Chapter 4

This person muttered to himself, slowly getting up.

He was not short, but his body was nothing but skin and bones, tall and emaciated, with his skin and muscles taut all over. His nose stood out prominently, forming a strange bulge.

His nose twitched, drawing in the air, capturing the faint scent mixed within.

He chuckled softly, and the man with the prominent nose flipped into the mountain god temple.

"Let's see what happened to the crow, to die here. That mortal... Hmm? The scent of the crow has disappeared in this temple!"

He was slightly taken aback, his eyes roving around, scrutinizing the temple, his face showing confusion.

"What could this dilapidated temple have? Everywhere is covered in dust, no signs of a struggle. Could there be some hidden secret?" As he thought, his gaze fell on the pile of broken soil.

"This pile of soil seems to have fallen recently. Although the outer layer is dusty, the inside emits a scent that has been sealed for a long time and suddenly exposed."

He took a few steps closer, observing closely, his nose twitching several times. The man with the prominent nose's eyes suddenly narrowed.

"This is covered with the scent of a mortal. The crow's soul is extinguished, leaving no trace. This person is still alive. As long as I catch him, I can find out what happened. In front of the general, it will be a great achievement! Perhaps I can even receive some life souls as a reward!"

Excitement building, he barked softly and followed the scent, quickly advancing, and in a moment, he was out of the temple.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

Moving through the forest, the branches and leaves rustled.

"Almost there! Almost there! Just ahead!"

Chasing rapidly, he became increasingly excited, his tongue gradually hanging down, his back slowly bending, his hands digging into the ground.

Whoosh!

Pushing through a patch of grass and trees, the view ahead suddenly opened up. A figure emitting a faint white light appeared in his field of vision. Without hesitation, he lunged forward!

"I've got it!"

He cheered inwardly, but then he was taken aback.

"How is it so small?"

In confusion, the man with the prominent nose looked up and realized that what he had in his hand was not a person, but a wild rabbit!

The rabbit was firmly held, unable to escape, its large, brown eyes showing panic.

"What's going on? I clearly followed the scent of the mortal all the way here, but it turned into a rabbit? Could this person not be a human, but someone who has condensed a force soul and transformed into a human form?"

Looking at the rabbit in his hand, the man was dumbfounded. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the rabbit was entirely black and gray, its body covered in a faint white light. The scent he had captured with his nose was coming from this white light.

"Is this light...?"

He was still in shock when his ears suddenly twitched, hearing rustling sounds from the surrounding grass. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw several figures of varying heights, about a dozen in total, approaching from all directions.

"Huh? Why are they here?"

The figures varied in height, some as fat as barrels, others as thin as poles, with a wide variety of appearances. They looked human, but each had peculiar features: some were covered in fur, some had hands that reached their knees, some had sharp teeth, and some had long ears and no noses.

If they appeared on the street, they would immediately cause people to scream and scatter in panic.

"What are you doing here?"

The group of "people" emerged from the grass and trees, noticing the man with the prominent nose holding the wild rabbit, and asked in confusion.

"You..."

The man with the prominent nose was not unfamiliar with this group. Including himself, they were all under the command of General Wolf, having only one soul refined and unable to conceal their demon forms, so they were assigned to search the mountains.

"We were ordered to search Mount Minyuan, distributed in various areas. Why are most of you here?"

The man's confusion did not last long. As the group approached, small animals began to appear from the grass.

Rabbits, pheasants, raccoon dogs, mice, and even weasels.

Each of these small animals was covered in a faint white light.

Seeing this, the man's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Could it be...?"

Bait?

Before he could finish his thought, the small animals, including the wild rabbit in his hand, emitted a flash of light, and the white light surged!

"Oh no!"

Shouts of alarm echoed as the white light spread, quickly covering an area of a hundred feet. Light also emerged from the ground, resonating with it.

Crack! Crack!

Rocks shattered, and the earth sank, forming a huge hollow in an instant!

The man with the prominent nose, along with the others who had gathered, had no time to react. They lost their balance as the earth gave way, falling into the pit, their figures disappearing into the depths.

Rocks and soil poured down like a breached dam.

...

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Another howling village, General Wolf stood still, his expression suddenly changing. He reached into his chest and pulled out a handful of jade fragments, which fell like rain.

"What's going on! What's going on! Who has such audacity! To actually... actually..."

General Wolf's eyes turned blood red, and thick veins appeared on his face.

The veins spread like roots of an old tree, covering his entire body.

Crack!

His clothes tore, revealing a muscular body with clearly defined muscles.

Tremble!

Each muscle trembled slightly, creating ripples.

In the next moment, hair sprouted from his body, quickly covering him entirely.

"Ao!"

A long howl emerged from his blood-red mouth, his breath forming a beam!

...

Rumble!

In Mount Minyuan, the sound of collapse echoed, radiating to the surrounding area, clearly heard even at the edge of the forest.

"I have been a mountain god for decades, though no one worships me and I cannot collect the power of wishes, my perception is in harmony with the mountain's seal, and I am well aware of every part of the mountain. I know that there is a huge crack hidden inside, leading deep into the earth."

At the edge of the forest, Qiu Yan stopped, listening with his ear, his eyes showing a cold light, contrasting sharply with his delicate, slightly pale face.

"As a minor deity, I lose my foundation and support when I leave the temple. This new body is somewhat independent, and I cannot use divine power. Even against a single demon, the outcome is uncertain. Human strength has its limits, but the power of heaven and earth is boundless. In Mount Minyuan, I don't need to face the enemy directly to destroy them."

The distant rumbling gradually ceased, and Qiu Yan looked down at his right hand, which held a bundle of green robes.

The green robes were originally covered in a layer of white light, which had now dimmed.

"For decades, no one has worshiped me, and I have not collected any wishes. I have only relied on the fear of hunters and wild animals in the mountains to gather ten divine power stars. In less than half a day, they have been almost depleted. Just now, I used two and a half to control the animals and sink them into the earth, leaving only two. But..."

As he thought, he took a step forward.

"Since I have taken on this cause, I cannot treat the dozens of lives in the village as if nothing happened. Now I am just collecting interest."

His eyes still showed a cold light, but Qiu Yan stumbled, almost falling. His control over his body was not yet complete, but fortunately, he had absorbed the essence of the blood, making his flesh and bones three times stronger, greatly increasing his strength, so he did not fall easily.

Stumbling, Qiu Yan stepped out of the range of Mount Minyuan. As he left, the divine presence attached to the green robes suddenly sank, and he felt the connection with Mount Minyuan severed.

He paused for a moment, his thoughts turning.

"Though I was forced to take this step, staying here would be uncertain. Even if I could survive, I would be confined to the temple, slowly decaying. From the crow demon's words, it seems the Mountain King is looking for a mountain spirit, likely with ill intentions. If I stay, I will eventually be discovered, with dire consequences. Mount Minyuan belongs to the Nine Spirit Mountain Range, but I have never felt the presence of the Great Mountain Spirit. There must be a reason. Going to the human world will allow me to investigate further."

With this thought, Qiu Yan no longer hesitated and staggered northward.

Half an hour later, amidst a rumbling sound, a giant wolf, standing a丈 tall, broke through the forest and entered the mountain.

The forest shook, and birds flew away.

By now, the sun had set, and the moon was high in the trees, the entire Mount Minyuan shrouded in darkness.