Chapter 40 - 40 27 High-Level Confrontation

40: Chapter 27 High-Level Confrontation 40: Chapter 27 High-Level Confrontation Editor: Henyee Translations Xu Yueping spoke up, “Qin, want to go have a look?”

“Did Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing go already?” Qin Ming asked.

Although he was curious about the top-tier creatures deep in the mountains, when it came to weighing the options, safety was naturally his top priority.

Xu Yueping said, “They’ve already passed by the village entrance and gone ahead.

They received permission from the higher-ups, saying it’s fine as long as they don’t get too close.”

“Then what are we waiting for?

Let’s go!” Old Liu immediately perked up and eagerly volunteered.

Qin Ming didn’t object either.

Since Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and the others had gone, there wasn’t much to worry about.

Moments later, the group set out and soon reached the outskirts of the mountain range.

Many rebirthers were already there, human figures scattered throughout the area, all craning their necks, anxiously waiting for the high-ranking figures from Chixia City to appear.

Qin Ming stared at a particular donkey in silence.

It looked very similar to the one he had hunted in the mountains a few days ago.

Could it be a descendant of that one?

A pure white weasel sat on the donkey’s back, like an enlightened monk, silent and still, exuding a calm that felt otherworldly.

Its eyes, capable of seeing through the world, were profoundly deep.

Qin Ming visualized the “Still Void” technique, concealing his vital essence and blending seamlessly into the crowd with the “merging light with dust” method.

“They’re coming!” someone whispered.

In the dim evening light, a figure appeared at the snowy horizon, gradually approaching and coming into a clearer view.

“Is this one of Chixia City’s higher-ups?” Even the nobles began to murmur, unable to remain calm as they peered ahead.

Soon, silence fell over the area again because it turned out to be another creature.

It approached with graceful feline steps, neither fast nor slow, until it arrived at the forest’s edge.

To everyone’s surprise, it was a tabby cat, about three feet long and weighing several dozen pounds.

But it wasn’t walking on all fours; instead, it strode upright.

Qin Ming was speechless.

Top-tier creatures weren’t that rare after all, they were sometimes seen wandering about.

Especially considering that tabby cats and weasels were natural enemies… Would those two start fighting in the mountains?

Many had the same thought, but no one dared speak.

The tension was palpable.

“I thought top-tier creatures were all like that moon worm…” Old Liu muttered vaguely.

He had guarded the mountains for decades and heard countless tales: terrifying mountain lords, legendary birds that stood tall for two hundred years.

Each tale was more mystical than the last.

But none of them had ever appeared.

“Are they going to fight?” someone noticed something off.

The elegant tabby cat and the white weasel atop the donkey were glaring at each other, tension thick in the air.

It looked like a battle was imminent.

The tabby stood still in the snow, carrying a red longsword on its back, almost as tall as itself.

The blade had already slid half a foot out of its sheath on its own, radiating red light like evening clouds, dyeing the surrounding snow crimson.

The white weasel also stirred from its stillness.

It leapt off the donkey, patted the beast gently, signaling it to retreat into the distance.

Now standing alone, the snow-white weasel looked remarkably human.

Its front limbs resembled human arms, one held behind its back, the other in front, wrapped around a string of prayer beads.

Clad in snowy white, it gazed skyward, ethereal and serene, gently twirling the beads as a faint white mist emerged, resisting the red glow across from it.

The crowd was stunned.

These two creatures weren’t allies; they were facing off!

“One of them might be human, just transformed by walking a different path,” someone whispered.

Those present were shaken.

The paths they were seeing were far beyond their reach.

And now, they couldn’t even tell who was human and who was a high-level mountain creature.

Many were present, including numerous mountain patrollers who had rushed over after hearing the news.

Though they guarded the outer perimeter of the vast mountains, top-tier creatures were beyond their reach.

They had come just to broaden their horizons.

Likewise, many rebirthers from Chixia City had come—young and old, nobles and elite members of powerful factions.

The crowd was dense and dark.

Bold rebirthers from nearby villages and towns had also come to spectate.

In the forest across from them, even more creatures had gathered, far more than on this side.

All of them were strange, terrifying species.

In the dim forest light, they looked especially menacing, some burning red, others wreathed in purple mist, making loud, eerie noises louder than the murmurs outside.

“Be careful.

They might stir up trouble!” Cao Long warned.

Towering at three meters tall and clad in gleaming armor, he already had a massive halberd gripped tightly in his hand.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be the final negotiation?

Are they really going to fight?” someone asked, confused.

Mu Qing, fully cloaked in black, said calmly, “We won’t make the first move, but if any of those creatures cross the line, we fight.

The higher-ups will back us.”

At the same time, many elite fighters from Chixia’s various factions and patrol teams were also communicating telepathically.

If things went wrong, they were ready to act.

“It’s been ages since such a grand spectacle.

Is it about to begin?

I remember the last large-scale mountain sweep was thirty years ago,” Old Liu said excitedly, gripping his thick-bladed machete tightly.

Since Qin Ming and his group arrived late, they were standing near the back, it was relatively safe.

Still, Qin Ming didn’t dare to be careless.

Seeing that their side had clearly made up its mind, he also made preparations, lifting his black-steel war hammer.

Suddenly, a towering figure appeared, instantly quelling all the commotion.

Both the mountain creatures and the rebirthers fell silent.

No one saw how he arrived.

He just suddenly stood in the middle of the tension.

He was ten meters tall, with a massive, imposing build, clad in archaic, battle-worn armor, and holding a black spear.

An invisible aura of power radiated from him, silencing even the most fearsome creatures of the mountains and giving all the rebirthers goosebumps.

Thankfully, the oppressive aura quickly dissipated.

Otherwise, everyone might have suffocated under pressure.

His features were sharply defined, about forty years old in appearance.

His giant form immediately reminded people of the mythical giant spirit path.

“He must be a major figure from Chixia City… But how come no one’s seen him before?” someone muttered in doubt.

Even Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and other noble heirs were whispering and asking around.

They had never seen him either.

Still, he was unmistakably human, not a creature.

With black hair fluttering, his stern expression was resolute as he stood beside the white weasel, facing off against the tabby cat with the red longsword.

With his arrival, the sword on the tabby’s back gave off a constant hum, as if warning of the man’s immense power and danger.

An old mountain patroller said, “Now we can tell that the ten-meter giant is the expert summoned by Chixia City.

And that white weasel must also be one of us, though it has transformed into a strange form due to its chosen path.”

Everyone nodded.

Clearly, the tabby cat with the red longsword hailed from the mountain’s depths.

The sight of the ten-meter giant standing beside the one-foot-tall, bead-spinning weasel was just too jarring.

Many wanted to comment but didn’t dare speak, so they stayed silent.

“Wei Mo, Brother Wei, it’s been twenty years.

You’ve been cultivating deep in the wilderness and dangerous lands.

How have you been?” A calm voice rang out, so suddenly that no one noticed another man appear in the snow.

Another human, seemingly in his early forties, dressed in white, scholarly, and handsome.

He stood effortlessly beside the tabby, his presence blending into the snow.

He looked toward the giant named Wei Mo.

The rebirthers were thoroughly bewildered now, completely unable to tell who was on which side.

Wei Mo nodded, and his dark red-gold armor clanked.

He said, “Indeed, twenty years have passed.

Lingxu, you’re starting to show your age.”

People were puzzled.

Lingxu looked to be in his prime.

What did Wei Mo mean by “showing age”?

Those at this level had different standards of judgment.

At the same time, someone from Chixia City cried out in shock, “Lingxu… He’s the City Lord!”

Qin Ming, Old Liu, and the others were stunned.

At last, they understood which side belonged to the city and which to the mountain.

In just a short span, their understanding had made several complete flips.

The white-robed, elegant man nodded and said, “Who can avoid aging?

Not even the most mysterious top-tier beings can escape time.” Then, he looked at Wei Mo and asked, “You’ve chosen to go deeper into the night mist, to wander outside the edge of the forbidden land, and never return, is that right?”

“Yes,” Wei Mo replied with a single word.

“I understand,” Lingxu nodded.

Many looked solemn.

A few elders recognized Wei Mo’s name and recalled how powerful he had once been.

In the past, he was even taller than now; had he undergone some higher transformation?

“Why is he standing on the mountain creatures’ side?” a youth from Chixia whispered to his elder.

The elder quietly replied, “When you can’t find a path, when all hope is lost, you walk into the endless night.

So, among the creatures in the depths of the mountains, not all are monsters.

Some were once human…”

Qin Ming, hearing this, fell into a daze.

“Let’s sit and talk,” said City Lord Lingxu, gesturing for peace.

The four beings, each with drastically different forms, sat in the snow to begin their final negotiation.

However, no one could hear what they were saying.

This was a high-level discussion, clearly not meant for others to overhear.

Being allowed to witness it from afar was already a privilege.

But the scene was far from peaceful.

Red light surged, white mist billowed, and the clothing, armor, and fur of the four beings shook violently.

The pressure between them was immense.

At one point, the tabby cat drew its sword.

The red glow was blinding, like a rising sun erupting from the earth.

The pure white weasel, clearly agitated, could no longer remain calm.

One hand spun the beads; the other slammed the snow in frustration.

Everyone was shocked.

They felt the earth shake, and the snow on the ground was blasted into the air.

Many saw that it was just a light slap, not even a real attack.

Still, it made the atmosphere even more tense.

The commotion stirred other creatures in the forest, and several terrifying beings emerged from the mountains.

Some stood on the peaks watching coldly, while others flapped their wings and soared overhead.

One insect stood out, so radiant it lit up several nearby mountains.

It reached the mountain’s edge.

“Moon Worm!” many exclaimed.

But in response, outside the mountains, a massive green bird appeared in the night sky.

Radiating dazzling light, it carried a figure in fluttering feathered robes.

This person locked eyes with the Moon Worm, exuding an ethereal, transcendent aura that immediately countered the Moon Worm’s terrifying pressure.

Qin Ming looked at the figure atop the green bird and felt a sudden headache.

Not because of the person, but because the wide feathered robes struck his heart like a lightning bolt, piercing the dust of his subconscious and revealing long-suppressed memories of a bloody incident when he was fourteen.