The cave was dark, and droplets of water echoed.
Passing through the deep pond’s waterway, to sudden amazent, a cavern appeared, fitting the saying, "First extrely narrow, then passable by n; after walking several tens of steps, it expands dramatically."
After going through a narrow area, space opened up imdiately. As far as the eye could see, it was filled with a dense mass of stalactites.
Under the light of the fire, they were interlocking and bizarre in appearance.
Li Yan had visited Shennongjia in his past life and knew that the terrain here was complex, with many such caverns, but the one before him still shocked him.
Highs and lows scattered about, extending in all directions like a labyrinth, his exerted Divine Skills couldn’t fathom its depths.
It seed the whole mountain’s base was riddled with caverns.
The good thing was, they still had a guide.
Several "Jing People" had already entered the cave ahead, hopping and jumping in front, and although they were little, their speed wasn’t slow at all.
Unafraid of the dark, they were almost like returning ho, leading the group forward in this underground cavern.
Turning left, then right, crossing through various caverns, everyone had even lost track of which area they had reached.
Li Yan signaled with a glance, alerting everyone.
Although these "Jing People" posed almost no threat to them, it’s still better to be cautious in Shennongjia.
Unknowingly, they had been walking for half an hour.
After climbing through a narrow cavern, a rush of fresh air t them, along with the howling of the wind.
Not only that, Li Yan also slled a peculiar odor.
It was the stench of wild beasts, but there was even more the scent of incense.
And then, the view before them suddenly opened up.
This was a colossal do-like cave, similar to a volcanic vent, with the surrounding rock walls full of honeycomb-like holes, densely inhabited by the "Jing People."
Above the cavern there was no covering, there was a hundred-ter-wide circular hole, through which the night sky and moon could be seen. The mountain wind howled, refreshing the air inside the cave.
Moonlight stread through the hole, shining upon a massive creature.
Everyone’s scalp tightened at the sight.
In the center of the cavern lay a huge creature, resembling a tiger or a leopard, eight ters long, covered in white fur with beautiful black stripes, and two long, sharp fangs.
This enormous beast was clearly wounded, with large gashes in its belly, oozing black pus, and a string of potato-sized pustules.
As they entered, the beast slowly raised its head.
Its pupils were erald green, the gaze clear, yet slightly weary.
"White... White Tiger?"
Sha Lifei swallowed hard, sowhat stuttering.
Li Yan’s brow furrowed as he heightened his alertness.
This creature resembled a saber-toothed tiger. According to what Village Chief Zhou said, such Exotic Beasts called "Mountain Crossing Yellow," known for their incredible speed, inhabited Shennongjia.
Since they did not attack humans proactively, the locals regarded them as the guardian Divine Beasts of Shennongjia, calling them "Mountain King Bodhisattva."
However, the "Mountain Crossing Yellow" was yellow, and the one before them didn’t match.
Only Wang Dao Xuan seed to realize sothing, his eyes lighting up as he tremblingly said, "It’s ’Zouyu,’ a living ’Zouyu’!"
"The Classic of Mountains and Seas ntions it: As large as a tiger, possessing all five colors, with a tail longer than its body, nad Zouyu, capable of traveling a thousand miles in a day..."
Sha Lifei was sowhat nervous, "Very dangerous?"
Not only him, but this was also Li Yan’s first ti hearing of it.
Wang Daoxuan hurriedly shook his head, quoting, "The harmonized phoenix feet are of royal nature. The virtue of nesting Zouyu is of the Dukes. This ancient benevolent beast does not consu living creatures; it responds to those who possess the utmost trust and virtue."
Sha Lifei was baffled, "What? What does that an?"
Wang Daoxuan twitched his eyelid, "It’s herbivorous."
With that, he boldly stepped forward, eagerly clasping his hands in salute, saying, "Esteed Daoist, thank you for allowing us temporary shelter here."
Li Yan also grasped the implication.
This creature was regarded by the ancients as an auspicious on, fierce-looking but in fact herbivorous, and only those who were trustworthy could see it.
Looking at its large fangs, although dubious, Li Yan also stepped forward with the group to express their thanks with hands clasped in salute.
As for Wu Ba, he was extrely excited, hurriedly putting down his baggage, rushing over in a few steps, and repeatedly bowing his head with tears in his eyes.
The great "Zouyu," gazed at Wu Ba with an even softer expression, its mouth slightly opened and its throat rumbling loudly, issuing a series of sounds in the language of the Upper Regions.
Wu Ba promptly raised his head to respond in the sa language.
Lv San then quietly translated for the others.
"This Divine Beast is the protector Mountain God of this area, and also one of the Divine spirits worshipped by the Jing People tribe. It’s asking Wu Ba..."
"When the Heavenly Saint Sect attacked the Jing People’s tribe, It wanted to go to the rescue but was surrounded and attacked with firearms, recovering for a long ti..."
Just then, the "Zouyu" suddenly let out a low roar, clearly in agony, as the pustules on its belly burst open pop pop pop.
Imdiately after, a large number of white, writhing nematodes erged.
"It’s ’Jiao Gu’!"
The group was all too familiar with this creature; the Tuo Master had been afflicted twice, nearly losing his life, and they never expected to see it again in Shennongjia.
Sha Lifei, deep in thought, whispered, "Brother Yan, the ’Jiao Gu’ obtained by the East Lake ancestor, couldn’t have co from Shennongjia, could it?"
"Let’s treat the wound first, and then ask!"
After speaking, Li Yan signaled for Lv San to step forward and communicate.
Lv San wasted no words, and upon approaching, he began to mutter in the language of the Upper Regions, with Wu Ba interjecting assurances.
"Zouyu" observed everyone and then nodded its head; its body laboriously rolled, revealing the gaping wound on its belly fully.
Everyone felt their scalps tingle at the sight.
The wound was even deeper than they imagined, the internal organs almost visible, also covered with Gu Worm pustules.
Thankfully, the Divine Beast had strong vitality, and had sohow managed to force the Gu into one place, barely maintaining its life force.
User Comments
0 comments from readers