Chapter 3: Bronze Kunlun

“Clang!”

The bronze hummed, resonating with the weight of ages. Chu Feng put down the stone in his hand, certain it was a bronze stele. It was hard to believe; an ancient bronze artifact weighing several thousand jin was no small matter.

If news of this got out, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation.

The characters "Xi Wang" (Western King) were carved onto its surface, imbued with the passage of time, ancient yet mysterious, captivating the mind. He truly didn't know which era it hailed from.

“Who buried this in Kunlun Mountain?” Chu Feng tapped the bronze stele, producing continuous metallic vibrations. Unfortunately, he wasn't an archaeologist and couldn't draw any valuable conclusions.

“Perhaps there was once an incredibly glorious bronze civilization here long, long ago,” he murmured, speculating. He was never superstitious. Even with Kunlun's rich mythical lore and the sudden discovery of a colossal bronze stele inscribed with "Xi Wang," he didn't fully believe the legends. Chu Feng believed that even if the Queen Mother of the West had truly existed, she might have merely been the leader of a powerful ancient tribe, and this place was just a ruin.

“A violent earthquake caused abnormal magnetic field values in the mountain, triggering cloud discharges, and combined with the massive bronze exposed on the mountain, this attracted the swirling lightning?” Chu Feng increasingly felt this was the likely reason. He really wanted to excavate the bronze stele and examine it thoroughly, but nearly half of it was buried underground, and without tools, it would be very difficult.

After lingering for a moment, he resumed his ascent.

The large fissures on the mountain were wide and deep, dark and alarming, presenting a scene of desolation. There was no discernible path along the way. The mountain terrain was steep, and large rocks lay scattered, making the ascent progressively more difficult. The mountain was immense. As he walked alone, feeling its grandeur and recalling its many legends, Chu Feng felt a strange sensation. He gazed into the distance where the giant mountain met the sky, a truly magnificent vista.

He climbed over a thousand meters, navigating the post-earthquake mountain. It was not an easy journey; encountering loose and rolling rocks made it extremely dangerous. Ahead, there was a large pile of earth and rocks, where a section of the mountain wall had recently broken off.

From a distance, Chu Feng noticed something unusual. A look of surprise crossed his face, and he quickly moved forward, climbing up to confirm what he was seeing.

“It looks like verdigris!”

From afar, he saw a large patch of green, mottled with rust, right at the broken cliff. It wasn't just a small cluster but a vast area. Finally, he reached it and saw clearly.

“It truly is!”

This was far more astonishing than the bronze stele he had seen earlier. After a large section of the cliff face had broken off, the fractured area, flush with the steep mountain, revealed a long-buried truth. Against the rock face, there were vast sheets of green rust, ancient yet mysterious. These were bronze structures, exposed as parts of the mountain had slipped away.

Three bronze houses, ancient and silent, stood built against the rock face. Some parts were buried by earth and rocks, but most of them were still visible. The bronze dwellings were of an ancient style, grand and imbued with the weight of history. The tiles on the bronze houses were also cast from bronze, piece by piece, neatly and regularly arranged. At a glance, they looked like green scales covering the structures.

Chu Feng was truly astonished, his mind unable to settle. This was a sensational discovery: bronze artifacts of such immense scale—actual bronze houses—built on Kunlun Mountain and once deeply buried. What era did these belong to, and who built them? According to his speculation, this area must have once hosted a brilliant bronze civilization from an incredibly ancient era, one not recorded in any existing historical texts.

Yet, alongside his astonishment, he also felt unease and bewilderment. The Houmuwu Ding was considered the largest ancient bronze artifact, but now it seemed not only lighter than the bronze stele but, when compared to the houses before him, it could hardly be called a massive artifact at all. Undoubtedly, constructing such houses was more challenging than casting a cauldron. The bronze houses were cast as one, grand and solemn, yet imbued with mystery. If discovered by the outside world, these would surely be hailed as priceless bronze masterpieces. Objects of such immense scale had never been seen before, making this a revolutionary find.

Chu Feng was typically composed in the face of events, but today he found himself rattled. The presence of such bronze ruins in the mountains of the western lands was truly astounding!

He tried pushing open one of the bronze doors with force. A slightly grating metallic screech echoed, and the bronze door swung open. Chu Feng didn't enter immediately. He stood outside for a moment, and only after it had aired out did he step inside cautiously. It was very quiet within, as if cut off from the outside world; a pin drop would be audible, but it was bare and empty. There were no other objects, neither on the ground nor on the walls. The other two bronze houses were the same: empty inside, devoid of furniture like tables or chairs. He checked carefully; nothing was overlooked. The bronze houses were simply empty.

Chu Feng stepped back, gazing at the three bronze houses, filled with countless unanswered questions. Were these ancient dwellings, or were they used for rituals? In such a distant ancient era, this was truly too extravagant! Historical records state that the casting of the Houmuwu Ding during the Yin-Shang dynasty required two to three hundred artisans working in close coordination to complete it with great difficulty. In ancient times, how incredibly difficult would it have been to cast three bronze houses?!

Chu Feng lingered there for a long time before resuming his ascent. Several hours later, he was finally nearing the summit, with about two hundred meters left to climb. He was sweating profusely. His physical condition was excellent; he was tall and robust. Yet, climbing such a large mountain for an extended period left him very fatigued.

As he neared the summit, he gazed out. The mountain ranges undulated, and the land stretched magnificently, while he himself felt infinitesimally small, like a speck of dust. Standing on the colossal mountain, looking up at the sky, so close and azure, brought a sense of liberation to his heart. All worries, personal honor or disgrace—everything seemed insignificant.

The altitude here was very high, yet there was no snow, and vegetation still grew, which Chu Feng found somewhat peculiar.

“There are signs of lightning strikes!”

Chu Feng noticed scorch marks on the mountain, indicating it had been struck by lightning. Large areas of vegetation had been reduced to ashes, leaving black patches. Furthermore, rocks had been split open, and large sections of the mountain had been damaged. This further convinced him that the thick fog and swirling blue light from several days ago were actually lightning, and that this area had been struck by a lightning storm.

The path ahead was difficult, blocked by piled boulders. Chu Feng detoured, intending to ascend from the other side of the mountain. However, when he rounded the corner and reached the other side of the summit, his body stiffened slightly, his pupils contracted, and for the first time, he felt such profound shock. He hadn't felt this way even when he saw the bronze houses.

A landslide had occurred on this side of the mountain, sending down a thick layer of earth and rocks and revealing a metallic texture beneath.

“A copper mountain!”

After the widespread displacement of earth and rocks, the revealed sight was utterly astonishing. This area near the summit was actually made of bronze, previously buried beneath layers of earth. This wasn't a small section; a vast area, extending nearly two hundred meters from the summit, now displayed a bronze texture. How could one not wonder if this mountain was entirely bronze, with its true nature hidden beneath a surface layer of earth and rocks?

It was truly inconceivable! The full truth remained unknown, but at the very least, this two-hundred-meter-high section of the mountain being bronze was enough to astound the world.

Chu Feng was dumbfounded. A mountain in Kunlun, with a bronze interior, overturned his thoughts and challenged his long-held beliefs. He didn't believe in supernatural phenomena and had always regarded so-called legends as mere stories. But what stood before him was bizarre and inexplicable. After being struck by lightning, the bronze nature of the mountaintop had been revealed. What happened here was truly astonishing and world-shattering!

Chu Feng climbed the copper mountain, stopping about a hundred meters from the summit because it became exceptionally steep—a sheer bronze cliff, making further ascent very difficult. At the same time, he caught a fresh fragrance carried on the wind. This entire area was made of copper, cold metal, and previously, he hadn't seen any vegetation; it had been completely barren.

Chu Feng looked up, searching carefully. Indeed, he saw it: on the bronze cliff face, there was a plant! That area was already part of the summit. He retreated, then sought another path to climb higher from a different direction, gradually approaching, wanting to see it more clearly. Soon after, although he still couldn't reach the very top, he saw it clearly.

A vibrant green sapling, over three feet tall, was incredibly rooted directly into the bronze cliff face. It bore a single flower bud, poised to bloom. Chu Feng was certain he hadn't seen wrong. There was no earth or rock there, only bronze, and the tree was inexplicably rooted in the copper cliff. This was too astonishing, almost incomprehensible.

He changed his position, choosing a spot more conducive to climbing, getting closer, and seeing clearly: the sapling was indeed rooted in the bronze!