“There’s no Mountain God here…”

Among the countless peaks in the world, only one in ten thousand had a Mountain God. Mountain Gods could be divided into inherent and nurtured types.

Inherent Mountain Gods did not rely on the faith of living beings. When a mountain’s spiritual resonance gained intelligence and took on a form after attaining enlightenment, it would become an inherent Mountain God. These gods were often incredibly powerful and, especially in their place of origin, were akin to the embodiment of the mountain itself.

Nurtured Mountain Gods, on the other hand, arose from faith. They were further divided into natural gods and human gods.

Some people, upon seeing the majestic and towering mountains being imposing and magnificent, or perhaps sacred and transcendent, naturally begin to revere them as divine mountains. Over time, with the offerings and incense, Mountain Gods were born.

Others were spirits, demons, ghosts or monsters that inhabited the mountains but had not become evil. Instead, they had formed benevolent relationships with humans. If people offered incense and there were many followers, they also became Mountain Gods. Sometimes, the court would decree with the Heavenly Palace’s consent to appoint a virtuous person as the god of a renowned mountain.

Inherent Mountain Gods typically emerged in remote areas with rich spiritual energy far from human settlements. Nurtured Mountain Gods usually arose around densely populated areas or even within cities. The more prosperous the place, the more likely it was for a Mountain God to be born.

Many mountains around Changjing had their own gods. Yanhui Peaks was not a nameless mountain; it had a name. It was majestic and grand, and was located near Changjing by the official road. Although it was not surprising that it lacked a Mountain God, having one would be more typical.

Adding to this was the frequent appearance of demons, ghosts, spirits and monsters…

“…”

Song You closed his eyes, attempting to sense the mountain’s spiritual resonance. As expected, he found nothing. He then consulted with the mountain’s animals but still came up empty.

It was to be expected. Since this place was near Changjing, if a powerful demon or evil spirit were to dwell here and send out minor demons and monsters to cause harm, it would certainly possess a skill for concealment.

However, Song You was not in a hurry. He found a spot under a tree on the mountain to sit, bask in the sun, and enjoy the spring scenery.

Tomorrow would be the spring equinox.

During the spring equinox, day and night were evenly split. The energies of yin and yang, as well as the forces of heaven and earth, were perfectly balanced. It was truly harmonious and profoundly mysterious.

Demons, spirits, and ghosts often cultivated either the Yin-Yang Method or the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy Method by absorbing the spiritual energy of the heavens and gathering the essence of the sun and moon. Even human cultivators mostly follow these two paths in their cultivation.

When the spring equinox arrived, the balance of yin and yang was achieved, and spiritual energy was in harmony. However, should a powerful spirit, ghost, or human cultivator be cultivating in any place, they would inevitably disrupt this balance and disturb the harmony.

Such disruptions could not remain hidden, no matter how well-concealed they might be. If anyone else aside from heaven and earth could achieve such perfect balance and harmony, they could be considered almighty.

At noon, he ate some dry rations and drank a little water, not forgetting to take a nap.

The calico cat jumped around him, chasing butterflies or insects. It climbed trees and scratched the bark, making a rustling sound, and sometimes disappearing into the grass. It would reappear after a while, smacking its lips and sniffing around his nose before wandering off again.

As for what the Daoist was doing on the mountain and why he wasn’t leaving, the calico cat didn’t ask many questions.

It wasn’t from lack of curiosity but rather from habit. The Daoist always engaged in peculiar activities, taking obscure paths and climbing to mountain tops. She used to ask questions, and he would answer, but she found it tedious and eventually stopped asking.

As long as she followed him, that was enough.

During this warm and blooming season, small animals occasionally passed by Song You. He usually urged them to leave quickly, lest they encounter trouble from his calico cat upon her return.

As night fell and deepened, the balance of yin and yang gradually settled, and the spiritual energy became increasingly harmonious.

The Daoist, accompanied by the dazed calico cat, once again made his way to the mountaintop under the starlight. Looking out, everything—the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, and the starry spiritual resonance—appeared serene and peaceful to him, except for one area that seemed unusual. 𐍂

There, the yin qi was slightly heavier. Usually imperceptible, it now stood out like a smudge of gray on a pure white sheet—very conspicuous.

The Daoist pointed in a direction and said, “I need to go over there.”

The calico cat, still half-asleep, lifted a paw to rub its eyes and asked, “What for? To urinate?”

“There’s a demon over there.”

“Another demon!”

“It's a great demon.”

“Can’t I go?”

“You can…” Song You paused. “But you should stay in the bag.”

“Stay in the bag the whole time?”

“Depends on you, but regardless, you must stay in the bag once we get there to avoid getting separated from me.”

“Uh...” The calico cat thought for a moment, knowing that human eyes were not as good as a cat’s for seeing in the dark. It said, “I’ll go ahead a bit.”

“Alright.”

The cat led the way, with the Daoist following behind, aided by a bit of starlight. The starlight on the mountain seemed to brighten just a little. Not much, just a bit.

The starlight was only faintly enough to make out shapes, and the road conditions remained unclear. Even now, the path could barely be discerned. Even the calico cat only vaguely noticed something, lifting its head to glance up. It assumed it was just a cloud blown away by the wind, and didn't pay it much mind.

“Go this way.” The calico cat found the path that the Daoist could follow.

After crossing one mountain and then another, they finally reached the area with slightly heavier yin qi. Song You followed the source of this somewhat abrupt yin qi and arrived at a cliff face.

Under the starlight, the cliff appeared as a pale gray. Touching it revealed a rugged stone wall with a rough, sandy texture, even shedding powder when touched.

“Quite realistic,” Song You said with a smirk.

This was a demon's spell.

Such spells not only obscure the mind but also the body. Forcing one's way through would be difficult, but by seeing through its true nature and realizing that it was not actually a stone wall but an entrance, one could easily pass through by closing their eyes and applying a bit of spiritual energy.

Inside might be a grand hall, or it could be just an entrance. There might be traps or restrictions, or there might not be. In any case, it was not appropriate to barge into someone’s residence unannounced.

Uncertain whether there were any spirits or demons on guard or if there were other exits, Song You looked around but found nothing. As dawn approached, he knocked on the stone wall and said, “Is anyone there?”

Faint echoes of the knock could be heard from within, reverberating endlessly. This ordinary-sounding knock seemed to resonate far inside, as if it was being echoed perpetually. Unless someone was deaf, they would have heard it.

After a while, there was no response.

“I am Song You, here to pay a visit. Since you are residing in this cave, why not come out and meet me?”

“Mm?” The calico cat, already back in the bag with only its head poking out, looked up at the Daoist and made a curious sound upon hearing him talk to himself.

A hand reached out and pushed the cat back into the bag.

“It’s refusing to come out? Then I’ll do this…

Ha

...” Song You casually exhaled. His breath turned to fire, and the flame took the shape of a dragon.

The fire struck the stone wall but did not spread along it. Instead, it easily penetrated inside, disappearing from view.

The Daoist seemed to be speaking to himself, “It’s such a fine cave, it would be a pity to destroy it...”

“

Boom

!” A muffled sound echoed through the mountain.

Then, a somewhat sharp voice rang out, “Who dares to intrude upon my cave!”

Song You instinctively took a few steps back. Under the starlight, an ominous wind surged out and stopped at the cave entrance. As the wind dissipated, a figure emerged, staring directly at him.

Song You took a deep breath. It was a dark yin qi.

“My surname is Song, and my given name is You. I am from a mountain in Lingquan County, Yizhou. I traveled to Changjing, but due to a lack of funds, I came to the mountains to exorcise demons. Unexpectedly, I stumbled upon your esteemed cave.” Song You cupped his hands and bowed slightly.

He continued, “Judging by the thick dark yin qi surrounding you, you're either a thousand-year-old great ghost or an evil demon.”

“How did you find your way here?”

“I have my methods.”

“What are your intentions in coming here and knocking on my door…?”

“You have been nurturing demons and spirits in these mountains and directing them to descend and capture mortals for your own cultivation,” Song You said. “Have I said anything wrong?”

“Nonsense!”

“Hmm?”

“Have you seen me consume humans?”

“Are you a ghost?”

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

“What of it?”

“With such a heavy dark yin aura, why deny it?”

“Did you come alone?”

“It’s just me,” Song You answered honestly. “Won’t you introduce yourself?”

“I’m your grandfather, hah!” it mocked.

Indeed a ghost

, Song You thought to himself. Listening to him speak, it was clear he was a ghost.

“What do you intend to do?”

"I urge you to turn to the path of righteousness."

"And how do you propose I do that?"

"You've devoured countless people and committed numerous evil deeds. Dying would be the righteous choice."

“You talk too much! If you want to act on behalf of the heavens, let’s see what you’re capable of!” the ghost said. “I’ve been cultivating here for many years, and you are the first to find this place. Since that’s the case, you might as well leave your life behind!”

“Very well…” Song You spoke and casually exhaled, as if blowing a breath, but the flame took the form of a dragon.

“Hmph…” The ghost had experienced this flame in the cave earlier. It was merely ordinary fire, and common ghosts naturally feared it. However, having cultivated here for three eras, he was not afraid.

“

Boom

!” The flame reached him in the blink of an eye.

Just as he was about to wave it away, he sensed the unusual nature of the flame, as if it was making his very soul tremble.

“Damn it!” This was true fire!

The great ghost quickly transformed into black mist and dodged. The flame struck the wall and vanished swiftly.

Turning to look at Song You, the ghost’s eyes widened. He realized this was no ordinary Daoist but someone of profound cultivation skills.

In times of chaos, not only did demons and monsters emerge, but also those who could subdue and eliminate them. The great ghost’s first experience of chaos was six hundred years ago when he was still a mere minor ghost.

The last time he encountered such chaos was two hundred years ago, by which time he had already achieved a significant level of cultivation and had managed to stay hidden. For the next two hundred years of peace, there were fewer demons and fewer Daoists. He rarely engaged in combat with anyone.

In recent decades, he felt his cultivation had deepened to the point where, even in the chaotic times of old, he would have been powerful enough to become a ghost king. And since there were few highly skilled cultivators in Changjing, he started targeting travelers from the foot of the mountain. However, he was still quite unfamiliar with fighting against cultivators of the Dao.

This encounter brought both a sense of panic and excitement. After years of hard training, he finally had a chance to put his skills to use.

“Where are all the monsters, demons, ghosts and spirits in the mountains!?”

At his furious shout, the mountain trembled, and birds flew up in a flurry.

A series of sounds came from the forest—grass being pushed aside, branches being snapped. Soon, a dozen or so monsters, demons, ghosts and spirits gathered.

Among them were the mountain monsters from the other day, other mountain animals that had become demons, and various other evil creatures. It seemed these were all nurtured by the great ghost.

Unless there were exceptional circumstances, the mountain monster that was slain should have been replaced by these monsters, demons, ghosts and spirits, who now all came in response to the call. The foolish ones looked at the great ghost, while the clever ones focused their attention on Song You.