The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 48 Swords Closer

Zhou Yan, drawing strength from who-knows-where, dismounted and ran to Shen Cangming's side. The big black horse turned to protect Shen Cangming, looking fierce, but when it saw Zhou Yan coming, its neighing turned slightly mournful as it made way for him.

If anyone else came looking for them, they would only face a fierce attack from the dark horse.

Zhou Yan staggered to Shen Cangming's side, pressed his palm against Shen Cangming's wrist, his pulse weak, and then pressed his face against Shen Cangming's chest, hearing the faint but firm heartbeat.

In that instant, Zhou Yan felt almost all his strength drained away.

Shen Cangming opened his eyes with difficulty. Through his blurry vision, he saw Zhou Yan. He wanted to speak, but the fighting with Li Zhenyue and the others was nothing. The key problem was that these battles had further aggravated the hidden injuries left on him by Qingming Fangzhu.

Shen Cangming's qi and blood were surging, and the piercing wound on his side was gruesome. However, as a Xuan official, the wound had begun to stop bleeding slowly. Zhou Yan could only do his best to bandage it. He gritted his teeth, looked at the surrounding mountains, and called out:

"Mountain Spirit?!"

The sound echoed beside the stream and reverberated through the mountains.

There was no response from the mountains.

However, a vine by the stream spread and slowly grew to Zhou Yan's side. Its large, green leaves, covered in downy hairs, curled up naturally, like a cup, and the mist that existed throughout the forest naturally flowed into the cup.

The cup was filled with mist, and even Zhou Yan could feel the almost tangible vitality within it.

Zhou Yan picked up the cup and looked at Shen Cangming.

With a flick of his fingers, the Mountain Lord Jade Talisman detached from him. In that instant, Zhou Yan almost fell backward. Even though his magical power was weak and his cultivation was meager, the Mountain Lord Jade Talisman would still give him a strong boost.

Barely mustering his strength, Zhou Yan tried to control the Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman. This time, he almost lost control of it and was nearly overwhelmed by the intense hunger. He managed to control himself with his willpower, picked up the cup, and carefully took a sip.

The [Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman] provides a very slight boost to combat effectiveness.

However, it possesses a powerful ability to neutralize and absorb poisons, and can quickly transform even poisons into vital energy.

Even now, Zhou Yan remains quite wary, a stark contrast to his naive and innocent self when he first arrived in this world, living in a peaceful environment.

He wields a sharp blade, harbors malice in his heart, and is capable of killing and slaying demons.

He was already a swordsman of the Tang Dynasty.

The liquid that had been formed from the mist was slightly cold upon entering his mouth, but it quickly transformed into vital energy. Zhou Yan felt a tingling and itchy sensation in his wounds, and his depleted blood and energy gradually returned to normal.

no problem.

Zhou Yan breathed a sigh of relief, gently lifted Shen Cangming's head, and helped Shen Cangming swallow the mountain spirit food formed from mist. A faint spiritual light rose, and the bleeding from Shen Cangming's fatal wound on his abdomen quickly stopped, and his breathing began to stabilize.

Zhou Yan breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Shen Cangming was finally out of danger.

He rose, bowed deeply to the spirits of the mountains, and said, "Thank you!"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Although it may be presumptuous of me to say this."

"However, as long as Zhou Yan survives, he will surely repay this kindness today!"

The mountains are silent, only the wind responds.

Zhou Yan carried Shen Cangming on his back, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke:
"Very good……"

The young man's battle-hardened face was etched with fatigue. He said:
"you are still alive."

Just like when Shen Cangming rescued Zhou Yan from the Hungry Ghost Market, he almost instinctively uttered the same words at this moment.

Zhou Yan forcibly mobilized the power of the mountain god, resulting in a deficiency of both qi and blood. He carried Shen Cangming onto Da Hei's back, took out a lot of dry food from his bundle, and frantically swallowed it. As he bit down, the power of the Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman was unleashed.

Zhao the Butcher's power, come forth!

I eat eat eat eat!

These dried rations and jerky quickly transformed into vital energy.

Zhou Yan's physical strength recovered rapidly at a speed that defied medical standards, and his symptoms of qi and blood deficiency were quickly resolved, causing his muscles to bulge.

It was as if a furnace had appeared inside his body, his stomach rapidly refining food into qi and blood. This qi and blood surged and flowed throughout every corner of his body, replenishing the deficiencies.

In terms of eating and digestion alone, Zhou is even more terrifying than Shen Cangming.

Yin Zichuan looked as if he had seen a ghost as Zhou Yan's blood and qi suddenly began to surge.

His expression was blank.

? ? !

Huh?! Ah?

This is my lord.

Isn’t this right???

Yin Zichuan stared blankly at Zhou Yan's change.

Just moments ago he was dying, but now he has recovered to a fighting condition. As he breathes, he exhales two streams of hot air in the rain and mist, his muscles trembling. Zhou Yan mounts his horse, and Da Hei is exceptionally obedient this time.

Zhou Yan felt as if he had just finished a marathon and was now resting when he swallowed an energy drink. Even if it was just an illusion, he felt as if every cell in his body was being revived.

Almost instantly, Zhou Yan realized something. The upper limit of his strength would be increased, and his physical strength would be greater than before.

With Shen Cangming unconscious, Zhou Yan had to consider the possibility of pursuers.

He released the yellow horse back into the mountains, and Dahei carried the bundle. He, Shen Cangming, and Huiniang, without diminishing their strength or speed, galloped swiftly through the mist, breaking through layers of rain.

The spirit of the mountains, watching the boy's retreating figure, said:
"...Heh, interesting."

He could sense the presence of Zhou Yan's aura. The fabricated human destiny and the conferment of the title of mountain god were ultimately just fabrications. It was already unbelievable that a mere demon slayer who wasn't even a Xuan official and a gossipy scholar could achieve this.

There was still a small part of that imperial edict document left.

However, the spirit of the mountain realized that Zhou Yan possessed the unique ability to bear the divine power of a mountain lord in a human body. The winds in the mountains gathered and sensed the battle between the monsters under the command of the Azure Netherworld Lord and the Tang army.

"Master Qingming..."

"In this world, the human emperor and that other person have both encountered trouble, and a great era of strife has arrived. This is also a good thing for me."

Accompanied by the flowing wind, the mist swirled throughout the mountain range, 'watching' Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan did not notice that the scroll representing the "Mountain Lord's Imperial Decree" inside his clothes suddenly became even more secure.

The ancient, spiritual smile of Misty Peak.

There are only three possibilities for Zhou Yan's appointment as a mountain god: his status as a mountain god is a forgery, he has no imperial approval, he is just a wandering knight-errant, and his teacher and savior are just rebels.

But this mountain acknowledges him.

The mountain has given its approval.

Then no human dynasty has the right to deny this status.

At this moment, this incomplete mountain god's foundation is not a deity bestowed by the human dynasty.

Instead, it incorporates a touch of the foundation of nature gods.

With the ancient and spiritual gaze upon him, the decree representing the mountain lord's status was finally stabilized. However, during this process, the mountain god of Misty Peak erased the trace he had left behind.

The spirituality of all things in nature is ancient and long-standing. It is only this time that it awakens, casts its gaze and recognition upon itself, and then will fall asleep again. The next time it awakens, it will only be in a different world.

Zhou Yan was actually very nervous. The time he mobilized the power of the Mountain Lord, it was surging and magnificent, but who knew if the Azure Netherworld Master would think that Black Wind hadn't done a good job and come over for a stroll.

After running wildly for several hours, the connection between the mountain lord and the earth veins finally stabilized, signifying the departure of the killing intent and hostility, and the escape from danger. Yin Zichuan flew out to search for a safe place to stay in the surrounding area.

It wasn't that they couldn't find any houses, but Zhou Yan's murderous aura, Shen Cangming's blood-soaked appearance, and the presence of Hui Niang and Yin Zichuan made it unsuitable for them to go looking for ordinary people.

Zhou Yan once again used the Mountain Lord Jade Talisman, employing the power of "Ghost Control" to guide Yin Zichuan to the right path. Without the blessing of "Ghost Control," and given that Yin Zichuan was not a vengeful ghost, he would have been reduced to ashes long ago.

I just don't know why, once I started to harness the power of the [Mountain King]...

Zhou Yan became very sleepy.

Yin Zichuan flew back quickly.

"My lord, my lord, we've found it! There's a place ahead."

"We can treat Master Shen's injuries a little more."

"I just told the old lady over there that we'll stay here for a while!"

Zhou Yan spurred his horse and galloped away. Shen Cangming's resilient blood and energy had awakened him, which relieved Zhou Yan. He rushed to the wooden house ahead and knocked on the door.

………………

The fox spirit Qingzhu was organizing her goods.

Three days ago, she, her grandmother, and Sanlang had made an agreement with the wandering knight to send Zhang Shoutian's body back to Ganquanyuan. On their way, when they reached Wuyin Peak, it suddenly started to rain, so they had to stop here to rest for a while.

Foxes aren't afraid of the rain, but since they're carrying a corpse, they should be a little more discerning.

Of course, the more important reason was that when they were crossing the mountain, the carriage that Hu Erniang was riding in suddenly slowed down more and more. When they reached the top of the mountain, the two horses pulling the carriage neighed and struggled to move forward.

Finally, two loud cracking sounds were heard, and the floorboards of the carriage collapsed, startling the three fox spirits. Upon inspection, they discovered that it was one of Hu Erniang's treasured possessions—the sword left behind by the swordsman named Li Taibai from years ago.

For some reason, the sword whistled twice on its own, and it was incredibly heavy.

Two horses cannot pull a sword!

How strange and bizarre.

Just then, a sudden storm arose on the mountain.

With no other option, they retreated and found the woodcutter's resting place. After a short rest, Hu Erniang was still examining the sword in her hand when a knock sounded at the door.

Or perhaps it was a coincidence, just as I was knocking on the door.

From within the sword case, a soft sword hum rang out once more.

Hu Erniang paused slightly.

The sword has awakened?!
(End of this chapter)