"Puff puff puff!"

In the dense forest deep within the Great Mountain,

on a small hill no more than three meters high, dirt kept falling off, as if a demon beast was tirelessly digging. Upon closer inspection, an entirely earth-colored armadillo was using its two front claws to ceaselessly dig into the yellow soil of the hill.

After a quarter of an hour, a hole large enough for the armadillo to enter finally appeared on the three-meter-high hill. Below the hole was a pit nearly one meter deep, the earthen walls supported by yellow Spiritual Qi, holding up the hollow center of the hill. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The armadillo had found another perfect spot for its secluded cultivation retreat.

"Whew!" After completing all this, the armadillo sat atop the small hill, wiping the sweat off its body, "Finally, it’s done. Now, I shouldn’t be disturbed!"

The place it found now was at the relatively fringed area of the Great Mountain, where even the demon beasts were only just stepping into their ranks, posing no threat whatsoever to it.

"This is already at the edge of the area, so I shouldn’t encounter those reclusive great demons again!"

Generally speaking, great demons usually retreat and cultivate within their territories and rarely cause a big scene. It’s unknown why the tiger demon it met before made such a grand display!

"The last time I encountered that tiger demon, I felt like even a glance would suck out my soul, but fortunately, it didn’t discover me!"

The armadillo was somewhat lucky. It had just entered a state of seclusion, when its body functions were at their lowest, breath was subtle, and being an armadillo, its lifespan was naturally long, making its presence even weaker, imperceptible even to great demons.

But to be safe and avoid encountering those reclusive Great Mountains again, it had simply come to the edge of the Great Mountain. Such places were resource-scarce, with thin Spiritual Qi, let alone great demons, perhaps not even slightly powerful demon beasts would linger here. Only those with bare minimum cultivation to be considered a demon beast would choose to cultivate here.

If it weren’t for the armadillo’s clan needing very few cultivation resources, it wouldn’t have chosen this place, despite its safety.

"Finally, such a place where I can cultivate in peace!"

The armadillo stood on the three-meter-high hill, upright on its hind legs, with short front limbs curled in front of its chest. After glancing at the scenery before it, it turned to jump into the newly dug cave.

Suddenly, a peculiar aura came from not far away, just five miles away, attracting the armadillo instinctively with its familiarity.

"Huh? What kind of aura is this, it feels perfectly compatible with me. If I can cultivate near it, it should yield twice the result with half the effort!"

The armadillo’s eyes immediately lit up, gazing excitedly in the direction the aura emanated from, while its tiny head pondered continuously on what kind of demon beast could possess such aura.

"This aura is extremely thick, innately possessing boundless defensive power, and its presence is long-lasting, having a natural vibe."

"Such an aura, might not be owned by any demon beast, could it be some medicinal herbs?"

The armadillo pondered incessantly, with images of known medicinal herbs surfacing in its mind, seeking a match.

"No... no... no... Ah, got it!"

Suddenly.

The armadillo’s bloodline boiled, myriad memories surged like a tide into its mind, making its eyes shine brightly, revealing a knowing gaze, looking excitedly forward.

"This is a spirit creature, the Mountain God!!"

The armadillo breathed heavily, and when it spoke these words, its voice trembled slightly.

According to the bloodline memory, spirit creatures are formed by absorbing the Spiritual Qi of all things in the world. A Mountain God, once emerging from such a spirit creature within the Great Mountain, achieves cultivation equivalent to a great demon at its very birth.

Why does the armadillo’s bloodline memory include records of the Mountain God?

Long ago, one ancestor of the armadillo clan, while seeking a retreat location, accidentally found a small mountain, which was the Mountain God incarnate.

During its retreat, it continually absorbed the Mountain God’s aura, allowing its cultivation to proceed with half the effort yielding double results, soon breaking through its limits to become a great demon, and at one time, excelled among demon beasts.

It was due to that ancestor that the bloodline memory included knowledge about the Mountain God.

"Who would have thought a Mountain God would appear within this Great Mountain?!" exclaimed the armadillo, extremely excited.

The bloodline memory also mentioned that countless conditions are required for a Mountain God’s birth, and any Great Mountain may meet those conditions.

While that’s the claim, every mountain that has given birth to a Mountain God has ancient roots, with countless lives born, growing, and perishing upon it, potentially creating the Mountain God.

Clearly, the Great Mountain doesn’t fall into that category.

Because even great demons never existed in this mountain prior, with its spiritual energy being thin, and even the King of Yue has not stationed anyone here. One can only imagine how desolate it is.

But precisely in such a place, a Mountain God was born. It’s even less likely than picking up gold on the street.

"This is heaven’s blessing, granting me the appearance of a Mountain God here. I must seize this opportunity, perhaps I can achieve the level of my ancestor in the bloodline memory!"

Even though the armadillo clan is naturally indifferent and laid-back, encountering such an event, even such a relaxed species couldn’t stay calm.