Transmigrating to another world, starting as a mountain god

However, despite his constant complaints, he dared not disobey the Heavenly Emperor's orders.

The golden paper clearly stated that if the newly appointed mountain god dared to neglect his duties, he would suffer countless heavenly tribulations, be shattered to pieces, and perish both in body and soul.

He was still talking about the beautiful Earth, and he didn't want to die yet.

and so……

The story of the mountain god exorcising demons begins.

Fortunately, not long after, a crazy old Taoist priest arrived on a cloud, muttering incessantly. He poured a pot of yellow wine at the foot of Anshan Mountain. The yellow wine warded off evil spirits, and the demons in the vicinity were frightened away.

A great battle between immortals and demons was thus avoided.

This also prevented Li Yuan, the newly appointed mountain god, from having to confront those cunning and evil creatures in the weakest possible position.

After all, not long ago, he was just a stinky, hard rock.

Of course, whether it was evil spirits causing trouble or the old Taoist priest splashing wine to frighten the demons, Li Yuan could only hide far away and watch, not daring to intervene or even show his face.

There was nothing he could do; he was simply too weak, like a delicious, edible wisp of celestial energy.

When those evil spirits and monsters see him, they'll probably be so greedy they'll shed tears of shame.

Demon: Show yourself? Show yourself and you're done for!

Li Yuan: Waaaaah.

If Li Yuan were to get close to that terrifying aura of the yellow wine, he would probably be shattered into dust and it would take him a long time to recover.

Fortunately, the aroma of that pot of yellow wine lingered in Anshan for several years before completely dissipating, relieving Li Yuan of his fear and unease.

Mountains are the majestic undulations of the world, the spiritual veins of heaven and earth that give rise to vitality.

For Yu Shan, time is merely a metric.

Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.

For ten years, Li Yuan did nothing but stay on the mountaintop every day, waiting for his skills to improve, and then fantasizing about returning to the familiar and dear Earth.

After all, that's how it's written in novels; the mountain god's cultivation level increases based on the age of becoming a god and the age of the mountain...

Shit.

Li Yuan stayed on Anshan Mountain for ten years in a daze, seeing few people, few trees, and his cultivation level remained unchanged.

He can absorb a little spiritual energy from heaven and earth every day, just a wisp a day, but... that's all.

When Li Yuan tried to store more spiritual energy in his body, he found that it would always slip away unintentionally, leaving only a very small amount of spiritual energy remaining in his illusory body.

Thus, the method of "hard work" every day and accumulating little by little failed.

He was unwilling to give up and tried to use the mountain god's special abilities to communicate with all the creatures on the mountain, but the responses he received were all the same—

"..."

Furthermore, among the already scarce biodiversity in Ansan, there are some plants and small animals that completely refuse to communicate with him.

"Could it be that I started my mountain god career in the wrong way?"

Li Yuan sat under an old tree on the mountaintop, racking his brains, but could not find the right answer.

For him, the fact that no one taught him how to be a proper mountain god was truly a distressing thing.

His current cultivation level is almost zero, making it impossible for him to conjure human form in front of other creatures.

Those who went up the mountain to chop firewood could only see a wisp of barely perceptible smoke when they looked towards where Li Yuan was.

Even if the woodcutter saw the wisp of smoke, he would scratch his head, wonder for a moment, and then simply assume it was someone's smoke drifting far away, and then pay no further attention.

And that was Li Yuan, who was greeting everyone enthusiastically.

Li Yuan was very frustrated and lacked enthusiasm.

It can't summon wind and rain, it can't even be seen by others, and it can only fly briefly in its own territory. Once it leaves its territory, it becomes extremely weak.

What's the point of being a mountain god who has to worry about running out of spiritual energy at all times and also guard against the invasion of demons from outside?

"Perhaps... to get rich, start by planting trees?"

"If even the mountains are so dilapidated, I probably won't be able to become strong either, right?"

"Is the big shot in the sky implying that I should take matters into my own hands and be self-sufficient?"

One day, Li Yuan looked at the desolate, empty mountainside and his mind was stirred.

With that in mind, he immediately focused his attention on the old tree he was leaning against.

Because of the scarcity of spiritual energy in Anshan and the cracked loess soil, the old trees on the mountaintop, which have grown for hundreds of years, are only as thick as a person's waist. Their branches and leaves are yellow and sparse, and even their original species can no longer be identified.

This is still the mountaintop, the place with the most abundant sunshine.

The thickest trees in other parts of Anshan are only about the thickness of an adult's thigh.

The desolation and decay were so profound that even the woodcutters who came up the mountain were moved to tears.

"My dear brother, I'm truly ashamed. I honestly couldn't recognize what kind of tree you were. You always look so malnourished..."

"Ahem, it's not that I'm exploiting you, you know our family isn't very wealthy. It's time for you to contribute!"

Li Yuan patted the nameless old tree that had been with him for hundreds of years, and his smile gradually became mad.

Old tree: "..."

"I admire your quiet and reserved nature!"

Without saying a word, Li Yuan transformed into a wisp of smoke and flew to the horizontal branch of the old tree.

He looked around among the sparse branches and leaves of the old tree, then frantically picked the fruit.

The fruit is about the size of an egg, purplish-black in color, and shaped like an unripe chestnut.

It was also somewhat shriveled, looking malnourished.

Li Yuan had only been picking for a short while when he suddenly felt light under his feet. He realized that his spiritual energy was almost exhausted, so he quickly descended.

"It's not that I'm afraid of heights, but I still have to give you face, brother. Those few fruits at the top are for you to grow and spread!"

"After all, I'm not some kind of devil!" Li Yuan staggered to the ground, almost falling flat on his back.

Although falling on his own mountaintop wouldn't hurt him, he was still a mountain god with a 21st-century soul, and he still had to maintain some dignity.

Old tree: "..."

"That's right. As a mountain god, if you want to become stronger, you must first develop your own territory!"

The more Li Yuan thought about it, the more he realized it was true. He couldn't help but secretly regret his previous foolishness, thinking only of reaping the benefits without effort.

"Perfect timing! I've always dreamed of farming, so I'll show off my skills in this other world!"

Just as Li Yuan was about to leave with great interest, he sensed a very vague and subtle feeling of reluctance.

Sensing the source, he couldn't help but sigh.

"My dear brother, I know these are all your children, and you can't bear to part with them..."

"But... rather than keeping them locked up, it's better to let them go and thrive in the outside world."

"Perhaps one day, they will grow into big trees like you, growing steadily under the sun... I think that's what you'd want to see, isn't it?"

The old tree growing in such an environment does not possess a strong spirituality; its will is very vague, and it is impossible for it to establish clear communication with Li Yuan.

But as the mountain god of Anshan, Li Yuan had already formed a karmic bond with the creatures of Anshan, so how could he not sense its emotions?

"Don't worry, even if Anshan's origin is dead, even if the surrounding area is a barren land, even if I am weaker than a mortal now, even if I have to go through countless hardships in the future, I will definitely bring Anshan back to life!"

"This is my promise, the promise of the Anshan Mountain God!"

Li Yuan gently stroked the old tree with his palm, a rare moment of seriousness on his face.

Digging through the hard soil, Li Yuan buried the tree fruit beneath the cracked earth. He used all his strength to gather a tiny bit of moisture and guided it towards the buried fruit.

This moisture slowly seeped into the dry soil, giving the buried tree fruit a glimmer of life.

However, as soon as he finished doing this, Li Yuan discovered that his spiritual energy was exhausted again.

He spent the entire day in arduous practice, and only with great difficulty was he able to absorb a wisp of spiritual energy.

But this wisp of spiritual energy was easily exhausted!

What a good thing!

If we plant one tree a day, when will we be able to grow a mountain full of green?

A slightly hot breeze gently swept by, and the parched soil particles rolled in the wind and sand, gradually raising dust and sand.

Under the blazing sun and with clear, transparent clouds, there was no sign of rain across the entire region.

Even the air we breathe is incredibly dry, making it stuffy and uncomfortable.

Everything seemed to be mocking Li Yuan, mocking his overestimation of his abilities and his unrealistic fantasies.

Li Yuan was very frustrated, and all the enthusiasm he had mustered seemed to vanish at that moment.

What a useless mountain god Anshan is! He's not even as good as a mortal!

Looking at the tree fruits on the ground, Li Yuan frowned and pondered for a long time.

Slowly, he gritted his teeth, and his eyes hardened.

"Some things can't be achieved just by trying; but without trying, there's no hope at all!"

"No matter how difficult it is, even if it takes ten or a hundred years to plant trees, I will turn Anshan into a normal mountain range!"

On Earth, Li Yuan also lived in such a remote area when he was young, and he knew how difficult it was for people and animals to survive in such an environment.

Therefore, as the mountain god of Anshan, he felt a sense of responsibility at this moment.

This sense of responsibility made him feel that even if he devoted his entire life to planting trees, he would not have any regrets!

He wanted to see Ansan regain its vitality and the surrounding areas become full of spiritual energy.

One tree a day, without fail.

If we persist in this way, sooner or later we will transform this vast Gobi Desert into a green forest!