We bear people have power

High above in the Heavenly Palace, the Giant Spirit God couldn't help but sneeze, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart. After becoming a god, premonitions were often very accurate, so the Giant Spirit God was somewhat uneasy. He had the Four Heavenly Kings cover his shift at the South Heavenly Gate, while he returned home to cultivate and seek peace of mind.

Before he could even enter a meditative state, a mystical mirror in his home began to ripple, causing fluctuations in spiritual energy.

The Mystic Mirror is a magical artifact for remote communication, allowing people to communicate face-to-face, much like video calls in later generations.

The Giant Spirit God cast a talisman, which activated the Mystic Mirror, revealing the image within.

An old Taoist priest with white hair and wrinkled skin was respectfully addressing the Giant Spirit God: "Grandmaster Giant Spirit God, Zhou Gu, the thirty-seventh generation disciple of the Giant Spirit Sect, kowtows."

The Taoist priest raised his hands to his eyebrows in a Tai Chi Yin-Yang mudra, then slowly lowered his body and bowed. His left palm fell downwards, covering his right hand in the center of the prayer mat, crossing the palm to form a cross. After placing both hands on the center of the prayer mat, he immediately knelt down; at the same time, his entire body bowed down, his forehead flat on the ground, his whole body prostrate like a divine tortoise.

Repeat this three times, with meticulous attention to every movement; this is the Taoist ritual of paying homage to the patriarch.

The giant god accepted the salute without hesitation; it was the respect of his disciples and followers. The purpose of leaving behind a lineage in the mortal realm, besides collecting offerings, was precisely to inspire worship. Otherwise, if gods were immortal, why would they care about the lives of mortals?

"Why are you going to such lengths to use the Mystic Mirror?" the Giant Spirit God asked in a deep voice.

This Mystic Mirror is no ordinary item; it can connect the Heavenly Palace and the mortal realm, so it's no ordinary object either. It's just a pity that Mystic Mirrors always come in pairs. If you wanted to have multiple people chatting like in later generations, you'd probably need a room full of mirrors.

Of course, it wasn't that they didn't have magical artifacts for group communication, but the Giant Spirit God's meager wealth couldn't afford them. Therefore, he placed this Mystic Mirror in one of the most valued locations in his sect's inheritance grounds, considering it a treasure to be guarded and not to be used lightly.

"Reporting to the Ancestral Master, I learned some news yesterday: a rare treasure for immortality has appeared at Black Wind Mountain. Furthermore, I heard that some demons are spreading rumors that the Journey to the West is a Buddhist conspiracy to exterminate all demon kings..."

He had only spoken halfway when the giant spirit stood up, his expression shifting between light and dark.

"Where did you hear this news from?" the giant spirit asked.

"Not long ago, there seemed to be some commotion on Black Wind Mountain, which attracted thousands of mortals, and then a group of demons attacked the mountain. I sent my disciples to inquire, and that's how I learned about this news," Zhou Gu Daoist said respectfully.

His tone was humble, but his face held a hint of pride, as if he were waiting for the giant spirit's praise. But in truth, Zhou Gu was also somewhat guilty. This news wasn't something he had the foresight to have someone find out; it came from the Fire Worship Cult.

At the time, Zhou Gu simply didn't believe it. He thought these cultists had no good intentions and wouldn't reveal the news of the immortal treasure. But later, unable to withstand the overwhelming attack from the monsters, whose soaring demonic aura could be seen from afar, Zhou Gu had no choice but to believe it.

But the Giant Spirit God had no time to pay attention to his little schemes. He only said to Zhou Gu, "Go to Black Wind Mountain immediately and arrest all the people and monsters who know about this. Do not let a word of it leak out."

The Giant Spirit God spoke solemnly, and Zhou Gu understood that the matter was of great importance. However, this was exactly what he wanted to hear, so he complained, "Master, you may not know, but there are many demons gathered on Black Wind Mountain. There are more than three demons that have transformed into human form. I'm afraid I am no match for them."

The Giant Spirit God's eyes widened as he stared at Zhou Gu. After a moment, he frowned and said, "How come the Giant Spirit Sect only has you left, a mere Foundation Establishment stage waste? Not even a Golden Core stage cultivator?"

Zhou Gu felt a bitter pang in his heart. Five hundred years ago, the Giant Spirit God was beaten by the Monkey King and almost killed on the battlefield by Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. Although the Three Altars Sea God pleaded for him and spared his life, he was still imprisoned for a long time. Without the Giant Spirit God's protection, and having become accustomed to arrogance, the Giant Spirit Sect naturally attracted many enemies who came to collect debts.

Over the years, if it weren't for his ability to be flexible and adaptable, the Giant Spirit Sect would have been wiped out long ago. It's already difficult enough that they managed to preserve their lineage; how could they possibly have produced any outstanding talents?

After listening to Zhou Gu's tearful account, the Giant Spirit God understood the situation and said to Zhou Gu, "I will bestow upon you a magic weapon called the Xuan Tie Mountain. You shall refine it. This treasure is extremely powerful. It was forged from a mountain that I moved during the time of Yu the Great's flood control efforts. Even ordinary demon kings cannot withstand a single blow from this magic weapon."

A beam of light passed through the Xuan Guang Mirror and landed in Zhou Gu's hand.

The old Taoist priest felt a sudden weight in his palm, as if a heavy iron weight had been added, and he couldn't hold on to it, so it fell to the ground.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a small black mountain about the size of a fist, with every detail clearly visible, as if it were made of pig iron.

Based on the mental cultivation method passed down by the Giant Spirit God, Zhou Gu used his magical power to inscribe runes and imprint them onto the small mountain.

This treasure is imbued with spiritual power. After the talisman enters the body, it transforms from a heavy weight to a light one. Zhou Gu holds it in his hand, feeling an irresistible urge to put it down. For so many years, the Giant Spirit Sect has finally acquired a respectable magical artifact.

Zhou Gu couldn't help but shed tears, bowing his head in gratitude for the giant spirit's gift.

"Don't act like a child. Go to Black Wind Mountain immediately and capture all those mortals and monsters. If anyone resists, kill them without mercy," the Giant Spirit God ordered.

Zhou Gu dared not delay, so he immediately turned off the Xuan Guang Mirror, took the talismans and magic sword, and headed towards Black Wind Mountain.

This week, Gu was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Apart from the Xuan Tie Mountain magic treasure he had just acquired, he had nothing else on him. His peach wood magic sword couldn't withstand the pressure of flying on a sword, so he could only stick a few yellow talismans on it and run towards Black Wind Mountain as fast as the wind.

Fortunately, the Giant Spirit Gate is not far from Black Wind Mountain; otherwise, traveling on foot would have made it too late to reach Black Wind Mountain.

Without stopping for a moment, Zhou Gu traversed directly through the forest.

Normally, he wouldn't dare to be so ostentatious; otherwise, a ferocious beast leaping out of the forest would be enough to give him trouble, and if he encountered a monster, his life would be in danger. But now that he had the Xuan Tie Mountain in his hands, Zhou Gu was more than happy for a monster to jump out and let him test the power of this magical treasure.

Unfortunately, all the monsters within a thousand miles of Lingxiu had traveled west to Black Wind Mountain, and Zhou Gu, despite his swift journey, hadn't encountered even a single stray dog.

It wasn't until a foul stench wafted over that Zhou Gu realized he had arrived at the foot of Black Wind Mountain.

However, no mortals or monsters were seen, but shadowy figures could be seen in the mountains and forests, and there seemed to be mournful howls echoing endlessly.

Although the old Taoist priest Zhou Gu's cultivation level was not very high, he had been cultivating for quite some time and could tell at a glance that the mountains and forests were full of fierce spirits and evil ghosts.

“There’s definitely something strange about this.” Zhou Gu cautiously took a few steps back, then summoned the Xuan Tie Mountain.

With the infusion of magical power, the black hill began to grow wildly. Before it even made a move, its immense pressure had already scared away all the evil spirits and demons.

"As expected of a celestial treasure!" Zhou Gu's confidence soared even higher after his initial success.

For a long time, the Giant Spirit Gate has been bullied too badly.

"This time, I'm going to be arrogant and domineering, and taste what it's like to be the strong. I'll make those mortals and monsters on Black Wind Mountain kneel down and beg for mercy, shouting 'Hero, spare my life!' Hahaha!" Zhou Gu straightened his back, put on a wicked smile that looked like he was about to get beaten, and strode towards Black Wind Mountain.

But Zhou Gu didn't know that in later generations, this idea was called "raising a flag".