Chapter 1450 - 785: The Real Thing (Double-Length)

Following the direction vaguely indicated by the injured man, the three of them, led by Chen Yi, abandoned the carriage to be watched over by the Paper Maid, and proceeded on foot into the increasingly dense mist.

There was no path underfoot, only piles of rocks and ancient roots interwoven in chaos.

After walking about a mile, they heard repressed voices emanating from the mist ahead, revealing anxiety and fear amidst the noise.

Drawing closer, they saw the indistinct forms of more than a dozen people gathered in one place, trapped in front of a towering gray-black stone wall. The wall soared several meters high, clearly a marvel of nature.

The situation of the group of Jianghu Guests at this moment was quite disheveled.

They had their swords drawn, forming a semicircle, warily facing the thick mist churning unpredictably on the periphery, as if a Fierce Beast lurked within, ready to devour them. Many bore injuries, blood-stained and with expressions of lingering terror.

In the crowd, a middle-aged man in a scholar's attire with a square scarf on his head was being grabbed by the collar by a brutish looking man and slammed hard against the cold stone wall, producing a dull thud.

This brute was likely Liu Laosan.

His initial spirit during the treasure hunt had long vanished; his eyes were bloodshot, and his face splattered with unknown blood droplets, contorted with ferocity as he cursed harshly:

"You, Mr. Liu, you useless scholar! What the hell is going on here? Didn't you say that following the directions on those ancient carvings and finding the Dragon-breaking Stone was the way to uncover the treasure of the previous dynasty's Emperor? How is it that as soon as the stone moved, the mountain felt like it came to life, the mist became like this, and the path vanished? And just now, that dark thing reaching out from the crevice, what was that?!"

His rage grew, and he lifted his foot to kick at the scholar's waist. The scholar's face contorted in pain as he clutched his head, repeatedly pleading:

"Liu... Liu Ye... I... I don't know either! I am just a teacher, who usually only likes to inquire about rural tales and previous dynasty anecdotes... Those ancient scripts on the carvings, I had to struggle through many old books to barely translate their general meaning... It only said to follow the Spirit Deer's guidance and enter with a sincere heart. It didn't say anything about this happening!"

His voice carried a sobbing tone, while Liu Laosan's fury was uncontainable. This Mr. Liu was originally an impoverished scholar from Leshan County, unable to earn a title, thus he opened a small school outside the city for subsistence, with a lifelong passion for collecting strange tales and historical legends, considering himself knowledgeable.

A group of them at a tavern in the county heard of his extensive knowledge, enticed him with substantial compensation, and extracted from him some detailed rumors, thereby locating the hidden ancient carvings and Dragon-breaking Stone. Mr. Liu was half-invited and half-coerced to the mountain, being named an "advisor."

Now, sudden changes had arisen, the mountain transformed dramatically, the fog sealed it off, and earlier, a companion who tried to probe the stone gate's crevice seemed to be dragged into the darkness by some terror, only managing a half-cry of agony before disappearing without a trace...

"You don't know?! Is your not knowing the end of it?!"

Beside Liu Laosan stood a tall and thin man full of malice, known as Cui Tu from the "Longxi Double Killers," who opened with a sinister voice:

"Mr. Liu, it was because of you that we found this damn place, now having lost so many men, stuck here unable to advance or retreat, if you can't tell us what's going on…"

Mr. Liu trembled all over in fear, tears and snot streaming down: "Spare me, noble gentlemen! I... I only surmised based on the ancient texts… The carvings seem to mention a line… 'Those who disturb with greed, disrupt the peace, will suffer the wrath of the Mountain Spirit'… But… but I thought it was merely a common warning from the ancients… Who… who could have guessed…"

"Wrath of the Mountain Spirit?" Liu Laosan looked around at the vast expanse of eerie mist, unable to suppress the chill rising in his heart, though greed overcame fear, and he spat, "Damn the Mountain Spirit or the old Emperor, we're this far along, how can we return empty-handed!"

His gaze returned to the deep crevice of the stone gate, his eyes flickering with fear and greed.

Chen Yi and his two companions stood quietly in the mist at a slight distance, watching the scene unfold.

Donggong Ruoshu tugged at Chen Yi's sleeve, whispering: "They're all trapped here; does that mean we can't get out either?"

"It can't trap us."

"Ah? This mist is so dense, and the path seems lethal, having disturbed the Mountain God. Isn't it frightening, shouldn't we hurry and leave?"

"No rush."

Chen Yi responded calmly.

Yin Weiyin noticed Miss Donggong's worried expression, thinking to himself that this is truly a stupid girl, unaware of Chen Yi's level of Cultivation.

Though this place is near Emei Mountain, and the Mountain God might be somewhat affiliated with the Buddhist Sect's famed Wannian Temple, still, within one incense stick's time, he could penetrate the entire mountain. No matter how many high monks Wannian Temple had, they could only utter "Amitabha Buddha."

However, different from before, Chen Yi, though not rash to act, would always be prepared to strike at any moment, likely with his hand ready on No Cluttered Thoughts. Now, he merely watched with quiet detachment, observing the mundane struggle among mortals in the mountain as if casually gazing at water in his bowl—a somewhat refined demeanor.

It seems he… has indeed listened to some of my words… hasn't he.

"They're fighting!" Donggong Ruoshu exclaimed.

Indeed, as Miss Donggong said, the Jianghu people below at the stone wall had started to clash.

As Liu Laosan turned back, several dark shadows suddenly dashed out from the depths of the mist, moving so swiftly, leaving only afterimages, heading straight for his face!

"What's that?!"

"Watch out!"

Cries of alarm and angry shouts erupted instantly.

Liu Laosan responded quickly, twisting his waist to dodge the first shadow's strike then countered with a blow of his knife, the blade slicing the air audibly.

The shadow neither dodged nor avoided, and with a crisp clang, the impact seemed like striking iron or stone, sending a tremor through Liu Laosan's hand, leaving his heart in shock. As he focused his eyes, the shadow enveloped in mist remained indistinct.