The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 47 Drawing the Sword (Please read further and vote with monthly tickets)
The voice was simple and ancient, as if it had been there for a long time, yet it carried a sense of vastness, like the sound of the wind, like an echo. Yin Zichuan took a slight breath and asked, "Are you a human or a ghost?!"

The voice seemed to chuckle slightly: "Scholar, aren't you just a ghost?"

"What are you afraid of?"

Yin Zichuan paused for a moment, then said, "Oh, I almost forgot, I'm a ghost."

"who are you?"

The voice echoed among the rocks, and the old man said, "I came here to see this young friend. Besides, if anyone should ask this question, it should be me asking you."

The aged, echoing voice seemed to carry a hint of laughter:

"Didn't you just use the name of [Wu Shan]?"

Yin Zichuan was stunned.

Zhou Yan barely suppressed the stinging pain between his eyebrows. His face was deathly pale. Sitting on his horse, he still had a trace of courage. After all, he was from that world, and his thinking was much more agile.

Zhou Yan dismounted and raised his hand to stop Yin Zichuan.

Zhou Yan's black hair had grown longer, his sleeves fluttered slightly, and his face was pale, all swaying backward in the wind. However, having experienced round after round of bloody battles and crises, he now possessed a certain air of elegance and composure as he stood there, saying:

"So it was the mountain god of Misty Peak."

"It was used in a moment of urgency, please don't take offense, Mountain God."

The voice burst into laughter, its laughter echoing like the mountain winds through the mountain walls, saying, "What mountain god? I am merely a rock from this mountain that has become a spirit and gained sentience."

"At best, it is merely a spirit of the mountains."

"Although it has a spirit and knows the plants and trees of this mountain, it ultimately has no physical form. Wang Chun came here, imprisoned the tigers in the mountains, and did those sinister things in the caves of my mountain. I was already troubled."

"Later, that black wind monster came here again, saying it wanted to burn the mountain and wash away the blood. I was filled with anger and hatred, but the spirits in the mountain, once they stirred, would cause death and destruction. There was nothing I could do. Fortunately, my young friend killed Wang Chun, helped the vengeful souls, and also dealt with those monsters."

"I am here, and I see the Qin palace turned to dust, and the Han gate towers turned to mounds."

"Few people have a temperament like yours, young master. There's not much I can do, so I'll just leave you with this as a token of my appreciation. Please."

Zhou Yan said, "My Uncle Shen..."

The voice echoing through the mountains laughed loudly: "I will guide you, my lord, and lead you to that person."

Zhou Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He barely managed to ride his horse as the road ahead unfolded.

Whether it was gravel or the blockage caused by mudslides, everything gradually unfolded. Vines spread out, fixing the gravel in place. Suddenly, the mist dissipated, and within that hazy mist, a golden light flowed down, illuminating the road and extending far into the distance.

The voice echoed, laughing as it said, "The spirit of the mountain cannot manifest itself to see you, my lord, so I can only offer this as a token of my respect. My lord, there are thousands of mountains and valleys ahead, so please proceed slowly, for the sound of the pine trees will accompany you for miles."

Zhou Yan rode away on his horse.

The spirit of the mountain watched them leave.

But then I thought back to many years ago, when Wang Chun first came here, a little girl named Hui Niang was wandering in these mountains, not knowing where she came from or where she was going.

Mountain spirits do not favor any particular creature; tigers eat meat, deer eat grass, there is no difference.

However, they abhor evil practices and cruel killings that defy the laws of life and death.

The life and death of those who exist in nature for survival and the slaughter for profit are not the same in the spiritual judgment of nature. Even the spirituality of nature will feel pity when it sees a child whose soul is trapped in a body and who is wandering in the world.

Many years ago, when that child was lost in the wind and rain, the leaves in the mountains sheltered her from the falling rain. When she cried, a gentle breeze brushed her shoulder. On the back of a horse, Hui Niang turned her head and looked at the mist-shrouded mountains with blank eyes.

She suddenly stretched out her palm and waved it forcefully.

It seems to be saying goodbye to something, an old friend that is invisible to the naked eye.

Yin Zichuan asked, "What are you doing, Huiniang?"

Hui Niang replied, "I...I don't know."

The mountain spirit was stunned, looking at the little girl who turned back to look at him, and suddenly burst into laughter. When he laughed, the wind blew through the treetops and the caves in the mountains, making a cheerful sound.

Why must we meet again, all living things?
“A person like you will not fade into obscurity.”

The wind blew, seemingly reciting lines from bygone days, and gradually disappeared as the wind subsided.

........................

A hideous knife scar remained on Li Zhenyue's face. He bandaged it and finally exhaled. Of his fourteen cavalrymen, some were seriously wounded or had lost their mounts and were in a sorry state.

Those few who were left behind, though disheveled, were not seriously injured. Because of the storm in the mountains earlier, Li Zhenyue led these elite Tang troops to continue towards Misty Hidden Peak. When they arrived at the cave, they saw the collapsed alchemy furnace and the tiger's corpse.

Li Zhenyue bent down, his palm tracing the remaining traces of the array on the ground. Sensing the coldness and evil within, his expression turned solemn. He said, "Fang Haoyue, use the [Circle Light Manifestation Method] to trace back what happened before."

The Xuan Guan [Patrolling Tracks] is good at this kind of thing.

Fang Haoyue cast a spell, and the Tang soldiers saw Wang Chun's madness, the alchemy, the fierce tiger, and Li Zhenyue's cold expression. Then they saw, in that illusory scene, a young swordsman riding in.

He fought desperately to kill Wang Chun, then disregarded his own precious possession.

Scenes of using the power of oil lamps in front of the Buddha to deliver vengeful spirits and resentful energy.

Li Zhenyue's expression remained completely calm.

Just then, a black wind descended, and a not-so-weak demonic aura dissipated, followed by a muttering voice approaching.

"Damn it, damn it, I didn't expect it to really be a mountain god, this is troublesome."

Accompanied by a muffled sound, a towering, hairy monster rode the demonic wind, leading a few smaller monsters to the cave. It was none other than [Black Wind]. This monster was flung far away by the gust of wind stirred up by Zhou Yan's single thought.

Because he was so focused on the little monsters the keeper had given him, he didn't care about anything else and hurriedly flew back. After circling around, he found that out of the hundred or so monsters, only about twenty were still intact. The others had either turned into mincemeat or were missing limbs.

Black Wind felt his heart bleed.

You lied to my baby and even smashed my little monster!
The plan to kill the tiger failed, resulting in such a huge loss. There's no way to explain this to Master Qingming when we get back. We're definitely going to be punished. Right now, we're just thinking about whether we can bring the tiger's carcass back as some kind of compensation.

Upon arriving here, the voice paused slightly, and upon seeing Li Zhenyue and the others inside, the atmosphere froze for a moment.

The demons and Tang cavalry faced off. Black Wind paused, then noticed the Shuofang army and saw the magical artifact in Fang Haoyue's hand, revealing Zhou Yan's appearance. A surge of hatred welled up within him. His thoughts shifted, and he took a few steps forward, chanting a vow:
"So they are the heroes of the Shuofang Army of the Great Tang Dynasty."

"I am a wild demon cultivator from the mountains, unaware that you are here."

“We have acquaintances with the Pei and Cui families in your Shuofang Army. Judging from your appearance, are you here to track down this person? We also have a grudge against him.”

Black Wind pointed at Zhou Yan, his teeth itching with anger: "He ruined my family's affairs. Gentlemen, since we know your people in the army, we can be considered old acquaintances. Why don't we join forces and take down these two people inside the [Circle Light Manifestation Method]?"

“I think that big man is the one you guys are tracking. I only need this kid.”

Black Wind made a seemingly good suggestion. There were more than twenty demons with them. Black Wind was quite powerful, while Li Zhenyue only had seven people. Black Wind took out a scroll and threw it to Li Zhenyue.

Li Zhenyue opened it, and inside were documents from the Xuanxiang Bureau.

These are monsters that are allowed to roam within the Tang Dynasty's territory. They should be spirits or monsters similar to fox spirits who travel as merchants, and only after being confirmed to be harmless can one obtain them.

Black Wind, beaming with pride, said, "Well? General, this kid and this man are the ones you've been tracking, aren't they?"

Li Zhenyue said, "That's right."

Black Wind was overjoyed: "Then let's join forces!"

Li Zhenyue's gaze swept over the malevolent formation, his voice cold as he said:
"Was it recorded?"

Fang Haoyue replied, "Yes."

"Ok??"

Hei Feng's smile froze. He seemed not to have reacted yet. Then he saw Fang Haoyue use the circular light manifestation technique to cover himself, while Li Zhenyue's fingers pressed against the hilt of his horizontal sword. Only seven Tang soldiers were lined up.

They were like weapons without emotion.

Li Zhenyue gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand, his chilling killing intent locking onto the demons ahead. He chose to face more than twenty demons with only seven wounded cavalrymen, instead of cooperating with Hei Feng to complete the military mission and orders.

At this moment, Li Zhenyue reacted without the slightest hesitation.

The voice remained as cold as ever: "Shuofang Army—"

"Draw the knife!"

The sound paused slightly, then came the uniform clang of steel being drawn from its sheath.

"promise!!!"

........................

After riding for a while, Zhou Yan finally saw the figure lying in a pool of blood by the stream, guided by the faint light left by the mountain spirit. The big black horse paced restlessly, nudging its master with its head and emitting a low wail.

Zhou Yan's expression changed drastically: "Uncle Shen!!!"

(End of this chapter)