Chapter 449: The Great Bronze Bell
Long Kỳ Lân, however, was very happy. Carrying Tần Mục out of the city, he started running with all his might, truly swift as the wind and fast as lightning, much quicker than when he was in the desert.
Although he could sometimes be quite thoughtful, he was, after all, not a person of cunning like Kha Kha. Hearing Tần Mục personally tell the ancestor's son that the ancestor was not dead but had become a god, this big fatty was overjoyed and put in even more effort.
Tần Mục felt a bit reluctant to deceive him.
"In the misty sea outside the Realm of the Dead, the skeleton rowing the boat should be Đăng Cảnh Đạo Nhân."
Tần Mục thought to himself: "If he is Đăng Cảnh Đạo Nhân, then the ancestor is most likely also in the Realm of the Dead. The village chief gave me eight Phong Đô coins. I must enter Phong Đô again and find out the truth!"
He took out the Western Lands geography map gifted by Kha Kha, unfolded it, and scanned around. After a moment, he finally found the locations of Chân Thiên Cung and Phương Tú Thành. He looked up to determine his own position, then immediately directed Long Kỳ Lân on the path, heading southwest.
Ahead of them, a great mountain lay across the road. The mountain's shape was peculiar, like a giant standing there. From the giant's shoulders grew two drooping peaks, but strangely, as the two peaks reached the bottom, they suddenly became thick and round, like two great bells hanging down to the ground.
The post road came to this point and split in two, passing between the two great bells and going around the main body of this strange mountain.
When Long Kỳ Lân arrived here, Tần Mục looked up and saw a woman in black clothes and black skirt, her figure graceful and elegant, floating up toward the mountain.
She landed at the head position of the strange mountain, where a golden-glowing placard hung, as if imprinted on the mountaintop.
Tần Mục's pupils contracted sharply as he saw the woman was just about to tear off that placard at the summit!
"Not good! Long Fatty, charge through!"
Just as he said this, the great mountain suddenly began to rumble and shake. The massive mountain body lifted its foot, and thick, heavy rocks were pulled out from beneath the earth, as if a mountain peak were being uprooted from the ground!
Tần Mục knew things were bad. Behind him, Vô Ưu Kiếm flew out of its sheath with a *shua* sound, shooting straight toward the woman on the mountaintop!
To capture bandits, first capture their leader. This mountain turning into a mountain giant must be supported by the magical power of some expert who had awakened the mountain spirit. As long as he killed this woman, he should be able to halt the transformation process!
The woman looked back and sneered: "You killed a disciple of my Vu family. Even if you were the Heavenly King or the Old Man in the Sky, you will be buried with him!"
The mountain giant pulled out one leg and stomped it onto the ground, sending dirt flying everywhere. Then it forcefully pulled out the other leg before slowly standing up.
When the mountain giant stood up, the clouds were at its waist, and the two bell-shaped secondary peaks were also lifted up. Rocks from the secondary peaks fell off with a rustling sound, and boulders rained down from the sky, quickly piling up and blocking the road.
As the mountain giant stood, the woman on the mountain rose higher as well. Vô Ưu Kiếm immediately spun around, transforming into the Drill Sword stance, shooting straight up into the sky.
The Vu family woman atop the mountain giant's head also sensed danger. She let out a light shout, and rings of flying hoops shot out. She slapped her hand, and countless flying hoops flew down to encircle the incoming Vô Ưu Kiếm!
*Ding ding ding ding* — a dense, rain-like burst of sounds came as the flying hoops looped around Vô Ưu Kiếm, rapidly shrinking, only to be shattered by the spinning flying sword.
Her cultivation was not weak, but the Western Lands' techniques did not focus on strengthening one's own body. Instead, they relied on borrowing the power of heaven and earth to fight. Compared to cultivators of the same realm in Diên Khang, her personal combat power was much weaker, and compared to Tần Mục, a Thiên Ma giáo chủ who had fought his way through countless battles, she was far inferior.
Vô Ưu Kiếm was even more of a divine sword, incomparably sharp. It shattered countless flying hoops without losing any momentum, rising from below, piercing through the woman's chin and flying out through the top of her head.
A flash of blood appeared on the mountaintop.
Tần Mục recalled Vô Ưu Kiếm. Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he saw most of the rocks on the two secondary peaks falling away, revealing bronze-colored bell bodies. This mountain was actually really a bell, not a real mountain — the bell's exterior was just covered with a layer of rock!
Tần Mục had seen many spiritual weapons of this size, but they were all treasures at the level of town-guarding sect treasures!
Although the Western Lands' spiritual weapons were not as exquisite as those of Diên Khang, town-guarding sect treasures were no small matter. They were forged by Thần Kiều realm experts with the effort of a lifetime, and their power was extraordinary.
"That placard on the mountaintop should be a seal, sealing this mountain giant! This mountain giant is most likely an ancient being that has long gained sentience, sealed here by its master and used as a heavy treasure to guard the family!"
Tần Mục's eyelids twitched, and he immediately knew something was wrong. The mountain giant lifted the two great bells, swung them around, and without any hesitation slammed them together. The bell mouths were pointed directly at Tần Mục's direction!
The mountain giant was not awakened — it was unsealed. This mountain giant had always been sentient. The Vu family had sealed this giant here, and when needed, they would remove the seal and activate this terrifying giant!
*Guang —*
The two giant bronze bells collided, and rolling waves of sound pressed forward, crushing everything in their path. The road was folded layer upon layer, rolling and crashing toward Long Kỳ Lân's side.
But the most threatening thing was not the road being torn up — it was the bell sound.
The thunderous roar of two town-guarding treasures colliding!
"The aristocratic families of the Western Lands are this ferocious! Long Fatty, don't move!"
Tần Mục couldn't help but admire it. His primordial energy exploded, and countless runic marks swirled around him, wrapping him and Long Kỳ Lân together. The annihilating soundwave came crashing in, but before the destructive wave reached Long Kỳ Lân, those runic marks had already formed a teleportation formation. The teleportation divine ability was activated, and Tần Mục, along with Long Kỳ Lân, vanished.
The next moment, Long Kỳ Lân and Tần Mục appeared about a li away. If he had activated the teleportation divine ability by himself, he could have teleported twenty or thirty li. Even carrying a person, he could cover more than ten li. But carrying a behemoth like Long Kỳ Lân, a single li was already his limit.
However, a distance of one li was far too short for that mountain giant. This mountain giant could probably cross more than ten li in a single step!
Tần Mục looked back and saw the post road where they had just been flying up into the air, shaking violently like a ribbon in the wind, and then the road shattered into pieces in the violent soundwave.
The soundwave from those two bronze bells destroyed more than twenty li of road, and everything it passed was truly ground to dust!
"The mountain giant has no magical power. It relies purely on physical strength to strike the giant bells, and yet it has such terrifying power. Truly formidable."
Tần Mục couldn't help but admire it. Long Kỳ Lân immediately started sprinting wildly with him on his back. Behind them, the colossal mountain giant turned its body and took a step. Tần Mục suddenly felt a shadow pressing down from above. He looked up and saw the mountain giant's huge foot already above their heads.
Long Kỳ Lân's speed instantly increased dramatically. In a few bounds, he surpassed the speed of sound. This fatty's speed could actually increase this quickly, which startled Tần Mục too. He didn't know what miraculous pill Long Fatty had eaten, but his speed was far beyond before!
At this critical moment, Long Kỳ Lân didn't care about how he would trick his meal provider into improving his diet in the future. He only focused on fleeing for his life. Such speed was truly astonishing.
*Hong long!*
Behind them, the mountain giant's foot came down, stomping a lake-sized crater into the ground. Meanwhile, the giant's other hand lifted the great bronze bell and smashed it forward.
Long Kỳ Lân ran like crazy. The great bell landed behind them, but the bell's power was extremely terrifying. The soundwave entered the ground and traveled three to five times faster than through the air.
Behind them, the ground exploded with crackling sounds, a terrifying scene. The soundwave chased after Long Kỳ Lân with a roar and sent him flying into midair.
Long Kỳ Lân quickly summoned fire clouds beneath his feet and ran wildly on them. Behind them, the mountain giant swung the other great bronze bell with its other hand, while the bell that had just smashed into the ground was lifted by the giant and collided with the bell falling from the sky!
*Guang —*
The bell rang long and loud. At the point where the two great bells collided, the ripples of the soundwave compressed the air into a solid state. The soundwave vibrated through the solid-like air, traveling even faster.
Tần Mục's hair stood on end. He quickly turned around and took out the Thái Âm Ngọc Nhãn. Light shone from the jade eye, and a beam of light shot straight out, slicing into the incoming soundwave.
*Weng.*
The annihilating soundwave was split in half by the light from the jade eye. The two terrifying waves of force brushed past Long Kỳ Lân on either side. The dreadful vibrations made Tần Mục's scalp tingle and sent chills down his spine.
If that soundwave had hit them, he, Hùng Kỳ Nhi, and Long Kỳ Lân would all have been shaken into countless fragments, ceasing to exist.
"The Western Lands still have some depth to them. It's just that this kind of depth is not good for cultivation."
Tần Mục looked back. The mountain giant had been struck by the light from the Thái Âm Ngọc Nhãn, and half of its left shoulder had collapsed. Long Kỳ Lân was getting farther and farther away from the mountain giant. With the mountain giant's power, it could no longer reach them with its soundwave attacks.
Just then, the mountain giant suddenly crouched down. Tần Mục saw this scene and his heart shook violently. But then he saw the mountain giant suddenly start running, its speed simply inconceivable!
"My heavens... No, this mountain giant must be controlled by someone. Otherwise, how could it lock onto me and Long Kỳ Lân and chase us so crazily!"
Tần Mục suddenly understood. The Vu family woman who had torn off the seal placard had already been killed by him. Naturally, she wasn't the one controlling the mountain giant. This person must be hiding nearby, and their cultivation should also be extremely high. Otherwise, how could they control such a colossal mountain giant?
Just as he thought this, a sword light suddenly flew across the sky. Then a human head fell from midair, followed by several sections of a corpse tumbling down from the clouds. It was an old woman with silver hair and a white head, still holding a walking stick in her hand — the stick had also been cut in two.
Tần Mục was momentarily stunned. He looked at the mountain giant again and saw it suddenly freeze, no longer pursuing.
It should have been this white-haired old woman secretly controlling the mountain giant to attack them. Otherwise, why would the mountain giant, just awakened, immediately try to kill Tần Mục?
"Long Fatty, stop!"
Long Kỳ Lân quickly stopped, not understanding what was going on. Tần Mục activated his Hỏa Tiêu Thiên Nhãn and looked at the mountain giant. He saw a figure standing on the mountain giant's head, vaguely resembling Kha Kha.
That sword light flew back from the clouds and circled twice around the person on the mountaintop.
That figure bowed to him in farewell: "Safe journey!"
Tần Mục also bowed in return: "Thank you for your kind words."
Then the figure waved a banner, wrapped it around himself, and suddenly vanished from the mountain.
"A teleportation banner. The ancestor gave him a teleportation banner."
Tần Mục smiled: "He is just like the ancestor — appearing indifferent to fame and fortune on the surface, but in reality, very warm-hearted. Kha Kha, truly worthy of being the ancestor's son. Long Fatty, the ancestor has a successor now."