Mortal: The Path to Immortality

"The Snow Demon Beast! Legend has it that this beast has long been extinct in Tiannan, yet we've actually encountered it here!"

Just as the others were lamenting that their companion had been devoured by the monster, Zhou Tong recognized the monster and exclaimed in surprise.

It is said that the Snow Beast is naturally good at disguise, able to conceal its form, and its saliva contains a deadly poison. Most uniquely, it can kill all strange insects in the world.

For the cultivators of Spirit Beast Mountain who tamed spirit beasts and insects, this beast was simply priceless.

"Fellow Daoists, do not panic! Although this beast is strong, we can definitely subdue it if we join forces." Zhou Tong rallied everyone's morale, and summoned a yellow flying sword.

"I've heard that the Snow Beast is a treasure trove. If we could obtain some resources from it, our cultivation would surely be much more efficient." Han Ze responded enthusiastically to Zhou Tong's call, holding a long sword magic weapon in both hands.

Seeing the scene before them, Kong Yuan and Lu Nanzhu no longer hesitated and took out their hammer-shaped magical artifacts and double blades respectively to meet the enemy.

"You beast, prepare to die!"

Zhou Tong took the initiative, his yellow flying sword "Yellow Light" transforming into several heavy earth-attribute sword shadows, which rushed towards the Snow Beast with great momentum.

Each sword shadow that landed beside the monster solidified into a stone pillar, attempting to trap its enormous body.

Han Ze was also filled with envy. The long sword in his hand shone brightly, and he rushed forward, frantically slashing at the monster's vital points.

Lu Nanzhu still wielded two blades, relying on his agile movements to harass the monster from the side and rear.

Seeing his junior brother rush forward, Senior Brother Kong immediately roared and charged forward with his heavy hammer, delivering a series of heavy blows to the beast's webbed feet.

The Snow Beast was completely enraged by the encirclement of the four people, and its azure eyes revealed a fierce glint.

Its massive body displayed an agility that was disproportionate to its size. With a sudden kick of its legs, it forcefully pushed the people behind it away, creating a gust of wind, and in a moment it leaped to the other side of the cave.

A moment later, the beast turned to face the cultivators and opened its mouth, spewing out a gust of wind.

"Whoosh—! Whoosh—!"

The gale carried a thin wisp of white mist, which instantly filled the entire cavern.

"Oh no! This fog is poisonous! Get out of here quickly!" Zhou Tong shouted a warning to everyone upon seeing the scene.

Han Ze was closest to the demonic beast and couldn't dodge in time. The white mist swept across his sleeve, instantly producing a piercing sizzling sound, and his fine robe was corroded with several large holes in an instant.

Seeing the demonic beast exhaling mist, Kong Yuan not only didn't retreat, but instead channeled his spiritual power into his heavy hammer and slammed it heavily into the ground: "Disperse!"

The wind whipped up by the heavy hammer, carrying spiritual energy, tore a gap in the white mist, and Kong Yuan took advantage of the momentum to stride forward.

Seeing that this burly man dared to get so close, the monster quickly closed its large, spraying mouth. Its long, thin, yet incredibly resilient tongue suddenly shot out from its mouth, hurtling towards Kong Yuan.

With a clang, the long tongue struck the heavy hammer, producing a crisp metallic sound. Kong Yuan was jolted back three steps, his hands slightly numb.

Lu Nanzhu quickly stepped forward and steadily supported Kong Yuan, who had been knocked back. With a swipe of his right hand across his storage bag, several "Wind Shot Talismans" glowing with a bluish light were already in his fingertips.

"Bang!"

With a soft shout, the talismans were thrown out, and several whirlwinds spread out from the ground, blowing the poisonous mist back.

Seeing that the poisonous fog could not force the crowd back, the Snow Beast concealed itself and disappeared into the cave.

"It's gone! I can't detect it with my divine sense!" Han Ze shouted anxiously, gripping his long sword tightly.

Everyone unleashed their full spiritual power, not wanting to miss any details, and closely observed every corner of the cave.

Suddenly, a patch of void beside Han Ze twisted strangely.

"Be careful!" Kong Yuan warned again.

Before Han Ze could react, a long, blue tongue, fully charged, shot out and suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Clang—Snap!"

This all-out attack was incredibly fast, and Han Ze instinctively raised his longsword to block it. However, faced with that brute force, his magical artifact shattered like porcelain.

Han Ze was also thrown several feet away by the residual force, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with horror.

The Snow Beast did not press its advantage. After that attack, it once again used the recoil to leap into the darkness, continuing to conceal itself, as if toying with its prey.

Seeing this, Lu Nanzhu's heart tightened. This beast was using his ability to conceal himself to toy with everyone; if they couldn't break through his disguise, they would all eventually die here.

His eyes swept across the ground and he keenly spotted several small wooden barrels on the ground—oil used for lighting and making explosives in the mine.

"Senior brother! Catch!"

Using his agility, Lu Nanzhu ran over quickly, grabbed the rock wall for leverage, and scooped up two buckets of kerosene. He then tossed one of the buckets to Kong Yuan.

Kong Yuan subconsciously took the bucket, and the heavy weight made him pause slightly: "Junior brother, what is the meaning of this?"

"It can conceal its form, making it difficult for our divine senses to detect," Lu Nanzhu explained hastily.

"But it only conceals its form; it doesn't disappear. With the help of this, we can 'see' it clearly."

Kong Yuan instantly understood and exclaimed, "Good lad, you have a great idea! We'll do it your way!"

No sooner had the two finished speaking than a noise came from the shadows in a corner of the cave.

"here we go again!"

Zhou Tong held his sword to protect his chest.

Han Ze was seriously injured. While taking pills to recover from his injuries, he barely managed to set up a shield magic artifact to cover himself.

Just as the Snow Beast, greedy for merit and reckless, was about to launch another sneak attack on the seriously injured Han Ze, Lu Nanzhu seized the opportunity.

"Let's do it!"

Lu Nanzhu shouted, and the two of them threw the oil drums they were holding at the Snow Beast.

Immediately, he activated his magic, condensing several "needles" with his spiritual energy, and used these needles to shatter the oil drums in the air.

"Splash—!"

Large swaths of thick, black kerosene spilled out like ink, instantly filling the cave with a pungent, oily odor.

The previously empty space was instantly outlined with a massive silhouette, which turned out to be the Snow Beast that had concealed its form.

The monster couldn't dodge in time and got splashed all over its back.

Lu Nanzhu immediately took out more than a dozen fireball talismans, rushed to the vicinity, and threw them out, igniting the oil on the Snow Beast's body.

"boom--!"

On the back of the monster, a ball of crimson fire exploded instantly, spreading out along the outline drawn by the oil, and in a moment, it enveloped the Snow Demon Beast.

At this moment, the Snow Beast transformed into a giant fireball, letting out a shrill scream that echoed throughout the entire mine.

It seemed to be blinded by the flames on its body, and it jumped around wildly, igniting the oil barrels left in the cave.

In an instant, the screams of the monsters inside the cave and the explosions of the burning oil barrels mingled together, and the flames illuminated the entire cave.

Seeing this, everyone quickly hid in a narrow passageway.

Soon after, the sound of breaking stones came from inside the cave.

Then, the cave became dark again, and the monster's cries disappeared.

The group hurried back to the cave through the passageway. Inside, apart from a few scattered embers, the air was filled with the smell of burnt flesh and the pungent odor of kerosene.

Everyone activated their divine senses, and the enormous Snow Beast seemed to have vanished into thin air.

After searching for a long time, Han Ze exclaimed in surprise from a shadowy corner hidden by a huge rock: "Come and see!"

Hearing the sound, everyone rushed over and saw a dark and deep cave path behind the boulder, about ten feet wide, leading straight down into the depths of the earth.

Zhou Tong stepped ahead to the tunnel entrance. He crouched down, looking at the jumbled rocks at the edge of the entrance, cracked and broken by brute force, then gazing at the deep cave floor, and couldn't help but sigh:

"This beast is truly remarkable! Not only is its concealment ability uncanny, but its ability to dig and move underground is astonishing! It must have dug such a deep tunnel in just a few breaths. Such an ability is truly rare!"

He hesitated for a moment, then made a move to go down into the cave.

"Wait a minute!"

Lu Nanzhu suddenly spoke, flicking a tiny flame with his finger and suspending it about ten feet deep at the tunnel entrance, carefully observing it by the dim light.

"What is it, Junior Brother Lu? It's urgent, so act quickly. If we delay any longer, that beast will run far away." Zhou Tong frowned impatiently.

"Senior Brother Zhou, please look," Lu Nanzhu said, ignoring his urging, pointing to both sides of the cave wall. "The soil at the tunnel entrance is indeed damp, cold, and loose, with jagged rocks; it certainly looks newly excavated. But if you look further down—"

He pointed to the cave walls a little deeper inside: "The walls there have become as smooth as a mirror. If it were a newly opened cave, the rock strata should have sharp angles, not be so rounded."

Lu Nanzhu paused, his eyes narrowing slightly: "This isn't a hastily dug tunnel; it's been there for a long time. The situation below is unknown, and going in rashly could be disastrous."

Upon hearing this, Kong Yuan's expression changed slightly, and he tightened his grip on the heavy hammer: "Junior Brother Lu, do you mean there might be its lair down there? And if there are other Snow Beasts..."

Lu Nanzhu nodded in agreement.

"No matter what's down there, this beast is already severely injured and is at its weakest." A sinister glint flashed in Zhou Tong's eyes, clearly indicating that he did not want to give up this opportunity.

He turned to look at the bottomless abyss, his tone heavy and his movements resolute:

"Fortune favors the bold. Now that we're here, we can't leave empty-handed. I'll go down first; please make yourselves at home."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Tong had already leaped into the abyss.

Although Han Ze was injured, his condition improved noticeably after taking some pills, and he said:

"Since Senior Brother Zhou has gone down, why don't we go and help him out? Maybe we can get some opportunities too."

Moreover, this strange creature might be related to the disappearance of the family head. If we go down there, we might be able to find some clues.

Before the two could reply, he charged in, shield in hand.

Seeing Lu Nanzhu's hesitant look, Kong Yuan stepped forward to comfort him:

"If you feel it's dangerous, Junior Brother, stay here and guard the cave entrance to provide backup."

"Is Senior Brother also going?"

"Since I've accepted my master's orders, I can't just give up halfway; I have to get results." Kong Yuan smiled憨厚ly.

"Besides, if we just abandon our fellow disciples and go back, our master will inevitably punish us if he finds out."

Moreover, before you left, your master instructed you to protect you, so naturally he couldn't let you take any risks." After saying this, Kong Yuan put away his magic hammer and stepped into the tunnel entrance, preparing to slide down.

Just then, a hand firmly grasped Kong Yuan's arm.

Lu Nanzhu shook his head and said with a smile:

"Senior brother's actions make me appear cowardly and untrustworthy. Fine, let's go down together and return on our own."

After exchanging a glance, the two quickly disappeared into the tunnel.