Chapter 16 An Encounter with the Mountain King

On the other side, Captain Xu Chang asked about the situation while they were on their way.

"According to reports from the villagers, it should be a tiger that has become a spirit, seemingly just awakened from hibernation, and it hasn't harmed anyone."

"Hibernation? Are you kidding me?" Captain Xu Chang was incredulous. Since when do tigers hibernate?

"The Bureau Chief suspects that this Mountain Lord was likely dormant in the past, and now that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is gradually recovering, it has become active."

Captain Xu Chang arrived at the scene and looked at the boundless mountain forest.

"The Mountain Lord is in this mountain?"

Ye Qingmei nodded, her expression looking slightly strange. "Yes, this mountain seems to be named Baijun Mountain because of this Mountain Lord."

"There are records in the local county annals that traces of this Mountain Lord appeared on Baijun Mountain during the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties."

Captain Xu Chang felt it was even more troublesome. "So, this is a thousand-year-old Great Demon? In the Age of Dharma Decline, it's truly terrifying that such a Great Demon could survive to modern times. Are there any records of when it first appeared?"

Ye Qingmei knitted her delicate brows and thought for a moment. "It seems to be the Tang Dynasty? However, the Tang Dynasty county annals have no records of it, but there is a book of travel notes that mentions a Mountain Lord in Binhai was canonized as a Mountain God by the Dao sect, though its origin cannot be verified."

"It saw us earlier, but it showed no desire to harm anyone and instead turned and left."

Captain Xu Chang said, "The Mountain Lord cannot be judged by common sense. Listening to you, it swallowed a large swath of rosy clouds with one breath; it likely reaches the level of an A-Class disaster."

Ancient language says: Those who consume Qi are divine and long-lived!

Captain Xu Chang looked grave. Their 749 Bureau could only handle D-Class natural disasters, and C-Class was already pushing it.

Now, a Great Demon that very likely belongs to the A-Class had appeared.

"Tell the Bureau Chief that I am requesting to notify the military and national defense to use missiles to eliminate this Mountain Lord," Captain Xu Chang said.

Ye Qingmei hesitated. "Captain, this forest is a primeval forest. If we use missiles, it will have a huge impact on the ecological environment of Binhai."

"And Captain, this Mountain Lord doesn't seem to have any hostility toward humans. Do we really have to do this?"

Captain Xu Chang frowned. "Those not of our race must have different intentions. A demon is always a demon; it cannot be judged by human standards."

"Perhaps we could try to communicate with it?" Ye Qingmei suggested whimsically.

Captain Xu Chang pondered slightly. If they could communicate, perhaps they really wouldn't need to make such a big fuss.

"But let's send the request out first. We must be prepared for the worst."

Just then, a gasp came from the surroundings.

Captain Xu Chang followed the sound of the gasp and looked over, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He saw a large white tiger with a hanging forehead and golden eyes in the sky, riding the clouds and mist, consuming the morning dew.

Its posture was majestic, like a Divine Beast patrolling the sky; it was truly awe-inspiring.

Many people were taking pictures with their mobile phones.

However, not long after, it descended again.

But the shock this brought to the 749 Bureau was not insignificant.

Because a Mountain Lord capable of riding clouds and mist was undoubtedly an A-Class disaster level.

Once a riot occurred, it would definitely be at the level of destroying a city.

Facing such a Great Demon, I'm afraid even missiles wouldn't be very effective.

Captain Xu Chang took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. "It seems we can only ask for reinforcements."

...

When Jiang Chen opened his eyes again, he was already in an inn.

"Senior Brother, after traveling for many days, shouldn't we return to the mountain?" Jiang Chen asked.

"It is time to go back. Calculating the days, Revered Master is also due to come out of seclusion, and he can open the altar to confer the register upon you." Xue Xichang also nodded.

Just like that, the two agreed and hurried toward the Maoshan Sect.

On the road, Jiang Chen heard some travelers chatting, and many of the topics were actually about Jurong County.

"The magistrate of Jurong County was actually killed in his own official residence. It is said that it might have been done by those bald donkeys of the Pure Land Sect."

"Your Majesty is furious and has dispatched the Imperial Agents and the Censorate to Run Prefecture to hunt down the killer."

"Tch, the killer has already run far away; they won't be able to catch anything."

"But having said that, Your Majesty has increasingly trusted these foreign monks in recent years. If you ask me, only the Dao sect has real ability!"

"Speaking of which, the Buddhist-Daoist Grand Gathering is about to start, right? It's a pity that Chang'an is far away; we have no chance to see it."

Hearing them mention the Buddhist-Daoist Grand Gathering, Jiang Chen's heart stirred, and he asked, "Senior Brother, is the Second Senior Brother preparing for this Buddhist-Daoist Grand Gathering?"

Xue Xichang nodded and said, "That's right. In recent years, because three bald donkeys from the Secret Treasury Region came to Daxingshan Temple in Chang'an, and the Empress had a golden statue cast at Dacien Temple, the influence of the Buddhist sect has for a time surpassed that of the Dao sect."

"Even though the current State Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty is Senior State Preceptor Zhang Guolao, and our Revered Master is hailed as the unspoken State Preceptor, it still cannot hide the trend of the Dao sect gradually being overshadowed by the Buddhist sect."

"Therefore, Senior Luo Gongyuan of Fuyun Temple and the Second Senior Brother arranged to have a Dharma debate in Chang'an with Subhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi, and Amoghavajra from Daxingshan Temple."

A flash of light appeared in Jiang Chen's eyes. "Senior Brother, when the time comes, are we going to Chang'an to watch the battle?"

Jiang Chen really wanted to see the prosperous Chang'an.

Xue Xichang smiled. He saw Jiang Chen's yearning for Chang'an and said, "That is natural. Perhaps, before that, you might go to Chang'an."

Jiang Chen was puzzled. "Could it be that there is also some Great Demon in Chang'an that you are preparing for me to subdue?"

"What are you thinking? Chang'an has the Saint presiding over it, and the Imperial Qi is dense. Ordinary demons and ghosts cannot get close at all. If there really is a monster that can live in Chang'an, you had better think about how to save your life."

"I mean, after you are conferred the register, you will enter the Saint's line of sight, as well as the Saint's sister, Princess Yuzhen."

Speaking of this, Xue Xichang also felt somewhat between laughter and tears.

"Princess Yuzhen was originally cultivating the Dao at Wangwu Mountain. It happened that Revered Master was also there, so he gave her a few pointers. Who would have thought that from then on, Princess Yuzhen would insist on becoming Revered Master's Disciple."

"But Revered Master did not want to be too deeply involved with the royal family, so he said he would not accept any more Disciples. Therefore, your appearance will certainly attract the attention of the Saint and Princess Yuzhen."

Jiang Chen was numb. Revered Master was creating enemies for him!

What if Princess Yuzhen didn't like him and made things difficult for him?

"Don't overthink it. Princess Yuzhen is not that narrow-minded. At most, she will invite you to a banquet at the imperial palace or something. You'll get used to it."

Hearing Xue Xichang say this, Jiang Chen felt slightly relieved.

On their way back, the two took another path, and there were many places along the way that were rarely visited by people.

Along the way, they also encountered many Essence Spirits, mostly harmless ones. Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life, so they didn't do anything to these monsters.

"Senior Brother, what is the name of this mountain? It's so big and endowed with spiritual beauty; it's a good place for pure cultivation."

"This mountain has no name because the Mountain God of this place colluded with the remnants of the previous dynasty and was killed by Revered Master, so this mountain has become a nameless mountain."