Chapter 406: Departure

Upon the Slay Immortal's appearance, the god generals were annihilated.

At the same time, the pitch-black mountain god statue shattered into fragments scattered all over the ground.

Zhang Xingyu walked forward holding his sword, picking up from the shattered statue fragments a one-inch-long golden halberd and a palm-sized golden armor.

The golden halberd and golden armor were neither gold nor wood; it is unknown what material they are made of.

Zhang Xingyu picked up the golden halberd and golden armor, holding them with both hands before Tang Yunxi.

"Yunxi, these two items probably fell from that god general just now. Your family's learning is profound and your knowledge broad; come see what material they are made of."

Tang Yunxi reached out to examine the golden halberd and armor, then lightly opened her vermilion lips and said: "These are two divine weapons, likely made by the ancient god clan using divine gold from the god realm."

She paused, fearing Zhang Xingyu might not understand, then added: "In ancient times, there was a mysterious place on the Xuantiandalu called the god realm, where dwelled descendants of the ancient gods."

"Oh."

Zhang Xingyu nodded to show understanding.

As someone whose veins flow with divine blood, Zhang Xingyu was no stranger to the god clan and had even seen a true god city. Based on the information he had received, he preliminarily judged that the mysterious god realm of ancient times was most likely located in the vicinity of the Xuantiandalu's highest peak, Xima Sacred Mountain.

"Yunxi, these two divine weapons have decent attack and defense; take them for self-defense." Zhang Xingyu handed the divine weapons to Tang Yunxi.

Tang Yunxi looked disdainful: "I don't want anything used by that evil god! Keep it yourself!" Saying this, she pushed Zhang Xingyu's hand back.

As the former emperor's daughter, she lacked no protective treasures. She knew Zhang Xingyu was a pauper, possessing only a few high-grade flying swords and not even a decent magical treasure. Tang Yunxi thought, to help him quickly accumulate the betrothal gifts needed to propose to her father, she must find a way to help him.

Zhang Xingyu still wanted to decline when suddenly he saw a dazzling light emanating from a nearby pile of rubble. Immediately after, a palm-sized golden skull flew out of the rubble.

"Stop it."

Without thinking, Zhang Xingyu reached out to grab that skull.

The skull was extremely spirited; a flash of light made it slip past Zhang Xingyu's palm.

At that very moment, a purple light flashed, and the skull was struck down with a slap onto the ground.

At the critical moment, Tang Yunxi's immortal sword A Zi took action.

Not waiting for the skull to fly up again, Zhang Xingyu strode forward and stepped on it with the sole of his shoe.

The skull kept trembling, struggling desperately to free itself from under his foot.

However, Zhang Xingyu's foot was simply too heavy; after struggling a while, it stopped.

The emitted golden light gradually dimmed, and the skull gradually ceased its struggling.

In the hall, everything returned to calm.

Zhang Xingyu bent down and picked up the skull. He saw that the skull was entirely golden, its surface covered with mysterious patterns. These patterns varied in depth, were arranged orderly, and together formed the character meaning "gold".

Zhang Xingyu turned around, about to hand the skull to Tang Yunxi, but saw Tang Yunxi's face drain of color as she kept stepping back.

"Don't come over, don't come over." Tang Yunxi cried out in alarm.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Xingyu wondered. Tang Yunxi's courage was too small; it's just a skull, why be so frightened?

He put away the skull, about to comfort Tang Yunxi, when a rustling sound came from behind him.

He turned around and saw a pale white arm slowly rising from behind the altar. Soon after, a small head slowly emerged from behind the altar.

"Brother, I'm hungry!"

The speaker was today's sacrificial offering, the little girl wearing flowered clothes.

The little girl had obviously just woken from a dream, a string of sparkling saliva still hanging from the corner of her mouth.

"Are you alright?"

Zhang Xingyu was both startled and delighted. He came to the altar and gently lifted the little girl.

Using the faint light, he saw a rectangular opening on the stone wall of the altar.

Inside the opening, white bones lay scattered.

Holding the little girl, Zhang Xingyu and Tang Yunxi left the mountain god temple together.

At that moment, the moon shone high and all was silent.

They stood on the mountain peak, gazing far into the distance. Only saw towering peaks and intersecting valleys.

These peaks and valleys stretched endlessly, faintly forming a vast battle formation—not a complete grand formation, but merely a corner of one.

Zhang Xingyu felt a vague sense of familiarity, but could not recall where he had seen it.

What surprised him even more was that each mountain peak's summit appeared as if sliced by swords, extremely smooth and flat. At the center of each summit lay a veil of gray mist; the mist swirled, faintly revealing temples of blue bricks and green tiles.

The two looked for a moment, then descended Black Mountain together.

They arrived at Ji Village, following the sound to a small courtyard enclosed by black stone.

Inside the courtyard, a woman's wailing cries continued without cease.

Zhang Xingyu set down the little girl and whispered in her ear: "Hurry back; your mother is waiting for you to eat."

Watching the tiny figure disappear into the courtyard gate, hearing the shouts and sobs from inside the house, Zhang Xingyu took Tang Yunxi's hand and flew back to the small cottage where they were lodging.

In the courtyard, snoring thundered like a roar. This was Ji Da's snoring.

Zhang Xingyu and Tang Yunxi exchanged a smile, then reluctantly released their hands, each returning to their rooms to rest.

At dawn, the children's laughter interrupted Zhang Xingyu's sweet dream.

He stretched, opened the door, and drew a deep breath of fresh air.

On the stone table in the courtyard, Ji Da's wife had already laid out small dishes and pancakes. Two seven- or eight-year-old boys, while nibbling on pancakes, circled the stone table and roughhoused in the courtyard.

Seeing Zhang Xingyu emerge, Ji Da, who had been burying his face in a pancake, lifted his head. He swallowed the pancake forcefully, then loudly called out to Zhang Xingyu: "Brother Zhang, come eat pancakes."

Zhang Xingyu nodded and stepped over to the stone table.

He had just sat down when the courtyard gate creaked open from outside.

A village elder with white hair and beard walked in from outside.

"Father, you've come. Have you eaten? If not, let's eat together." Ji Da rose to greet his father.

The village chief had three sons; Ji Da, the eldest, had long since separated his household from his father's.

The village chief, however, did not answer.

He walked straight up to Zhang Xingyu, his old eyes staring at Zhang Xingyu like a sharp blade.

"Young man, did you go to the wilderness mountain last night?" the village chief asked in a low voice.

Zhang Xingyu nodded.

The old man's attitude was very unfriendly, cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice. He didn't like it. But he wouldn't quarrel with an old man. Moreover, this old man was Ji Da's father.

"You shouldn't have gone, and you shouldn't have come." the village chief said again.

Zhang Xingyu nodded, he understood the old man's meaning.

"Our ancestors have lived in this place for generations. The Black Mountain deity demands our offerings, yet also protects us. If you anger the deity, it will bring disaster upon us."

Before Zhang Xingyu could speak, the village chief added, "You may go now."

Zhang Xingyu nodded: "We'll leave today."

Hearing Zhang Xingyu's reply, the village chief nodded and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

He hadn't yet reached the gate when Zhang Xingyu's voice came from behind: "Village chief, wait a moment—I'd like to ask you a few things."