Chapter 61: The Taboo of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, A Fleeting Moment
Chapter 61 – The Taboo of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, A Fleeting Moment
Corpses!
Mountains of dead flesh piled high, their blood soaking deep into the earth.
Lei Shan, a supreme powerhouse among the beast clans, was displayed at the very summit of this gruesome peak.
And standing upon Lei Shan’s corpse was a tiny, solitary figure.
His pristine white robes were dyed thoroughly in crimson, yet he simply stood there in silence.
Yet, among the myriad powerful ferocious beasts present, not a single one dared to meet his gaze.
That a single man could annihilate an entire clan had always been dismissed as mere exaggeration.
But today, it had become cold, bleeding reality.
No one knew how this human had achieved such a feat, even with the Wu Clan participating in the slaughter.
To the Thunder Clan, the Wu Clan was no more threatening than a passing breeze.
Therefore, the sole architect of the Thunder Clan’s destruction was the human standing before them.
As if sensing the eyes of the ferocious beasts, Chen Changsheng instinctively turned his head to glance over.
Met with that indifferent look, the numerous ferocious beasts immediately scattered in sheer terror.
If the Thunder Clan, an apex predator lineage, could be erased by this human, the lesser beasts naturally lacked the courage to withstand Chen Changsheng’s gaze.
……
The war between the Wu Clan and the Thunder Clan finally drew to a close.
The scattered remnants of the Thunder Beasts in their ancestral lair were ruthlessly exterminated by Chen Changsheng, with A-Li leading the charge.
From that day forward, the name of the Wu Clan resounded throughout the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
Within a thousand-mile radius centered on the Wu Clan’s territory, not a single ferocious beast of the Nascent Soul realm dared to set foot.
Because they all feared that mysterious, terrifying existence: The Undertaker!
Long after the battle concluded, a few ferocious beasts mustered the courage to investigate the scarred battlefield.
The corpses of the Thunder Beasts had long been swept clean; the only thing remaining was a solitary stone mountain towering a thousand feet into the sky.
Upon this stone peak, someone had carved a poem and a single line of text with a sharp sword.
The text read: “Three thousand eight hundred and twenty-one lives of the Thunder Clan are buried here. Erected by The Undertaker!”
Beside those chilling words rested a poem.
“Head raised, I scale the Southern Dipper; turning back, I recline upon the Northern Star. Gazing beyond the highest heavens, there is no one else like me.”
It was from this exact moment that the name “The Undertaker” became an absolute taboo within the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
……
Water-Moon Cave.
After annihilating the Thunder Clan, Chen Changsheng began to study the ancient bronze hall that Lei Shan had previously seized.
The critical secrets upon this ancient bronze hall had been erased, but interestingly enough,
the being who erased this information had actually left traces of their own within the bronze hall.
A distinct palm print remained embedded in the indestructible bronze wall, accompanied by two lines of small characters.
“Eliminating a great scourge, I celebrate for the world!”
“By chance, I obtained an object, leaving it here for a destined person.”
After reading the ancient message left on the wall, Chen Changsheng turned to scrutinize the “lump of stone” resting nearby.
This object was likely the very item left behind by that mysterious existence; after sweeping it with his Divine Sense and careful study, Chen Changsheng finally confirmed it was an egg.
Unfortunately, the egg was already utterly lifeless. Lei Shan’s obsessive desire to occupy the Water-Moon Cave was likely to use its spiritual spring to breathe vitality back into this dead egg.
The spiritual spring within the Water-Moon Cave possessed miraculous effects for nurturing various spirit beasts and Gu Bugs.
It was precisely this forced occupation by Lei Shan that had caused the Wu Clan to gradually wither and weaken.
Just as Chen Changsheng was deducing the grand scheme of events, Clan Leader Gu Li walked in.
“God Messenger, the resources of the Thunder Clan have been fully tallied.”
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng turned toward the bowing Clan Leader Gu Li and spoke.
“I will take half of the Thunder Clan’s resources; the remaining half belongs to you.”
“Within the next hundred years, the ferocious beasts of these Hundred Thousand Mountains will likely not dare to provoke you, so you must seize this time to expand your foundation.”
“Furthermore, everything you possess today, I bestowed upon you.”
“Thus, you owe me a debt of karma. This favor must be repaid, no matter how many eras pass.”
“If you fail to repay it, I will personally retrieve everything I have given.”
Hearing Chen Changsheng’s cold logic, Gu Li immediately swore, “God Messenger, rest assured. Even if a myriad years pass, the Wu Clan will never forget your supreme grace.”
“However, I humbly beg the God Messenger to leave behind a token, so we may recognize you in the future.”
Faced with Gu Li’s request, Chen Changsheng calculated for a moment before handing over the golden page containing the latter half of the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art.
The Eight-Nine Mysterious Art contained boundless profundities; without the first half, it was fundamentally impossible to cultivate.
Using this singular item as a token was simply perfect.
“The other half of this golden page represents me. When that missing half appears one day, it will be the proof that your clan must repay this favor.”
“Repairing the Three-Color Teleportation Array will still require some time. During this period, I will no longer show myself among the Wu Clan.”
“Also, after I depart, I do not wish for my name to become a legend. Do you understand?”
“Gu Li understands!”
After bowing, Gu Li immediately turned and left the Water-Moon Cave.
Watching Gu Li’s retreating back, Chen Changsheng clicked his tongue and resumed his scrutiny of the dead egg.
The reasons he remained in the Hundred Thousand Mountains were twofold: first, the Three-Color Teleportation Array could not be repaired overnight.
Second, Chen Changsheng intended to attempt reviving this dead egg.
The spiritual spring of the Water-Moon Cave alone could not resurrect this dead egg, but if augmented with the Heaven-Mending Paste, it might just be possible.
Although the Hundred Thousand Mountains were perilous, their natural resources were overwhelmingly abundant.
Now that he had slaughtered the Thunder Clan and his terrifying prestige intimidated the myriad beasts, Chen Changsheng naturally intended to ruthlessly plunder this realm.
After all, in the outside world, rare spiritual herbs for alchemy were not so easily acquired.
Thus, Chen Changsheng entered deep seclusion within the Water-Moon Cave.
……
He originally estimated he would stay for two or three years at most, but Chen Changsheng never anticipated this delay would stretch into a full ten years.
The profound complexity of the Three-Color Teleportation Array far exceeded Chen Changsheng’s calculations.
Even backed by the Thunder Clan’s plundered foundation, Chen Changsheng exhausted countless top-tier Formation materials.
Furthermore, his progress in refining the Heaven-Mending Paste had stagnated at a critical bottleneck.
This was because Chen Changsheng could not decipher the ancient characters detailing a specific portion of the Heaven-Mending Paste’s prescription.
As for his attempts to substitute the missing components with other medicinal herbs, every single one ended in failure.
Throughout these ten years, aside from A-Li and A-Man, absolutely no one in the Wu Clan was permitted to see Chen Changsheng.
Compounded by Clan Leader Gu Li’s strict prohibition, the name of Chen Changsheng had gradually faded into obscurity within the Wu Clan.
“Brother Changsheng, the Three-Color Teleportation Array is fully repaired!”
A-Man ran over, her face beaming with joy as she delivered the news.
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng, who was in the midst of refining pills, finally raised his head.
“It is finally repaired. Then, it is time for me to leave.”
As he spoke, Chen Changsheng began storing his possessions.
However, just as he prepared to depart, A-Man spread her arms wide, blocking his path.
“Brother Changsheng, I want to leave with you.”
Looking at the young woman standing before him, Chen Changsheng spoke plainly. “A-Man, you understand me. You know the path I choose.”
Hearing Chen Changsheng’s response, A-Man revealed a brilliant, unwavering smile.
“Brother Changsheng, I know you will never halt your steps for any one person. It was true for Niansheng, and it remains true for me.”
“You are walking a solitary, endless road.”
“But you cannot use that as a reason to reject those who willingly wish to walk alongside you!”
“A-Man wants to accompany you on this path, even if this journey is but a fleeting moment in the grand span of your life.”
Faced with A-Man’s heartfelt plea, Chen Changsheng fell into a long silence.
After a long while, a rare smile surfaced on Chen Changsheng’s face.
“Alright.”