Chapter 177: The Cold Space Between Answers
There were no clouds in the night sky, only stars scattered like sesame seeds everywhere, appearing utterly random, smooth and uniform in every direction.
Chen Changsheng stood by the window, gazing at the starry sky that did seem closer than the ground, and recounted the earlier conversation.
Luoluo stood beside him, her left hand habitually clutching his sleeve. She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said, "Then just go see him."
Chen Changsheng glanced at her and said, "This matter must be kept secret. Your mother cannot find out."
The clan chief of the scholar clan had already marked the approximate location where the White Emperor was in secluded cultivation on a map and handed it to him.
To get there, he had to pass through a secret passage within the imperial palace.
In his view, although Luoluo was a princess, under Lady Mu's deliberate suppression, she likely had little control over this imperial city.
Luoluo blinked her eyes, said seriously, "Master, rest assured. I am your student; I still have the ability to handle such matters."
Chen Changsheng felt there was a hint of Su Li or Tang Thirty-Six in her words and couldn't help but laugh.
...
...
Emerging from the damp, dark stone passage that was not cold but rather stuffy and hot, a snow-capped mountain crashed into Chen Changsheng's view along with the morning light.
The mountain was thousands of zhang high, with black rocky cliffs and primeval forests at its base, while its upper half was entirely covered in snow, gleaming harshly under the morning sun. It rose abruptly by the lake, stretching northward without end, so vast that one might wonder if it reached the edge of the world.
It appeared immensely majestic, as if a divine miracle.
Chen Changsheng knew this endless snow mountain range was the Falling Star Mountain Range often mentioned in the Daoist scriptures.
The Falling Star Mountain Range ran along the western coast, suddenly rising to the north of White Emperor City. A hundred li to the left lay the vast ocean. The peaks held snow accumulated over tens of thousands of years, and the range stretched for tens of thousands of li, reaching the far north. In the middle section, there was a relatively flat plain called Zhanling.
From there, traveling southeast for over ten days and nights led to Congzhou Military Prefecture, the westernmost human territory.
Between Zhanling and Congzhou Military Prefecture lay a grassland, the ancestral land of the Xiu Ling tribe, now belonging to Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong.
Chen Changsheng walked to the lakeside and looked toward the mountain range opposite.
He recalled that the Daoist scriptures recorded the Red River also originating from a snow peak here, and thinking of the grassland's connection to him, he felt a subtle sensation.
Since the demon race established their kingdom along the Red River, for countless millennia, successive White Emperors and Empresses had always been buried in this Falling Star Mountain Range.
According to ancestral spirit customs, to prevent evildoers from coveting the remains and true blood of great demons, no White Emperor had built tombs in the mountains. Instead, when their lifespan ended, they would follow the secret passage Chen Changsheng had taken into the mountains, choose a spot at random, close their eyes, and let their souls return to the sea of stars.
Of course, aside from their final moments, successive White Emperors often came to the Falling Star Mountain Range during leisure from state affairs—to pay respects to ancestors, enjoy the scenery, or seek opportunities for breakthrough. Naturally, they built structures for rest among these snow peaks, but those buildings were protected by extremely powerful prohibitions, nearly impossible for anyone other than the White Emperor himself to enter.
The current White Emperor had fought a earth-shattering battle with the Demon Lord on the snowy plains north of Cold Mountain. The Demon Lord was severely wounded and subsequently overthrown by Black Robe and the Demon Marshal. The White Emperor was also gravely injured and had been in secluded cultivation in the Falling Star Mountain Range for years. Apart from Lady Mu and the clan chief of the Xiang clan, few knew exactly where he was.
With the map provided by the scholar clan chief, Chen Changsheng naturally wouldn't lose his way. Using the Yashi Step, he walked on the snow and soon found the place.
Before two ancient, verdant pines lay a large expanse of black cliffs.
The cliffs were covered in ice and snow that had accumulated for ten thousand years, appearing utterly frigid and lifeless, with no visible abnormality.
The area marked on the map was vast. Chen Changsheng didn't know the entrance's location, so he extended his spiritual sense outward, only to find a barrier ahead.
That barrier, like a cushion of air, blocked his spiritual sense, but his mood calmed instead, because he confirmed this was the place.
Beneath the black cliffs and cold ice and snow lay a formation. After sensing it briefly, he realized its formidable nature.
This formation seemed to share the same origin as the Tong Palace formation in the Kyoto imperial palace—tight and perilous, with mysteries between life and death. However, perhaps because it absorbed too much energy from the snowy peaks and cold lakes, it was colder, more ruthless, and exuded a killing intent, along with an extremely strong royal aura.
If this formation were triggered, its power might not be inferior to the Red River prohibition. Of course, compared to the Kyoto Imperial Carriage Diagram, it was still far inferior.
The day before, when Chen Changsheng broke the Red River prohibition, the light power in the National Church's Divine Staff had been depleted too much and couldn't be used again. What method should he use to break this formation?
Since formations existed in the world, there were naturally corresponding techniques to break them.
Chen Changsheng had read through the Daoist scriptures and studied formations after starting his cultivation, but he wasn't skilled in this area. After looking for a long time, he could only think of one possibility.
Staring at the icy black cliffs before him, that subtle feeling arose in his heart again.
If he hadn't mistaken her for a Xiu Ling tribe girl back then, would they have come together earlier? If that day by the Tong River, after reading the letter, he had been patient enough to wait half a day longer, could she have ridden the crane with him? If she were here now, would she spot the formation's flaws with just a glance?
With a sharp clang, dozens of swords appeared in the sky. An immensely chilling sword intent radiated from Chen Changsheng's body in all directions, instantly shattering countless falling snowflakes.
Chen Changsheng gripped the Stainless Sword and warily looked at a protrusion at the bottom of the black cliff.
The falling snowflakes came from the ice and snow atop the black cliff, shaken loose by the vibration he felt clearly through his feet.
That protrusion at the bottom of the black cliff suddenly split open, and two people crawled out from inside.
The dozens of swords vibrated slightly, emitting a heart-stopping hum, but they didn't attack, because Chen Changsheng recognized these two people.
They were Jin Yulü and Xiao De.
Jin Yulü had once served as the gatekeeper of the National Teaching Academy, solving many troubles for Chen Changsheng. Though years had passed, their bond remained.
Although Xiao De was hostile to Chen Changsheng, he had always been close to the human race. Back during the Heavenly Book Mound incident, he and Xiao Zhang had stormed the imperial palace together, helping Second Master Tang gain control of the Imperial Carriage Diagram. It was clear that at that time, he was already cooperating with Shang Xingzhou.
The scholar clan chief's firm stance during the Heaven Selection Ceremony and the following two days also proved this from another angle.
Chen Changsheng naturally wouldn't attack them, but he hadn't expected them to emerge from the black cliff.
If the White Emperor was truly in secluded cultivation deep within the cliff, had they seen him?
At this moment, he himself didn't know which answer he wanted to hear, because neither seemed good. (To be continued.)