Stinking Mud Mountain could be considered one of the famous mountains in the Southern Border.
If it were located in the Southern Border, Eastern Sea, or Northern Plains, it might have enjoyed greater renown. However, the Southern Border had no shortage of mountains—more famous peaks than any other region in the Five Domains—which meant Stinking Mud Mountain was far from exceptional, giving off an altogether unremarkable impression.
The mountain was rich in rotting mud, a common Gu material infused with Dao marks of both the Poison Path and the Earth Path. It was exceedingly widespread—the kind of stuff you could find everywhere—so market prices were rock bottom.
During the rainy season, temporary swamps would form throughout the mountain. The rotting mud within would transform into stinking swamp mud, a widely used auxiliary material for Gu refinement.
In winter, the rotting mud would combine with Ice and Snow Path Dao marks to become rotting mud permafrost. This too was an extremely common resource. Because it was highly fertile, mixing it into soil yielded outstanding results for cultivating wheat shoots, vegetables, and fruits. As a result, many Southern Border settlements used it extensively.
Furthermore, rotting mud permafrost was the primary food source for Stink Bugs. And so Stinking Mud Mountain was also teeming with them.
The Stink Bug was a First Transformation Gu Insect of the Poison Path, resembling a Black Pig Gu in appearance. Unscrupulous merchants in Gu Master markets often used them to pass off as Black Pig Gu.
Similar in name to the Stink Bug was the Fart Gu—also a First Transformation Poison Path Gu Insect. Like the Stink Bug, Fart Gu populations on Stinking Mud Mountain were enormous.
Live off the mountain if you live on the mountain, live off the water if you live by the water. Several fortified settlements depended on Stinking Mud Mountain for their survival.
These settlements were all situated along the mountain's outer rim. While competition existed between them, cooperation was far more prevalent.
Stinking Mud Mountain was a famous mountain of notable grade—it could produce Immortal materials, and within its depths roamed wild beasts and ancient wild beasts of the Poison Path.
None of these settlements had a Gu Immortal. At most, they boasted Fifth Transformation Gu Masters. Not one of them dared to venture up the mountain and set up camp.
Rumble...
People in all of the settlements heard a sound like thunder rolling from the mountain, and unease rippled through every face.
"What's happening up there?"
"Why would there be thunder out of nowhere?"
"The mountain is dangerous—far beyond what us Gu Masters can fathom."
Then they heard someone roaring.
"Kong Ritian! You can't escape! I know you're hiding here. You can hide for a moment—but can you hide for a lifetime?"
"Come out now and hand over the Gu Insects on your person, and I might spare your life. But if you let this chance pass and I search the entire mountain and drag you out myself—you'll wish you were dead!"
The Wu family Gu Immortal's roar sent shockwaves rolling in every direction, blanketing the entire region.
The people in the settlements at the mountain's edge erupted into a frenzy.
"It's an Immortal!"
"An Immortal has appeared! Oh heavens!"
"I know of Kong Ritian, that demonic scourge—he preys on innocent women. And now an Immortal has come for him. He's finished!!"
"Could it be that Kong Ritian obtained an Immortal Gu, and that's why an Immortal has come to seize it?"
"Pah! This isn't looting—this is an Immortal upholding justice."
"Do you think if we went over there, we might see the Immortal? Could we possibly learn the method to ascend to immortality?"
The Battle of Destiny had already made the existence of immortals known to everyone under heaven. Before that, due to isolated environments and other factors, many had believed immortals were nothing more than legend.
"This is bad!" Kong Ritian was covered in wounds, hiding inside a rotting mud cave, his face a picture of despair.
"Sigh, the Wu family Immortal is far too domineering. I've dragged you all down with me!" Kong Ritian looked at Wang Xiaoer and the Central Continent's Four Great Lechers, guilt flooding his voice.
As it turned out, after escaping the sinkhole that day, the situation had been extremely chaotic. The Central Continent's Four Great Lechers had originally intended to exploit Kong Ritian for his immortal inheritance, but in the end they ended up being hunted alongside him.
Kong Ritian understood their intentions and used the contents of the inheritance to tempt them. This led to an alliance between himself and the Four Great Lechers, and together they managed to flee.
After all, at that time the Ascension Inheritance had only shown faint glimmers—it hadn't yet attracted the attention of Gu Immortal-level powerhouses. Kong Ritian's pursuers were Fifth Transformation experts like Wu Ji and Shang Xinci.
The Central Continent's Four Great Lechers were formidable in their own right, and combined with Kong Ritian—a notorious figure of the Demonic Path roaming the Southern Border—their joint effort actually allowed them to escape.
But their good fortune didn't last. Once word of Kong Shengtian's inheritance leaked out, every super clan took notice and dispatched Gu Immortals to act.
Kong Ritian and his companions' situation immediately became dire beyond measure. They dodged and hid, barely managing to find refuge deep within Stinking Mud Mountain—only to now be driven into a dead end by the Wu family Gu Immortal.
"So what if we die? What's the big deal?"
"Brother Kong, say no more—it's all fate!"
"Come to think of it, dying at the hands of an Immortal is something of an honor."