From a country cook to a master chef

On the lake surface, the bubbles gradually disappeared.

Liu Laohei was extremely anxious and quickly took off his clothes, intending to jump into the water to save the person.

Lin Jue reacted quickly and grabbed him, saying, "Brother Liu, the situation is unclear right now. If we continue like this, what if there's danger down below? Wouldn't we just be throwing our lives away for nothing?"

"Brother Lin, don't stop me."

Old Liu stared intently at the broken ice, his expression grave. "Second brother is my brother-in-law. Even if there's danger, I have to go down and save him."

After saying that, Liu Laohei broke free from Lin Jue's pull, took a deep breath, and leaped into the lake, splashing up a wave.

The mountain wind carried snow, which fell from the sky in clumps.

In the hazy, gray forest, Lin Jue was suddenly left all alone, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

He couldn't swim and was a poor swimmer. With the heavy snow falling, if he rashly went into the water, he would probably have to trouble Liu Laohei to turn around and save him. Rather than going down and causing trouble for him, he would rather wait patiently on the shore.

Seeing that there was still no movement in the lake, Lin Jue paced anxiously back and forth on the shore, unconsciously rubbing his hands and stamping his feet. "Forget it, I'll go and see if there are any other hunters nearby. Maybe they can help."

Just then.

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the sky quickly darkened. Thunder rumbled and a cold wind howled.

Before the rainwater even reached the ground, it froze into hail in the cold wind, striking the lake surface heavily, breaking the ice and splashing up countless tiny white waves.

Lin Jue quickly hid under a tree, took off his cloak and held it above his head to block the falling hail and snow.

Given the current situation, it seems unlikely that any other hunters can be found to help, so Liu Laohei, who has gone into the water, can only hope for the best.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning struck straight into the lake, instantly vaporizing a large amount of water. Around the point of impact, the lake water began to boil in a small area.

More and more dead fish floated to the surface of the lake, belly up, a white expanse.

Seeing this, Lin Jue became even more uneasy, not daring to imagine whether the two people under the lake were still alive.

boom!

A forked bolt of lightning flashed and disappeared in the dark clouds, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.

Lin Jue quickly covered his ears. In an instant, a huge black shadow flew out from the center of the lake, bringing with it towering walls of water. The spray from the crests of the waves splashed and fell as a dense curtain of water, creating ripples.

A powerful aura swept outwards, causing the lake water to churn violently, pebbles to fly off the shore, and trees to break off their branches as they were battered by the shockwave.

Two blood-red treasure fish were swept away by the wind and waves and fell to their deaths in front of Lin Jue. His eyes lit up, he grabbed the fish by their gills, picked them up, and threw them into his basket. Then he hid behind a tree, his face full of disbelief.

The dark figure burst out of the lake and soared upwards.

Dark clouds churned in the sky, thunder rumbled incessantly, lightning illuminated the clouds, and a dark shadow, like a raging beast, crashed into the lightning.

At such close range, Lin Jue felt a powerful pressure descend upon him, threatening to crush his body.

He clenched his fists, desperately resisting the oppressive force above him, his whole body trembling.

Just as he felt his physical body was about to collapse, a golden light streaked out from the dark clouds, transforming into a talisman that affixed to his chest, offsetting the oppressive force that enveloped his head.

"Young man, take your friends and leave immediately. This is not a place for you."

Thunderclouds rolled, and a weathered voice emanated from them.

In a fleeting glimpse, Lin Jue vaguely saw a human figure standing amidst the rolling black clouds, wielding lightning that transformed into chains binding the raging black shadow.

Waves splashed on the lake as Liu Laohei dragged Zhang Laoer to the shore. Both of them had a golden talisman pasted on their chests.

The three of them helped each other escape into the woods, not daring to look back.

Peng!

With a roar like that of a wild beast, the dark shadow in the sky plummeted vertically into the center of the lake, creating towering waves.

A bolt of lightning followed, and the mist on the lake surface suddenly erupted. A cold wind swept by, and the mist condensed upon contact with the cold air, turning into a vast expanse of white fog.

The fog was thick and heavy, like a white veil covering the lake.

The dark clouds in the sky gradually dissipated, and a figure stepped through the air, hovering silently between the water and the sea of ​​clouds.

He was dressed in a blue robe with lightning patterns, his palms crackling with lightning, and his brows furrowed with murderous intent as he stared intently at the lake below.

"Found you!"

The figure snorted coldly, and his palm suddenly slashed out. Wherever the palm sword passed, the space rippled under its strain.

The next second, the massive lake water, amounting to tens of millions of tons, was forcibly pushed to both sides, revealing the dark shadows hiding at the bottom of the lake.

The battle is imminent!

……

At the foot of Tiger Head Ridge, Lin Jue and Liu Laohei made a makeshift stretcher and carried Zhang Lao Er back to Yucheng as quickly as possible.

Liu Laohei, who had narrowly escaped death, said breathlessly, "Those who survive a great calamity are bound to have good fortune in the future. This time, I am very grateful for the protection of the mountain god."

As Lin Jue carried the stretcher, the horrific scene he had just witnessed kept replaying in his mind.

Could it be a great demon lurking in the mountains?

Ever since learning that there were alchemists in this world, and having come into contact with the Crimson Scale Python, Lin Jue has always believed that there are great demons in the world.

He had never seen a great demon before. Although he was prepared, he was still shocked when he suddenly witnessed the terror of the great demon.

terrible!

He would never forget the feeling of the great demon's oppressive aura descending upon him; in that instant, he felt as if he had seen his great-grandmother.

If it weren't for a talisman flying out from the clouds at the crucial moment to save his life, he would probably have been pulverized by that oppressive force, leaving no trace of his body.

Even as they approached Yucheng, Lin Jue was still filled with lingering fear, his body trembling uncontrollably.

It was merely an aura of pressure... no! It probably didn't even qualify as an aura of pressure; it was just the unintentional aura emanating from the great demon that almost killed him on the spot.

If a powerful demon intended to kill him, a single glance from the demon would likely be enough to instantly kill him without a burial place.

If there were no one to restrain it, it's unimaginable what a living hell it would be if that great demon were to rush into Yu City.

At this moment, Lin Jue increasingly wanted to leave Yucheng and this dangerous mountain.

An hour later, the three arrived at the South Gate of Yucheng. A large number of people who had gone out of the city to chop wood and hunt had gathered at the city gate and were queuing to enter the city.

Without exception, all of these people had faces full of panic and fear, and they all had injuries of varying degrees, with bruises and swelling being considered minor.

"The mountain god is angry today, surely because we didn't properly offer sacrifices to it after the heavy snowfall."

"Yes, the mountain god protects us, but we don't worship him. He must be unhappy."

"Let's all go to the government office and ask the garrison commander to preside over the sacrifice to the mountain god!"

People who live near mountains live off the mountains; people who live near the sea live off the sea.

Yucheng is surrounded by mountains. The people rely on the protection of the mountain gods to make a living, in addition to the crops in the fields.

Hunters can hunt in the mountains, woodcutters can cut down trees in unclaimed forests, herbalists can go into the mountains to collect herbs, and when there is no food, they can go into the mountains to pick wild vegetables and fruits to fill their stomachs...

For the mountain people, the anger of the mountain god is a serious matter that must be taken seriously.

After Lin Jue and Liu Laohei helped Zhang Lao Er get home, he quickly ran back to the tavern.

Plans are subject to change. He always felt that the appearance of a great demon in the mountains was definitely related to the heavy snow in the Great Wu Kingdom, and was definitely not the work of the mountain god.

The person attempting to capture the great demon within the dark clouds was undoubtedly a high-level Qi cultivator from the human race.

Judging from Liu Laohei's words, he obviously did not see the alchemist in the dark clouds and attributed the reason to the mountain god's anger.

Lin Jue lay on the bed, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

He had long suspected that the heavy snowfall was not a natural disaster, but rather caused by human intervention.

Having witnessed firsthand the battle between a high-level Qi cultivator and a terrifying demon, Lin Jue became even more convinced of his own conjecture.

He couldn't stay in Yucheng any longer; he had to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible.