Chapter 467 You’ve Arrived (3k)
The group’s pace barely slowed. Since everyone except Bai Zhi was a Battle King, a journey in the night became the norm. After one twilight, another silent night passed, with the light snow and darkness completely melting away.
The road to Night Peak was not smooth or quiet. Many monsters would come forward to test the four people’s strength, but they were clearly overestimating themselves. After only a few seconds of delay, their heads were crushed by a single staff beam from Old Herber, who was walking ahead with a lantern.
“Mr. Herb, about how much longer will it take to get there?”
Su Jiu was used to this. She held her palm forward, and dark red flame light ignited from her palm, forming an energy shield that could accommodate four people to block the wind and snow and surprise attacks from monsters.
“There’s no signal here at all, and the phone won’t work either.”
The Little Flower Fairy hung on Su Jiu like a koala, saving her energy, as she was only an Intermediate Stage Warrior. If she insisted on walking herself, it would not only affect their travel schedule but also cause her to expend a lot of energy.
Listening to the two, Old Herber stuck his cane into the snow, exhaled a puff of white mist, and squinted at the endless snow forest ahead. He looked back and said with a smile, “It’s just up ahead. You should be able to feel the external qi in your bodies being suppressed for no reason. That’s because you’re approaching a formation. All external qi within the formation will be drawn out.”
“We’re here?”
Hearing Old Herber’s words, Su Jiu was slightly stunned and looked up in the direction he was looking.
Moving slowly through the wind, snow, and darkness, she had already lost her sense of time. She hadn’t expected Night Peak to be right in front of her, which made a smile appear on Su Jiu’s lips.
This time, they would definitely win.
Her eyes flashed with crimson light. Ahead, she saw a mountain peak piercing straight into the sky, its summit splitting the clouds. It looked extremely steep, almost rising in a straight line. If it weren’t for flying with qi, ordinary Battle Generals would find it difficult to ascend.
If Mount Moss was the trident thrown by the Sea God from the sky, then Night Peak was like an ancient immortal suppressing the frost and snow with the power of a long sword, defending the land and its people from foreign tribes.
“Let’s go.”
Su Jiu took a deep breath, carried Bai Zhi on her back, and walked towards the mountain peak again. After a few steps, the flames on her hands inexplicably dissipated. A strong sense of rejection appeared in her body, followed by a chill that surged into the faces of the four people like a tide.
Raising one hand slightly, Herber called out in front, “Stop. We are at the edge of the formation. Everyone, expel your external qi, or it will turn into a tangible weight and press down on your bodies.”
Everyone just nodded and didn’t react much. After all, they knew there was a formation ahead. They adjusted the external qi that had escaped from their bodies so that it wouldn’t affect their meridians and blood. In a short while, the external qi in their bodies was expelled.
Su Jiu also released E Huo to help them expel qi. E Huo was equivalent to their last line of defense. If they fell into a disadvantageous state, she would directly transform into her original form and act as a cushion.
Herber and the others looked at E Huo in surprise but didn’t ask further questions, as they had the strength of a High-Rank Battle King, and obtaining a humanoid monster was not difficult.
“Flirt…”
Su Jiu finished adjusting and was about to continue walking when, the next moment, a warmth covered her palm. She slightly lowered her head and saw a small hand, tucked inside her sleeve, resting on her hand.
Su Jiu pursed her lips and felt the warmth transmitted from the back of her hand. Then, she covered it with her other hand, concealing the small, fluffy white hand, and softly asked, “Are you cold?”
Bai Zhi’s special clothing had most likely turned into a coat that could only provide warmth. The alchemical constant temperature function should have been suppressed by the formation.
“No…”
Bai Zhi shook her small head, nestled on Su Jiu’s not-so-tall shoulder, and softly said, “Let me down. Without the enhancement of external qi, it’s troublesome for you to carry me, right?”
“You’ll have to climb later, carrying me is tiring.”
Without giving Su Jiu a chance to explain, Bai Zhi gently pushed Su Jiu open and landed on the snow. She then held Su Jiu’s hand and walked forward.
“We’re different. I’ve retained my physical fitness, but you’ve actually regressed to Warrior Class due to your cultivation method.”
Looking at the Little Flower Fairy beside her, Su Jiu sighed helplessly. Just as she was about to continue moving forward, her hand was suddenly grabbed and then pulled into a very warm environment. She looked ahead in confusion.
Bai Zhi tucked Su Jiu’s hand into her pocket and rubbed it a little. Seeing that Su Jiu was standing still, she turned her head, blinked her eyes, and softly called out, “What are you standing there for? Hurry up!”
“Okay.”
Feeling the body temperature transmitted from her pocket, Su Jiu felt a strange feeling in her heart. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and a gentle expression appeared on her face. She followed along.
“Mom and Auntie Little White… are so much like anime protagonists.”
E Huo blinked her eyes as she watched them, and then took a bite of the potato chips she took from the Spiritual Space. She also began to walk with her small legs, wearing ancient-style embroidered shoes, burying them in the snow. Because the clothes were actually scales, she didn’t feel cold at all.
Ahead, Su Jiu secretly glanced at the profile of the “little snowman,” her steps seeming to slow down a bit.
She had never been in love in her past life, always single. At this moment, she felt a warm illusion, as if she had returned to high school and was spending time with the person she liked on a snowy night.
Love could be love at first sight, or it could be mutual care. Life couldn’t always be passionate love; mutual thoughtfulness was the basic means of maintaining affection.
Soon, the group arrived at the foot of the mountain peak. In front of them was a black stone tablet. The frost and snow that fell on the stone tablet could not approach it. A warmth emanated from the stone tablet, making Su Jiu feel as if she had found a warm haven on a winter night.
Her gaze shifted downwards. On the stone tablet, a passage was written in very old Bear Language. Su Jiu couldn’t understand the text, but she felt that the handwriting was elegant and unrestrained.
“Dispel the biting cold of the night.”
Old Herber paused slightly in front of the stone tablet and said softly in English that everyone could understand. He then took off his hat, bent his knees slightly, performed a ritual bow, and then explained to everyone,
“This tablet was erected by the King, commissioning the National Master to use special materials. It was created to protect challengers who stayed here from the cold. The words on it are said to have been personally written by him at that time.”
“The calligraphy is nice, and the meaning…”
Su Jiu nodded, felt a coolness in her hand, as if she had been separated from a warm place. She turned to look at Bai Zhi, preparing her.
However, she found that the other party had already started doing stretching exercises that ordinary people would do, exhaling in small breaths. Her face was slightly flushed, like the children encountered during the New Year, quite natural and cute.
Su Jiu could feel the Little Flower Fairy’s determination, and beneath that determination was the pressure of facing her First Life. What kind of glory did Bai Zhi in her First Life possess in her spiritual world?
Time passed bit by bit, and the night receded, revealing the light of dawn. The wind and snow, like a parent opening the door, completely dispersed with the arrival of dawn.
Su Jiu looked at the distant dawn, then withdrew her gaze. As she did so, it was not unintentional that her eyes met Bai Zhi’s. She was startled for a moment, then softly asked,
“Are you ready?”
Bai Zhi nodded, her expression filled with a hint of determination. She looked up at Night Peak, which was even taller than Mount Moss, and clenched her fists. Her gloves creased slightly.
There was no more opportunity.
This was the last chance. Her cultivation level had already dropped to Intermediate Stage Warrior, and if it dropped any further, attempting this extreme challenge would not be a challenge, but suicide.
With all preparations made, the two of them went to the cliff together. They were about one and a half meters apart, so as not to affect each other and to watch over and help each other. They had no safety ropes, nor even excessive protective measures.
“I’ll remind you, I will only use my skills if you are truly unable to proceed or if you are more than halfway there. Because I can sense the wind and snow warning me that someone is searching for our location.”
Just as the two were about to climb, Aisha’s voice suddenly rang out, with a somewhat serious tone.
“You need to have a clear idea in your minds. Night Peak is not as high as you might think, only a little over five thousand meters. Its difficulty lies in the wind and snow, the steep environment, and the requirement that you cannot rest; you must climb it in one go.”
Old Herber, sitting in the open space next to the black stone tablet, also smiled. He leaned against the stone tablet with his eyes half-closed, holding his pipe, enjoying his moment of leisure.
“Okay.”
Facing the two’s reminder, Su Jiu nodded, took a deep breath, and her gaze swept over the climbing marks left by others. Finally, it landed on a groove that seemed to have been chiseled by a weapon. She slowly stepped into the groove and began to climb first, setting an example for the Little Flower Fairy.
“Wait for me.”
Watching Su Jiu’s movements, Bai Zhi followed closely, finding a similar groove and climbing up. With the experience of the first attempt, her movements were not slow this time. If it weren’t for maintaining her breathing rhythm, she could have even surpassed Su Jiu.
Time passed bit by bit, and the morning light became brighter and brighter.
When the two had climbed about a thousand meters, Su Jiu leaned against a cliff and reminded Bai Zhi not far away, “Last time, you experienced mental problems around the quarter mark. You’ll climb ahead of me from now on. If you have hallucinations, tell me immediately.”
“Don’t you think my limit has been extended? I feel like I need to go a bit further before reaching the mental hallucinations.”
Exhaling a puff of white mist, Bai Zhi felt her body becoming heavier. Although she still had strength, her breathing had become heavy, and wisps of mist emerged from her nostrils. She gritted her teeth, and her palm made a “snap!” sound as it landed on a snow-covered protrusion. Like a snow rabbit, she leaped several times and reached Su Jiu.
The two continued to climb. Su Jiu kept paying attention to Bai Zhi’s movements. Time ticked by, and the two had already climbed half of the way. No abnormalities had appeared yet, but Su Jiu noticed that the wind and snow seemed to have converged again.
The scene in front of them soon turned into a vast expanse of white. With her mental power also suppressed, Su Jiu could only faintly see Bai Zhi’s figure ahead through her Blood Eye and quickly shouted in a low voice,
“Don’t climb so fast, wait for me!”
However, Bai Zhi seemed not to have heard her and continued to climb forward. Su Jiu frowned and couldn’t bother with anything else. With a few leaps, she caught up to her. After all, her physique had not declined like hers, so catching up was simple.
Discovering that the other party was climbing on her own without paying attention to her, Su Jiu was suddenly shocked. She quickly turned her body to look at her face.
“How could you… Ugh, my head…”
She saw Bai Zhi’s eyes were hollow. Su Jiu quickly reached out a hand to touch Bai Zhi’s shoulder. Suddenly, the next moment, her eyes were covered by a dazzling white light. She felt a searing pain in her head, a pain that penetrated to the bone, as if it would split open the next moment…
“Where is this?”
Su Jiu opened her blurry eyes with some difficulty. What met her eyes was a vast expanse of white. As her eyes slowly widened, she finally saw clearly that the expanse of white was actually countless blooming white flowers.
This was a sea of flowers!
“You’ve arrived.”
Just as she was pondering the situation, a voice devoid of emotion suddenly rang out, clear and sharp.
