At this very moment, the eyes of the Mountain God within the Mountain God Temple opened wide.
Two hundred miles away, at the Qingshan County Government, Red dress Zhang Cheng’s eyebrows furrowed.
"Woodcutter Mountain!"
Amidst the brightly lit, city-wide curfew at the County Government Hall, Military Officer Lian Nichang, who was seated with her sword, suddenly rose, a sharp glint shooting from her almond-shaped eyes.
"Military Officer Lian!"
Below, the County Magistrate Zhang Cheng, who was on duty at night, was slightly startled and called out.
But in the next second, the figure of the woman before him blurred, vanishing from the spot.
At the same time, within the darkness of the night, some shadows roaming Langdang Mountain abruptly stopped, their blood-green eyes shifting before they all hurriedly rustled towards one direction.
Snowflakes gently drifted down, as these shadows moved silently through the forest, seemingly the true masters of the great mountain.
Sixty miles to the southeast of Qingshan County, a Little squirrel stood on the bare branch of a large tree, which was weighed down heavily.
The Little squirrel’s obsidian-like eyes rolled as it watched a White Ape and a wild boar in the snow not far away suddenly utter loud "roar" and "snorting" sounds before changing direction and swiftly rushing toward the northeast, as if suddenly receiving some command.
The Little squirrel uttered squeaks and chirped down below.
Soon after, a White Fox’s head emerged from among the snow below.
The Little squirrel continued squeaking and gestured with its chubby little paws towards the direction where the two Contracted Demons were bounding away.
Then, its belly inflated, resembling a pufferfish swelling up, before whooshing off the tree branch in a leap.
The branch trembled and the accumulated snow fell in flurries, as the Little squirrel transformed into a spherical shape with its arms spread wide, gliding down.
Meanwhile, the White Fox below sprinted through the snow, heading straight for the gliding squirrel and with a powerful leap, its paws grabbing onto the legs of the Little squirrel.
With this, the Little squirrel’s belly inflated once more, its downward momentum halting, whooshing down to form a "U" shaped trajectory and then soaring over the forest, pursuing the two Contracted Demons to the east.
While hordes of demons from Langdang Mountain surged towards the east, two figures in the sky above Qingshan County gazed ominously at a red figure shooting from the direction of the County Government towards the northeast of the county seat!
It was none other than the ill-intentioned Li Boya and the Human Demon Ren Tianxing.
Li Boya noticed the direction of the rapidly moving red figure and realized something. His eyes twitched, and he drew a circle in the air in front of him with his hand.
After exhaling a breath of white air, the breath transformed into a ribbon, following the circle his hand traced, instantly forming a mirror-like surface.
Soon, images began to flicker forth within it.
A dilapidated Mountain God Temple was surrounded by whistling winds and snow, with a bonfire burning brightly as about a dozen hunters sat around it, their gazes fixed on an old man being helped up beside the fire by a man.
Li Boya narrowed his eyes and then scattered the white breath with a wave, chuckling softly.
"It seems this woman has some ability. She is in such a rush because she must have found someone. It seems likely that this old thing is important to them, heh, now it’s time for me to make my move."
"I’ll bring back the corpses of these two for Your Excellency."
"I hope Lord Ren does not let me down."
Ren Tianxing, the Demon beside him, saw that this member of the Li family with Court connections was intent on murder, his terrifying eyes rolled over, his gaze carrying a smile that was not quite a smile, somewhat fierce, "Is Your Excellency not concerned about the warning from that person at the Qingshan Inn?"
However, Li Boya’s eyes sparkled with cunning as he lightly said, "Even if this senior reaches the realm of Half-step Dragon and Tiger, he is unlikely to seek a life-or-death struggle with the Li family for these people. He has his own family to consider, and, at worst, after committing the murder, I will simply take my leave. What can they do to me?"
Saying this, he stroked his beard, laughing heartily, the sound piercing the night air like the screech of an owl.
Upon hearing these words, the Martial Vault Demon Ren Tianxing’s terrifying black eyes with golden pupils sparkled with a meaningful smile,
"I was just having the same thought."
"A Half-step Dragon and Tiger in his old age comes to Qingshan County with unknown motives. He expects me to back off with just a few words; does he truly think so little of me, from the Chengsheng Land."
"I fear during the peak of the drama, this individual may not dare to stand out."
"It seems Your Excellency has something you haven’t told me!" Li Boya, sensing the tone of the Demon, felt a chill in his heart, recalling that people from Chengsheng Land were all madmen. He surmised this Demon had plans beyond mere revenge for a county, and that there were other schemes at play.
"Li Wuzang will find out soon!"
Seeing that the other party was unwilling to divulge more, Li Boya did not press further, smiling to himself,
"Very well, since Your Excellency wishes to keep your counsel, I shall first go retrieve the corpses, to offer a boost to your spirits."
With that, the Li Family’s Martial Storage, Li Boya, turned, his sleeve fluttering, and then casually stepped through the air, heading in the northeast direction.
His pace was not quick.
A good broth needs a slow simmer, he thought, planning to make his move once everyone had gathered. Even if that woman found the old man, it was all within his control.
Tianxing watched Li Wuzang walk away, his figure gradually disappearing into the heavens and earth, his serpentine golden pupils narrowing to a slit, his body continuing to ascend higher into the sky. Then, he raised a hand, transforming it into a Sword finger, pressing against the Yin Yang Fish pattern on his Lotus Crown right above his forehead.
The Yin Yang Fish, grasped by his Sword finger, was plucked out and thrown upward.
Immediately, the Yin Yang Fish expanded upon catching the wind, swelling to a size of about thirty feet, spinning round and round in the void as the dividing line between the yin fish and the yang fish slowly opened, revealing a ghastly red light within.
Within was a wail of demonic sound, as if it were a gateway!
But the crack closed swiftly, and the yin and yang fish separated, transforming into a stream of white and a stream of black qi, stirring up the wind and clouds in the snowy heights.