Chương 109: No Peace in the Mountains

"Leaving? Do you really think that's possible?" Lou Guying's expression darkened as he watched Huaijin turn and flee. With a roar, the Ash Blood Hound gave chase. Lou Guying himself shot forward like a black streak of light, clinging to Huaijin's heels without mercy. All across the Purple Dusk Mountain Range, the local spirit beasts raised their heads to watch. Huaijin was fast, but Lou Guying refused to let go.

Every so often, the two exchanged blows and the Tier 2 spirit beasts below gnashed their teeth in frustration. The shockwaves from the battle kept raining down on them, tearing wounds into their bodies. Huaijin didn't flee toward the edge of the mountain range. Instead, he stayed along its perimeter, weaving back and forth without pause. He showed no sign of slowing down. His Supreme Grade Dao Foundation worked like a perpetual motion machine, constantly drawing in spiritual energy from the surrounding world.

Droplets of spiritual liquid dripped into his dantian, replenishing his every expenditure. Half an hour passed. Lou Guying still hadn't caught up. His face twisted with fury.

'I have to kill this bastard. If he's allowed to grow, he'll become a calamity worse than any demon or monster.' His eyes blazed with killing intent. But the gap in their speed was only widening. Boom! Suddenly, an overwhelming aura erupted directly in their path. The Ash Blood Hound skidded to a halt and scrambled back to Lou Guying's side. Its red eyes flickered with wariness. Huaijin's expression also changed dramatically.

Out of thin air, a massive spider materialized, over ten meters tall, its entire body the color of fresh blood. Its eight legs were like crimson spears, savage and terrifying. Jagged spines ran down its back, glinting coldly in the sunlight. Layer after layer of red armor covered its body. And its eyes dripped with pure malice.

"A Blood Jade Spider!" Zhang Huaijin's eyes widened in recognition. He remembered the Battle of Blood Lion Mountain. Back then, the Blood Jade Spider had been the only Purple Mansion Realm combatant to fall on either side. That one had been at the second level of Purple Mansion Realm. This one was only at the first. So in the dozen or so years since, the Blood Jade Spider clan had produced a new Tier 3 powerhouse. Huaijin's thoughts immediately turned to the Raging Blood Lion chieftain.

'Had that creature advanced to the late stage as well?' If so, the beast tide in seven years would crush the human cultivators of Qingtai Prefecture under an unbearable weight. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. This first level Blood Jade Spider was already at the peak. Its eyes fixed on both the man and the spirit beast, radiating killing intent. Human or demonic cultivator, it made no difference. They were all enemies.

'How dare they disturb the peace of the Purple Dusk Mountain Range? They deserve to die' The Blood Jade Spider lunged with terrifying speed. Huaijin's face turned calm. He maintained his pace and kept running. There was no way he could take on a Tier 3 spirit beast right now. He realized he had already left Shangfu County behind. He angled straight for the edge of the Purple Dusk Mountain Range. The Blood Jade Spider wouldn't dare chase him beyond the range, even as a Purple Mansion Realm beast.

If it charged into human territory, a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator would descend on it within moments. And indeed, the spider's first target was not Zhang Huaijin. Not that it had forgotten him. In the Battle of Blood Lion Mountain, the Tier 2 spirit beasts had suffered catastrophic losses. They all remembered exactly who was to blame.

"Seriously? You're coming after me?" Lou Guying cursed as Zhang Huaijin's figure blurred in the distance.

"Demonic cultivators and spirit beasts are on the same side!"

"Who's on your side?!" the spider screeched.

"And you dare curse at me? You're not going anywhere today!" It lunged at Lou Guying, its eight legs stabbing like spears. A Purple Mansion Realm spirit beast could refine its voice bone (hyoid bone) and speak human language with perfect clarity. Lou Guying felt like spitting blood. He and the Ash Blood Hound fought a desperate retreating battle against the spider while fleeing in the opposite direction. —— Now free of both Lou Guying and the spider, Huaijin suppressed his aura and found an empty spirit beast lair.

An hour later, he was fully restored, his spiritual energy brimming like a full cup.

"Lou Guying…" If he had been certain of victory, he would have unleashed his Yin Yang Divine Needles and ended the fight right there. But earlier, during the chase, he had sensed traces of a soul cultivation technique woven into Lou Guying's attacks. He couldn't be sure what other tricks the demonic cultivator had hidden. In the end, he decided not to risk exposing his own soul cultivation.

"Once I reach the late stage, you're dead." Huaijin made his decision. He would return to the purple cloud peak. The sudden appearance of a demonic cultivator had changed his plans. The Tang Kingdom had been peaceful for decades. Many of the younger cultivators had never witnessed the horrors of demonic cultivators. Some sects and families had even grown complacent, no longer bothering to protect their mortal populations. But the Zhang family's mortal population was approaching one hundred thousand.

What had once been Green Bamboo Town was now Green Bamboo City. The city's spirit vein had even been upgraded to Tier 1, upper grade. And yet, it still wasn't safe enough. They needed a Tier 2 cultivator stationed there at all times. They needed a Tier 2 array formation wrapped around the city like iron walls. These mortals were the foundation of the Zhang family's future. And thanks to them, the family's number of cultivators kept growing with each passing year. Demonic cultivators hadn't been seen in decades.

The various Foundation Establishment Realm and Qi Refining Realm powers had let their guard down. But Zhang Huaijin knew better. He got his bearings and walked out of the Purple Dusk Mountain Range. Only then did he realize he had entered Jianqu County.

'The Jiang Family…' His mind immediately went back to the ambush all those years ago. Jiang Wenshi, that old bastard. His pettiness knew no bounds. Huaijin changed into fresh clothes, pulled a bamboo hat low over his face, and walked into Jianqu county town. … Jianqu County was stronger than Langya County, and its capital was bustling in turn. Five Tier 2 families called it home. The Jiangs were the strongest among them, with two late stage cultivators. Their influence stretched all the way toward Qingtai City.

But for nearly ten years, Jiang Wenshi had rarely been seen in public. Some whispered that he had died. Meanwhile, another Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator from the Jiang family had also vanished from view. The other four families had been testing the Jiangs openly and in secret, probing for weakness. The Jiangs' iron grip on Jianqu County was slowly eroding. The family itself had offered little response. They still had one late stage cultivator left, so the other families didn't dare go too far.

Still, their power and status had undoubtedly suffered. Huaijin was well aware of all this. And no sooner had he stepped into Jianqu county town than he caught wind of a piece of news that made his eyes light up. ………………………. I'll be using Tier 1/2/3 instead of Qi Refining Realm/Foundation Establishment Realm, Purple Mansion Realm as so on… it's very tedious to write that whole sentence five times a chapter.

So, Tier 1= Qi Refining Realm Tier 2= Foundation Establishment Realm Tier 3= Purple Mansion Realm Also Supreme elder= Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator Comment what you think 💬 🤔