Chapter 59

Long before Lu Zheng fainted, on the Broken Benevolence Mountain, countless clouds of Extinguishing Mong birds still wriggled incessantly in the sky, looking inexplicably eerie.

Suddenly, a black shadow darted from a valley to mid-air, scattering a patch of the dark clouds, and then fell like a meteor. In the time it took for the shadow to rise and fall, the Extinguishing Mong birds that had been scattered reacted, angrily calling out to the ground for a while before they ignored it and reformed the cloud.

On the ground, Tang Xiaojiu was covered in a large piece of tiger skin, his right hand holding a black knife, and his left hand pinching an Extinguishing Mong bird. He glanced sideways at the cloud in the sky, his lips twitching, revealing a look of disdain. The black shadow was none other than him; he had actually jumped up from the ground and snatched an Extinguishing Mong bird from mid-air.

Tang Xiaojiu raised the Extinguishing Mong bird to his eyes. The bird flapped its wings vigorously, trying to call out to its companions, but its neck was pinched by Tang Xiaojiu's hand, which was as solid as cast iron, preventing it from making any sound. Tang Xiaojiu sneered and said, "Move again, and I'll make you move, hmpf!" As he spoke, he stuck the black knife in his right hand into a nearby rock and, with both hands, tore the Extinguishing Mong bird in half, instantly releasing a pungent, bloody smell.

Tang Xiaojiu raised the torn Extinguishing Mong bird high, letting the blood from the corpse flow into his mouth, swallowing it in large gulps. The blood splashed onto his face, staining his entire face red. After drinking the blood, Tang Xiaojiu wiped his face, licked his fingers, and slowly tore the meat from the bird's body, savoring it as he chewed.

A voice from his sixth sense echoed in his mind: "The blood and flesh of those three golden-haired creatures were indeed excellent. Not only did they change your blood and qi, but they also made your muscles and bones extremely strong. Now you're no longer afraid of the smell of blood!"

Tang Xiaojiu, focused on eating the bird meat, did not respond to the sixth sense. His eyes were fixed on the flock of Extinguishing Mong birds in the sky, as if searching for the next prey.

The sixth sense continued, "Speaking of which, those three little demons who came out of the mountain a few days ago mentioned something about the Three Teachings' Children, who, if eaten, could grant immortality. If you could eat them, it would greatly benefit your cultivation. Unfortunately, they are said to be in the human world."

"Do you believe those three idiots?" Tang Xiaojiu's words carried a hint of sarcasm.

The sixth sense replied, "You don't understand. This Broken Benevolence Mountain is a place where dragons and tigers lie in wait. They may be idiots, but they are demons from the mountain, and they might have heard something from a great demon."

Tang Xiaojiu sneered, "What about reincarnated sages and immortality? Even if it's true, if such information can be known by those three, it must have been spread by someone with a purpose. Getting involved in such matters? Hmph, I want to live a few more years!"

The sixth sense sighed, "How could I not know what you're saying? But there are matters of destiny that you don't understand... Forget it. The most important thing is to enhance your strength. Otherwise, everything is just empty talk."

Tang Xiaojiu seemed to be used to the sixth sense's reticence and did not press further. As he tore off pieces of bird meat, a rebellious aura occasionally flashed across his brows, only to quickly return to calm.

After finishing the bird meat, Tang Xiaojiu turned to pick up the black knife. He had casually stuck it into the rock, leaving only the hilt exposed. Just as his fingers touched the hilt, the sixth sense's voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "Tang Xiaojiu, don't pull out the knife! Quickly, follow the breathing method I taught you, clear your mind, and lie still on the ground, don't move at all, quickly!"

The sixth sense's voice was urgent and panicked. Instinctively, Tang Xiaojiu followed his advice, abandoning the black knife and quickly hiding in a crevice of a nearby rock. He then followed the breathing method the sixth sense had taught him, closing his ears to the world, focusing his mind, and entering a state of tranquility, closing his eyes and remaining motionless.

As Tang Xiaojiu practiced the breathing method, the originally restless blood and qi in his body began to calm down. All the vitality in his body gradually weakened, blending with the surrounding environment, as if he had turned into a stone.

Tang Xiaojiu had never seen the sixth sense so panicked. He quietly sent a thought to the sixth sense, asking, "What's going on?"

The sixth sense, tense, replied, "Stop thinking, don't move a single thought. Even the slightest thought in your mind can be detected by the other party."

Tang Xiaojiu was even more puzzled and, without showing any emotion, asked, "Who is the other party? Is he very powerful? Will he definitely target me?"

The sixth sense, anxious, said, "You're still asking? The person is already outside Broken Benevolence Mountain and will be here soon!"

Seeing the sixth sense so nervous, Tang Xiaojiu thought, it seems he is very afraid of the person coming. This could be an opportunity! Should I deliberately expose myself and lead that person here, explain the situation, and ask him to get rid of the sixth sense? This way, I can be free. Although I'm in the wilderness, I'm now strong and won't starve. But who is this person, and can he be trusted? Does he even have the means to get rid of the sixth sense, or will he eliminate me as well? Thinking about this, he hesitated.

The sixth sense, as if guessing Tang Xiaojiu's thoughts, urgently said, "Tang Xiaojiu, he's not after us, the problem is with that black knife. Now we can only hope that the earth qi of Broken Benevolence Mountain can conceal the knife. If that person sees the black knife, he will definitely kill you to silence you and then take the knife for himself. You have no idea how many people dream of getting that knife!"

After saying this, the sixth sense retreated into the mud pill palace and fell silent. Tang Xiaojiu's mind raced, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble, and the crevice where he was hiding started to emit a strange rhythm. The surrounding plants and trees began to sway without wind, and birds and beasts started to make various sounds. In a moment, the entire Broken Benevolence Mountain seemed to undergo a miraculous change.

Tang Xiaojiu could no longer maintain his fusion with the surrounding qi. The mountain gave him a very strange feeling. It was hard to describe, but if the desolate and lava-filled Broken Benevolence Mountain was like a dead person, then at this moment, the dead person had come back to life, and was even jumping around!

Confused, Tang Xiaojiu called out to the sixth sense several times, but found that the latter had retreated into his mud pill palace, entering a state of deep sleep, ignoring him no matter how he called. Tang Xiaojiu vaguely sensed that the sixth sense was in a state of great fear. After some thought, he gritted his teeth, stood up from the crevice, and looked around, only to be stunned.

In a moment, Broken Benevolence Mountain had undergone a tremendous change. In the sky, the cloud of Extinguishing Mong birds had vanished. With the disappearance of the birds, the sky cleared. Under the sunlight, all the plants and trees within Tang Xiaojiu's sight bent towards the east, their flowers drooping and their leaves hanging low. On the exposed rocks, countless birds and beasts of all kinds emerged from their hiding places, standing quietly on the rocks, bowing their heads, and some even prostrating themselves on the ground... All the living things on Broken Benevolence Mountain, plants, and animals, seemed to be bowing in worship, as if welcoming someone's arrival!

What kind of person could command such reverence from all living things?

Just as Tang Xiaojiu was in shock, a strange aura from the east disturbed the cloud layer, and a beam of seven-colored light rapidly approached Broken Benevolence Mountain. Suddenly, a gentle breeze arose from nowhere, blowing from all directions towards Broken Benevolence Mountain. The breeze was incredibly gentle, like a loving mother's hand, caressing her child, and it swept over the entire mountain!

Broken Benevolence Mountain seemed to come alive like a long-lost child seeing its parents again. In an instant, the mountain burst with spiritual energy, filling the surroundings. The lava and fire from the underground surged through the cracks, like fireworks, and the earth's veins trembled, the earth qi changing, and Broken Benevolence Mountain came to a boil!

As the aura drew closer, Tang Xiaojiu clearly felt a vibrant and vigorous life force within it. This life force resonated with the vitality in his body, making him feel an intense sense of joy.

This joy did not come from the aura but was triggered by it, originating from deep within his heart. This heartfelt joy instantly filled his entire body, dispelling the shock in his heart, and he felt all 36,000 pores on his body open, unable to resist cheering!

Suddenly, the aura arrived above Broken Benevolence Mountain. Although the sky was clear, a thunderclap echoed from nowhere, and two bolts of lightning flashed across the sky, momentarily outshining the sun. At the intersection of the two lightning bolts, a red figure stepped out of the void, his hair flowing, his eyes sharp—it was Yue Zhongping!

As he took a step, the lightning and thunder vanished. As Yue Zhongping's gaze swept over, Tang Xiaojiu felt all the vibrant energy of Broken Benevolence Mountain suddenly subside, replaced by an incredibly serene atmosphere. The only feeling that surfaced in Tang Xiaojiu's heart was that the mountain was welcoming this person's arrival!

The entire mountain bowed, and all living things lowered their heads, but only Tang Xiaojiu stood there. Yue Zhongping's gaze immediately fell on him, a tiger-skin-covered youth. What surprised him was the determination in the youth's eyes, a determination that made his eyes seem to sparkle!