Chapter 34: Hidden Mountain
The second mountain was to the east of Deer Mountain.
Before even reaching the base, Mo Shoucheng, who had glimpsed the entirety of this mountain from a distance, stopped walking.
“Principal Mo, we cannot ascend this mountain?”
The fall of millions of dewdrops at the same time formed an unimaginable tide. The powerful essence formed by the accumulation of minuscule presences was still resonating through Fu Su’s body. He looked at Mo Shoucheng who had stopped walking, took a deep breath to calm himself, and then asked in puzzlement, “Just now, I finally understood why we landed far from these mountains … because if these mountains all have grandmasters like this, landing on these mountains will make us a public target, especially if they recognize us. They may have attacked us together. But I do not understand. This mountain looked calm, and at this distance, there seems to be no presences. Why then can we not ascend? Has the grandmaster on the mountain already displayed his cultivation across such a great distance?”
Mo Shoucheng had turned around at this time.
Hearing Fu Su’s words, this old man shook his head and said, “If they are able to show a presence that forces me to retreat from such a distance, they must be realm eight … but the power they have shown does not have to be the same as the previous one.”
Fu Su knew that this principal was most skilled at guiding people to think so they would comprehend on their own. But he could not understand at this moment.
“Look at the peach blossoms on the mountain.”
Ding Ning softly reminded him.
Fu Su’s eyes widened, his body trembled slightly as he reacted.
There were some wild peach trees scattered around the mountain. On their way here, the wild peach trees in the Wu Mountain area had not blossomed, but the wild peach trees on this mountain were blooming. Also, from this distance, it was possible to see the flowers on these trees were exceptionally bright, though a normal red, the color was so dense it almost dripped.
“Wild flowers blooming on the mountain with such intensity. On this mountain … could it be that famed Unimportant Marquis Li?” he said in shock.
There were many that used ‘Unimportant Marquis’ to say that they were people who did not care about titles.
Yet, most of them were like so because they could not achieve a rank like marquis.
But Unimportant Marquis Li was a true unimportant marquis because he was a member of the Qi Dynasty imperial family. He became a prince with his own lands the moment he was born. Strictly speaking, the present ruler of the Qi Dynasty, Qi Mingzong had to call him Imperial Uncle.
But ever since he started cultivating, this cultivator who had been born with a title was a free bird that did not belong to any cultivation place in the Qi. In the Qi Dynasty that primarily focused on yin ghosts and gods, he was an abnormality in his cultivation. He focused on a pure path of nature and lifebond items. In many legends, he had fought many grandmasters of the Qi Dynasty and never lost.
“Other than Unimportant Marquis Li, no one else is able to make life so vibrant.”
Mo Shoucheng said in praise, “The new peaches that are produced on the mountain this year will be unprecedentedly delicious.”
Fu Su said in disbelief, “I heard that Unimportant Marquis Li is extremely powerful but Principal Mo and Palace Mater Pan have to avoid him?”
Mo Shoucheng said calmly, “His lifebond item is the Heavenly Nurturing Bead. It is not very strong offensively, but the best to maintain good health. After cultivating for so many years, I do not know how strong his energies are. If we did fight, his vital energy will be endless and no one can afford to waste their energies with him before the Deer Mountain Conference.”
They may be able to win, but could not afford to do so.
This time, Fu Su understood. In a situation like the Deer Mountain Conference, the fight between these grandmasters was no longer as simple as exchanging blows with their weapons.
The Heaven Nurturing Bead could nurture all items. So, it was Unimportant Marquis Li on the mountain. Millions of dewdrops forming a terrifying tide, then the person who was on the previous mountain was from the prestigious family of the deceased Wei Dynasty, Song Chaosheng.
Song Chaosheng, Unimportant Marquis Li … what other names that represented the strongest powers of the world would appear?
Ding Ning followed Mo Shoucheng and Pan Ruoye towards the third mountain peak as this thought flashed through his mind. Even to him, he only knew the names and power of these people through rumors and had never met them at a close quarters.
“We still cannot ascend this mountain … I had not expected an old monster like Guo Dongjiang.”
When they came to the base of the third mountain, a rare gravity appeared on Mo Shoucheng’s expression as he slowly said to Pan Ruoye.
Pan Ruoye usually resided in the inner palace and rarely laughed. Hearing his words, she immediately frowned, and coldly said, “He hasn’t died yet?”
Ding Ning had a calm expression but his heart shook within.
Fu Su had never heard the name before and couldn’t help but ask softly, “Principal Mo, I still cannot feel anything abnormal. Who is Guo Dongjiang?”
“The greatest abnormality is there is no abnormality here.”
Mo Shoucheng said as he looked at Fu Su. He knew that Fu Su could not understand. As he turned to walk towards another mountain, he explained gently. “This mountain does not have the presence a cultivator would deliberately leave behind, there is no trace of a fight, or the presence of a cultivator passing by … it’s like a restaurant table used by many guests would have marks of food, but is extremely clean. This means that someone must have wiped it with a rag. The only person able to erase all presences like this is the grandmaster Guo Dongjiang of the overseas Blue Jade Island. In the past, when the Qin Dynasty opened our overseas routes, we once wanted to interact with this overseas grandmaster, but this person is extremely strange and doesn’t want to interact with the outside world … most importantly, this person was injured in the head way back. He is slightly older than I, and frequently fickle in his emotions without any reason.”
Fu Su realised and said, “A madman?”
Mo Shoucheng frowned and said, “A madman who is just a thread away from realm eight.”
One should not try to outdrink a drunkard, and not fight a madman. This was a truth that ordinary people in Changling knew. With that, Fu Su understood why they had to distance themselves from this mountain. But after being able to fight for several mountains now, he could not help but feel slightly moody.
Would every mountain have someone they cannot win against?
Mo Shoucheng and Pan Ruoye were two of the highest figures in Changling.
If these two people could not fight for any mountain, then how many astounding and unknown experts were there in the many dynasties?
“Careful!”
Pan Ruoye suddenly shouted.
Mo Shoucheng had been the first to stop in front of the previous mountains, but when they reached the base of this mountain, Fu Su stopped at almost the same time as Mo Shoucheng.
Because, the moment Pan Ruoye shouted, Fu Su had already seen a white mist appear in the forest in front of him.
The white mist was made from white hairs of unknown wild flowers and leaves in the mountain. Each thread was softer than snow, but this white mist contained a terrifying murderousness.
Pan Ruoye’s fingers on her right hand flicked out alongside her shout, like she was plucking invisible strings.
The sound of many sharp objects rubbing together sounded in front of her and Ding Ning.
The tiny hairs seemed to be forced away by a powerful force and flew above their heads.
Ding Ning’s gaze flashed. He immediately sensed the primal energies of the universe around them had been partly concealed by some strange means.
“What is this?”
Fu Su sensed the abnormality. He saw those white hairs could not get close, but his breathing still instinctively stuttered.
Mo Shoucheng seemed to be reassured and nodded. He said, “We can fight for this mountain.”
Pan Ruoye sedately advanced forward.
Her fingers were still flicking with the sound of sharp objects rubbing together continuing to sound around her.
Dozens of feet away from Ding Ning and the others, a thin curtain of light slowly appeared like a crystal ball covering Ding Ning and the others. There were moving streams of energy on the light curtain that were similar to lightning but not.
Fu Su was even more shocked. The mist made from the white hairs quickly disappeared. But even with his cultivation, he could clearly sense there seemed to be an invisible pair of hands completely shrouding the peak of this mountain.
The higher it was, the more the primal energies of the universe were blocked.
Some unobstructed energies formed into true murderousness with some simple vibrations and attacked the cultivator walking onto the mountain.
Translator Ramblings: Not this mountain, not this one, nope …
