Chapter 65

After Hu Toujiao descended the mountain, he did not go far before stopping. He then tiptoed back to the place where they had parted ways. Dimly, he saw Tan Ba and Liu Xiaolou each step onto different mountain paths, so he followed behind Liu Xiaolou, keeping a distance of about thirty zhang, trailing him quietly. Since his cultivation was high and he kept his distance, Liu Xiaolou did not expect it at all and remained completely unaware.

Although the Qingyu Sect occupied Wulong Mountain, it was clear that they had withdrawn their manpower from various peaks to a single location at this moment, so there were no Qingyu Sect members in the vicinity. This was the reason the Zhanglong Sect had Liu Xiaolou and the others enter the mountain to investigate. Therefore, Liu Xiaolou moved very quickly, and it was quite difficult for Hu Toujiao to follow behind.

Just like this, turning here and there, until Hu Toujiao could no longer distinguish the direction, a forest appeared ahead, feeling even more remote and quiet.

It truly was a great place for killing!

Hu Toujiao circulated his true qi, and thick, heavy blue veins bulged on his arms. His two arms became as hard as refined iron, and he was about to rush up and strike from behind.

Just at this moment, Liu Xiaolou suddenly stopped moving, slowly turned in a circle, and peered in all directions—front, back, left, and right.

With a guilty conscience, Hu Toujiao hurriedly lowered his body, hiding under the bushes behind a tree, and peeked through the gaps in the leaves. He saw Liu Xiaolou peer around for a moment, then suddenly leap onto a large tree beside him and disappear in the blink of an eye.

Hu Toujiao blinked his eyes, thinking he had seen wrong, but Liu Xiaolou had indeed vanished without a trace; it was truly bizarre.

He crouched under the bushes for a while longer, but finally stood up, came to the tree, leaped onto the branches as well, and reached out to feel around. Suddenly, he laughed, having discovered the mechanism of the tree hole here.

The tree hole was very narrow, and Hu Toujiao's build was quite sturdy, but this could not stop him from entering the hole in the slightest. Those who practiced body refinement could both expand and contract, which could be called "free expansion and contraction." Every time he visited a brothel, this point was his most praised strength.

His body made sounds like popping beans, and his whole person seemed to shrink by a section, becoming even thinner and smaller than Liu Xiaolou, and he jumped into the tree hole just like that.

After gradually adapting to the darkness in the hole, Hu Toujiao saw the tunnel before him. He walked inward along the tunnel for a long time until he arrived in a stone chamber. At this point, the path ended.

Hu Toujiao was stunned for a long while. He struck a fire starter to brighten the stone chamber, but no matter how he looked or felt around, he did not discover any secret passage leading outside.

After pondering for a long time, Hu Toujiao fixed his gaze on that pool of water. He tested the depth of the water and found that he could not touch the bottom; it must lead to an underground river below.

He tried to sink to the bottom of the pool and discovered many holes at a depth of three zhang. He counted them, and there were as many as thirteen, large and small, which left him at a loss for a moment. He hardened his heart and swam into the largest cave, swimming forward for a long time, but there was no sign of an exit. His breath was already insufficient, so he hurriedly returned, surfaced from the pool, and gasped for air.

Then he chose another hole where water was flowing in, thinking that following the water would surely lead to an exit. Who would have thought that the end was a dead end—the water could pass, but a person could not. When he returned, he almost lost his breath due to the consumption of true qi and nearly drowned at the bottom of the water.

This kind of closed and narrow underground situation made him feel desperate and terrified. He dared not enter the water again, stumbled back the way he came, and crawled out from the tree hole.

The moment he saw the sunlight, Hu Toujiao was almost moved to tears. This was the first time in his life he had explored an underground cave, and he never wanted to experience that feeling of oppression and claustrophobia again.

He knelt on the ground full of fallen leaves, breathing the fresh air loudly, listening to the melodious singing of birds in his ears, feeling only that the sky was high, the earth was wide, and the world was beautiful.

Then, at a certain moment, everything became quiet. Hu Toujiao looked up and saw that, at some point, a warrior in golden armor and a golden helmet had appeared opposite him, standing a zhang tall, holding a golden spear, his eyes full of indifference.

The Qingyu Sect's Mountain God Manifestation Technique!

"Who are you? Report your name quickly!" the golden-armored Mountain God opened his mouth to ask, his tone cold, not like human speech.

Hu Toujiao could not help but choke, forcibly suppressing his panic, and said, "I am Hu Toujiao, a rogue cultivator from Yuezhou, visiting friends in Jingxiang, and I accidentally lost my way. May I ask, senior, what immortal land is this mountain?"

The golden-armored Mountain God was silent for a moment and said, "Sneaky and suspicious, you are definitely not a good person. Follow me up the mountain!" He reached out and grabbed him.

Amidst Hu Toujiao's loud roar of "Wa ya ya," his true qi surged, blue veins bulged, his arms swelled by three feet, and he swept them toward the golden-armored god-general from left to right.

The Mountain God Manifestation Technique was a secret art of the Qingyu Sect, which could only be manifested after Foundation Establishment. When manifested, it stood three zhang tall, its power fierce and unstoppable. But the Mountain God before him was only one zhang tall, clearly showing signs of weakening. Hu Toujiao suspected that the opponent might not be an inner sect disciple of the Qingyu Sect, and such a manifestation might rely on external objects.

As long as it wasn't Foundation Establishment, he had a chance to fight! One must know that body refinement techniques had always allowed one to fight across realms. He was at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, and he did not fall behind when fighting those at the sixth or seventh level from other sects.

The golden-armored Mountain God was expressionless, slapping his palms to the left and right, colliding with Hu Toujiao's left and right arms almost simultaneously. Hu Toujiao's extremely fierce offensive was instantly resolved as if it were nothing.

Hu Toujiao was a disciple of a prominent family with extremely rich combat experience. Just from one move, he determined that the opponent had indeed not reached Foundation Establishment, and was likely at the ninth or tenth level of Qi Refinement.

But the ninth or tenth level was not something he could contend with by force either. At that moment, he exerted force with his ankles, stepping out a ring of sparks on the ground, and with the help of the huge recoil force, he sped away in another direction.

He was preparing to flee.

A bit of purple light flickered in the golden-armored Mountain God's eyes. The long spear in his palm was like a meteor, drawing a long starlight, chasing straight toward Hu Toujiao's back. This was a ruthless, lethal blow.

Hu Toujiao's control over his body was different from other cultivators. He changed direction directly in an incredible way, his body and legs looking as if they had broken, barely avoiding the spear.

The long spear broke several large trees in front, drawing a bizarre arc. The spearhead stuck into the mud, and the spear shaft vibrated densely, forming a wall of shadows that blocked Hu Toujiao's path.

It really wasn't Foundation Establishment; it couldn't be controlled freely after the spear left his hand. Hu Toujiao was secretly delighted, sparks flying from his feet again as he turned to flee, but he suddenly felt his back collar tighten. The golden-armored Mountain God had caught up behind him at some point, his long arm grabbing his lapel and lifting him into the air by his feet.

Fighting across realms really can't exceed three levels... Thinking of this, Hu Toujiao suddenly shouted, "Wait..."

At this moment, Liu Xiaolou had already stepped onto the Viewing Rock. He had only encountered a Qingyu Sect scout hiding in a tree crown on a hill once halfway, and he had carefully avoided him.

It stands to reason that he had already penetrated deep into the central hinterland of Wulong Mountain, so why was the Qingyu Sect's main force not seen?

Carrying deep doubts, Liu Xiaolou finally arrived at the top of Jade Maiden Peak. Here, he saw Tan Ba, who had arrived a step earlier.

Tan Ba pointed to the northwest, his expression solemn: "Xiaolou, look!"