New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 273 The Underworld Treasure Land, Mountain Lord's Cave

Time: 5:40 PM.

Location: [Misty Mountains], deep in the clouds.

Although Running, this godforsaken place, rarely sees direct sunlight, its daytime visibility is still excellent. Naturally, there is also a boundary between day and night: dusk.

Inside the Misty Mountains, the fog is even thicker, but the approach of dusk is still clearly felt.

As the daylight gradually dimmed, the tiger demon, eager to get going, shook off the auspicious white deer that couldn't keep up with its speed.

Once again disappearing into the shadows, he moved at breakneck speed alone, charging into an unknown forest according to the location in Bai Lu's memory.

Despite blending into the shadows of the forest, it still sensed the 'cold' and polluted aura of the area's natural environment. This was an anomaly not seen in other areas of the Misty Mountains.

Moreover, the deeper the tiger demon ventured into the forest, the more relaxed and at ease its body felt in the shadows. Every pore on its body seemed to want to open up, absorbing the chilling aura of its surroundings.

"Yellow Spring!"

Snake cried out in alarm. Soon, her voice became slightly agitated as she said, "No! No! This isn't the smell of the underworld, but it's genuine death energy! This area is naturally gathering the aura of death."

...

Tiger Demon had close contact with the aura leaked from the Yellow Springs in the Little Red Realm, and there are sample records in the Immortal Scripture Database.

At this moment, Snake used the sample as a reference to compare the 'chilling aura' present in this mountain forest. It confirmed that this was a highly impure and degraded 'necromantic aura,' a low-grade version of 'fake Netherworld death aura.'

If understood using Chinese mythology, the "Yellow Springs Aura" is the authentic underworld power flowing from the "Nine Netherworlds"; while the "Death Aura" is the negative energy flowing from human tombs, mass graves, corpse-raising grounds, and ghostly dwellings.

The sources may differ, and the quality may vary, but the attributes are the same: energy used by the undead and ghosts.

The dark and gloomy forest before them was filled with a large amount of 'death energy,' making it a unique polluted depression that deeply attracted the underworld monster, the Shadow Tiger Demon.

The tiger demon excitedly emerged from the shadows, its tiger eyes wide as it surveyed the forest, its joy overflowing: "A treasure trove! Truly a feng shui treasure trove! This is the lair I've been searching for!"

If, when it first entered the mountains, it didn't know which location to choose to establish its [Mountain Lord's Domain], and it seemed that anywhere would be about the same, then at this moment, simply being in the forest, it instinctively felt a surge of joy and wanted to settle down here.

No wonder that after signing the [Anti-Law], Bai Lu, relying on her wild animal instincts, immediately chose this [dangerous place] for her king.

It seems that the barely perceptible 'aura of the underworld' ([Chang Gui Shen Tong]) hidden within the [Shadow Pollution] reminded Bai Lu of this place.

Snake quickly controlled its 'bow tie (Shadow Uniform)', spraying black 'ribbon fireworks' above Tiger Demon's head in celebration: 'Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! You have finally found your promised land.'

Tiger Demon quickly stopped her: "Don't open the champagne halfway through. We don't even know if this area has a 'master' or what their strength is. Judging from the memory information provided by White Deer, the core area of ​​this place poses a death threat to it, causing it to retreat and avoid it."

Snake retorted, "Even if a Boss is lurking here, it can't possibly threaten you. If the monsters here were truly far superior to any [Species], they would have been forcibly rejected by the Spirit Star and instantly [Ascensed]!"

Tiger Demon agreed with Snake's statement, but out of taboo among Earthlings, he dared not make any rash promises. Instead, he countered, "Does being strong enough necessarily mean ascension? What about the Immortal Peach Tree of the Eternal Continent?"

In his middle school geography textbook was a black-and-white photograph of the "Kunlun Immortal Tree" taken by Yao Yao. The distance was unknown, perhaps hundreds or thousands of kilometers, but the "Celestial Tree" in the picture, entwined around a giant mountain, seemed to pierce the sky. Its trunk stretched for countless kilometers, lying across the heavens and earth, its lush branches either drooping or disappearing beyond the firmament.

This old photograph, taken a century ago, has circulated widely around the world. It is both a great miracle and something that the residents of Duling have gradually become accustomed to, simply marveling at the wonders of nature.

Only a transmigrator like Yuan Zhu, who traveled from Earth, could truly grasp the shock and disbelief it evoked. This is utterly illogical!

According to the Serpent's "Forced Ascension Theory," this Kunlun Immortal Root should have ascended long ago and shouldn't exist in the mortal realm. Therefore, this "dangerous place" may very well harbor even more terrifying demons.

...

With extreme caution, the Tiger Demon followed its deepest desires and continued to move towards the area with the highest concentration of 'deathly pollution'.

The closer it got, the more frequently its [Soul Firewall] suffered mental pollution attacks. Eventually, these attacks even exceeded the firewall's passive defense limits, triggering mental reminders like [Sanity -1, -1, Rationality Recovery +2, Sanity -1...]

In the tiger demon's eyes, the scenery of this deep forest became increasingly quiet and desolate. He could no longer hear the chirping of insects, the cries of birds, or the roars of wild beasts. All he could see were endless green plants, vines, hanging aerial roots, and moss.

After traversing a steep, undulating slope, the scenery suddenly opened up before us: a small, dark green pool, next to a towering, craggy peak. A waterfall cascaded down from the mountaintop, crashing against the rocks and splashing white spray, creating a thunderous roar that broke the stillness of the forest.

Looking across the icy pool to the opposite bank, the Tiger Demon saw not only a waterfall tens of meters high, but also several low-altitude but uniquely shaped mountain peaks connected in a row, forming a scene of a paradise on earth.

It is these numerous interconnected cliffs and peaks that almost encircle the cold pool in a ring. Surrounded by cliffs and peaks, it is dark and damp all year round, making it exceptionally cold, damp, and desolate.

Perhaps this layout forms a natural 'feng shui formation,' allowing the death energy of the nearby mountains to gather and settle in this cold pool. The pool appears clear and unfathomably deep, reminding it of the spring in the former Vajra Temple that connected to the Yellow Springs.

The Tiger Demon's [Mountain Lord Bloodline] was drawn to this icy pool, and it had already determined that this underworld scenic spot alone was enough to support the [Mountain Lord's Domain].

However, its attention was not drawn to the [Cold Pool] for long before it broke free from the temptation and looked towards a 'strange peak' next to the waterfall on the opposite bank.

On this steep and unique mountain, one can see steps that have been carved out!

"?!!!"

"Boss, look! Steps!"

Tiger Demon: "I see, people have settled here?"

Just as it was surprised, gusts of cold wind suddenly appeared in the center of the icy pool, ruffling the surface of the lake. Then, strange sounds suddenly arose from the previously quiet and desolate mountain forest, except for the sounds of the waterfall and the flowing stream. Rustling sounds, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes near, sometimes near, sometimes gone.

The tiger demon quickly turned its head and looked around, but no animal appeared in its 'tiger demon vision, dark vision'. However, it could sense that something was moving nearby.

Its fur stood on end instantly, and it became highly alert, guessing that the owner of this place was about to appear.

Meanwhile, the sky above the Misty Mountains grew increasingly dark, officially entering dusk. Out of the corner of his eye, the Tiger Demon suddenly caught sight of some shadowy, swaying figures.

It hurriedly drew upon its refined [Changgui Power (Yellow Spring Aura)] and channeled it into its eyes. The scene before it shifted instantly, the blurry figures becoming clear. Skeletons of all sizes! Animals with flesh and organs hanging from their bodies! A deer, half-rotten and half-skeletal, standing upright; a jackal dressed in tattered scholar's robes; and a similarly dead and decaying wolf…

All sorts of wild beasts and animals died, appearing before its eyes in the form of skeletons, floating corpses, zombies, and so on. Their movements were sluggish, numb, and stiff, breathing with a power imbued with 'death energy,' as they moved aimlessly and mechanically through the mountains and forests where they were and the cliffs opposite.

"This is... the Hour of Twilight?!"

The tiger demon suddenly realized that it had only been attracted by the death energy gathered in the 'cold pool' and the opposite 'mountain peak' and had not heard these strange sounds.

As dusk fell, within the core area of ​​this "Land of Death," I unexpectedly heard voices not of this world. A fleeting glimpse of a shadow, existing between reality and illusion, pulled me into another dimension. Empowered by the power of the "Chang Gui," I saw things that should not have been seen.

The Tiger Demon stared at a headless rabbit not far away, dressed in ancient, tattered children's clothing, standing upright. It was using its mangled, bloodied head as a ball to sneak around. Despite having no head, its severed neck emitted a 'laughing' sound.

Snake: "Oh my god, we've encountered a ghost!"

Tiger Demon: "This is the [Twilight Hour]!"

According to its observation, the 'undead' eroded by the deathly aura of the cold pool were all animals common in the Misty Mountains, and none of them exhibited any structural characteristics of 'humans'.

Their anthropomorphic behavior, upright walking, and clothing are all based on wild animals, ignoring their physiological structure, forcing them to stand upright, walk in a pretentious manner, and imitate humans.

In addition, animals that are qualified to be corrupted by death energy and leave behind a skeleton or corpse all have considerable 'contamination traces' in their previous lives.

If one's own 'pollution accumulation' is insufficient before death, one is not even qualified to die in this area and will be eroded and transformed into a 'numb ghost' like a walking corpse.

They showed no surprise or reaction to the appearance of the Tiger Demon, continuing to absorb the death energy, ignoring it completely, and wandering around aimlessly, muttering to themselves.

The tiger demon was wary for a moment, but seeing that it hadn't attracted an attack and that no boss had appeared from the depths of the opposite mountain, it lowered its guard and suddenly approached the rabbit that was kicking its head.

A shadow coiled around the tiger's claws, and the tiger demon slapped it from behind. *Smack!* A crisp sound rang out as the shadowy tiger claws, imbued with the power of the [Changgui], made contact with the little rabbit.

It felt brittle, lacking any fleshy or elastic texture, like a piece of old, stale zombie meat. It was easily slapped, smashed, and shattered by its palm... exploding in a splash in front of me, scattering all over the ground, with a few falling into the lake, creating ripples.

And then... the rabbit spirit just died. Wisps of death aura emanated from its stiff corpse, some absorbed by the lake, others drifting towards the opposite mountain.

Snake stared in astonishment at the lifeless rabbit, with only its tattered children's clothes remaining on the ground: "It's dead already?"

The tiger demon scanned the area with its senses and nodded in confirmation: "They're completely dead."

"This doesn't make sense! The undead were just killed like that?!"

Even stranger, the other undead animals nearby remained unmoved by the Tiger Demon's killing of the little rabbit, continuing to act according to some kind of pattern.

The tiger demon twisted again, transforming from a realistic monster into a 2D silhouette. In this minimalist 'cat shadow' state, it seemed to lose its weight, moving at high speed across the surface of the icy pool, darting to the other side in the blink of an eye.

As it passed by a 'dead wolf' that was mostly a scholar, it heard the other person muttering something.
As the tiger demon listened intently, the 'animal spirits' lingering in the mountains emitted incomprehensible animal cries in a rhythmic pattern. Even the silent skeletons would open and close their teeth, producing a clanging sound as syllables.

Tiger Demon was in charge of collecting audio data, while Snake Snake, relying on the data processing capabilities of the [Immortal Scripture], quickly came up with an unreliable guess: "Boss, they're reciting!"

Tiger Demon exclaimed incredulously, "Huh? An endorsement?! Are you sure?"

The snake's tail nodded, then it used its skeletal jaws to make a 'crackling' sound as it demonstrated: "Listen carefully, doesn't this rhythm sound like a five-character quatrain?"

Tiger Demon listened carefully and actually grasped some of the key points and patterns.

Then, it listened intently to a half-skeletal sika deer that walked on all fours, emitting a sinister, drafty "yoyo" sound, but with a unique emotion and rhythm, much like a seven-character poem.

Soon, it heard animal sounds, clearly in the form of 'ci' (a type of classical Chinese poetry) verses, from undead animals such as jackals, tigers, leopards, and argali sheep. Some of the animal zombies with tongues even had faint rhymes. It sounded just like Minecraft villagers reciting cyber poetry.

"It really is?"

Influenced by the snake, the tiger demon felt more and more that these spirits were reciting poems.

Driven by curiosity, the tiger demon believed that the source of all the strange occurrences could be found at the end of these mountain stone steps.

Tiger Demon: "Shall we go?"

Snake: "Go! Your Majesty, please remember to be careful and on guard."

The tiger-shaped silhouette nodded and disappeared back into the crevice in the rocks, quickly moving along the steps. The sky was growing increasingly dark, and it relied entirely on its darkvision as a [Shadow Creature] to navigate.

Bypassing the last dull and foolish member of the 'rotten scholar tiger' clan who was in charge of guarding the gate, the tiger demon finally reached the end of the stone steps, where a man-made cave was located.

At the entrance, there are some rough and simple polishing marks, which have been repaired in an ancient oriental style. Where there should be a plaque, no words have been left.

The tiger demon, emboldened, released its pressure into the cave, a gesture that could be considered both a greeting and a provocation. However, after waiting for a long time, there was no response.

So it chose to cross the stone threshold and enter the cave. Then it saw a skeleton wearing the robes of a wizard from the Magic Universe, the first of the eight outer universes, half-paralyzed and half-sitting in the only seat in the stone chamber, staring at the tiger demon that had entered.

Tiger Demon was initially startled, then realized that the 'mage skeleton' had been dead for many days.

On the stone wall beside it, there is an ancient inscription: "The White Bone Scholar died here."

Tiger Demon looked confused: "???"

The Mingming Cave's construction style is ancient Eastern, as are the costumes worn by the animals and spirits outside, and your name is [White Bone Scholar].

But why did he wear a Western wizard's robe before his death to mess with people's minds?!

I, the Tiger Demon King, can't stand this kind of discordant provocation. It's too agonizing, and it's making my obsessive-compulsive disorder flare up!

(End of this chapter)