Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing certainly couldn’t outmatch Du Canglang, but he didn’t bother to carry the bundle Du Canglang gave him and swaggeringly followed him into the mountain.

After entering the mountain, Ye Qing realized how difficult the path was.

No one seemed to have visited this mountain for a long time. The nearest inhabited area was Guimen Town, which was still over ten kilometers away from Mount Duwang. Moreover, the people of Guimen Town never set foot on Mount Duwang and rarely approached it. Therefore, the vicinity of Mount Duwang was virtually untended, with no semblance of a path, covered in dense high trees, shrubs, and dead grass throughout the mountain. The forest was layered with fallen leaves and decayed vegetation, which had formed toxic miasma over unknown years. If not for Du Canglang’s immense strength and Ye Qing’s possession of Mu Ling, they might have been poisoned by the miasma long ago.

However, even so, traversing through the forest was no easy task. The dense woods and shrubs made it hard to see any path. No matter where they went, tree branches and vegetation obstructed the way. Luckily, Du Canglang carried a long knife deemed a famed instrument, used as a makeshift hatchet to cut away the obstructive branches along the way, allowing them to barely move through the forest. The pace was extremely slow, taking them an entire day to cross over two mountain peaks.

At night, Du Canglang found a space beneath a protruding giant rock, lit a fire to settle Ye Qing there, and went out to catch two wild rabbits. He peeled and roasted them over the fire, seasoning them with condiments and dry rations for dinner.

The night was silent, and by this point, the forest had quite a few wild creatures. However, Du Canglang paid no heed to these entities. With his strength, he could clearly sense any creature within ten meters, even the most astute beasts, so no wild creature would dare harm him even while he lay exposed to the elements.

Although Ye Qing wasn’t concerned about these beasts, he had other worries. According to Du Canglang, the Tianzhu Sword was indeed dangerous and might just cut through his body. If Du Canglang obtained the Tianzhu Sword, it would be perilous. Ye Qing’s own demise was inconsequential, but if Du Canglang acquired the Buddha’s Relic and Tianzhu Sword, no one in the world could subdue him. With his murderous nature, Ye Qing’s friends would find it difficult to stay safe.

”I must find a way to stop Du Canglang from obtaining the Tianzhu Sword!” Ye Qing murmured to himself, eyeing Du Canglang lying motionless beside him, contemplating how to trick him. However, lacking his full strength made any action difficult, and Du Canglang’s prowess was so formidable that ordinary schemes wouldn’t work against him.

In truth, Ye Qing had two strategies to ensnare Du Canglang. The first was the Demon Hideout Cave in Beimang Mountain, the place where the Great Demon King perished, where the Devouring Demon Flower was invincible, even trapping the Corpse Ghost Dragon inside. Furthermore, the demon pets controlling the cave were on good terms with Ye Qing. If he could lure Du Canglang into the cave, he would have a way to deal with him.

However, this was merely an idea. Ye Qing knew well that with Du Canglang’s capabilities, he wouldn’t be ignorant of the cave’s existence. Knowing its dangers naturally meant Du Canglang’s awareness of the risks inside. Being such a cunning person, coaxing him into the Demon Hideout Cave wouldn’t be easy.

The second strategy was to lure Du Canglang to the secret chamber where Patriarch Bodhidharma fulfilled Nirvana. In the cave, beneath the underground river, lay a stele suppressing an Eternal Demon. At the time, Shen Qianyue led the Necromancy Gifted by the Corpse Ghost Dragon, aiming to seize Ye Qing’s Buddha’s Relic. Ye Qing lured those necromancers into the underground river, where they were pulled into the depths by forces unknown, including the great dragon crocodile. Ye Qing didn’t know what transpired there but knew the entity beneath the stele was terrifying enough to slay a Peak Master effortlessly.

Ye Qing still recalled Shijia’s description of the stele, which bore the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal, empowered by the Great Dharma Power of Immovable King Supreme Bodhisattva. Unmovable as Mountains, capable of suppressing all beneath it. The Eternal Demon held imprisoned by Acalanatha himself couldn’t possibly possess simple power. Not just dealing with Du Canglang, but even vanquishing the Corpse Ghost Dragon wouldn’t prove difficult.

However, though these ideas occurred to him, they were but idle thoughts at this point. Du Canglang was too shrewd to be easily lured to that hidden river cave. Besides, having already reached Mount Duwang, it seemed Du Canglang intended to find the Tianzhu Sword here. Convincing him to leave Mount Duwang now was virtually impossible. Thus, their only plan was to finish seeking the Tianzhu Sword here, regardless of the outcome, and then attempt to lure Du Canglang to the underground river.

As Ye Qing considered ways to deceive Du Canglang, an unexpected voice came from the previously resting Du Canglang: ”Awake and scheming, are you perhaps plotting against me?”

Ye Qing was taken aback. Could Du Canglang see his thoughts even with closed eyes? Surely, he was bluffing!

”I just ate too much and can’t sleep, so where would the thoughts of plotting against you come from? Don’t measure a gentleman’s heart with a villain’s mind!” Ye Qing retorted loudly.

”Is that so?” Du Canglang opened his eyes and glanced at Ye Qing, saying, ”If you weren’t thinking ill thoughts, why was your heartbeat uneven?”

Ye Qing was astonished. He hadn’t expected Du Canglang, lying there, could hear his heartbeat and infer his thoughts. Indeed, deceiving Du Canglang was no simple task; henceforth, putting on a calm facade wasn’t enough — even his heartbeat needed to remain steady.

”Well, I’m just worried!” Ye Qing surveyed the surroundings, saying, ”The town ahead, Guimen Town, and this mountain, Mount Duwang, carry eerie names that make one shudder. Us, alone in the mountain, isn’t this a bit perilous?”

”Humph, you claim to be a university student yet fear ghosts and spirits?” Du Canglang replied coldly.

”I didn’t used to fear anything, but now, seeing people wielding such powerful martial arts, coupled with the Corpse Ghost Dragon alive for over three centuries, many things defy scientific explanation.” Ye Qing countered, ”Now, even if I wish not to believe, it’s impossible. Who’s to say ghosts don’t exist in this world?”

”In all my years, I’ve never heard of anyone actually encountering ghosts.” Du Canglang impatiently waved his hand, stating, ”These things are mere self-deception. Even if ghosts exist, incapable of living as mortals, what could they accomplish as ghosts? I tell you, in this world, power reigns supreme, regardless of ghosts or gods. With enough strength, one could drag deities down from heaven!”

Du Canglang’s words prompted Ye Qing to ponder deeply. Du Canglang was certainly ambitious and daring; such a bold declaration of dragging deities down attested to his lofty aspirations!

”How far are we from the Gate of the Dead?” Ye Qing inquired.

”I don’t know.” Du Canglang shook his head, eyeing the distant deep mountains, he said gravely, ”The domain of Mount Duwang spans vast territories with dozens of mountains, all within its reach. The Gate of the Dead lies somewhere halfway up one of these mountains, but exactly where, no one knows. To find the Gate of the Dead, we must just climb over one peak at a time.”

”Really?” Ye Qing looked at the endless range of mountains, exclaiming, ”Does that mean previous villains seeking entry had to first locate the Gate of the Dead?”

”Not quite.” Du Canglang responded, ”The Gate of the Dead once had representatives in Guimen Town allowing villains safe passage to the Gate of the Dead as long as they were willing to evade the world within its confines. Thus, entering was not so difficult for villains. But after its destruction, external guidance ceased.”

”And those who left the Gate of the Dead? Didn’t they ever disclose its location?” Ye Qing queried.

Du Canglang replied, ”No one ever spoke of it, nor have later seekers specified its position.”

”Why?” Ye Qing asked incredulously, ”Did nobody bother asking them?”

Du Canglang said, ”People did ask, but I’ve heard those who left forgot its location, rendering them unable to communicate it.”

”Forgot?” Ye Qing stared at Du Canglang, ”Just left and already forgot? How is that possible?”

”I also find it implausible, but that’s the reality; I can’t explain it!” Du Canglang gazed at the distant mountains, languishing at the inexplicable affairs surrounding the mountain’s mysterious events. This journey to Mount Duwang was indeed an adventure, given the unknowns that lay ahead.

More than anything, Ye Qing felt astounded: people entering Mount Duwang, finding the Gate of the Dead, yet leaving with minds emptied of its whereabouts? How could it be? A few forgetting might be normal, but if everyone forgot, explaining the location never occurred, such circumstances stimulated curiosity. Ye Qing was nearly certain the Gate of the Dead had issues leading to such ubiquitous forgetfulness upon departure!