion dwelling pondered for a long time. "Yan Wolong deployed it back then because the rebel army had been surrounded by the imperial court. "The Peddler, Old Train, and Shu Wanjuan were besieged on Chief Peak, while Shan Chengjun, Old Woman Ku, and Small Face were surrounded at the Ink Fragrance Shop. "The imperial court planned to defeat them in detail. The Peddler could barely hold out on Chief Peak any longer, so Yan Wolong crawled into a cave, lay down for three days and three nights, and completed Hanging by a Single Breath. "The entirety of Chief Peak fell under the technique's sway. When the court's forces assaulted the summit, they all lost their strength and were thrown into total disarray, slaughtered en masse. "Leading his men, the Peddler crushed the enemy on Chief Peak first, then broke the besiegers at the Ink Fragrance Shop. Afterward, both sides traded victories and defeats, warring for an entire year before the Peddler finally remembered something." "What was it?" "Yan Wolong was still sleeping inside the cave; he had never come down the mountain." Li Banfeng spotted the cave. Sitting down on a boulder, he panted, "He slept for an entire year without budging an inch?" The companion dwelling panted as well. "Indeed, he didn't budge!" "Slander!" the Judge's Brush piped up. "Our patriarch moved—he rolled over!" "Good on your patriarch!" Li Banfeng praised. "A'bi, we can't keep climbing like this. I can barely take another step." The Judge's Brush said, "Pass through the cave and you'll see a mountain trail. That trail is exempt from Hanging by a Single Breath." Panting, Li Banfeng remarked, "A'bi, how come your voice has so much energy now?" The companion dwelling said, "Hanging by a Single Breath doesn't weaken Sloth Cultivators. If anything, it lends them extra vigor." After resting a while, Li Banfeng traversed the cave. Once he reached the mountain trail, his stamina steadily returned. Following the trail all the way to the summit, Li Banfeng looked around. With nothing left obstructing his vision, the panorama of Heroes Mountain lay before him in full clarity. Yet beyond Heroes Mountain, Li Banfeng could see only azure skies and dense layers of mist and clouds. The Judge's Brush said, "Your eyesight isn't sharp enough. Only top-tier Peep Cultivators can see down to the ground and take in the entirety of Puluo Province." The companion dwelling confirmed its words. "Back then, A'yu stayed on this mountain for a long time. She gathered a great deal of military intelligence, and in several victories, A'yu contributed immensely." Li Banfeng closely examined the mountaintop. Compared to the rest of the mountain, the summit was relatively flat and hosted a dense forest. Beside the woods stood numerous stone houses, neatly constructed. Though covered in dust, they showed no signs of decay, giving the illusion that people had lived there not long ago. "Those are the barracks!" The companion dwelling exhaled with a heavy puff of steam. "The barracks to your left belonged to Old Train and me." Li Banfeng glanced to the left, seeing nothing remarkable about that particular stone house. The companion dwelling explained, "The Peddler decreed that everyone's barracks must be identical. That was his rule!" The Judge's Brush pointed toward the end of the camp. "My body is hidden outside the camp, right beneath that large tree." Outside the encampment's fence stood a vast stand of pine trees. The Judge's Brush pointed so casually that Li Banfeng had no idea which tree it meant. Once they reached the forest, the Judge's Brush emerged from Li Banfeng's waist, wrote the character 'Hui' on the bark of one pine tree, and wrote 'Gui' on an adjacent pine. 'Hui' stood for Wisdom-Karmic Scholar, and 'Gui' stood for Murong Gui—Murong Gui being the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar's name. Resting against Li Banfeng's back, the Judge's Brush said, "Walk straight ahead." Li Banfeng took a few steps forward, and a courtyard appeared before his eyes. Within the courtyard stood a three-story pavilion. "Let's go upstairs!" the Judge's Brush said with growing excitement. Li Banfeng entered the first floor. It consisted only of a main hall, its walls hung with various calligraphy scrolls and paintings. Judging by the signatures, every single one had come from the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar's brush. One landscape painting exhibited superb craftsmanship. Li Banfeng lightly tapped it, and surprisingly, not a speck of dust drifted off. Li Banfeng asked the Judge's Brush, "How long has it been since anyone came here?" The Judge's Brush replied, "Many years. I can't even remember—remembering things is utterly exhausting." "Something's wrong. Someone has been in this room." Li Banfeng looked around, though he sensed no danger. The Judge's Brush lightly swept its tip across the painting. In the scroll, a fisherman appeared, rowing a boat across a lake to the shore. A dozen people, men and women around a foot tall, stepped off the boat and walked right out of the painting. Some wiped tables, some mopped the floor, and others carried dusters, cleaning dust from every corner. The Judge's Brush said to Li Banfeng, "I'm just showing you. Usually, they clean once a day without me even having to call them." It led Li Banfeng up to the second floor, which was piled high with books of every description. Li Banfeng asked, "You only left a body here—do you still need to read?" The Judge's Brush snorted. "It's to preserve a cherished memory." It then led Li Banfeng up to the third floor, where tea tables, a writing desk, wardrobes, and wooden chests were arranged. A four-poster bed stood against the wall, draped in heavy bed curtains. Li Banfeng parted the curtains and saw an emaciated man lying in bed. The man wore a teal satin side-fastening gown, distinct from the robes commonly seen in Puluo Province. His robe was loose, thick, concealed his silhouette, and featured an older cut. Back at Black Rock Slope, Li Banfeng had clashed with the Pure Guard Association; the robes worn by their elders bore a resemblance to this one. His face was long and thin, his hair sparse yet combed neatly, his eye sockets deeply sunken. His eyes were open, his mouth slightly ajar, the corners of his lips curling upward in a faint smile. It was fortunate that Li Banfeng was the one who came; an ordinary person would have been frightened out of their wits, thinking a mummified corpse lay in bed. "Brother, is this what you look like?" Li Banfeng checked his breathing and felt a faint wisp of warmth. "Having taken neither food nor water for years, I've withered a bit. But I was actually quite handsome in my day!" The Judge's Brush tidied the man's appearance slightly. This man was the original body of the Judge's Brush—the renowned Wisdom-Karmic Scholar of yesteryear, Murong Gui! "Since we're here, get back into your body," Li Banfeng said, setting the Judge's Brush down beside the body. The Judge's Brush seemed reluctant. "Why should I go back in?" Li Banfeng said, "If Shu Wanjuan is coming for you, you need to move your body out as soon as possible." The Judge's Brush replied, "You can use Broadening the Bridal Chamber and take it home. It's the same thing." Li Banfeng truly couldn't understand. "Don't you want to return to your body and stretch your limbs?" The Judge's Brush observed the body for a brief moment before responding, "The limbs are doing just fine. Just send him home." "If I just send him home like this and the Red Lotus devours him, let's see where you go crying!" As Li Banfeng pondered where to place the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar, a wave of danger crept in from outside the pavilion. Someone was coming! How could anyone arrive at such an impeccable moment? He had only just arrived at this pavilion—how had they tracked him here? Li Banfeng stood by the window and looked down, but saw no one in the courtyard. Realizing a battle might be imminent, the Judge's Brush immediately returned to the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar's body. Lying in bed, he said to Li Banfeng, "Outside the courtyard, there's already been... been..." Li Banfeng glanced back. The Judge's Brush was evidently ill-adjusted to this body; having spoken only half a sentence, he was already nearing collapse. Taking in the situation, the glove said to the Judge's Brush, "You mean someone was already waiting outside, right?" The Wisdom-Karmic Scholar blinked, indicating the glove had guessed correctly. "He... couldn't get in..." "He didn't know how to open the door, so he couldn't enter. Just now when we came in, the gates opened and he noticed, so now he wants to follow us inside—is that it?" The glove was intimately familiar with stalking procedures and described it with pinpoint accuracy. "Yes..." The Wisdom-Karmic Scholar tried to nod. The glove wagged an index finger. "Don't move. The thought counts. I'm afraid your neck might snap." The Tang dao chimed in, "Brother, you'd better go back into the Judge's Brush. Why torture yourself like this?" "The visitor has bad... bad..." The glove filled in, "Bad intentions. Our A'bi wants to fight him." Li Banfeng looked at A'bi's state. "Looking like this, what can you possibly fight with?" The Wisdom-Karmic Scholar glanced toward the writing brush on the desk. The glove darted forward, ground the ink, dipped the brush, and handed it to the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar along with sheets of paper. The Wisdom-Karmic Scholar wrote the character 'Fire' on a sheet of paper and set it beside the pillow. Whoosh! Flames erupted, and the entire bed caught fire! The glove dashed forward to grab the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar. "Get moving! What are you doing?" Fire caught on the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar's clothes as well. The glove dragged him off the bed. Just as the old teapot moved to extinguish the fire, the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar suddenly cried out, "Hot!" With that shout, the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar stood up from the floor. Driven by the scorching flames, he had been forced to loosen his stiff muscles and joints. He picked up the brush and paper himself and wrote the character 'Extinguish.' All the flames in the room instantly vanished. The Wisdom-Karmic Scholar then wrote the character 'Diligent' and pasted it onto himself. With this 'Diligent' character attached, his condition transformed. His eyes regained their spirit, his speed increased, and his movements turned fluid. He cleared off the writing desk and prepared to lie down on it to sleep. Li Banfeng glanced toward the corner of the courtyard wall and noticed faint traces of ink. "Looks like your Grandmaster is here." The Wisdom-Karmic Scholar sat up from the desk, peered out the window, and barked, "Let's run!" Li Banfeng held him back. "Why run? If you're scared, head home. I'll go out to meet him." The Wisdom-Karmic Scholar let out a fiery grunt. "Hmph!" The glove translated from the side: "He probably means he isn't scared." Li Banfeng smiled. "Since you're not scared, let me witness the skills of the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar." Shu Wanjuan and the Blood Fang Monster stood in the pine woods, still waiting for reconnaissance reports. He had arrived at Chief Peak long ago. This was not his first time searching for the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar's body. He had previously discovered a courtyard concealed within the pine forest, but had never been able to open its gates. Unsure whether the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar was truly inside, he had intended to take the Blood Fang Monster to try their luck elsewhere. Yet merely hours after setting off, the courtyard gates had opened on their own. When Li Qi entered the courtyard, several written characters had slipped in behind him. The traces of ink Li Banfeng had spotted earlier were the signals these characters had transmitted to Shu Wanjuan. Standing in the pine forest, Shu Wanjuan was relying on the sensory feedback of those characters to puzzle out how to open the gates, when suddenly the pine branches ahead trembled. A pair of heavy gates materialized before them and slowly swung open. "Second Great King, what fine skill!" Unaware of the true situation, the Blood Fang Monster assumed it was Shu Wanjuan's handiwork. Praising him, she strode directly toward the gates. Shu Wanjuan called her back. "Don't go in. Stand back a bit. I will lead men forward to scout first." His so-called scouting with men meant manifesting written characters into human form to walk ahead—a customary method of his. But the Blood Fang Monster refused. She had come under Shan Chengjun's orders precisely to keep watch on Shu Wanjuan. "Second Great King, I'd best walk ahead. If there's any good treasure, let me feast my eyes first." Shu Wanjuan caught her wrist. "We do not yet know what kind of figure dwells within. With your current cultivation, how can you be so reckless?" The Blood Fang Monster raised her wrist. "Oho, touching my hand now? Trying to take liberties with me? "If you're truly craving a taste, let's find a better time. Old Shan might arrive at any moment. If he finds out, not only will you brothers turn against each other, but my marriage to him will be ruined too." Shu Wanjuan released her wrist. "Pretend I said nothing. Do as you please." The Blood Fang Monster truly did walk in front. Shu Wanjuan had no idea where she drew such confidence. Passing through the gates into the courtyard, the Blood Fang Monster looked up at the pavilion. An emaciated scholar stood on the third floor, looking down upon them. The Blood Fang Monster smiled, baring two sharp fangs. "Little brother, how may I address you?" Shu Wanjuan shouted, "Get back here! That's the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar!" His assessment was spot-on. This was indeed Murong Gui, the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar whose body and soul had merged into one. Before his voice had faded, Murong Gui flicked the writing brush in his hand, spattering ink across the Blood Fang Monster's face. With a look of disgust, the Blood Fang Monster asked, "What are you doing? Trying to gross me out on purpose?" Shu Wanjuan, who had been frantic moments before, suddenly stopped panicking. Because panicking was pointless now. On the Blood Fang Monster's face, a speck of ink glided from her left eyebrow to her right, forming a horizontal stroke. A dot of ink between her brows slid downward, tracing a left-falling slash. An opening shaped like '口' tore open across her left cheek. From her right cheek emerged a miniature figure wielding a spear—the character '卒'. Crash! All the surplus flesh and blood sloughed off the Blood Fang Monster's head, leaving only the character 'Shatter' resting on her neck. Thud! The Blood Fang Monster collapsed to the ground. Shu Wanjuan nodded faintly. "Such natural talent is truly peerless." Murong Gui took a deep breath, glared at Shu Wanjuan, and bellowed, "Mm!" "Not modest in the least, are you?" Shu Wanjuan chuckled. "Child, I plan to accomplish a great undertaking with you. Are you willing to come with me?" Murong Gui shook his head. "Not going." A gust of chilly wind swept past, causing Murong Gui's frame to sway precariously atop the pavilion. Shu Wanjuan sighed. "Child, I know you aren't in good shape, and I have no desire to make things hard for you. If you come with me, a grand destiny awaits ahead. But if you persist in your obstinacy, do not blame your Grandmaster for showing no mercy." Murong Gui showed no fear. "Let's fight. You first!" "I admire that stubborn pride of yours!" Shu Wanjuan spread his robes. Written characters surged forth like a tidal wave, coiling up and down around his body. Under his control, they coalesced into an ink-black giant dragon. If this dragon plunged into the courtyard, it could level the entire grounds in an instant. And if Murong Gui dispersed the dragon ahead of time, it would transform into tens of thousands of booklice, devouring the courtyard clean. "Child, I will not hold back!" Shu Wanjuan held Murong Gui in high regard, offering another word of warning. Murong Gui straightened his back and clasped his hands behind him, standing proudly atop the pavilion. "I'm not afraid of you!" Cold light flashed in Shu Wanjuan's eyes. "Then take this!" He truly held nothing back; he had never once underestimated the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar. With a roar, the ink-black dragon lunged toward the courtyard gates, only to collapse into a puddle of ink with a splat. Shu Wanjuan was taken aback. What technique was this? Was there a mechanism inside the courtyard, or... Shu Wanjuan lowered his head and discovered a rift opening across his body. Riiip! The wound split from his left shoulder down to his right hip. His body cleaved into two halves—the lower half remained standing while the upper half crashed to the ground. Murong Gui held up his brush and wrote the character 'Blade' in midair, leaving the glowing strokes suspended in the sky. Pfft! Black ink sprayed from Shu Wanjuan's severed remains. He had substituted his physical body with written words, weathering the strike. This was Shu Wanjuan's technique of Heavenly Union—one not easily unraveled. With a smile on his face, Murong Gui clasped his hands behind his back and called out, "Come at me again." Reappearing from within a pool of ink, Shu Wanjuan stared at the character 'Blade' Murong Gui had penned. "Did you unleash that attack using this character just now?" Murong Gui said slowly, "A single character suffices." Contempt and disdain dripped from his tone, but Shu Wanjuan didn't mind. He was far more concerned with another matter. "Did you write the character only after releasing the attack?" Murong Gui nodded. "That is genius." Shu Wanjuan couldn't quite fathom it. No matter how extraordinary one's talent was, one had to write the character first before unleashing the move—that was the fundamental logic of Scholar Cultivation. Why did Murong Gui's condition feel so utterly off? Shu Wanjuan withdrew a book from his robes, unfurled the volume, and traced the characters on the page. "Child, let's see if you can withstand this move!" Slash! Before he could even execute the technique, Shu Wanjuan dissolved into a pool of ink once more. Rising swiftly from the ink, Shu Wanjuan had genuinely felt a blade cleaving into his flesh. Looking up again, he saw the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar writing—another character 'Blade.' Did he truly deploy the technique before writing the word? Could his natural gift be potent to such an absurd degree? With two 'Blade' characters hanging in midair, the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar asked, "Grandmaster, are we still fighting?" The more characters present, the greater their combat power; Shu Wanjuan understood this principle well. With his left hand, he produced an inkstone from his sleeve, while his right whipped out a handkerchief. Snapping the cloth against the inkstone, he sent the ink inside flying into the courtyard, drenching both 'Blade' characters written by the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar in solid black. Having neutralized Murong Gui's technique first, Shu Wanjuan hurled the ink-soaked handkerchief forward. The handkerchief drifted through the air, expanding rapidly as it descended—first three feet square, then ten feet in width and length. By the time it swept across the pavilion's roof, it was large enough to blanket the entire courtyard. If Murong Gui failed to neutralize the handkerchief, it would capture him alive. If he used a technique to counter the handkerchief, he wouldn't be able to ward off Shu Wanjuan's follow-up. Rip! Murong Gui slashed through the handkerchief with the Judge's Brush. The ink splashing from the severed cloth instantly surrounded him. From the first floor of the pavilion, two painted scrolls flew out the window, weaving and circling around the Wisdom-Karmic Scholar to fend off the ink with all their might. Shu Wanjuan had already prepared his follow-up: over twenty volumes of texts from his sleeves, their binding threads snapped, turned into loose leaves ready to envelop Murong Gui and take him alive. By all rights, this strike could not possibly fail. Murong Gui was already hard-pressed just fending off the handkerchief and had no opportunity to retaliate. Yet as Shu Wanjuan raised his sleeves, a blade struck him squarely in the back. With this slash, crimson mingled with the black. Although Shu Wanjuan parried with the Heavenly Union technique, he had not been fast enough, and the cut genuinely wounded him. Shu Wanjuan looked up at Murong Gui, who had just repelled the ink and raised his brush to write yet another 'Blade' in midair. Utterly shaken, Shu Wanjuan worried for a moment that he might actually be no match for Murong Gui. Just as he was contemplating a retreat, the Blood Fang Monster gathered up her scattered flesh and blood from the ground, pasted them back onto her face, got up, and said to Shu Wanjuan, "I say, Second Great King, someone is hacking at your back with a blade. What good does it do to keep staring at the scholar in front of you?" Behind him? Shu Wanjuan turned his head and saw Li Qi standing silently, sickle in hand. The Tang dao had already delivered its three slashes; now he could only rely on the sickle. Staring at Li Qi, Shu Wanjuan asked, "Was that you launching a sneak attack from behind just now?" "No!" Li Banfeng hid the sickle behind his back. "Don't listen to that woman's nonsense. You two go on fighting, don't mind me."