208: Chapter 208 The Third Peak, Yongle Peak

[Tangtang threw Chu Sheng at the entrance of the bamboo hut on the Sixth Peak, clapped the dust off her hands, and glanced at him while biting a candied hawthorn.]

["You kid, you sure have a lot of secrets," she said, her tone indifferent.]

[Chu Sheng sat on the ground, his body aching all over, and the blood at the corner of his mouth hadn't been wiped clean yet.]

[He glanced at Tangtang, wanting to say thank you, but she had already turned and left.]

[Cloth shoes stepped on the bluestone slabs, pitter-patter, disappearing into the depths of the bamboo forest.]

[The Old Grandfather floated out of the ring, his expression looking very grim: "The Heavenly Sword Sect knows the four swords of zhuxian are in your hands. There will be even more trouble in the future."]

[Chu Sheng nodded.]

[He knew.]

[Ling Wushuang didn't succeed this time, so she would send someone even stronger next time.]

[He couldn't keep hiding in the Wendao Palace, nor could he always rely on Tangtang to save his life.]

[He sat at the entrance of the bamboo hut, looking at the moon in the sky, thinking for a long time.]

[Yue Jianli was pregnant, and Liu Qingyan, Li Zhiyi, and Lin Wanqing were also close to giving birth.]

[He had stayed in the Wendao Palace for over half a year, and his cultivation had risen from the Early Stage of Sea Opening Realm to the Mid-stage Palace Building; he had consumed three layers of the Taixu Legacy, refined four of the four swords of zhuxian, and refined seventy percent of the wendao bell.]

[But he was always an outsider in the Wendao Palace.]

[Feng Qingyang was dead, and the Sect didn't let him fill the vacancy; Ye Wuhen had returned to the Northern Region, and Ye Cang was polite but distant toward him; the Peak lords of the various Peaks kept him at arm's length, and no one truly treated him as one of their own.]

[He came to the Wendao Palace to become stronger, not to be an official.]

[He was much stronger now, but it wasn't enough.]

[The Heavenly Sword Pavilion wanted to kill him; he couldn't expect Tangtang to come to his rescue every time.]

[It was time for him to leave.]

[Chu Sheng stood up and patted the dust off his clothes.]

[Before leaving, he had to take care of the things that needed to be done.]

[He went to the Eighteenth Peak.]

[Yue Jianli was nurturing her pregnancy in the bamboo hut on Danxia Peak, her belly already slightly bulging.]

[Her cultivation was steadily improving, actually rising all the way from the True Transformation Realm to the Spirit Spring Peak.]

[With the foundation of a Heavenly Spiritual Root plus the nourishment of pregnancy, she would likely break through directly to the Spirit Sea once the child was born.]

[Chu Sheng sat opposite her, not knowing what to say.]

[Yue Jianli didn't speak either, just looking at him, a hint of unease in those cold eyes.]

[She knew Chu Sheng had almost died at the hands of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, and she was afraid of him going out again.]

[Chu Sheng was silent for a long time, then he pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve with a poem written on it.]

[He hadn't written it; he had seen it in an ancient text in his previous life.]

[He read it aloud, his voice not loud, but very serious:]

["Slender clouds weave intricate patterns, flying stars convey resentment, the Silver River is crossed in secret. When the golden wind and jade dew meet, they surpass countless encounters in the mortal world. Tender feelings are like water, the auspicious date is like a dream; how can one bear to look back at the path home across the Magpie Bridge? If the love between two people is long-lasting, why must they be together day and night?"]

[A copycat, his old trade; he did it without blushing or a racing heart.]

[Yue Jianli's eyes turned red.]

[She didn't speak, but simply reached out and gripped Chu Sheng's fingers, holding them very tightly.]

[Chu Sheng gripped her hand back and said he was returning to the Northern Region.]

[Yue Jianli didn't stop him, but simply nodded.]

[Chu Sheng pulled a Jade Slip from his Storage Pouch and placed it on the table.]

[It was one of the few heaven rank magic treasure fragments he had brought out from the Sealed Land; although it was broken, its power remained.]

[It had become a complete protective Magic Treasure.]

[There were also several bottles of appearance-preserving Medicinal Pills.]

["A few bottles for you, the rest are for Elder Shen," Chu Sheng said. "Please ask her to take good care of you."]

[Yue Jianli put the Jade Slip away without saying thank you.]

[She wasn't the kind of person who would say thank you.]

[Chu Sheng stood up, walked to the door, and looked back at her.]

[Yue Jianli lowered her head, placing her hand on her belly, saying nothing.]

[Chu Sheng turned and left.]

[He decided to pay a visit to the other Peak lords.]

[To get acquainted, so if anything happened in the future, at least he would know who to look for.]

[The First Peak was the Sect Master Peak, Ye Cang's territory.]

[When Chu Sheng arrived, the mountain-guarding Disciples said the Sect Master was in secluded cultivation and wasn't seeing guests.]

[Chu Sheng nodded and turned to leave.]

[The gates of the Second Peak were tightly shut.]

[A layer of dust had settled on the stone steps at the entrance, as if no one had been there for a long time.]

[Chu Sheng stood at the entrance for a while; there wasn't a sound inside, not even a ripple of Spiritual Qi.]

[He called out, "Junior Chu Sheng requests an audience," but there was no response.]

[He left.]

[The Third Peak was halfway up the mountain, hidden among dense ancient trees.]

[The mountain path was covered with moss on both sides, the stone steps were slippery, and the air was filled with a damp scent, like the smell of earth after rain.]

[As Chu Sheng walked up, he felt more and more that something was wrong. It wasn't because of fear, but because of a strange sense of familiarity.]

[He couldn't say what was familiar, just that he felt like he had walked this mountain path before, seen this tree before, and touched this moss before.]

[Chu Sheng stopped and frowned.]

[He had been in the Wendao Palace for over half a year and had never been to the Third Peak.]

[This feeling made no sense.]

[The Old Grandfather said from the ring: "This place is a bit strange."]

[Chu Sheng asked what was strange.]

[The Old Grandfather was silent for a while, then said he wasn't sure either, just that the spiritual power fluctuations felt off, as if something was being deliberately concealed.]

[Chu Sheng hesitated for a moment and continued walking up.]

[He thought of the rumors about the Third Peak's Peak lord.]

[This Peak lord spent most of his time in secluded cultivation; he was said to be easy to talk to, but few had ever seen him.]

[The Third Peak ranked third among the Thirty-Six Peaks of the Wendao Palace; logically, the Peak lord's cultivation should be at least at the Dao Completion realm, or even the Dao Completion Peak.]

[But the entire mountain had no trace of pressure, as peaceful as an ordinary mountain, not looking like it was guarded by a master.]

[Chu Sheng reached the summit and saw a stone palace.]

[A line of small characters was written on it: "Yongle Peak"]

[The palace doors were ajar, not fully closed, leaving a gap about a palm's width.]

[A faint green light seeped through the gap, like fireflies or ghost fire.]

[Standing at the door, the strange feeling in Chu Sheng's heart grew stronger; it wasn't danger, but a calling.]

[As if someone were inside waiting for him, waiting for many years.]

[The Old Grandfather said from the ring: "Don't go in. What if you can't get out?"]

[Chu Sheng said, "I'll just take a look, just a look."]

[He reached out and pushed the door open.]

[The gap widened, green light surged out, illuminating his face.]

[Chu Sheng stepped inside.]

[Behind him, the door slowly closed, making a dull thud.]