Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 84 Monsters of Mount Meng
People wake up at 9 am, and the rain stops at noon.

It must be said that it is indeed convenient for cultivators. Pei Xia used his internal energy to open the small stone pot and stewed some meat soup with the two fat mountain rats he caught in the morning.

After eating, the three girls were noticeably better.

They hadn't reached Mengshan yet, so it wasn't safe enough to stay any longer. With their meager luggage on their backs, and urged on by Pei Xia, the group began their ascent into the deep mountains and dense forests of northern Shuzhou.

Fortunately, the rain wasn't too heavy today, so the roads weren't too muddy.

Xu Shangxin had made some progress last night and was in high spirits today. Holding the "Hero's Mercy" that Pei Xia had reforged, he walked at the front to clear the way.

Lu Li followed behind her, doing nothing productive. One minute she was tugging at the vines, the next she was blowing on the ants, and then she was pinching the peaches... Oh, sorry, Master's wife, I wasn't paying attention.

Li Tan, whose external injuries were more severe, lagged behind and was pale.

Pei Xia followed beside her.

“In your current state, you definitely can’t go back to the Zuoshan Sect,” Pei Xia said.

Li Tan understood that although she was walking, her eyes remained somewhat blank.

"Actually, on the Ice Lotus, you don't need to clash with that constable. There are also those two from the Snow Swallow Sect nearby. If it really comes to a crisis, Old Xu won't let them keep watch."

This time, Li Tan was no longer confused. She forced a smile and said, "I didn't think that much about it."

"...That's a good thing too."

Pei Xia looked at her and smiled back: "Didn't you say before that you had nothing on your mind? Look, didn't you have something you wanted to do when you drew your sword yesterday?"

Judging from her past experiences, Li Tan may actually be the kind of beautiful woman with a tragic fate that storytellers often describe.

The typical ending for this kind of character is that he should die in the Snow Swallow Sect to make it seem tragically beautiful.

Life is unpredictable.

Pei Xia patted Li Shijie's shoulder encouragingly, then remained silent.

He himself emerged from despair.

The four of them went straight into the deep mountains. When it got dark, they found an open space to camp and rest, and then continued their journey the next day.

This time we traveled along deserted mountain paths, which slowed us down considerably, but we didn't encounter any trouble along the way. In more than ten days, we only met two mountain people, one who was hunting and the other who was gathering herbs.

Pei Xia was well-prepared for this trip to Nestling Mountain. As cultivators, they could fetch their own food and water from the mountain. The main thing was to ask the local villagers for directions to ensure they didn't get lost.

About twenty days later, the four of them crossed a large river and officially entered the Mengshan area.

Mount Meng is a natural barrier in the northern border of Shuzhou. Everyone knows that once you cross Mount Meng, you've reached Youzhou.

However, no one has ever been able to clearly define which part of Mengshan belongs to Shuzhou and which part belongs to Youzhou.

Back when Youzhou was still Da Ling, nobody bothered with this matter.

Youzhou is no longer under the control of Da Ling, yet still no one is discussing this.

Anyway, we've never had a peaceful relationship with the Northern Barbarians, and the Da Ling has always been claiming sovereignty over Youzhou. Why would I draw a border with you? What a load of crap!
Why don't the Northern Barbarians talk about this either?
As I said before, Mount Meng is a barrier, both for Shuzhou and Youzhou.

This barrier property is due not only to its harsh natural environment, but also to the numerous monsters that live within its mountain.

The world of Kyushu does have the concept of "demons," but their numbers are extremely rare, and they cannot even form distinct species because the conditions for their birth are highly accidental.

Just as children born to two human spiritual practitioners are generally not born with innate spiritual abilities.

When demonic beasts reproduce with each other, the offspring are merely ordinary wild animals. Mortals, through enlightenment, can theoretically and methodically learn to observe the winds and seas, and enter the twelfth realm of martial arts.

Wild animals, on the other hand, can only rely on luck.

Perhaps one day, with a bit of luck, I'll suddenly open up my "spiritual sea," and then I can become a demon beast.

The spiritual sea overflows, all beings are equal, and even wild beasts can absorb spiritual energy.

Although they don't have as many cultivation methods as humans, they are simple-minded and have fewer worries. After eating and drinking their fill, they simply follow their instincts to absorb spiritual energy.

They do not condense their inner energy; they only continuously nourish their physical bodies with spiritual power. When the spiritual power in their physical bodies is sufficient, the remaining part lingers within their bodies, and some demonic beasts may gradually master some methods of using it.

Just like how they learn to use their teeth and claws from a young age.

As for the legendary monsters that are refined by spiritual power, their minds are thoroughly cleansed, and they possess intelligence comparable to humans.

Uh, I've heard of it but never seen it.

The four walked through the forests of Mengshan. Xu Shangxin wielded her sword to cut through the bushes, clearing a path as she listened to Pei Xia recount the origins of the demonic beast. She couldn't help but turn back and ask, "You said you've heard of it but never seen it. Where do you think you can hear of it?"

Pei Xia grabbed a handful of wild mulberries she had picked yesterday, and said as she ate them, "Mengshan."

Xu Shangxin's hand, which was swinging her sword, paused.

Pei Xia continued, "A monster that has awakened its intelligence is not necessarily very strong, but it often causes very serious consequences, just like Mount Meng."

According to some cultivators in Shubei Younan, the enlightened beast of Mengshan is said to be very intelligent. It is convinced of the existence of spiritual power and is consciously cultivating.

"It was precisely because it discovered the difficulty of cultivation that it spontaneously began to search for methods, but how could it create a lineage all by itself?"

"It came up with an idea: it kept trying to make other wild animals spiritually connected, so they could become demonic beasts, nourished by spiritual power, and then eaten by itself."

"Because it's deep in the Mengshan Mountains, and nobody cares, the number of sentient beasts is increasing, increasing, increasing..."

Pei Xia popped the last mulberry into her mouth and clapped her hands: "This has led to the current situation where monsters roam freely inside Mengshan, the mountain people dare not enter, and the army is unwilling to come and suppress them."

After hearing Pei Xia's explanation, the eldest brother, who had been leading the way with great vigor, began to have a more interesting expression: "Won't it be dangerous for us to go in so recklessly?"

“Yes,” Pei Xia stepped forward, pressed down on her hand holding the sword, took it from her hand, and said softly, “So from today onwards, I will teach you how to face and deal with monsters, and how to ensure your safety as much as possible in dangerous mountains and wilderness. It’s free, so learn well.”

……

Meanwhile, a scout team dressed in military uniforms with large plumes was also traversing the forests of Mengshan.

They looked extremely disheveled at that moment.

Their clothes were torn, they were covered in dust, and two of them had disheveled hair and various wounds on their bodies.

These wounds were not inflicted by swords or knives, but were clearly caused by sharp teeth and claws.

After another attack, the six-man team was visibly exhausted.

They urgently need to find clean water to replenish their fluids and clean their wounds.

Without a guide deep in the mountains, they could only rely on luck, and in the past two hours, they had not made any discoveries.

Then another deep roar came from nearby.

The young sergeant in charge had no choice but to grit his teeth and shout, "Prepare for battle!"

(End of this chapter)