Chapter 135: Sudden Upheaval in the Mountains

This loud, thunderous sound came from a great distance, causing everyone to feel the vibration of the earth beneath their feet.

Song Mu and his group immediately halted their steps and looked over toward that direction. However, shielded by the dense forest, it was impossible to make out what was actually happening over there.

Astonishment flickered across everyone's faces. Xiao Xiong bolted off the very first second, utilizing his robust literary power and the nearby canopy to briefly perch on a higher vantage point to survey the distance.

Song Mu and the others fixed their gazes intently on him, eager to know what he had spotted. Throughout this process, the explosions in the distance never ceased, accompanied by intermittent piercing shrieks.

A moment later, Xiao Xiong returned to the group and spoke immediately.

"Over there, our team must have clashed with some ferocious beasts. Zefeng, you take Song Mu, Xue Kaiwen, and Xiaolong, and carry these two carcasses down the mountain. The rest of you, uninjured, follow me that way."

Without even waiting for Song Mu and the others to respond after saying this, Xiao Xiong hurried away.

At a loss for what to do upon seeing this, Song Mu turned his gaze toward Fu Zefeng standing beside him.

Fu Zefeng had already finished bandaging his wounds. Together with Xiaolong, another injured scholar, he began packing up the carcasses of the two monkeys on the ground. Noticing Song Mu looking his way, he called out,

"Come and help. We need to get down the mountain as soon as possible."

Song Mu rolled up his sleeves and walked over, though his eyes still drifted unconsciously toward the distance, listening to the incessant noises echoing from afar. He asked Fu Zefeng,

"Senior brother, could the ferocious beasts over there have fallen into demonic corruption as well?"

Fu Zefeng shook his head, a complex expression crossing his face.

"Uncertain. With a commotion this large, they might indeed have been corrupted. Or perhaps our people over there have encountered that Demon General."

Hearing this, Song Mu paused and nodded silently.

Their master had already mentioned that there were three Demon Generals and one Demon King in this mountain range. Since their own small group was capable of handling two Demon Generals, the remaining one would surely not hold out long when confronting the other massive forces.

To stir up such a massive commotion, perhaps they really had encountered the Demon King.

Yet if they truly had run into the Demon King, the situation over there would be far more dangerous and complicated.

A Demon King corresponded to the Juren rank among humans, but it was no exaggeration to say that every Demon King possessed the strength to contend with two Juren simultaneously. Those Demon Kings blessed with immense bloodlines could even shake three or four Juren single-handedly.

Their situation was far more perilous than Song Mu's side.

Song Mu and his companions did not delay any further. They sped up packing the two monkey carcasses, bound them to several wooden poles to carry, and immediately headed down the mountain.

Although both monkeys had undergone demonic transformation, their weight had actually become much lighter after death, each weighing no more than a yellow dog.

Threading through the mountain forest, Song Mu's group moved swiftly away, following the markers they had set earlier. Passing by the previous battlefield along the way, they even cut off a few beast ears to bring along.

These were essential proof that the group had completed their mission.

Moving downward all the way, their descent was much faster than their climb. Soon, having crossed two ridges, the village came into view in the distance.

Right at that moment, Fu Zefeng, leading at the very front of the team, shouted urgently,

"Not good! Take cover!"

As he spoke, a shrill cry suddenly pierced the sky. The sound resonated with such force that it nearly shattered everyone's eardrums.

Song Mu's ears were left ringing completely from this sudden shriek. He quickly scrambled to take cover with the others beneath a cluster of trees while raising his gaze toward the sky.

A massive dark shadow suddenly flashed across the sky above the dense forest. The shadow swept past at lightning speed, accompanied by the sound of furious flapping wings.

Song Mu had already recognized what it was.

A colossal azure eagle, grand enough to blot out the sun. Only, rolling flames seemed to be surging all over this giant eagle's body.

That was likely the Great Eagle Mountain Deity of Eagle Old Mountain; it had not left after all.

Song Mu pressed his lips together, the few of them standing frozen without daring to draw a breath as they watched the sky.

Because the demonic Qi emanating from the giant eagle was so exuberant, just sweeping past over their heads, the churning winds and roiling demonic Qi were enough to make one dizzy and disoriented.

This was no mere Demon King realm beast—this was clearly a Demonic Overlord!

Song Mu wore a stunned expression, while beside him, Xue Kaiwen was already dumbfounded, his eyes fixed dead ahead on the dark shadow soaring across the sky.

Yet this was not the end. The moment the dark shadow swept past, a colossal aura came rolling in from behind.

That aura was fierce and violent, carrying a terrifying pressure—it was unquestionably the cultivation realm of a Jinshi.

Upon this mountain ridge, a Jinshi had actually appeared.

Astonishment rippled through the group. Still not daring to breathe, they waited until the figure had passed before exchanging glances, and Xue Kaiwen whispered,

"Was that a Jinshi? Was it Master Fengming?"

Fu Zefeng shook his head, carefully inspected the surrounding situation, and urged the group to resume their journey.

Continuing down the mountain, the group finally let out a sigh of relief when they caught sight of the old camphor tree, rousing their spirits as they pressed on toward the village.

Yet just as they stepped out of the mountain forest, their steps ground to a halt. Gazing at the scene before them, a chill crept down their spines.

Fire. Flames and black smoke were everywhere.

Blazes surged across the entire expanse of fields, and the thick black smoke billowed in all directions. The pungent, choking smoke drifted into their nostrils, inducing fits of coughing.

The distant village had already been completely swallowed by the dense smoke.

"This... What is going on here?"

Exclamations broke out simultaneously among them, disbelief filling their eyes. A myriad of thoughts raced through Song Mu's mind, and before anyone could take action, a commotion arose from behind.

Turning their heads hastily, they saw several more scholars descending from the mountain. Looking disheveled, these scholars walked right over upon spotting Song Mu's group, only to be struck dumb by the scene before them the next instant.

"This... Was this caused by that demonic entity?"

One of the scholars spoke up at that moment. Seizing upon the key word, Song Mu spun around and asked urgently,

"Senior brother, what demonic entity?"

That senior brother turned back, bit his lip, and said,

"An eagle. A towering giant eagle. It has already reached the half-step Demonic Overlord stage."

"What?"

Expressions shifted drastically across the board, and Song Mu froze for a moment. The scholar continued,

"That azure eagle emanates flames and breathes fire from its mouth. When several of our masters met it head-on, that beast showed not the slightest bit of fear."

At that moment, another still-shaken scholar stepped forward and added,

"Not only that, but that demonic entity has most likely fallen into demonic corruption!"

Hearing this, Song Mu and the others felt a jolt run through them, and Fu Zefeng immediately stepped forward to ask,

"Corrupted? That demonic entity has fallen into demonic corruption as well?"

The others nodded. Catching sight of the two dead demonic monkey carcasses carried by Song Mu's group, terror flickered across their faces as well.

Lost in thought for a moment, Song Mu posed another question,

"Senior brother, was there a Jinshi coming up from behind to offer assistance?"

"Was he chasing after that demonic entity as it fled?"

Upon hearing Song Mu's words, the senior brother frowned and replied with a puzzled look,

"A Jinshi?"

"We didn't see any Jinshi? That demonic entity fled precisely because it encountered a pincer attack from five of our masters."

Hearing this, Song Mu widened his eyes in shock, then turned his head to look at Fu Zefeng and Xue Kaiwen.

In each other's eyes, they all saw an expression of sheer incredulity.