Chapter 15: Encountering Enemies at the Mountain of Two Worlds

Wang Liang had been traveling westward for about two days. At the speed of his bronze warhorse—even without pushing it to its full potential—it covered three hundred li per hour. Furthermore, the bronze warhorse could traverse any terrain; even when encountering rivers, it would simply gallop across the surface, saving Wang Liang the time he would have otherwise spent searching for bridges. Over these two days, he had traveled more than six thousand li.

Early this morning, after emerging from the cave where he had rested and eating some food, Wang Liang glanced at a map of this era.

"A river along a cliff? Five whirlpools that never dissipate, and a calm channel between them—this must be the place."

Pointing to the details on the map, Wang Liang nodded. It seemed his route had been correct; he was about to exit the borders of the New Dynasty. The boundary between the New Dynasty and the surrounding regions was this strangely peculiar river. For some reason, despite the river’s immense size, it was insistently named the Mountain of Two Worlds. Once one crossed this river and continued west, they would no longer be on the territory of the New Dynasty.

Looking down at the golden token in his hand, Wang Liang sighed. Although he had only been in this game for a few days, he had already sensed the unique atmosphere of the New Dynasty. Within its borders, even in the remote wilderness, he did not have to fear attacks from monsters. In fact, along the way, he had encountered several villages of demons and ghosts; while they clearly did not welcome humans, they had no intention of eating him. Instead, they were willing to trade with him, providing food or a safe place to stay.

However, the situation would likely be different once he left the New Dynasty. Standing by the river, Wang Liang could clearly sense a thick, oppressive demonic aura wafting from the opposite bank.

"What a speechless world this is," Wang Liang lamented. He leaped onto his bronze warhorse, intending to gallop across the water and bypass the five whirlpools. The river was not particularly turbulent, and with the "Walking on Ripples" talisman activated, the bronze warhorse moved steadily across the surface. As long as it maintained a high speed, any slight jolts vanished before they could even be felt.

Wang Liang reached the center of the river smoothly. He even had the leisure to observe his surroundings, noticing that a large patch of lotus flowers was growing in a corner of the calm water between the five whirlpools. Although it was not the season for lotuses to bloom, these flowers were strangely in full bloom across the surface of the river, and even the nearby banks were covered in lotus leaves.

This bizarre sight caught his attention, and a "ding" sounded in his ear. This time, Wang Liang did not even bother to check the system notification. He whispered to himself, "I am traveling westward. I see nothing unusual. I am not looking for trouble." He then deliberately steered the bronze warhorse to skirt around that area.

The river was not very wide, and it took Wang Liang less than an hour to reach the far side. Just as the bronze warhorse was about to step onto solid ground, Wang Liang felt a sudden intuition. He released the reins and dove into the river.

The moment he hit the water, a gust of wild wind, swirling with yellow sand, roared from the west and swept across the river surface. Wang Liang’s bronze warhorse, caught directly in the path of the gale, was instantly shredded and ground into powder.

After devouring the bronze warhorse, the yellow sand in the gale seemed to sense something and stopped in mid-air. A human face with yellow fur emerged from the sand, sniffing deeply. "Human scent? A noble?"

Just as the face was about to descend to investigate, another voice came from within the sand.

"My Lord, we must press on. There is the matter in Chang'an."

"Do not speak of it. That useless rat, the Yellow Wind Demon, has wasted the Gale-Roaring Sand. To have such a good situation in Chang'an and turn it into this mess—now I must go clean up the wreckage. If he weren't already dead, I would bite down and suck the marrow from his very bones." The face looked furious, gritting its teeth. "Forget it. Let us go. It is a pity to miss out on a piece of meat delivered to our doorstep."

With that, the face retracted into the yellow sand. The gale picked up again, ready to head east.

Then, the voice spoke again from the sand: "My Lord, it is just a piece of meat. We could capture it and have it sent to your residence. We shall raise it for ten or fifteen days; you can eat it slowly after you handle the business in Chang'an."

"That is a good idea. Very well, General Tiger, I leave this to you. I shall be back in ten or fifteen days, and I expect to see prime 'fragrant meat' in my cave."

As the sand spoke, it flicked outward, and a burly man with the head of a tiger and a human body was tossed out. This warrior looked much like the Tiger Vanguard, but while the Vanguard wore only simple cloth and carried a large blade, this tiger was different. He wore a set of bright armor, a golden helmet topped with pheasant tails, and a pale yellow robe draped over his armor. He held a three-pronged steel trident. As he landed, a wicked wind surged around him, pushing him so he hovered over the river.

Glancing at the direction the yellow sand had vanished toward, General Tiger spat heavily. "Who does he think he is? Acting as if he owns the Yellow Wind Ridge. Everyone knows you are just experiments made from lamp oil. Without that oil, let us see if you can still be so arrogant. Wanting to eat meat? Eat dirt instead. This prize belongs to me."

As he spoke, General Tiger’s eyes widened, fixed on the water below. He had caught a glimpse of a purple shadow flashing past. This was a sign of "Purple Qi crowning the head," proof that a Child of Destiny had been here. Such people were the best food for his demon kin; consuming them would allow him to seize their destiny. Perhaps, with that, he wouldn't even need to worry about the lamp oil.

Licking his lips, General Tiger thought, *Once I find this meat, I will devour it immediately and claim the opponent was too strong—that I barely managed to win and had to use my 'Heaven-Swallowing Technique.' Yes, that shall do.*

At that moment, Wang Liang surfaced from the water and looked up, locking eyes with General Tiger hovering in the air. The situation was clearly unfavorable. Wang Liang took a deep breath and dove back under the water.

General Tiger’s eyes lit up. "A fine prize! Where do you think you are fleeing?"

Roaring, General Tiger thrust his three-pronged steel trident toward the water. His speed in the air was significantly faster than Wang Liang's. But Wang Liang was not one to wait for death. Below the surface, he kept his eyes on the General’s movements. As the trident plunged down, Wang Liang raised his left hand, and a flash of an axe shadow flew out.