Chapter 33
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The Mountain God had long gone, leaving the world bathed in clear moonlight, clouds rising and swirling. Yet, the familiar figure was nowhere to be seen. Qi Wuhuo remained sitting upright, holding his wine cup aloft as if on a distant toast. He gazed into the cup and saw the reflection of the full moon, as if it were filled with moonlight. Tilting his head back, he swallowed the spiritual liquid, feeling it burn like a line of fire down his throat. Though the wine was not supposed to make one drunk, it carried the weight of parting.
Qi Wuhuo murmured to himself:
“In this life, I will cultivate to become a Great Sage…”
“What kind of realm is the Great Sage?”
His gaze shifted to the Mountain God’s talismanic seal on the table. It was a simple, square seal, unremarkable in appearance, with a dark, somber hue. Qi Wuhuo finished the last of the spiritual liquid, then reached out and picked up the Mountain God’s seal, holding it in the palm of his hand. Though small in size, it felt unexpectedly heavy to the touch. He couldn’t tell what kind of material it was made from. As Qi Wuhuo grasped the seal, his Primordial Spirit naturally flowed into it.
The silver talismanic script engraved on the seal began to glow, flowing and shifting. Eventually, the characters formed beneath the seal, displaying several words:
【Helian Mountain · Qi Wuhuo】.
Though Qi Wuhuo had never seen such writing before, he instinctively understood its meaning. Once the six characters had fully formed, they linked together and glowed faintly before fading, returning the seal to its plain and unassuming state.
The weight of the Mountain God’s seal, which had been heavy moments ago, suddenly became as light as a feather.
Ordinarily, with his current realm, he would not have been able to control such an object.
However, the Mountain God had already severed his connection to the seal and removed all the imprints within it.
Moreover, Qi Wuhuo’s Primordial Spirit was extremely pure.
Cultivated through the orthodox Daoist path.
After spending about an hour, he successfully subdued the seal.
When the final imprint merged with Qi Wuhuo’s Primordial Spirit, he once again experienced the sensation he had felt when waking from the Yellow Millet Dream, when his Spirit had flown out. But this time, unlike before, when the lack of support from Primordial Qi and Primordial Essence had caused significant damage to his Spirit, he now felt an incredibly vast and gentle force lifting him up.
His consciousness ascended gradually, reaching an incomparably high and distant vantage point.
When he regained clarity, Qi Wuhuo’s ‘vision’ looked down from above.
In an instant, he saw the wind flowing through the mountain forests, the clouds drifting like rivers over every mountain path. The bright moon shone in the sky, and even the distant cities of the mortal world lay within his sight. He could hear the countless sounds of the world, yet they did not disturb his mind. He could see ancient rocks standing tall and feel the vitality of countless living beings in the depths of winter.
Qi Wuhuo was deeply moved by the scene before him, lost in awe for a long time.
At that moment, he suddenly understood why the Mountain God had hoped for him to take over his position.
To view the world from a human’s perspective, and to view it from a god’s perspective—each was vastly different.
By connecting his Primordial Spirit with the Mountain God’s seal, Qi Wuhuo instinctively knew what powers he had under the status of Mountain God. At this moment, the Primordial Qi of the entire mountain was lifting his Spirit. With this Primordial Qi, he could summon clouds and rain, breathe to create gusts of wind, and wave his sleeve to scatter clouds. He could borrow the flow of the Earth’s Veins to swiftly reach any place on the mountain.
He could also use the energy of the Earth’s Veins to unleash divine abilities within certain limits.
Within this mountain range, his strength could reach the level of the Xiantian One Qi Realm, similar to that of a Daoist Master of the orthodox path.
In terms of the power he could wield, he was nearly equal to Tao Taigong, Luo Yizhen, and the other two Earth Deities.
However, the latter’s techniques were naturally superior to his.
Qi Wuhuo gazed in the direction where the tiger had departed, cupped his hands slightly, and stood up. With a slight turn of his right wrist, the Mountain God’s seal shimmered with flowing light before merging into his palm, vanishing from sight. He then tried to sense the flow of the Earth’s Veins and took a step forward—
It was as if he had previously been unaware of this hidden path.
But now, he could see it clearly and walk upon it.
Using the changes in the Earth’s Qi, he employed the Earth Escape technique. The once impenetrable mountain rocks parted before him like flowing water, as though he were walking through a stream. In an instant, he crossed dozens of miles, and before him appeared a simple courtyard—the Mountain God’s former residence. It was vastly different from Tao Taigong’s place, exuding a serene and tranquil atmosphere.
What he saw within was merely a bed, a table, and a bookshelf.
On the desk lay an object—the very treasure the Mountain God had once wielded in his youth during his adventures, a three-legged bronze cauldron.
Qi Wuhuo was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected that the Mountain God would leave even this treasure behind. There was also a letter on the table. Qi Wuhuo reached out, took the letter, and unfolded it. The writing was carefree and unrestrained: “The position of the Mountain God will help you to observe the nature of all living beings.”
“I’ve left behind the [Earth Origin Body Refinement Art]. Remember well—when you refine your Primordial Qi and Primordial Essence into Innate Qi, come to the Earth Vein and cultivate this divine ability.”
“At that time, it will prove most useful.”
“In battle, your body would become as solid as a spiritual mountain, and you could naturally master several divine abilities. Even if you seek the Dao and relinquish the Mountain God’s seal, you could still use the Earth Escape technique. This is truly the foundation of calming the Spirit and protecting the Dao. I only learned of this method after obtaining the position of Mountain God, but unfortunately, it was too late. The Dao seed of Xiantian One Qi has already taken root, and my path is set without regret. I have no interest in starting over, but you still have time.”
“We became fast friends at first meeting, and I am glad that you have had this opportunity.”
“I leave the [Earth Origin Body Refinement Art] for you.”
“Beside it is my cultivation journal, which you may browse freely.”
“Every three years, I preached the Dao to the beasts here, enlightening them.”
“As for this cauldron, it was once my spiritual treasure, capable of refining all types of Primordial Qi from the heavens and earth into spiritual liquid. It’s immensely beneficial for cultivation and awakening of spiritual wisdom. If you encounter an enemy, you can unleash it to refine them as well. I leave it to you now, and you may do with it as you wish, but there is one condition.”
“When the time comes that you, too, must leave to seek the Dao, you must place this cauldron down and leave it for the next generation of Mountain Gods.”
“I was originally a fierce tiger in the mountains, and by chance, I attained the Dao.”
“I know the suffering of ignorant beasts—eating flesh, driven by greed, unaware of enlightenment.”
“Without meeting a teacher, without encountering the Dao, I could not awaken, and I shut off my own spiritual nature, letting my instincts run wild, trapped by base desires, falling into endless suffering.”
“My six senses ran amok, willingly subject to toil and labor, wandering through the cycles of life and death without rest.”
“I understand this suffering, so I leave this method behind, hoping it will spare them from this pain.”
“Since I was but a traveler and yet was sheltered by this mountain for three hundred years.”
“I leave this cauldron as repayment for the mountain’s kindness.”
“One cause, one effect. One drink, one peck. The mountain owes me nothing, and I owe the mountain nothing.”
“This is the highest form of virtue.”
With these final words, the letter left for Qi Wuhuo came to an end. The handwriting was free-spirited and unhurried. In Qi Wuhuo’s mind, he could almost still see that man in his dark-blue robe, holding a spear and jug of wine. Looking again at the spiritual treasure and cultivation journals left behind, Qi Wuhuo recalled the Mountain God’s three hundred years of solitary arrival, Dao comprehension, and calm departure—truly a being of grace and style.
He was indeed the Deity he had come to know.
Qi Wuhuo carefully put the letter away and then stored the cauldron.
“One day, we shall meet again.”
He smiled faintly and turned to leave. With a shift in the flow of the Earth’s Veins, he traveled several dozen miles in an instant, arriving at the platform where the Mountain God usually meditated on the Dao. The spiritual beasts were already gathered there, along with two mountain Divine Generals who had served under the Mountain God. They wore armor from centuries ago, their faces stern, yet now filled with anxiety.
“The Mountain God has left—what will we do now?”
“Ah, it’s so sudden!”
Tao Taigong stroked his beard and laughed heartily, saying: “No need to panic, no need to panic. You two are the mountain’s Guardian Deities, and yet you’re this anxious??”
“How could we not worry?”
“Helian Mountain is the largest in the surrounding region. Without a Mountain God, won’t that attract those with greedy ambitions?”
Tao Taigong chuckled and replied: “If you thought of it, don’t you think that old tiger did too?”
“He’s already chosen a good successor.”
The two Divine Generals’ faces brightened with joy. “Who is it?”
Tao Taigong stroked his beard, about to answer, when he suddenly sensed the movement of the Earth’s Veins. Smiling, he pointed in a direction and said:
“Look, isn’t that him?”
