Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 6: Natural Disasters and Calamities

At that moment, alarm bells rang out across all the peaks of Lingxiao Sect. People could be seen flying through the air, shouting at the top of their lungs, “Emergency order! All sect disciples must return to the mountain immediately within one hour—do not go out! The sect’s protective array will be activated in half an hour!” Even outer-sect disciples were seen among the inner-sect disciples. Qian Dafu, who had been sleeping inside his room, was abruptly awakened by the chaotic commotion outside. “What’s going on? Why are they suddenly activating the mountain-defending formation?” “I don’t know. It’s an emergency order. Those of us living at the foot of the mountain need to hurry up the mountain—even this place could be in danger.” “What did you say? What could possibly attack the foot of our sect’s mountain? Could it be a demon beast uprising?” “Hurry up, hurry up! The Great Mountain-Guarding Formation doesn’t protect this area.” Qian Dafu tumbled out of bed in a flash, pushed open the door, and ran outside. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw an older outer-sect disciple shouldering two large sacks, looking as if he were fleeing a disaster. “Buddy, what’s going on?” This older outer-sect disciple was named Meng Tie; he looked much older than his years and had been here for quite a long time. “The Drinking Demon Barrier is coming!” “The Demon-Devouring Mist? What’s that?” “It’s a highly toxic black mist. The Drinking Demon Barrier descends once every fifty years, but this time it’s come early. Anyone who enters it is doomed—not just us humans, but even demon beasts that come into contact with it will perish!” “It’s that dangerous!” Qian Dafu reached out and snatched a burlap sack. “Let me help carry some of this. Is it unsafe here? Should we head up the mountain to take shelter?” “Of course! The Demon-Devouring Mist originates from the back side of Misty Peak. The black mist first churns in the sky, then begins to sink, blanketing the area and sweeping across the surroundings of our sect. But don’t worry—ever since our Lingxiao Sect was founded, this phenomenon has existed here. As long as we activate the Mountain-Protecting Array, we’ll be fine. It’ll dissipate in two days.” “Oh, that gave me a scare. The Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation isn’t something to be taken lightly—it’s only activated when the sect’s very survival is at stake. So it was just a false alarm after all.” “I’ve heard that, too—it only happens once every fifty years. We’ll get to see it for ourselves this time.” The two made their way up the mountain path, heading toward the summit, passing quite a few people along the way. The sounds of people rushing about and shouting never ceased for a moment. “Where’s Su Mu, the guy you share a room with?” Meng Tie asked offhandedly. Clang! Qian Dafu’s burlap sack fell to the ground; whatever hard object was inside hit the top of his foot. Strangely, Qian Dafu seemed completely oblivious to the impact, yet cold sweat was breaking out on his plump cheeks. “Da Fu, what’s wrong with you?” “It’s over, it’s over!” Qian Dafu cried, looking dazed. “Mu Ge is still over on the back side of Misty Peak. I have to let him know right away. If he doesn’t make it back before the Mountain-Protecting Formation activates, then…” With that, he turned and ran. “The back of Misty Peak is too far from here—there’s no time! Go to Floating Cloud Peak right now and ask Senior Sister Cheng Yao for help. Hasn’t she always looked out for Su Mu?” Qian Dafu stopped in his tracks immediately. “Right, right, right! Finding Senior Sister Cheng Yao is the top priority. Riding her Source Beast, the Immortal Crane, she’ll definitely make it in time! My buddy, you’ve really saved my life this time—I’ll definitely reward you handsomely later!” “No need to thank me. Hurry along.” Qian Dafu immediately dashed toward Floating Cloud Peak. If one were standing at a high point on the mountain at that moment, they could clearly see that the sky over Misty Peak had turned completely gloomy. Black mists churned, resembling one hideous ghostly face after another, cackling at the living beings below—a truly terrifying sight! The wind was changing as well. Behind the mountain. Su Mu had already climbed quite high. This single Eight-Leaf Qi-Nourishing Herb was growing on a sheer cliff face. Climbing up led to a small ledge; fortunately, the rocky wall was uneven, providing good footholds, so reaching the ledge wasn’t difficult. He eagerly began climbing diagonally upward when suddenly, a dark shadow swooped down from directly above him. Cold sweat broke out on his back. He turned to look—it was a demon beast, a Scavenger Eagle, flying downward barely a zhang away from his back. Su Mu silently thanked his luck—he hadn’t moved just now, so by a stroke of luck, the demon beast hadn’t spotted him; otherwise, he’d have been in serious trouble. He had climbed more than halfway up when he realized the ground below was no longer solid—it was a ten-zhang-deep chasm. Clatter, clatter. Suddenly, rocks began tumbling down from above. Unable to dodge them, Su Mu had no choice but to steady himself and strike at them with his fists; he managed to weather the storm. The roars of demon beasts rang out—from the sounds, there were at least six or seven different kinds. Su Mu’s face turned ashen, and he wondered to himself, “Have I been targeted by a pack of demon beasts?” However, to his surprise, these beasts seemed to be running down the mountain; as they passed by, they kept dislodging loose rocks. He could even see several flying beasts darting downward in the distance. What’s going on? He suddenly realized something. The mist around him had dissipated without him noticing. He jerked his head up and was immediately startled! The sky above was thick with dark clouds—he couldn’t tell if they were actual clouds or just gas—but they had completely enveloped the surrounding sky, and so far, there had been no sound of thunder. What on earth is going on? The beasts are all fleeing down the mountain—could this be related? This isn’t a place to linger. Let’s grab the Eight-Leaf Qi-Nourishing Herb and head back as soon as possible. Su Mu was also getting very anxious and quickened his climb upward. He was so close to getting it—how could he give up now? The demon beasts’ cries grew even more frantic. He immediately focused his mind and soon reached the plateau. The Eight-Leaf Vitality Herb had finally ripened; its eight leaves glowed with a faint radiance. Seeing that it was still there, Su Mu let out a sigh of relief and began to harvest it with great care. After finishing the harvest, he was just about to head back down. The sound of the demon beasts fighting echoed from the cliff face—the commotion was intense. With a crash, a massive boulder tumbled down from above. Su Mugang had just begun climbing down when he saw the boulder plummeting toward him. He hurriedly scrambled upward, grabbing hold of the vegetation growing along the edge of the ledge. Fortunately, it was sturdy enough not to snap at his first tug; he strained with both arms and managed to pull himself up with great difficulty. The boulder was too massive; after climbing up, Su Mu quickly rolled to one side. With a thunderous crash, the boulder struck the ledge less than three seconds later. The boulder directly sheared off a section of the ledge, causing it to collapse, and destroyed the footholds he had been using to climb down. Su Mu was completely stunned. He frantically scanned his surroundings, only to be confronted by a grim reality: there was no way down! What on earth was he to do? The black mist overhead seemed to be sinking downward, and flocks of flying beasts began flying away in droves toward the distance. Stay calm—he had to stay calm at a time like this. Actually, he could try taking a running jump onto the rock face; as long as his arm strength was strong enough, he could dig his hands into the rock to maintain his balance. At his current level of cultivation, he probably couldn’t manage it, but if he could advance to the next level, he might succeed. Furthermore, once he reaches the peak of the Innate Realm, he can try using the “Ladder-Cloud Step” Source Art to move there. The Ladder-Cloud Step allows him to gain momentum once in midair to perform a second leap; in addition to increasing his range of movement, it also reduces the force of gravity acting on his center of gravity. No matter which method he chose to leave this place, the prerequisite was that his cultivation had reached the peak of the Innate Realm. Su Mu took the eight-leaf Qi-Nourishing Herb he had just gathered from his robe and pulled out a small vial containing six Bone-Cleansing Pills with his left hand. His gaze grew even more determined.