Chapter 2362: Wutu Mountain

Human World

Qin Sang took out the black lotus, and Little Wu eagerly took it.

Little Wu's two small hands held the black lotus. From his palms, five-element divine light emerged, enveloping the black lotus. The black lotus then melted into a mass of black mist within the divine light and was absorbed into Little Wu's body.

Immediately afterward, a wisp of black mist appeared between Little Wu's eyebrows, gradually transforming into the shape of a black lotus.

Little Wu's eyelids suddenly grew heavy, and he became drowsy. He forced himself to stay awake, looking at Qin Sang with anticipation.

Seeing this, Qin Sang knew that Little Wu couldn't refine the black lotus immediately. He nodded gently and said, "Go."

A flash of divine light enveloped Little Wu, revealing his true form: a crown floated before Qin Sang, with a small black lotus pattern on its front.

It seemed that the black lotus wouldn't be fully refined until the pattern disappeared. Qin Sang wondered if Little Wu would fall into a slumber lasting centuries, just like the Celestial Eye Butterfly.

Putting away the Five Elements Crown, Qin Sang looked back towards the direction of the Abyss. He had flown all the way here in one breath after escaping the Abyss, and no pursuers had appeared.

Recalling the recent encounter, the aura that had appeared at the end clearly contained the power of void tremors, and the faint demonic roar he heard carried a sense of exasperation.

With such a powerful and furious aura, why had that entity not intervened to stop him?

Was it unwilling to act or unable to act?

The more Qin Sang thought about it, the more he felt that the black river was intricately linked to the demon realm. If the black lotus was bait sent by a powerful demon, he couldn't imagine the consequences.

However, Little Wu had already swallowed the black lotus, so overthinking it was pointless. He would simply face whatever came his way.

Qin Sang dared not linger. After a brief rest, he continued his journey, which stretched for nearly another twenty years.

Having learned his lesson, Qin Sang was more cautious of the snowfield. He deliberately avoided trouble and focused on his journey, encountering no major incidents along the way.

After flying for so long, Qin Sang distinctly felt that the surrounding cold was less intense, and the weather gradually showed signs of warming.

At noon, the sky remained very gloomy.

A cold north wind blew incessantly, and the northern sky had turned almost completely dark. The north wind pushed thick snow clouds southward, and heavy snow fell from beneath the clouds.

A streak of escape light flew from the north, unperturbed by the wind and snow, moving steadily through the blizzard.

Suddenly, the escape light veered and descended towards the ground.

Qin Sang appeared above the snow. With a wave of his sleeve, the surface layer of snow was swept away, revealing a surprising patch of green beneath.

It was a clump of green grass frozen solid like icicles.

Throughout his journey, Qin Sang had only occasionally seen plants, and those capable of surviving in the ice plains were exceptionally cold-resistant rare species. This clump of green grass was not among them.

Qin Sang's spirits lifted. Though it was just a small clump, it was a good omen, indicating that this area had been warm for at least some time, and he was finally nearing the edge of the snowfield!

At this moment, several thousand miles away.

Several streaks of escape light were also steadily flying through the sky. Leading them was a man in white robes, followed by several other young men and women.

Although they possessed human forms, each person had features, to varying degrees, that humans did not.

The leading man in white robes had the character 'Wang' (King) on his forehead.

A young woman behind him had four colorful wings on her back, symmetrical horizontally and vertically, resembling butterfly wings.

Far from making them appear strange, these features added greatly to their allure.

The man in white robes possessed an inherent majesty without needing to express anger, while the young woman's delicate figure beneath her wings seemed even more tender, inspiring affection in anyone who saw her.

"It looks like it's going to snow here," the butterfly-winged young woman said timidly.

Everyone looked north. Another woman in a fiery red dress with a striking figure agreed, "Yes, the snow clouds are closing in. Legend has it that once it snows in the ice plains, terrifying things can happen, making it the most dangerous time. Should we find shelter and wait for the snow to stop before we continue?"

A man in iron armor nearby sneered, "Lady Ling, you said the same thing three days ago. Brother Hong led everyone forward through the snow, and did we encounter any danger?"

Lady Ling's expression soured. The butterfly-winged young woman retorted softly, "Last time it was just a light snow..."

The butterfly-winged young woman seemed to hold a high status, as the man in iron armor dared not mock her and quickly offered an apologetic smile.

Everyone looked at the man in white robes leading the group, who was "Brother Hong" as the armored man called him, and the leader of their party.

The man in white robes took out a piece of animal hide with some chaotic lines drawn on it.

He looked down at it for a moment, then stated gravely, "The place marked on this map is right in front of us."

At his words, everyone understood what he meant.

The man in white robes commanded immense respect, and no one raised any objections. They prepared to press on through the snow.

Glancing back at the group, the man in white robes was very satisfied. However, as he still needed their strength, and not wanting to be a tyrant, he explained, "As the saying goes, 'Generous rewards attract brave warriors.' Isn't that why you all came here this time, for the rewards? The objective is right ahead. What if you miss this opportunity and fail to gain merit, turning it into a fault instead? Of course, whether we succeed or not, we should all push forward with determination and let the Mountain Lord see our efforts..."

These encouraging words dispelled the fear in everyone's hearts. All were instantly invigorated, and under the leadership of the man in white robes, they plunged into the wind and snow.

After galloping against the wind and snow for a thousand miles, the group stopped above a snowy expanse.

"Brother Hong, are you sure it's here?" the armored man asked in a muffled voice.

"The map indicates it is indeed here..."

The man in white robes looked down at the snow-covered ground, frowning slightly.

"You all, quickly stand guard for me!"

At the white-robed man's command, the others dispersed.

He sat down cross-legged, and the 'Wang' character on his forehead flashed with spiritual light. Behind him, a phantom of a white tiger suddenly appeared.

"Roar!"

The tiger's roar echoed through mountains and rivers, its power unparalleled.

Seeing the white tiger, everyone involuntarily showed signs of awe.

Immediately, the white tiger phantom plunged into the earth, disappearing into the depths of the snow. The man in white robes controlled the phantom, searching underground.

Not far away, someone was observing their actions.

"Finally, I've met someone I can communicate with..."

Qin Sang sighed with emotion.

This group clearly consisted of demon cultivators. Their accents were somewhat strange, but it was discernible that their language shared the same origin as that of Great Zhou. Qin Sang could understand them without needing to use any Daoist spells.

It was said that with humanity's current dominance, other races emulated humans in various aspects, and the demon race took pride in transforming into human forms. It seemed this was not just a rumor.

In Great Zhou, demon cultivators dared not travel openly in groups like this.

He had indeed landed in demon territory. However, unlike what he had expected, this group of demon cultivators came from different races yet coexisted peacefully. It was said that after the demon race was driven into the wilderness, they reverted to a tribal era, but clearly, that rumor did not align with the facts.

Qin Sang had initially intended to reveal himself and ask for directions, but he overheard them repeatedly mentioning 'Mountain Lord' in their conversation, stating they had come here on the Mountain Lord's command, implying some undisclosed purpose.

After a moment's thought, Qin Sang decided to observe for a while. He had already traveled so far, so there was no rush.

Seeing the white tiger phantom enter the ground, Qin Sang split off a wisp of his spiritual sense and attached it to the phantom.

The man in white robes was completely unaware, fully focused on controlling the white tiger phantom as it wandered underground.

Before long, the man in white robes seemed to confirm something, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes. He formed a magical seal with his hands before his chest.

"Oh?"

While following the white tiger phantom, Qin Sang had also been searching the area with his spiritual sense and found no anomalies. However, after the man in white robes formed the seal, subtle fluctuations immediately appeared underground.

"Found it!"

The man in white robes roared with ecstasy.

Hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy. They gathered around the man in white robes, who pointed to a spot on the snow-covered ground and said, "From here, dig down!"

The armored man stepped forward, jumped onto the ground, raised his iron fists, and smashed them down heavily.

'Crack!'

The snow melted, revealing brown earth, and a crack was unmistakably torn open in the ground.

"Yi'er, Lady Ling, you two stand guard outside," the man in white robes said, looking at the two women.

They understood that this was to protect them; staying outside meant they wouldn't have to face the dangers below. Moreover, if merit was earned, all members of the team would receive rewards, so there was no question of stealing credit.

"Let's go down!"

The man in white robes led the remaining members into the fissure. The white tiger phantom guided them forward, and after traversing underground for a while, they arrived before a stone wall.

On the surface of the cyan stone wall, a faint blue halo appeared every few breaths. The halo twisted erratically, like a constantly opening and closing mouth, seemingly an entrance to another place.

They hovered before the stone wall, detecting no abnormalities, yet hesitated, not daring to enter.

"I'll go first, Brother Kui, you bring up the rear!"

The man in white robes took the lead, leaving the others with no excuse to retreat. The group filed in one by one.

Just as they were about to step through the halo, everyone felt a chill, and the hairs on their bodies stood on end.

Unexpectedly, no danger appeared. They felt solid ground beneath their feet, still somewhat shaken.

They stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move, discovering they were in a spacious hall. Numerous stone pillars of varying heights stood throughout the hall, and atop each pillar was a massive stone basin with an ever-burning flame.

The stone pillars and walls were adorned with carvings of unclear meaning, in a very bizarre style.

After waiting for a while and seeing no anomalies, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems the mechanisms here have been broken by Brother Hong's incantation, and we might have found the main target!"

The armored man suppressed his excitement and spoke in a low voice.

Little did they know, the 'mechanisms' here had been broken by someone else on their behalf.

Behind the hall was a tightly shut stone door, and Qin Sang had already entered the room beyond it.

Qin Sang had initially thought he had discovered another small grotto-heaven, but after seeing the scene in the hall, he was greatly disappointed.

The halo was not a Daoist directional gate; this was merely an underground space sealed by a formation.

The stone door led to another, slightly smaller stone chamber. Upon entering, Qin Sang saw a stone coffin placed in the center of the room. No wonder he had felt something strange; it turned out this was a tomb, and those individuals were grave robbers.

Qin Sang's gaze swept around, revealing that this tomb was not simple. The stone coffin was surrounded by numerous restrictions, and there were several traps.

To the Celestial Eye Butterfly, these traps were obvious. Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then, under the protection of the Ethereal Profound Divine Light, he flashed a few times and arrived before the stone coffin without triggering any traps.

"Well done."

Qin Sang praised the Celestial Eye Butterfly generously. His palm lightly brushed the stone coffin, and his fingers flicked a few times.

A gray light flashed across the coffin lid, and it slid horizontally to one side. Qin Sang was surprised: the stone coffin was empty.

It was an empty tomb!

"Why would someone meticulously arrange an empty tomb? Could this be one of the decoy tombs?"

Qin Sang mused to himself.

After death, mortal emperors and nobles, fearing grave robbers, would often use such methods, burying their true tombs among numerous decoy tombs.

After repeatedly confirming he hadn't overlooked anything, Qin Sang's thoughts shifted, and he turned to look at the stone door.

At that moment, the man in white robes approached the stone door, just about to push it open, when he suddenly heard a low voice.

"Whence have you come? Why do you trespass upon my dwelling and disturb my quiet cultivation?"

"Hiss!"

The man in white robes gasped, freezing in front of the door, his expression priceless.

The brightly lit hall suddenly became eerie and terrifying, and everyone felt a chill down their spines.

"Se... Senior..."

The man in white robes' teeth chattered.

He didn't know the tomb owner's identity, but he understood one thing: since the Mountain Lord had taken an interest in this tomb, its owner was definitely not someone he could afford to offend.

"The tomb owner isn't dead! If they're not dead, why build a tomb for themselves? Are they insane?"

The man in white robes cursed inwardly. Forcing himself to calm down, he hastily begged for mercy, "Please forgive us, Senior, we had no intention of offending you..."

"Whence have you come?"

Qin Sang persisted with his question.

The man in white robes hesitated for a moment, thinking it best to answer truthfully: "To report to Senior, we are all from Wutu Mountain..."

"Wutu Mountain? What kind of place is that?" Qin Sang asked.

"Senior doesn't know Wutu Mountain?"

The man in white robes was startled. "Our Mountain Lord is the Wutu Immortal..."

"I don't know him," Qin Sang said. "Did you come from the south? I haven't been to the south yet."

"Senior hasn't been to the south?" The man in white robes was full of surprise. Wutu Mountain had found more than just this one decoy tomb. "Then this tomb..."

"Is this someone's tomb? I found it quiet enough, and without an owner, so I claimed it as my dwelling," Qin Sang said casually.

Hearing this, the man in white robes vaguely understood something and asked in astonishment, "Has Senior been cultivating within the Arctic Ice Plains all this time?"

He sensed the aura emanating from Qin Sang, which was undeniably that of the Void Refinement stage!

The others also showed expressions of shock and admiration.

"Why not?" Qin Sang countered.

"Junior has heard that throughout countless years, very few have been able to achieve the Great Dao in the ice plains. Every one of them possessed immense perseverance and great divine abilities. Junior is truly impressed!"

The man in white robes performed a bow, not out of mere flattery, but genuinely from his heart.

"Is there a difference between the Arctic Ice Plains and the south? Oh, you mean that strange vital energy..."

Qin Sang feigned realization. "Looking at your cultivation, your spiritual intelligence doesn't seem to be affected. Does your Wutu Mountain have a way to purify that vital energy?"

"Senior must be referring to the turbid qi, sometimes called Six Heavens Ancient Qi. It becomes thinner when leaving the Arctic Ice Plains, but still persists. Our Wutu Mountain indeed possesses a secret method. If Senior is interested, perhaps you might consider accompanying Junior to meet our Mountain Lord..." The man in white robes was already planning to recruit Qin Sang for Wutu Mountain.

"Is there no pure land in this world?" Qin Sang sighed.

The man in white robes replied, "Legend has it that if you keep heading south, beyond our continent, there is indeed a pure land, but it is likely billions of miles away..."