Chapter 566: What Does Heaven’s Intent Mean?
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At the summit of the Cold Mountain, a blue lake stretched deep, its depths unknown. Despite the intense cold surrounding it, misty vapors still rose from the lake’s surface.
On the cliffs by the lakeshore and in the wild grassy fields, stones of various sizes could be seen everywhere. Of course, most of the stones were submerged in the lake water—some sinking to the bottom, others revealing only their tips. Several dragon cranes, which had flown north from the south for the summer, stood atop them, preening their feathers with contentment.
This lake was the Heavenly Pool, formed by hot springs from an unknown source. These stones were the Heavenly Stones, which had fallen from the sky in the earliest days of antiquity. Unlike the stone steles in the Scripture Mausoleum, which had been worshipped and venerated by countless generations, these stones lived more freely in this remote, cold mountain, gaining a wilder charm.
An old man sat on a stone by the lake, his eyes closed, as if basking in the sun and resting his mind.
Behind the stone, in the pavilions and towers, stood at least several hundred stewards and subordinates, yet not a single sound was made.
The Heaven’s Mechanism Pavilion had always been the most renowned yet most mysterious place on the continent.
The various rankings it issued were considered the most fair and objective, highly authoritative, and never questioned by anyone. It enjoyed immense prestige in the world and also operated numerous merchant guilds, its reach extending everywhere. Even ordinary commoners knew the name of the Heaven’s Mechanism Pavilion, yet few knew where it was actually located.
But to the high-ranking figures of the cultivation world, the location of the Heaven’s Mechanism Pavilion was never a secret.
The Heaven’s Mechanism Pavilion owned countless properties and estates across the continent, and even over twenty famous mountains as its cave dwellings.
Wherever the Heaven’s Mechanism Old Man resided, that place became the Heaven’s Mechanism Pavilion.
The old man by the lake was the Heaven’s Mechanism Old Man.
When he closed his eyes to rest, everyone in the Cold Mountain naturally had to remain silent.
Suddenly, the Heaven’s Mechanism Old Man opened his eyes.
His weathered eyes, filled with wisdom, were now brimming with shock. He was the foremost among the Eight Winds and Rains, his realm and strength profound and ineffable, and he was especially skilled in deduction and calculation. What in this world could escape his gaze? What could possibly astonish even him?
Without hesitation, the Heaven’s Mechanism Old Man raised his right hand and pointed at the mist over the Heavenly Pool’s surface.
A faint yet resilient aura traveled from his fingertip to the lake’s surface, instantly stirring the thick fog into constant churning.
Within the churning fog, many images vaguely appeared.
Those images reflected into his eyes, becoming fragments of countless thoughts.
“What exactly has happened?”
“Why would you leave Snow Old City to take a risk in the Cold Mountain?”
“And how could you have evaded my eyes? Black Robe… is it you?”
“With the North and South merging, the demon race would naturally try to sabotage it, but there’s no reason for you to come personally. Besides, what use would coming here serve?”
“A thousand years ago, you were gravely wounded by Zhou Du|Fu, and afterward, you hid in Snow Old City to recover. Even when Black Robe plotted to besiege Su Li, you only aided with Night Dome, not daring to set foot outside Snow Old City for even half a step. Wasn’t it because you feared being injured by Su Li’s outburst? So why do you dare to leave Snow Old City today?”
“There can only be two reasons for you to leave Snow Old City: one, your injury has healed; two, you’ve found a way to cure that old wound.”
“Is that method here in the Cold Mountain right now?”
“Who is it?”
“Is it him?”
“What treasure does he carry? Or do you simply want to kill him?”
“Why did Tianhai want me to go see him? Is there any connection between these two things?”
“What exactly is happening… that even I cannot see through?”
“Chen Changsheng, who are you?”
“If you want to kill Chen Changsheng, why not act on the way? Why insist on coming to the Cold Mountain? I understand—it’s because Mao Qiuyu and the King of Linghai have been accompanying him the whole way, and they might even be carrying the national religion’s heavy treasures with the Pope’s permission. You’re worried they might delay you… you’re worried this is a trap we’ve set.”
“After that incident, whether it’s you or us, everything looks like a trap.”
“So you chose to come to the Cold Mountain to kill Chen Changsheng, as long as you could deceive me.”
“However, you didn’t expect Liu Qing and Little De to see through it in advance, forcing you to buy this much time.”
“Now, it’s up to me to decide how to act.”
Countless thoughts surged in the Heaven’s Mechanism Old Man’s mind. Countless calculations ran simultaneously. Countless subtle auras coalesced into images in his sea of consciousness.
A flash of lightning lit up among the clouds. A wisp of morning mist dispersed before the light. In an extremely short span of time, he had pondered all these things.
At the same time, his fingers trembled slightly in the lake breeze, tearing countless channels through the mist on the water’s surface.
An indescribably powerful aura enveloped the entire Heavenly Pool.
Countless stones left the grass, left the cliffs, left the lake water, and flew into the sky.
The lake water gushed and splashed. Grass clippings and soil fell in a rustling shower. The lake’s surface churned restlessly.
From the peak of the Cold Mountain to the distant sky, stones floated everywhere.
Each stone was a black dot. Between every two black dots was an invisible line. Countless invisible lines wove together into a net.
This net of stones covered an area five hundred li around the Cold Mountain.
The middle-aged scholar was inside it.
Yet the worry in the Heaven’s Mechanism Old Man’s eyes did not diminish; instead, it deepened.
Even now, he still couldn’t calculate what it was about Chen Changsheng that could lure this person away from Snow Old City to take such a risk here.
…
…
Snow drifted slowly down the mountain path. Dark clouds covered the peaks, making it feel like night. From the far distance came faint tearing sounds.
Chen Changsheng did not know that countless Heavenly Stones were floating in the sky, turning the entire Cold Mountain into a cage.
His mind was entirely focused on the middle-aged scholar by the stream.
The next moment, his gaze met the scholar’s.
It was like a thunderclap exploding in his mind. His face grew even paler, drained of all color.
Snow could mask all colors; only blood could bring color back.
He had already guessed who the middle-aged scholar was. Now, he understood the message in the other’s gaze and knew the other’s purpose.
The outcome awaiting him was not death, but something far more terrifying than death.
From that night in the old temple many years ago, it was the ending he had feared most.
…
…
Dark clouds gathered over the peaks. Night fell.
Mao Qiuyu and the King of Linghai sensed it at the same time. They looked up toward the depths of the mountain range, their expressions suddenly turning extremely grave.
“If things get too big, that won’t do.”
Mao Qiuyu withdrew his gaze, staring at the King of Linghai with piercing eyes. His sleeves moved without wind, as if his hands were gripping something within them.
The King of Linghai’s face was unusually grim. He growled, “It has nothing to do with me!”
The anomaly in the Cold Mountain indeed had nothing to do with the King of Linghai. As Chen Changsheng and the others had deduced, Little De’s sudden attack on the mountain path was indeed orchestrated by him and certain hidden figures behind him. But how could he have summoned this night?
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(Next chapter at 8 PM.)