Chapter 22 of 100

Chapter 22

13 min read3,229 words

Entering the cave, the two mountain cat spirits hurriedly put down the bed board, then patted their bellies and sat on the ground, unwilling to move any longer.

Xuankong knew they had arrived.

He yawned loudly, feigning a half-asleep state, and his body shook, causing a series of 'crackling' sounds like firecrackers. A pure aura emanated from Xuankong's body, sweeping out in all directions.

The two mountain cat spirits, who were sitting beside the bed board, were the first to be hit. They were flipped to the ground and rolled to the edge of the cave.

Before they could cry out in pain, they saw Xuankong's little face right in front of them. Xuankong pretended to be angry and said, "You two monsters, who gave you the nerve to play tricks on me, Xuankong?" He reached out and grabbed their tails.

With their tails in Xuankong's hand, the mountain cat spirits dangled and begged for mercy.

Xuankong ignored them and turned to look up at the head of the cave. He saw a tall, black monster sitting on a sandalwood chair, staring at him.

Xuankong was startled by the monster's appearance and shrank back, roaring angrily, "What kind of monster is this!"

On either side, a tiger spirit general, holding a large axe in both hands, glared at Xuankong and roared, "This is my lord, the Laoshan Mountain Sprite King! Who are you?"

They say the Buddhist "Lion's Roar" is powerful, but today Xuankong discovered that a tiger's roar is no less formidable. He was so stunned by the tiger spirit's roar that he became dizzy and his vision blurred. His grip loosened, and he dropped the two mountain cat spirits to the ground. They quickly hugged their tails and ran to the corner to hide.

Before Xuankong could react, a fire thunderbolt shot from his hand toward the tiger spirit's head.

This was an instinct he had developed from his predecessors, knowing that if he was attacked, he must retaliate immediately. The tiger spirit, unaware of Xuankong's strength, merely sneered and blocked with his large axe.

There was a loud "crack," and the tiger spirit, along with his axe, was sent flying by Xuankong's fire thunderbolt.

Xuankong shook his head to clear his mind and looked at the tiger spirit who had been sent flying, his face filled with anger. "You little cat, how dare you provoke me?" The thunderbolt he had just used was a reflex, but now he was ready to use his mystic powers to teach the tiger spirit a lesson.

The tiger spirit, who had been thrown more than a meter, was about to stand up when he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his hands. He looked down and saw that the large axe he had used to block Xuankong's fire thunderbolt was now scorching hot, emitting smoke.

In pain, he could no longer hold the axe and dropped it to the ground. The tiger spirit looked at Xuankong in fear as another thunderbolt came his way.

The large, ghostly monster bent down and stretched out his hand, casting a mist in front of the tiger spirit. Xuankong's thunderbolt entered the mist and disappeared. His eyes flashed, and he turned to look at the Mountain Sprite King.

The Mountain Sprite King was about to speak, opening his huge mouth, which was as wide as a basin, with teeth that were three inches long. His tongue moved, and a deep, rumbling voice echoed, shaking the cave walls: "Young master, please hold your hand, I have something to say."

"Powerful!" Xuankong's eyes flashed, and he opened his Heavenly Eye, seeing that the Mountain Sprite King had about a thousand years of cultivation. He dared not be too bold but kept his hand ready, forming a thunder seal as he sized up the Mountain Sprite King. "You, a monster with a thousand years of cultivation, why don't you rule in the outside world and come to Laoshan?"

This was not the time of ancient chaos, when the world was full of legendary figures, each born in the primordial era, enlightened during the Heavenly Emperor's reign, and cultivating for countless years.

Nor was it the time of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's journey to the West, when demon saints and demon kings roamed the land.

A zombie like the previous Yunluo Princess, who had cultivated a corpse pearl and had about five hundred years of cultivation, could already dominate a region. A thousand-year-old monster like the Mountain Sprite King, who had become a spirit from a different species, was rare in the human world.

Xuankong did not know the reason, but he knew that powerful demons were indeed rare in the human world.

The Mountain Sprite King waved his huge claw, ordering the tiger spirit and mountain cat spirits to retreat to the back of the cave. When only he and Xuankong were left, he made an awkward salute and said, "Young master, I am the mountain guardian of the White Cloud Temple in the capital, sent by the patriarch Chongyang to the Laoshan region."

"Chongyang Patriarch, you mean the Northern School's Wang Chongyang Patriarch?" Xuankong felt familiar with the name. In fact, who among the predecessors who liked martial arts novels would be unfamiliar with this name?

In this world, although history did not develop as it did in the predecessors' world, all the major deities and demons mentioned by the predecessors had appeared. Any deity or demon that the predecessors could name had left their mark in this world.

The Mountain Sprite King nodded, "Yes, the Northern School's patriarch!"

Xuankong frowned. The Laoshan Sect had not been established for long and had no connection with the Southern or Northern Schools. Why would Wang Chongyang suddenly send a mountain guardian to Laoshan? Sensing Xuankong's doubt, the Mountain Sprite King explained, "I received an order from the current abbot of the White Cloud Temple to specifically protect the commander of the Jinyiwei, Mr. Nie."

"Nie Xiaoxian's father?" Xuankong still did not know the hunter's name, but he had a vague understanding when he mentioned him.

As a high official in the capital, it was not strange that the hunter had some connection with the abbot of the White Cloud Temple. However, he did not understand why the abbot would send a thousand-year-old monster to protect him. The Mountain Sprite King carefully observed Xuankong's expression and said surprisingly, "Our abbot suspects that the Song Empire's national master, Master Cihang Pudu, is not human, nor is he a Buddhist disciple!"

Xuankong thought to himself, "Of course, I know Cihang Pudu is not human. I also know he is a thousand-year-old centipede spirit, almost ready to transform into a dragon." But he did not say it aloud, only feigning ignorance, "If Cihang Pudu is not human, then what is he?"

The Mountain Sprite King bent down, leaning in close to Xuankong and whispered, "The abbot suspects he is a monster!" Although he deliberately lowered his voice, it still sounded thunderous to Xuankong.

The Mountain Sprite King closely watched Xuankong, his reaction would determine how he would treat him next. Just as Xuankong was about to speak, the Mountain Sprite King waved his hand, casting a mist to seal the cave. "Young master, speak freely. This place has been sealed by my magic. No one else can hear us!"

Xuankong did not care if the mist could block the Six-Eared Macaque from eavesdropping. He simply nodded, took a few steps back, and said solemnly, "Your breath stinks..." The Mountain Sprite King never expected Xuankong to say such a thing after holding back for so long. He wanted to grab Xuankong by the collar and roar in his ear, "Do you understand the situation? The Song Empire's national master is a monster, a monster!"

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