Chapter 156: Mountain Overlord, Ancient Yanzhou Mountain Range (Requesting Monthly Votes)

A foul stench of blood surged into the heavens, dyeing the entire sky crimson. The smell of carnage, mixed with the deep-seated grievances of countless living beings, carried an unsettling aura of malice and disgust. The agonizing screams of mortals down below unexpectedly traveled all the way up to the clouds, soaring ten thousand feet into the air.

Lu Qian halted his azure cloud and subconsciously looked down. The scene before him made him pause slightly in surprise.

"This..." Lu Qian murmured in astonishment.

It was not because the sight was particularly bloody—he had witnessed far more gruesome spectacles than this. The crucial point was the gigantic beast standing hundreds of feet tall down below.

It possessed a grotesque, fish-like head covered in yellow scales, with seven bodies protruding from the back of its fish head. Three of the remaining bodies had been severed midway. The strange fish let out an inarticulate roar from its throat, its eyes glowing a fierce crimson, while a dense vapor of blood swirled around its massive form. At that moment, the monstrous fish was sprawled across a city wall, its maw creating a powerful suction force that dragged countless screaming mortals directly into its mouth.

Gorging on fresh blood, the fish's eighth body slowly began to sprout flesh.

"Fubo..." Lu Qian said, surprised.

Indeed, this was an old acquaintance. He remembered toying with this fellow not too long ago. No wonder the agents of the Heavenly River Society had failed to track him down; it turned out he had fled all the way here.

Down below, there were over a dozen cities, and more than half of them had already been completely hollowed out by Fubo. The casualties probably amounted to several million living beings.

"Using such a method of feeding on blood and flesh, isn't he afraid of being hunted down by others?" Lu Qian wondered.

Having arrived here for several days, he had noticed that most of the cities were governed by various powerful factions. However, Fubo was, after all, a body-refining cultivator who had achieved the True Form manifestation. Coupled with his current berserk state, ordinary minor factions truly lacked the capability to deal with him.

"It's this madman again. Last time, he devoured an entire garrison of my troops," General Ma said with bitter resentment.

"A madman?"

Could the madman the two parrots spoke of be Fubo?

"Recently, this lunatic has been devouring people everywhere, acting with complete insanity. Many experts prefer not to provoke him," General Ma explained.

Because most of his victims were ordinary mortals, high-ranking Dao-foundation masters were reluctant to deal with such a deranged individual, allowing him to run rampant until the present day.

"Someone like that won't be able to be smug for much longer," General Ma remarked.

"Let's go," Lu Qian glanced down briefly and then steered his flight away.

Just as the two of them flew a short distance further, a deafening roar erupted from behind. Lu Qian turned his head to look and saw several gale-force malign clouds and dozens of beams of light closing in to surround Fubo.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the two sides engaged in a cataclysmic battle that turned the city into dust and ashes.

"Someone has finally come after him," General Ma said with malicious satisfaction.

"Just watch, he probably won't die," Lu Qian smiled.

Fubo had a remarkably stubborn life force, and having devoured so many living beings—even if he was not yet at his complete form—his cultivation was likely even more formidable than before.

The two continued their journey through the air. Ahead of them, the landscape suddenly grew dim.

Dark clouds filled the sky, casting murky shadows. In the distance, towering mountain ranges loomed without any sunlight, visible only as terrifying, undulating silhouettes resembling demons.

"Where is this?" Lu Qian asked.

"The domain of the Mountain Ridge Lord, the Ancient Yuan Mountain Range," General Ma gazed at the mountain range, a trace of awe flashing in his eyes.

The peaks ahead presented a pitch-black hue; even the grass, flowers, and trees on the mountains were entirely ebony. Ancient Yuan was an ancient battlefield from ten thousand years ago where countless creatures had perished. Blood had drenched the entire mountain range, and as the blood congealed and turned black, it created this desolate chain of black mountains. The gloomy clouds above the mountains were actually formed from the ghostly resentment of the dead souls. The malign yin energy that had condensed over ten thousand years had even given birth to innate spectral yin spirits. Every year, a considerable number of people came to these Yin Mountains to pay tribute and seek to absorb the malignant energy.

Upon entering the Yin Mountains, an oppressive atmosphere washed over them. It felt as though they had stepped into a restricted domain, causing the circulation of their inner vital energy to stagnate and grow sluggish.

Lu Qian had originally thought the so-called Mountain Ridge Lord was merely a local warlord like General Ma. Now, it appeared things were not nearly that simple. This person's cultivation level was no less than that of Daoist Tongyou, and he might well be an expert in the Pill Tribulation realm.

It was not completely devoid of light sources among the mountains. High up in the sky hung two massive dark-red balls of fire, casting an eerie, sinister glow. Looking closer, these were no ordinary light sources—they were clearly two gigantic eyeballs, each of incomprehensible width. Moreover, it was only then that Lu Qian noticed these mountain ranges vaguely formed the shape of a human body.

"Are you certain the Mountain Ridge Lord invited you?" Lu Qian turned his head to look at General Ma.

"Ahem, actually anyone can go; those who receive formal invitations are generally experts of the Dao-foundation realm," General Ma said, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Ahead lay a vast cavern. Upon entering, a wave of heat rushed toward them, carrying a complex mixture of scents: the stench of blood, the fragrance of wine, the aroma of medicinal herbs, and the perfume of women...

Banquet tables were arranged in a circular pattern, divided into three tiers. Lu Qian and General Ma were seated in the outermost ring, flanked by several bizarrely shaped monsters. In the innermost circle sat four or five people.

"Why hasn't the Mountain Ridge Lord appeared?" Lu Qian asked.

"The Mountain Ridge Lord generally does not attend the general assembly. Only after the banquet concludes will he summon the people from the innermost circle for a private meeting," General Ma replied while partaking in the blood-food on his plate.

"Daoist Five-Viscera, Young Master Powder-Face, the Twin-Headed Monster—they are all here..." General Ma muttered in surprise as he looked at the central group.

"Daoist Five-Viscera?" Lu Qian's gaze narrowed.

Guided by General Ma, his eyes landed on a dark-skinned, thin, gray-robed old man. The wrinkles on this person's skin resembled tree bark, and his hands and feet were covered in calluses, making him look precisely like an elderly farmer.

"Can you introduce me to Daoist Five-Viscera?"

Before his departure, the Candle Ghost King had given him a token. It was said that with this token, one could sense Chi Yin. Since there was no news of Chi Yin here, slipping in and searching for the Candle Ghost King's daughter would also suffice.

"I have indeed crossed paths with Daoist Five-Viscera once before; I can try to make an introduction shortly. Strange, I recall Daoist Five-Viscera never attended in previous years. Why has he suddenly appeared today?" General Ma wondered aloud, looking perplexed.

Once the banquet dispersed, the guests broke up and left. Meanwhile, the group from the center entered the deeper recesses of the mountain belly to pay a visit to the Mountain Ridge Lord.

The two of them waited outside for the better part of a day until they finally saw a flash of sword light soaring out.

"Daoist master, please wait!"

General Ma hurriedly gave chase, and Lu Qian quickly disguised himself as a horse-headed subordinate and followed right behind him.

The fleeing ray of light came to a halt. Daoist Five-Viscera cast a gaze as sharp as a knife, sweeping up and down over the two of them. "Who are you?"

"This subordinate is Black Horse. Do you recall a few years ago at the Qianyuan Daoist Arena..." General Ma said respectfully, "Ever since then, this subordinate has harbored a deep admiration for your esteemed self, though I lacked the opportunity to pay my respects."

General Ma tactfully expressed his desire to pledge allegiance.

"Oh? You wish to serve under me?" Daoist Five-Viscera scrutinized them for a moment, then chuckled. "Very well. Plant the Heart-Demon Grand Curse, and I will take you in."

"Thank you, Daoist master!" General Ma and Lu Qian immediately bowed with cupped hands.

Two cursed runes sank into their seas of consciousness. The moment the runes entered their minds, they were instantly intercepted and isolated by the Jiaolong dragon within.

"Let us go!"

Daoist Five-Viscera exhaled a spindle-shaped magical artifact. The artifact tore through the clouds and vanished into the horizon.

Lu Qian examined the magical treasure beneath his feet. It was rumored that Daoist Five-Viscera had refined his own internal organs into magical instruments. Could the treasure he was standing on also be one of Daoist Five-Viscera's internal organs? That meant he was currently stepping directly upon the Daoist's viscera.

"By the way, have you two encountered a monster? A madman who has been frantically devouring people lately?" Daoist Five-Viscera asked, describing his appearance.

"Reporting to the lord, this subordinate has indeed seen the madman along the road."