Translator: CinderTL
Seeing the doubtful gazes from the crowd, Gui Ni offered no explanation. Instead, he summoned a black Ghost Banner.
With a slight shake of the banner, a first-tier Fierce Ghost materialized.
The Fierce Ghost landed on the stone steps and began ascending the mountain, step by step.
To everyone's astonishment, the Fierce Ghost passed through the barrier of the formation without any hindrance, entering the interior of the array.
Then, a bolt of thunder suddenly struck down, hitting the Fierce Ghost.
Without even a scream, the ghost's form instantly disintegrated, vanishing without a trace.
"By following these stone steps, one can pass through the formation's barrier without triggering its attacks," Gui Ni explained.
The crowd exchanged glances, surprised that the method to enter the mountain was so straightforward and right before their eyes.
Gou Jun spoke up, "Although we can ascend the mountain by following the steps, the thunder along the way is not easy to withstand. I doubt any of us can make it to the top alone. Why don't we go up together and share the treasures at the summit?"
After hearing this, no one responded immediately.
As a corpse cultivator, Gou Jun naturally had a disadvantage against thunder techniques, so he hoped to have companions.
However, no one knew what treasures lay within the Immortal Spirit Pavilion at the summit.
If the treasures were limited and indivisible, conflicts would inevitably arise among them.
But one thing Gou Jun said was correct: none of them were confident in ascending the mountain alone.
As the group hesitated, Lan Chen suddenly asked, "Where did that Thunder Falcon go?"
Only then did everyone remember they had been chasing the Thunder Falcon to this place.
Yet, there was no sign of the Thunder Falcon here.
"Its nest should be nearby," Yang Yu said.
After a pause, Yang Yu continued, "Let's find that beast first. If it suddenly attacks while we're climbing, it could complicate things."
Seeing that no one directly answered him, Gou Jun felt somewhat displeased.
However, he didn't show it and instead followed Yang Yu's suggestion, saying, "Then let's search for the Thunder Falcon first."
The group dispersed again, searching the nearby mountains for traces of the Thunder Falcon.
Song Wen, however, did not fly away. Instead, he turned and walked toward a cliff not far away.
This cliff faced the stone steps of Thunder Mountain, separated by less than a mile.
Song Wen approached the cliff because at the base of Thunder Mountain's steps, there was a small green stone path.
The end of this path led to the cliff.
Why would someone build such a dead-end path for no reason?
Out of curiosity, Song Wen decided to investigate.
Using his Divine Sense and keen eyesight, Song Wen repeatedly scanned the cliff but found nothing unusual.
The cliff before him was just an ordinary stone wall.
After some thought, Song Wen used his Spiritual Power to lift a millstone-sized rock from the ground and hurled it at the stone wall.
Suddenly, a blue light flashed on the wall.
The large rock shattered into pieces upon hitting the blue light, which then vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Song Wen leaped into the air, retreating several miles.
Then, he activated his Void Breaking Blade and slashed at the stone wall.
The moment the blade made contact, the wall erupted with a dazzling light.
When the light faded, the original stone wall was gone, replaced by a small flat area.
In the center of this area was an engraved formation.
At the center of the formation stood a square altar, half the height of a person.
The commotion here immediately attracted the attention of others. In an instant, nine Nascent Soul cultivators appeared beside the altar.
After examining the altar for a moment, everyone wore expressions of confusion.
"Fellow Daoists, does anyone know the purpose of this altar?" Gou Jun asked.
Yang Yu frowned deeply, "The patterns on the ground and the runes on the altar are vastly different from those in the current Immortal Cultivation World. It's likely that no one knows the purpose of this altar."
After speaking, he turned to look at Mi Hai.
"Master Mi Hai, does your Buddhist sect have a similar altar?"
Mi Hai shook his head, "These patterns and runes have no connection to my Buddhist sect. I do not recognize them."
Yang Yu then looked at Song Wen and asked, "Fellow Daoist Yin Shuo, since you discovered this altar, do you know its purpose?"
Song Wen shook his head, "I have never seen this altar before."
"Then how did you know there was an altar here?" Yang Yu continued to ask.
Song Wen pointed to the stone path on the ground and explained the process of discovering the altar.
After hearing this, everyone was somewhat disappointed. Song Wen's discovery process was of no use in exploring the altar's purpose.
Gou Jun suddenly spoke up, "Everyone, the area we are in now should be where the Divine Blood Hall once raised spirit beasts. This altar is likely related to spirit beasts and probably of no use to us. Let's not waste time on it. Instead, let's discuss how to ascend the mountain. Only by reaching the Immortal Spirit Pavilion at the summit can we uncover more secrets of this place."
"But we haven't found any trace of the Thunder Falcon yet," Mi Hai said.
"We've searched hundreds of miles around and found no trace of that beast. It's most likely hiding in Thunder Mountain. As cultivators, we can't be timid because of a late-stage fourth-tier beast," Gou Jun said.
Mi Hai replied, "Master Gou Jun makes a valid point. I propose we rest for a while. In three days, we will begin our ascent. What do you all think?"
After some discussion, everyone agreed to Mi Hai's suggestion.
Three days later.
As everyone stood before the staircase, ready to ascend, Song Wen spoke up.
"Fellow Daoists, after much consideration, I have decided not to join you in climbing the mountain. My cultivation is too low, and I practice the Corpse Path Art, which is countered by thunder techniques. Forcing myself to climb this mountain could be life-threatening. I plan to search this area to see if I can find other opportunities."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Song Wen in surprise.
The Immortal Spirit Pavilion at the summit might hold clues about the 'Fallen Immortal Blood,' and Song Wen was giving up now?
However, they didn't say much.
After all, with Song Wen's early-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, he might only hold them back if he joined them.
Lan Chen said, "Yin Shuo, don't you want to give it a try? With us accompanying you, we can share some of the burden. Perhaps you might succeed in reaching the summit."
Song Wen shook his head, "Thank you, Fairy Lan Chen. My decision is final. The path of cultivation ultimately relies on oneself."
Hearing this, Lan Chen did not continue to persuade him.
Although they were temporarily traveling together, when real danger arose, it would be fortunate if no one stabbed them in the back. Who would genuinely help?
"It's just as well that Yin Shuo isn't going up the mountain. He can help guard the entrance to the steps. In case the Thunder Falcon or some other beast suddenly comes up the mountain and ambushes us from behind, Yin Shuo can give us some warning. Also, Yin Shuo, since you're alone here, be mindful of your own safety. If you encounter danger and can't handle it, you can use the Ten-Foot Bloodstone to leave the Divine Blood Hall's secret realm. The Ten-Foot Bloodstone is on the path we took to get here," Yang Yu said.
He wasn't genuinely concerned about Song Wen's safety; he was merely doing a favor.
The location of the Ten-Foot Bloodstone was seen by everyone when they came to Thunder Mountain, so there was no need for him to remind Song Wen.
"Thank you for the reminder, Yang Yu," Song Wen said, cupping his hands in gratitude.
As he spoke, Song Wen glanced at the altar, intentionally or not.
The moment he discovered the altar, Song Wen knew that the greatest opportunity in this place was this very altar.
There couldn't be a greater opportunity at the mountain's peak.
(End of the Chapter)
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