Just then, Jun Wu spoke. “Xianle, I know you think highly of Hua Cheng right now. You understand your own position, and others should not comment on the friends you make. However, when necessary, be wary of Hua Cheng. Do not give anything away.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian schooled his thoughts.
Jun Wu continued, “To become a supreme, one must have experienced unimaginable suffering and pain. One either ascends from such tribulations or is doomed to the depths of hell, never to return. The two Supreme Ghost Kings that emerged from Mount Tonglu, Black Water and Hua Cheng, are both far more frightening than you think.”
Xie Lian lowered his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Jun Wu said, “I do not know what his objectives or directives are, but he knows the motives and movements of the Upper Court. That in itself is disadvantageous.”
When he heard the word “disadvantageous,” Xie Lian raised his head and blurted, “San Lang, he…”
Seeing that Jun Wu turned his head to him, Xie Lian paused, then corrected himself.
“Hua Cheng shouldn’t do anything overly malicious. If My Lord thinks about it, with his strength, should he have wanted to cause havoc and raise hell, he would’ve done so already. If he didn’t before, then without real reason, he won’t in the future.”
“Pray that it will be so,” Jun Wu said. “But you know I cannot take that risk.”
***
After leaving the Palace of Divine Might, Xie Lian paced slowly down the streets of the Heavenly Court. When he passed by the Palace of Xianle, he stopped to appraise it.
This was the palace gifted him by Jun Wu; resplendent, brand new, but also foreign. The large, scarlet-red doors were shiny and bright but were plastered with nailed-on talismans and charms, forming a giant “X” and cautioning anyone who should see.
When Shi Qingxuan left the Palace of Divine Might, he had told Xie Lian that his palace was currently sealed shut since it was connected to elsewhere, so Xie Lian was welcome to rest at his palace instead. However, after staring at this Palace of Xianle for a while, Xie Lian suddenly turned on his heel. He didn’t go to the Palace of the Wind Master either. He stopped caring what he was originally going to do and instead headed straight to the Ascension Gates and jumped.
Passing through the sea of clouds, his landing point was Mount Taicang.
Upon the summit of Mount Taicang, there used to sit the cultivation center of the ancient Kingdom of Xianle: the Royal Holy Temple.
The Royal Holy Temple was an impressively expansive cultivation center. Its training grounds and temples covered the entirety of Mount Taicang, worshipping innumerous gods and immortals alike, scintillating and glorious. The main god worshipped was the Heavenly Emperor, and his golden temple was situated on the highest peak. The Crown Prince Temple that once stood on the second-highest peak was also a place of magnificent splendor.
Eight hundred years ago, Mount Taicang was renowned for its forests of flaming-red maples, and within those maple groves were endless crowds of devotees. However, when the Kingdom of Xianle fell, the crowds of devotees became crowds of angry rioters. They scaled the mountain to set ablaze the Crown Prince Temple, but they ended up setting fire to the entirety of Mount Taicang, burning it down to nothing but blackened earth and ash.
The burnt earth, like ground nourished by the dead, seemed to become even more fertile. Afterward, new seeds were planted upon the burnt earth, and new trees emerged. A few hundred years later, the mountain was fresh and covered once more, but the red leaves were no longer. The scenery was very different from eight hundred years ago.
When hiking the mountain in the past, there used to be a wide, paved path bordered by greenery. On the path, one could often see a devotee or a young trainee hauling firewood or water. Now, this path was long gone. Rocks and debris, withered branches and sticks, had covered its tracks and buried it deep underground. As Xie Lian climbed, he used only the strength of his legs, and when he ran into thorns or bushes, he took Fangxin and cut them down.
When he reached halfway up the mountain, Xie Lian was fatigued and leaned against a dead tree, ready to rest. Suddenly, the black shadow of an object came crashing down from the branches, making odd crackling sounds as it rushed toward him.
Xie Lian dodged. At first, he thought it was a broken branch or a nest, but when he looked closer, it was a plank so rotten that its original shape was indiscernible, with two rusted steel chains connected to either side. If it were anyone else, they might not be able to tell what it was, but Xie Lian knew immediately that it was a swing.