918 Strange Mountain Range



At the same time that Qing Yi and Chu Yang began their search for the tunnel that the mole had used to enter the cave, Xuan Hao was making his way deeper inside the mystic realm. Different from his two disciples, he did not have to worry about possibly encountering a Domain Lord Realm demon beast. On the other hand, the demon beast would be the one that had to worry about encountering him…

"Hm?"

As Xuan Hao moved deeper inside the mystic realm, his divine sense soon picked up a mountain range covered in an ethereal mist that blocked his divine sense in the distance. 

Whoosh~

Intrigued by the mountain range and the mist that could block his divine sense, Xuan Hao descended down towards a small path located at the bottom of the mist covered mountain range. Deciding not to directly force his way through the mist, as he had no idea what might be present on the other side of the mist. Given that the mist had the ability to block his divine sense, he at least had to show some degree of cautiousness when entering the mist covered mountain range.

Thumb~

Landing on path leading up into the mist covered mountain range, Xuan Hao could not help narrowing his eyes after feeling the thick spiritual qi drifting down from the mountain range in front of him. The level of spiritual qi present in the air outside the mountain range was close to the same level as the Shattered Star Peak… And this was only the area outside the mountain range! It was easy to imagine just how thick the spiritual qi in the air inside the mountain range would be…

The only thing that made Xuan Hao pause and not continue forward after sensing the pure spirit qi drifting down from the mountains, was the fact that he had a feeling that something was wrong. 

The level of spiritual qi present beneath the mountain range was already this strong, indicating that the level of spiritual qi inside the mountain range covered by the misty veil should have far exceeded that of what should only be a negligible amount of spiritual qi drifting down the mountains.

From his experience in setting up the chaotic qi formation and the fact that it had been upgraded by the system after being completed, Xuan Hao also understood just how hard it would be to gather a large amount of qi in one place and prevent it from leaking out. The difficulty would only increase as the purity of the spiritual qi gathered increased!

With this in mind, Xuan Hao doubted that there was a natural formation powerful enough to surpass the power of the chaotic qi formation covering most of the Shattered Star Peaks-

"Ah!? A new quest!?" 

However, before Xuan Hao could decide on whether or not to take the risk and explore the mysterious mountain range, the sound of the system followed by the appearance of a new quest took him by surprise.

[Side Quest: Mysterious Mountain Range, Part 1]

[Description: You have stumbled upon a mysterious mountain range hidden by an enchanting veil of mist. Passing through the ethereal veil will undoubtedly come with dangers that will not be easy to resolve, but at the same time, treasures and other mystical rewards would undoubtedly also be present amid the danger hidden behind the veil. Show your unwavering courage and enter the mountain realm to find out what is lurking behind the mysterious veil of mist!]

[Reward: Unlock Part 2]

Reading through the new quest that had appeared in front of him, Xuan Hao could not help looking back up at the mountain range in front of him.

Other than the fact that the quest had mentioned that he needed to go through the mist enter the mysterious mountain range, it had also given him some crucial clues as to what might be hiding on the other side of the mist.

Mentioning both dangers that would be difficult to resolve and treasures.

Although Xuan Hao did feel tempted to just rush up the mountain after getting the quest, he also understood that for the system to specifically mention dangers that were difficult to resolve, it meant that there should at the very least be something dangerous enough to threaten someone in the Fourth Tribulation of the Soul Ascension Realm on the other side of the mist. Something that dangerous was not something that would be easy to resolve. Not to mention, he had no idea if it would be something even more dangerous than that!

But… There should be no way I will instantly die from entering the mist. If that was the case, I doubt I would get a quest telling me to enter the mist. 

Thinking about this, Xuan Hao soon decided to follow the path leading deeper into the mountain range and directly towards the veil of mist that made it impossible to see most of the mountain range hidden beneath. 

Following the winding path guiding him through the dense foliage and towering ancient trees at the base of the mountain, Xuan Hao felt a sense of anticipation coursing through his veins as he approached the misty veil that began a few hundred meters up the mountain.

"So, this is the mist stopping my divine sense?" Muttering this to himself as he came to a stop in front of the misty veil, Xuan Hao casually grabbed the mist and tried to investigate it to no avail. Be it his divine sense or dao domain, none of them could penetrate through the thin looking mist. Even after he had separated it from the rest of the mist.

In the end, Xuan Hao could only let go of the mist he had grabbed and watch it slowly fall to the ground before dispersing into the surroundings, like it had never even existed in the first place.

Looks like entering the mist is the only way to find out what is on the other side…

Feeling a bit nervous as he looked at the mysterious mist in front of him, Xuan Hao slowly took a step forward into the mist. Soon, the mist enveloped him, caressing his skin with a cool, ethereal touch and before long his entire body was swallowed up.

…

Having entered the mist, Xuan Hao found himself traversing a series of treacherous cliffs and perilous ravines on a narrow path barely large enough for one person to walk on. If not for the fact that the path had been marked by small stone lampposts gently guiding him through the mist, Xuan Hao was certain that he would have ended up getting lost inside the mist. Especially considering that he could not use his divine sense or dao domain to find his way inside the mist. All he could do was follow the gentle light of the stone lampposts and hope they didn't lead him somewhere dangerous.

After traveling along the narrow path for what felt like days, he finally left the mist and arrived at a serene plateau.

A short distance away stood an awe-inspiring sight— a grand temple, carved into the mountain itself. Its stone pillars reaching towards the sky above, adorned with all sorts of intricate engravings depicting different celestial beings either battling each other or peacefully cultivating.

Approaching the temple's entrance, Xuan Hao could not help feeling awed at the massive wooden doors intricately carved with different mythical creatures, some like the celestial dragons and soaring phoenixes, while others were a complete mystery.

Although he had not encountered any of the dangers that the system had mentioned so far, he had a feeling that the quiet temple was not as harmless as it looked from the outside. 

Creak~

Pushing open the large doors of the grand temple, Xuan Hao hesitated for a moment before stepping inside and was greeted by an eerie silene that seemed to echo across the empty hall on the other side of the doors.

The vast hall was in a state of complete darkness. The only source of light coming in through the pair of doors that Xuan Hao had just opened. Only barely illuminated some of the golden scriptures that lined the walls of the vast hall.

"Why is this place so creepy…" Not knowing what to feel when he saw the dark hall filled with nothing more than golden scriptures telling long forgotten stories of the people who had once lived in the grand temple, Xuan Hao could not help felling an unknown sense of discomfort wash over him.

So far, the grand temple was by far one of the creepiest places he had ever been… And the worst part was the fact that the grand temple seemed to go even deeper into the side of the mountain.

At this point in time, Xuan Hao wanted nothing more than for a demon beast or something to show up and dispel the eerie feeling that had managed to engulf him.