199: War is about to break out
The mountain roads were difficult to traverse, and the swamps were muddy.
Even for those with Cultivation, before mastering the ability to fly through the air, their speed of travel would be somewhat restricted.
Therefore, Zhao Ming and his party were still some distance away from the Taihang Mountains.
At the edge of a swamp they had just passed through shortly before.
Swoosh!
Several figures swept through the woods like ghosts, silently landing on the edge of the swamp.
This group wore various outfits: there was a scholar, a monk, a martial artist... but the one leading them was a stunningly beautiful woman in snow-white clothes, like a Fairy descended to the mortal world.
It was the Saintess of the White Lotus Sect, Su Qingqian.
"Saintess, we found them."
The monk squatted down, gently pinched a crushed fallen leaf, sniffed it, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "That disgusting Imperial Dragon Qi hasn't dissipated yet. Zhao Ming and his group are not far ahead, no more than ten *li* away."
"Ten *li*..."
Su Qingqian nodded slightly and chuckled, "It seems that Your Highness the Prince of Ning is very confident. He hasn't even bothered setting up a Formation to hide his tracks along the way. Does he really think the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains is the Imperial Garden of Da Gan?"
"Imperial descendants are always arrogant," the Scholar Protector sneered.
At this moment.
The martial artist carrying the greatsword frowned slightly and said slowly, "Saintess, this subordinate feels like something is wrong."
"Oh? What seems wrong?" Su Qingqian asked, glancing sideways.
"I have a feeling we are being followed."
"Furthermore, this feeling doesn't come from a Yao Beast; it seems to be coming from behind us.
It seems a group of people is biting at our heels and pursuing us."
As a practitioner of martial arts, the martial artist's instincts were quite sharp.
"Hehe..."
Hearing this, Su Qingqian showed no panic; instead, she covered her mouth and chuckled lightly.
The laughter was clear and pleasant to the ear, yet it carried a chilling coldness.
"Protector Wu is indeed sharp."
She turned around, her gaze seemingly piercing through the layers of dense forest toward the direction they had come from.
"Don't worry about it. Although our actions are secretive, in the territory of Yunzhou, it's virtually impossible to completely hide from everyone. Moreover..."
A hint of cunning flashed in Su Qingqian's eyes: "Since we chose to expose our tracks, a large group of people will naturally come rushing over, following the scent."
"They are coming too fast," the martial artist hesitated. "If they catch up, we will be attacked from both sides..."
"What is there to fear?"
The Scholar Protector interrupted, "This is the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, not Yunzhou Prefecture City. The terrain is complicated, and there are many Yao Beasts.
No matter how many people come, let's see if they can walk out of this mountain forest alive first."
"That's right, this is the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, not their territory of Da Gan."
A wave of Qi suddenly rippled from Su Qingqian's body, instantly dispersing the mist over the swamp area.
"Everyone, there's no need to hide anymore."
"Capture Prince Ning Zhao Ming, and my White Lotus Sacred Cult will have the Opportunity to preach to the world."
Hearing this, everyone from the White Lotus Sect showed excitement.
Powerful waves of Qi erupted, startling the surrounding birds and animals into fleeing in all directions.
They no longer restrained their aura and began chasing after the Prince of Ning's party at the fastest possible speed.
Meanwhile, on the path they had just taken.
A Bald Fat Monk was sniffing the air, chasing closely with a face full of smiles.
"Faster, faster!"
"It's not far now."
"Once I capture that little wench, I must properly teach her a lesson."
...On the other side.
After Zhao Ming and his party increased their speed, the rugged mountain paths and jungles could no longer impede their steps.
Their pace became increasingly fast.
After passing through a valley, their vision suddenly opened up.
They saw a colossal mountain rising from the ground in the distance ahead, piercing the clouds.
The mountainside was wreathed in clouds and mist, with thousands of auspicious rays, and faint flashes of Spiritual light could be seen.
From its appearance, it was completely unlike the grim and terrifying image ordinary people held; instead, it exuded the aura of a blessed land of immortals.
"Your Highness, that is the Taihang Mountains."
The Gray-robed Old Man gazed into the distance, clicking his tongue in wonder, "This is truly strange. The Spiritual Qi concentration here is very high—higher than what is reasonable."
"To think there is a place with such dense Spiritual Qi on the outskirts of the great mountains," a retainer exclaimed.
Zhao Ming said, "Is that the Serpent Demon's lair? It certainly knows how to pick a spot; it is indeed a spiritually beautiful place."
"It's truly a pity for it to be occupied by a Demonic Creature," said the Gray-robed Old Man.
Just as everyone was preparing to continue forward.
Boom!
A dull roar faintly drifted from the distance.
A wave of Demonic Qi suddenly surged from dozens of *li* ahead.
The Demonic Qi soared into the sky like black smoke signals, stirring the clouds in the distant heavens.
The intensity of this aura far surpassed all the living beings they had encountered so far on their journey.
It carried a heart-stopping scent of blood and ferocity, approaching them without any attempt at concealment.
It was the Demon Alliance Elders rushing over.
"Hmm?"
Zhao Ming raised an eyebrow, showing no sign of panic: "What dense Demonic Qi! It seems the main culprit knew we were coming and couldn't hold back, so it came out to greet us?"
The retainers were all tense, their eyes fixed on the front.
"This Demonic Qi is condensed almost into substance, and the Evil Qi pierces the heavens. It is absolutely incomparable to ordinary Essence Spirits."
Someone spoke in a deep voice: "It seems the rumors are true. That Serpent Demon in the Taihang Mountains truly has some Cultivation Level.
It is quite rare to cultivate such an aura on the outskirts of these barren mountains."
Although they perceived the power of the Demonic Qi, they did not take it seriously.
After all, they came from the Capital City and had seen many Cultivators with profound cultivation.
Moreover, their strength was not weak; they didn't even put a slightly powerful Demonic Creature in their eyes.
Clearly, they mistook the Demonic Qi of the Demon Alliance Elders for Xu Qing.
The Gray-robed Old Man slightly closed his eyes, sensed the aura briefly, and said, "Fifth-rank Cultivation Level, and a character who is extremely powerful among the Fifth-rank."
"Fifth-rank?"
Hearing this, Zhao Ming laughed, "In this desolate place, someone managed to cultivate into a Fifth-rank Great Demon?
It seems this Serpent Demon either obtained some incredible Opportunity or swallowed some Heaven And Earth Treasure."
"Or... it's a Demonic Creature that escaped from the depths of the great mountains."
"No matter its origin, daring to offend Your Highness is just courting death," a guard said.
"No rush." Zhao Ming held the jade pendant in his hand. "Coincidentally, the Training Ground in my manor is missing a Mountain-guarding Beast to keep the peace. If this Serpent Demon looks good, we'll cripple its cultivation, take it back, and lock it up. It would make a nice trinket."
"Your Highness is wise!"
Everyone agreed.
"Be quick; don't waste too much of this Prince's time," Zhao Ming waved his hand indifferently.
"Yes!"
The previous archer took out his longbow again, and the others also drew their weapons.
Martial True Qi and Daoist magical power surged, and a wave of killing intent suddenly erupted.
They were ready to capture the Taihang Mountain God as quickly as possible, present him to His Highness the Prince of Ning, and claim the greatest merit for this expedition.