Chapter 138: Chapter 138 The Mountain God Descends, Punishment

The autumn wind was desolate. In the mountains and forests, Zhen Qin and others followed Sage Xuan Miao forward.

Sage Xuan Miao walked at the front, leaving a trail of blood behind him, which made everyone behind him worry greatly. They knew that comforting him was futile; they could only try their best not to disturb him.

Boom——

A deafening explosion came from afar. The fierce wind roared, toppling trees. Everyone hurriedly mobilized their spiritual power to resist the gusts.

Sage Xuan Miao raised his sword to block, his cultivation level in the Divinity Transformation Realm withstood most of the pressure.

He couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood, which made the disciples of the Supreme Sect’s Law Enforcement Hall behind him sweat for him.

After a few breaths, the wind stopped, and Sage Xuan Miao followed suit, half-kneeling, stabilizing himself by leaning on his sword.

The surrounding forest was almost entirely toppled, with leaves and debris flying around messily.

Zhen Qin and the others rushed forward, concerned about Sage Xuan Miao’s safety.

Ever since Sage Xuan Miao had saved them, they had been fighting almost every day, which left his injuries no chance to recover, only worsening them further.

Sage Xuan Miao lifted his head, his pale face full of unwillingness. He gritted his teeth and said, “The enemy is coming. Everyone, meditate!”

Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly sat down. After spending several days together, they had developed unconditional trust in Sage Xuan Miao. Without him, they would have been dead long ago.

Sage Xuan Miao took a deep breath and said softly, “Call upon the Mountain God in your hearts, pray for the Mountain God to save us!”

He had no other way. His spiritual power was insufficient to cast the Divine-Reaching Mystic Gate. He could only think of the Mountain God.

Although this place was far from the Mountain God’s domain, he believed the Mountain God would be able to sense it.

Everyone was astonished upon hearing him. Some disciples even panicked.

“Not fleeing now, calling for the Mountain God?!”

“Indeed, the world is in chaos, battles everywhere. Maybe we can escape amid the chaos.”

“Next, we’ll take turns carrying you. We will surely escape alive!”

“We can’t just sit and wait to die!”

“Is there really a Mountain God in this world? If there was, why would the Ephemera Sect run rampant?”

The more the disciples spoke, the more agitated they became. They could also feel a powerful aura approaching.

Sage Xuan Miao said, “We can’t escape; they have already locked onto us. Sit quickly, do as I say, and there’s still a chance. If we delay and they capture us, we will neither live nor die.”

Upon hearing this, the disciples could only grit their teeth and sit down.

Zhen Qin sat among the crowd, closed her eyes, and began calling out to the Mountain God in her heart.

She did not want to die here!

For a moment, everyone sat on the ground, calling the Mountain God’s name in their hearts.

…

In the Inner Sect City, Gu An was selecting seeds of high-rank medical herbs in the Elixir Hall when he suddenly sensed something, his expression turned strange.

Mysteriously, it seemed someone was calling him.

This feeling was very mysterious. It had never happened before.

He extended his divine sense, encompassing the lands of the Nine Dynasties, and soon locked onto Sage Xuan Miao.

It was Sage Xuan Miao who was calling him!

Although others around Sage Xuan Miao were also meditating, Gu An could clearly sense it was only Sage Xuan Miao calling him. He couldn’t hear Sage Xuan Miao’s thoughts but could feel his strong desire to see him.

Could it be because of his Mountain God identity?

Gu An was curious. He suspected it was related to the Nirvana Realm. He had known Sage Xuan Miao for some time and never had this feeling before breaking through.

Gu An noticed Zhen Qin’s presence, as a group of Ephemera Sect cultivators was approaching them.

After hesitating for a moment, Gu An put down the seeds in his hand and turned to walk towards the door.

…

In the mountains of the North Sea, among the fallen trees, Sage Xuan Miao, Zhen Qin, and others sat in meditation, their eyes tightly closed, as if they were ready to die.

A group of black-robed cultivators flew in from the horizon, led by an elder holding a wooden staff. He had a head full of white hair, a face covered in brown spots, and a large python coiled on his shoulders, making him look malevolent and terrifying.

He looked down at Sage Xuan Miao and said, “Sage Xuan Miao, are you surrendering?”

He hadn’t attacked immediately. According to the information, Sage Xuan Miao possessed a divine skill capable of summoning Great Cultivators. Many of Ephemera Sect’s Great Cultivators had died by this skill.

Sage Xuan Miao ignored him, continuing to chant silently in his heart.

The elder with the wooden staff scanned the others, his gaze flickering with hesitation.

The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall were extremely tense, most of them sweating on their foreheads. They didn’t dare to open their eyes and could only frantically call the Mountain God in their hearts, or pray for a miracle.

After a while, the elder with the wooden staff snorted coldly. He raised his staff, and in an instant, demonic Qi surged from the bottom of the staff, quickly covering the sky for ten miles around.

The disciples of the Supreme Sect’s Law Enforcement Hall sensed something and opened their eyes. In their view, it was as if they had suddenly been plunged into night, with the Ephemera Sect cultivators in the air looking like deathly ghosts, staring down at them.

Everyone was extremely tense, their faces filled with despair and fear, including Zhen Qin.

Sage Xuan Miao also opened his eyes, sighed, and looked towards the sky, his gaze becoming calm.

“Disappointed?”

A voice entered Sage Xuan Miao’s ear, making him instinctively turn his head. Immediately, he widened his eyes, full of surprise and joy.

“Mountain God!”

Others turned their heads when they heard those words. When their eyes fell on Sage Xuan Miao’s shoulder, they all widened their eyes.

On Sage Xuan Miao’s left shoulder stood a small man in white, wearing an opera mask, whose head was not even as high as Sage Xuan Miao’s ear. Some disciples thought they were hallucinating; some even rubbed their eyes.

The elder with the wooden staff frowned deeply, also seeing the small man in white.

The other Ephemera Sect cultivators started murmuring. It was their first time seeing such a small person. When they used their divine sense to probe, they couldn’t see the small man’s true form and felt no aura of evil from him.

Gu An leaped from Sage Xuan Miao’s shoulder and landed on a nearby crooked tree.

Sage Xuan Miao hurriedly bowed to Gu An, saying, “Please, Mountain God, save us. The Ephemera Sect has committed numerous atrocities and even plans to sacrifice the people of the Nine Dynasties. This is an abomination. Please save the world’s common people!”

The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall came to their senses and all turned to kneel before Gu An.

Zhen Qin also knelt, feeling a strange sense of kinship towards the small man in white.

“Mountain God? Posing as a deity! I advise you not to meddle!”

The elder with the wooden staff glared at Gu An, coldly threatening him.

Gu An ignored the threat of this Unification Realm Great Cultivator. He turned to Sage Xuan Miao, leisurely saying, “The Mountain God does not save the common people, only guards a single land. You are not of this land, yet you ask me to save you. It is against the celestial rules.”

Sage Xuan Miao quickly replied, “If you help, we will offer you our worship!”

“Hmm, sincerity is effective.”

Gu An turned to the elder with the wooden staff, too lazy for further words, he raised his right hand, palm facing up.

As he raised his hand, the earth trembled violently, astounding everyone.

Boom! Boom! Boom…

Huge tree roots broke through the ground, rushing toward the sky like a horde of serpents, forcing the elder with the wooden staff to dodge. Other Ephemera Sect cultivators couldn’t evade in time and were pierced by tree roots, their bodies shattered, blood spraying through the air.

The demonic Qi in the sky dissipated instantly, sunlight pouring down. Upon seeing the spectacle ahead, Zhen Qin and the rest were all stupefied, even Sage Xuan Miao was moved.

One by one, giant trees shot up to the sky. Looking to both ends, one couldn’t see the end, as if a green mountain suddenly rose, piercing the clouds, shocking everyone’s eyes.

The elder with the wooden staff quickly dodged, wielding his wooden staff and casting imposing spells, demonic Qi surged, shaking the heavens. But in less than three breaths, he was entangled by thick vines. He was shocked to find his spiritual power suppressed within, unable to be released.

“How could this be… Could it really be the Mountain God?”

The elder with the wooden staff widened his eyes in despair, and soon, his face was covered by vines, and eventually, his figure vanished within the intertwined branches, merging with the trees.

From above, the land within a hundred-mile radius was dense with giant trees intertwining, forming a mountain of trees that stunned every witness.

Sage Xuan Miao stared at the tree mountain. Even with his eyesight, he couldn’t determine the height of these trees.

Lines of prompts began to appear before Gu An’s eyes.

A small harvest!

All these people combined barely account for five thousand years of life span!

Gu An withdrew his hand, causing the terrifying and magnificent tree mountain to dissolve, transforming into countless green light stars that quickly disappeared.

The huge chasm like an abyss in front showed that the previous scene was real!

The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall looked at Gu An again with eyes filled with reverence and incredulity.

Such a small figure yet capable of godlike feats, truly the Mountain God!

Even stronger than the legend!

Gu An looked at Sage Xuan Miao, stroked his chin, and pondered, “I told you not to reveal my existence. I must punish you.”

Sage Xuan Miao took a square wooden box from his storage bag and said, “I am willing to be punished. This treasure is a token of gratitude for the Mountain God’s help.”

Gu An raised his hand, moving the wooden box in front of him, then putting it into his storage bag. He had many storage bags and specifically used another to avoid Zhen Qin’s notice.

He leaped, flying to Sage Xuan Miao, gently tapped his forehead, and said, “The punishment is a one-year drop in your cultivation level!”

In a flash, Sage Xuan Miao’s face changed as his cultivation level quickly dropped, falling all the way to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

It was Gu An’s divine skill, the Path of Returning Primordial Spirit!

This skill, awakened by the Primordial Reincarnation Skill, could seal someone’s cultivation!

Zhen Qin and the others sensed Sage Xuan Miao’s rapid drop in cultivation and were all shocked.

When Gu An looked at them, they took out their treasures to offer him, promising not to reveal the Mountain God’s existence to anyone.

Gu An waved his sleeve, collecting all their offerings, then another wave of his sleeve sent a breeze sweeping them towards the horizon, including Sage Xuan Miao.

“Mortals and immortals are separate. If you break your promise, even if you hide to the ends of the earth, I will find you.”

Gu An’s voice echoed in the ears of every Law Enforcement Hall disciple.