The Mountain Spirit of Mount Xu

If the celestial gods were certain the Dafang Pot was in Panlong City, their probing wouldn't be on this scale. He Lingchuan let out a quiet breath. So, under the protection of the divine bone, he was safe? That didn't seem quite right either. Panlong City was ultimately doomed to fall, meeting nearly the same fate as the Yuan Kingdom. That meant the celestial gods had very likely ferreted out the Dafang Pot's whereabouts once more. Mitian had mentioned a key word: Aura. The aura of the Dafang Pot. Under what circumstances would the Dafang Pot's aura leak out and be sensed by the lid? He Lingchuan recalled the sheer dread he had felt on the white jade steps before Zhaixing Tower. Was it because the lid was inside Zhaixing Tower that the divine bone necklace had conveyed the Dafang Pot's frantic impatience? The two divine artifacts had originally been one, so naturally it instinctively yearned to be whole again. No wonder—no wonder the divine bone necklace had reacted so violently when Zhu Erniang of the Demon Nest Swamp demanded that he travel to Mount Xu. To it, even if it devoured every treasure under heaven, which could compare to its original lid? "Is distance the key to these two treasures resonating with each other? The closer they are, the stronger the attraction, the stronger the resonance?" Zhong Shengguang was also pondering, then shook his head, rejecting his own theory. "Clearly not. It wouldn't be that simple." Right, it wouldn't be that simple. The Twilight Plains and Lingxu City were separated by a thousand li, yet when the second phantasm occurred in the ruins of Thousand Stars City, the celestial gods immediately dispatched Bai Ziqi to investigate. Northern Chiyan was several hundred li from Lingxu City, yet not long after the red colossal shadow within the Dafang Pot swallowed the Hundred Faces Nightmare, Bai Ziqi rushed to Baishaqu. Evidently, the celestial gods' detection of the Dafang Pot's location did not rely solely on changes in distance. "Think of it in reverse—" Zhong Shengguang mused. "When would the divine bone necklace fail to mask the Dafang Pot's aura?" "When the Dafang Pot releases large amounts of energy, or interacts intensely with the outside world." A fourth voice suddenly sounded in the room. General Red arrived gracefully, clad in light leather armor and wearing no mask. She vaulted directly over the wall, not even bothering to have the guards open the gate for her. "At that moment, the Tianluo Star lights up." He Lingchuan's heart stirred upon hearing this. Shao Jian rose at once to face her, while Zhong Shengguang frowned at Mitian. "You knew all along, yet didn't tell me?" "Other celestial gods can perceive the Dafang Pot, and through the pot, I too can sense that the lid is in Lingxu City. The divine artifacts were originally one, so naturally they resonate across distances," Mitian said indifferently. "You cannot use the Dafang Pot anyway; what good would knowing more do you?" She considered it unnecessary for Zhong Shengguang to know. "Your last defeat was due to arrogance." Zhong Shengguang raised his cup toward her. "Do you wish to repeat the same mistake?" Mitian showed displeasure, and the atmosphere in the room instantly grew heavy. Zhong Shengguang drank slowly, unperturbed. Mitian cast a glance at both him and Shao Jian. "Disperse the Dragon-Torture Pillars as soon as possible so we can proceed with our next moves." Facing this celestial god, Shao Jian did not dare be as self-assured as Zhong Shengguang, immediately bowing and answering in assent. Mitian turned and strode away. Silence fell over the room; no one uttered a sound. Zhong Shengguang downed two more cups of wine in sullen silence. Estimating that General Red had gone far enough not to hear them, Shao Jian leaned toward his ear and whispered, "That child, Wuhan... is she still around?" Zhong Shengguang did not answer, but instead set down his cup and said, "You've drunk too much. You have to set out on the road tomorrow morning." He beckoned He Lingchuan forward. "Help him back to the courtyard to rest. Pour plenty of sobering decoction down his throat." "Understood." He Lingchuan moved to support Shao Jian, but the man waved him off. "No need. I'm not drunk to that extent." He stood up and wobbled toward the door. …… Early the next morning, at the post station in the southern outskirts of Panlong City. Shao Jian left the city alongside other merchant caravans, receiving no special privileges. Many people were gathered at the farewell pavilion here, seeing others off. Zhong Shengguang, dressed in ordinary robes and wearing a veiled hat, had also come to see his old friend off. The two clapped each other's shoulders and looked at one another without a word. The journey ahead was long and treacherous, across distant mountains and rivers; who knew when they might meet again? Each had his ideals; each carried his heavy responsibilities. Each had his convictions; each faced his perils. A thousand words ultimately dissolved into a single phrase: "Take care." "Go on back!" Having ridden about a hundred feet away, Shao Jian looked back, and seeing Zhong Shengguang still standing rooted to the spot, he couldn't help but wave and laugh heartily. "In a few more years, I will definitely come back to drink with you!" His silhouette drifted farther and farther away. Zhong Shengguang watched his good friend depart, standing as still as a statue. From somewhere, a melody of flute music drifted over, melodious and ethereal. Shao Jian must have heard it too. He looked back toward the low hill beside the post station, raising his hand as if bidding someone farewell. He Lingchuan caught sight of the crow's feet crinkling around his eyes as he smiled. Who was up there? On the way back to the city, Zhong Shengguang was silent throughout. Upon entering the government office, he turned to He Lingchuan. "Your mission has been completed successfully. Go on back; the Pengcheng Office will have your record on file." Over these past days, He Lingchuan's assignment had been to protect Shao Jian. Now that the guest had departed Panlong City, his task had come to an end. "Understood." Zhong Shengguang departed on his own, quickly blending into the crowd and vanishing. His departing figure carried a trace of desolation. Having guarded Shao Jian for quite a few days without returning home once, He Lingchuan intended to walk out and hire a donkey cart. Unexpectedly, someone came over to post notices on the government office's notice wall. He Lingchuan took a look; it turned out the Hall of Immortal Inquiries had updated its lecture curriculum. Public lectures had to be announced to everyone seven days in advance. He skimmed through quickly and found that the second lecture listed was none other than *Selected Flute Pieces: Fingering and Sheet Music*. Ah, well... didn't see that, definitely didn't see that. His gaze moved further down, automatically skipping several lectures, none of which piqued his interest. But the person who changed the listings had been careless, tearing off only most of last week's notice, leaving a torn remnant clinging to the wall. On this torn scrap of paper, He Lingchuan spotted a lecture: *Standing Aloof from the World: Where Are the Ancient Demon Beasts Today?*, Lecturer: Xu Shichu. *Hiss*, wouldn't this cover Zhu Erniang? Besides, the lecturer's name sounded familiar, as though he had heard it somewhere before. He Lingchuan checked the lecture time— What a coincidence: it was happening right now. If he rushed over now, he might still make it in time. He immediately went outside and hailed a donkey cart. "To the Hall of Immortal Inquiries, hurry!" …… The sinkhole where the Hall of Immortal Inquiries was located was packed with people today, drawing twice as many listeners as usual. Arriving late, He Lingchuan tried to squeeze his way in, but couldn't find even a foothold, showing just how popular this lecture was. He had no choice but to lean against a stone pillar. Only here was there a little space; in winter, no one wanted to lean against stone pillars, cold right through to the bone. He Lingchuan shivered as well. On the way over, he had already recalled who Xu Shichu was: Sun Fuling's mentor, the head—or dean—of Shumin Academy. The dean he had imagined was a white-bearded elder, but in appearance, the man looked only around forty, with handsome brows and bright eyes, exuding an air of scholarly refinement. He Lingchuan frequently attended lectures at the Hall of Immortal Inquiries, but this was his first time seeing Xu Shichu in person. The dean did not come often, but he was immensely popular, as evidenced by the throngs packed shoulder-to-shoulder inside the sinkhole. The lecture had already been going on for two hours and was drawing to a close. The theoretical portion was finished, and now it was open question time. Someone before him had likely brought up Zhu Erniang, as she was a living example of an ancient demon immortal, and Panlong City's neighboring trading partner to boot—*cough*, even if there had been some unpleasant little friction in the past. Xu Shichu's views were largely the same as what Helian Chen had said back then. He Lingchuan suspected the two often exchanged ideas in private. After all, Helian Chen frequently went to Shumin Academy to give lectures, didn't he? With the decline of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, once-mighty demon immortals were like beached whales; unable to await the next rising tide, they could only perish in bitter despair. Those ancient demon immortals that had survived to the present day were few and far between. Even if any did, they likely used methods akin to body seizure like Zhu Erniang to prolong their lives, unable to preserve their cultivation. If spiritual energy never recovered, time was their greatest enemy. Body seizure carried risks, and many immortals had vanished because of it. Seeing others eager to ask questions, He Lingchuan interrupted before Xu Shichu could finish his last words: "Then are there no demon immortals from ancient times who have survived to this day without shedding husks or seizing bodies, while still retaining their true self?" His behavior was somewhat discourteous, but Xu Shichu did not mind: "To survive into the present age, such a great demon must possess unique and exceptional advantages, capable of continuously drawing more spiritual energy even in the current environment to sustain its needs." Having said this, Xu Shichu fell into deep thought. Finding an example in the present environment was no easy task. As he deliberated for quite some time, He Lingchuan simply laid out his intention: "Dean Xu, would the mountain spirit of Mount Xu count as one?" At the mention of "Mount Xu," Xu Shichu snapped his head up and pointed at him: "It counts! Of course it counts! Yes, yes, yes—the mountain spirit of Mount Xu is indeed a great ancient demon who still lives! An excellent example, excellent indeed!" The crowd's interest was instantly piqued. For such a titan to survive to the present day, just how formidable must it be? Xu Shichu said with a solemn expression, "The name of this mountain spirit is Juju." On the board beside him, he wrote two large characters: "Juju." Let alone the soldiers and civilians of Panlong City knowing nothing about it, even someone like He Lingchuan who had traveled far and wide found the name... wait, had he heard it somewhere before? Juju—its literal meaning: a spark of fire amidst rocky crags. "This is a monster of terrifying strength yet exceptionally low profile. Very few in this world have ever seen its true form, because out of every century, it spends at least ninety-nine years and ten months in dormancy," Xu Shichu continued to explain. "Its identity is also exceedingly special: since ancient times, it has been the mountain-guarding spirit beast of the Dahuan Sect!" The moment those words fell, a buzz of discussion erupted among the audience below. He Lingchuan instinctively straightened his posture as well. Everyone knew that the site of Beijia's Lingxu City was originally the territory of the Dahuan Sect. By saying this, was Dean Xu telling everyone that the Dahuan Sect's mountain-guarding spirit beast was still alive? If it was still alive, whose mountain was it guarding now? "Yes, exactly, just as you are thinking," Xu Shichu said. "The Juju of today is already the guardian deity of Mount Xu!" Mount Xu...? He Lingchuan's heart tightened. "Mount Xu was formerly known as Mount Shou'an. Whether during the era of the Dahuan Sect or today, it has always been the mountain spirit of Mount Shou'an," Xu Shichu said. "Born from molten magma, it was a monster of rock and fire in ancient times whose height could reach well over a hundred zhang—more than three hundred meters tall!"