Mythology Returns! Starting with Folklore and Strange Tales

"Study what I've given you carefully. Once you've thoroughly understood it and mastered its application, I'll send someone to deliver the follow-up materials to you!"

"Remember, regardless of time or place, and regardless of supernatural powers or magic, the most taboo thing on the path of cultivation is greed for quick results and rashness. You are young, and I am not here with you. If you are blinded by some fancy tricks, it will not be easy to get back on the right path!"

Although he didn't understand why his prospective master was giving him these instructions, and he hadn't learned any crooked or evil ways... since he had been instructed, he would just listen obediently. The elders' instructions were always for his own good, and an elder like this, who had a high level of understanding and a long-term perspective, meant that every word he spoke was true.

"Of course, accepting small favors won't cause any trouble. At worst, I can repay them later, so you don't need to worry about it!"

Zhang Wei: "..."

I think I understand a bit, but I don't know who they're referring to. It's a bit hard to guess!

The old Taoist priest raised his sword finger and tapped Zhang Wei's forehead three times. He then took out a jade talisman from his robes: "If you encounter any danger, there are Taoist temples nearby where you can take refuge. Don't worry about whether the temples are abandoned or not. Just take out this jade talisman and place it on the offering table when you see the first statue of a deity. It will ensure your safety for one day. But remember, don't think that having such abilities means you can act recklessly. You must know the principle that arrogance brings rain, and arrogance brings disaster!"

"There's no time to explain anything else. The time has come; you may go now!"

As the old Taoist priest finished speaking, Zhang Wei felt a familiar sensation. An invisible hand grabbed his head from above, hastily pulling him out. Then, the world spun around him, and he lost consciousness...

Their gaze fell upon the camp.

The people around them had no idea what Yiming and the other person were talking about.

Even the few Taoists who were very close to the two could only see their mouths move slightly, but could not hear any sound.

The next moment, they watched as Zhang Wei, after accepting the jade talisman, collapsed into the arms of the old Taoist priest, Yi Ming, who was looking up at the sky with a faint smile on his lips.

The modified golden-red Taoist robe he was wearing also became illusory and disappeared at a visible speed, leaving only the cotton-padded jacket he wore last night.

If a monk or Taoist priest who could see his face from the side were to use the method of observing qi, they would find that the child's appearance had changed dramatically from that of the previous night. Although he still had the appearance of being blessed with good fortune, prosperity, and longevity, he no longer had the full and top-notch aura of the previous night, and the incense-like aura between his brows had suddenly dissipated by more than half.

Unfortunately, having had their eyes gouged out by Ya Zi Zhen Yi last night, they subconsciously didn't want to use the magic.

Thus, they missed their only chance!

Before the people in the camp could even process the sudden change before their eyes...

Suddenly, a fierce wind swept through the mountains, causing the grass and trees to bow low and the mountains to tremble. The bewildered expressions on the faces of the Taoist priests and monks quickly turned into disbelief, followed by a surge of fervent joy from their hearts!

For nearly a thousand years, the dissipating Qi energy has re-emerged with this raging storm.

Although the quantity was small and did not reach the grand scale recorded in ancient texts during the Tang and Song dynasties, or even the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the scene of rain after a long drought still made everyone ecstatic!

The impasse and the hopelessness of ascension have finally been changed at this moment!

As for whether this was a temporary change, and whether the Qi mechanism might fall again later, no one thought about these things.

Or to be more precise, just as they subconsciously didn't want to use their legal eyes to look at Zhang Wei's face, they also didn't want to think about those extreme consequences. Life is already bitter enough, why keep fighting with yourself?

Be present in the moment and enjoy the present.

If it weren't for the trouble of dealing with the mine, these eminent monks and high-ranking masters would have packed up their things and gone back to their own monasteries for seclusion long ago.

Regardless of what happens in the future, while things are good now, those with the ability should push forward as much as possible. If they can reach the limit like Master Yiming, they won't have any thoughts of settling down or accumulating experience. Taking advantage of the moment to break through realms, transform and ascend, and escape the cage of this Dharma-ending Age is the wisest choice!

It wasn't just the monks and Taoists who benefited from the wind; the ordinary people in the camp also felt as if they were bathed in a spring breeze. The fatigue from staying up all night was instantly gone, and even the desolate autumn mountains in front of them seemed to have a touch of spring in them.

Amidst the revelry, the earth's tremors never ceased, and after a while, the tremors even intensified.

The roar of machinery came from the foot of the distant mountains, and an indescribable buzzing sound echoed in the high sky.

Before long, these people who thought they had seen a lot of big scenes witnessed an even more shocking scene!

A line of dark green trucks pulled up at the campsite at the foot of the mountain. One by one, figures in camouflage uniforms, their faces obscured, jumped out of the trucks and approached them. With a gentle tone but an unyielding attitude, they ushered everyone in the campsite back into the trucks. Inside some of the trucks, unfamiliar metal boxes hummed incessantly.

A meddlesome Taoist priest secretly used a method of eavesdropping and overheard the following conversation:

"The silhouette barrier has been confirmed to have disappeared... The traveler has left the current silhouette and requests a search in the real world."

Yes, our team has arrived at the designated area, confirmed the coordinates, and taken away the remaining civilians.

Ground control confirms no living beings remain in the high-risk area; coordinates have been sent. Requesting aerial reconfirmation!

"Message received, aerial confirmation... Confirmation complete. Ground personnel, please evacuate to a safe location immediately. In ten minutes, your location in the silhouette transformation zone and other high-risk areas will be subjected to saturation bombardment!"

"Message received, let's go!"

The next moment, the vehicles started, and the convoy sped away, at a certain second ten minutes later.

High in the sky further away from the mountains, hundreds or thousands of sparks suddenly burst forth from the source of the buzzing sound. Conical objects, trailing long plumes of smoke, came from afar and landed densely and precisely around the crater!

In an instant, the mountains collapsed, the ground caved in, and a colossal object seemed to rise from the rising smoke, but it was quickly and forcefully pressed back into the ground by the countless "flying swords" that followed.

"boom!"

"Rumble rumble rumble!"

A blinding light, bright enough to dazzle the eyes, accompanied the slow rise of a massive mushroom cloud. The encroaching heatwave uprooted vegetation, leaving the hillsides scorched black.

The convoy, hidden in a sheltered spot, also felt a terrifying heat...

After the heatwave subsided and the convoy resumed its journey, someone witnessed a horrifying scene through the gaps in the rear canopy:

Under the earth-shattering flames, the mountain peak vanished!

The entire Pig Forest, with its dozens of miles of surface mineral veins, has been transformed into a scorching, black wasteland!