Chapter 317 267: Night of Chaos

The Ten Thousand Mountains of Nanwu Province were a truly vast range, sprawling for millions of li, an expanse of truly staggering proportions.

Within this range, the undulating mountains and forests were so complex and ever-changing that even the tribes and bandits who lived in the Ten Thousand Mountains could get lost.

Therefore, finding the precise location where the Middle Spiritual Land had emerged would be no simple task.

"Alright. We'll split up. We can each ask around Ping'an Town separately."

"We'll find where the Middle Spiritual Land appeared much faster that way."

Han Yuan said softly.

"Right, it will be faster."

Ding Zihu had no objections.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the sky began to darken, and they each returned to their own rooms to rest.

The next morning, they went their separate ways to search for information about the Middle Spiritual Land.

In truth, just as the inn's Shopkeeper had said, most of the people who had recently come to Ping'an Town were here for the Middle Spiritual Land.

But a large crowd rarely meant anything good.

All sorts of rumors were flying around, making it impossible to tell fact from fiction.

Han Yuan had only taken a casual stroll through the streets, and without even having to ask, he'd already heard no fewer than five different versions of the Middle Spiritual Land's supposed location.

Each version was told with such conviction that even Han Yuan was starting to get confused.

Of course, he wasn't going to take these rumors seriously.

How true could something be if it was being spread all over the streets?

Without realizing it, Han Yuan followed the flow of the crowd and found himself near a public square.

Even though the square was quite spacious, it was still incredibly crowded.

Nearby, many fortune-tellers had set up stalls.

In the deepest part of the square, smoke and incense swirled in the air.

Looking closely, he saw a massive temple.

"What temple is this?"

Han Yuan, curious, pushed his way through the crowd to get closer to the temple.

The temple was built in a wild, primitive style, constructed from black rock that gave it an ancient and solemn air.

On the stone plaque hung high above the temple entrance, Han Yuan saw three words.

Mountain King Temple.

"Mountain King... the king of the Ten Thousand Mountains?"

Han Yuan muttered to himself.

Soon, he noticed a black stone stele standing before the temple, covered in densely packed, carved characters.

A quick glance told Han Yuan that the stele recorded the history of the Mountain King Temple.

It turned out that long, long ago, a powerful tribe had lived in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

This tribe was called the Shanfei, and they had many brave and skilled warriors, as well as an exceptionally cruel and powerful chieftain.

This chieftain led the warriors of the Shanfei Tribe, using his formidable military might to conquer all the other tribes of the Ten Thousand Mountains. He came to be known as the Mountain King.

This was the origin of the Mountain King Temple.

The temple was built to worship this Mountain King.

As for the Mountain King's ultimate fate, the stele made no mention of it.

Perhaps the one who carved the stele didn't know, or perhaps it was intentionally omitted.

Han Yuan had no way of knowing the truth.

He thought for a moment, then decided he couldn't be bothered to enter the temple.

He mainly just disliked praying to idols.

'A person's fate is in their own hands, not in the hands of ghosts or gods.'

Han Yuan's gaze swept the area. He saw that the Mountain King Temple complex contained many pavilions and halls, covering a massive area that seemed even larger than Ping'an Town itself.

But Han Yuan didn't care about any of that. Just as he was about to turn and leave, the crowd suddenly erupted into a commotion.

A dozen or so brutish thugs were forcing a path, shoving everyone nearby aside.

"Out of the way, out of the way!"

"Our boss is here to pay respects to the Mountain King! Make way!"

The brutes shouted as they pushed.

"Who are these people? How dare they be so arrogant?" someone muttered, seeing the brutes' brazen behavior.

"Look at their clothes. They must be from the Ghost King Bandits. They're one of the top five bandit factions in the Ten Thousand Mountains, so of course they're arrogant," another person said.

"The Ghost King Bandits... No wonder they're so arrogant."

"I wonder which big shot from the Ghost King Bandits is here to pay respects."

"We'll know if we just watch."

Many people's eyes glinted as they watched the dozen or so brutes.

The Mountain King's prestige in the Ten Thousand Mountains was extraordinary. Even today, many tribes still worshipped him.

Legend had it that if you received the Mountain King's blessing, you could do as you pleased throughout the Ten Thousand Mountains.

But if you incurred the Mountain King's displeasure, a fatal disaster would soon befall you.

That was why important figures from the Ten Thousand Mountains would often come down from the mountains specifically to worship at the Mountain King Temple.

One could say that Ping'an Town's very existence, despite the chaos and complexity of the Ten Thousand Mountains, was inextricably linked to this Mountain King Temple.

Since Han Yuan was standing next to the stone stele, he was unaffected by the commotion.

Hearing the chatter from the people nearby, his curiosity was piqued, and he stayed where he was to watch.

He was very tall, so he didn't need to push his way into the crowd; he could see just fine from where he stood.

Soon.

A figure clad in a black robe and wearing a demonic-looking mask walked in.

Seeing his appearance, everyone couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

After all, dressed like that, who could possibly tell who he was?

Before long, the masked figure entered the Mountain King Temple to pay his respects.

The area in front of the Mountain King Temple soon returned to its previous state of chaotic activity.

Han Yuan didn't linger either. He turned and left the Mountain King Temple.

Afterward, he went to a few other places to inquire for news, spending a good deal of money in the process.