The aged voice faded.

Ji Wang and San Wei both froze, then looked forward in disbelief. The three elite Yumin Kingdom warriors, clad in black robes and carrying weapons, felt their scalps tingle. Five thousand years ago was the era when Yu the Great summoned the nations of the Nine Provinces and the Mountains and Seas to the Tushan Alliance, an era of heroes and legends, even victories over myths.

People from that era?!

They'd actually lived this long?

Thoughts surged in their minds, and they made the same decision.

Retreat!

They were no match!

Their wings spread, and then they discovered that the wind, which had previously submitted to the Feather Clan, was no longer flowing. It was as if their wings were locked down, making it impossible to fly with the wind. Wei Yuan slowly retracted his gaze; his Mountain God Seal was inherently inclined toward mountain winds.

Combined with the Tiangang Disha Laws, if these Feather Clan people had started running on foot, he might have had trouble stopping them. But trying to escape by riding the wind? Forget about it. Wei Yuan's lips twitched as he watched the Bifang bird flee in utter panic.

Did you really have to be this afraid?!

It wasn't me who wanted to roast your ancestors back then.

No, wait, that actually was me.

But it wasn't me who plucked your ancestor's feathers afterward and gnawed on the raw meat.

What are you afraid of?!

I didn't even write you into the book.

Wei Yuan strangely averted his gaze and looked at the three black-robed Yumin. Ji Wang still couldn't quite believe the person before him, but quickly reacted and angrily said, "Yuan… these three people wanted to dig up your grave, and they were quite ruthless just now."

The three Feather Clan members finally understood that they had misunderstood the most crucial part because they had coincidentally appeared in the same location. The leader's voice was hoarse and urgent as he said, "It's a misunderstanding. We had no intention of disrespecting this esteemed one."

"We're just tracking down a traitor from the Yumin Kingdom."

"We want to bring her back to the country."

"Everything that just happened was a misunderstanding. We can offer compensation."

Ji Wang was furious. They hadn't been so polite just now; their attacks had been vicious enough to kill. Now they were saying such nice things.

Yumin Kingdom, traitor…

Wei Yuan mused, and just as the Feather Clan leader seemed to see a glimmer of hope, he said:

"Are you talking about Feng Siyu?"

??!

The Feather Clan leader's pupils constricted slightly, and his explanation abruptly stopped.

All that remained was a sudden surge of emotion.

And just as he was affected by Wei Yuan's words, his emotions stirred, Wei Yuan silently influenced him with Daoist magic, directly delving into his soul, hoping to seize the opportunity to read the Feather Clan leader's first reaction after mentioning Feng Siyu.

The Feather Clan leader quickly reacted, realizing that his soul was being interfered with.

He opened his mouth, let out a miserable laugh, and, not giving Wei Yuan another chance, bit open a small sac in his mouth. His face instantly turned purplish-blue, and he fell to the ground, dead. Even his soul perished along with his physical body. The remaining two black-robed men died almost simultaneously.

No one had expected such a change.

Wei Yuan's own body was still somewhat stiff, and he was unable to react in time.

By the time he realized something was wrong, the other party had already committed suicide by taking poison.

He bent down to examine the three men's deaths, opened their hoods, and saw that their faces were covered in scars, making it impossible to discern their original appearance. Clearly, they were specially trained assassins, and judging from their previous actions, the Yumin Kingdom was determined to kill Feng Siyu.

Wei Yuan had just managed to glean some information from the surface of the leader's soul.

The new ruler.

And the Yumin Kingdom's most outstanding young priestess, hailed as the next generation High Priest of the Yumin Kingdom.

Wei Yuan's mind flashed with the leader's memories.

It was a girl with wings spread, covered with a layer of golden light, wearing fire-colored clothing, veiled with a thin layer of gauze, solemn and gentle, inspiring awe.

Wei Yuan was silent for a moment, feeling somewhat uncertain.

Was this really Feng Siyu?

However, priestesses existed for the sake of gods, and the area recorded in the Classic of the Southern Mountains Overseas was not as large as the Classic of the Western Mountains. The only deity truly qualified for the Yumin Kingdom to collectively believe in was one.

Wei Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he muttered softly in his heart.

The God of Fire,

Zhurong.

……………………

"They actually committed suicide. Assassins? When did the Yumin Kingdom start using those?"

"Aren't they Shao Hao's subjects?"

Ji Wang looked at the three Yumin who had committed suicide with some emotion.

Wei Yuan said, "Emperor Shao Hao appointed birds as officials, with the phoenix as prime minister, and birds of prey as the army. These should be the Yumin Kingdom's Eagle Guard."

The old mountain elder looked at Wei Yuan and hesitantly asked, "Is it really you?"

Wei Yuan said, "The real deal."

The mountain elder Ji Wang didn't know this later-era idiom, grumbling, "Real deal, where am I going to exchange it?"

He shook his head, suppressing the emotions in his heart, a smile appearing on his face as he sighed, "Still, you were able to come back to life. Could it be that you weren't dead back then, just injured and recuperating? It's truly unbelievable."

San Wei laughed loudly, "What are you talking about? How could anyone be injured and sleep for five thousand years?"

"I think he had some kind of fortuitous encounter."

"Maybe it was Yu the Great's preparations that allowed you to be resurrected."

"Hahaha, that's right, that's Yu the Great after all. Anything is possible with him."

"But no matter what, it's a great thing that you've woken up!"

"Yes, a great thing, worth celebrating!"

The two mountain gods congratulated him repeatedly, their faces full of smiles. No one would doubt their sincerity, whether in their tone or expression, unless they saw their actions.

The old mountain god, usually kind and amiable, retreated step by step, spreading his arms wide, doing his best to block his own white bull behind him. The San Wei mountain god kept kicking backward with his right foot, trying to kick his own divine bull back to Chongwu Mountain, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. It wasn't clear if he was thinking of the exotic fruit grove behind his mountain or the medicinal herbs planted in the mountain's belly.

The Ji Wang mountain god forced a laugh:

"Ha, haha, it's a good thing, a good thing!"

The San Wei mountain god wiped his sweat:

"Yes, yes, we have to tell everyone that Yuan has returned and to hide their divine beasts well…"

"Ah, no, I mean, we have to welcome you properly."

Wei Yuan: "…………"

He couldn't help but chuckle, then said, "Don't worry."

His current body was in the state of an old man, so his voice was aged and deep. He picked up a strand of white hair and sighed, "I won't go to your mountains to find meat anymore. I was young and ignorant back then."

"Now that I'm so old, I don't have that much energy anymore."

"Yu, Qi, and Nujiao aren't here anymore either. After all, the things that happened back then have passed for so long."

He sighed with emotion. Ji Wang and San Wei looked at the currently aged and decrepit Yuan.

Suddenly, they realized that he was different from them. He wasn't a spirit of the mountain, he would age, he would die, and his nature would also change. That sense of vigilance gradually dissipated, and when they recalled those days of both hate and love, those chaotic times, they realized that it had all happened five thousand years ago.

Ji Wang sighed, "That's true."

"You're old too."

"Yu isn't here anymore either. I guess he can't capture monsters anymore."

Wei Yuan smiled, "Of course, if you're willing to give me one, I'd still be very happy."

Ji Wang quickly shook his head, saying, "That's absolutely impossible."

………………

The two mountain gods exchanged pleasantries with Wei Yuan for a while. Ji Wang stroked his beard and said, "I thought there was something wrong with my mountain. It turns out you woke up. That's good, at least we can give an explanation to the Lord of Chongwu Mountain. By the way, Yuan, there's a mountain god gathering at Chongwu Mountain. Would you like to go take a look?"

Wei Yuan thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Maybe next time."

Ji Wang was a little disappointed, nodded, and said, "Well, there should be another gathering at Chongwu Mountain in a while. All the mountain gods of the entire West Third Classic will go then. If you have the time, go take a look."

Wei Yuan nodded.

The two mountain gods had to return to report to the Lord of Chongwu Mountain.

Riding on their two white bulls, they left in a hurry. When these white divine bulls came down, they had to be urged, but when they left, they didn't need to be called anymore. They strode forward, riding the clouds, the clouds rolling and surging as they galloped away as if fleeing.

Wei Yuan withdrew his gaze, thought for a moment, and then used earth-moving techniques to dig three graves here.

To bury the three Yumin and let them rest in peace.

Afterward, after waiting for the Bo beast to return, he first returned to the outside of Chaoge City, let his physical body sit cross-legged in the belly of the mountain, and nurtured his stiff body with the earth's veins before leaving the Mountain and Sea Realm. He felt it, and his previous life's body was indeed not weak.

But it wasn't that powerful either.

Without the blessing of divine power, it was still considered a mortal from the perspective of ancient times.

As for zombies… these kinds of strange creatures can only appear in places of extreme yin. Chongwu Mountain is the head of many mountain gods in the West Third Classic, while the east is the extreme yang. Yu the Great directly buried him in this position east of Chongwu Mountain, completely preventing him from having even a trace of a chance to revive as a zombie.

Moreover, even a mortal's sword can ward off evil. Right now, Yu the Great's saber is directly suppressing him there, and the blade is stained with the blood of a Kunlun god. Corpse transformation is impossible. Only lying in a stone coffin and sleeping honestly can maintain some dignity.

Wei Yuan almost suspected that if his body were to transform into a zombie, the Shadow Drawing Sword would directly disperse the evil energy.

Let him experience what it's like to be beaten by his older brother.

After all, in Yu and the others' eyes.

The Yuan after the corpse transformation and the true spirit were no longer the same person.

It was just his body that had re-birthed a savage intelligence.

Perhaps, this was how Wuzhiqi felt when looking at the remnant soul of Xiangliu, and how Zhujiuyin felt when looking at the current Gu… Wei Yuan suddenly felt that he could slightly understand Wuzhiqi, who had shattered Xiangliu's remnant soul with all his strength, and Zhujiuyin, who hoped that he could kill Gu. He understood what they were thinking.

His real purpose was to glean information from Zhujiuyin.

Now he had reached a contract with Zhujiuyin.

Next, he would naturally need to kill Gu, and before that, Wei Yuan went to Qingqiu Country.

For some reason, the old fox who would smile and call him General was not guarding the path in front of Qingqiu Country today. Instead, it was another middle-aged man, wearing wide robes and belts, giving off an air of an ancient scholar. He paused when he saw Wei Yuan, then nodded politely. After that, a young fox took Wei Yuan to Nujiao's residence.

It was still in that place that was far from most of Qingqiu Country's buildings.

The fox girl led Wei Yuan inside to wait, then went to the back to find Nujiao.

Wei Yuan sat cross-legged at the table, slowly drinking tea.

After a while, he heard the sound of footsteps.

Before the person had even walked out, a smiling voice came from behind the screen:

"Who could it be? Isn't this the Deputy Celestial Master of the Way of Peace, the Halberd-Bearer of the First Emperor, the busy man of the human world, Wei Yuan, the curator Wei? I wonder what wind has blown you here today. My little Qingqiu Country is truly honored."

Nujiao walked out with a smile.

Wei Yuan's lips twitched.

With a wave of her arm, her sleeves fluttered open to the side. Nujiao, dressed in light-colored clothing and with her hair tied up with a jade hairpin, sat in front of him, her smile gentle.

Yu, bless me.

Wei Yuan clenched his fist, coughed with his hand against his chin, and said:

"Of course, I'm here to visit Priestess Nujiao."

Nujiao's smile was playful, "Oh? To see me…"

"Really?"

Wei Yuan simply took out a wooden box from behind him and placed it on the table, pushing it forward, and said:

"A gift."

Nujiao paused, then couldn't help but laugh. She seemed to be really amused by Wei Yuan, laughing uncontrollably, holding her stomach with one hand, and said, "Pfft, haha… You, you really went to find it?"

"You're not trying to fool me, are you…"

She opened the wooden box while laughing, and then saw the ancient, rusty, broken sword.

Her hand stopped moving.

"Shadow Drawing…"

ps: Today's first update… three thousand six hundred words, thank you i赵一笑i, the leader, thank you~

It's obvious that my schedule is starting to collapse, covering my face… After sending out this update, I'll continue to write, trying to finish the second chapter around twelve o'clock and then go to bed early.