Chapter 391 Qiongqi Mountain (1)
Along the way, Ji Rong was preoccupied with how to extract some source water from the mountain tortoise's belly to nourish her source water regeneration pool, and had no interest in looking at the scenery.
They traversed the flat-bottomed mountains and waded through winding rivers. When the mountain tortoise stopped moving at the foot of a steep rocky peak shrouded in mist and resembling a large tiger's head, Ji Rong realized that they had arrived at their destination—Qiongqi Mountain.
Looking out over Qiongqi Mountain, vegetation adorns the mountainside like hair, with colorful boulders standing among them, gleaming brightly.
At the foot of the mountain, numerous caves are visible to the naked eye, from which cool water gurgles, forming channels and streams. The water carries translucent silver fish and shrimp, converging into streams before flowing into the strange waters below the mountain.
But this mountain:
It has the appearance of a treasure mountain, but lacks any spiritual energy.
Though it resembles a celestial abode, no path leads to any destination.
Ji Rong dismounted from the mountain tortoise's back and pointed to the scattered rocks and wild grass, saying, "Mountain Tortoise God, shall we go up the mountain next?"
The mountain tortoise shook its head and said, "We'll have the mountain eagle come to pick us up."
Then the mountain tortoise suddenly took a deep breath, then stuck its head into the nearest ditch and gurgled as it exhaled into the water.
As soon as the air entered the water, the water in the ditch seemed to boil, gurgling and swirling up a long string of bubbles that flowed upstream. A short while later, an eagle emerged, head tilted, swaying as it walked out of a large hole.
But then I saw the eagle's hooves:
Its body is covered in grayish-brown feathers, and its head resembles a flat plain.
Eyes that seem to hold stars, claws that gleam with sharp light;
Upon seeing that the visitors were the mountain tortoise and Ji Rong, it immediately climbed onto a large stalagmite, stretched its neck, and put on an arrogant expression, saying, "Who do we have here? It's just the mountain tortoise. What brings you here?"
The mountain tortoise stood up properly and bowed to the mountain eagle, saying, "I accompanied Lord Ji to visit you and also helped you sort this out."
"My lord?!" Upon hearing this address, Mountain Eagle's heart tightened, and he immediately began to scrutinize Ji Rong.
After confirming that the bird was just a Rainbow Phoenix at the Emperor Realm, it immediately spread its wings and laughed loudly: "Mountain Turtle, you are getting worse and worse. You were slow even in the womb, and you only survived because of your thick shell and rough skin."
I heard from Shanbei that after you left the mountain, you were first captured by Xizhu, then abducted by Longshu, and now you've fallen so low that you have to worship a Cailuan as your master?
This is a disgrace to the people of our mountains!
The mountain tortoise said calmly, "I'm not the only one who got caught. Did the talkative mountain wolf get burned to death?"
I wasn't abducted by the dragons; I was invited by a true dragon from the Holy Realm to become a mountain god in the Blessed Land of Miraculous Flames.
Mountain Eagle, this Lady Ji comes from Jade Void Palace. Her senior brother is the Immortal Ancestor of Ten Thousand Laws, and our eldest brother treats her as a friend.
She's come to see us on behalf of her elder brother; you should treat her with courtesy.
The mountain eagle spread its wings and said, "How do you expect me to treat you? My land has nothing but a few broken rocks and a dried-up spiritual vein. There isn't even a large spiritual fish here."
The mountain tortoise laughed and said, "You should first clear the path to welcome her and do your best to treat Lady Ji with courtesy. The matter of the spiritual vein can be discussed."
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong saw arrogance transform into greed in the eagle's sharp eyes, which then turned into doubt in an instant, and finally settled into fear.
It quickly flew down from the stalagmite, cleared away the weeds in the middle of the cave with its wings and claws, then flapped its wings to clear away the pebbles on the new path. Only then did it hop over to Ji Rong and turn its head to call out, "Lord Ji, mountain tortoise, please."
Ji Rong lifted her foot and walked forward, with the mountain tortoise following behind.
They went into the cave and glanced up briefly.
The cave was about ten feet high, and the interior was as spacious as a palace, deep and bottomless.
Above the cave, layers of stalagmites hang down like a mountain forest, occasionally dripping a drop of cool stalactite.
Some large stalagmites connected at the top and bottom, forming pillars, from which new stalagmites sprouted. Dozens of large oil lamps, glowing with orange-yellow light, were hung on these newly formed stalagmites, illuminating the entire cave with a warm and bright glow.
At the edges of many large stalagmites, various bright and clear crystals have already formed, which shine brilliantly when illuminated by the oil lamp.
At the edge of the cave, a babbling stream flows out from the inner chamber.
The mountain eagle invited Ji Rong and the mountain tortoise to sit on the stone bench dripping with stalactite, saying it would fetch some mountain produce to entertain the distinguished guests, before flying up into the stalactite forest and disappearing without a trace.
Ji Rong looked at the mountain tortoise, then made a hand seal to create a soundproof barrier and asked, "Mountain Tortoise God, aren't you afraid that He will try to take advantage of you with your high profile?"
The mountain tortoise patted its belly with its paw and said with a gentle smile, "Lord Ji, don't worry. He can't beat me. Even if the mountain gods of Hezhou unite, they still can't beat me."
They can only receive what the lesser gods are willing to give; if the lesser gods are unwilling to give, they cannot take it away.
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong couldn't help but laugh and say, "Your temperament is quite similar to that of the Mountain and Water God."
"Now that the source is so precious, what benefit do you gain by so generously giving away what's inside your belly?"
Upon hearing this, the mountain tortoise's eyes shone with warmth, and a proud smile appeared on its face. It said, "You say I am like my elder brother, so I will certainly carry on his will and restore the landscape of Hezhou."
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong couldn't help but feel admiration. She thought to herself, "No wonder Shan Shui went to the trouble of the journey to save the mountain turtles. It was worth it."
Once they stopped talking, Ji Rong removed the soundproof barrier, and the mountain eagle flew down.
He poured some spiritual water for Ji Rong and the mountain tortoise, and then carefully placed a plate of spiritual fruit from his back on the stone platform in front of Ji Rong. He then paced impatiently to the side and said, "Mountain tortoise, let Lady Ji enjoy the scenery here. Let's go inside quickly."
The mountain tortoise said, "There's no need to go anywhere else."
After speaking, the mountain tortoise grew to a gigantic size. It opened its mouth, and a golden tortoise-shaped seal rose into the air. The tortoise held the seal in its claws and said, "Mountain Eagle, open your mouth."
The mountain eagle immediately opened its beak wide in excitement, water mist rose from beneath the mountain tortoise's feet, and it flew into the sky above the cave.
He gently pressed the belly of the tortoise-shaped seal, and the seal's mouth opened, spitting out a stream of pure golden energy that shot into the mountain eagle's mouth.
Having received many streams of energy, the mountain eagle couldn't wait to fly into the stone pillar forest above. Two hours later, as the mountain eagle flew in, Ji Rong, who was sitting below, actually smelled some spiritual energy drifting down from the originally quiet cave.
Ji Rong looked up and saw that the originally dark stone forest was gradually becoming shiny, shining without any light.
Golden veins, like silk threads, gradually spread from the depths of the stone forest to the tips of the stalagmites. Thousands upon thousands of golden veins, each the size of a silk thread, flowed down the stone pillars into the water channel beneath Ji Rong's feet, extending outwards in all directions.
"Drip," a drop of stone emulsion containing a trace of spiritual energy fell and hit the ground. Immediately afterwards, hundreds and thousands of drops of stone emulsion fell like rain.
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