Chapter 127: Mount Wudang

"For the time being, the nine of you are in charge of Fire Cloud Cave. I have matters to attend to and must take my leave."

After Yuan Wuji spoke these words to the eight puppets and Fox Three, he turned and left Fire Cloud Cave. Having seen through the consciousness of his puppets that it was the people from Wudang Mountain who had destroyed his cave, Yuan Wuji felt it would not be his style to let the matter slide without going to Wudang Mountain to reclaim his dignity.

This would also serve as a perfect opportunity to gauge his own combat strength. The master of Wudang Mountain, the Great Emperor Zhenwu, likely possessed a cultivation base at the realm of the Taiyi Golden Immortal. Yuan Wuji knew he was certainly no match for him, but he was convinced that a figure like Zhenwu would never stoop to personally slaughtering the inhabitants of a minor place like Fire Cloud Cave. It was far more likely that others from Wudang Mountain were responsible.

Wudang Mountain was home to no shortage of Taoists at the realm of the Taiyi True Immortal, making them perfect candidates for Yuan Wuji to test the fruits of his recent seclusion. As for whether the Great Emperor Zhenwu would intervene, Yuan Wuji was not the least bit concerned; he knew that Zhenwu was surely aware of the power standing behind him and would never dare to lay a hand on him.

Wudang Mountain existed in a unique space, appearing to be both in the mortal realm and the immortal realm. Ordinary cultivators would never be able to find it, and even with Yuan Wuji’s "Golden Light of Earth-Crossing" technique, it took considerable time before the shadow of the mountain finally came into view.

Standing before Wudang Mountain, Yuan Wuji took in the entire sight. It was truly worthy of being the dojo of the Great Emperor Zhenwu; the spiritual energy drifting through the air alone was far denser than anything in the lower realms.

The mountain's defenses were also remarkably sophisticated. Based on a rough assessment, Yuan Wuji sensed no fewer than a hundred small-scale sword arrays and dozens of medium-scale ones.

However, Yuan Wuji had come to "trash the place." While the medium-scale arrays might cause him some trouble, he felt no fear. Instead, he suppressed his divine aura and allowed a far more potent demonic aura to billow outward.

"What manner of demon dares to come to Wudang Mountain?"

The sheer magnitude of Yuan Wuji’s demonic aura startled the disciples within the mountain, and many quickly flew toward his location.

Within a few breaths, Yuan Wuji was surrounded by Wudang Taoists. Judging by their attire and cultivation levels, they were mostly low-level disciples; he did not see a single elder among them.

As Yuan Wuji observed the group, a young Taoist stepped forward and demanded, "Usually, it is we who hunt demons. Today, a demon actually dares to come to our Wudang Mountain? You must have grown tired of living."

The young Taoist’s words drew cold sneers from the others. In their eyes, Yuan Wuji, trapped in the center, was already nothing more than a piece of meat waiting to be carved.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Haha, he’s a fool of a demon, too! He didn't even bother to ask about the reputation of Wudang Mountain before coming here. Brothers, show him what we’re made of!"

Encouraged by the young Taoist, the others, who were already itching for a fight, scrambled to charge at Yuan Wuji. But in the next moment, Yuan Wuji would show them the true meaning of regret.

Five Thunders Method.

Yuan Wuji employed the Five Thunders Method, one of the Thirty-Six Transformations of Tiangang. Facing a group of Taoists with cultivation levels inferior to his own, it was the perfect area-of-effect technique.

Gold, wood, water, fire, and earth thunderbolts surged forth simultaneously. The Taoists closest to Yuan Wuji suffered the most, with many perishing instantly under the sheer force of the lightning. Although the Five Thunders Method had not yet reached the consummate level of his "Subduing Dragons and Taming Tigers" technique, it was still far beyond what a group of low-level Taoists could withstand.

"Ah... ah..."

Screams rang out one after another. Their previous arrogance had vanished, replaced by a desperate, chaotic scramble to escape. Seeing their fellow disciples falling before them, they finally realized how terrifying Yuan Wuji truly was.

"Hurry, go get the elders!"

Someone in the fleeing crowd shouted. But the call was unnecessary; the commotion was so great that several elders were already rushing to the scene.

"Why is there such chaos here?" one of the elders demanded, grabbing a fleeing disciple by the collar.

"Elder! Elder, it’s terrible! A demon has broken into Wudang Mountain, and many of our brothers have already perished at his hands!" the disciple cried out in agitation. The presence of the elder calmed his overwhelming terror.

"What? What kind of demon is so bold as to cause trouble on our Wudang Mountain? Come, lead the way so we may deal with this monster!" a bearded elder roared in fury. The other elders, their expressions equally grim, signaled for the disciple to lead them.

"Just ahead!" the disciple pointed frantically.

The bearded elder grabbed the disciple and rushed toward Yuan Wuji, with the other elders following closely behind.

This was exactly what Yuan Wuji wanted. He didn't care if his Five Thunders Method hit every fleeing disciple; his goal was to make as much noise as possible, ideally alerting the surrounding factions to what was happening on Wudang Mountain.

"Demon! Take this palm from me!"

Seeing Yuan Wuji continuing his destruction, the bearded elder unleashed a palm strike as he charged.

"Hm?"

Sensing the incoming surge of energy, Yuan Wuji converted his golden thunder into Geng-Metal lightning and hurled it toward the bearded elder.

The bearded elder, never expecting Yuan Wuji to detect his approach, had no time to dodge and was forced to take the Geng-Metal thunder head-on.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous explosion, a blood-soaked figure was sent flying backward. Had the other arriving Taoists not caught him, he would have crashed into a boulder, which would surely have ended his life.

Yuan Wuji fixed his gaze on the arriving group: six old Taoists and one young one.

"Finally, some worthy opponents," Yuan Wuji muttered to himself.

Among the elders, the one he had blasted with his Geng-Metal lightning was at the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm. Of the remaining five, four were at the mid-stage of the Heavenly Immortal realm, and one had just entered the realm of the Taiyi Loose Immortal.

Compared to the disciples who had surrounded him earlier, their cultivation levels were significantly higher.

"So, do the people of Wudang Mountain prefer to strike from the shadows?"

The six elders now looked exceptionally grave. Yuan Wuji’s ability to severely injure the bearded elder in a single strike proved his cultivation was far above theirs.

"I observe that you are a Demon King, Brother Demon. Why have you come to Wudang Mountain to harm our disciples?" Seeing that the others were hesitant, the Taoist at the Taiyi Loose Immortal realm stepped forward to answer.

"It is not I who came to harm your disciples; it is you who destroyed my subordinates first." Yuan Wuji’s killing intent flared suddenly, putting immense pressure on the six elders. While the Taiyi Loose Immortal could withstand it, the severely injured bearded elder coughed up more blood under the strain, only finding relief when the other five elders moved to shield him.

"You are not qualified to speak with me. I will give you time to go and fetch a Taoist from Wudang Mountain who is actually worth my time."

In the consciousness of his puppets, Yuan Wuji had seen the lead Taoist who destroyed Fire Cloud Cave; that individual had been at the Taiyi Loose Immortal realm for many years, far superior to the one currently standing before him. Anyone who could command them to destroy Fire Cloud Cave had to be a high-ranking member of Wudang Mountain. Yuan Wuji intended to speak with the masters, not waste his breath on a group of ordinary elders.