I'm here in the martial arts world just to find love.

As soon as Jin Yu finished speaking, everyone felt a tremendous tremor, as if an earth dragon were turning over, and the entire earth was shaking.

"What happened?"

Jiang Chao's expression changed. He circulated his internal energy to stabilize himself and looked around warily.

"There's a divine presence here! Everyone be careful!"

Jin Yu said with a solemn expression.

"Gods?"

Jiang Chao felt a chill run down his spine. How could there possibly be gods in a place like this?

He quickly understood what Jin Yu meant.

Suddenly, a figure crashed through the stone wall behind them, and with a loud bang, a figure burst out.

The man was clad in golden armor, wielding a giant axe, exuding an aura of immense power and terror.

"The Martial Saint Heavenly Venerable Shi Gandang is here! Who dares to be so insolent on this sacred mountain!"

The Martial Saint Heavenly Venerable Shi Gandang?!

Jiang Chao's pupils contracted, his heart filled with shock.

He was familiar with the name; he realized it almost the instant the other party roared out.

According to folklore, every famous mountain and river is said to be imbued with spiritual stones that have come to life, gaining intelligence and protecting the peace of the region.

The name that these spirit stones gave themselves from the moment they were born was "Martial Saint Heavenly Venerable Stone Gandang".

These beings, born of nature and nurtured by the earth, possess innate divine strength and boundless power, capable of moving mountains and shifting rocks. They are common guardian deities in supernatural tales.

Jiang Chao never expected that such a being would appear so soon after the great changes in the world.

Moreover, judging from the other party's posture, he seemed to be in a state of extreme rage.

Could it be that... the grand formation in the mountain stronghold was set up by someone to suppress this stone spirit?

Or perhaps... that grand formation used to gather evil spirits was secretly set up by Shi Gandang?

In a flash, Jiang Chao transmitted his voice to Jin Yu:

"Jin Yu, take them and get out of here as quickly as possible, the farther the better. I'll deal with Him!"

After hearing Jiang Chao's words, Jin Yu remained unmoved. Her gaze was fixed on the figure suspended in mid-air in the distance, and a golden light burst forth from her eyes.

Such stone spirits are not uncommon in the Eternal Heaven; they are among the most common spiritual objects found in many sacred mountains.

They can't even be considered true gods.

However, these naturally grown creatures should not be underestimated once they mature.

It is far beyond what the current Jiangchao can contend with.

"Young master, you take them and leave. I'll cover your retreat!"

Jiang Chao was deeply moved by Jin Yu's resolute decision, but he did not approve of it.

He said no more, his aura surged, and he sent a telepathic message to Qin Shaoling and the others, telling them to leave this place as soon as possible.

He then cupped his hands to the small golden figure floating in mid-air and said:

"We had no intention of offending the Mountain God. Please calm your anger."

Shi Gandang snorted coldly, his voice booming like a bell:

"You mortals, ignorant of your own limitations, have ruined my plans and now you think you can just walk away?"

Qin Shaoling and the others looked at each other in shock, but they did not abandon Jiang Chao and left immediately.

The group had already made up their minds: even if it meant their deaths, they would stand with Jiang Chao and never abandon their companions!

Jiang Chao had already prepared for the worst, and abandoning his previous polite tone, he asked in a deep voice:

"What do you want?"

Shi Gandang suddenly burst into laughter and said:

"Interesting. To actually harbor thoughts of rebellion in the face of this god is quite courageous."

After saying that, his body shone with golden light, and he raised the giant axe in his hand high, then slashed it down fiercely towards Jiang Chao and the others.

Rumble~

A deafening roar, like a thunderclap, resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

Wherever the giant axe passed, golden light spread, and scorching waves of air rolled out to both sides, creating a terrifying spectacle.

Seeing that the other party had made a move, Jiang Chao no longer held back.

What about gods? If you do evil, you should be punished!

Even if Jiang Chao dies, he will make the other party pay the price!

"Well done!"

Jiang Chao roared, his figure suddenly rising higher, his true energy merging with a wisp of immortal energy within his body, pouring it into his physique, and then hurtling towards the seemingly slow-moving axe light.

……

Two hours later.

Jiang Chao, his aura extremely weak, kicked the small stone figure, only three inches tall, beside his feet and said:

"Hey, stop pretending to be dead, get up."

The little stone man remained lying motionless on the ground, showing no reaction.

Seeing this, Jin Yu couldn't help but chuckle.

"Young master, please stop teasing it. This little guy's trickery failed, and he's probably too ashamed to show his face now."

The female knight-errant still wore a look of lingering fear. Staring at the small stone figure at Jiang Chao's feet, she said:

"That scared me to death! I thought we'd accidentally offended the mountain god and were going to be punished!"

The female knight-errant patted her chest, still shaken, and said:

"Thankfully it was a false alarm; we encountered a fake mountain god who was putting on an act."

"Who are you calling a fake mountain god? I, Shi Gandang, am the genuine, upright mountain god, true to my word!"

The little stone man finally couldn't take it anymore and jumped up from the ground, hopping and shouting back.

However, his voice was no longer as loud and powerful as before, like a great bell.

Instead, it sounded particularly sharp and piercing, like something a child would say.

"Pfft... Hahahaha."

Hearing these words, the female knight-errant Chu could no longer help but burst into laughter.

Su E and the others couldn't help but laugh along.

What was initially thought to be a fierce battle turned into an unexpected ordeal. After the opponent unleashed that axe strike, he instantly lost all his divine power, transforming from a god radiating a terrifying aura into a small, lifeless corpse with only a few remaining strength.

With a thud, it fell from its suspended state to the ground and shattered into eight pieces.

Then a tiny creature, only about three feet tall, crawled out from the rubble.

Of course, that axe blow wasn't entirely useless.

At the very least, facing the tidal wave head-on, they paid the price.

Although he was not physically injured, in order to withstand the attack that contained divine power, all the power in his body was completely drained on the spot.

Jin Yu looked down at the little stone figure. "Little fellow, are you really sure you want to be our enemy?"

These kinds of stone spirits are common in the Eternal Heaven, but they are quite rare in this mortal realm.

It must possess extraordinary mountain and river energy, and if it were to accompany them, their group would undoubtedly benefit greatly.

At the very least, there's no need to worry about being ambushed by other charlatans.

"The mountain god's mind is made up; no further words are needed!"

The little stone man, Shi Gandang, spoke with his head held high, only to be slapped on the head by Jiang Chao.

"Since that's the case, then we won't keep you here any longer; we'll just have to break you up."

As he spoke, Jiang Chao clenched his fist, preparing to deliver another heavy punch to shatter the opponent's body that had finally managed to stand up.

"No, no, please stop!"

The little stone man was terrified and quickly begged for mercy:

"You're mistaken, my lord. What I meant was, from now on, I'll do as you say. Whatever you command, I'll obey without question!"