The Wheel-Turning Master.

Chapter 280 Mountaineering
It should be afternoon now.

The knife marks were hundreds of feet deep, and no mountains, rocks, rivers, soil, or trees were anywhere to be seen. Only a vast chasm remained, like a natural moat.

The towering mountain sits on top of the endless knife marks, reaching straight into the clouds.

Apart from this, there is no other scenery, as it is hidden in the haze.

Standing on the huge knife mark and looking up at Jiuding Mountain, the nine people seemed as small as ants.

After just a few breaths, everyone felt something strange about the knife marks beneath their feet, as if they were extremely hot and yet icy cold to the bone.

A subtle but endless sense of destruction entered from under the feet, penetrated the muscles and bones, lingered in the body, and rushed endlessly, as if to tear the whole thing into dust and annihilate it between heaven and earth.

"Thick earth." A male cultivator took out a dark yellow flag, and instantly a protective shield appeared, covering everyone.

There was a thick yellow color flowing on the protective shield, which looked like an impregnable defense.

This person's name is He Bingde, and he is in the early stage of Golden Elixir.

Everyone was in the protective barrier, and their hearts were calm. However, the endless will of destruction did not weaken at all, and the protective barrier could not stop it at all!
"The remaining power of the great power is still not something we can look up to even after thousands of years." He Bingde smiled bitterly and put away the flag. "How ridiculous that I am trying to stop a chariot with my arms, or an ant trying to shake a tree."

He looked at Ying Wangtian with emotion, and everyone looked over there as well.

"What a shrewd attempt to shake a tree!" Ying Wangtian frowned in displeasure, "When you see a mountain, you should have the ambition to climb to the top! Instead of belittling yourself!"

"Brother, what you said is correct!" He Bingde bowed and accepted the instruction.

Ying Wangtian didn't say anything more and flew up first.

Everyone followed immediately.

But after flying for only a dozen feet, he felt the sense of destruction getting stronger, and it was so intense that he couldn't breathe. It felt like countless fine needles were drilling into his body, trying to swallow his flesh and blood into nothingness. He also felt like he was carrying a huge rock, which was extremely difficult.

It seemed that Ying Wangtian was born with the ability to fly in the air and he was still able to hold on, but the others could hardly keep up.

There was no choice but to let everyone fall to the foot of the mountain again.

Sure enough, as soon as he touched Jiuding Mountain, he felt that the sense of destruction had dissipated a lot, and he felt at ease.

This mountain was lowered by the Taoist Wuxiang to suppress the sword, and it seems to be effective in resisting.

But this high mountain also feels heavy. Walking at the foot of the mountain, I feel that walking is a hundred times more difficult than usual, as if I were carrying the mountain on my back.

Moreover, the remaining power of the sword was still there, with a hint of destruction lingering, still hovering in everyone's bodies.

"You can't see the end of the mountain, but looking at this place, it must be Jiuding Mountain." Yin Yan sighed.

"I heard that Jiuding Mountain is about a hundred miles in circumference and three thousand feet high. If you want to reach the top, it will be extremely difficult." Mu Zhen also looked up to the mountains, "Perhaps, this is the real test."

“That’s why only by reaching the top can you look down on the world!” Ying Wangtian laughed.

"Senior sister," Lin Bai approached Li Wusheng and asked curiously, "What we just saw should be the origin of the formation of Jiuding Mountain. I wonder if your sect has any records of when this sword intent completely disappeared?"

"The Jiuzha Mountain has experienced the rise and fall of many sects. Later, my Jiuding Sect established itself here and became powerful." Li Wusheng recalled briefly and continued, "But I did hear that Jiuzha Mountain was a barren land before. It was only after the river washed it for a long time that it became prosperous again."

She pointed to the top of the mountain and said, "And that mountain top is our sect's blessed land, known as the Jiuhe Blessed Land."

The Jiuhe blessed land on the top of the mountain is not inferior to the Xianqiao blessed land on Qiaoshan Mountain. The person who lives there is the master of Jiuzha Mountain, Taoist Lihuo.

Lin Bai couldn't help but look at it for a while, pressing the gourd on his waist, without saying a word.

Everyone paused for a moment, knowing that the road ahead would be difficult, but the rewards would also be great, so they each took the pill, checked themselves, and communicated with each other through voice.

After another half an hour, seeing the sunset in the sky, Ying Wangtian stood up, followed by two monks, a man and a woman.

The male cultivator was He Bingde, and the female cultivator was named Bi Huanqiu.

Ying Wangtian didn't say much and soared into the sky. He Bingde and Bi Huanqiu followed immediately.

"Brother, wait for me!" Seeing this, Du Changying hurriedly chased after him.

Three in front and one behind, they seemed to be unable to bear the weight after flying more than a hundred feet in the air, and fell into the mountains and forests, disappearing without a trace.

According to Li Wusheng, Jiuding Mountain is extremely wide and steep, with nine mountain climbing routes, most of which are zigzag-shaped and spiral upwards. Most of them are mountain paths, and there are no stairways.

Moreover, the paths in the mountains were opened up many years ago, and nowadays, very few people walk on them.

In the past, when people went to the top of the mountain to pay homage to Taoist Lihuo, they usually flew up, and could only climb up after Taoist Lihuo's permission.

Seeing that Ying Wangtian and the other three had left, Yin Yan smiled, bowed to Lin Bai and the others, and said, "I will lead the way for you first."

After saying the polite words, the man soared into the sky.

For a moment, only Lin Bai, Mu Zhen, Mo Yingcheng and Li Wusheng were left on the field.

"Neither of us is good at fighting, and her injuries haven't healed yet, so you two can go ahead." Mo Yingcheng didn't ask Lin Mu and the others to take care of her.

Lin Bai and Mu Zhen looked at each other, nodded slightly, and stepped forward.

The mountain was three thousand feet high, and the path to the top was several times longer than that. With every step I took, I felt my body getting heavier.

Although the destructive intent has been eliminated a lot, it still lingers and runs rampant in the body and cannot be eliminated.

"In this way, there will be more sword intent accumulated in the body, and the body will become heavier. Being trapped inside and outside, I am afraid that every step forward will be extremely difficult. How can we reach the top?" Mu Zhen and Lin Bai walked side by side. Neither of them flew in the air, but walked forward on the rocks and green grass.

"What Senior Brother Ying said just now makes a lot of sense. This is the difficulty that suits the pursuit of the Great Dao for us." Lin Bai smiled and said, "As long as you have a heart that is upward, what does the suffering of the flesh mean?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Zhen slightly turned his head to look at Lin Bai, knowing that he still remembered the fear and helplessness he felt when Qu Chengjia threatened him in the mortal world.

But precisely because of this, now that the grudge has been settled, I feel more open-minded.

"This is why I am willing to sleep with you." Mu Zhen smiled slightly, "I have not experienced too many hardships, and I rarely listen to unpleasant words. If there is anything wrong in the future, you have to remind me."

"Okay." Lin Bai agreed with a smile.

Continuing to walk forward, Lin Bai took the opportunity to inquire: "Who is the person who slashed with this sword? It seems that he is not inferior to the Taoist Master Wuxiang."

"Not even close." Mu Zhen smiled and shook his head, saying softly, "If no one restrains the Taoist Wuxiang, I'm afraid this sword won't work."

She stopped and looked at the thousands of miles of knife marks at the foot of the mountain, and continued, "I heard that this knife was nurtured for many years, and it took a lot of life to cut it. It took a lot of effort. It can't be repeated, maybe it will take a long time to nurture the blade."

"Who is this person?" Lin Bai was too curious. "The one who is qualified to attack the Taoist master is naturally the Taoist master." Mu Zhen smiled slightly, looked at Lin Bai, and couldn't help but stretched out his hand to brush his face, and asked: "Don't worry, there are countless people in this world who have received the grace of the Taoist master Wuxiang, and the inheritance of the people, and you can't find them all."

Seeing that she still didn't tell him the name of the Taoist master, Lin Bai didn't ask any more questions. Anyway, Sister Zhen was a reliable person, so she had her reasons for not telling him.

However, it was also known that Wuxiang Daoist Master was indeed surrounded and attacked. There were at least two people, one of whom was holding him back, most likely the main force; the other one drew his sword, probably a sneak attack.

The two chatted idly and continued to climb the mountain.

Lin Bai has been tempering his body with Hunyuan for a long time. Although he cannot stop the strange sword intent from entering his body, he has the foundation of the Twelve Turns of Hunyuan after all. His flesh and blood are tough and he is not afraid of the slightest intention of destruction.

Moreover, the five elements in the body are circulating and are slowly dissipating, so they can be suppressed as much as possible.

With each step, the feeling of heaviness in my body became stronger and stronger.

"You have done a great job in tempering your body."

Lin Bai still felt somewhat relieved, thinking that after finishing the matter here, he would go back and practice the method of tempering his body.

According to what the fox said, after reaching the Golden Core Realm, the body should be tempered for one hundred years in a cycle of five elements. Of course, it is much easier on the stone plate, and it only takes one year.

"If there are twelve more revolutions..."

Lin Bai muttered to herself for a long time, and thought of Jiang Yatou for no reason. In the past, she always tried the Five Elements Body Tempering...

Mu Zhen seemed to have practiced body-tempering techniques before, and judging by his aura and expression, he seemed to be fine.

After walking for a while, Mu Zhen took out two jade pendants, helped Lin Bai tie them on his wrist, and asked Lin Bai to help her tie them.

With a golden elixir body, she can accomplish anything with just a move of her spiritual consciousness, but she takes a lot of effort.

Since their reunion, Lin Bai discovered that Sister Zhen was slightly different from the other Jindan. She loved handicrafts and liked to do it herself.

Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that she spent some time in the mortal world.

When the jade pendant is worn on the wrist, it only has the effect of calming the mind, and the wounds in the body caused by the sword intention heal faster.

"This is a mother and child jade pendant, which has the effect of nourishing the body and calming the mind. Moreover, the two are connected and can sense each other. If one of them is seriously injured, the other's jade pendant will become dim. If one is dead, both will break into powder." Mu Zhen explained the effect.

Soon it was night and the sky was full of shining stars.

There was no sight of Ying Wangtian and the others above, nor were Mo and Li catching up below.

Lin Bai and Mu Zhen were alone in the mountains, but they didn't feel lonely.

The two stopped and took a short rest.

This time, from dusk to late at night, it took the two of them more than two hours to climb along the crooked mountain road. It was about five or six miles in height, but if you look from above, you can see that you have only climbed three or four hundred feet.

"Do you still want to kill Ying Wangtian?" Lin Bai sat cross-legged on a rock, swallowed a pill to restore his energy, and sent a message to Sister Zhen.

"What do you think?" Mu Zhen asked when she saw Lin Bai was serious.

"When I gave him the elixir before, I compared it carefully. In fact, his injuries are more serious than ours." Lin Bai only transmitted the message cautiously.

"You mean..." Mu Zhen was so smart that he immediately sensed something unusual. "When he saw the sword light, he actually wanted to test the sword on himself, and received more sword power than the rest of us, just to experience more of the sword power that could destroy the heavens and the earth?"

"When the sword flashed, everything seemed to be heading for death." Lin Bai responded with a smile, "So, if he is not as you just guessed, then he is a person with a weak character, even inferior to Du Changying and others."

"The disciple of the Lord of Jiuzha Mountain can be a fool, can have poor comprehension, can have low talent, but how can he be someone with insufficient character?" Mu Zhen obviously acknowledged Lin Bai's judgment.

"In addition," Lin Bai smiled again, "he slapped the ground with his palm, and most of his injuries were dispersed into the rocks and the ground, and then he started to get better."

Lin Bai pointed to the distance and continued, "In the past, in the Wordless Secret Realm, I saw Lu Qingyin repeatedly use forbidden techniques, which was the art of transformation. People like this are always cruel to others and even crueler to themselves!"

"Forbidden techniques and secret methods can hurt others and yourself." Mu Zhen frowned slightly, as if he also felt that it was a bit tricky, so he asked, "Are you scared?"

"This person has a good character, high level of Taoism, and a sincere heart for Taoism." Lin Bai patted the gourd and said, "He is straightforward and doesn't hide his likes and dislikes."

Lin Bai grabbed Sister Zhen's hand and said with a smile, "Maybe he doesn't have good intentions. We are ready to kill him, but has he also decided to get rid of you and me?"

At this point, Lin Bai continued to transmit his voice, "You should know that you, me and Brother Mo are all outsiders, but the three of us are among the nine, and there is also Li Wusheng who is on good terms with us. In the previous trial, you were the second one to come out, and you came out before him, and after him it was me. Anyone who is not a fool should know that you and I are extraordinary, and they will definitely be wary of us. And he doesn't seem to be a man with an open mind. I showed my friendship to Brother Mo, but he didn't look down on me."

"..." Mu Zhen closed his eyes, pinched his fingers and said nothing. After a while, he opened his eyes, looked at Lin Bai, and said, "Even if he has more secret techniques, if you and I join forces, let alone him, even if we add He Bingde and Bi Huanqiu, it will be in vain."

"..." Lin Bai was stunned. He had slept with Sister Zhen quite a lot these days, so although they had never fought, they had known each other well and he knew that Sister Zhen was also a person who was proficient in many arts.

Apart from having seen the Purple Qi Escape Technique in the past, I also had no idea how good Sister Zhen was at fighting techniques, whether she was good at defense or offense, or whether she was good at both.

Of course, Mu Zhen is not quite clear about Lin Bai’s current abilities.

But now it seemed that Sister Zhen was so arrogant that she really didn't take the disciple of the Lord of Jiuzha Mountain seriously, which only made her frown.

Lin Bai knew that Sister Zhen was not a boaster like Miaomiao. She must have great abilities and many tricks up her sleeve, or even a secret treasure bestowed by her family's ancestors.

"I went on a long journey, and Aunt Gu didn't give me anything..." Lin Bai couldn't help but think of how relaxed and indifferent she was when she took out a stack of talismans before parting with Sister Zhen when leaving Golden Turtle Island.

In contrast, he couldn't help but feel disappointed, thinking about going back to stir the pool. Lin Bai looked at Sister Zhen and smacked his lips.

"Although I'm going out for travel this time, I also have a mission. I don't bring much with me, but I can use them in many places." When Mu Zhen saw Lin Bai giggling and moving towards her, she frowned and looked stingy.

"Sister Zhen, it's not that I didn't help." Lin Bai sighed bitterly, "You know, although Patriarch Gu helped me, I am an outsider after all. Fox has always disliked me and mocked me whenever we met. Don't look at me as having formed a pill early and looking glamorous on the outside, I am actually suffering inside!"

Mu Zhen said nothing, but just looked at Lin Bai's wrist with a smile.

"This is the last time I worked hard for the Gu family. I don't know how many times I begged for it before I got a life-saving item." Lin Bai said confidently.

"After the matter is done, I will give you a good thing." Mu Zhen was so annoyed by Lin Bai that he finally accepted it. He added: "You need to do your best. You must know that there are nine people here. If one person is removed, there will be one less person to grab the treasure on the top of the mountain."

"I am willing to die for Sister Zhen!" Lin Bai agreed immediately.

The two of them whispered to each other and discussed for a long time, making a lot of plans, and then they continued to climb one after the other in the night.

When daybreak came, all I saw were green rocks and lush trees, but still no sign of human life.

Looking down, I couldn't see Mo and Li either. I guess they must have hidden among the trees and rocks.

At this time, they were already more than a thousand feet away from the endless knife marks at the foot of the mountain, but it seemed even more desolate and vast.

(End of this chapter)