Chapter 67: The Lake Many Years Later
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Zhetian Ji — Neighbors:
Whether in terms of realm, strength, identity, or status, the battle between the Demon Lord and the White Emperor was fully qualified to stand alongside those three battles from a thousand years ago.
Somewhat regrettably, this battle had no audience.
Back then, the battle between Zhou Dufu and Chen Xuanba in the Zhou Garden also had no audience, but afterward, Zhou Dufu had recounted the details of that battle many times, and on extremely rare occasions, he did not hide his admiration, even explicitly stating that he wanted to proclaim Chen Xuanba's greatness.
As for this battle, neither the Demon Lord nor the White Emperor ever spoke of it afterward, so no one knew its details.
No one even knew the outcome of this battle.
All the world knew was that after that day, a massive pit suddenly appeared on the snowy plain north of Cold Mountain. This pit in the snowfield was about thirty zhang deep and over ten li in circumference. Standing at the bottom and looking around, you would still feel as if you were standing on an open plain.
— This was the most indelible trace left by this battle, and the most intuitive description of its intensity.
The area affected by this battle was even larger. Seventy li north of the snowy plain, there was a cold-resistant forest. Afterward, Demon race hunters familiar with the area could no longer find any trace of that forest, and a wolf cavalry camp of the Demon race hidden within it had also mysteriously vanished.
The world seventy li away had been destroyed, let alone the snowy plain at the center of the battlefield.
At the bottom of the giant pit, there was no trace of life, only rocks that had once been extremely hard but were now ground to powder. No corpses could be seen either. Any snow foxes, demon beasts, or even smaller creatures that might have lived there had disappeared without a trace. Only deep within some gravel could traces of blood be found.
Even more terrifying was the residual heat from the battle at the bottom of the pit, scorching hot beyond imagination, emitting wisps of green smoke, as if a star had once fallen here.
Such a scorching pit bottom naturally could not accumulate snow. The snow melted into water, gradually forming streams, then creeks, then a lake. As the wind and snow continued, the water level kept rising, and it remained so for many years. Thus, on the snowy plain north of Cold Mountain, a never-freezing blue lake appeared.
Just like the Heavenly Lake at the peak of Cold Mountain.
Of course, all of this happened many years later. As for that time, no one knew that a pit had suddenly appeared on the snowy plain north of Cold Mountain, which would become a lake a few years later. Even fewer knew that it was because a battle had taken place there, and naturally, no one knew the outcome of that battle.
This battle had only three spectators.
After the battle ended, two of them emerged from the wind and snow.
Walking in front was a middle-aged Taoist, who looked very ordinary. Walking behind was a young man, who was far from ordinary—he was lame, with a crutch under his arm, and black hair hanging over his eyes, covering half his face. They were none other than the Daoist Ji, who had disappeared from Xining Town and whom no one had found, and... Yu Ren.
The White Emperor slowly nodded at the Daoist Ji.
The Daoist Ji leaned forward slightly in return.
The White Emperor glanced at Yu Ren, then turned and vanished into the wind and snow.
The Daoist Ji looked northward, gazed quietly for a while, then led Yu Ren away in another direction, disappearing into the wind and snow.
From beginning to end, no one spoke.
Several hundred li to the north, on the snowy plain, the Black Robe put away the somewhat tattered iron plate and looked southward.
The snowy wind howled, lifting the corner of his hood, revealing the lower half of his face.
His face was expressionless, paired with a faintly bluish skin, making him look especially eerie and terrifying. Yet even though only a small part of his face was visible—just his jaw and mouth—it was still strikingly beautiful. For an eerie face to evoke a sense of beauty, how beautiful must the face itself be?
Shortly after the Daoist Ji and Yu Ren disappeared into the wind and snow, he pulled his hood down and turned northward into the storm.
Before he could get close to Snow Old City, he was stopped on the snowy plain by a massive shadow.
It was an extremely tall Upside-Down Mountain Tusker.
This creature, known for its violent temper and terrifying strength, was now unusually docile because it was merely a mount.
A cold, violent voice rang out from among the tusker's coiled horns.
"It seems I am still a bit late, Commander."
The Demon Commander sat among the coiled horns, propping up his chin, staring coldly down at the Black Robe.
His armor was covered in golden threads and green rust, glaringly conspicuous.
His voice was especially harsh and rough, like metal scraping, grating on the ears.
The Black Robe ignored this second-strongest figure of the Demon race, lowered his head, and silently prepared to walk past.
The Demon Commander's voice grew angry, shrill as he shouted, "You, as the military strategist, failed to dissuade His Majesty—what crime do you deserve!"
The Black Robe's voice was indifferent and flat: "His Majesty has returned safely. Why should we trouble ourselves?"
The Demon Commander grew even angrier, bellowing, "His Majesty is severely wounded, and you dare call me a worrier borrowing trouble?"
Hearing this, the Black Robe finally stopped. He looked up at the mountain-like tusker above and said coldly, "You dare probe His Majesty's injuries from me? If His Majesty finds out, you will die a miserable death."
The Demon Commander snorted coldly and said, "Do you think His Majesty will still trust you as before?"
The Black Robe replied calmly, "His Majesty has trusted me for centuries and will trust me for even longer."
The Demon Commander shrieked, "If His Majesty is truly gravely wounded, who do you think can save your life? Don't forget how many ministers you've executed in Snow Old City over the years, how many elders you've offended! And even if you've rendered great service to our divine race, you are still a human!"
The Black Robe ignored him and continued walking into the wind and snow.
No one knew of this conversation in the storm, and even if they did, it would seem ordinary.
To the soldiers of the Demon race, the discord between the strategist and the commander was a common sight.
Yet, if one examined it closely, they might find that this exchange hid many meanings—far from ordinary.
...
...
The Demon Lord had reappeared in the mortal world after a thousand years, and the continent's situation was turbulent and tense. Cold Mountain, as the origin of all events, was especially so.
The Heavenly Stone Formation had been forcibly broken by the Demon Lord, and thousands of heavenly stones had returned to their places. The gaps in the meadows, cliffs, and lake waters were filled again. The wounded were carried to the peak for treatment, the dead were sent back to their hometowns, and the collapsed mountain paths and cliffs began to be repaired. Yet the changed atmosphere could not return to its former tranquility. The stewards of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and the cultivators attending the Stone-Boiling Assembly all looked tense.
Until now, not many people knew exactly what had happened in the past few days, or why the world's top experts had rushed to Cold Mountain. The truth remained shrouded in mystery, but people could sense that something major had occurred—due to the tight security and the oppressive atmosphere emanating from the small lakeside pavilions.
Linghai Zhiwang and Mao Qiuyu, who had initially been barred from Cold Mountain by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, now stood at the peak outside a small pavilion, their expressions extremely grim.
By the lake stood over a dozen small pavilions, arranged for the cultivators attending the Stone-Boiling Assembly. This particular pavilion had the best location—facing the lake and backed by the mountain, exceptionally quiet, with the finest view. But clearly, this did nothing to improve the moods of Mao Qiuyu and Linghai Zhiwang.
Because Chen Changsheng was lying unconscious inside the pavilion.
...
...
(Another chapter at 8 PM)