Chapter 464 Unexpected Events (3.5k)
Under the guidance of Old Herber, Su Jiu and the other two rushed for half a day without stopping. Finally, at sunset, they appeared at the foot of the towering mountain. Old Herber suddenly stopped and turned to smile at everyone.
“We have arrived at the first mountain peak I mentioned. This is a necessary path for us, not a deliberate detour. If anyone is interested, you can try it.”
“Mount Moss? Hmm… at this height, if I don’t rely on external qi, I might find it difficult to ascend.”
Hearing this, Su Jiu looked up through the sparse frost-covered leaves of the coniferous forest, but could only see gusts of wind and snow blowing past, stirring up a faint frost-white, significantly reducing visibility.
Unlike Su Jiu, Bai Zhi was stunned when she saw the soaring peak, which looked like a spear piercing the ground. This was the simple version; if it were the difficult version – Night Peak…
What would that look like?
Seeing the surprised expressions on their faces, Old Herber didn’t seem surprised at all. He laughed heartily, “Although there are monsters on this mountain, they can use external qi to protect themselves after falling. This is much safer than Night Peak.”
Upon hearing Old Herber’s words, Su Jiu quickly retracted her gaze and asked with some surprise, “Is there a story behind Night Peak?”
Before, she thought Night Peak was just taller and more dangerous; now, it seemed there was more to it.
Hearing this, Old Herber found a stone to sit on and said with a loud laugh, “Mount Moss became this short due to battles between peak human powerhouses and the Others. In the past, Night Peak was the most suitable mountain. Because people climbed it and used alchemical items or external qi to cheat their way to rewards, the former king specially ordered the top War God Alchemists to set up a grand formation. Inside that formation, no one could use any alchemical items or even a speck of external qi.”
Hearing Old Herber’s voice, the little flower demon shivered slightly. She thought of the previous challenge and looked at the peak, which seemed impossible to reach. She quickly tugged at Su Jiu’s sleeve, forcing a dry smile, her throat feeling a little parched.
“Do we really have to climb this thing? I suddenly feel like that challenge wasn’t entirely bluffing… we might actually die.”
Pulling her sleeve back, Su Jiu reached out and scratched Bai Zhi’s white hood, offering a little comfort. “It will really be alright. As the saying goes: water boils at one hundred degrees, and people die at one hundred degrees.”
Then, she turned to look at Aisha, who had been silently contemplating behind them. She took two steps back, patted Aisha’s shoulder, and continued to encourage the little flower demon. “Besides, we have this Snow Demon here. Under normal circumstances, she can use frost and snow to support you, and if anything goes wrong, she can ensure your safety.”
Hearing Su Jiu’s words, Aisha glanced at her and nodded. She slowly extended her palm, on which a drifting snowflake seemed to be formed. She said softly, “This is perhaps the only way to cheat. I’ve also heard the legend of the Sunslayer, but it differs from what the old gentleman said.”
“You know this legend too?”
Su Jiu was slightly taken aback and turned to look at her. So the Snow Demon had heard this legend as well?
With this explanation, it made sense why the Snow Demon Princess dared to directly help Bai Ming with external force. It was likely due to precedent.
“Are you Snow Demons?”
Hearing this, Herber also looked over with some curiosity. He had already noticed that Su Jiu and Aisha, with their hair tied up, had ears that were not human. However, being knowledgeable, he didn’t show any surprise.
“Yes.”
Aisha glanced at Su Jiu and nodded, without revealing the other’s identity. She continued, “Somewhat, and it’s very different from what’s circulated among humans.”
“The legend doesn’t speak of climbing the mountain but says it’s a way to shed the mortal shell through a near-death experience. The text doesn’t describe climbing but says that Snow Demons can help mortals conceal the eyes of the gods and pass through this trial of life and death.”
“As far as I know, there have been at least a dozen successful individuals, not zero as the king knew. This is very strange… that king seems to be deliberately concealing something.”
She paused, her brows furrowed, and said,
“I didn’t realize your origins at first. It wasn’t until I heard this old gentleman’s story that I felt a sense of déjà vu.”
“If those young people could succeed, I definitely can too.”
Hearing Aisha’s words, Bai Zhi felt a bit more settled. She turned around and her gaze followed the drifting white snow, then moved up to the peak, as if trying to pierce the sky and see through Mount Moss entirely.
At least some people had succeeded. If no one had, then perhaps it would truly be a suicide mission, but since someone had succeeded, she wasn’t incapable of succeeding.
After all, she wasn’t always a sickly young lady. In her first life, she was a swordswoman who survived on the front lines resisting the Others. It was only after being betrayed by humans that she became disheartened and became the reclusive young lady of the Flower Demon.
“Let’s climb this one.”
Taking a deep breath, Bai Zhi brushed her ring and took out her complete climbing gear. She carefully made all sorts of preparations. Su Jiu had done so much for her, she couldn’t just be a burden and back out at the last moment.
Seeing that Bai Zhi had made up her mind, Su Jiu placed some newly developed Dream Flowers every ten meters within five hundred meters of the mountain. With Aisha’s reminder, this could serve as an obstacle if the Grand Prince’s people showed up.
After completing all this, Su Jiu returned to the foot of the mountain and nodded to Bai Zhi and the others, indicating that they could begin climbing the high mountain now.
As Bai Zhi prepared to climb, Aisha looked at the fully equipped “little snowman” and thought for a moment before reminding her, “I will only use my innate skill when you are halfway up. There are two reasons for this. First, this challenge might be intended to stimulate your body’s potential. Second, using my innate skill easily attracts the attention of the Grand Prince.”
“Okay.”
Without turning back, Bai Zhi nodded gently, her gaze settling on a rock covered in snow. Her eyes sharpened, and then she reached out to climb, finding no coldness in the touch. Moreover, the specially designed gloves allowed her to grip the rock firmly.
One step, two steps…
The figure in the little snowman outfit had already climbed over a hundred meters. Su Jiu watched her slow climbing speed, her heart becoming increasingly anxious. She had read novels and understood what Bai Zhi was experiencing.
In such a freezing environment, climbing a mountain with a nearly 90° angle without the aid of external qi, every step forward was a great test of mental power.
“If you’re worried about her, you can go up and see.”
At this moment, Old Herber, who was sitting on a large rock, smiled and spoke, taking a puff of his pipe and slightly tilting his hat brim. He also looked at the figure in mid-air.
“Won’t that affect the outcome?” Su Jiu asked, slightly surprised.
“Probably not. After all, you’re just accompanying her, not directly helping her. Sometimes, spiritual companionship can be more useful than direct help,” Old Herber replied, shaking his head with a light laugh.
“Boom!”
Old Herber’s words piqued Su Jiu’s interest. Just as she was about to turn into a stream of light and rush to Bai Zhi’s side, a loud explosion suddenly sounded from afar. The pre-placed Dream Flowers had been activated.
In the confusion, two figures seemed to be fleeing from the snow forest, and at this moment, several figures flashed down from the other side of the snow forest, intercepting the two.
“Heh heh, trying to run? My elder brother died inexplicably. Yesterday, their remains, eaten by monsters, were discovered deep in the snowfield. You deliberately set them up to be killed by monsters, didn’t you?”
A thin, middle-aged man with a somewhat gloomy face walked out slowly in the air, clad all in black. He exuded the aura of an Initial Stage Battle King. He spoke to the man and woman who had been intercepted with a somber expression.
“This bomb is the best proof.”
The two people surrounded in the middle, a man and a woman. The man was powerfully built, with a Caucasian face. His usually steady expression was now tinged with bitterness. The woman beside him, who looked like his daughter, was rather petite and looked fearfully at the people in front of them. Her still beautiful face was slightly pale.
“You go quickly, I’ll stop him.” The robust Caucasian man stared intently at the gloomy man opposite him and shouted sternly, “Your second brother’s death has nothing to do with us. We just made a deal with that young lady. Your elder brother went to find her and was killed in retaliation! This bomb is even more absurd. How could we have planted it?”
“Killed in retaliation? Heh heh, I don’t care if you’re telling the truth or not. Hand over your daughter and spend a night with me, and perhaps I’ll believe you locals.” The thin middle-aged man sneered.
“You colluded with the Ancient God Sect and killed the two Battle King powerhouses in town. What do you want?!”
The White Bearded Man glanced at the Cloaked Figure beside the thin middle-aged man and shouted angrily. However, he turned and struck his own daughter with a palm, pushing her back dozens of meters into the snowfield with a surge of force. “Run quickly! Hide inside the Akans Mountain Range!”
“What do we want? Guess for yourselves. Chase after them.”
The gloomy middle-aged man sneered coldly as he looked at the White Bearded Man’s actions, then waved his hand and stepped through the Void alone, holding a cold blade towards the White Bearded Man.
Hearing the order, several figures with grinning faces immediately gripped their weapons and charged towards the petite figure. In their eyes, she was just easy prey.
Not far away, Su Jiu watched this sudden turn of events. At such a crucial moment for Bai Zhi’s breakthrough, she wouldn’t normally interfere with these people. However, the robust Caucasian hunter was the same one she had transacted with, and the Ancient God Sect was involved, so her intervention was not out of the ordinary.
“Cough, cough!”
As Su Jiu flashed forward, the White Bearded Man was heavily struck from the sky and collapsed onto the snow. He spat out a mouthful of blood and looked at the black-clothed figures rushing towards his daughter with a hint of despair. He gave a bitter laugh, regretting his greed for a cheap transaction…
“Dad!”
Seeing her father struck down, the Caucasian girl ignored the pursuers and turned to cry out to him.
“No matter how much you cry, it’s useless. All the powerhouses in town have been killed by the Sir. No one can save you.”
Hearing her cry, the gloomy middle-aged man became even more smug, even letting out unrestrained laughter. His arrogant demeanor was very much like a petty person who had achieved a minor success.
“Don’t waste time, kill them all. We have to hand over the bodies to those chimps later.”
It was only when the Cloaked Figure beside him frowned and reminded him in a low voice that he stopped. Then, he nodded and lunged towards the White Maiden’s neck.
“No rush to kill, we can play with them for a while. Haven’t they arrived yet?”
He glanced at the White Bearded Man, who was staring intently at him, and chuckled. The gloomy middle-aged man reached for the White Maiden’s neck.
However, just as his palm was still a hair’s breadth away from the girl, his body suddenly stopped oddly. He looked up sharply, his pupils reflecting a gray, crescent-shaped sword energy. He hurriedly raised his hand to block.
When the two touched, a “sizzle” sound rang out!
The armor-piercing effect of “Holy Taint” directly caused the gloomy middle-aged man’s face to turn pale. His arm flew off, and blood splattered everywhere, dyeing the white snowfield red as if he were holding two water guns.
This sudden change instantly silenced the entire snowfield, and even the Ancient God Sect member wearing a black robe looked down with an uncertain expression.
The White Maiden and the hunter looked at the gloomy middle-aged man howling in pain with their mouths slightly agape. After a moment, a cold breeze blew from behind them. The hunter turned his head, and what met his eyes was a black, flowing skirt on the snow, with what looked like crow feathers fluttering on it.
