Chapter 447 - 220: Real or Fake!
Snow stretched endlessly across the Celestial Mountains!
A clear, spring-fed stream coursed down the mountainside, nourishing the fertile soil below.
’It seems Great Zhou has long seen the Central Plains as a potential enemy and made preparations in advance. An arrangement like this is clearly no longer limited to the war between the Great Shang and Great Zhou. Their sights are set on the entire Blue Star World.’
Zhao Rui strode out of the dense forest and glanced up at the peak. With a flicker of his form, he leaped dozens of yards in an instant.
Not long after he left, three bewildered disciples of the Celestial Mountain Sect emerged from the forest and continued down the mountain.
Zhao Rui hadn’t killed them. He couldn’t control the overall situation in the Central Plains right now, and startling the snake by beating the grass would only complicate matters.
It was better to go with the flow, pretend he knew nothing, and secretly find the mastermind to pull the rug out from under them.
After all, these were pawns placed by the people of Great Zhou from the Pangu Continent. Their scope, the extent of their infiltration, their ultimate goal—Zhao Rui knew nothing about any of it.
The strength of an individual was, after all, limited.
Zhao Rui’s desire for greater strength grew even more fervent.
Not for fame or fortune, but simply to have the power to protect himself and his loved ones during the coming war.
’The Martial Arts of the Celestial Mountain Sect have their own unique strengths. I wonder how powerful this fake Mr. Zeng the Elder really is.’
The night was dim, the snowy mountain shimmering faintly in the moonlight as Zhao Rui quietly infiltrated the simple outpost of the Celestial Mountain Sect.
His target, of course, was that peculiar structure hewn from blocks of ice.
The entire Sect was exceptionally quiet, an unsettling, unnatural stillness.
Aside from a few patrolling disciples at the gate, not a single person had emerged from within.
Seeing his chance, Zhao Rui used his Lightweight Skill. He moved like a phantom, treading on the air itself and leaving no trace on the snow as he silently approached the small building.
But he was in no hurry to make a move. Instead, he lay prone on the roof and activated his Snowy Frost Palm Heart Method, effectively becoming one with the solid ice as he waited in silence.
Stars filled the night sky!
Suddenly, a low, guttural cry erupted from the room. It was a hoarse, agonized sound, as if someone were enduring immense pain.
If it weren’t for Zhao Rui lying in wait outside, with his immensely profound Inner Strength, he would never have heard a thing.
"Hiss... Argh!"
The sounds continued for a full hour before gradually subsiding.
Then, the door opened. The same Mr. Zeng the Elder from before staggered out, his hair completely disheveled.
He limped on a lame foot, his body hunched over. With each hobbling step, he looked less and less human.
Zhao Rui’s eyes narrowed at the bizarre sight. ’In this state,’ he thought, ’he doesn’t have the slightest resemblance to a master of the Martial Dao.’
Just as this thought struck him, Mr. Zeng the Elder suddenly twisted his head around. His eyes, glowing with a faint red light, gave Zhao Rui a start.
’Those aren’t human eyes. They’re the pupils of a wild beast!’
They shone with a cold, bestial intent, like those of a starving wolf, casting an eerie glint in the darkness.
Mr. Zeng the Elder swept his gaze coldly over the area, then slowly turned his head back.
He then began to limp and hobble away from the Sect’s grounds.
The farther he went, the straighter his posture became and the more fluid his steps grew.
By the time he reached the Sect’s wooden gate, he had completely returned to his former appearance.
Zhao Rui quietly slipped off the roof. Combining his Charming Maiden Formless Celestial Demon Great Method with his Ice True Intent, he moved across the snow like a gliding snake, silently following.
After leaving the Sect, Mr. Zeng the Elder headed toward the peak of the Snow Mountain.
He started at a normal walk, but his speed steadily increased until his figure was nothing more than a trail of afterimages.
Zhao Rui quickly increased his own speed to keep up.
One chasing, one fleeing, the two of them raced across the vast expanse of the Snow Mountain.
They ran like this for a full two hours.
Finally, Mr. Zeng the Elder arrived before a small, snow-covered peak.
He stopped, gathered power in his hands, and with a fierce pulling gesture, an immense surge of True Essence pulsed outward, instantly clearing the peak of all accumulated snow.
’With a snow-clearing trick like that,’ Zhao Rui mused, ’he’d be a top-tier sanitation worker, no question.’
As the snow vanished, the peak’s true face was revealed. There, at its base, was a cave.
Mr. Zeng the Elder strode directly inside.
Zhao Rui hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow him in.
The cave entrance wasn’t large, only about seven feet wide and ten feet high, but the passage beyond was long and winding.
Zhao Rui dared not make a sound, moving without his feet touching the ground and using his Domain Power to completely mask his presence.
After about ten minutes, Mr. Zeng the Elder’s figure came to a halt. He fiddled with something, and a small door suddenly opened in what had appeared to be a dead end.
Mr. Zeng the Elder glanced back furtively, then slipped inside with a WHOOSH.
The small door immediately swung shut behind him.
With that, it was impossible for any outsider to get any closer.
Seeing this, Zhao Rui had no choice but to slowly retreat from the cave. He found a hollow outside, covered himself with snow, and settled in to wait.
He waited for the better part of the day before Mr. Zeng the Elder finally emerged, strolling casually out of the cave.
He then spread his palms, and a powerful force surged from his body. Driven by his True Qi, countless tons of ice and snow swirled up from the surroundings, covering the face of the peak once again in mere moments.
Once this was done, he flashed away, heading back toward the Celestial Mountain Sect. In just a few flickering movements, he was already hundreds of yards away.
Zhao Rui didn’t follow. Instead, he leaped down from the slope, his eyes fixed on the snow-covered peak. After a moment’s hesitation, he unleashed several blasts of Piercing Palm Force at the spot where the cave entrance was hidden.
The impact of the Palm Force triggered an avalanche. The snow in front of the cave entrance collapsed, piling up into a small hill in moments.