Chapter 399: Disappearing Kamikaze

Upon entering, the towering cliffs on both sides blocked the mountain wind, causing the wind strength to sharply decrease.

Only then did Second Boss Shi catch his breath and say, "That platform outside, that's where the divine wind blows. It's not too bad now, but every midnight and noon, the fierce winds are like razor-sharp blades, directly taking lives."

He Lingchuan asked in surprise, "But I saw stone foundations on that platform; they must be remnants of buildings."

To construct buildings at such a height, one must first lay foundations as stable supports. He Lingchuan hadn't had time for a close look, but he knew the stone foundations were massive, indicating that the buildings here were likely grand in the past.

"Isn't that wind demon their tamed monster?" Second Boss Shi explained. "With the wind demon's help, what's so remarkable about them building here? I came here when I was young, and there were still several steles standing on that platform. Unfortunately, the inscriptions were worn smooth by the wind and snow, making them unreadable. Oh, and there were also two wind lion statues. They were carved directly into the rock face, so they wouldn't be blown away."

When the wind was weak, standing on that platform and gazing down at the snowy expanse must have evoked a feeling of surveying all mountains from a high peak.

Others might view the sunlit golden peaks, but you would be standing right on them.

As He Lingchuan followed Second Boss Shi along the mountain path, he discovered that the massive mountain walls completely blocked the wind and snow. Behind them, only a gentle breeze brushed against their faces, a stark contrast to the violent, biting cold outside.

Upon reaching this point, He Lingchuan couldn't help but exclaim.

This Wind Demon Mountain should truly be renamed Lotus Peak. Its summit is actually shaped like a lotus bud, with a dozen massive rock walls resembling petals, shielding the hollow mountain interior. Even the snowflakes drifting down from above were few.

This immensely vast mountain interior might have originally been semi-hollow, but ancient immortals must have modified it, carving according to the terrain and digging down more than two hundred zhang (approx. 660 meters), making it appear like terraced fields.

Indeed, perhaps they did cultivate terraced fields here, as He Lingchuan also saw traces of winding waterways—man-made ditches and channels.

One could imagine that in those bygone years, this place was lush green, with clear springs flowing around the fields.

The mountain path wound along strange rocks and steep cliffs, with building foundations everywhere. He Lingchuan saw the largest white jade beam, seven zhang (21 meters) long and too massive for several people to encircle. It had seemingly rolled down from somewhere and was now wedged perfectly on a stream rock.

It must have once adorned the roof of a grand hall. Yet, with modern human strength, it would be utterly impossible to hoist it to such a perilous, high mountain.

It was clear that buildings had once been constructed here, following the contours of the mountain—some perched high above ravines, others nestled in fields, creating a scattered yet orderly layout. This was certainly no place for mere mortals.

In their heyday, these might truly have been considered jade palaces and ethereal sky-castles.

Now, however, not even a single piece of wood remained.

He Lingchuan ran his hand along the mountain wall and suddenly said, "There must have been plants here; it should have been a warm and moist place."

Places where moss has grown for many years leave faint white and light green speckled marks, which are hard to remove unless scraped away. This mountain wall bore such traces.

The Heart-Protecting Mirror also stated, "This place definitely had a barrier!"

Even if the Misty Sect had tamed the wind demon for their own use, they would still have needed a barrier to withstand the severe cold and snow, creating a greenhouse-like environment for plants to flourish. Who doesn't long for warmth? Even immortals wouldn't enjoy dwelling in a place of perpetual bitter cold.

With mountains, water, houses, and fields, the sanctuary within the mountain was isolated from the world.

Such human ingenuity triumphing over nature could only have been achieved in the glorious ancient era of immortals. Standing here now, people could only imagine the grandeur of the immortal realm and sigh at the vast changes over time.

Second Boss Shi shrugged. "After the spiritual energy waned, the sect moved to the plains. Someone came to inspect it and said these are ruins from before the mid-Middle Ages."

To live in such an extraordinary, detached manner came at a price.

When they could no longer afford it, they had no choice but to move out.

He Lingchuan couldn't help but ask, "Why would they choose to live in such a desolate, high place, enduring severe wind and snow?"

"Did you see those terraced fields? Do you think they cultivated wheat and beans like common mortals?" The Heart-Protecting Mirror, ever eager to instruct, said, "They cultivated spiritual fields, and what grew there were rare treasures and heavenly materials! In ancient times, blessed lands and grotto-heavens were often located high in the mountains. The richer and purer the spiritual energy, the better the spiritual herbs cultivated."

"So that's how it is." The custom of relying on the mountain for sustenance hasn't changed since ancient times. "So, disciples of immortal sects were just slightly more advanced farmers, weren't they?"

Farmers grew crops, immortals cultivated spiritual fields—what's the difference?

The Mirror was momentarily speechless. "You win, you're right."

He Lingchuan's foot brushed against something. He squatted down to look. "Another sculpture here."

The sculpture, about four feet tall, had presumably rolled down from somewhere and its base was broken. He Lingchuan turned it over and cleared off the sand and snow.

The sculpture had a lion's head and a human body, but it was standing, not crouching.

From top to bottom, it was a single cylindrical form, with its hands neatly placed by its sides, giving it a somewhat cute and quirky appearance.

"This is a Wind Lion statue, a custom passed down from the Misty Sect. Even today, villages and towns on the Gale Tundra often display Wind Lion statues to ward off wind and evil," Second Boss Shi said, pointing to the terraced fields. "Look, they frequently appear around the fields and buildings."

Indeed, it was true: Wind Lion sculptures were always placed near the fields and building foundations. Some were upright, others squatting. Some clearly belonged on the ground, while others must have originally sat on rooftops.

And they usually appeared in pairs, one large and one small.

"After the Misty Sect perished, some people specifically came here to steal Wind Lion statues to display, sometimes selling them for high prices. I once saw one at the market, no bigger than a palm," Second Boss Shi said, dusting snow from his hat. "Alas, all the small ones were taken, only the large, unmovable ones remain."

He Lingchuan's attention shifted to the large opening in the mountain's core. As mentioned before, there was a natural cavity within the mountain, a colossal crevice that seemed to run from the mountain's center all the way down to its base. Its widest point at the opening reached a zhang (about 3.3 meters), like a monster's gaping maw, wide enough to fit several He Lingchuans.

"Watch this," Second Boss Shi said, picking up a stone larger than his fist and tossing it into the crevice.

Tap, tap, tap, the stone tumbled into the crack, then vanished without a sound.

There wasn't even an echo of it landing, indicating the crevice's immense depth.

"Huh?" Second Boss Shi was a bit surprised. He threw another stone down, and the result was the same. "What's going on?"

"What are you demonstrating?"

"Normally, a stone dropped directly above the crevice opening wouldn't fall further. The wind blowing up from below would suspend it, making it tumble endlessly in place."

He pointed to the crevice. "This is the source of the midnight and noon divine winds. Every two hours, the wind emerging from the crevice intensifies, reaching its peak at midnight and noon. It then blows out through the channels in the rock walls and doesn't remain within the mountain's core."

"I don't know why, but this time, when I threw the stone, no wind came out. I've thrown stones twice before, and there was definitely wind then."

He Lingchuan looked up at the entire peak; it seemed the wind tunnels had been planned from the very beginning.

"Legend has it that after the founding patriarch of Misty Peak tamed the wind demon, he established the sect here. With the wind demon's protection, it was very difficult for others to attack."

He Lingchuan nodded. "King Baoshu could only conquer the entire tundra after defeating the wind demon."

He felt a pang of disappointment. It seemed this ruin, having withstood centuries of wind and snow and hosted countless visitors, had nothing useful left.

Just as this thought arose, his chest felt a surge of warmth.

He was overjoyed:

Had the Divine Bone Necklace found a treasure here after all?

He Lingchuan wandered around the ruins, using the necklace's warmth to pinpoint the location of the so-called "ultimate treasure."

To Second Boss Shi, He Lingchuan was just loitering around. Most newcomers to the Misty Sect ruins behaved this way.

However, He Lingchuan's expression grew increasingly serious, as he realized that the closer he got to the wide crevice, the lower the necklace's warmth became.

It wasn't until he stood at the edge of the crevice that the Divine Bone's warmth returned to near normal.

This was ridiculous!

He Lingchuan kicked a few more small stones into the crevice, but still, no echo came for a long time.

It was unfathomably deep.

And the Divine Bone Necklace wanted him to just jump in there?

Did this thing want a new owner?

Seeing him peering cautiously over the edge of the crevice, Second Boss Shi quickly warned, "Brother He, be careful—"

"—if you fall in, there'll be no trace of you."

He Lingchuan waved his hand towards the crevice a few times and suddenly said, "You said there's usually wind here?"

"Yes, there is." Second Boss Shi uttered an 'ah.' "The closer it gets to midnight or noon, the stronger the wind. Look, it's almost noon now, so this entire ruin, the whole mountain interior, should be experiencing strong winds." This was unlike now, where there was only a gentle breeze.

But He Lingchuan couldn't feel even a trace of wind rising from the crevice.

The air inside seemed to have solidified.

Where had the constant wind gone?

Something was very wrong. Even if there weren't any divine midnight and noon winds, a normal crevice should have airflow due to temperature differences.

Even an underground cavern would have a constant cool breeze, making it a summer retreat.

He had just begun to suspect someone was planning against the guard detachment here, and now the entrance to the midnight and noon divine winds was abnormal?

Was it merely a coincidence, or did it align with the old saying:

When something's amiss, there's always a reason... or a demon?

He had originally thought that if the masterminds attacked the guard detachment, they might try to dislodge rocks from the mountain above the official road, causing a rockslide. After all, this was the most effective way for a small force to defeat a larger one, and those people had already used it once at Mount Pingshan, so they should be familiar with it this time.

As for Wind Demon Mountain, He Lingchuan had initially believed it was merely an observation post.

After all, this dangerous peak was not connected to the winding official road on the opposite side, separated by a bottomless abyss. The masterminds shouldn't be able to launch an attack from here.

But after witnessing the anomaly in the crevice, he felt his assessment might be off.

The unusually calm crevice, the wind that had vanished without a trace, the former lair of the wind demon, the warming Divine Bone...

An impossible answer emerged from the depths of He Lingchuan's mind.

Could there be something down there that had absorbed all the wind?

Ignoring the Divine Bone Necklace's warming sensation, he suddenly said to Second Boss Shi, "Mount the goat!"

"Huh? Oh." Second Boss Shi had just reached out when He Lingchuan pulled him onto the back, and the rock goat immediately galloped upwards on all fours.