The Northern Mountains Sutra was created by the Northern Mountains Lord.
This was an invincible cultivation technique that could tempt even immortals.
But the Northern Mountains Lord’s name wasn’t widely known.
At the very least, there was no mention of such a name in the books that Lin Jiufeng had read.
The books that Lin Jiufeng had read consisted of the entire royal library of the Yuhua God Dynasty. It was also the library of the martial temples that were currently famous all over the world.
Since there were no records of this name in the royal library, 99% of the people in the world back then probably had no idea as to who this Northern Mountains Lord was.
Lin Jiufeng looked at the Northern Mountains Ancient City and guessed in his heart: ‘The Northern Mountains Lord must be an expert from this ancient city. That’s the only explanation why he is basically non-existent in the outside world.’
The carriage passed through the ancient city streets and stopped at the temple in the middle of the city. The temple was the divine temple that the citizens of the Northern Mountains Ancient City often visited for worship.
Inside the temple were idols that the people of this ancient city worshipped.
Lin Jiufeng paid the temple a visit to see if there was any information about this so-called Northern Mountains Lord.
At the same time, he was curious about the location of the Dao sects’ relic.
“The four great traditional Dao sects wouldn’t have a reason to fight anymore so long as I prevent the appearance of this so-called Ancestral Ruins…’ Lin Jiufeng thought.
Doing so would also be a form of protection for the citizens of the Northern Mountains Ancient City.
Standing at the entrance of the temple, he raised his eyes and looked around him.
The temple was a huge building with steps that extended all the way up. The difference in height between the summit and the base was enormous.
The steps inside the temple winded up in segments and it seemed as if one would be climbing a mountain if they dared to scale these steps.
Near the stairs, there were various statues of old and young, men and women.
Their expressions, postures, and auras were all different and unique.
Lin Jiufeng carried the white cat and walked along with the pious people who came to pay their respects.
“Outsider, are you here to join in the crowd?”
An old granny walked together with Lin Jiufeng.
Lin Jiufeng nodded and said, “I have heard about this place, so I came to visit.”
“The people enshrined here are those who made great contributions to the Northern Mountains Race. As long as the person contributed to the Northern Mountains Race, a clay body will be made for them with their autobiography…”
“They will stand here and enjoy the incense offerings of their descendants.”
The old granny climbed the stairs with nimble hands and feet.
She paid her respects to some of the statues along the way.
“Old man, why aren’t you worshipping all of them together?” Lin Jiufeng was very curious.
This old granny actually chose only certain statues to worship.
Upon closer inspection, the statues that she worshipped were all women.
Moreover, they were all young girls and even babies.
She didn’t worship the older ones at all.
This puzzled Lin Jiufeng.
“Young man, you don’t understand, do you?” The old granny chuckled.
“How old are you?” Lin Jiufeng asked with a smile.
“I’m 99 this year, I’m about to cross 100,” the old granny said proudly.
‘Big sister, you’re still very young!’
Lin Jiufeng muttered in his heart, but he didn’t say it out loud.
“You must worship a specific statue for a specific wish. If you want to be healthy, pay your respects to the statues of those old people who have lived for more than 100 years.”
“If you want to be powerful and successful in your cultivation, then pay your respects to those powerful warriors.”
“If you want to marry a beautiful woman, then pay your respects to those young women.”
“As for me, I just want to pray for my granddaughter’s safety and fortune. That’s why I’m paying my respects to the statue of these children. These children will protect and bless my granddaughter,” the old granny replied.
“I see.” Lin Jiufeng was enlightened as he looked around in wonder.
Such a saying was unheard of.
“Have these statues produced miracles before?” Lin Jiufeng asked.
“In the beginning? No. But as everyone paid their respects more and more, the faith of the worshippers combined altogether to form the soul of these statues. After which, they gradually began to produce miracles,” the old granny replied.
“You know about the concept of faith?” Lin Jiufeng was impressed.
“That is something that every member of the Northern Mountains Race must now. It’s only natural that we know about such a concept for each and every one of us are working hard to become a statue of the divine temple after our deaths…”
“Fortunately, as long as we have contributed to the Northern Mountains Race, we will be worshipped by our own people and the people’s faith will accumulate to ultimately turn that person into a god.” The old granny explained.
Yes, a god.
More accurately, a man-made god.
There were originally no gods in the world—but because of faith—gods were born.
This was what the people of the North Mountain Race were doing.
In the beginning, the statues were mere clay statues, but as generations after generations placed their faith in the statues…
They eventually went on to become a god created from the amalgamation of faith that these members of the Northern Mountains Race had on them.
Lin Jiufeng couldn’t help but ask, “May I ask?”
“I wonder if you’ve ever heard of the name, Northern Mountains Lord?”
“The Northern Mountains Lord?” The old granny was stunned.
“Yes, the Northern Mountains Lord!” Lin Jiufeng looked at the old granny expectantly.
“The Northern Mountains Lord…”
“Now that is something that I don’t hear often.” The old granny recalled.
Lin Jiufeng was shocked. This big sister knew something about the Northern Mountains Lord?
“Can you tell me about him?” Lin Jiufeng asked earnestly.
“You have to accompany me to worship these statues first and pray for my granddaughter’s well-being before I can tell you.” The old granny chuckled.
“How long will it take?” Lin Jiufeng asked.
“It won’t take too long. I am only going to worship the statues of the young girls and babies in the temple,” the old granny replied.
Lin Jiufeng couldn’t help but raise his head to look at the divine temple that was like a tall mountain. He swept his gaze at the statues along the way and the winding stairs that resembled the image of an enormous dragon.
He was rendered speechless as he looked at the old granny.
The old granny said with a smile. “Let’s go, young man.”
“Okay, Big sister,” Lin Jiufeng replied rather quickly.
“What did you just say?” The old granny asked curiously.
“It’s nothing…”
“Let’s hurry up and pay your respects to the statues.”
Lin Jiufeng squeezed out a smile and casually brought the conversation to its end.
The old granny started to climb.
She was quite agile.
This can also be attributed to the world’s recovery of its spiritual energy.
If it was in the past, she would either be lying in a coffin or bedridden.
The old granny continuously worshipped statues one after another.
She was very pious.
After paying her respects for each statue, she even told Lin Jiufeng what deeds that statue did to be placed in the temple.
She was very familiar with them!
The granny explained the various deeds of the statues in detail.
Lin Jiufeng and the white cat followed and listened silently.
The worship continued from morning to noon.
Finally, they arrived at the summit.
The old granny panted a few times and sat on the steps of the mountain peak.
Looking down, the clouds were thousands of miles long and the mountains were stacked one after another. Sometimes the clouds were calm and sometimes they surged with strength and ferocity. Nevertheless, nature’s fickleness looked very beautiful.
Lin Jiufeng also sat down and said, “Now that the worship is over, your granddaughter will definitely be protected.”
The old granny said, “That lass is very stubborn. She’s just a girl, yet she wants to pursue some kind of supreme martial arts peak. If you want to ask about the Northern Mountains Lord, then that lass is the one you should talk to.”
Lin Jiufeng looked at the old granny.
“That lass went to the ancestral land of the Northern Mountains Race and received the inheritance of someone called the Northern Mountains Lord. But no one from the Northern Mountains Race knew about this so-called Northern Mountains Lord…”
“Everyone said that she was deceived…”
“But she firmly believed in this Northern Mountains Lord.”
“Instead of giving up on the inheritance, she ran to the sea of clouds and lived in seclusion to cultivate. She always comes back to visit me a few times every year. But she would always directly leave after eating,” the old granny said sadly.
The white cat whispered in Lin Jiufeng’s ear.
“Ask your big sister as to where this sea of clouds is…”
Lin Jiufeng rolled his eyes at the white cat and asked, “Big sister… Bah. Old lady, where’s this sea of clouds?”
The white cat sniggered on Lin Jiufeng’s shoulder.
“The white clouds that you just saw are the sea of clouds. If not, then why would I bring you up here to the peak? Why would I drag you along? For what? To look at the scenery? Or should I really let you worship these statues for my granddaughter?”
The old granny stretched out her hand and pointed.
She came to pray for her granddaughter’s well-being, but at the same time, she wanted to see her.
Among the mountains and valleys, the white clouds looked beautiful and serene.
Clumped together, they formed a sea of clouds.
“This big sister’s granddaughter must have a high cultivation base considering how she can cultivate in seclusion among the sea of clouds.” Lin Jiufeng whispered to the white cat.
“You bet…” The white cat nodded.
Before Lin Jiufeng could move, the old granny asked, “Young man, I’ve told you about the Northern Mountains Lord. Are you capable enough to go to the sea of clouds?”
Lin Jiufeng looked at the old granny and smiled confidently.
He didn’t say anything.
He just stepped out and stood in the air. Then, the clouds froze and supported Lin Jiufeng.
Just like that, he walked through the sea of clouds step by step.
The sea of clouds built a bridge for him.
Lin Jiufeng walked into the depths of the sea of clouds and saw a house constructed from clouds.
In front of the house stood a young girl.
The young girl was very beautiful.
Her skin was as fair as snow, and her long hair fluttered in the wind.
Seeing her, the white cat immediately narrowed her eyes.
“I saw my grandmother talking to you just now,” the young girl said with a quiet and beautiful temperament.
“I forgot to ask your grandmother, what’s your name?” Lin Jiufeng asked with a smile.
“Cloud, I know your origins,” Cloud said.
“You know?” Lin Jiufeng raised his brows in surprise.
“You came for the Northern Mountains Lord. I sensed a hint of the Northern Mountains Lord’s aura just now.” Cloud reached out and pointed. “And it came from you.”
Lin Jiufeng looked at his own body and knew that it was because of the Northern Mountains Sutra.
“Can you tell me more about Northern Mountains Lord?” Lin Jiufeng asked.
As he asked, he observed her cultivation base.
Surprisingly…
Cloud was actually at the Boundless Realm.
And she was just the old granny’s granddaughter!
Even if the old granny was 16 years old when she got married and had a child. Then, her first child was a girl, and this daughter also got married and had a child when she was 16 years old.
Let us say that the old granny married when she was 16 years old and had a child. Then, her first child was a girl who also married and gave birth to her own child at age 16.
Two 16-year-olds added together were 32 years old…
In addition, pregnancy lasted for 10 months.
If both didn’t encounter any problem in their pregnancies, then the resulting number would be 35 years. As a result—no matter how old Cloud was—she must only be at the age of 60 to 70 years old, right?
A 60 to 70-year-old Boundless Realm expert?
Lin Jiufeng was also at the Boundless Realm.
Was she the true chosen one of this brand-new era?
“There’s no need to be surprised by my cultivation base.” Cloud also guessed Lin Jiufeng’s thoughts.
She explained calmly. “The reason why I have such a cultivation base is also because of Northern Mountains Lord’s inheritance. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to reach this realm with my own strength.”
Lin Jiufeng wasn’t surprised anymore.
The entire thing became more acceptable upon hearing her explanation.
“Who exactly is the Northern Mountains Lord?” Lin Jiufeng asked curiously.
“The Northern Mountains Lord is the ancestor of those Daoist priests!” Cloud reached out and pointed. The four Dao sects hidden beneath the sea of clouds and their priests outside the ancient city were pointed out by her.
“You’re saying that the Northern Mountains Lord is the ancestor of the four great traditional Dao Sects?” Lin Jiufeng raised his brows.
He was shocked.
“That’s right!”
“In the Central Plains, the Northern Mountains Lord is known as the Ancestor of the Great Dao, the ancestor who founded the four great traditional Dao sects. But here, he’s known as the Northern Mountains Lord.” Cloud nodded.
