Chinese Superman

Chapter 137 Mountain Lord (Big Chapter)

late at night.

The mist and mountain air intertwined, thick and chilling.

The battlefield had been cleaned up, and Lu Yuan and Elder Guo returned to the base with the immortal peaches and many other relics to report back.

Gu Zhiqi also had a mission to carry out, so after a brief farewell to Xia Xinghan, he transformed into a dragon shadow shrouded in clouds and departed.

In the vast Zhongnan Mountain, only Xia Xinghan remained.

A mountain breeze swept by, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, creating an unprecedented tranquility.

Xia Xinghan picked the remaining five immortal peaches, put four away, and took a large immortal peach for himself. He ate it while touring the revitalized Zhongnan Mountain.

He strolled along and first arrived at "Shangshan Pond".

Legend has it that in ancient times, a plague raged near Zhongnan Mountain, and there was no cure.

Zhang Zhijian, the abbot of Louguantai, dreamt that Laozi told him: "There is a spring under the stone slab in front of the mountain gate, and there are elixirs in the spring that can cure the epidemic."

After Zhang Jianyuan awoke, he ordered his men to search for it, and sure enough, they found a spring under the stone slab on the west side.

Give the infected Taoist priest water to drink, and he will recover after two hours.

When the news spread, people rushed to fetch water to treat their illnesses, and the epidemic subsided.

Three years later, Zhao Mengfu, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, visited this place and was amazed by what he heard. He then wrote the three characters "Shangshan Pond", which are derived from the meaning of "the highest good is like water" in the Tao Te Ching.

Xia Xinghan observed closely that the pool water was crystal clear, and under the nourishment of spiritual energy, a white mist rose from the surface. Scooping up a handful, the water was warm to the touch, indeed containing extraordinary spirituality and having the effect of healing injuries and curing diseases, no less than the Dragon Tiger Holy Water.

Moving to the vicinity of the Sutra-Speaking Platform, atop a towering peak to the southeast, one can see an ancient, octagonal stone furnace, said to be a remnant of Lao Tzu's alchemy practice. Now, with the revival of the sacred mountain, a few sparks of fire have risen from it.

Not far from the Bagua Furnace is the Yangtian Pool, which is said to have been used by Laozi for tempering. The pool water is clear and cold, with a faint aura of metal flowing through it.

The Qizhen Pavilion stands silently by the pond, as if one can still glimpse the figures of the sages who sat quietly cultivating their minds.

To the west lies the Transformation Spring, where the legend of Lao Tzu transforming the bones is told.

Finally, he returned to Louguantai.

This place is rich in spiritual energy. When you are here, you can calm your mind and concentrate. You can almost hear the faint sound of chanting, as if the ancient chapters of the Tao Te Ching are resonating with heaven and earth and with the spiritual energy.

"The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless, it is the origin of Heaven and Earth; named, it is the mother of all things—"

In a daze, I seemed to see a gaunt old man sitting on a platform, explaining to his disciples the profound principles of heaven and earth.

Xia Xinghan benefited greatly from listening to the Tao Te Ching. When he opened his eyes again, a scene flashed through his mind.

"The image of the resurgence of spiritual energy in Zhongnan Mountain at that time, with Lao Tzu riding a stone ox and glancing back—was it a chance re-enactment of a historical image, or—?"

He frowned slightly, his super brain working at lightning speed, eliminating unreasonable guesses.

"That's not right. Before the spiritual energy revived, Earth didn't have any real supernatural powers; myths and legends were more of a cultural imagery and philosophical expression. Besides, Lao Tzu's journey west out of Hangu Pass didn't actually take place in Zhongnan Mountain!"

Purple clouds rise from the east and emerge from Hangu Pass in the west.

This incident naturally occurred at Hangu Pass, and has absolutely nothing to do with Zhongnan Mountain.

"It seems that Lao Tzu's westward departure from Hangu Pass was merely a manifestation of the imagery of the resurgence of Zhongnan Mountain."

"However, I feel that looking back is not a coincidence. Thinking about it carefully, if Earth truly has a will, could it be using the imagery of revival to convey some kind of message?"

With this in mind, Xia Xinghan no longer hesitated.

He got up and headed to the depths of Zhongnan Mountain, where Lao Tzu once looked back. His eyes shone brightly, and his super vision was activated to the extreme. His gaze was like the most precise scanner, and he began to conduct a carpet search of every blade of grass, every tree, every stone, and every stream in Zhongnan Mountain.

The structure of the mountain, the flow of spiritual energy, the subtle changes in the magnetic field, and even the latitude and longitude lines of spatial dimensions—all of these are clearly visible to him.

however.

Once, twice, three times —

Aside from the miraculous manifestation of the resurgence of spiritual energy, he did not find any "anomalies".

Am I overthinking things? Am I being too sensitive?

Xia Xinghan returned to Louguantai, a hint of doubt rising in his heart.

However, he trusts his intuition more.

"Think about it again, is there anything else we've overlooked?"

Xia Xinghan closed his eyes, and the wondrous scene of purple aura coming from the east and a blue ox going west clearly appeared in his mind.

Then.

He lifted his feet off the ground and flew towards the spot where Lao Tzu's phantom had turned around, standing in mid-air, trying to align his gaze with that of Lao Tzu's phantom.

Following that invisible "gaze," we looked out into the mountains and fields.

It seems like... nothing?

Is the angle wrong?

Was I overthinking it?

No, let's try again!

Once, twice—just when he was about to give up, his super vision, combined with this peculiar "perspective overlap," finally caught a hint of incongruity: a seemingly ordinary steep cliff.

The vines were dense, but behind a thick curtain of vines, the refraction of light had an extremely subtle anomaly, as if there was nothing behind it.

Xia Xinghan flew over to investigate, parting the thick, dense vines that had grown for who knows how many years.

Sure enough, a narrow crevice appeared behind, leading to the entrance of a very well-hidden natural grotto.

"Strange, I searched this place several times using my super vision, why didn't I find this cave?"

Xia Xinghan entered the grotto with curiosity.

The cave is not deep; after walking only a dozen meters, we reached the end.

At the end is a rough stone wall, which looks no different from ordinary mountain rocks.

However, right on the stone wall, three ancient and simple seal characters were deeply engraved—

Hangu Pass

Xia Xinghan's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Hangu Pass?! The real Hangu Pass is far away in Lingbao City, this place is deep in the Zhongnan Mountains—how could it be marked as Hangu Pass?"

For a moment, Xia Xinghan was taken aback, confused by the contradictory information.

"If this is Hangu Pass, then what is the Hangu Pass outside?"

He took a deep breath, quickly calmed down, and carefully examined the inscription of "Hangu Pass".

"This place is extremely secluded, and the inscriptions are full of ancient charm, definitely not from modern times."

"Combined with the imagery of the spiritual resurgence, it is no coincidence. It seems that the will of Earth is using such a subtle method to reveal some unknown secret."

He carefully examined the entire grotto again, even using his X-ray vision to scan behind the stone walls.

However, apart from the three characters "Hangu Pass", the cave was empty.

There are no signs of any artificial excavation.

There were no secret passages, no mechanisms, and not even a trace of spiritual matter.

"The absence of spiritual energy—that in itself is the greatest unusual thing."

Xia Xinghan became even more certain.

"In the heart of Zhongnan Mountain, where spiritual energy is so abundant, a hidden grotto inscribed with 'Hangu Pass' is like a dead zone—this doesn't make sense."

He stroked the cold stone wall, which felt no different from ordinary rock, and suddenly punched it down.

There was no loud noise, no earth-shaking.

The seemingly ordinary stone wall left no trace and swallowed up the superhuman's immense force of hundreds of millions of tons.

"Since that's the case—"

Xia Xinghan's eyes suddenly lit up, a flash of red light, and two beams of intense heat shot directly at the stone wall.

It remains as calm as ever.

"There's definitely a problem. This stone wall has been highly solidified by some kind of force."

Xia Xinghan looked away from the heat and abandoned the method of brute force to test him.

"We still need to start with the image of Lao Tzu riding a green ox westward out of Hangu Pass."

"Yes, purple aura paves the way, a shortcut to Zhongnan Mountain."

A glint flashed in Xia Xinghan's eyes.

"Could it be that one needs to invoke the mysteries of Zhongnan Mountain and follow a specific path" to enter or activate this stone wall?"

My thoughts gradually became clearer.

But this raises a new problem: although his combat power is astonishing, he has not been chosen as the master of Zhongnan Mountain and is unable to mobilize the imagery and mystical power of this sacred mountain itself.

"It seems that to solve the mystery of Hangu Pass, we must first find the master of Zhongnan Mountain."

Xia Xinghan pondered for a moment, then walked out of the cave and casually restored the vines to their original state.

The next day, as the sun rose, its golden light bathed the Zhongnan Mountains.

Beside a clear mountain spring, on a moss-covered rock, lies a mountain tortoise the size of a palm. It is with—

Slightly different from ordinary mountain turtles, the patterns on their carapace gleam with a faint golden luster in the sunlight, and their small, bright eyes dart around, revealing an almost human-like intelligence.

Last night, the spiritual energy of Zhongnan Mountain erupted completely, with a large amount of pure spiritual matter permeating the area. This ordinary mountain tortoise, which has lived here for many years, happened to absorb the most essential part of it, which not only tempered its body but also awakened its intelligence.

In the darkness, it sensed the "breathing" and "rhythm" of the entire mountain range. A gentle yet grand will seemed to acknowledge it, connecting it with a portion of the mountain's "authority".

It became the "mountain master" naturally chosen by Zhongnan Mountain after its spiritual energy was restored.

This was an incredible stroke of luck.

The little turtle was initially very excited, feeling the growing power within its body and its control over the mountains.

However, the bloody and devastating battle that took place in the mountains last night terrified it.

Various relics appeared out of thin air, unleashing mysterious power that even destroyed the mountain peaks solidified by spiritual energy.

Even more terrifying is a human boy.

His aura was like that of a primordial beast, and his killing intent was comparable to that of a demon god.

Xia Xinghan slaughtered everyone in his path, single-handedly annihilating powerful families, bringing the little turtle's fear to its peak. The turtle stayed in its shell all night, trembling and too afraid to move.

Until this moment, the sun was warm, and the mountains were serene.

That terrifying aura seemed to have left as well.

The little turtle cautiously poked its head and limbs out, its bright black eyes exploring its surroundings. After confirming it was safe, it stretched comfortably and then instinctively faced the rising sun, opened its little mouth, and inhaled and exhaled, drawing in barely perceptible specks of spiritual energy.

"what?"

"This little turtle—it seems to be practicing breathing exercises based on its instincts~"

A clear, crisp girl's voice suddenly rang out.

The little turtle was so frightened that it quickly retracted its head and limbs, its heart pounding.

Two people appeared by the mountain spring at some unknown time.

It was Xia Xinghan who had left and then returned.

And, the girl he specially brought from the base—Su Xiao.

Xia Xinghan's gaze fell on the tortoise shell on the moss-covered rock, and a knowing smile appeared on his face: "It really is her."

"Xinghan, you already found out?" Su Xiao asked curiously.

"Yes, after the great battle last night, I patrolled Zhongnan Mountain and detected several strong life fluctuations in the mountain. Among them, the spirituality of this mountain tortoise is the purest and most refined, and it has a unique rhythm that is faintly in harmony with the entire mountain."

Xia Xinghan paused for a moment, then continued to deduce, "The tortoise symbolizes longevity, stability, and wisdom, which perfectly matches the imagery of the Taoist culture and longevity culture of Zhongnan Mountain."

"A thousand-year-old tortoise and a ten-thousand-year-old turtle, it's not surprising that Zhongnan Mountain chose a sacred tortoise as its master."

Su Xiao was extremely surprised to hear this.

"Can animals mutate and become mountain lords?"

"Aren't Wudang Mountain and Longhu Mountain all inhabited by people?"

Xia Xinghan shook his head and said, "With the revival of spiritual energy, everything has an opportunity. Plants can become spiritual roots of heaven and earth, and animals can naturally awaken their intelligence and embark on the path of cultivation."

"It's just that animals need to accumulate more spiritual substances, and the conditions for activation are more demanding."

"Currently, it is probably only blessed lands and grottoes with a high concentration of spiritual energy like Zhongnan Mountain that can naturally nurture animals that have developed intelligence."

"However, as spiritual energy continues to recover, there may be more and more examples of animals awakening in the future."

As the two were talking, a pointed head quietly peeked out from the seemingly lifeless tortoise shell on the mossy rock, and a pair of small, dark eyes nervously peered out.

When it noticed that Xia Xinghan's eyes seemed to be glancing over, the little turtle instantly retracted its head.

But the next second, the little turtle seemed to have made up its mind. Its shell suddenly opened, and its limbs slashed with a speed completely disproportionate to its size—

"call out!"

A dark blue light flashed by.

The little turtle shot off like an arrow into the dense forest, its speed comparable to that of a peregrine falcon diving at full speed!

"Trying to run away?"

Xia Xinghan chuckled lightly, without moving, but simply raised his right hand and made a loose grasp in the direction the little turtle had fled.

An irresistible, invisible force field instantly enveloped the mysterious light.

The little turtle felt a tightness all over its body, as if it were an insect trapped in amber resin. No matter how hard it tried to struggle with the meager spiritual energy within its body, it could not move.

"boom"

The little turtle instinctively activated the mountain lord's "authority".

After sensing something, the peaks of Zhongnan Mountain trembled, spiritual energy surged forth, and the mysteries of the mountain transformed into various strange phenomena and wonders, which came one after another.

As a result, Xia Xinghan stomped his foot, causing the mountains to tremble. With his own strength, he directly intimidated the entire Zhongnan Mountain.

"Don't be silly, or I'll turn you into soup!"

With a threatening sound, the little turtle gave up resisting and was pulled back, hovering above Xia Xinghan's palm.

"Let me go! You bad guy! You scared me to death!"

A tender, clear girl's voice, filled with sobs and anger, rang directly in Su Xiao's mind.

Su Xiao's eyes lit up.

Although her innate ability allows her to communicate with animals, this is the first time she has encountered an animal that can express itself so clearly.

She quickly stepped forward, bent down, touched the turtle's shell with her fingers, and gently comforted it, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we won't hurt you. You can talk now, that's amazing!"

"What?"

"Who, who spoke! I'm just an ordinary little turtle!"

The little turtle was startled, and it spread its head and limbs out, pretending to be dead in Xia Xinghan's palm, but its inner turmoil revealed a panic that was trying to cover up.

"I heard everything."

Su Xiao smiled and stretched out her finger, gently tapping the little turtle's shell, her fingertip swirling with spiritual energy.

She was using her special abilities to soothe the little turtle.

As for control—

The moment Su Xiao used her innate divine power, the tiny demon, no bigger than the palm of her hand, transformed into a majestic and magnificent divine mountain in her mind.

Mountain Lord!

Inviolable, indesecrated, and uncontrollable.

At least with her current level and strength, it's completely impossible for her to do that.

Fortunately, Su Xiao didn't actually try to control it; she only chose to communicate. Otherwise, she would have been injured by the backlash immediately.

"Don't be nervous, don't be afraid, we're not bad people." Su Xiao's voice was gentle, like an older sister comforting a child.

"Liar! He did it last night—last night—"

"Although this young man fought fiercely last night, he's not a bad person. He's here to help you and also to help this mountain."

The little turtle, soothed by Su Xiao's presence, relaxed a little, but was still filled with fear of Xia Xinghan: "Help, help with what? The mountain is fine, and the turtle is fine too—as long as he doesn't make the mountain covered in blood again—"

Su Xiao gave Xia Xinghan a look, and Xia Xinghan understood, flashing a bright smile as he said, "Little Turtle, you're the chosen master of Zhongnan Mountain, right?"

"We meant no harm."

"There is a place in the mountains that may require your power as the mountain lord to uncover its secrets."

O

"Mountain Lord? A secret?"

The little turtle's curiosity was piqued, and it cautiously poked half its head out of its shell, its dark eyes scrutinizing Xia Xinghan.

"W-What secret? And how did you know I am—the Mountain Lord?"

"I felt your connection with this mountain."

"However, you are only half a mountain lord, not the master of the entire Zhongnan Mountain."

Xia Xinghan spoke frankly.

After all, the complete Zhongnan Mountain is not just about mountains, rivers, and vegetation, but also includes the human architecture and cultural heritage within the mountain.

Choosing an animal as the mountain's symbol has its drawbacks; it prevents one from truly grasping all the mysteries of the resurrected ruins.

Do you think a tortoise can understand Lao Tzu or the Tao Te Ching?

Of course not.

Therefore, when the little turtle used the mystical power of Zhongnan Mountain, it was easily suppressed by Xia Xinghan with a mere gesture.

Xia Xinghan cut to the chase without mincing words: "There's a place in the mountains with the words 'Hangu Pass' carved on it, but it's sealed by a mysterious force and can't be opened by ordinary means."

"I suspect that only a master recognized by Zhongnan Mountain can activate the mountain's imagery in order to find a way to enter."

"Hangu Pass?"

The little turtle tilted its head.

It seemed to be using its newly acquired, still somewhat unfamiliar, mountain lord privileges to perceive things.

A moment later, the little turtle uncertainly transmitted its thoughts to Su Xiao: "It seems—there is a place on the other side of the mountain that feels strange."

"The power of the mountain, when it flows there, becomes very calm, as if it has been swallowed up by something — but it's too far away, I can't feel it clearly."

After Su Xiao relayed the information, Xia Xinghan's eyes lit up.

There's a chance!

"Can you take us there?"

After speaking with Xia Xinghan, Su Xiao softly guided him, "Or, you could try using your 'Mountain Lord' power to sense that place and see if you can establish a connection with it?"

The little turtle stretched its head out, looked at Su Xiao's gentle smiling face, and then secretly glanced at Xia Xinghan.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that Xia Xinghan was not a vicious or evil person.

But a tortoise's "aesthetic sense" is definitely different from that of a human. Su Xiao's innate supernatural abilities made it feel a sense of familiarity.

In the little turtle's eyes, the life energy that Xia Xinghan naturally exuded was even more terrifying than that of a prehistoric beast!

He was like a volcano about to erupt, containing the power to destroy the world and the fire energy to burn everything, causing the little turtle's soul to tremble and fear on a life level.

Xia Xinghan seemed to sense something and touched his brow with his finger.

All the vital energy was directly sealed in the Eightfold Treasure Box Seal.

In an instant, Xia Xinghan seemed to transform into a cute and harmless little white rabbit.

A hint of doubt flashed in the little turtle's bright eyes.

What? The volcano went out?

It huddled in its shell, hesitating for a while, before finally saying in a soft voice, "Then—you promise not to fight?"

"Without damaging the mountains?"

"I promise."

Xia Xinghan nodded solemnly: "No one dares to come to Zhongnan Mountain to fight anymore."

Who dares to come?

They were all terrified by Xia Xinghan's killing spree overnight!

"I just want to unravel an ancient mystery."

"If you can help, I can also teach you a technique that is more suitable for turtles to absorb spiritual energy and cultivate themselves as a reward."

Although Su Xiao was puzzled as to how Xia Xinghan knew the turtle's cultivation method, she still patiently explained to the little turtle what the cultivation method meant.

"?!"

"To be able to sleep every day, eat my fill, and not have to worry about being eaten or bullied?"

"Wow, this technique is amazing!"

The little turtle's eyes lit up instantly, and it forgot most of its fear.

"Really? You're not lying to the turtle?"

"I'm not lying to you."

Xia Xinghan smiled.

"Alright then! Let's go check out that weird place!" The little turtle finally made up its mind, jumping from Xia Xinghan's palm to Su Xiao's outstretched hand, and pointed in a certain direction with its little paws, "It's over there! But—it's a bit far, it used to take me ages to crawl there—"

I'm so sorry, I didn't have any drafts saved up, so I'm updating forty minutes late today.

I was really watching the time closely, rushing to finish the manuscript while feeling anxious.