Heaven’s Shadow

The aftermath of the Kunlun Mountain earthquake was handled very effectively. Both the upper and lower parts of the mountain quickly settled down. After the initial rescue and relief efforts, the remaining task was to assess the damage and make repairs.

The Hundred Herbs Hall was one of the most affected halls in the Kunlun Sect. Among them, the Liuxiang Garden, which cultivated many precious spirit herbs and materials in the open, suffered the most damage. In the face of such a natural disaster, the delicate spirit herbs were particularly vulnerable and could not withstand the destructive force.

The exact extent of the losses was certainly substantial, but as a miscellaneous disciple, Lu Chen was not qualified to know the specifics. However, just by observing the tense and grim faces of the senior figures from the Hundred Herbs Hall who passed through the Liuxiang Garden these days, one could infer the severity of the situation.

Thus, all the Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation disciples in the Hundred Herbs Hall had been very subdued lately. Each one adhered strictly to the rules, fearful of crossing paths with the senior figures. On the other hand, the miscellaneous disciples found themselves somewhat more relaxed. Many had nothing to do due to the destroyed garden, and the usual minor supervisors had been summoned for reprimands, leaving them less supervised.

Lu Chen found this period quite pleasant.

He got up early, went out with A-Tu, who played by himself all day, and then went to check in at the Liuxiang Garden. After that, there was not much else to do.

In a sect known for exploiting and overworking its miscellaneous disciples, such leisurely days were rare.

Lu Chen was in a good mood, wandering around freely since there were no supervisors around. He greeted people and chatted as he walked until he passed by He Changsheng’s spirit field and saw He Changsheng sitting in the field, looking dejected.

Lu Chen went over, greeted him, and asked, “What’s wrong? You look downcast.”

Lu Chen was taken aback. He knew a bit about the Stone Lily, a two-patterned spirit herb with significant medicinal properties used in the preparation of several elixirs. Its most notable feature was its stunningly beautiful flowers. He couldn’t recall its impressive-sounding foreign name, but it was known by a very down-to-earth name in the central part of the cultivation world.

Lu Chen smiled and patted He Changsheng on the shoulder. “I thought it was something serious. It’s a natural disaster this time; it’s not your fault. Don’t worry. It’s a good chance to rest for a few days. The Hundred Herbs Hall will definitely arrange new spirit plants for us soon. We just need to cultivate them diligently.”

He Changsheng forced a smile and shook his head. “It’s not that simple. I had grown the Stone Lily really well. It was almost time for harvest, and I was expecting a significant reward. Now it’s all gone.”

He sighed deeply, his face showing a sense of desolation. “I just wanted to work hard and restore my family’s reputation bit by bit. Why is it so difficult? Even heaven seems to be against me.”

Lu Chen was momentarily at a loss for words. Seeing He Changsheng’s distressed and frustrated appearance, he could only offer a few more words of comfort and then left.

After he had walked quite a distance, he glanced back and saw the ordinary figure still sitting with his head down in the spirit field. It seemed as if an invisible, heavy burden was pressing down on He Changsheng’s shoulders, making it hard for him to stand upright.

※※※

Days continued to pass. Despite the terror of the natural disaster, human strength proved to be resilient and powerful. The rules and daily life were quickly returning to normal. The Hundred Herbs Hall soon sent people to clean up and repair the damaged spirit fields. New spirit plant seeds and saplings were provided, and the leisurely days of the miscellaneous disciples came to an end.

Occasionally, when looking at the distant mountains, the majestic Kunlun range, with its clouds and mist perpetually shrouding the depths of the mountains, one could occasionally catch a glimpse of the four magnificent peaks hanging high in the sky on clear days. This was the greatest aspiration and dream for those working in the mountains.

It was surely a fairyland.

It must be the most beautiful place in the world.

In the early morning, the clouds and mist emitted a celestial aura. At night, the mist still lingered, making the area known as the Celestial Dome Clouds seem eternally mysterious and beautiful.

After midnight, Kunlun Mountain was under curfew. No one was outside except for occasional patrols of night-shift guards on the mountain paths. Even the guards avoided the deepest parts of Kunlun Mountain’s mist, which was the most strictly regulated forbidden area in the entire Kunlun Sect.

If the four floating peaks above the Celestial Dome Clouds were accessible to Nascent Soul Realm cultivators except for two occupied by the Divine Transformation True Lords, the area beneath the Celestial Dome Clouds, shrouded in thick mist year-round, was off-limits even to Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.

This rule was unknown to ordinary people and not spoken of by high-level cultivators. It had silently existed in the Kunlun Sect for thousands of years.

On this particular night, with the moon bright and the stars sparse, the round moon cast its pale light over the majestic Kunlun Mountains, illuminating the towering peaks but failing to penetrate the dense mist.

The four peaks, suspended above the mist and separated by thousands of feet, formed a rare and spectacular scene.

Under the moonlight, the mist slowly undulated like a mysterious, tranquil sea. No one knew what secrets lay hidden beneath this deep sea.

A figure suddenly flew across the sky like a lone swan, gracefully descending into the mist. As it reached the edge of the mist, the figure paused and hovered in the air.

Under the moonlight, the fierce gale at high altitudes whipped around his clothes, revealing his unusually large and stout figure, as well as a shiny bald head that seemed to reflect the bright moonlight.

Lord Tianlan looked up at the beautiful, bright moon with deep, calm eyes that betrayed no emotion. His gaze shifted slightly, focusing on a particular area among the towering, majestic shadows of the four peaks in the sky.

That was the Winter Peak, a world of wind and snow, perpetually cold.

His gaze seemed to pierce through all the darkness of the world, past layers of obstructions, seeing the summit of the Winter Peak far above, surrounded by countless storms and snow. At that moment, the stormy, icy landscape seemed to be reflected in his eyes, wild and fierce.

Moments later, his enormous body suddenly began to sink, plunging into the depths of the mist.

※※※

As soon as he entered the thick mist, a chill surrounded him, as if it could instantly freeze an ordinary person’s blood. However, Lord Tianlan seemed oblivious to this, continuing his descent.

Suddenly, thunder rumbled through the mist, and eerie bolts of lightning flashed from all directions. But as they approached Lord Tianlan, they twisted into grotesque shapes in mid-air and then silently disappeared into the mist.

Following this, various prohibitions roared to life like demons, surging towards him like a tidal wave. The mist churned with greenish energy, as if it were malevolent spirits seeking to devour him. Eventually, even tangible-looking evil spirits lunged at him.

Yet none of this seemed to affect Lord Tianlan. He didn’t even glance at them, silently descending with an expressionless face. Nothing could obstruct him.

As a result, all obstacles disintegrated into nothingness, leaving behind only the angry, unwilling roars that quickly melted into the deep, ocean-like mist.

The mist was profound, its extent unknown. But to Lord Tianlan, everything appeared as mere illusions.

After about half a cup of tea’s worth of time, the mist before Lord Tianlan’s eyes began to clear slightly, revealing solid ground within a deep valley. There was a black circular disk about a few feet in diameter embedded in the ground.

The black disk was neither iron nor stone nor jade, and its material was uncertain. It was covered with various strange symbols, intricate and twisted, yet hinting at an ancient, desolate aura, as if it were a very old artifact.

On this black disk, deep in the mist, a figure sat alone and quietly.

Lord Tianlan descended slowly, directly across from that person.

The world beneath the mist was unusually quiet, seemingly isolated from the outside world. Here, even the usual mountain wind was absent. Not far from the black disk, the mist was dense and almost tangible.

Lord Tianlan’s sleeves fluttered as he sat down slowly, then looked up at the person opposite him.

In the dim light of this desolate world, the person facing him appeared extraordinarily old and withered. Their face and body seemed to have lost all vitality, with deeply etched wrinkles and cracked skin. Even their breathing sounded labored.

It was an elderly man, very old.

His stature seemed to be less than half of Lord Tianlan’s large frame. He looked like he was at the end of his life, about to run out of strength, much like a last, withered leaf in the harsh winter winds and snow.

Lord Tianlan gazed at the withered old man in silence, his eyes reflecting a flicker of complex emotions.

The elderly man, who had been in a meditative-like trance, seemed to awaken from his slumber. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Tianlan.

Those eyes were surprisingly bright, like the moonlight in the sky, as if all his spiritual energy and essence were concentrated in those eyes. They seemed capable of seeing through the human heart and all things in the world!

Lord Tianlan slightly bowed and calmly said:

“Senior Brother, long time no see.”

Hundred Herbs Hall – BaiCao Hall

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