/
The closer they came to the Gemini Peaks, the more the surrounding temperature dropped. That chill that seemed to pierce one to the bone was hard to bear even for Yu Ren Shu.
In order to keep warm, they drank all the alcohol that’d been prepared for Zhi Xuan and was cursed at for a while. Jiang Chao Ge promised that when they arrived at a bigger city, he would definitely buy a Na Wu Pouch with more space.
On the way, they saw many random rare beasts. There were ones that flew and ones that walked, all limited in number so they also didn’t dare approach them. Only that annoying Xian reappeared once again, causing them to feel a foreboding premonition.
The Gemini Peaks were already in front of their eyes. The two huge peaks pierced the clouds. The top was concealed behind a curtain of snow making it impossible for them to judge how tall it really was. The haze gave rise to an invisible sense of oppression. The valley between the two peaks was like the entryway to hell. The fog made it hard to make out anything clearly yet it emitted a sense of horror like a dark cave.
“I can sense many things even from this distance.” Zhi Xuan whispered.
“Is that so….” Jiang Chao Ge gulped, uncertain of what he’ll see once they walk in.
Ruan Qian Xiu asked: “The area of the valley between the two peaks isn’t small. How will we find a weapon?”
Yu Ren Shu said: “Usually the landform of the place in which a Heaven grade spirit weapon resides will always be a bit strange. Because Heaven grade spirit weapons are extremely heavy, it will often make a pit. The ground will sink, destroying the form of the mountain. So as long as we find the general location it’s not hard to find.”
Long Xiang said with a frown: “Then what if it’s buried underground? With the few people we have, how are we going to excavate it?”
Yu Ren Shu and Jiang Chao Ge’s eyes met, “If we don’t find the right one, we won’t excavate it. We’ll tell Qi Ling Feng the news and let him send people to excavate it.”
Zui You shook his fur, “I always feel you’re hiding some big secret.”
Long Xiang and Ruan Qian Xiu also thought so, only they obediently didn’t ask. They only temporarily joined up for the own benefits after all. They will go their seperate ways after coming down the mountain.
After the entering the valley, it truly was like the guide said. There was hardly any sunlight with the mountain peak blocking it and was very dark. But in any case it still blocked the wind and snow. Their line of vision immediately become much clearer, no long unable to open their eyes because of the wind.
They saw several Ling Hu , Ju Ji and many Xiao. Those Ju Ji were about the size of a dog and looked like a hedgehog with the face of a mouse. It had a body full of thick spines. They rolled around playfully in the snow and when they saw them, they moved to the side, staring fixedly at them.
Jiang Chao Ge was seriously concerned that they’d attack. The spines on their back looked very painful. But how good would it be if those spines were made into daggers and drilled into something. Unfortunately, he couldn’t bring anything away.
Because they had two Heaven grade spirit beasts escorting them, they never came across another surprise attack. After searching the valley for almost a whole day they still had no results. It was only when the sun began to set did they find a cave within the depths of the valley. The entrance of this cave was less that three metres tall. Even Zheng Cheng had to crawl in, let alone Tian Rong’s beast form. This was the only peculiarity they’d found after searching for so long. The cave entrance was very circular, unlike a naturally formed cave. But the walls of the cave were too rough with no sign of it being chiseled by a tool. It didn’t seem like the work of human craftsman. One cannot help but become curious of how this cave was formed.
Yu Ren Shu sat on Tian Rong’s back and circled around the perimeter. With a few leaps, Tian Rong leapt on the side of the Gemini Peaks and looked down from above. After a while, he came down and said somewhat excitedly: “It’s quite possibly right here. You can’t tell from the ground, but from a high place you can tell that this entire surface is lower than other places.”
Jiang Chao Ge rubbed his hands, “Let’s go inside and look. The spirit weapon could very possibly be in this cave.”
Everyone looked at that dark cave and were all inevitably somewhat anxious. But they’d already walked to here, there definitely wasn’t a way back. Tian Rong and Zui You both transformed into the form of humans. Ruan Qian Xiu also recalled Zheng Cheng. They walked towards the cave by foot.
They hadn’t even walked a few metres in when a piercing scream came from behind. They turned around abruptly and saw seven or eight Xiao flying inside, blocking the road in front of them, screeching uncontrollably. Although these Xiao kept following them before, they always kept a distance, never letting them near. Now they were so close to them, essentially asking for death.
Ruan Qian Xiu hand stroked Zheng Cheng Crescent Blades.
“Wait……” Jiang Chao Ge frowned: “They seem to want to prevent us from going inside.”
Those Xiao were really blocking the road ahead of them, yet didn’t dare come too close, only screeching with a ferocious expression. Their ugly bat like appearance looked particularly like a little demon in the pitch black cave.
“Could the cave have something frightening?”
Yu Ren Shu said: “So what if there is.”
That’s right. So what if there was. They no longer had a road back anyway.
Their footsteps didn’t stop, walking into the depths of the cave without hesitation. The Xiao followed them for more than a hundred metres. The interior of the cave became more and more spacious, yet it also became darker and darker. They ignited a book. Those Xiao seemed afraid of going any further and flew away with a few anguished wails.
Zhi Xuan rubbed his ears, “A group of unsightly brutes. So noisy.”
“Do you feel anything yet?” Jiang Chao Ge asked.
“Nothing special.”
“This cave is really quiet. Doesn’t seem like there’d be anything in it.” Ruan Qian Xiu gulped. Even though she appeared fearless on the surface, she obviously wasn’t so calm in her heart.
They moved into the depths of the cave with the greatest care. It felt more and more like they were walking downhill. This cave was way bigger than they’d imagined. It was simply as if a insect within these mountain peaks had burrowed such a long snaking cave.
Suddenly Zhi Xuan moved within Jiang Chao Ge’s embrace, “Felt it. There really is a spirit weapon.”
“Oh? Then can you feel what kind of rare beast it is?”
Zhi Xuan shook his head, “In order to know what rare beast it is, I can either smell it with my nose or see it with my eyes. Right now I can only sense a thread of spiritual energy from the spirit weapon. It shouldn’t be far from here.”
“Very good.” Yu Ren Shu tightened his grip on his weapon, expectation heavy in his eyes.
Among everyone here, the one with the strongest desire to find the Divine grade spirit weapons was this exiled prince. Because this was a mission he must complete even at the sacrifice of his honour and dignity. Only by completing the mission can he prove that his choice was right, worthy.
They continued forward. A massive pit appeared before their eyes. Sweeping over it with a weak flame, they could barely make out any boundaries. It was impossible to confirm how big, how wide the pit was.
Yu Ren Shu had once helped the imperial family find three Heaven grade spirit weapons with the help of the State Preceptor. Almost every time, the weapon would press out a large pit in the ground. As soon as he saw the pit, he knew that they’d found it. Only they didn’t know if it was a Divine grade spirit weapon or not.
Jiang Chao Ge said: “Going down?” Yet his voice was determined.
Yu Ren Shu nodded, “Going down.”
Right now the cave was wide. Tian Rong transformed into his beast form and carefully jumped into the pit with Yu Ren Shu, Jiang Chao Ge and Zhi Xuan. The others followed in succession.
That pit wasn’t steep at all but it’s area didn’t seem small either. After they descended more than twenty metres, they found something strange by their feet. It’s colour was like withered rice straw yet it was as straight as a ramrod. It was more than a fingers length, about as thick as a toothpick and scattered all over the floor.
“Why is this thing somewhat familiar.” Zui You poked at it with a claw, “Eh? It’s hard.”
Long Xiang jumped down from his back, picked up a ‘rice straw’, let out a soft ‘ah’ and opened his palm. His finger had been pricked.
“It’s sharp?”
Long Xiang nodded, “It’s very sharp, unlike a plant. More like an animal’s spikes.”
“What could have such small concentrated spikes?”
Zhi Xuan frowned: “But I can’t sense any rare beasts at all.” He froze, “There’s only one possibility; that rare beast is hibernating. When breathing is at its lowest, spiritual power can barely be felt.”
Tian Rong said: “There really is somewhat of a smell but it’s very strange. Since it’s hibernating we don’t need to worry about it. Let’s hurry and find the spirit weapon. It’s just up ahead.”
They continued into that big pit. On the way, they continuously stepped on those small sharp spikes. After they walked for more than two hundred metres, something round appeared before their eyes. It was bigger than ones head, indistinct and precisely in the centre of the pit.
“That should be it.” Yu Ren Shu jumped off Tian Rong and walked towards it on foot. Shining the fire over it, they could finally make out it’s outer appearance. it was a big meteor hammer , it’s chain and round body covered in rust. It looked just like Zhi Xuan Sword, like junk.
Yu Ren Shu grabbed the chain and forcefully pulled. It didn’t move an inch as if the meteor hammer was fixed to the ground. Yu Ren Shu said: “Yes it’s a Heaven grade spirit weapon.”
Jiang Chao Ge put Zhi Xuan down. Zhi Xuan walked to the meteor hammer, sniffed it carefully and shook his head: “Not this one.”
Yu Ren Shu stiffened, eyes drooping, unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes.
They made the long and arduous journey here yet they only found a Heaven grade spirit weapon. It really was very disappointing.
Jiang Chao Ge walked over and patted him, “Shu don’t take it to heart too much. Our mission wasn’t that easy to accomplish to begin with. Tian Ling continent is only this large, how hard could it be to find them. Let’s go search again.”
Yu Ren Shu nodded, stood up and sighed heavily.
Long Xiang finally couldn’t bear it any longer, “What are you even trying to find? I’ve travelled everywhere for years. If you tell me, maybe I can help you.”
Yu Ren Shu shook his head, “Can’t say.” Long Xiang said coldly: “Then there’s nothing that can be done. Since this isn’t what you want, let’s descend the mountain.”
Unwilling to give up, Yu Ren Shu went behind the meteor hammer, “Ruan Qian Xiu, do you want to try if you are compatible?”
Ruan Qian Xiu shook her head, “I’m very satisfied with Zheng Cheng and even if I was compatible, I can’t use a meteor hammer.”
Jiang Chao Ge said: “If its compatible, at least it’ll be easier for us to transport it down the mountain.” He thought for a moment, “What about using it to plead for leniency with Qi Ling Feng?”
Ruan Qian Xiu’s expression went cold, “Impossible. Qi Ling Feng wouldn’t let me off.”
“Why? You could vow a poisonous oath to him, that you won’t speak a word of Qi Clan’s techniques.” Ruan Qian Xiu shook her head, “Its not that simple.”
Jiang Chao Ge’s heart moved. He somehow felt that he’d caught something. Perhaps Ruan Qian Xiu hadn’t just stolen a simple Qi Clan cultivation technique. Qi Ling Feng didn’t seem to be as venomous as a snake, otherwise he might’ve killed Ruan Qian Xiu from the start. Now he didn’t hesitate to commission Blood Temple to take the life of Ruan Qian Xiu. If it was only to protect the Clan’s cultivation techniques from being leaked, it seemed a bit excessive. Firstly, it would inevitably create a divide between him and his valued second son. Secondly, he should understand that Ruan Qian Xiu wasn’t that stupid, why would she dare leak Qi Clan cultivations techniques. Unless, Qi Ling Feng had another reason he must kill her. Of course, this was all Jiang Chao Ge’s conjuncture. The true circumstances only the fallen out father and daughter knew.
Under the expectant gaze of everyone, Ruan Qian Xiu still walked over to try it. As expected, it wouldn’t move at all. She let go, “Can’t do it.”
Yu Ren Shu said: “Nothing can be done, let’s go.”
Zhi Xuan suddenly shouted: “There’s something!”
He had barely spoken when the floor beneath everyone’s feet began to tremble. Some of them were already unsteady standing on the slope and almost fell over.
Tian Rong shouted: “Quick withdraw!”
Everyone climbed up rare beasts in succession.
With a push of toes, Yu Ren Shu leapt upwards and seemed about to get on Tian Rong’s back in one move. Suddenly, something flung forwards in the dark. It was very fast and seemed to land on Yu Ren Shu’s body in a blink of an eye. That thing was like a whip, winding around Yu Ren Shu’s leg, binding his leg in an instant!
Yu Ren Shu gave a loud shout, whipped out Tian Rong Jian on his back and ferociously stabbing down. The strong spiritual power contained within the Jian directly made the thing wrapped his leg fall into pieces!
He hadn’t fallen to the floor yet and was already caught by Tian Rong and thrown onto his own back. Tian Rong said urgently: “Are you alright?”
“Leg…..” Yu Ren Shu said through gritted teeth: “I know what that is, it’s a long snake . We’ve entered a snake lair!”
Long snake. It’s body could be tens of metres long and full of bristle like steel skin. The older it was the bigger it was and the harder the steel skin. It was incomparably fierce by nature. This was what Jiang Chao Ge saw in <<The Records of Rare Beasts>> . So the thin spikes all over the floor from before was the shod steel skin of the long snakes!
The floor continued to tremble. In the dim light of the flame, the long shapes of snakes moved continuously, all of different sizes. A lower estimate of numbers would be tens of them. Yu Ren Shu was right, they’d entered a snake lair. Jiang Chao Ge shouted: “Are long snakes Heaven grade rare beasts or Dark grade rare beasts?”
“Snakes have a long lifespan and can easily cultivate. If they cultivate for over a thousand years, it’ll naturally be Heaven grade.”
Zui You said: “I hope there isn’t a Heaven grade huge snake here.”
They’d scarcely finished talking when a huge snake head broke through the earth. The whole cave quaked and seemed as if it’d collapse at any time. They jumped on the backs of rare beasts and ran wildly towards the cave entrance. Even if they really had to fight, they couldn’t fight here. They couldn’t get buried alive.
After being awakened from hibernation, the snake was very very hungry. It would eat anything it saw. Right now it naturally pursued them relentlessly. The long snake slithered extremely quickly. Zui You fell to the rear and seemed about to be caught up to.
Jiang Chao Ge used his thighs to hold onto Tian Rong’s back, freeing his hands to check Yu Ren Shu’s wound.
Luckily, the thick quilted pants acted as a shield, the long snake’s steel skin didn’t pierce too deeply. The wound wasn’t serious, only that row of small bloody holes was really a ghastly sight.
They didn’t have time to dress the wound. Yu Ren Shu said: “Its alright. Doesn’t effect movement.” He looked back at the long snake in relentless pursuit behind them and knew there would undoubtedly be a fierce fight.
Jiang Chao Ge said to Zhi Xuan: “Do you want to return to the sword?”
Zhi Xuan said: “No need. They won’t dare come near me.”
“How do you know?”
“They just won’t dare to. If I’m by your side, it’ll be a little safer.”
Tian Rong said: “He’s right. Normally rare beasts will all avoid him. Humans can’t sense it, but rare beasts can sense it.”
They could already see light ahead. They would soon be able to escape the cave. The whole cave seemed about to collapse, continuously raining broken rock. The three rare beasts ran for their lives. But very quickly they became aware of a serious problem and that was the closer they got to the cave entrance the narrower the surrounding walls became. It wouldn’t fit them at all.
Yu Ren Shu said calmly: “Let’s face the enemy.”