Chapter 177: The Cold Answers Between
Recommended reading: There were no clouds in the night sky, only stars scattered like sesame seeds everywhere, seemingly without any pattern, smooth and uniform in every direction.
Chen Changsheng stood by the window, gazing at the starry sky that did appear closer than the ground, and recounted the conversation from earlier.
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. We cannot let your mother find out."
The clan chief of the noble families 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 mind, although Luoluo was a princess, under Madam 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—which 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 feet high. Below were black rocky cliffs and primeval forests, while the upper half was entirely covered in snow, gleaming dazzlingly under the morning sun. It rose abruptly by the lake, stretching northward without end, making one wonder if it might reach the edge of the world. It was immensely majestic, as if a divine miracle.
Chen Changsheng knew this endless snow mountain was the Falling Star Mountain Range often mentioned in ancient texts.
The Falling Star Mountain Range ran along the western coast, suddenly rising above the ground north of White Emperor City. A hundred miles to the left was the vast ocean. The peaks held snow accumulated over tens of thousands of years, and the range stretched tens of thousands of miles, 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 would lead to the westernmost human military prefecture, Congzhou.
Between Zhanling and Congzhou was a grassland, the former homeland of the Xiu Ling tribe, now belonging to Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong.
Chen Changsheng walked to the lakeside and looked toward the opposite mountain range.
He recalled that the Daoist Canon recorded the Red River also originated from a snow peak here. Thinking about the grassland's connection to him, he felt a subtle sensation.
Since the Yao tribe established their kingdom along the Red River, countless generations of White Emperors and Empresses had 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 a mausoleum in the mountains. Instead, when their lives ended, they would follow the same secret passage Chen Changsheng had taken, choose a random spot in the mountains, close their eyes, and let their souls return to the sea of stars.
Of course, aside from their final moments, past White Emperors often visited the Falling Star Mountain Range during leisure from state affairs—to pay respects to ancestors, enjoy the scenery, or seek opportunities for breakthroughs. Naturally, they built rest stops among the snow peaks, but those structures were protected by extremely powerful prohibitions, making them 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 later overthrown by the Black Robe and the Demon Commander. The White Emperor was also gravely injured and had been in secluded cultivation in the Falling Star Mountain Range for years. Few knew his exact location, aside from Madam Mu and the clan chief of the Xiang tribe.
With the map provided by the noble family chief, Chen Changsheng had no trouble finding his way. Using the Yashi Step, he walked on the snow and soon located the place.
Before two ancient, verdant pines lay a vast expanse of black cliffs.
The cliffs were covered in ice and snow that had never melted for tens of thousands of years, appearing bitterly cold and utterly lifeless, with no sign of anything unusual.
The map marked a broad area, and Chen Changsheng didn't know the exact entrance. He spread his divine sense outward but encountered a barrier.
That barrier, like a cushion of air, blocked his divine sense. Yet his heart grew calm, for he confirmed this was the place.
Beneath the black cliffs and freezing snow lay a hidden formation. After sensing it briefly, he realized its formidable power.
This formation seemed to share the same origin as the Tong Palace formation in the imperial palace of the capital—tight and perilous, with mysteries of life and death. But perhaps because it absorbed the aura of countless snow peaks and cold lakes, it was even colder, more ruthless, exuding a killing intent and a strong royal presence.
If triggered, its power might rival even the Red River prohibitions, though it was still far inferior to the Imperial Carriage Diagram of the capital.
Two days earlier, when Chen Changsheng broke the Red River prohibitions, the light power in the Divine Staff of the State Religion had been depleted too much to use again. So how could he break this formation?
Since formations existed in the world, there were naturally methods to counter them.
Chen Changsheng had read all the Daoist scriptures and studied formations after starting his cultivation, but he wasn't skilled in this art. After long observation, 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 girl back then, would they have gotten together sooner? If that day by the Tong River, after reading the letter, he had been patient enough to wait half a day, could she have come with him on the crane? 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. A chilling sword intent radiated from Chen Changsheng's body, instantly shattering countless falling snowflakes.
Grasping the Stainless Sword, Chen Changsheng warily stared at a protrusion at the base of the black cliff.
The falling snowflakes came from the ice above the black cliff, shaken loose—just as his feet clearly felt the vibration.
The protrusion at the base of the black cliff suddenly split open, and two people crawled out.
The dozens of swords trembled slightly, emitting a heart-stopping hum, but they didn't attack, because Chen Changsheng recognized these two.
They were Jin Yulü and Xiao De.
Jin Yulü had once been the gatekeeper of the National Teaching Academy, solving many troubles for Chen Changsheng. Though years had passed, their bond remained.
Xiao De, despite being an enemy of Chen Changsheng, had always been close to the human race. During the Tianshu Mausoleum incident years ago, he and Xiao Zhang had stormed the imperial palace together, helping the Second Master of the Tang family seize control of the Imperial Carriage Diagram. It was clear that he had been a collaborator of Shang Xingzhou back then.
The noble family chief's firm stance during the Heavenly 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 that moment, he himself didn't know which answer he wanted to hear, because neither seemed good.
Readers who enjoyed "Ze Tian Ji" also liked: ++ The sexy transparent dress private photos of voluptuous beauty Li Xueting, highly recommended. Follow the WeChat public account to watch beauties online (beauty search meinvjia123, press and hold for 3 seconds to copy).