When the news reached the Holy Mountain, the cultivators who remained on guard were shocked.
They could not believe that all the people and all the snakes could not defeat one person.
That was too ridiculous!
However, that news could not be wrong.
“Oh god! Is this the end of Ular Holy Mountain?”
Many Hindustani cultivators cried sorrowfully.
“I’ve already warned you all that we shouldn’t provoke Huaxia, but none of you listened! Now we have a monster in our country, and he’s heading to our Holy Mountain to kill us all!”
“It’s too late to say anything now. We’ve already offended him anyway!”
“That’s right! He wants to come, then let him come. We should avenge our fallen brothers!”
“Yes! Don’t forget that we have a trump card. The other Huaxia cultivator is still in our hands!”
“Quickly go and awaken the guardian of the mountain. None of the Huaxia cultivators will leave this place alive!”
The entire Ular Holy Mountain was swept over by fires of anger. Everyone in the mountain ran down the mountain and sat cross-legged in front of the entrance gate.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The booming sound of a bell echoed in the mountains.
Somewhere deep in the snowy mountains, something slowly stirred.
One hour, two hours…
Eight hours passed in the blink of an eye. In the evening, a cloud of dust was seen on the horizon.
A jeep soon appeared in view.
“He’s here!”
The cultivators at the entrance of the mountain stood up with grim expressions on their faces.
The jeep drew closer and closer.
“Oh? What’s that?” They looked closely and were shocked. There was a huge mass of something behind that jeep.
They were shocked once they discerned what it was.
‘Oh my god! They’re all people. No, they’re our fellow cultivators, tied together in a bundle and being dragged by the jeep!’
They were stricken with utter incredulity.
“Humiliation! This is utter humiliation!”
The elderly Hindustani cultivators trembled. They felt a gurgle in their throats, as though they were about to vomit blood because of anger.
Meanwhile, they also wondered how that jeep had the horsepower to drag so many people behind it.
The jeep stopped near the entrance gate, and a person hopped out of the jeep.
The person was dressed plainly in a white button-down shirt and jeans. The Hindustani cultivators were confused.
‘So… that’s the devil? How is he so young? Is there a mistake?”
Tang Hao swept his eyes over the crowd. He did not spot Taoist Master Qian Ji.
He stepped back, grabbed one of his captives, and pointed a gun to his head.
“Where is he?”
He glared coldly toward the direction of the mountain.
“Damn Huaxianese! Don’t think that we are afraid of you. You’re dead meat once you set foot in our Holy Mountain!” A Hindustani cultivator yelled angrily.
Tang Hao narrowed his eyes and pulled the trigger. He did not shoot the head, but instead at the person’s leg.
“I’m not very patient. I’ll count to three, and if you don’t bring that person out here, I’ll kill him. I’ll count to three again, and if you don’t bring him out, I’ll kill another.”
“You…” The Hindustani cultivators opened their eyes round and wide.
“One!” Tang Hao roared coldly.
“Two!”
He lifted his gun and pointed at the cultivators’ head. His finger was already on the trigger.
“Wait! Just wait! We’ll bring him out…”
The leader of the Hindustani cultivators shouted frantically.
He looked to his left and right, and two people behind him went into the mountain.
They returned about seven or eight minutes later, carrying someone by his shoulders. Tang Hao looked closely and saw that it was Taoist Master Qian Ji.
Taoist Master Qian Ji was in a pathetic state. He looked as though he was beaten up.
He was confused about what was going on, however, his spirits were lifted once he saw the figure at the entrance gate.
“I’ve brought you the person!” The old cultivator said, “Release our people first, and we’ll let him go!”
Tang Hao scoffed. “Do you think I’m an idiot! You’ll release him first!”
“No! You release our people first. How about… you’ll release half of them, then I’ll release him. After that, you can hand over the remaining half.”
“Deal!”
Tang Hao kept his gun and pushed that person forward. After that, he went to the back of the jeep and untied half of the people.
Meanwhile, the other side also brought Taoist Master Qian Ji to the front.
Tang Hao quickly went ahead and supported Taoist Master Qian Ji by his arm. He quickly ran a diagnosis on him. Aside from some superficial wounds and general weakness, he was unharmed. Tang Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, the Hindustani cultivators rushed ahead and freed their remaining compatriots.
“Damn Huaxianese, don’t even think of leaving!” The Hindustani cultivators roared angrily.
Tang Hao fed Taoist Master Qian Ji two pills. He stood up and said coldly. “I’m not thinking of leaving just yet! I didn’t kill you all earlier because your life still has value to me.”
“Don’t be so boastful. Quick, invoke the Guardian!”
The leader of the Hindustani cultivators took out a small bell and shook it violently. The clanging sounds echoed in the mountains.
“Guardian?” Tang Hao furrowed his brows.
That sounded like something powerful!
A long and loud screech was heard from behind the mountain.
A massive black shadow soared into the sky. It was like a dragon that rode the wind and stirred the clouds.
The creature reached the tip of the clouds and abruptly dove toward the ground.
It was a massive white scaled serpent protected by layers of ice and frost. It had a pair of wings on its back like those flying snakes from earlier, but it was thousands of times bigger.
The monstrous beast rode the wind and swirled on top of the entrance gate. Its ferocious eyes were fixed on Tang Hao.
Tang Hao’s expression changed drastically. He knew he had to take the monster seriously.
That beast was bigger and more intimidating than the sea dragon he encountered in South Beach.
‘This creature is strong!’ Tang Hao thought.
He thought of running away but there was nowhere he could run to. Behind him was a patch of barren plain with no place to hide.
‘I’ll have to take it head-on!’
Tang Hao briefly counted his inventory of jade talismans. It should be enough to last him for the upcoming battle.
“You should run away first, Taoist Master!” Tang Hao turned around and told Taoist Master Qian Ji.
Taoist Master Qian Ji was stunned. He wanted to say no, but he remembered that he was in no condition to fight. He would only be a burden if he stayed.
“Take care!” He cupped his fists, then turned around and ran across the barren plain.
Tang Hao stood there and took long, deep breaths to calm himself down.
Even so, his blood was boiling.
It had been a while since he had encountered such a strong enemy. Wang Changsheng was one, but he was defeated and his whereabouts were unknown. The giant snake in front of him would be the second strongest enemy.
“Screech!”
The snake let out an earth-shattering cry.
It shuddered and dove toward Tang Hao. Its bloody mouth opened and spewed icy breath.
“Bring it!” Tang Hao inhaled lightly, stamped his foot, and dashed out in a burst of speed to take on the giant serpent.
