Urban Martial Saint

Chapter 1974 - 1974: Leading the Way (9th Update)

Upon hearing this, the few people over there were instantly surprised. The three who surrounded Ye Qing immediately said, "He doesn't know martial arts, what's he doing in these mountains? Here to die?""He actually doesn't know martial arts, impossible, right?"

The Great Lord also frowned and asked in a deep voice, "What did you two just say?"

The old man did not dare to neglect, and quickly recounted the dialogue he had just had with Ye Qing to the Great Lord. Upon hearing this, the people around him debated even more.

"He's a hunter? Impossible, right?"

"These mountains are so remote, how could a hunter possibly come here?"

"How could it be such a coincidence that a hunter just happened to come to Mount Wendao?"

"No matter what kind of person he is, just kill him to avoid trouble!"

Everyone was clearly very skeptical about Ye Qing being a hunter, but since the Great Lord hadn't spoken, they naturally didn't dare to act against Ye Qing.

After some discussions, everyone finally looked at the Grand Sect Master, waiting for him to make a decision. Although there were many of them, the one who truly made the decisions was the Great Lord.

The Great Lord stared at Ye Qing for a while, then fell into a brief silence before speaking in a deep voice, "No matter who he is, first take him up the mountain. If he's a hunter, he can lead the way. Once we find the Wendao Stone, we will kill him. If he's not a hunter, we can see what tricks he's trying to play, and also discern his identity!"

The Great Lord's words provided Ye Qing with some relief. Since these people weren't attacking him now, they couldn't probe the power within him, so he was temporarily safe. As for going up the mountain with these people, Ye Qing had no worries because he was already planning to go up the mountain. Furthermore, with the power of the Buddha's Relic and the Devouring Demon Flower, it's not so easy for these people to kill him. Going up the mountain actually suited Ye Qing's intentions!

Although they were suspicious of Ye Qing's identity, since the Great Lord had spoken, they naturally didn't dare to say anything. The old man turned to look at Ye Qing and said in Huaxia language with a deep voice, "You're a hunter, you should be familiar with this mountain, right?"

"Not familiar, not familiar. This is my first time here," Ye Qing quickly shook his head, waving his hands, and said, "This mountain is too deep; I didn't dare to come in before. Now, to make a living, I had to come here, so I'm really not familiar with it!"

"Whether you're familiar or not, lead the way ahead. Since you're a hunter, you must have a lot of experience walking mountain roads!" The old man said sternly, "I'm telling you, if you dare to play any tricks, I'll kill you immediately!"

Ye Qing pretended to be scared and quickly picked up the roasted rabbit and walked ahead. Just as he reached one of the foreigners, this foreigner directly snatched the rabbit from Ye Qing's hands.

"I'm just hungry, I'll help you eat this rabbit!" The foreigner said without waiting for Ye Qing to refuse, then devoured the rabbit without paying any attention to Ye Qing's opinion.

Though Ye Qing felt annoyed in his heart, he understood the situation very well; he had no voice in the matter. So he could only swallow his anger, slowly walking ahead, leading these people up the mountain.

With these people around him, Ye Qing didn't have to fear the wild beasts anymore. Therefore, walking the mountain roads at night didn't need any worrying, and everyone proceeded this way up the mountain.

Ye Qing indeed was not familiar with the situation of Mount Wendao. On the journey, the elderly people behind him were jabbering away in a foreign language, discussing the matters of Mount Wendao. They assumed Ye Qing wouldn't understand their language, so they spoke freely, inadvertently allowing Ye Qing to listen attentively.

It turned out that these people weren't coming for the Wendao Stone; they were aiming for something else on the mountain. According to what they said, there was a powerful creature hidden on the mountain, one capable of turning rivers and seas, truly terrifying. The Church once had a group of people pass through Mount Wendao and were slaughtered by this creature, leaving only one person barely escaping to report the creature's existence back to the Church.

Initially, the Church wouldn't provoke this creature, but recently their master issued a revelation, instructing them to capture some mythical beasts to be used as mounts for the forthcoming master. So, they came over with so many experts to take this creature back as a mount for that master.

Ye Qing was surprised. When Wuji previously told him about the situation of Mount Wendao, he never mentioned the creature. Could it be that Wuji didn't know about the creature? But Wuji had entered the mountain three times, if there truly was a creature on the mountain, it's unlikely he'd never encountered it, right?

However, upon reconsideration, Ye Qing felt at ease. Wuji had been suppressing The Immortal Lord at the Gate of the Dead for a hundred years, and his last visit to Mount Wendao was a century ago. This creature might not have appeared a hundred years ago. Besides, even if the creature was there a century ago, Wuji's formidable strength would deter any creature from provoking him. So, even if there was a creature on Mount Wendao, it would probably avoid Wuji.

In reality, Ye Qing misunderstood Wuji. Wuji was aware of the creature on the mountain, but he didn't mention it to Ye Qing out of concern that Ye Qing might be too scared to ascend the mountain. Moreover, he sent Ye Qing to find the Wendao Stone based on the concept of fate. If one is destined, no matter how many creatures there are on the mountain, Ye Qing could still find his Karmic Dao and leave safely. If one is not destined, even if there are no creatures, Ye Qing would gain nothing. Hence, Wuji sent Ye Qing up the mountain, gambling on fate. So, regarding the mountain's creature, whether mentioned or not, it makes little difference!

Besides, Wuji didn't send Ye Qing unprepared; he gave him the Tianzhu Sword for self-defense. If Ye Qing encounters the creature, it only signifies he's not the person of fate.

After learning about the creature on the mountain from these foreigners, Ye Qing became vigilant, cautiously observing his surroundings every step of the way, prepared for any possible occurrences. Though he threw the Tianzhu Sword down the mountain, he still carried the Metamorphic Iron Dagger, which is exceedingly sharp. The dagger is short, resembling a dagger in hand, and these foreigners hadn't noticed it, so naturally, they wouldn't try to seize it.

Mount Wendao is high, rocky, and lacks a proper path, making progress extremely slow for everyone. Moreover, Ye Qing was hungry without Inner Strength to assist him, rendering the journey increasingly arduous. Leading the way, Ye Qing naturally slowed everyone's pace. Judging by the current situation, even until daylight, they might not reach the summit, let alone search for the creature.

Yet, these people weren't in a rush. While following Ye Qing up the mountain, they took out some bottles, sprinkling a yellowish powder on the ground. It's unclear what it is. However, judging by their conversation, the creature seemed to fear this substance. The only person who survived from Mount Wendao carried this substance, which preserved his life.

Observing Ye Qing's slow progress on the rocky terrain, these people were more convinced that Ye Qing didn't know Martial Arts, so they paid him little attention. Ye Qing, hungry from the inside, occasionally picked some edible wild mushrooms and vegetables, chewing and swallowing them to stave off hunger. Luckily, he had gone through similar experiences during his time in the military, so eating raw wild vegetables and mushrooms was still bearable.

After walking a while, when the foreigners weren't paying attention, Ye Qing took the opportunity to collect some of the powder they had sprinkled while gathering wild vegetables. Bringing it to his nose, Ye Qing was astonished to discover the powder was realgar!

Realgar is used for repelling snakes. These people sprinkled realgar on the mountain as a defense against the creature. Could the creature be a snake? However, how could a snake possess such power, warranting such serious attention from the Church?

One must consider, according to what these people mentioned earlier, among those who perished at Mount Wendao previously were two Peak Masters. These two individuals were also killed by that creature. A creature capable of killing Peak Masters would hardly be simple!

Ye Qing initially reckoned the creature might be similar to the dragon crocodile outside the chamber where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away, possessing power equivalent to a Peak Master. He was contemplating what kind of unknown creature it might be. Yet, unexpectedly these people used realgar to confront the creature; could it truly be a snake? But a snake, even if it's a rare python, couldn't possibly kill Peak Masters, let alone two Peak Masters! Is there indeed some unheard-of, rare, massive snake on this mountain?

While Ye Qing was puzzled, speculating about what the creature on the mountain might be, suddenly, the Great Lord, who had been silent, coldly shouted for everyone to stop.

Upon hearing the Great Lord's voice, everyone immediately ceased their discussions, their expressions turning serious as they watched the Great Lord, not knowing what he had discovered.

The Great Lord, slightly frowning, fixed his gaze on the distant bushes for a moment, then suddenly signaled for Ye Qing to go over and take a look. Ye Qing naturally pretended not to understand what he was saying, but the elder who spoke Huaxia fluently immediately translated, making it impossible for Ye Qing to feign ignorance.

After learning about the creature on the mountain, Ye Qing was particularly cautious and unwilling to take risks. But, given the current situation, Ye Qing has no choice but to risk it. Any one of these foreigners could easily suppress him; if he refuses to go, they'll just throw him over. It's better for him to boldly go and take a look himself.