Chapter 259 The Fourth Day of Entering a Xuanhuan Novel
Chapter 259 The Fourth Day of Entering a Xuanhuan Novel
Chapter 259: The Fourth Day in a Fantasy Novel
The Mountain Lord was originally dozing on a rock, its mottled fur shimmering with a majestic luster under the sparse sunlight.
Its massive body rose and fell gently with each breath, exuding the innate authority of the king of beasts.
Suddenly, its huge tiger head lifted, all traces of drowsiness gone from its eyes like brass bells, replaced by an unmistakable look of shock.
It clearly sensed that the spiritual energy of the entire mountain range was furiously converging on a small valley at the edge of its territory!
"ROAR——!!!"
A deafening tiger's roar exploded, the rolling sound waves rattling the ancient trees, sending leaves rustling and birds scattering in terror.
The Mountain Lord reared up to its full three-meter height, then abruptly leaped down from the boulder, its heavy landing making the ground tremble slightly.
Its massive head turned toward the direction of the spiritual energy surge, its mouth splitting open to reveal dagger-like fangs, exhaling foul breath reeking of blood.
"A rare treasure has appeared?" It growled, the sound a low, thunderous rumble from deep in its throat.
Aside from treasures born of heaven and earth, it could think of nothing else that could trigger such a tremendous surge of spiritual energy!
Without any hesitation, the Mountain Lord's limbs pushed off, its enormous body displaying astonishing speed that seemed impossible for its size. Like a streak of yellow-and-black lightning, it bounded through the forest in a few leaps, racing toward that small valley at breakneck speed.
Wherever it passed, evil spirits and demons gave way, and all beasts cowered in submission.
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The next to notice something was wrong were the human towns scattered around the mountain range.
In Tianshan Town, several cultivators wore looks of horror almost simultaneously.
Their cultivation levels were not high, but at this moment, the abnormal surging of spiritual energy in the air around them created ripples so distinct they could not be ignored.
All the spiritual energy was flowing toward a single direction—the direction of the Jiaolian Mountain Range outside the city!
"Such an anomaly... Could a rare treasure have appeared?!" A white-haired, white-bearded old Taoist suddenly stood up, his face filled with excitement.
He laughed heartily and shot out of his dwelling.
"Look! It's an immortal!" On the street, a keen-eyed peddler cried out, pointing at the sky.
On the bustling street, passersby and merchants looked up in the direction he pointed.
Streaks of light in various colors, some fast and some slow, were rising from all corners of the town, all racing toward the Jiaolian Mountain Range outside the city!
An elderly woman let out an "Oh my!" and, clutching her vegetable basket, looked both awed and curious: "Why so many immortals? Why are they all rushing out of town?"
A nearby vendor wiped his neck with a towel, then slung it over his shoulder, and snorted, unimpressed: "Hey! Who knows? The immortals' business isn't ours to worry about—we're just ordinary people! If the sky falls, the tall guys will catch it. Why should we care?"
With that, he went back to peddling his wares.
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In Qinglin Town, at the far end of a secluded alley.
"Tap... tap... tap..."
An extremely soft, rhythmic footstep stopped in front of the main gate of a mansion with a vermilion door.
The footsteps belonged to a young man in a moon-white Taoist robe.
The robe was spotless, its fabric smooth as silk, seeming to glow faintly in the dim alley.
His posture was ramrod straight, his features so handsome they were almost startling, his complexion an unhealthy, cold pale.
A pair of slightly upturned, almond-shaped eyes, pitch-black and fathomless, held a faint smile as he slightly tilted his head, gazing at the streaks of light darting steadily toward the Jiaolian Mountain Range above the town.
His jet-black long hair was meticulously secured with a white jade crown, with only a few unruly strands falling across his forehead—not appearing messy, but rather adding an air of casual grace.
From any angle, he looked like a refined, otherworldly young noble who had stepped straight out of a classical ink painting.
Beside him stood a portly, round-faced middle-aged man in brocade robes.
He was drenched in sweat, as if he'd just been dunked in water, tightly clutching a soaked handkerchief, dabbing frantically at the sweat pouring from his forehead and neck. His face was pale, his eyes wide with fear.
Seeing the Taoist beside him suddenly stop, he urged, his voice trembling: "M-Master Xie, why have you stopped? Th-that thing is right there in the courtyard! My family has truly... truly been plagued!"
The Taoist ignored him, still gazing at the sky with an unreadable expression.
After a long moment, the faint smile on his lips deepened slightly, and he let out a soft, almost inaudible chuckle.
The laugh was very soft, even carrying a hint of lazy indifference, but for some reason, when Lord Li heard it, goosebumps broke out all over his body. A chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Instinctively, he stepped back, nearly tripping.
Then he figured he was just spooked by the haunting, overreacting.
This Master Xie was someone he had hired at great expense, pulling every string he could. According to what he'd heard, the man had deep magical abilities and was humble and courteous. Indeed, he'd been polite and soft-spoken the whole way.
What did he have to be afraid of?
Lord Li forced down his racing heart, squeezed out a fawning smile that looked worse than a grimace, and bowed again: "M-Master Xie, please be merciful, go in quickly and deal with that evil spirit!"
Hearing this, Xie Xuandu finally looked away from the sky and let his gaze fall upon Lord Li's plump face, glistening with sweat, pale with fear.
He kept smiling, gentle as a spring breeze, and his tone was almost warm: "Evil spirit? You mean the vengeful ghost of that tenant farmer? The one whose land your son seized by force, and when he refused to give in, your son pushed him into a well and drowned him?"
Lord Li's face twitched violently, the blood draining from it in an instant, a flash of sheer terror and disbelief in his eyes.
How could this Taoist know that?!
His lips trembled as he stammered in defense: "M-Master Taoist, please hear me out! It was an accident, I swear! That man was insatiably greedy—the land was already sold to my family, yet he came back a second time, demanding an outrageous sum! My son argued with him, and in the struggle, he fell into the well himself..."
"It had nothing to do with my son! I-I've already punished him severely!"
"If this keeps up, our whole family will be killed!"
The smile on Xie Xuandu's face did not change in the slightest, not even a flicker of change in the curve of his lips.
He listened quietly to Lord Li's excuses, then murmured a single sentence, his voice still warm and pleasant, but his words froze Lord Li to the bone: "Oh? In that case... then you can all go die."
Lord Li's eyes bulged, his pupils shrinking, his face a mask of shock and terror.
He opened his mouth to curse...
But before him, the man in the moon-white robe vanished silently, like a ghost.
In the alley, only he and the servants behind him remained, along with the soft laughter still hanging in the air.