Chapter 351 389: Meeting the Mountain God, Facing the Grudge

RUMBLE! Lightning flashed like a surging, violent tide.

Song Ciwan's Wind and Thunder Technique had already reached a realm unimaginable to ordinary people. It had attained the Peak of Perfection, a state of sheer Mastery. Furthermore, it was enhanced by the Dao Rune Technique and Strong Rune Technique from her Innate Celestial Spiritual Light, and amplified by her Nine-Layered Foundation Establishment Treasure Tower!

When the thunder erupted, it wasn't just the spiky eyeball-creatures on the ground or the nearby Mountain God Temple that were affected. The entire Celestial Dragon Peak was engulfed in an ocean of lightning.

The Big White Goose was stunned. It craned its neck, its head frozen stiff as it stared blankly at Song Ciwan.

On the ground, the terrifying, spiky spheres shrieked the instant the thunder struck, blasted into clouds of gray ash.

"AAAAH! AAAAAH! AAAAAH—"

A series of strange shrieks echoed through the mountains.

The Heaven and Earth Scale appeared: [Death Qi. From the death of the Mountain Spirit, the Dream-Borer. Eleven taels. Eligible for trade.]

So that horrifying, hairy-footed creature was a Spirit Monster from the mountains: a Dream-Borer!

What was a Dream-Borer?

It was an insect of dreams, a creature of nightmare.

In other words, it could somehow glean fragments of information about a person's greatest fears and then take on that form to appear before them.

According to the *Nine Provinces Chronicles*, the Dream-Borer had form but no substance. It was a demon born from the human heart and was extremely difficult to kill.

Fortunately, Thunder Skills were the natural counter to all worldly evils. Song Ciwan, possessing the Wind and Thunder Chapter of the Five Thunders Righteous Method, had been able to use lightning to shatter the malevolent creature and successfully slay the Dream-Borer.

From the adjacent Mountain God Temple, however, a cold, dark-golden light suddenly flared.

The light emanated from the Mountain God Statue, instantly enveloping the entire temple.

The ocean of lightning crashed down upon the Mountain God Temple but was immediately blocked by the dark-golden light.

The cold, golden radiance was like a liquid curtain. The lightning striking it was like streams of water falling into a larger body, causing only ripples to spread across its surface with no other ill effect.

Atop the upturned, glazed-tile roof of the Mountain God Temple, a phantom figure slowly materialized.

The figure was roughly humanoid but possessed the head of a tiger. Amidst the yellow fur and black stripes was a marking of white fur in the shape of the character "Wang." Beneath the curtain of golden light, its tiger eyes glinted with a terrifying, piercing intensity.

'Is this the Mountain God?'

Song Ciwan peered through the main gates of the Mountain God Temple and saw clearly that the statue of the Celestial Dragon Mountain God was completely humanoid!

However, this humanoid figure had a green face, bared fangs, a lion's nose, and tiger's eyes. Though human in shape, it was clearly distinct from any ordinary person.

'So,' she thought, 'even though the figure on the temple roof isn't identical to the statue inside, I can't rule out that they're one and the same.'

Atop the Mountain God Temple, the spectral, tiger-headed being spoke. "You there, Cultivator! How unreasonable! Do you know the crime you've committed by striking a Mountain God Temple with lightning?"

Its voice was magnificent, booming with the same intensity as the thunder itself.

The grim, majestic, rumbling voice made the Big White Goose, who was still craning its neck, shudder from head to toe.

The Big White Goose immediately scurried in front of Song Ciwan and tried to shrink its massive body into her arms.

After trying to hide for a moment, it craned its neck again, lifted its head, and faced the tiger-headed being on the roof.

Though it couldn't speak, its expression clearly said: 'Crime? What crime? You think our Wanwan is afraid of you? Hmph! With Wanwan here, this goose isn't afraid of you either!'

The Big White Goose was a perfect example of a goose borrowing its master's might.

Cradling the goose amidst the unceasing thunder, Song Ciwan looked up at the tiger-headed being on the roof and called out, "May I ask in what capacity you question me? Are you, perhaps, the Celestial Dragon Mountain God?"

The tiger-headed being snorted. "If I am not the Mountain God, then who is? You?"

Then, he roared, "Cultivator, cease your Thunder Skill at once! If you dare to overstep again, I will strike you down where you stand!"

As he spoke, the Mountain God Temple began to tremble.

At the same time, the ground all around them began to shake as well.

The very earth of the mountain peak trembled, as if some terrifying entity was about to burst forth from below at any moment.

It was a show of force!

The Big White Goose opened its beak and swallowed the honk that was about to escape.

Song Ciwan, however, was unafraid. In fact, she suddenly withdrew two taels of Star Gold Crystal from her Heaven and Earth Scale.

It was a decent Three-star Level Spiritual Material. With the material in hand, she abruptly pointed toward the Mountain God Statue inside the temple.

In that instant, she activated the Qimen Daoist Skill: Heaven-Stealing Day-Changing!

This Daoist Skill was bizarre and tyrannical. It followed no known rules, yet seemed to create its own.

Song Ciwan was using the Star Gold Crystal to swap for the Mountain God Statue in the temple!

At that moment, an ear-piercing shriek tore through the air. Inside the Mountain God Temple, the Mountain God Statue began to tremble.

RUMBLE! The statue shook violently, and the temple roof suddenly collapsed.

BANG!

The tiger-headed being on the collapsing roof let out a ferocious, tiger-like roar. "Insolence! How dare a mere Little Cultivator try to deceive me, the Celestial Dragon Mountain God? For your rampant arrogance and perverse actions, you will die today!"

"May the ill omens of the mountains, the filth of the world, and all its darkness descend upon you! May your spiritual clarity be extinguished, and may you fall into the Netherworld for all eternity...!"

It was a curse!

A gale suddenly erupted. While the statue was still shaking inside the temple, the ground beneath Song Ciwan's feet cracked open.

CRACK! CRACK! From the fissures in the earth, desiccated, grayish-green arms began to emerge.

These were not only human arms, but also beastly claws and even bizarre, twisted roots that looked as if they had been steeped in blood...

All manner of horrors reached for Song Ciwan.

At the same time, as the tiger-headed being's curse took effect, Song Ciwan suddenly felt a crushing weight settle upon her.

It was as if some invisible, terrifying entity had landed on her. Even with her Infinite Power, she found she could not bear its weight.

This was a heaviness completely unlike any physical force. For an instant, even Song Ciwan's thoughts and Spiritual Sense grew sluggish.

Though it takes long to describe, everything happened in a flash—as swift as a shooting star, as brief as the spark from a flint, as if time itself had faltered.

The Big White Goose was still oblivious, its head raised as it excitedly watched the Mountain God Temple tremble.

The next moment, the goose looked down and saw the grotesque hands at Song Ciwan's feet. It shrieked again. "GACK!"

"GACK! GACK! GACK!"

"HONK! HONK! HONK!"

'This is gonna be the death of me!'

'Wanwan, save me!'

Screaming, the Big White Goose flapped its wings with all its might.

Sharp Wind Blades shot from between its wings. It leaned forward, straining its long neck, and opened its flat beak to viciously peck at the grotesque hands by Song Ciwan's feet.

"HONK! HONK! HONK!"

"GACK! GACK! GACK!"

The Big White Goose's furious honking snapped Song Ciwan out of her stupor. With a jolt, she came to her senses.

BOOM!

A plume of fire erupted from Song Ciwan's body, blazing fiercely.

It was the Samadhi True Flame!

Although it wasn't the complete Samadhi True Flame, it already contained two of its components: the Heart Sutra Fire and the Bright God Fire. The combination of the two was enough to suppress most of the world's evils.

As the Samadhi True Flame blazed, the crushing weight on Song Ciwan's body instantly vanished.