Chapter 450 - 442: Floating Peak
"How much longer until we arrive?"
The flight seemed to be dragging on, and Mu Chen couldn’t help but frown. He could tell from his connection to the Extreme Wood Attribute that they had already left the Mist Forest far behind. And yet, his visibility, rather than improving, had actually decreased significantly.
"Er..." Wu Yue, who was leading the way, turned his head and smiled. "We’re almost there. You might find it strange, but this mist isn’t natural like the one in the Mist Forest. It’s an Illusion Array."
"An Illusion Array?" Long Xiaotian’s expression tensed, and his Primordial Power began to flare faintly around him.
Seeing Long Xiaotian’s reaction, Wu Yue quickly held up his hands. "Whoa, easy there! I didn’t lead you in here on purpose. We can’t get to Holy Tomb Mountain without passing through this Illusion Array."
"Xiao Tian, don’t be rash."
Mu Chen quickly stopped Long Xiaotian’s outburst. Remembering that Long Xiaotian was a Fire Attribute Martial Artist, he instinctively glanced over at Ye Shuangshuang. He saw that Qing Lei was gripping her right hand; clearly, the two Fire Attribute Martial Artists had reacted in the exact same way.
Shaking his head, Mu Chen said, "I understand. Let’s keep going. If Holy Tomb Mountain had no defenses whatsoever, I’d actually be more suspicious that he was leading us somewhere else."
"That’s true." It dawned on Long Xiaotian, and he let the Primordial Power around him dissipate.
Wu Yue nodded at Mu Chen and once again led the group onward, flying toward Holy Tomb Mountain.
"Xiao Tian, Mu Hua, how come it’s just the two of you?" The flight was growing dull, and Mu Chen asked, having just noticed that both Shi Mu Hua and Long Xiaotian were alone.
Shi Mu Hua was still lost in his thoughts, but he turned his head at Mu Chen’s question and gave a wry smile. "Just bad luck. When I was teleported, there was no one else around. As for Xiao Tian, I only just ran into him on my way to you."
Long Xiaotian grunted in agreement, his eyes flashing with deep worry. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his companions to pass the trial safely; there were simply too many variables at play. Even though Mu Chen had single-handedly subdued over a hundred of the Holy Tomb Outer Mountain’s Basic Level members, Elder Bai had said that if all of them participated, there were still at least a hundred more. Hundreds of Emperors... the chances of passing were still minuscule. Being short on teammates would undoubtedly cause trouble for Mu Chen’s plan to create a new faction. More people meant more power; that was a truth as old as time.
"I see..." Mu Chen gently closed his eyes, resting his chin on his right hand as he sank into thought...
The mist persisted for nearly an hour before it finally began to dissipate. When the group’s vision cleared, they were so stunned by the sight before them that they froze in place.
"This... is Holy Tomb Mountain...?"
The astonished, faltering question came from Little Tiger, of course.
"How can a sight like this possibly exist in the world..."
Qing Lei’s usually calm and composed expression was completely frozen. His lips parted and closed, as if he were in a trance, muttering ceaselessly.
"..."
As for the others, they were mostly silent. Or rather, they were simply unable to express their shock with words or expressions. Long Xiaotian and Shi Mu Hua were no exception.
"A miracle..."
It wasn’t just Little Tiger. Even Mu Chen, who had witnessed countless fantastical sights, was left gaping in astonishment... for at this very moment, what had appeared before them was... a colossal mountain peak... floating in midair.