Chapter 43

Originally, when Shuixue heard about the separation, she felt a bit reluctant. However, as soon as she heard Tanggu was going to tell a story, her eyes instantly sparkled.

"Ms. Meng Jiang, what a beautiful name, and the Great Wall, what is that?"

Tanggu was momentarily taken aback, then couldn't help but cover his mouth and cough, saying, "Uh, well, the Great Wall, we'll get to that step by step, one thing at a time..."

"Long ago, in a place called Mengjia Village, there was an old man who was good at growing gourds..."

Under the cool night and the moonlight, after a fierce battle, the Moon Blade Peak once again returned to its usual tranquility. However, the broken ground and scattered debris revealed the intensity of the battle.

Tanggu and Shuixue had no heart to clean up. The two sat side by side, leaning against each other, and built a triangular支架 (triangular支架 is not a common English term, so it's better to use "frame" or "stand") frame with a few pieces of wood to collect moon dew. Meanwhile, they listened to Tanggu slowly narrate the story.

The moon rose and set...

The night passed quickly.

Shuixue was still immersed in the story of Meng Jiang, unable to pull herself away, while Tanggu had already gotten up, holding the silver mink, and quietly left.

When Shuixue came to her senses, Tanggu's figure was already gone. Looking at the broken ground and the sparse human figures, Shuixue suddenly felt a sense of loss.

After being together for so long, she had grown accustomed to Tanggu's strange and deeply moving stories. One day, she realized that he was no longer by her side.

"Big Brother Tang, you must come back quickly. If it's too late, perhaps I won't be here... you must!"

...

One month later.

Three thousand miles west of Shiyantown, a vast, desolate mountain range stretched out, where wild beasts roared and demonic birds circled, creating a scene of chaos and gloom.

This place was called the Ancient Python Mountain Range, a forbidden zone for ordinary humans but a paradise for martial cultivators.

Here, there were first, second, and even third and fourth transformation beasts. It was said that in the deepest part, there were even fifth and sixth transformation beasts.

Many martial academy students, when they reached a bottleneck in their strength or needed money for cultivation, would come to this deep mountain to hunt beasts, earn money, and train themselves.

Night, deep into the night.

"Bang!"

A loud noise, and dust flew. In a dark forest, a massive bear-like beast slowly fell to the ground, a brilliant ice-blue palm print clearly visible on its heart.

"It's the Water to Ice technique!"

This black bear-like beast had smooth, glossy fur like black jade, and a body like a small mountain, clearly not an ordinary beast. However, it couldn't withstand a single palm from the person who came.

Beside the bear-like beast stood a young man in white, carrying a black narrow sword on his back, with eyes as dark as ink and a calm demeanor. He was Tanggu, who had bid farewell to Shuixue on the top of Moon Blade Peak a month ago.

In just over a month, his face had gained more wind and dust, but his expression was even more calm and steady. Apart from his similar aura, he seemed like a completely different person.

Inside his body, the essence, energy, and spirit were even more powerful. His skin was as smooth as jade, and his meridians bulged like large dragons. The flow of blood and qi in his body made a rushing sound, like the ebb and flow of the tide.

His eyes, usually calm, were bright like a sharp sword when truly opened, so dazzling that it seemed to encompass the sun and moon.

Reaching into his chest, Tanggu pulled out a small golden knife and quickly cut into the black bear. In no time, two bear paws, a black bear skin, and several thick, slightly jade-glowing green bones were pulled out and stored in a large gray cloth bag behind him.

With a leap, Tanggu left again. Soon, the forest behind him echoed with the roars of wild beasts, attracted by the blood of the demon bear. The sounds of their fierce battles for the blood meal could be heard.

One day later.

In front of a strangely shaped deer horn-like mountain, Tanggu carefully pulled up three or four mushrooms growing under a large tree, with a faint golden edge but a blood-red interior, and stored them in the cloth bag. Just as he was about to leap forward and continue, his expression suddenly changed, and he crouched down, sensing a powerful and terrifying beast aura passing over his head.

"What is that?"

Tanggu quietly raised his head, peeking through the thorny bushes, and saw a huge, colorful bird-like beast, resembling a green phoenix, slowly flying over his head, blocking the light.

Tanggu noticed that on the head of the bird-like beast, there were a few small silver feathers arranged in the shape of a crown, similar to the feathers on a peacock's head.

Tanggu couldn't help but tremble with excitement, "A peak second transformation beast, the Silver Soul Bird, a rare peak bird beast. It seems I have a chance to obtain the beast soul needed for my second transformation."

"Where is it going?"

Tanggu quietly crouched and followed.

As the bird-like beast passed, all the beasts along the way were intimidated, trembling on the ground, birds took flight in alarm, and beasts were filled with fear.

The huge Silver Soul Bird did not stop, flying directly from the outer part of the Ancient Python Mountain Range to the center. Along the way, Tanggu saw several other powerful second transformation beasts also heading to the same location.

Tanggu followed, and fortunately, the body of the Silver Soul Bird was so large that its shadow on the ground blocked the sky, making it impossible to lose sight of it.

After a day and a night, Tanggu successfully followed the bird-like beast to a strange place.

This was a shallow silver lake, located at the foot of a tall snow peak, shaped like a horseshoe or a broken ancient mirror.

The surface of the lake was partially covered with a thick layer of blue ice, with snow and cold air spreading everywhere.

The surrounding shrubs were no longer recognizable, all turned into snow mounds, with only a few stubborn old branches poking out from the thick snow.

Cliffs below the peak were adorned with crystal-clear icicles, some thick and some thin, sharper than swords, reflecting the sunlight and appearing dazzling and enchanting.

"Is this the legendary center of the Ancient Python Mountain Range, the Small Mirror Lake?"

Tanggu recalled some legends from the martial academy, and his expression slightly changed, feeling a bit regretful. What was this Silver Soul Bird doing here? If it died, it wouldn't matter, but if he got involved, it would be a disaster.

However, the next moment, what Tanggu saw made him slightly surprised, and his heart gradually calmed down.

The Silver Soul Bird, after flying to the Small Mirror Lake, did not leave. Instead, it slowly moved to the extremely cold lake, broke through a layer of thin ice, and started to catch fish.

In no time, a particularly fat and large green fish was caught by its beak, and after a gentle chew, the entire fish disappeared.

A short while later, a large red carp was also caught and swallowed. In less than a quarter of an hour, Tanggu saw it catch and eat seven or eight large fish, leaving no trace of bones.

In addition to the Silver Soul Bird, Tanggu also noticed four or five other strange beasts, no less powerful than the Silver Soul Bird, fishing and drinking by the lake. The ones he had seen on the way were among them.

The fish in this Small Mirror Lake seemed extraordinary, having a great attraction to these second transformation beasts. Many beasts traveled thousands of miles to eat a meal of fish and then leave.

After another ten minutes, Tanggu saw the Silver Soul Bird, after eating more than a dozen ice lake fish, let out a satisfied belch, waddled around the lake twice, and then spread its wings, flying back the way it came.

Having seen such a unique bird, Tanggu was not willing to let it go and continued to follow it. However, before leaving, he turned back and quietly memorized this place.

This small lake gave him a mysterious feeling. After hunting the second transformation Silver Soul Bird, he wanted to return to this lake again.

PS: First update.

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