With Shangguan Yong leading the way, Zhang Ruochen and others soon came in front of the sacred hill in the center of Saint King Que Palace.
As the Kunlun Realm recovered, this sacred hill had also undergone enormous changes. Not only was the hill looking more majestic, but the key was the saint Qi of heaven and earth it released. It turned the entire Saint King Que Palace into a place conducive for self-cultivation.
The vegetation on the sacred hill was dense and lush with many elixirs and even sacred herbs.
Some quaint pavilions were hidden in the hill and forests, perfectly in harmony with the sacred hill itself.
Few people from the Shangguan family were qualified to have a place of self-cultivation on the sacred hill.
The top of the hill was a forbidden place, where Shangguan Que lived. No one, even Shangguan Yong, the head of the Shangguan family, must not enter without permission.
“Your Highness, the arch patriarch is on the top of the hill,” said Shangguan Yong with respect.
Zhang Ruochen nodded in acknowledgment. “Thank you.”
There was a special Aerial Lockdown Formation on the sacred hill. Most people could not fly within this area. But this apparently was not an issue for Zhang Ruochen and his mates.
Zhang Ruochen and others rose into the air and flew to the top of the hill at speed.
Shangguan Yong looked up as Zhang Ruochen gradually ascended. He would stay here; in case the arch patriarch had any instructions and he could carry it out in time.
It was noon. The scorching sun was right overhead with clouds and mists surrounding the top of the hill as if a fairyland.
Zhang Ruochen spotted Shangguan Que at once.
The seven moved in a flash and landed on a cliff.
There was an ancient pine growing on the edge of the cliff. It was still thriving and had been rooted here forever. Its trunk twisted like a horned dragon.
And under the ancient pine was a stone table, on which a set of tea sets rested. A person was sitting in front of the stone table with a small tea cup in his hand, vapor rising from the cup.
Breeze blew and carried a faint refreshing aroma of tea in the air.
Sitting in front of the stone table was a gray-haired old man, very graceful, exuding the temperament of a great Confucianist, and even more awe-inspiring air of righteousness.
The gray-haired old man had a ruddy complexion, without the slightest signs of infirmity in him. He was not tall, but he gave out a sense of steadiness much like a sacred mountain.
“Your student Zhang Ruochen has come to see you, Teacher.”
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward and bowed to the gray-haired old man.
Shangguan Que had changed little over the past eight hundred years. He was as graceful and calm as before, with an avuncular face, but with his own respectable majesty.
Zhang Ruochen was now sure that the Confucius Saint King in the Guardian Dragon Pavilion was Shangguan Que when he attacked Lingxiao Heavenly Palace.
“Grand Tutor, you haven’t changed a bit after so many years.” Kong Lanyou also stepped forward to greet him.
Back then, she had studied with Shangguan Que. She was also a student of his.
After the demise of Shengming, Shangguan Que became Saint King Que at the imperial court and was regarded as a traitor by many former officials of Shengming. Kong Lanyou had never met him again. Eight hundred years had passed since then.
Eight hundred years were by no means short. Few friends of the old days remained.
Shangguan Que put down the teacup in his hand, his face breaking out in an avuncular smile. “Come over here. Sit down and talk with me.”
Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou straightened up and walked over and sat down at the stone table.
Meanwhile, Mu Lingxi, King Mingjiang, Jin Yu, Luo Chen, and Bao Lie also came forward and helped themselves to the seats.
Fortunately, the stone table was large enough with many seats around. Otherwise, the rest would have to stand.
Shangguan Que picked up the teapot and poured Zhang Ruochen and others a cup of tea each.
“Shangguan Que, you are having a good life, eh? Saint King Que of the imperial court, having a prominent position. Unlike you, we the Shengming rebels have to go into hiding,” said King Mingjiang with a frosty voice.
“It’s been eight hundred years. So why are you still brooding over it? It was not up to me in making such a decision,” said Shangguan Que with a sigh.
“Did anyone force you to do that?” King Mingjiang still sounded not too friendly.
Shangguan Que shook his head but said nothing as if there was something unspeakable.
“What are you shaking your head for? If you have anything to say, just speak up. What else needs to be kept away from us until this day?” King Mingjiang was really furious.
“Some things are far more complicated than you have imagined,” said Shangguan Que with a solemn face.
Just as King Mingjiang wanted to say something, “Let’s not be at war with yourself over this matter. Since Teacher doesn’t feel like telling us, we shouldn’t force him.”
King Mingjiang said nothing more upon hearing that. As much as he was Zhang Ruochen’s elder, he listened to what Zhang Ruochen said in everything.
Zhang Ruochen turned to look at Shangguan Que with a serious expression. “Teacher, we are here to find out something of 800 years ago. I hope you can tell us the truth.”
Shangguan Que took a sip of tea. “You may ask whatever you want.”
The scorching sun was right overhead at the moment, but the breeze on the top of the hill was cool. It did not feel hot at all.
“As a member of the Guardian Dragon Pavilion, Teacher, you should have seen my father before his disappearance. Can I know where my father has gone?”
“It is true that before the palace revolt, we members of the Guardian Dragon Pavilion were indeed summoned by His Majesty. But His Majesty did not tell us where he would go,” said Shangguan Que.
Zhang Ruochen frowned. When even the Guardian Dragon Pavilion did not know the whereabouts of Emperor Ming, he would really have to go to the Buddha Realm in the West to find out the truth.
After a slight hesitation, Zhang Ruochen posed more questions. “Why did my father order the Guardian Dragon Pavilion to build a sacred altar? What is the real purpose of the altar? What is the significance of preserving those saint souls? And where is the altar now?”
Shengming had spent all the money in the treasury to build this sacred altar. By the looks of it, it must be of something important.
Zhang Ruochen had only learned something about the altar from the Sword Sanctum recently. But it was a pity that Lu Huaiyu did not know the real secret of the sacred altar.
Just then, Shangguan Que got to his feet, turned and walked over to the edge of the cliff, watching the clouds and mist surging below him. “Even I don’t fully understand the secrets of the sacred altar. But according to His Majesty’s words, over the past several hundred years, we preserve the saint souls of most of the saints who have died in the Kunlun Realm in the altar, so that their saint souls will not vanish. Perhaps, they will all be able to come back to life under certain special circumstances.”
“At first, the sacred altar was in the Sword Sanctum. Before the Infernal Court invaded the altar of heaven and earth, we were ordered by the Golden Beast Kings to move the altar to the Darkmourn Mountains.”
Kong Lanyou and others looked shocked at hearing that. The Kunlun Realm might have fallen, but it still produced many saints. A large number of saints had died over the several hundreds of years. One could imagine the massive number of saint souls preserved in the sacred altar.
If those saints could really come back to life, it would undoubtedly be a very formidable force.
In fact, Kong Lanyou knew the existence of the sacred altar a long time ago, and also knew that the altar could preserve saint souls. But she did not know what the purpose of preserving saint souls was. She once asked Lu Yuanzhi about it, but she did not get the answer.
Thinking about it now, the only one who really knew the secrets of the sacred altar was probably the two Golden Beast Kings, whom Emperor Ming trusted more than anyone else.
“The Darkmourn Mountains? Why should the altar be moved to the Darkmourn Mountains? What’s there?” Zhang Ruochen was puzzled.
