# Chapter 2017: The Whereabouts of the Sacred Altar
Under Shangguan Yong's guidance, Zhang Ruochen and the others soon arrived before the sacred mountain at the center of the Que Sheng Prince Manor.
With the revival of the Kunlun Realm, this sacred mountain had also undergone considerable changes. Not only had the mountain itself become more majestic and imposing, but the key point was that it now spewed forth a vast amount of Heavenly Saint Qi, turning the entire Que Sheng Prince Manor into a rare cultivation holy land.
The sacred mountain was covered in lush, dense vegetation, with many spiritual herbs growing on it, and even some sacred medicines existed.
Some ancient pavilions were hidden within the forest, perfectly integrated with the sacred mountain itself.
Throughout the entire Shangguan Clan, very few people were qualified to have a cultivation site on the sacred mountain.
And the summit of the sacred mountain was even more of a forbidden area—it was where Shangguan Que resided. Without permission, even Shangguan Yong, the head of the Shangguan Clan, was not allowed to approach.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, the ancestor is at the summit," Shangguan Yong said with considerable respect.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Thank you for your trouble."
The sacred mountain was equipped with a special air-forbidden formation, and ordinary people simply could not fly through the air. But this obviously could not restrict Zhang Ruochen and the others.
Immediately, Zhang Ruochen and his companions rose into the air, flying toward the summit at great speed.
Shangguan Yong looked up, watching Zhang Ruochen's gradually ascending figure. He did not leave—if the ancestor had any instructions, he could carry them out in time.
At this moment, it was noon, with the blazing sun hanging high in the sky. Mist swirled around the summit, making it look like a fairyland.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen locked onto Shangguan Que's location.
With a flicker of movement, the seven of them landed on a cliff.
An ancient pine tree grew at the edge of the cliff, vigorous and sturdy. No one knew how many years it had been rooted here, its trunk twisted like a coiled dragon.
Beneath the ancient pine tree was a stone table, on which a set of tea utensils was placed. A person sat before the stone table, holding a small tea bowl in his hand, with wisps of steam rising from it.
A gentle breeze blew, and a faint tea fragrance spread through the air, refreshing the heart and mind.
The person sitting before the stone table was a white-haired old man, extremely refined, exuding the temperament of a great Confucian scholar, along with a vast, righteous spirit (hao ran zheng qi).
The white-haired old man had a ruddy complexion, with no trace of senility. Although his figure was not tall, he gave off a sense of stability like a divine mountain.
"Student Zhang Ruochen pays respects to Teacher."
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward and bowed to the white-haired old man.
Eight hundred years had passed, and Shangguan Que had not changed much. He was still as elegant and composed as before, with a kind and benevolent face, yet possessing a natural dignity that commanded respect.
Zhang Ruochen could now confirm that when they had attacked the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor back then, the Confucian Saint King from the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion had indeed been Shangguan Que.
"Grand Tutor, it has been many years since we last met. You have not changed at all."
Kong Lanyou also stepped forward to greet him.
In the past, she too had studied under Shangguan Que and was also his student.
But after the Sacred Bright Empire fell and Shangguan Que became the Imperial Court's (chao ting) Que Sheng Prince, regarded as a traitor by many of the Sacred Bright remnants, Kong Lanyou had never seen him again. Eight hundred years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Eight hundred years was already a long time, and very few of the old acquaintances from the past remained.
Shangguan Que put down the tea bowl in his hand, a kind and gentle smile appearing on his face. "Come, all of you, sit down. Keep this old man company and chat for a while."
Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou did not hesitate. They straightened up, walked to the stone table, and sat down.
Mu Lingxi, Ming Jiang Wang, Jin Yu, Luo Chen, and Bao Lie also stepped forward, each finding a place to sit.
Fortunately, the stone table was large enough, and there were plenty of seats around it; otherwise, they might have had to stand.
Shangguan Que picked up the teapot and poured a bowl of tea for Zhang Ruochen and the others.
Ming Jiang Wang said somewhat coldly, "Shangguan Que, you live a good life. The Imperial Court's (chao ting) Que Sheng Prince, a position of honor and status—unlike us rebels of the Sacred Bright Empire, who can only hide and skulk."
"Eight hundred years have already passed, Your Highness. Why must you still hold such a grudge? Making this choice was not something I wished for," Shangguan Que said with a deep sigh.
Ming Jiang Wang's tone remained harsh. "Could someone have forced you?"
Shangguan Que only shook his head, unwilling to say more, as if there were some unspeakable difficulty.
Ming Jiang Wang grew angry. "What are you shaking your head for? If you have something to say, just say it straight. At this point, what is there left to hide?"
"Some things are far more complicated than Your Highness imagines," Shangguan Que said in a deep voice.
Ming Jiang Wang was about to say something, but before he could speak, Zhang Ruochen interjected first: "Imperial Uncle, there is no need to dwell on this matter. Since Teacher is unwilling to speak, we cannot force him."
Hearing this, Ming Jiang Wang said no more. Although he was Zhang Ruochen's elder, he now followed Zhang Ruochen's lead in everything.
Zhang Ruochen turned to Shangguan Que and said with considerable seriousness, "Teacher, the reason we have come is to understand some truths from eight hundred years ago. I hope you can tell us honestly."
Shangguan Que took a sip of tea and said softly, "Ask whatever you want to know."
Although it was noon, the breeze on the summit made it quite cool, with no sense of heat at all.
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious. "Teacher, as a member of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion, you should have seen Father Emperor before he disappeared. Do you know where he went?"
"That's right. Before the palace coup, all of us Dragon-Protecting Pavilion members were indeed summoned by His Majesty. But His Majesty did not tell us where he was going," Shangguan Que replied.
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. Even the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion did not know the Ming Emperor's whereabouts. It seemed he would really have to go to the Western Buddha Realm to verify this.
After a brief pause, Zhang Ruochen continued asking, "Why did Father Emperor order the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion to forge the Sacred Altar? What is the true purpose of the Sacred Altar? What is the significance of preserving those sacred souls? And also, where is the Sacred Altar now?"
That Sacred Altar had been forged by exhausting the treasury of the Sacred Bright Empire, so it was no small matter.
Zhang Ruochen had only recently learned some things about the Sacred Altar from the Divine Sword Sacred Land. Unfortunately, Lu Huaiyu did not know the true secret of the Sacred Altar at all.
Shangguan Que stood up, turned, and walked to the edge of the cliff, looking at the surging mist below. He said slowly, "Actually, even I do not fully understand the secrets of the Sacred Altar. However, according to His Majesty's wishes, over the past few hundred years, we have preserved the sacred souls of most of the deceased saints of the Kunlun Realm within the Sacred Altar, preventing their sacred souls from dispersing. Perhaps, under special circumstances, they could all be resurrected."
"Originally, the Sacred Altar was placed in the Divine Sword Sacred Land. Before the Hell Realm broke through the Heaven and Earth Altar, we followed the orders of the two Golden Qilin Beast Emperors and moved the Sacred Altar to the Yin Burial Mountain Range."
Hearing this, Kong Lanyou and the others could not help but show expressions of shock. Although the Kunlun Realm had declined, it had still produced many saints. Over several hundred years, a large number of saints would have died. It was conceivable that the number of sacred souls preserved within that Sacred Altar was certainly not small.
If those saints could truly be resurrected, it would undoubtedly become a very powerful force.
In fact, Kong Lanyou had known about the existence of the Sacred Altar for a long time, and she also knew that the Sacred Altar could preserve sacred souls. But she did not know the purpose of preserving sacred souls. She had once asked Lu Yuanzhi, but unfortunately, she had not been able to get an answer.
Now that she thought about it, the ones who truly knew the secrets of the Sacred Altar were probably only the two Golden Qilin Beast Emperors. The Ming Emperor trusted them more than anyone else.
"Yin Burial Mountain Range? Why was the Sacred Altar sent to the Yin Burial Mountain Range? What is there?" Zhang Ruochen looked puzzled, extremely confused by this.
...
(The first Time-Space Controller was either the Zhang Clan ancestor, Immovable Bright King, or the Ten Calamities Wen Tianjun? Could the "Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture" be the key clue? Follow Ming Wang to view the analysis!)