Chapter 1131: The Fall of My Yanzhi Mountain
(Sharing three pieces of good news. First, old readers should know that I’m a Milan fan. Though I haven’t watched soccer for years, I was still thrilled to hear this news today. Hopefully, Istanbul and La Coruña will be mentioned less often from now on… Second, this chapter is five thousand words. Isn’t that a string of pleasant surprises lately? Third, I have some saved drafts now. It’s pitifully little, but I still feel pretty awesome about it. I don’t know how long I can keep this up, but I’ll try my best. Taeyeon, happy birthday, mwah mwah.)
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The rocky mountain shook violently. Countless cliff stones peeled off, crashing to the ground, stirring up dust and smoke that concealed the figures of the Yanzhi Mountain dweller.
No one knew how much time passed. The dust gradually settled. The rocky mountain had visibly shrunk in size, yet it still stood on the grassland under the night sky, unbroken.
The mountain was still a mountain.
Looking at the scene before her, Xu Yourong’s face finally showed disappointment.
“The Saintess’s methods are indeed remarkable.”
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller’s voice remained deep, but if one listened closely, they might detect a hint of trembling and anger hidden within.
Xiao Zhang propped up his weary body with his iron spear.
The white paper rustled in the night wind, and the black hole was profoundly deep.
“Again,” he said in a hoarse voice, seemingly indifferent to the situation before him.
Chen Changsheng said nothing.
Several li away, the Wind and Rain Sword Formation was preparing to return.
Xu Yourong also remained silent. She took the Fate Star Disk from her sleeve.
Starlight fell upon the Fate Star Disk, scattering light of varying depths along the flowing star tracks, creating a beautiful sight.
She had deduced the outcome of today many times, and the results were always very unfavorable. Even that delicate little arrow had failed to achieve its goal, which left her somewhat disappointed. But since the battle was not yet over, it had to continue. If the Fate Star Disk couldn’t calculate a good outcome, perhaps using it as a weapon in battle might make the ending somewhat different?
The iron spear, carrying the might of heaven and earth, crashed toward the rocky mountain.
Two sword lights met again, cleaving heaven and earth with a desperate, world-burning resolve.
The wind howled, and dust rose once more.
Through the swirling sandstorm, Xu Yourong fixed her gaze on the black hole on the mountain, her fingers constantly adjusting the Fate Star Disk.
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller had suffered serious injuries, and now he sensed danger.
Whether it was Xiao Zhang’s spear or Xu Yourong’s Fate Star Disk.
What made him most wary was the world-burning aura emanating from the twin swords of Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong.
This reminded him of that terrifying human man from many years ago.
Wary and dangerous, along with memories too painful to recall, truly enraged the Yanzhi Mountain dweller.
The night clouds were torn apart by a furious roar, scattering in all directions.
The mountains gathered as if in assembly, the grassland surface undulated like surging waves.
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller unleashed the full force of his millennia of cultivation!
The spear blossoms slightly contracted, the sword light suddenly dimmed.
Xiao Zhang roared in anger, struggling to hold on.
Chen Changsheng stood up, extending his left hand toward the mountain ahead.
At that moment, Xu Yourong suddenly looked at the Fate Star Disk.
The star tracks on the disk spun at an unimaginable speed, forming countless extremely complex patterns that were incredibly difficult to comprehend.
She felt a sense of bewilderment.
What exactly was happening?
More precisely, what was about to happen that had caused so many changes in this battle and even the entire course of history?
The night clouds were torn apart and then drifted away. The sky suddenly cleared, and the starlight blazed brightly.
Suddenly, a line of fire appeared in the high night sky.
In a very short time, that line of fire arrived above the grassland.
It came from the south. Logically, the Mirror Lake Mountain dweller and the Yichun Mountain dweller should have been able to intercept it, but for some reason, they did not act. Perhaps it was because that line of fire posed no threat to either side in the battle.
At the end of that line of fire appeared a Fire Cloud Qilin.
The Fire Cloud Qilin flapped its wings, but no one was riding it.
Everyone knew that the mount of the Great Zhou’s second divine general, Xue Xingchuan, had been a Fire Cloud Qilin. Could this be that very one?
More than ten years ago, Xue Xingchuan was poisoned to death by Zhou Tong in the imperial palace. That Fire Cloud Qilin disappeared deep within the palace and was never seen again.
Why had it appeared here tonight? What did this mean?
The grassland fell silent.
This silence was very brief.
But to the Yanzhi Mountain dweller, Xiao Zhang, Chen Changsheng, Xu Yourong, and the two mountain dwellers in the south, this period of time felt very long.
It was as if several years had passed within that silence.
The world is relative.
Position is relative.
Time is also relative.
The perceived time felt longer than the actual time, perhaps because the relative speed of the new reference point entering this fragment of time was too fast.
What came was a blade light.
It came from the sky.
This blade light was not particularly stunning; it was very steady and quiet.
Compared to the howling wind and swirling sand that had not yet dissipated, this blade light could be described as delicate.
Compared to the anger of the Yanzhi Mountain dweller, this blade light could be described as gentle.
But this blade light was truly too fast.
If this blade light had cut flowing water, the water would surely have been severed.
If this blade light had cut time flowing like water, time would have paused for a moment.
By the time people saw this blade light, it had already fallen.
With a soft sound, *ca*.
The blade light landed among the cliffs.
No stones flew, no dust rose.
The blade light seemed to vanish into the cliffs.
Then, the mountain collapsed.
The earth shook.
It was the movement of the mountain range.
Two low roars came from the southern night.
Those roars were filled with grief and anger.
Chen Changsheng felt that these roars sounded somewhat similar to the dragon race’s language.
What followed would surely be an even more arduous battle.
He stood up, ready to fight.
Just then, a low, resonant howl rose from the collapsed cliffs.
It was the voice of the Yanzhi Mountain dweller.
This time, Chen Changsheng heard it more clearly and realized it was not standard demon common language, nor the ancient demon language favored by the nobles in Snow Old City.
He looked at Xu Yourong, who gently shook her head.
Although they couldn’t understand the specific meaning, they could vaguely grasp the Yanzhi Mountain dweller’s current emotions and the message he wanted to convey.
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller was not angry, not resentful, not bitter. He was very calm.
The two mountain ranges stopped, let out a few low moans, then headed west, gradually disappearing into the night.
The southern grassland returned to peace, though it was tinged with the sadness of parting.
Blood dripped continuously along the edges of the paper. Xiao Zhang wiped his face with his hand, feeling the wetness and finding it annoying.
He looked at the person beside him and found him even more annoying.
“With such a good opportunity, why aren’t you chasing after them! What are you standing here for? Hoping someone will erect a statue for you?”
Mocked like this, the man’s expression did not change.
Over the decades, he had heard such words too many times, and he knew how to counterattack.
“If you weren’t injured, or could still walk a few steps, then you could give chase.”
Xiao Zhang’s face was ugly, but he couldn’t retort, because it was the truth.
He was indeed injured. His injuries were indeed severe. He truly couldn’t move.
The most important truth was that it was that man who had saved him, whether he liked it or not.
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The dust gradually settled, and the sound of rolling stones arose.
Someone walked out from the collapsed rocky mountain.
That person was dressed in white. His beard and hair were all white, and his body was also white.
This whiteness was not like snow, nor like paper. It had a faint, flowing luster, more like jade.
The person’s features were delicate, his skin smooth. There were no wrinkles on his forehead or hands, as if he were not a living being.
If not for the demon horn on his head, he might have been mistaken for a beautiful statue carved from white jade by a master craftsman of the Mutuo family.
So this was what the legendary ancient demon strongman looked like—so handsome.
Chen Changsheng suddenly thought of the first time he saw the Demon Lord in the Cold Mountain.
The Demon Lord was also a very refined scholar.
Xiao Zhang snorted, showing some dissatisfaction.
It was unclear whether he was ashamed of his own appearance or disdainful.
The answer was not in the wind, but beneath that white paper.
This person was the Yanzhi Mountain dweller.
The mountain was his demon body.
This was his true form.
“If you had really chased after them, it would have ended in mutual destruction at best.”
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller looked at the man beside Xiao Zhang and said, “Even if you are Wang Po.”
That man wore a blue robe washed to a faded white, his shoulders slumped, his brows drooping, like a shabby accountant.
Of course, it was Wang Po.
“Senior’s realm is unfathomable. The four of us joined forces and barely managed to win. Naturally, I won’t harbor any delusions.”
That was the truth.
Xiao Zhang’s wildly domineering spear technique, combined with the dual swords of Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, the sword formation, and the Tong Bow—all their means exhausted—still couldn’t defeat the Yanzhi Mountain dweller. They only managed to seriously injure him, and it was only when they encountered Wang Po’s long-prepared blade strike from the heavens that they won this battle.
Now, Xiao Zhang, Chen Changsheng, and Xu Yourong had no strength left to fight. Wang Po would find it very difficult to defeat the combined forces of the Mirror Lake Mountain dweller and the Yichun Mountain dweller.
Of course, the reverse was also true.
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller said, “So I stopped them and let them leave.”
Wang Po said, “Senior wants to preserve the continuation of the Mountain dweller lineage.”
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller said, “I have done my best. I imagine that when I see the Great Teacher after death, he won’t have the face to criticize me.”
Chen Changsheng had thoroughly read the Daoist Canon, Xu Yourong had a wide range of knowledge, and Wang Po and Xiao Zhang were well-informed, but they only vaguely knew that the Eight Mountain Dwellers had some connection with the Great Scholar of Tonggus.
Who was the Great Teacher the Yanzhi Mountain dweller referred to? Could it be the Great Scholar of Tonggus?
If so, the Eight Mountain Dwellers were actually students of Tonggus—that was a secret no one knew.
But why did he call Tonggus the Great Teacher? Because Tonggus’s honorific title included the word “Great”? Or… did the Eight Mountain Dwellers also have a Lesser Teacher?
Chen Changsheng and the others thought of other content from the rumors, and their expressions changed slightly.
In the most secretive rumors, it was said that the appearance of the Eight Mountain Dwellers was also related to the Pope of that era.
Could it be that that Pope was also their teacher?
“Yes, we had two teachers.”
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller confirmed their speculation.
Every cultivator knew the relationship between that Pope and the Great Scholar of Tonggus.
From Marrow Cleansing to Star Convergence, countless rules and knowledge now taken for granted by the world originated from the correspondence between these two.
If it came to power and martial force, that Pope and the Great Scholar of Tonggus might not have been the top, but when it came to influence on history, they were definitely qualified to rank in the top three. In terms of wisdom and knowledge, the two were far ahead of anyone else.
The most brilliant geniuses often had the craziest ideas.
The Great Scholar of Tonggus and that Pope had successfully deceived the entire world and secretly worked together to do something.
Perhaps it was to verify the possibility of immortality, the continuity of the soul, cross-racial information exchange, or perhaps it was purely out of boredom.
They created the Eight Mountain Dwellers.
Many details of this process have been lost and cannot be verified. The Eight Mountain Dwellers themselves didn’t know. Only one thing was certain: they were not demons, not humans, nor half-bloods like Qi Jian, but a life form somewhere between the two races, perhaps even above them.
Any existence needs meaning, or existence will actively seek meaning and then assign it to itself.
The Great Scholar of Tonggus and that Pope passed away one after another.
The Eight Mountain Dwellers left the orchard and came into the world.
They began to ponder this matter.
With their wisdom, they could not fathom the true thoughts of their two teachers, let alone touch upon realms like immortality and the soul.
In the end, they reached a conclusion.
Their two teachers created them to prove that humans and demons could coexist peacefully and should coexist peacefully.
They were the symbols of peace.
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller said, “Our goal is world peace. Before peace is finally achieved, we at least hope that neither the divine race nor the human race becomes too powerful, leading to the danger of the other side being exterminated. So when one side becomes too strong, we go to help the other.”
Chen Changsheng said, “So in those years, you led troops to fight against Emperor Taizong, but then suddenly disappeared.”
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller said, “Yes.”
Xu Yourong suddenly spoke, her voice very cold. “Where were you when the demons were strong? Where were you during the Siege of Luoyang?”
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller said, “At that time, humans still had many strong warriors. There was no danger of extermination.”
Xu Yourong said, “As long as they aren’t exterminated, you don’t care if humans are abused like livestock or treated as food by demons?”
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller was silent for a moment, then said, “As I said before, when we were young, we read many human storybooks and watched plays in Snow Old City. The Great Teacher took us to the theater for the latter, while the Lesser Teacher sent us the former. There was still some difference between the two.”
They were born and raised in Snow Old City, so naturally, their feelings for the demon race ran much deeper.
Especially as time passed, their sense of belonging to humanity inevitably faded, even though the human blood flowing in their veins did not.
“So your existence has no meaning. In the eyes of the demons, you are weathervanes swaying in the wind. I imagine that both the old Demon Lord and the current Demon Lord are extremely wary of you. I even think the old Demon Lord might have killed some of your members. And to humans, you are no different from the Black Robe—all traitors.”
Xu Yourong’s voice was calm, but her words were devastatingly sharp.
Wang Po and Xiao Zhang exchanged a glance, not knowing what to say.
The truth hurts the most.
Clearly, Xu Yourong had hit on the Eight Mountain Dwellers’ experience among the demons.
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller said angrily, “We sway, but that doesn’t mean we are traitors! Don’t lump us together with the Black Robe!”
Xu Yourong shifted her tone, pointing to a certain place in the north. “What was originally in the night there?”
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller was stunned for a moment, then said, “At a time like this, why bring it up?”
The corners of Xu Yourong’s mouth curled up in mockery. “At a time like this, the demons are still fighting among themselves. It would be a travesty if they weren’t wiped out.”
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller’s face turned ugly.
“It’s clearly the Black Robe’s scheme. Why cover for him?”
Xu Yourong asked him, “Is it the Demon General?”
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Xu Yourong nodded and said, “I have no more questions.”
It was only then that Wang Po understood what she had been doing, and he was filled with admiration.
He turned to the Yanzhi Mountain dweller and said, “You’d better have them go far away.”
He was referring to the Mirror Lake Mountain dweller and the Yichun Mountain dweller.
The flames of war were merciless and would surely burn across the entire continent, and even the Great Western Continent might not be spared.
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller said, “They will go to the distant Abyssal Sea.”
The story of the Eight Mountain Dwellers had truly come to an end.
The historical mission they had assigned to themselves was over.
The Yanzhi Mountain dweller’s words were an admission of defeat.
Not defeat tonight, but the defeat of the entire demon race.
Before the war had even begun, he admitted defeat.
To defeat a mountain, one must first break its momentum.
That was what Xiao Zhang had done.
A mountain’s true power lies in its momentum.
The gaps between high and low cliffs, the undulating curves of the mountain ridges—all are momentum.
The momentum of the world lies in the fortunes of each race.
For a thousand years, human fortunes had been growing.
Emperor Taizong, the previous Emperor, and Empress Tianhai could all be called wise rulers.
Most importantly, they all died when they should have died, leaving only good legacies for the Great Zhou Dynasty.
For example, the alliance with the demon race, the construction of the line of seventeen cities including Yongxue Pass and Yonglan Pass, and the unification of north and south.
The current Emperor was still a wise ruler.
He never left the deep palace, yet he governed the world. For over a decade, the weather had been favorable, and the seas were calm. Did people really think it was just Heaven’s favor?
Compared to humans, the demon race’s luck over the past millennium had been terrible.
The previous Demon Lord’s abilities were also perfect. He was a true great leader, even worthy of being called great.
If only he had died earlier.
Unfortunately, this Demon Lord lived too long.
He was older than Emperor Taizong and had even called himself brothers with Emperor Taizu.
But Emperor Taizu died, Emperor Taizong died, Emperor Gaozong died, and he still hadn’t died. He refused to die.
Only flowing water remains fresh. The Demon Lord ruled Snow Old City for too long, and the entire demon race became stagnant.
Even more terrifying was that the old Demon Lord’s body was still alive, but his spirit had gradually decayed.
Perhaps because he had faced death for too long, he was completely uninterested in state affairs, spending most of his time and energy on cultivating his demon body and soul.
He wanted to heal his old wounds, to enter the legendary realm of great freedom, he wanted… to live forever.
That was why he had risked entering the Cold Mountain back then, wanting to eat Chen Changsheng. That was why he fell into Shang Xingzhou’s trap, fought a shocking battle with the White Emperor on the snowy plains, and was severely injured. That was why he showed a flaw, was overthrown by the Black Robe and the Demon General working together, and was forced into the abyss by his own son.
In the end, he died in the Snow Ridge for no other reason than that he wanted to live too much.
It was as said before: a pity, truly a pity, that he died too late.
If he had died earlier like Emperor Taizong, the demon upper class would have renewed itself more naturally. Even if they still weakened, the time for revival would have come much sooner.
In the end, it was all fate.
This was the Demon Lord’s fate, and also the demon race’s fate.
Tonight was the demon race’s last chance. The Eight Mountain Dwellers wanted to defy fate, but they failed.
At this point, the world’s momentum was set. The demon race’s momentum was gone.
“Oh, woman… woman…”
“Oh, old man… old man…”
Starlight shone on the Yanzhi Mountain dweller’s face, a ghastly white.
His lips were also white, slightly trembling, like a snow pile about to collapse.
“The fall of my Yanzhi Mountain leaves me no joy in my heart.”
After saying these words, he closed his eyes and died.