“Choose a way to die!” the mountain god drawled in a strange, elongated tone, standing before Li Zuoquan with an air of triumphant villainy.
The mountain god’s actions were reminiscent of people from the Sun Nation, making one want to strike it. However, this thought could only remain in the mind, as I was no match for it.
Li Zuoquan was completely suppressed by it. If I were to step in, it would be like a moth flying into a flame, unless I felt I had lived too long.
Angered by the mountain god’s taunts, Li Zuoquan’s face turned red. If he truly followed the mountain god’s words and killed the two of us, he would be like Zhu Bajie looking in the mirror – an outsider and not himself.
Although Li Zuoquan was annoyed, he still wanted to ‘negotiate.’ His face showed terror as he said, “Mountain god, you cannot go back on your word. I have fulfilled the conditions you set, and you must spare my life. You cannot break your promise.”
“Hehe, how could I go back on my word? I promised you that if you killed them, I would spare your life. But I never said how you would live. Don’t feng shui masters often say that death is merely another form of rebirth? I wonder if what I’m saying is correct?”
Listening to the mountain god’s teasing words, I almost burst out laughing. I never expected this fellow to learn wordplay. If it weren’t for its body covered in fur, looking like a wild monkey or a mountain spirit, I might have mistaken it for a well-read university student!
Although I wanted to laugh, Li Zuoquan’s face had turned a dark green, making him look like a large green frog crouched on the ground. I thought that no matter how old he was, he never expected to be mocked by a mountain spirit. Today would undoubtedly be the darkest day of his life.
Li Zuoquan trembled uncontrollably from the mountain god’s words. He raised his head, intending to argue with it, but the mountain god gave him no chance, directly stomping on Li Zuoquan’s head.
*Bang—*
The sound was so loud that I suspected Li Zuoquan might be crushed to death by the mountain god’s foot.
“Old man, since you won’t choose, I’ll choose for you. It will be your greatest honor in this life to die by my trident.” As soon as the words fell, the mountain god raised its trident and fiercely plunged it towards Li Zuoquan’s head.
At this moment, I could no longer pretend to be dead. I silently recited the Heavenly Retreat Seal and imbued it into the Yin Iron Wood Ruler. Instantly, the dark Yin Iron Wood Ruler was bathed in golden light. I grabbed the ruler and thrust it towards the mountain god’s waist.
Because its back was to me, and I was a “dead man,” it was completely unprepared. Only when the light of the Heavenly Retreat Seal emerged did it alertly turn its head.
However, it was too late. With the enhancement of the Heavenly Speed Seal, and by calculating against an unsuspecting opponent, I directly hit its lower back.
The Heavenly Retreat Seal already possessed the ability to subdue demons and evil spirits, and coupled with the Yin Iron Wood Ruler’s incredible hardness, piercing the mountain god’s body was as easy as cutting a cake. A scorched smell filled the air. Just as I was about to put in more effort and drive the entire Yin Iron Wood Ruler in to finish off the mountain god, I found that I could not push it any further.
Looking up, I saw the mountain god grab the Yin Iron Wood Ruler with one hand. A wisp of green smoke was rising from its hand. Its pair of scarlet eyes stared at me ferociously, as if it wanted to devour me alive.
“So you were faking death.”
The mountain god roared in fury, wielding its trident with great force, smashing it towards my head. As soon as it made a move, I quickly let go and dodged to the side with a clumsy roll. The trident directly struck the ground, creating a deep pit more than a meter deep and over ten meters long.
At this moment, Zhang Dabiao also stopped pretending to be dead. With a flick of his wrist, the mountain-splitting saber appeared in his hand. He stomped his foot and slashed down at the mountain god’s injured spot.
Although the mountain god was unwilling, it still abandoned its pursuit of me and turned to block Zhang Dabiao’s attack.
I also took this opportunity, using all four limbs, and scrambled to the position of the Demon Extermination Mirror, grabbed it, and threw it towards Li Zuoquan.
*Clang—*
Zhang Dabiao’s mountain-splitting saber collided with the mountain god’s trident. In terms of strength, Zhang Dabiao was clearly not even half as strong. As they collided, Zhang Dabiao was sent flying through the air.
The mountain god was not done yet. Although Zhang Dabiao had not managed to hit it, he had thoroughly startled it. After knocking the Yin Iron Wood Ruler from its waist with its trident, it roared and charged towards Zhang Dabiao.
Li Zuoquan caught the Demon Extermination Mirror, twisted his body, and sat up. He muttered incantations, bit his middle finger, and drew a few strokes on the mirror. As he uttered the word ‘She,’ a red beam of light as thick as a water bucket shot out from the Demon Extermination Mirror.
As soon as the red beam of light appeared, the mountain god abandoned its pursuit of Zhang Dabiao and turned, holding its trident in front of it.
*Boom—*
*Screech—*
A red and black beam of light erupted from the point of impact, shooting straight into the sky. The immense shockwave caused the surroundings to feel like a level seven gale. I, who had just stood up, was blown away like a rolling gourd, retreating more than ten meters before stopping.
When I looked back again, a large pit had appeared. Li Zuoquan was sitting by the edge of the pit, his body trembling as if he might fall into it at any moment.
I quickly rushed forward and pulled him back from the edge of the pit. Li Zuoquan had fallen unconscious, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his breathing extremely weak, looking as if he could die at any moment.
However, I paid him no mind, because Zhang Dabiao had been standing behind the mountain god. I didn’t know if this massive shockwave had harmed him.
The mountain god still stood tall in the pit, maintaining its combat posture. However, the trident in its hand had split into two halves. Its entire left side had completely disappeared, and a wisp of black mist was swirling outside its body, seemingly repairing it.
The pair of scarlet eyes had become dim and lusterless, but they gave me a feeling that it was not dead. I didn’t know if it was my imagination or the truth, because I actually saw its eyes move.
When I observed more closely, I found that it was still maintaining its standing posture, as if what I had seen earlier was just my imagination.
But at this moment, I couldn’t afford to care any longer. Finding Zhang Dabiao was the most important thing.
While searching around the edge of the pit, I loudly called his name. After circling more than half the circumference, I found him under a tree.
“Damn it, does this old guy want to kill me too?” Zhang Dabiao coughed and patted the dirt off his body, a dejected expression on his face.
I chuckled, “If he dares to do that, I’ll be the first to kill him and avenge you.”
Zhang Dabiao laughed and cursed, “You’re just wishing I’d die! By the way, how is that mountain god?”
“I don’t know. Old Man Li has fainted, and the mountain god is standing in the pit. I don’t know if it’s alive or dead.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dabiao almost jumped up, “No way! It’s still alive after all that? Is it a cockroach?”
I shook my head with a wry smile, “I don’t know what it’s like a cockroach, but if Li Zuoquan isn’t dealt with, he’ll probably die before the mountain god.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and carry him inside. Let’s save his life first.”
The carrying pole had been smashed. The two of us had to carry him towards the cave. When we were still more than ten meters from the cave, a hoarse voice came from behind us.
“You’re just going to leave like this?”