Having stepped into the Innate realm, on his journey towards Silver Horn Mountain, Teng Qingshan dedicated the majority of his evenings to refining his Innate True Essence.
However, this time, Teng Qingshan was traveling at an unprecedented speed.
In the Great Wilderness, maintaining a pace of nearly eight hundred li a day, Teng Qingshan reached Silver Horn Mountain in just two daylight cycles. Along this thousand-plus li stretch, Teng Qingshan had encountered a Demon Beast, and the sheer quantity of ordinary wild beasts and venomous insects was staggering—he had to slay one almost every moment, making the entire journey a path paved with bloody slaughter.
“Silver Horn Mountain!”
Teng Qingshan looked up at the precipitous peak ahead. This mountain was exceptionally sheer and steep, almost perfectly shaped like an ox’s horn. The upper portion of the mountain tapered to a point, and the mountain walls themselves were so vertical that they formed the 'horn' shape. Because the rock of this mountain had a somewhat whitish hue, it was named Silver Horn Mountain!
From a distance, this Silver Horn Mountain resembled a single ox horn piercing the firmament.
“Hah, finally arrived. These wild beasts and venomous insects have been truly troublesome.” Teng Qingshan glanced down at himself; his clothes were tattered, and the dried bloodstains covered him. “No wonder Post-Natal Martial Artists dare not venture deep into the Great Wilderness! At the edges, the beasts and venomous snakes are manageable, their numbers not too great. But in the depths, this is their home! Visible everywhere. Post-Natal Martial Artists who dare enter the wilderness are practically committing suicide!”
The Great Wilderness was known as a forbidden land. Teng Qingshan understood this completely.
Martial Artists could still venture into the periphery of the Great Wilderness.
The depths? That was merely sending oneself to death!
“Swish~~~” Not far from Teng Qingshan, a stream flowed down from the mountain.
Beside this stream, more than a dozen thick, deep-purple snakes, each as thick as an arm, were writhing. In the forest behind them, shadows of wild beasts occasionally darted by. In the sky, raptors occasionally swooped down, snatching a large snake with their talons, then dropping it from a great height to crush it to death.
This was the Great Wilderness!
The domain of fierce beasts and venomous insects! The place where Demon Beasts reigned supreme! A forbidden zone for humans!
Teng Qingshan walked to the small stream trickling down the mountain base and cupped some water to drink.
“Hiss—” About ten feet away from Teng Qingshan, the head of a deep-purple snake, nearly triangular in shape, suddenly struck out, aiming for Teng Qingshan’s throat.
“Slap!” Teng Qingshan flicked his right hand.
The deep-purple snake was flung back with even greater velocity, scattering blood as it hit the ground motionless.
“Hiss-hiss~~”
The other venomous snakes glanced at Teng Qingshan, then immediately slithered away into the distance. The scent of blood and aura emanating from Teng Qingshan made these snakes wary. Wild beasts and venomous creatures were simple: kill the weak to consume, flee from the strong, or submit to the strong! Of course, Teng Qingshan was human.
The possibility of these fiercely wild beasts submitting to a human was very low. It required skill, immense patience, and time.
“It only took me two days to get from Iron Arm Monkey Mountain to Silver Horn Mountain. The experts from the Iron Shirt Sect should not be moving this fast.” Teng Qingshan gazed toward the west, where the sky was filled with fiery red clouds. “It’s getting late. I need to find a place where I can stay for a long time to slowly wait for the Iron Shirt Sect members.”
Immediately, Teng Qingshan completely ignored the beasts, leaping with ease two or three times, each jump soaring dozens of feet high, already reaching the slopes of Silver Horn Mountain.
…
Halfway up Silver Horn Mountain, on the steep rock face, was a recessed cave, about three or four zhang deep, which Teng Qingshan used as his temporary residence.
Teng Qingshan leaned against the mouth of the cave. Vines hung down in front of the opening.
Through the vines, Teng Qingshan could see the forest below, and if anyone approached from the north, he would spot them immediately. He had been on Silver Horn Mountain for two days. During this time, the vast majority of his waking hours were spent refining his Innate True Essence, but he still hadn't fully converted it yet.
It generally took innate experts ten days to half a month to complete the transformation.
Converting Internal Strength into 'Innate True Essence' was indeed a troublesome affair. Over these few days, Teng Qingshan had managed to convert about eighty percent of his essence.
Leaning by the cave entrance, he held a piece of roasted meat in his hand.
“Crunch.” Teng Qingshan quickly devoured a large leg of wild wolf meat, then picked up his self-made stone water jug and took a sip of clear water. “For the Vermilion Fruit Wine, I even used the gourd I had reserved for carrying water! I can only use this thing for water… I wonder when the Iron Shirt Sect members will arrive. If they travel at one or two hundred li a day, it might truly take half a month.”
The wolf meat Teng Qingshan roasted was specifically killed and roasted after he descended into the Great Wilderness.
It was best not to leave any traces of his life on Silver Horn Mountain.
“Sss-sss~~~” The sound of stone scraping against stone echoed. Teng Qingshan turned to look beside him.
A green great snake was slowly sliding down the vines from the cave mouth. Seeing this, Teng Qingshan actually smiled, sighing lightly, “This depth of the Great Wilderness truly is the lair of venomous snakes and fierce beasts.”
Just then—
“Hmm!” Teng Qingshan’s eyes flashed. He looked far down into the distance at five figures as small as ants. “They’re finally here! They are two to three times faster than I predicted.”
The five members of the Iron Shirt Sect, among them the innate expert 'Deng Geng', had ruddy complexions; only their clothes were somewhat tattered and stained with blood, but they had sustained no serious injuries. However, the other four were miserable—all dusty and grime-covered, nearly all bearing wounds, and one tall, thin middle-aged man had even lost an arm.
“Hah, Silver Horn Mountain, we’ve finally reached Silver Horn Mountain!”
“Whew, now that we’re at Silver Horn Mountain, once we find the treasure map, we won’t have to rush so much on the way back, right?”
“I swear I will never enter this Great Wilderness again!”
…
The other four couldn't help but speak, all sounding quite excited. Deng Geng beside them also smiled, “Everyone has suffered these past few days! But there was no choice… Liu Jian went to kill Teng Qingshan and never returned. Although the possibility of Liu Jian betraying us is very low, we can’t afford to lose! We have to guard against the possibility that Teng Qingshan learned the news from Liu Jian and notified experts from the Returning Origin Sect…”
Wei Canglong laughed beside him, “Senior Brother, we all understand! Senior Brother is doing this for our Iron Shirt Sect. We reached Silver Horn Mountain in just a few days. Even if Teng Qingshan tries to notify the Returning Origin Sect, sending the message takes time, and for their experts to rush over from Jiangning County City takes even more time. The experts from the Returning Origin Sect won't arrive in time.”
Deng Geng nodded as well.
Originally, the Iron Shirt Sect planned to proceed cautiously and slowly. If Liu Jian had returned safely, they would not have accelerated their pace. But Liu Jian did not return.
They grew worried. Naturally, they sped toward Silver Horn Mountain.
The deeper they went into the Great Wilderness, the more ferocious beasts and venomous insects they encountered. Even the innate expert 'Deng Geng' could not perfectly protect the other four, even resulting in one of them losing an arm. This was even with Deng Geng's assistance; without him, Wei Canglong and the other three likely would not have reached Silver Horn Mountain alive.
The Great Wilderness was truly terrifying.
“It’s still early now. Let’s ascend Silver Horn Mountain first. We will search around a bit, to see if we can find the resting place of Senior Wei Shan!” Deng Geng said.
“Yes.”
The other four acknowledged in unison.
Immediately, the five of them began to climb. The innate expert 'Deng Geng' led the way, while Wei Canglong and the other three assisted each other, making their ascent quite fast. However, the fierce beasts and insects frequently appearing on the mountain were somewhat troublesome. Although Silver Horn Mountain was a steep peak, it could not compare to Iron Arm Monkey Mountain.
In reality, if the mountain's shape resembled a horn, having it be too tall would be incredible.
“This Silver Horn Mountain isn't very large. Everyone keep an eye on the surroundings. See if there’s any place suitable for quiet cultivation,” Deng Geng instructed as he climbed.
Wei Canglong and the other four also spread out to walk abreast, following Deng Geng, but their eyes darted around continuously, carefully observing every direction. As soon as they spotted a cave or any structure resembling a stone dwelling, they would immediately enter to thoroughly search it. If nothing was found, they would continue moving forward.
…
Teng Qingshan, dozens of feet away from Deng Geng and the others, followed stealthily. Every step he took was silent, and his breathing was suppressed.
The Teng Qingshan now looked completely different from before.
He had transformed into a middle-aged man with a scar across his face, and his physique had become much sturdier. His battle saber and Reincarnation Spear were both stowed away in his pack. Using a human-skin mask, he had altered his height and build; the current Teng Qingshan was utterly unrecognizable.
“What are they looking for?” Teng Qingshan frowned. “They are specifically targeting caves, stone dwellings, and places like that. It doesn't seem like they are looking for 'Immortal Grass.' ” Liu Jian had previously said the Iron Shirt Sect came to the Great Wilderness for 'Immortal Grass,' but now Teng Qingshan was beginning to have doubts.
Just then, a voice drifted down from above.
“Senior Brother! The news we received was that Senior Wei Shan lived in seclusion on Silver Horn Mountain, but… he might have left Silver Horn Mountain before his death,” Wei Canglong said. His voice was normal volume, but Teng Qingshan’s hearing was so sharp that he could clearly catch quiet conversations from dozens of feet away.
Deng Geng shook his head, “Senior Wei Shan was an expert from over six hundred years ago after all. The intelligence we have now suggests he remained here in seclusion after reaching the 'Innate Golden Core.' Whether he left before his death… no one knows. We can only search Silver Horn Mountain thoroughly.”
Another person spoke up, “Martial Uncle! Senior Wei Shan was once a supreme expert ranked in the top ten of the 'Heavenly Rankings.' If he cultivated here, the place he stayed would likely not be some insignificant, hidden corner. It should be a place with pleasant scenery and comfort.”
“Mhm,” Deng Geng nodded upon hearing this.
“Then let’s speed up. Let’s skip looking at those cramped little spots and proceed straight up. Let’s thoroughly examine the places Senior Wei Shan might have resided,” Deng Geng commanded.
“Yes.”
The speed of the five Iron Shirt Sect members increased immediately. They never suspected someone was following them… After all, once they realized Liu Jian hadn't caught up, they immediately rushed toward Silver Horn Mountain. In their minds, even if the Returning Origin Sect learned the news, their Innate experts could not arrive in time.
“Hmm, Wei Shan?” Teng Qingshan was slightly puzzled. “A supreme expert ranked in the top ten of the 'Heavenly Rankings' over six hundred years ago—he must have been dead for centuries. Why are they looking for Senior Wei Shan’s corpse? Is there some kind of hidden treasure? Ordinary secret manuals or divine weapons hold little appeal for Innate experts.”
Teng Qingshan knew nothing of 'Wei Shan' before this.
But hearing 'Innate Golden Core' and 'Top Ten of the Heavenly Rankings,' he knew Wei Shan was an extraordinary figure.
“A figure from over six hundred years ago, and the Iron Shirt Sect comes looking for his corpse…” Teng Qingshan couldn't imagine what treasure could attract the Iron Shirt Sect so strongly. “It must be a big secret.”