Carefully tucking the jade pendant into his chest, Mr. Zhong let out a long sigh. A strong sense of confidence surged in his eyes.
With a gentle wave of his hand, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of Mr. Zhong. The shadow was as tall as him, gradually taking on a recognizable form. It resembled Mr. Zhong's elderly appearance before he reached the innate realm. With another gentle flick, the appearance slowly transformed, becoming younger and resembling his current self.
At forty years old, Mr. Zhong, for reasons unknown to him, appeared to be in his forties or fifties previously, but after the night with Purple Xun Fairy, his face seemed to have rejuvenated significantly, appearing to be around forty years old again.
Looking at the figure in front of him, which resembled him exactly, Mr. Zhong let out a deep breath.
"A spatial shadow? It looks exactly like me. Two of me. I have two bodies," Mr. Zhong remarked with a smile.
This was the unique ability Mr. Zhong had mastered through traversing space—a single person controlling two bodies. This spatial shadow could even transform into a shadow, passing through gaps as thin as door cracks and hiding within the shadows of others, an incredibly magical ability.
Of course, this was a special power. Under the effect of light and shadow, Mr. Zhong and this spatial shadow could still cast shadows, but the spatial shadow was quite unique. It was similar to the avatars described in Earth novels from decades ago, akin to the legendary second soul, and even resembled a peculiar magical artifact. However, it was far more extraordinary than any of these.
Thus, Mr. Zhong decided to rename his two bodies: the main body and the shadow body.
"In this way, the shadow body will stay in Zhong Mansion. If the old guys from the Kaiyang Sect notice anything unusual, it would be troublesome. The Hongluan Heavenly Sutra can't be practiced by the shadow body, so I'll have to find another cultivation method for it later. However, as long as the main body is alive, the shadow body won't perish. The red pearl will be safeguarded by the shadow body, while the main body heads to the Kaiyang Sect," Mr. Zhong planned for his two bodies.
The two bodies embraced each other. The main body then stepped on a spot on the ground, revealing an underground entrance. After adjusting his clothes and carrying the jade piece, the main body descended. Once he was below, the entrance closed up again.
The shadow body resumed sitting on the meditation mat, continuing to practice and regulate its breath. With the main body having reached the innate stage, the shadow body no longer had any restrictions and would soon reach the innate stage as well.
The main body of Mr. Zhong ventured into the underground, where there was a railway tunnel. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and Mr. Zhong was no less prudent. His secrets were beyond the grasp of his adopted sons.
After a ten-day train journey, he arrived at another estate, which was also one of his properties. This estate was situated near a vast mountain range, where the Kaiyang Sect was located. It wasn't that Mr. Zhong didn't want to extend the railway into the mountains, but the mountains here were filled with countless sturdy minerals. Even a hundred years of effort would only penetrate a few mountains.
He rested at the estate for two days, preparing everything he needed. After giving the final instructions to the steward, Mr. Zhong packed a bundle, grabbed a large knife, and set off on foot into the deep mountains.
Behind the estate lay an endless expanse of mountains, rarely traversed by people. The area was infested with poisonous insects, toxic plants, pervasive miasma, and numerous lurking fierce beasts. There were also frequent sightings of demons. Without being at the innate stage, Mr. Zhong wouldn't dare to venture alone.
These mountains were truly towering, with peaks of several thousand meters being a common sight. In the distance, one could see mountains piercing through the clouds. Mr. Zhong had to traverse these towering peaks to reach the depths of the mountains where the Kaiyang Sect resided.
As an innate stage martial artist, Mr. Zhong's agility had greatly improved, allowing him to leap over mountains effortlessly. Along the way, he encountered poisonous insects and plants, but he managed to avoid them all. However, the distance to the Kaiyang Sect was too great, and by evening, he had to find a place to rest.
By dusk, Mr. Zhong found a relatively clean valley. This meant that the grass was sparse, there were few poisonous insects and plants, no miasma, and no large beasts roaming around. In the valley, there was a small mountain recess, just large enough to shelter one person from the wind and rain. Any more would not fit. After clearing the area and sprinkling some special repellant around the entrance, Mr. Zhong sat cross-legged inside.
Lighting a fire was out of the question; it would have exposed him to danger. On Earth, many wild animals feared fire, but here, the beasts and even the demonic creatures might not have the same aversion. Mr. Zhong sat quietly in the recess, waiting for dawn.
As the night wore on, a piercing howl echoed through the valley.
"Awooo~~~"
In the dead of night, the high-pitched cry of a wolf pierced through the silence of the valley. Furrowing his brows, Mr. Zhong opened his eyes and gazed outward.
At this moment, the full moon overhead cast an extraordinary silver light over the valley. The source of the howl seemed to emanate from the mountaintop, catching Mr. Zhong's attention.
A silver giant wolf stood atop the mountain, towering three meters tall. It lifted its head to the moon and howled, and in that moment, the entire wolf seemed to shimmer with an ethereal silver glow. It wasn't just reflecting light—it was as if it was absorbing the moonlight itself.
Monster?
Seeing this scene, Mr. Zhong's pupils contracted as he immediately recognized it as a demonic beast.
With this realization, Mr. Zhong's heart skipped a beat. He quickly retreated and activated the Turtle Breath technique, hoping to remain unseen by the massive wolf.
Mr. Zhong knew that demonic beasts, creatures beyond ordinary animals, were at least as powerful as humans who had reached the Innate Realm. And he had only just advanced to the Innate Realm himself, being the weakest at that level. Moreover, he lacked the corresponding techniques of the Innate Realm, relying only on his previous martial arts skills. If he had techniques suited for the Innate Realm, perhaps he could put up a fight. But now, it was clear that hiding was his only option, hoping the wolf hadn't spotted him.
However, could the wolf rely solely on its sense of smell? A wolf's nose was extremely sensitive. After the moon's howl and its absorption of moonlight, it immediately turned its gaze downward to the valley, its eyes gleaming with a cold light.
The place was a frequent haunt of the Silver Wolf, and with the presence of a living being, it immediately sensed it. Moreover, at the entrance of the ravine where Mr. Zhong was, he had sprinkled medicinal herbs to repel poisonous insects, emitting a strong odor that instantly caught the Silver Wolf's attention.
With a few leaps, the Silver Wolf arrived at Mr. Zhong's ravine and fixed its gaze on him. Sensing the approach of the Silver Wolf and its gaze upon him, Mr. Zhong knew he had been discovered and couldn't escape. He had been found out.
Mr. Zhong shrank back in fear, but to the Silver Wolf, it was an amusing sight. It had been a while since it had tasted human flesh.
Without warning, the Silver Wolf lunged at Mr. Zhong. Unable to evade it, Mr. Zhong quickly drew his large sword to defend himself.
"Boom boom boom～～～～～～～～～"
The Silver Wolf kept clawing at Mr. Zhong in the mountain hollow. However, Mr. Zhong had chosen his location well. The massive body of the Silver Wolf couldn't fit in completely.
The Silver Wolf extended its claws, and its huge wolf head squeezed inward, as if about to bite Mr. Zhong at any moment.
The situation became extremely dire. The surrounding rocks kept shaking, indicating that it wouldn't be long before this part of the mountain was worn down, allowing the Silver Wolf to reach Mr. Zhong.
Mr. Zhong quickly infused his sword with true energy and thrust it towards the Silver Wolf.
"Hiss～～～～～～～～～～～～"
It only managed to scratch the surface.
"Ow～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～"
The Silver Wolf howled in pain, and with a swipe of its claw, it knocked the sword away.
"Clang～～～～～～～～～～～～～"
Mr. Zhong felt a numbness in his hand as the sword was knocked out of his grip. No sword?
The stabbing pain from the broadsword drove the Silver Wolf into a frenzy. Its eyes turned red as it pressed closer to the mountain hollow. Countless rocks fell, as if it could devour Mr. Zhong at any moment.
Pressed against the mountain wall, Mr. Zhong could already smell the foul breath of the Silver Wolf, its jaws just inches away from him. It was getting closer and closer.
The sensation of death overwhelmed Mr. Zhong. If the rocks here were to break, he would surely meet his end. What should he do? His dagger? He still had that dagger, obtained from a cultivator. Maybe it could work. But it was in his pocket, and any movement might attract the attention of the Silver Wolf.
The dagger won't work. True Qi, the Red Luan Heavenly Scripture?
I'll take a gamble.
Channeling his True Qi into his hand, he infused it with a wisp of Red Luan energy. Instantly, a large amount of pink mist erupted from his palm. Under his control, the small mountain hollow quickly filled with Red Luan mist—known as the world's most potent aphrodisiac.
The silver wolf continued its charge, but soon it started to feel something was wrong. Its breathing grew rapid and labored. The eyes, already glowing red, now took on an even deeper hue, but this redness seemed different from before.
In the wolf's mind, countless visions of female wolves flashed by. An overwhelming desire surged within. What's happening? I was about to eat a human, so why am I suddenly yearning for a mate?
The wolf charged again but soon could no longer endure the effects. It turned and fled rapidly, its eyes still glowing red, retreating deep into the mountains.
The danger was averted.
"Whoosh—"
Zhong Laoyezi let out a long sigh of relief, his eyes filled with astonishment. Grabbing the saber that the wolf had knocked away, he quickly shouldered his pack and left the area. This place was no longer safe; it was best to leave as quickly as possible.