Beast Taming: Bloodline Golden Hand-Chapter 666 - 440: Spiritual Qi Awakens, Emperor Mountain (Part 2)
It is no longer just a "Spirit Dragon".
Its form, its spirit, its might, have already surpassed the realm of ordinary dragon species, initially possessing the power, as legend has it, to command all dragons and wield part of the authority of heaven and earth—
Ancestor Dragon!
Gu Ning looked at the Spirit Dragon in front of him, which had transformed completely, and a smile full of relief yet ambition appeared on his pale face.
From this moment on, he, Gu Ning, is no longer the same as before.
His future is even to surpass the existence of his ancestor, Gu Wei!
What Divine and Demonic Power, what Divine Race...all things before the Ancestral Dragon Power are but mere ants.
"Very good, very good!"
Gu Ning revealed a malevolent smile.
The Spirit Dragon had successfully ascended to level 90, but it was not yet stable.
He would need the next two years to further enhance it and solidify its foundation.
By the time he truly masters the Ancestral Dragon Power, there will be no rivals in the world!
....
"Is there really a revival of Spiritual Qi?"
Lin Chen quickly caught wind of this as well.
He could truly sense the change in Spiritual Qi, though for a Beastmaster, it wasn’t very useful, but for Spirit Beasts, it was like nectar.
On his journey, Lin Chen saw many people who were excited to the point of exhaustion from working day and night.
It’s equivalent to living inside a Spirit Spring and accelerating your progress, a huge opportunity for all Beastmasters.
"Could it be a good thing?" Lee Zhen said.
"No," Lin Chen warned the Little Fox not to cultivate for a while as he said:
"The Great Elder told me that the revival of Spiritual Qi is temporary. When the Qi dissipates, it will no longer gather underground and will eventually scatter."
"By then, the Spiritual Qi throughout the Cangling Ancient Country will plummet like falling off a cliff."
After speaking, Lin Chen asked Lee Zhen how he felt.
Lee Zhen immediately replied with laughter: "I feel like I’m progressing even without meditation."
Lin Chen wiped his sweat.
Cultivators definitely have an advantage over Beastmasters.
Honestly, Lin Chen wished he could stop and go into seclusion, but the matter with the Little Blue Fish was unresolved, making it impossible for him to settle his mind.
As they passed through a small town, Lin Chen went down to the Monster Hunter Guild to inquire about the news.
"...Vice President Lin, the situation is like this now."
"The latest news from the Celestial Capital is that with the revival of Spiritual Qi, negotiations might not continue."
The Monster Hunter Guild members told Lin Chen.
"Does that mean the Divine Race will continue to roam the world?" Lee Zhen asked.
"That seems to be the case." Lin Chen frowned.
This would indeed complicate matters.
However, with the revival of Spiritual Qi, the Divine Race wouldn’t want to miss such an opportunity.
The two exchanged a glance, seeing the gravity in each other’s eyes.
The Divine Race lingering on Earth, along with this sudden revival of Spiritual Qi, suggests the future situation could become even more treacherous and unpredictable.
"Thank you for the information."
Lin Chen cupped his hands in thanks to the guild members and prepared to leave with Lee Zhen to continue their journey.
"Uh... Vice President Lin, please wait!"
The member hesitated for a moment, then spoke to stop them.
"Is there something else?" Lin Chen turned around.
The member rubbed his hands, hesitating for a moment before speaking in a low voice:
"If you’re heading towards Celestial Realm City, up ahead... it’s best to avoid the area around Emperor Mountain."
"Emperor Mountain?" Lee Zhen recalled the map, "Isn’t that the highest peak of the Cangling Ancient Country? Why avoid it?"
"Well..."
The member’s expression turned unnatural, his eyes flickering as if contemplating whether to reveal something.
Lee Zhen, being impulsive, urged, "Just say it, don’t hem and haw!"
The member gritted his teeth, speaking even more quietly: "You surely don’t know, but Emperor Mountain... is very peculiar!"
He paused, a hint of fear appearing on his face: "Previously, the invasion by the Divine Race originated from Emperor Mountain."
"It’s said they slaughtered every village and town at the foot of the mountain that didn’t have time to evacuate, leaving no one alive, man, woman, or child!"
Lin Chen and Lee Zhen’s brows furrowed; the blood debt left by the Divine Race was too great.
"Then what happened?" Lin Chen pressed on.
"Later, when the Divine Race army left, some people tried to collect the corpses or look for any unattended treasures..."
The member’s voice trembled,
"But none who entered... came out alive!"
"At first, it was thought there might be ferocious Spirit Beasts or Divine Race traps left, but later bold experts formed a group to investigate, and... it was the same story, no news."
"One person who luckily escaped went mad, only spouting nonsense about ghost soldiers borrowing the road... and died within days."
"So now everyone says... that place is filled with grievances, gathering countless wrongful souls, becoming a notorious haunted site!"
The member almost whispered the last two words, glancing around uneasily after speaking.
Lin Chen and Lee Zhen heard this, and although with their cultivation, they didn’t quite believe in ordinary ghost tales, a shadow nevertheless crept over their hearts.
The Beast Taming World is full of wonders and oddities; some things are better believed in than ignored.
Especially in places associated with mass death and grievances, peculiar and incomprehensible entities are highly likely to arise.
As for Emperor Mountain, Lin Chen had also researched it a bit.
Not only is it the highest peak of the Cangling Ancient Country, but in the older Taichu Era, it was rumored to be a sacred place where the world’s fortunes converged, with sayings like "Climb to the peak, behold the world."
But after entering the Celestial Beast Era, it was found that, apart from being tall and precipitous, its Spiritual Qi held no special traits, gradually stripping it of its mystery and turning it into just another famous mountain.
"Thank you for the reminder, we understand and will carefully bypass it."
Lin Chen expressed his gratitude solemnly.
After leaving the Monster Hunter Guild, the two, following the suggestion, slightly altered their route to skirt around the area marked as "ominous" before setting off again.
Though they deviated from Emperor Mountain, from a distance they could still see the towering peaks rising into the clouds.
However, at this moment, Emperor Mountain was shrouded in a thick, impenetrable gray-black miasma.
Amidst the swirling clouds and mist, the specific shape of the mountain was unclear, only a vague, massive silhouette could be made out, standing silently between heaven and earth, exuding an air of ominousness and desolation that sent chills down one’s spine.
Lee Zhen looked at the mountain, feeling entirely uncomfortable, as if numerous eyes were watching him from within the miasma.
He turned to speak to Lin Chen, but saw him staring off in the direction of Emperor Mountain, lost in thought, with a slight frown and a peculiar expression on his face.
"Hey, what are you looking at so intently?"
Lee Zhen nudged him with his elbow.
Lin Chen slowly retracted his gaze, a hint of confusion and uncertainty in his eyes, and softly said:
"I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but I feel like... something in that mountain is... watching me."
He paused, adding, "And it feels somewhat familiar."
"Hiss——"
Lee Zhen gasped upon hearing this, a chill running up his spine as goosebumps formed, and said:
"Daytime is not the time to scare people. What familiar thing could you possibly find in that accursed place?!"
Lin Chen himself felt it absurd, shaking his head, attempting to dispel the eerie feeling:
"Maybe it’s just exhaustion from the journey these past few days causing hallucinations. Let’s go, we should hurry and avoid this area."
He cast one last glance at the giant mountain shrouded in miasma, suppressing the inexplicable feeling and trying to move on:
He took one last look at the imposing silhouette engulfed in thick shadow and then turned his back.
Leaving the Monster Hunter Guild, the two men walked according to the suggestion, slightly altering their route to avoid the area around Emperor Mountain from a distance.
As they moved further away, they could only make out the mountain range’s vast, obscure outline, looming silently, cloaked in a dense, impenetrable mist of gray and black.
Just then, up on the cloud-ridden summit of Emperor Mountain, the old physician and Bai Ling stood overlooking the ground below.
"Lin Chen was not mistaken; the one watching him was indeed Bai Ling."
The Spirit Beast Bai Ling almost called out to him but was stopped by the old physician.
"Lin Chen has things he needs to do; you also have your own mission," he said.
Bai Ling watched as Lin Chen walked into the distance, then turned to look at the Five-Colored Altar with a hint of resolve, taking a deep breath.
"Indeed," she whispered to herself.
Her task now was clear.
Resurrect Xiu Xiu.
And then... 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
Seek vengeance.
"""
