The Monastery of the Moon's Rest sat on the edge of a jagged cliff where the air was so thin it made the lungs burn with every breath. The stone walls were painted a deep red color that stood out against the white snow of the Kunlun peaks. Li Mei stood at the heavy bronze gates and looked up at the tiered roofs. She used her Golden Finger to analyze the atmosphere of the holy place. She did not smell the clean scent of high-altitude incense or the wax of prayer candles. She identified the scent of frozen sulfur, bitter arsenic, and the metallic tang of old blood.
"The Abbot is waiting for you in the Hall of Eternal Silence," a young monk said as he opened the gates.
The monk did not look at them directly. He kept his head bowed. His voice was flat and lacked any emotion. Prince Zhao stepped forward and placed himself between Li Mei and the monk. He was the invincible warrior who sensed the looming crisis. He felt the silver power in his blood vibrate with a feeling of warning. He noticed that the monk's hands were hidden inside his long sleeves.
"We are grateful for your hospitality," Zhao said. His voice was steady and carried the authority of the Tang.
They walked through the stone courtyard. The twenty Lunar Dissidents followed them in a tight formation. The courtyard was filled with monks who were sitting in meditation. None of them moved as the caravan passed. Mei looked at their faces. She used her rationality and responsibility to observe their physical condition. She saw that their skin was pale and their veins were a dark silver color. She recognized this as the Background of the silver-blue crystalline plague.
"Zhao, they are not meditating," Mei whispered. "They are in a state of suspended life. Their heartbeats are very slow and their bodies are turning into mineral."
They entered the Hall of Eternal Silence. The room was large and cold. The only light came from a single silver lamp in the center of the hall. The Abbot sat on a raised wooden platform. He was an old man with a long white beard. He looked at them with eyes that were no longer brown. His eyes were a solid, glowing silver color.
"You have come a long way to find the sleeping god," the Abbot said. "But the god has already spoken to us. He has told us that the Tang is a kingdom of the past."
"Who told you this, Abbot?" Zhao asked. He gripped the hilt of his sword.
A shadow moved behind the wooden platform. A man stepped into the light of the silver lamp. He wore a robe made of black silk that was covered in purple symbols. It was the Shadow Priest. He was the antagonist who had escaped from the palace in Chang'an. He held a staff made of black basalt that was topped with a glowing silver crystal.
"The Alchemist and the Prince have arrived," the Shadow Priest said. He had a small smile on his face. "I told the monks that you were coming to steal the essence of the First Wolf for your own power."
"You are using the people of this monastery as a laboratory," Mei said. She spoke with a look of empathy for the silent monks. "I can smell the arsenic you used to trigger their transformation. You are killing them to feed the crystal on your staff."
"They are not dying," the Shadow Priest replied. "They are becoming eternal. They are the new dimensions of the silver army."
He tapped his staff on the floor. The sound was like a hammer hitting a bell. In the courtyard outside, the meditating monks began to stand up. Their movements were stiff and produced a clicking sound. The blue crystals began to grow through their robes. This was a life and death crisis. The caravan was surrounded by a hundred glass-creatures in the middle of a mountain stronghold.
"We must reach the lower levels of the monastery," Mei said. Her Golden Finger identified a new scent coming from beneath the hall. It was the scent of hot volcanic steam and ancient musk. "The source is directly below us. The Shadow Priest is using the monks to protect the entrance."
Zhao looked at his men. He knew that this was the most difficult battle of their marathon. He tapped into the silver blessing in his soul. His eyes turned silver and his sword began to glow with a brilliant light.
"Mei, stay behind me," Zhao ordered. "We will break through the hall and find the sleeping god."