Chapter 55: The Great Serpent of the Mountains

Just as Chairman Zhao had anticipated, the very moment he hung up the phone, the entire contents of his conversation were intercepted and transmitted directly into the ears of a single person.

At that exact moment, deep within the basement of a villa belonging to the Gao family in Northeast China, a woman with graying hair sat before a towering stack of computer monitors. With a slight frown, she murmured to herself:

"Top secret..."

The woman was Gao Yushan, twenty-five years old. Because she was the second daughter and her father, Gao Lian, had desperately wanted a son, he had given her older sister and her the rustic nicknames of "Gao Dachuang" (Gao the Great) and "Gao Erchuang" (Gao the Second), respectively.

Unlike the rest of the Gao family—and indeed most of the practitioners in the Northeast—she had awakened her innate ability to "manipulate radio waves" at a very young age. Consequently, she had bypassed the traditional path of acting as a spirit medium (*chuma*) and instead entered the Quanzhen Taoist gate, becoming a lay disciple of the Wuliu lineage.

As a branch of the Quanzhen Longmen Sect, the Wuliu lineage similarly took the simultaneous cultivation of "essence (*jing*) and spirit (*qi*)" and the ultimate refinement of both as its foundation. At its deepest levels, it could also achieve the state of "discharging the Yang spirit"—a realm that Gao Yushan had already attained.

Yet, unlike other branches of Quanzhen, the Wuliu lineage's method of discharging the Yang spirit possessed distinct characteristics. Because its core philosophy broke down religious barriers, fusing Buddhist and Taoist thought to seek wisdom-life and shatter the void, it pursued the ultimate state where the "innate Yang spirit permeates all things."

Thus, the Wuliu lineage's "discharge of the Yang spirit" was exceptionally compatible with Gao Yushan's innate ability. Because the modern world was already saturated with radio waves, when she successfully cultivated the discharged Yang spirit, her innate ability merged with it and gradually underwent a mutation.

By now, Gao Yushan's soul was fully capable of leaving her physical body for extended periods in the state of "electronic waves" and operating freely. Furthermore, she could invade telecommunications networks in her spiritual form. Combined with her already formidable hacking skills, she was nothing short of a deity within the realms of networks and communications.

Precisely because of this, coupled with her father's status as the head of the Northeast Region, she was naturally recruited by the Company, becoming a temporary worker for the Northeast. In daily life, she served as the Company's logistics backbone, responsible for monitoring and managing the network communications of all China.

At this moment, upon learning of Chairman Zhao's arrangements, Gao Yushan thought for a moment before arriving at a decision: "This matter must never be told to the old man, otherwise the Gao family could very well be in danger..."

She understood the true nature of the Company and comprehended the implications of Chairman Zhao's arrangement. In a matter of this scale, he could not possibly place absolute trust in the Gao family and would inevitably keep a contingency plan in reserve. The subsequent situation could only be navigated safely by letting it unfold naturally and following his arrangements.

Of course, this was also because she knew in her heart that Chairman Zhao's concerns were not unfounded. To a certain extent, the relationship between the Gao family and the various immortal families was far closer than their ties to the Company. If a true choice had to be made, there would only be one option.

Therefore...

"This time, the old man will most likely not follow Chairman Zhao's instructions entirely, but will secretly aid the Hu family lineage..."

She analyzed further. After all, since ancient times, the Gao family had served as the spirit-horse disciples to the fox immortals of the Hu family, and it was precisely from this foundation that they had grown and prospered.

That being the case...

"Then I will lend the Company a hand, allowing them to complete their mission swiftly so that the Gao family won't be overly entangled..."

Before long...

Beep, beep, beep!

Simultaneously, the cellphones of Old Meng and Zhang Lingyu's master-apprentice pair vibrated with notification sounds, receiving an anonymous text message.

...

...

Just like that.

Three days later.

Deep within the Changbai Mountains of Northeast China.

A massive figure coiled within a mountain valley—a gigantic serpent of crimson red.

Judging by its colossal frame, it was thicker than a century-old tree. Its scales, the color of fresh blood, reflected a crimson halo under the sunlight like burning embers at dusk.

It was evident that it had lived for an exceedingly long time, resembling an aged elder weighed down by the vicissitudes of life, sitting quietly at his doorstep to soak in the sun. Such a posture could be maintained for an entire day without stirring.

This was not because the elder lacked the desire to move, but rather because it possessed no energy left to spare. Even using its ancient, withered spine to support its upper body required immense effort, let alone commanding its long-rusted knees to move in repetitive motion.

The great serpent was named "Liu Tianhong," the oldest surviving ancestor of the Liu family lineage. By tomorrow at noon, it would reach precisely twelve thousand years of age. Having endured eleven great tribulations, it was now awaiting the arrival of the twelfth.

As a member of the Tian-generation of the Liu family—the highest generation in terms of seniority—its past was nothing short of magnificent. A span of over ten thousand years had witnessed almost the entire progression of Chinese civilization; it was truly a living history and a witness to civilization itself.

Not only that, its current cultivation had attained an unfathomable realm. If it so desired, it could instantly overturn an entire city and bring catastrophic disaster upon humanity. However, such an act would severely damage its accumulation of incense and virtue, something it would never stoop to do.

Yet, regardless of what it had experienced in the past, or how powerful it had once been, none of it could triumph over the passage of time. It already understood... that it could never transcend the heavens.

Tomorrow at noon, when the moment of the great tribulation descended, everything it was would return to dust. It only hoped that this decaying, withered husk of a body could become a beacon of hope for its "descendants," serving as an aid to their future transcendence.

With this single thought, Liu Tianhong raised its massive head slightly. A thick, scarlet forked tongue flickered in and out of its mouth, and its vertical pupils swept across the surroundings, its eyes filled with endless emotion...

Close by stood the peers and younger generations of the Liu family, while in the distant mountain forests lingered the familiar faces of the other four families. Within all their pairs of eyes, there was no trace of sorrow, but rather a burning, restless anticipation.

"It is my turn..."

It thought to itself, and lowered its head once more.

Right at this moment...

"Is that the senior member of the Liu family who is about to 'return,' and is the time locked in for tomorrow at noon?" On another mountain peak not far away, Zhang Lingyu and his fellow disciple, having already arrived, observed the giant serpent and asked Gao Lian, who stood beside them.

"Indeed. The time was stated personally by the immortal itself, and the other immortals have already verified it. There is no mistake," Gao Lian nodded.

"Very well. Since that's the case, let us simply wait right here. Our master instructed us to make a swift decision and strive to conclude this at the earliest possible moment," Rong Shan proposed.

"This..."

Hearing these words, a flash of hesitation crossed Gao Lian's eyes, though he kept his counsel and said nothing more.

"Very well then. I shall arrange for some of our personnel to stall the various immortals beforehand tomorrow. When the time comes, I will have to rely on the two Daoist priests."

Then...

"I still have some matters to attend to on my end, so I will take my leave for now. If the two priests require anything, you may directly call upon the resident staff left behind below. I will see to it that your issues are resolved immediately."

With those words, the three exchanged formal bows. Gao Lian subsequently departed from the spot, issued a few brief instructions to the staff waiting below, and walked outward.

However...

After distancing himself from the gathering, Gao Lian suddenly halted his footsteps, sought out a concealed mountain cave, and slipped into the shadows.

Confirming that no one was around, his hands swiftly wove a complex seal, and he chanted in a low voice:

"I humbly invite... Hu Tianbiao!"