Chapter 334

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Chapter 334: Madam Mountain Mother

Among the demons within the hundred thousand mountains, Mountain Mother is considered a special demon.

Her essence is a living mountain, which means her demon body is extremely huge, thousands or even tens of thousands of times larger than ordinary demons.

Such a huge demon body means that her divine power is endless, but at the same time, she cannot move easily.

A demon that is difficult to move naturally uses techniques like illusions to conceal its location, otherwise, it would be an easy target for immortal cultivators.

People call her Black Mountain.

The area around Black Mountain is covered in dark night, with no sunlight all year round, making it difficult to see anything and even harder to determine the direction.

At this moment, Qiao Mu and Wu Qizheng are walking within this enveloping darkness.

Wu Qizheng is holding a green candle in his hand, the flame is not very large, but it is steady.

Sometimes, a cold wind blows, but strangely the blue candle flame does not flicker at all, still pointing steadily ahead.

When Qiao Mu’s gaze was drawn to the blue candle flame in his hand, Wu Qizheng explained:

"The Black Mountain area is covered in mist at night, with no sun to guide the way, and even a compass wouldn’t work, making it hard to tell the direction."

"This blue candle flame is made from the feathers of a creature called Retrieve Eagle."

"Retrieve Eagle is a rare creature that is friendly to our human race, often guiding lost travelers."

"With a candle flame made from Retrieve Eagle feathers, one can navigate through the mist of Black Mountain."

"Are there any other creatures that are friendly to humans?" Qiao Mu casually asked.

"Of course there are." Wu Qizheng looked at Qiao Mu with a half-smile:

"I heard that members of the Qiao family often have a demon cat accompanying them, isn’t that the monster tamed by your Hero Island Qiao family ancestors from overseas?"

"Yes, that’s right," Qiao Mu thought to himself that he almost forgot about this detail.

Things like Hero Island ancestors and spiritual beasts were all made up by Wei En in the past.

"Those creatures that feed on death energy are mostly violent and bloodthirsty," Wu Qizheng’s eyes were deep, as if implying something.

"But it seems that it feeds on the dying breath of Qiao family members, which is slightly different from the death energy of other beings. Perhaps that’s why its temperament is more gentle, making it an oddity among monsters…"

Wu Qizheng seems to know a bit more…

The secrets of the Impermanent Demon Cat by Qiao Mu’s side were actually only seen through by the experienced Storyteller Clairvoyance, and now there was another one, Wu Qizheng.

"Speaking of this Retrieve Eagle… its rarity is not without reason," Wu Qizheng said calmly.

"The Retrieve Eagle is precious all over its body. Its feathers can be made into candles, and its bones can be crafted into boomerangs, bone knives, and other weapons that return to the thrower after use."

"Once people realized the potential benefits of this, the Retrieve Eagle naturally began to disappear."

"So in my opinion, the difference between the Yaos and Humans is not that important," Wu Qizheng said.

"Don’t forget, the previous Emperor Yonghe was a human, and the inhumans from the Nine Immortal Gates and Wu Qiankun are also humans."

"As for this Mountain Mother…" Wu Qizheng continued.

"If she protects the residents of Black Mountain and is kind to ordinary people, that’s a good thing; but if she behaves like typical monsters, occasionally devouring young children, then it’s better to get rid of her."

"The inhumans are the same…" Wu Qizheng added.

"Even the Martial Saint, who is opposed to the inhumans, has cultivators like Li Gongde in his Wuji Association."

"After all, some of their cultivation techniques are quite useful."

Wu Qizheng said this, but Qiao Mu was surprised.

"Are you suggesting that there are good and bad inhumans after all?"

"Mr. Qiao, you don’t understand what I mean," Wu Qizheng said.

"In this world today, if a person who practices cultivation wants to reach a very high level, almost ninety-nine percent of them have to rely on the offerings from ordinary people. Without these offerings, the path to immortality is almost impossible."

"As one progresses in cultivating immortality, it is necessary to become unfeeling and indifferent, to seize offerings from ordinary people… This does not depend on the personal character of the cultivator."

"Individual cultivators may have different characters… Hmm, one in a thousand. No, one in a million perhaps, but since we are at the Nine Immortal Gates, our hands are never clean."

"There are individuals who betray their class, but there is no class that betrays its own…," Qiao Mu nodded.

"Indeed. We should not harbor any illusions towards the Immortal Gates," Wu Qizheng agreed.

As the two chatted, the thick fog ahead gradually cleared, revealing bright sunshine, just like daytime.

"Stop, there’s movement ahead."

Wu Qizheng, who was leading the way, stopped in his tracks and lowered his voice.

The two of them stood still in place, hearing from afar a loud and orderly sound of footsteps coming closer and closer.

Wu Qizheng is the biological son of the Martial Saint, inheriting some of the Martial Saint’s qualities, making him naturally exceptional, just like Qiao Mu, both of them having heightened senses.

From afar, they could see a group of strong young men halfway up the mountainside, running wildly on the mountain path, running as fast as they could.

These men were all sturdy, with well-built muscles, and looking quite young, appearing to be around twenty years old.

However, each person was running as if being chased by a terrifying ghost, their faces trembling and contorted.

"Could it be that there’s a man-eating monster chasing them from behind?"

Qiao Mu and Wu Qizheng turned their heads to look, then heard shouts carried by the wind from behind:

"Black Mountain Village needs our sacrifice. Mountain Mother needs our sacrifice. If we are not in good health, how can we charge forward?" A rough voice shouted.

"If we’re not in good health, how can we have the energy to charge forward… No, how can we have the drive!"

"Charge!" Dozens of strong young men shouted together.

"Open your eyes and charge!" A deep male voice behind shouted.

"Charge!"

"Charge, charge, charge for the survival of the village, charge for the rise of our people…" The men shouted excitedly with twisted faces.

"Big brother, I am ready to dedicate myself to the Mountain Mother!"

"Dedicate yourself? With your weak body, you think you can dedicate yourself to the Mountain Mother? Go train more! Run another lap around the mountain!"

"Yes!"

"……"

All the men shouted strange slogans as they ran around the mountain.

"That’s so strange," Qiao Mu thought to himself.

"Who are the people living in this rundown place…"

Thinking this, he saw a group of young men running towards the commotion and surrounding him.

"Are these outsiders who accidentally stumbled into our village?"

"Hmm, these two outsiders look healthy, they seem perfect for offering to our Black Mountain Village."

"Offering to the village for what?" someone sneered.

"I bet they came here on purpose after hearing rumors from outsiders, to provoke our Mountain Mother, right?"

"What’s wrong with that?" another strong man laughed.

"Since they’re here, let’s not let them leave. It would be beautiful for everyone to offer together, wouldn’t it?"

"With the help of a few big men, I can make Black Mountain Village last through the ages."

Qiao Mu thought to himself, "Wow, are these people playing such a big game, inviting me to join them as fellow travelers on our first meeting?"

"What are you all doing? Don’t stop," a rough male voice came closer from behind, then looked closely at Qiao Mu.

"Hmm? Isn’t that Qiao Jin Senior Qiao? How come you’re here in our Black Mountain Village?"

Qiao Mu actually knew this person, he was the bandit Zhang Kui.

Zhang Kui used to be under the command of bandit Wang Songhe, originally from Southwest Province.

When Qiao Mu was still "Qiao Jin," upon arriving in Southwest Province, this person was in charge of Peach Blossom Villa. He even wanted to gift the "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" to Qiao Mu as a token of friendship.

Shortly after meeting, this person left the village and entered the mountain bandits’ stronghold deep in the mountains, now it seems….

"Could it be that Black Mountain is your bandit’s hideout?" After briefly introducing his Qiao family lineage, Qiao Mu asked.

"Yes," the bandit Zhang Kui scratched his head and grinned.

"These young men who only think about dedication are making our guests laugh."

Zhang Kui looked at the group of young men and said seriously, "You might not believe it, but they are actually training their bodies and cultivating their energy. They are doing important work."

"We should also thank Senior Qiao," Zhang Kui said with a smile.

"The ‘Xumi Mountain King Sutra’ and the ‘Human Path Sutra’ from the Qiao family have been a great help to us, providing the young men in our village with abundant energy," he continued.

"What? Senior Qiao is from the Qiao family?" the other young bandits immediately became happy.

"Ever since practicing the ‘Human Path Sutra,’ we don’t feel tired even after climbing the mountain road multiple times a day and night. It is not an easy task."

"We are truly grateful to the elders of the Qiao family. With the ‘Human Path Sutra,’ I feel full of energy and more enthusiastic than before!"

Bandit Zhang Kui raised his eyebrows, gesturing for the group of young people to be quiet.

Then, leading Qiao Mu, they walked towards the village on top of Black Mountain.

"Wang Songhe actually discovered this Black Mountain many years ago, and he also built the village."

Zhang Kui said:

"Wang Songhe considered himself a ‘bandit in the mountains’, later he went to Nan Province to mobilize the local poor people…"

"He didn’t have great achievements in benefiting the people, he just provided a way out for some poor people."

"At first, there were only a few households, but over the past few decades, more and more people have settled here, and the village was established."

The Southwest Province is full of mountains, with monsters roaming around, not really suitable for living, it can be called a desolate and dangerous place.

Given the choice, who would want to leave the safety of a strong city and live as a wild person in the mountains?

The reasons could be to escape war, to avoid harsh rule and heavy taxes, or both.

"By the way, I haven’t asked Mr. Qiao the reason for this trip… How did you find your way here? You didn’t come just to visit, did you? Catching up?" Zhang Kui asked.

"We want to visit Mountain Mother," Wu Qizheng said.

"Hmm?" Zhang Kui looked surprised.

"You really came here for Mountain Mother?"

"Hmm… that’s possible." Zhang Kui looked at Qiao Mu, deep in thought.

"Or should I say, with Senior Qiao’s help, it would be even better."

"To be honest, in recent years, Mountain Mother has been sleeping a lot, not feeling well."

"In the past, she needed twenty young boys, but now she needs forty to fifty people."

"Senior Qiao is a strong and skilled martial artist, right? With his help, we might be able to break the siege on Black Mountain Village."

Qiao Mu: ?

Wu Qizheng nodded beside him and whispered to Qiao Mu:

"It’s actually a good thing."

"If this Mountain Mother is really a wicked monster, keeping humans captive, then let her be the bait to attract the Martial Saint."

"If not… then we’ll awaken the Mountain Mother. If we can communicate with her and make her help us against the Martial Saint, that would be even better."

"The Martial Saint probably won’t abandon a top-notch food source like the Mountain Mother. It’s only a matter of time before they reach Black Mountain Village."

"Hmm? Do you want me to go offer myself as well?" Qiao Mu raised an eyebrow and whispered.

"If you promise, then that’s settled."

After some consideration, both of them agreed without resistance.

Zhang Kui was in a good mood and led Qiao Mu into the depths of the village.

"Here is the temple of Madam Mountain Mother," Zhang Kui said.

Although Zhang Kui called it a temple, it was actually just a simple stone house made of rocks.

Inside the temple, there was a beautiful and captivating statue of a woman. Despite being a rough stone statue, her figure was elegant and graceful, leaving a deep impression.

In front of the statue, there stood a very strong middle-aged man with his back to Qiao Mu.

This man was very tall, with broad and muscular shoulders, resembling an inverted triangle. He had a robust physique, rare even among martial artists.

"Village Chief," Zhang Kui called out.

"Is that you, Zhang Kui? Bringing people here so early to offer tribute? I’ve always said that group of youngsters needs more practice. Their frail bodies can’t handle much," the Village Chief remarked.

As the Village Chief, who had a physique like a bull, turned around, Qiao Mu was taken aback.

The village chief looked strong but his lips were pale and his eyes were sunken, showing signs of poor health.

Even Zhang Kui was shocked, "Village chief, you…"

"It’s nothing serious," the village chief waved his hand.

"As the village chief, I need to set a good example. I’ve been overworking for the village recently, but it’s nothing serious. I just need to rest for a bit, and I still have to work tonight…"

As the village chief took a few steps, he almost tripped and fell, but Zhang Kui quickly caught him.

"Please take care of yourself, village chief."

"It’s all for the sake of the village’s well-being. I’ll be fine."

The two men supported each other, feeling touched.

"Are you two also here to help?" The Village Chief Dedication Brother brightened up when he saw Qiao Mu and the other man.

He warmly pulled Qiao Mu along towards the temple.

Avoiding the statues, he lifted the curtain behind the back door of the statue.

Beyond the curtain, to Qiao Mu’s surprise, was a narrow room that could be walked through in five or six steps, ending with nothing but a golden stone wall.

In front of the golden stone wall, there were several cushions.

"What does this mean? Do you want me to reflect on my actions?"

"Not quite," the Village Chief Dedication Brother explained:

"Where there’s a will, there’s a way. This mountain wall is called the Sincerity Gold Stone, not an ordinary object."

"Young boys are full of energy, at an age where they have intense pure desires. These pure and strong desires and thoughts can serve as the invisible nourishment to awaken the Mountain Mother."