I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"That's what the blond man sitting behind the desk said."

"No need, I will prove with my strength who is the true Xuanjun."

Dai Yuanyang said he did not need any help.

They exchanged a few more words before Dai Yuanyang left.

After he left, the blond man looked at a document he had just received.

The contents of the document exceeded his expectations, but it was a good thing.

"I really want to see what's there."

The man looked at the document and sighed at the dazzling patterns in the photos.

……

"This competition is divided into five events, and the scores for each event are ranked. The person with the highest score at the end wins."

On the way to Jiangcheng Mountain, He Chong patiently explained to Lu Ban.

Of course, he could completely ignore Lu Ban, after all, Lu Ban was also one of his competitors.

“With Dai Yuanyang around, I can’t just stand by and do nothing. If that guy becomes a Xuanjun, hehe, the ancestors will lose all face.”

He Chong was full of confidence and determined to have a great battle with Dai Yuanyang.

"So, do you still think you'll lose?"

Lu Ban asked.

"...If you can't speak, you can speak less. Nobody will think you're mute."

He Chong glanced at the young man beside him.

"Then how are the rankings determined in these competitions? Aren't they just matches against each other?"

Lu Ban thought of a martial arts arena competition, where a boxing champion is waiting in the back, and everyone fights their way up the ring step by step. Just thinking about it was very exciting.

"Fighting is only one aspect. The true Xuanjun is not the one with the strongest combat power, but the one with the greatest strength in all aspects."

He Chong scoffed at Lu Ban's delusions.

"What is the first competition?"

Lu Ban didn't care about these things; he asked out of curiosity.

"The first item has already begun."

He Chong smiled and pointed out the window.

Lu Ban looked out the window.

He discovered that the surrounding scenery seemed to have remained unchanged for a long time.

The unchanging vegetation, like a green barrier, isolates the car from its surroundings.

The mountains were deep and quiet; not even a bird could be heard chirping.

Du Ming stopped the car.

The three got out of the car and saw a winding road leading up the mountain, which seemed to be the path for climbing the mountain.

"The first task is to enter Jiangcheng Mountain. There is a formation here. If you cannot decipher the formation and find the way, you will not even be able to find the starting area. Whoever gets there first will determine the ranking."

Du Ming explained.

Lu Ban looked at the mountain path, which was winding and secluded.

Chapter 555 Mountain Trail

Is there any special significance to this mountain trail?

Lu Ban activated [True Vision] and looked over.

The forest itself was ordinary, but something seemed wrong with the road; pollution had spread from the bricks and stones, seeping into the surrounding humus-rich ground.

The pollution is like it's flowing down from the mountaintop; who knows what lies at the end of the road?

"Although everyone needs to use their own unique skills here, there are a few general rules that are the easiest to follow."

He Chong said that after thinking for a moment, he decided to tell everything.

"First of all, do not believe anything anyone you meet on the way up the mountain says. Any attempt to lead you astray is dangerous."

"Secondly, the number of steps on the mountain trail is exactly one thousand. If you reach your destination before reaching one thousand, continue walking. If you reach one thousand but still haven't reached your destination, stop and wait."

Finally, don't look back.

Lu Ban silently remembered.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll be the first one to arrive after telling me all this?"

He then asked a question in return.

"...As long as it's not someone like Dai Yuanyang who becomes the Mystic Lord, nothing else matters."

He Chong replied.

"Then why don't you just disqualify him?"

Lu Ban asked again.

“He is one of the nine classes, a member of the Star-Picking Sect. According to the rules, we are not qualified to do this unless the Dai family members expel him.”

Du Ming explained.

“He’s not following the rules anymore, so there’s no need for you to be so persistent. Besides, he might be trying to trip you up and cause you trouble behind your back.”

Lu Ban felt that according to modern people's thinking, in this kind of situation, it is reasonable for you to break the rules first and for me to deal with you, so that the violator can not be allowed to stay.

"Do you think that if Dai Yuanyang really wanted to leave the Jiangcheng Theater last night, with the few of us there present?"

Du Ming countered with a question.

"Kill him, stage it as an accident, eliminate this guy, and no one except us will know. Do you think that's okay?"

Lu Ban did not answer.

According to the chosen ones' thinking, doing so is actually quite reasonable.

"Indeed, if we really did that, outsiders wouldn't know, but there are always some things we have to be true to ourselves."

Du Ming also pointed upwards.

Lu Ban looked up and saw only lush greenery.

"Heaven is watching from above; what people do, Heaven is watching, and there's no escaping it."

He Chong added a sentence.

“People like us, with our unique skills, can easily go astray if we don’t have a moral compass or a moral compass. You’re still young, so we, your seniors, are giving you a few words of advice.”

He then pointed to the mountain trail.

"You go first, we'll follow. Remember, don't look back."

Lu Ban glanced down the mountain and saw what appeared to be a small village with wisps of smoke rising from its chimneys. That was probably where the abandoned town used to be. He then looked towards the river, but he couldn't see clearly from there and didn't know if the amusement park was there.

He glanced at Du Ming and He Chong, then climbed the steps.

Without turning around, Lu Ban only felt that it had become much quieter behind him.

His "real vision" looks ahead, and the pollution becomes increasingly intense.

A thousand steps, normally it takes more than twenty minutes to walk, which is not a long time.

Lu Ban mentally counted the steps, looking at the road ahead.

The surrounding silence was unsettling.

Normally, mountain paths are not quiet; there are birds and insects chirping. But now, in this lush green thicket, there is not a sound at all; it is completely silent.

Lu Ban quickly realized that even his own footsteps had stopped. He felt as if he was not stepping on stone steps, but on something soft, like stepping on the rotten, limp corpse of some creature.

He looked down and saw that the ground beneath his feet was covered with bluish-gray bricks and stones, not soft mud or anything more disgusting and terrifying.

However, in the hazy reflection of the bricks and stones behind Lu Ban, there seemed to be a dark shadow.

It's like... one person!

Lu Ban saw the unnatural shadow moving on the bricks and stones, and then quickly disappearing from his sight. He looked up ahead and the road seemed to have become longer.

It seemed as if fog had rolled in, and the air became thick and humid. The hot, humid air seeped into my clothes and quickly soaked them. The damp fabric clung to my skin, making it incredibly uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Lu Ban heard a strange sound coming from behind him.

On this quiet mountain path, no sound can escape the ears.

The sound was like breathing, accompanied by light footsteps, gradually approaching Lu Ban.

call--

Lu Ban could even feel the breath so close to him travel through space and blow onto his back, bringing a chill.

He stopped in his tracks.

Why did it stop?

Behind him, a clear voice rang out, asking Lu Ban with a hint of teasing.

"Don't turn around, I have no intention of harming you."

The voice gradually moved from behind Lu Ban until it reached his side.

Lu Ban glanced at her and saw Tang Que, who was wearing a dark cheongsam and was the only woman among the Nine Streams disciples.

"Mr. He told me not to trust anyone."

Lu Ban spoke frankly.

"Haha, that's true, I didn't intend to believe you either."

Compared to her cold appearance, Tang Que has a cheerful personality. In fact, such a straightforward personality is rare among women in this era.

"Did He Chong and Du Ming ask you to come up first?"