Who Stole My Eggs?

Xie Zuo knew Mu Rong’s temper and wouldn’t have been so anxious unless something serious had happened. However, Huo Yao was not here now. Even if he went to the Immortal Realm, he could only move within the Immortal Realm and couldn’t go to the human world. What should he do?

Xie Zuo slapped his head. How could he have forgotten it!

Xie Zuo dug out the substitute statue of Nuwa that he had buried deep in the ground, put it into his sleeve, and went to his temple.

The big golden egg was left alone. Xie Zuo didn’t even say a word to it, and it shook in despair.

“My eldest nephew.” Wu Xiao popped his head out of the ground, trying to sound as friendly as possible, “I am your uncle, hello.”

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As soon as Xie Zuo arrived at the temple, Mu Rong rushed over, “Brother, the two mountains of Wu and Meng are moving, and only you can calm them with the power of the emperor. Come and follow me to the lower world!”

“Okay, let’s talk as we go.”

Xie Zuo secretly thought that this substitute had really come in handy. After incorporating it, he followed Mu Rong as they descended to earth together.

Something big had happened in Wu Mountain and Meng Mountain. Ten thousand people were trapped in each of the two mountains!

This was all due to the need to select new protectors for the two mountains. After Xie Zuo ascended to become the emperor, the first issue he had to deal with was the vacancies left by Lin, Mu Rong, The Black Cloud Messenger and The Wind Messenger. The appointments of Lin and Mu Rong were easily settled. Lin had recommended candidates to Xie Zuo before leaving. The two new envoys were widely accepted and assumed their offices soon. The tricky part was selecting guardian candidates for Wu Mountain and Meng Mountain.

It was said that Wu Mountain and Meng Mountain were two deities from ancient times. When the sky in the north collapsed, floods rolled toward the south. They couldn’t bear the loss of life in the south, so they descended to earth and transformed into two mountains to protect the region, blocking the floods from advancing further.

The Great Deity of Wu Mountain used the power of fire to dry up all the floods, preventing them from affecting other places. However, due to excessive consumption of his power, he fell into a permanent sleep. To awaken his close friend, the Great Deity of Meng Mountain turned his flesh, blood, and soul into sweet rain, nourishing Wu Mountain day by day for tens of thousands of years.

Over time, each of the two sacred mountains gave birth to a mountain spirit, later known as The Black Cloud Messenger and The Wind Messenger. They grew up as neighbors, met the former Southern Emperor Yun Jue together, and officially became the envoys of the Southern Kingdom, united in protecting its people.

In present times, The Black Cloud Messenger was undergoing trials in the human world to atone for his sins of excessive killings while fighting for the Southern Kingdom’s emperor, and The Wind Messenger was nowhere to be found. However, the people of the Southern Kingdom had a longstanding belief in the Wu Mountain and Meng Mountain. If the position of guardian remains vacant and the people’s faith was not honored, a significant number of believers could be lost, potentially damaging the foundation of the Southern Kingdom. Thus, electing a new protector became imperative.

However, Wu Mountain and Meng Mountain were known for their bad tempers, and all those sent by Xie Zuo to assume the role returned defeated. They failed to gain recognition from the mountains. Eventually, Xie Zuo devised a rotational duty system. He sent Mu Rong to negotiate with the mountains. Rather than appointing new guardians outright, Mu Rong arranged for different divine envoys to serve in shifts, addressing the needs of believers and changing envoys every quarter, with the mountains’ consent.

Since the shift, the two mountains had returned to their previous order, and everything ran in an orderly manner. Xie Zuo was surprised. Why had so many people suddenly been trapped in? What were they going to do in the mountains?

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On the way, Mu Rong was angry and anxious as he explained the whole story to Xie Zuo.

“This is another misdeed by two greedy and cunning individuals. To the deities of the Southern Kingdom, the guardians of Wu Mountain and Meng Mountain are a tremendous asset. Their believers offer the most generous sacrifices in the entire Southern Kingdom. A single stint as guardian is worth hundreds of years of rigorous training, so they were eager to assume their positions at the earliest opportunity.”

The two divine envoys on duty this time were named Man Yue and Qing Cha. They likely benefited so much from their roles that they were reluctant to leave. They also knew that Xie Zuo, the protector of the two mountains, couldn’t make the decision alone; it had to be acknowledged by the mountains themselves. Together, they induced dreams in tens of thousands of believers, urging them to travel to Wu Mountain and Meng Mountain to pray for blessings.

Hearing this, Xie Zuo was speechless. “These two idiots are asking for trouble.”

Mu Rong was even more furious. “They brought people into the heart of the mountain, made offerings, collectively made wishes to the mountain, and demanded that Wu Mountain and Meng Mountain recognize them as the new guardians. The collective power of thousands of people’s petitions was extraordinary, and it angered the mountains completely! Now the two mountains have closed themselves off, trapping everyone inside. We can’t let them out either. They will all suffocate to death inside!”

As they spoke, they arrived at the summit of Wu Mountain.

A large group of Southern Kingdom deities had gathered there. They were all attempting to open the mountain and free the trapped people, but their efforts were in vain.

There was a bad-tempered deity whose face turned red, and he raised his magic axe and struck Wu Mountain hard.

“Bang!” Sparks flew everywhere, but Wu Mountain remained unharmed. However, the divine envoy suddenly burst into flames and soon turned into a screaming fireball.

Other deities rushed to save him and finally managed to extinguish the fire on his body.

Mu Rong shouted, “Don’t act rashly! Stay calm, the emperor is coming!”

When the deities saw the woman standing beside Mu Rong, they were all stunned. They immediately realized that she was their new emperor. “Ah, the emperor is the spirit of heaven and earth. They can appear in any form. What’s wrong with appearing as a woman? As long as it resolves the issue!”

Sensing the fury emanating from Wu Mountain as he approached, Xie Zuo asked Mu Rong, “What should I do?”

Mu Rong, uncertain, replied, “Emperor Yun Jue mentioned he made a pact with the Wu Mountain and Meng Mountain as emperor. Now that you hold the throne, would you like to try?”

“In that case, we have no choice but to try,” Xie Zuo said decisively. He descended upon Wu Mountain and felt the ground vibrating beneath his feet. He sensed the mountain’s emotions.

Instead of giving orders or resorting to force, Xie Zuo simply found a stone to sit on and closed his eyes.

He heard the mountain roaring in anger. It refused to submit to anyone. It yearned for the return of the Black Cloud Messenger. It missed The Wind Messenger on Meng Mountain…

Not only Wu Mountain, but Xie Zuo also heard the call from Meng Mountain: “Bring back The Wind Messenger. Give it back to me…”

Huo Yao often emphasized that everything in the six realms possessed animism. These two silent mountains had been interdependent for hundreds of thousands of years, standing sentinel between heaven and earth. Who could say they lacked their own consciousness?

Xie Zuo’s consciousness departed from his substitute, making a solemn promise to the two mountains, “Release those innocent people. I swear that once I regain my freedom, I will bring the Black Cloud Messenger and The Wind Messenger to you. This will never happen again. You are free now, and you can choose your own master.”

The deities of the South Region were astonished to witness Wu Mountain and Meng Mountain suddenly fall silent. They exchanged perplexed glances, wondering what the emperor had done.

Suddenly, the blockades on the two mountains vanished, and all paths to the outside world opened up. Xie Zuo had succeeded!

The deities rejoiced and wept tears of relief, knowing they were saved by the emperor’s actions.

They rushed down to the lower world, assisting Man Yue and Qing Cha in evacuating the crowd and comforting the frightened people.

Mu Rong hugged Xie Zuo joyfully. “Brother, how did you manage it? You’re incredible!”

“We should find out where The Black Cloud Messenger and The Wind Messenger are,” Xie Zuo replied.

“Alright.”

As Xie Zuo prepared to depart, he suddenly sensed a powerful surge of energy.

In an instant, the ground trembled violently.

Several volcanoes on Wu Mountain erupted simultaneously, and scorching magma surged like a tide toward those who had no time to escape.

At the same time, the peak of Meng Mountain crumbled, triggering an avalanche of ancient snow that buried all those still outside.