Chapter 2: After Civilization Era

The cattle and sheep seemed startled, almost breaking through their enclosure. Herders shouted loudly as they tried to stop them. Even several fierce Tibetan mastiffs, usually quite aggressive, were now crouched low, growling restlessly.

Meanwhile, children cried while women tried to comfort them.

Several elderly herders prayed devoutly, eventually kneeling and bowing solemnly towards the distant tall mountains.

Chu Feng's arrival did not surprise the herders, as outsiders frequently passed through and sought shelter in their tents.

The commotion at the foot of the mountain only subsided much later.

Chu Feng washed himself with hot water and drank fragrant butter tea, feeling his fatigue significantly diminish. He then gave all his candies to the children.

The children's small faces were flushed with a high-altitude ruddy glow. They smiled shyly, appearing very innocent and guileless. After receiving the candies, they scattered, full of joy and contentment.

Chu Feng wondered what had happened in this mountainous region recently. Had the almost supernatural blue "other shore flowers" also bloomed here?

The elderly herder in the tent, with his white hair and deeply wrinkled face, clearly looked worried as he gazed out towards the distant mountain range.

Chu Feng soon learned that a blue mist had indeed appeared here, swirling through the mountains. Many livestock had been startled by it, becoming agitated and trying to escape.

However, there were no eerie blue "other shore flowers" present, and the mist was quite thin.

"Why do you bow to the mountains?" Chu Feng asked.

"That is the direction of the Holy Mountain," the old herder replied.

Kunlun is renowned as a divine and holy mountain, imbued with the richest mythical lore. Various ancient texts, from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* to the *Huainanzi* and the *Records of the Grand Historian*, contain numerous accounts of it.

Earlier, only a relatively faint layer of blue mist hovered near this mountainous region. However, some people observed that in the direction of the Kunlun Mountains, the blue was exceptionally dense.

There, a great fog surged, crystalline and luminous, swirling intensely. Later, it became like beams of light, with a torrent of blue light and streaks of fiery aurora, incredibly intense.

It was as if a dazzling blue sun, enveloped in the dense fog, rose and fell there. Even from a great distance, it occasionally shot out beams of light like lightning.

From afar, it appeared incredibly mysterious, with brilliant blue light constantly dancing and shimmering, intensely dazzling.

Therefore, some elderly herders bowed towards that direction, praying devoutly.

Clearly, the phenomenon there was utterly astonishing; the blue mist was impossibly dense, emanating a fiery glow, even more intense than what Chu Feng had witnessed in the desert.

Chu Feng pondered the cause of these mystical phenomena.

He considered a possibility: perhaps they were caused by an earthquake in the mountains.

In the past, a similar event had occurred elsewhere, where sudden thunder frequently erupted in a valley, striking living creatures.

If a mountain range experiences a violent earthquake, it could cause extremely high magnetic field anomalies. Under the electromagnetic field effect, charges in the clouds might interact with the mountain's magnetic field, leading to electrical discharges. This, combined with an aurora-like effect, could create a vibrant, highly unusual lightning zone, distinct from normal occurrences.

Chu Feng was not superstitious and believed that the events in the mountains were most likely just a natural phenomenon.

However, no matter how Chu Feng explained it, the elderly herder refused to believe him. He glared angrily, accusing Chu Feng of blaspheming the Holy Mountain, and nearly drove him away.

In truth, there were indeed parts that were illogical and far-fetched. Even Chu Feng himself hadn't fully understood everything, such as the enchanting flowers that had appeared in the desert not long ago.

He sighed softly, recognizing that in this "post-civilization era," many things remained inexplicable. Despite efforts to use past patterns for understanding, the world was becoming increasingly difficult to comprehend.

War had once half-destroyed the earth, almost reducing it to a wasteland. Although a long period of recovery had restored vitality to the land, the splendid era of the past could ultimately not be replicated.

Over the long course of the post-civilization era, several mysterious and impactful events had occurred, all of which remain unsolved to this day.

In the early morning, the reddish sun leaped above the horizon, and the brilliant dawn light swept over the hills, falling upon the tents and the grassland, a scene of vibrant new energy.

Chu Feng bid farewell to the tribe and set off again.

He traveled west, entering the plateau.

Along the way, he learned that the mysterious blue mist had affected a vast area, appearing in every region he had traversed thus far.

"Could it be another mysterious change?" he murmured to himself.

The past historical occurrences had caused great upheaval, and to this day, there were no definite answers.

The sky in the Tibetan region was an exceptionally deep blue, with pristine white clouds hanging so low it felt as if one could reach out and touch them. The Gobi, mountains, and grasslands were all profoundly tranquil, like a pure land untouched by worldly strife.

Along the way, Chu Feng heard many rumors.

Some herders claimed that something on the Holy Mountain had awakened, causing the blue light to flow and the dense fog to spread in all directions.

Others suggested it was the divine Vajra Bodhi tree growing, about to blossom and bear fruit.

"The Dragon Mastiff is about to be born!" Some also said this.

According to local belief, true mastiffs are born in the wild, capable of battling lions and tigers, whereas those raised by humans are not considered genuine. There is also a legend that Dragon Mastiffs reside in the Holy Mountain, appearing perhaps once every few centuries, possessing immense power capable of subduing demons.

Several days later, Chu Feng approached the Holy Mountain area.

He had already learned that faint blue mist had appeared in various locations along his journey, suggesting it was likely another major anomaly, similar to those that had occurred historically.

This also implied that, as with previous occurrences, ordinary people would never truly understand the underlying cause.

Furthermore, most people were unaware of the potential consequences.

Strangely enough, it was already late autumn, a time when the Tibetan region should have been quite cold. Yet, in the past few days, as Chu Feng journeyed westward, he gradually began to feel a distinct warmth.

Days earlier, yellow leaves had withered and covered the ground, but now, things were different.

The remaining leaves on the trees seemed to have regained their vitality, no longer yellowing or falling.

Especially as he neared Kunlun, along the way, wild grasses, thorny bushes, and trees all gleamed bright green in the warm weather, bursting with life.

It was late autumn, yet none of the usual desolation was present.

"The weather has gotten warmer; is it caused by the anomaly?" Chu Feng guessed.

Finally, Kunlun Mountain was in sight.

Even from a great distance, he felt a sense of oppression.

The towering and majestic mountain range, grand and continuous, stretched imposingly, like the very backbone of heaven and earth.

It was vast and mighty, unparalleled, with no ancient mountain ever surpassing it.

This mountain range is steeped in countless legends, and from ancient times to the present, it has been enveloped in an exceptionally rich mythical aura.

Chu Feng had originally planned to begin his return journey after entering the Tibetan region. However, he continuously heard rumors of unusual activity in Kunlun Mountain, including flashing blue lights, which made him want to get a closer look.

"This is the place."

Chu Feng reached his destination, standing at the foot of the mountain. The colossal peak loomed like a divine metropolis, grand and immense, settled on the western landscape, emanating an ancient, powerful aura that assailed him.

This was only a small section of the Kunlun Mountain range. A few evenings prior, this area had blazed with intense blue light, witnessed by nearby residents. However, in the days since, few had dared to approach.

Chu Feng entered the mountain and gradually ascended.

The ascent grew steeper, with massive boulders strewn across the path, making progress increasingly difficult. Yet, along the way, the vegetation was lush and green, clearly abnormal for late autumn.

"Did an earthquake really happen a few days ago?" Chu Feng observed.

The mountain showed signs of cracking, with numerous large fissures on the ground. Massive boulders had clearly rolled down from higher elevations, and some cliff faces had even broken away.

It was this colossal mountain where the anomalous phenomena had occurred.

"What is this?"

Chu Feng spotted a massive stone with deeply carved characters, most of which were buried by earth and rubble.

Following the earthquake, small sections of the mountain had broken off and slid, revealing this massive stone from deep underground.

A green layer covered the large stone, resembling dried moss.

"West... King!"

Chu Feng ran his hand over the carved characters on the stone, recognizing the two words. This was Jinwen, an extremely ancient script often found engraved on bronze bells and tripods in antiquity.

It was difficult for ordinary people to decipher.

In that instant, thoughts flooded Chu Feng's mind, leaving him lost in contemplation. How could it be these two words?

Seeing "West King" here, how could one not draw a connection? Could the Queen Mother of the West truly have existed in that ancient era?

"Perhaps it's just an inscription left by ancient people who came here to pay respects," Chu Feng shook his head, explaining to himself.

"Something's not right!"

Suddenly, he froze. As he traced the carved marks, he realized that the so-called "dried moss" was unusual.

"Green bronze rust!" This discovery shocked him.

This tablet had been sealed away, buried deep within the mountain. Upon reflection, there should have been no moss on it; it had existed for an exceedingly long time, only seeing the light of day again after a violent earthquake.

It was actually made of bronze!

However, an ancient bronze piece of this size was truly rare.

"The Simuwu Ding, unearthed from the Yin Ruins and weighing less than two thousand *jin* (approximately one metric ton), was hailed as the largest ancient bronze artifact. But this bronze tablet..."

Chu Feng pushed aside some earth and stones. Conservatively estimated, this bronze piece weighed at least five to six thousand *jin*, an astonishing amount. In ancient times, it would have been an absolutely rare and monumental artifact.

Covered in green rust, it was clearly an ancient artifact that had been buried for a vast period of time.

If it had been a stone tablet, Chu Feng would have still believed it was left by ancient visitors for commemoration. But with such a massive bronze tablet, he was no longer certain.

In that distant antiquity, who could have afforded such an immense undertaking merely for historical commemoration?