124: Chapter 124 The Remnants

As they ascended Qinghua Mountain, the terrain grew increasingly steep, and ancient trees blocked out the sky, casting vast shadows.

The air was suffused with an aura of vicissitudes and antiquity, as if every inch of soil and every rock were recounting stories sealed away by time. The mountain mist grew thick, intermingled with wisps of strange energy fluctuations that caused a subtle, pervasive pressure on the soul.

The mountain path beneath their feet had long since vanished, replaced by rugged, uneven scree and the gnarled, tangled roots of ancient trees. The group had to employ their movement techniques to leap and maneuver through the forest, yet their speed inevitably slowed.

"Everyone, be careful. The aura here is wrong." As a Soul Refining Cultivator, Zheng Chen possessed the keenest Mental Energy. He came to a halt and warned them with a solemn expression.

Almost the instant his voice fell, a clear, resonant sword hum emanated from the dense forest not far ahead, followed immediately by an incomparably sharp Sword Intent that soared into the sky, tearing a rift through the enveloping mist.

"That is the sword technique of the Zetian Sect!" Ye Hao exclaimed. "Could it be Feng Qingyang?"

The group's spirits lifted, and they immediately increased their speed, rushing toward the direction from which the Sword Intent originated.

Passing through a patch of forest devastated by Sword Qi, they finally caught sight of Feng Qingyang.

He was dressed in white, pristine and spotless, holding a three-foot azure edge, standing quietly atop a massive bluestone.

His posture was as straight as a pine, his temperament transcendent, as if he had merged into one with this ancient world.

Beneath his feet lay the corpse of a strange creature. It resembled a giant scorpion, pitch-black all over, its carapace shimmering with a metallic luster. A long tail hook lay broken on the ground, clearly severed by a single strike from Feng Qingyang.

Behind Feng Qingyang stood several Zetian Sect Disciples. Each of them possessed a steady aura and sharp eyes, yet at this moment, their faces bore a trace of lingering solemnity.

Seeing Chen Zhiwen and his group arrive, Feng Qingyang's gaze swept over them, finally resting on Chen Zhiwen, a flicker of imperceptible surprise flashing through his eyes.

"Your Highness Fifth Prince, Brother Zheng, Brother Zhou." Feng Qingyang leaped down from the bluestone and nodded slightly to the group, offering a greeting. His voice was clear yet carried a steadiness that belied his age.

"Brother Feng, it seems you have also encountered these ghastly things." Zheng Chen stepped forward, pointed at the giant scorpion corpse on the ground, and said in a deep voice.

Feng Qingyang nodded, his expression serious. "These things are not ordinary Yao Beasts."

Chen Zhiwen did not beat around the bush and asked straight to the point: "Brother Feng, have you ever heard of 'Qingshen Pass'?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Zetian Sect Disciples behind Feng Qingyang all looked surprised, while Feng Qingyang's own pupils constricted sharply. He took a deep look at Chen Zhiwen, as if trying to see right through him.

After a moment of silence, Feng Qingyang spoke slowly, his voice becoming incredibly low: "Your Highness, where did you hear this name?"

"From the mouth of a creature I slew," Chen Zhiwen replied calmly.

Upon hearing this answer, an expression of mixed realization and bitterness finally appeared on Feng Qingyang's face. He heaved a long sigh and looked around, his gaze seemingly piercing through endless time and space, toward the depths of this ancient mountain range.

"It seems some secrets cannot be kept forever after all." He muttered to himself, then addressed everyone sternly: "Everyone, the true name of this Qinghua Mountain beneath our feet is indeed Qingshen Pass."

"Qingshen Pass means the Pillar Supporting the Sky, the Pass of the Gods. It is not a mountain, but a massive Seal suppressing a certain ancient era!"

Feng Qingyang's voice was not loud, but it crashed into their ears like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens.

Zheng Chen, Ye Hao, Zhou Tong, and the others were all individuals of exceptional talent and firm will, yet upon hearing this secret that upended their understanding, their faces were filled with shock and disbelief.

This Qinghua Mountain beneath their feet, which stretched for ten thousand miles and was hailed as the number one sacred mountain of the Desolate Province, was actually not a mountain, but a... Seal?

This was too inconceivable; it was simply like a fantasy!

"A Seal? Suppressing what?" Zheng Chen took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart, and asked in a dry voice.

Feng Qingyang's gaze swept over the giant scorpion corpse on the ground, his eyes becoming incredibly complex—filled with wariness, pity, and a trace of deeply hidden Battle Intent. "It suppresses a forgotten race, a hegemon that once ruled the Desolate Province in the previous epoch, or perhaps an even more distant era. We call them... the Remnant Clan."

"Remnant Clan?" Chen Zhiwen chewed on this word, a flash of light in his eyes. He recalled the unwilling roar of the mantis creature before its death. So, beneath 'Qingshen Pass' lay a lost civilization.

"Correct, the Remnant Clan." Feng Qingyang nodded, his tone growing heavier. "I do not know much about the Remnant Clan; I only know a little from my Revered Master."

"In the ages of antiquity, the world underwent a great transformation, and epochs shifted. For some unknown reason, this incredibly powerful race declined. Supreme mighty figures took action, using heaven-defying power to refine stars and move mountains and rivers, forging this 'Qingshen Pass' to suppress the entire Remnant Clan along with their remaining ancestral lands, preventing them from rising from the ashes and wreaking havoc upon the world."

He paused and pointed to the dense mist around them. "The mist we see is not ordinary water vapor. It is the dust of an epoch, dissipated after the power of the Seal has been eroded over countless eons. It is mixed with the unwilling resentment and lingering aura of the Remnant Clan. This aura suppresses us Cultivators, but for them, it is the best nourishment."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill shoot from the soles of their feet straight to their scalps. The truth about Qinghua Mountain, which they had always regarded as a Trial Grounds, was actually so terrifying. It was a massive cage suppressing an ancient hegemonic race!

"You mean these monsters are the 'Remnant Clan' that escaped from beneath the Seal?" Ye Hao pointed at the corpse on the ground, his voice trembling slightly.

"Yes, and no." Feng Qingyang shook his head. "These are just descendants with impure Bloodlines, 'jailers' and 'scouts' bred by the Remnant Clan at the edge of the Seal through some unknown means after cracks appeared in it. The true Remnant Clan is ten thousand times more terrifying than these things."

Once these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly froze to freezing point. If even descendants with impure Bloodlines possessed such battle prowess, what kind of terrifying existences must the true Remnant Clan be?

Chen Zhiwen's eyes, however, grew increasingly profound. He was not consumed by fear; instead, an inexplicable excitement surged in his heart.

Having undergone Transmigration to this world, what he pursued was to step onto the Peak of power and witness the scenery and secrets that ordinary people could not reach. The appearance of this 'Qingshen Pass' and the 'Remnant Clan' undoubtedly unveiled a more magnificent corner of this world for him.

"It seems our trip to Qinghua Mountain this time is far more dangerous than imagined." Chen Zhiwen spoke slowly, breaking the silence. "Brother Feng, now that cracks have appeared in the Seal and Remnant Clan scouts are roaming about, I presume your Zetian Sect has long been prepared. What are your plans for the next steps?"

Feng Qingyang gave Chen Zhiwen an approving look. To be able to calm down so quickly in the face of such shocking news and grasp the key to the problem—this Fifth Prince's Heart-Nature was truly extraordinary.

"Your Highness is absolutely right." Feng Qingyang said sternly. "The Sect elders calculated that there would be a great change in Qinghua Mountain this time, which is why the opening date of Qinghua Mountain was advanced."

"Before entering, my Revered Master instructed me to clear out these overflowing Remnant Clan descendants as much as possible before the situation worsens. Otherwise, once they form a scale and attack the weak points of the Seal, the consequences would be unimaginable."

He looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice: "The primary purpose of our trip is no longer to search for any Opportunity, but to prevent the budding of a catastrophe. To reach the summit, we must first clear out these 'small fry' that have escaped from the cracks!"

"Good! Count us in!" Zheng Chen did not hesitate in the slightest and responded loudly. As a prince of the Great Yu Dynasty, protecting the peace of the territory was his responsibility.

The others also nodded one after another. The matter was of great importance; personal honor and Opportunity seemed insignificant in the face of a crisis concerning the survival of the race.

The two teams joined forces temporarily, and the atmosphere became grim. With Feng Qingyang, the 'insider,' among them, the group felt even more awe for this mountain range, and their actions became increasingly cautious.

They began a carpet-like search and cleanup in this area. Along the way, they encountered several waves of attacks from Remnant Clan descendants—some were shadowy creatures like ghosts, others were rock giants with immense strength—all of them exceptionally fierce and fearless of death.

However, under the leadership of Chen Zhiwen and Feng Qingyang, these two top combatants, these Remnant Clan descendants could not cause much trouble and were all slain on the spot.

Fresh blood stained the ancient mountain rocks, and the thick stench of blood mixed with the aura of vicissitudes in the mist, making this world appear even more eerie and oppressive.

As they delved deeper, the situation they discovered became increasingly severe. Corpses of other Cultivators began to appear on the ground, their deaths miserable—some were severed at the waist, while others had their essence blood sucked dry, turning into mummified corpses.

"They are Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Hundred Flower Valley!" Someone recognized the clothing on the corpses and couldn't help but gasp.

These were all Disciples of the Ten Great Sects, yet now they had fallen here like blades of grass, not even leaving behind a complete corpse.

"Something is wrong!" Feng Qingyang suddenly stopped. The three-foot azure edge in his hand emitted a low hum, its tip pointing toward a valley shrouded in thick fog ahead. "There... is an extremely powerful and evil aura there."