Chapter 61: Beyond the Mountains and Seas…

—

Just as Xu Shen had predicted, the third-tier corpse worm turned out to be weaker than expected. Its tail attack had been its strongest move. Afterward, under Xu Shen’s full-powered assault—despite holding back his Battle Art—the worm was quickly reduced to chunks of flesh.

Its death was gruesome.

The fight lasted a mere seven or eight seconds.

Not much time to show off, Xu Shen thought wryly. But at least the worm was dead.

He had taken some damage in the process—his stomach was nearly pierced through. A minor injury, in his opinion.

Leaning against a massive tree, Xu Shen pressed his hand against the wound, silently focusing on recovery.

—

In the forest depths, a pained screech signaled the end of the second-tier peak corpse worm. Silence followed.

Murong Xin and her group limped back toward Xu Shen’s location. Well, Murong Jian limped; the others were slightly injured but still walking upright. Their faces were flushed with excitement.

Even though it had taken all four of them working together, they had managed to kill a second-tier peak corpse worm. It was a satisfying accomplishment.

—

As they emerged from the forest, they saw the gray-masked man leaning silently against a tree. Surrounding him were chunks of flesh and pools of blood.

Murong Xin turned pale at the sight, nearly vomiting from the overwhelming stench of blood and decay that filled the air.

—

“This… this guy is insane,” Shi Jian muttered, his throat dry as he swallowed hard.

Lin Sancai walked forward, stopping in front of Xu Shen. She stared at him for a moment before speaking.

“Thank you for saving me earlier. May I ask your name?”

“Ming,” Xu Shen replied, his voice cold and raspy, echoing through the forest.

“If you want to leave, you’d better go now,” he added, lifting his head to glance at the exhausted group. He shook his head slightly in disapproval.

Am I just too strong? Or are they really this weak? he wondered.

A second-tier peak corpse worm shouldn’t have been this difficult to deal with. Weren’t these supposed to be some of Yuan City’s most talented individuals?

“Was it really that hard for you to kill a second-tier peak?” Xu Shen asked, his tone tinged with confusion.

The group exchanged awkward glances.

“Brother, you must be some kind of monster,” Murong Jian said with a bitter smile. “For a normal Awakening Realm peak cultivator, even surviving against a second-tier low-level ghoul is impressive.”

“Ghouls are different from us Core Solidification cultivators,” he explained. “Every tier they advance brings significant increases in power.”

“From Awakening to Core Solidification, our strength doesn’t grow that much,” he added with a helpless shrug.

Xu Shen remained silent, unsure how to respond. If that was true, then perhaps he really was… abnormal.

Shaking his head, Xu Shen felt his abdominal wound had mostly healed. He stood up and drew his longsword.

“I’m leaving. Be careful,” he said before disappearing into the forest.

The group watched him go, exchanging bewildered looks.

“I don’t know why,” Shi Jian said as he scratched his head, “but something about him feels… familiar.”

“Strange,” he muttered to himself.

—

Meanwhile: Southern Ridge City

Southern Ridge City was one of the largest cities in the southern region of Xia Nation, rivaling even the capital in size and prosperity. It was a hub of talent and wealth, home to numerous influential families and organizations.

Within the Southern Ridge district lay countless estates and factions, each exuding an air of authority. Among them, the Cheng family stood at the pinnacle.

—

In a mountain range near Southern Ridge City sat a sprawling estate that resembled an imperial palace. The pristine white buildings looked like something out of a dream, surrounded by lush greenery.

The estate radiated power—its aura was palpable even from afar. Servants bustled about, carrying trays of food and wine. Outside, luxury cars that ordinary people could only dream of owning pulled up one after another.

Prominent figures from Southern Ridge City stepped out of their vehicles, all wearing smiles as they entered the estate.

—

“Hahaha! Brother Cheng, I spared no expense for Old Master Cheng’s birthday today!” one guest exclaimed jovially.

“This is my first time visiting the Cheng estate. It’s truly on another level—far beyond what small families like ours can achieve,” another guest remarked in awe.

“Of course! The Cheng family has been powerful since ancient times. After surviving Xia Nation’s darkest era, they’ve only grown stronger,” someone else chimed in.

—

A middle-aged man with a broad chest and imposing presence stepped out of the estate to greet them. His face bore a neatly trimmed beard and an air of authority.

“Welcome! Welcome!” he said warmly, clasping his hands together in greeting. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all. Please, come in!”

“Greetings to Master Cheng!” the guests replied respectfully.

“No need for formalities—come inside!” Master Cheng said with a hearty laugh as he led them into the estate.

—

In the Surrounding Mountains

Hidden among the trees surrounding the estate were several Xinhuo Guards. They leaned against tree trunks, smoking cigarettes as they watched the steady stream of guests entering the Cheng family’s domain.

Their eyes gleamed with caution and curiosity.

—

“Why are we even here?” one guard grumbled into his communicator. “These people all have strong bodyguards—what’s the point of us watching over them?”

“It’s Old Master Cheng’s birthday,” another voice replied. “The commander ordered us to keep an eye on things and make sure nothing happens.”

“Ugh! These bastards act all high and mighty, treating us like we’re beneath them—and now we have to babysit them?” someone else complained bitterly.

“You talk too much,” another guard snapped. “What can you do about it?”

“Eat shit! Are you happy about this or something?”

The bickering guards fell silent when a raspy voice cut through their chatter:

“Enough! Stay focused. Even if the chances of something happening are slim, we can’t afford any mistakes today.”

—

On another hilltop nearby, a middle-aged Xinhuo Guard cursed under his breath as he lit a cigarette.

“Damn kids,” he muttered. “Think I want to be here? Who knows why the commander insisted on posting us here.”

He took a deep drag from his cigarette before exhaling slowly.

“Young man,” an elderly voice suddenly spoke from behind him, startling him so badly that he nearly dropped his cigarette.

—

Turning around quickly, he saw an old man standing there with his hands clasped behind his back. The man’s hunched figure and messy hair gave him an unassuming appearance—but his eyes were dark and piercing, as if they could see straight into one’s soul.

Despite having no discernible aura or energy fluctuations, there was something unsettling about him.

—

“Old man, how did you get up here? The mountain paths aren’t easy to climb,” the guard asked cautiously. “Do you need help getting down?”

The old man smiled faintly, revealing yellowed teeth. “No need.”

“Are you from around here?” he asked conversationally.

“Yeah,” the guard replied warily. “But my family’s from Pearl City next door—not Southern Ridge.”

“I see…” The old man nodded thoughtfully before suddenly stumbling forward with a cry: “Oh dear… my foot!”

He collapsed to the ground dramatically.

—

“Are you alright?” The guard rushed over to help him up but immediately frowned as he noticed something odd.

“Old man… why are you so heavy?”

“This? I’ll explain later…” The old man chuckled softly before striking without warning.

The guard let out a muffled groan before collapsing unconscious.

—

Humming a cheerful tune, the old man dragged the unconscious guard into a corner and left him there before strolling toward the hilltop.

“Beyond the mountains and seas lives a group of blue elves… lively and clever~…” he sang softly as he gazed down at the pristine white estate below.

“Cheng Huang… today is your birthday?”

“Funny… it feels more like your death day.”

In the grand hall of the estate, Old Master Cheng raised his wine glass high as guests toasted him with words of praise and admiration.

“Hahaha! You are all pillars of Southern Ridge City,” Old Master Cheng said warmly. “I’m deeply grateful for your presence here today.”

“This toast is for all of you!” he declared before downing his drink in one gulp without flinching.

The guests followed suit enthusiastically, showering him with flattery:

“The Old Master is as vigorous as ever!”

“Back in the day, Old Master Cheng single-handedly defended our shores—slaughtering ghouls until the sea turned red with their blood!”

“A true role model for us all!”

—

Old Master Cheng waved dismissively but couldn’t hide his pleased expression. “I’m just an old man now—those days are long behind me.”

“The future belongs to the younger generation,” he added with a sigh. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around.”

“Nonsense!” one guest exclaimed. “You’re a Yinshen Realm expert—a living legend! We can only dream of reaching your level.”

“You’ll probably outlive all of us by centuries!” another chimed in enthusiastically.

“Hahaha!” Old Master Cheng laughed heartily at their words—but his laughter was cut short by a sudden tremor beneath their feet.

—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

“What’s going on?!” someone shouted as panic spread through the hall.

“The sky outside… it’s gone dark!” another voice cried out in terror.

“No—it’s not dark! There’s something above us!!”

The guests rushed outside—and what they saw would haunt them forever.

—

A mountain… had been severed in half!

No—more accurately, the upper half of a nearby mountain had been torn away and now hovered ominously above the estate like an enormous shadow.

“What… what is that?” someone whispered hoarsely.

“RUN!!” another person screamed desperately as chaos erupted among the crowd.

—

“HOW DARE YOU!!” Old Master Cheng roared furiously as ghostly energy erupted around him like a storm. His body swelled until he stood over four meters tall—a towering giant radiating power.

With a thunderous leap, he launched himself toward the falling mountain fragment like an enraged lion aiming for the heavens themselves.

BOOM!!

The impact shook the earth as Old Master Cheng’s massive fist collided with the mountain fragment—but despite shattering it into countless pieces, massive boulders still rained down on the estate like meteors.

“DAMN IT!! WHO DARES?!” Old Master Cheng bellowed in rage—but before he could react further…

A golden fist shot out from one of the falling boulders—silent yet devastatingly fast—and struck him squarely in the head!

BANG!!

Half of Old Master Cheng’s skull exploded in an instant—but even then, he refused to die. Staggering backward with blood streaming down his face, he glared at his attacker with his remaining eye—a hunched old man radiating golden energy like an ancient deity descending upon mortals.

“You…” Old Master Cheng growled through gritted teeth. “Yan Gui?!”

The old man straightened his posture—his previously hunched frame now standing tall like an unyielding spear piercing through heaven itself. The mountain patterns etched across his body seemed almost alive as nine eternal flames burned within them—each one exuding unfathomable power.

With eyes devoid of light yet filled with murderous intent, Yan Gui smiled coldly at his adversary:

“Cheng Huang.”

“You’ve been living quite comfortably… haven’t you?”