Chapter 69: Without further ado
It has climbed to such a high place.
Because I was on my way all the time, I didn’t know how long I had been walking. Due to limited time, coupled with the climate and terrain of this area, they certainly did not climb very high, but it was still enough to have a panoramic view of the small town in the distance. Almost all the houses in the city have flat roofs, which are different from the common ones among the three. It is said to be conducive to water storage because it rarely rains here. The layout of the buildings is very neat, and each block is square, but the distribution shape of the buildings is very special, like a rose flower blooming in the Gobi Desert. Maybe the distribution of the edges of houses is also related to topography and water sources.
As the sun sets, some new houses on the edge reflect the sun's light, as if they have given the flowers a golden edge. It was indeed good-looking, but Ye Lingyu knew that they had more important things at the moment. After climbing about four-fifths of the mountain, a few people still found nothing. She reluctantly looked back, but felt dizzy when her gaze swept downwards.
Even though the slope of this mountain was very gentle, there was no reference and no vegetation. It also seemed too high and empty. Ye Linghua suddenly felt weak in his hands and feet. Upon seeing this, Xie Zhe immediately said:
"Look up, don't look down!"
"My, my, my legs are weak..."
"You can't fall down. I'll pick you up when you get down."
Han Chang unloaded his luggage on the high platform and clapped his hands vigorously to signal her to look up. Then she climbed up tremblingly, barely regaining her composure. The three of them took a rest and watched the sun getting lower and lower. Finally, they reached the top of the mountain before it got completely dark. Looking back at the small town where I came from, every house had lights on, like a galaxy on the ground.
"I found nothing along the way." Han Chang sat down and leaned on a stone, saying tiredly, "The flow of spiritual power is as thin as non-existence. There are no living things here."
The place where light and shadow meet...the sword is the key.
Xie Zhe also sat down to rest. He recited this meaningless sentence twice in his mind and shook his head. He probably still didn't understand it. Both Gaoyue-kun and Mutsuki-kun said similar words to them, all in order for the three of them to find the entrance to the Eclipse Palace. This Hundred Skeleton Master is really, why did he build his territory in such a virtual place? On this flat-topped mountain, what is there related to the so-called light and shadow? The three people leaned on the big stone in a daze, looking at the stars that were gradually becoming clearer in the sky.
But my head is empty.
The vegetation here is slightly denser, with a few trees and large turf. They rested for a while, picked up dead branches and made a fire to keep warm, and each of them covered himself with an old blanket.
"If we find nothing tomorrow, we have to go back."
Xie Zhe's tone was calm, and he didn't feel discouraged. But Han Sheng sounded uncomfortable. After all, he was the one who wanted the most. If you meet the Hundred Skeleton Master as a monster, you might be able to get some pointers, or at least help you find out the news. There are some differences from the Death Shadow Pavilion. In the Eclipse Palace, the reward is paid later. In other words, even if Han Chang goes there empty-handed, he doesn't have to worry about being kicked out. It's different with Satsuki-kun. Most of the time, it's her subordinates who meet people, and their moods are even more unstable, and it's hard to be accommodating, with little room for negotiation.
"You go back to the city first, I'll stay here for a few more days." He was unwilling to do so.
Ye Linghua was worried, saying that they didn't bring anything to eat. Wouldn't he be starving by himself? Han Chang said no, because monsters are not as fragile as humans, and they have to eat every meal. But Xie Zhe clearly stated the most critical issue:
"What about the sword?"
They stopped talking again. He would definitely be worried about handing Fengyun Slash to Han Zhang, and Han Zhang himself knew it. Ling Hu sighed:
"Sigh. Although I think Han Zhang will definitely not take the sword and run away, but I can't be generous to others. A Zhe's own opinions and decisions are the most important. What's more, if he loses his sword for some unexpected reason No, it’s hard to take responsibility.”
On this point, Ling Huan was unexpectedly candid and accurately stated the key point. Xie Che then said:
"Don't say anything brave. Search more tomorrow and take a rest. If there are no more clues, get up early the day after tomorrow."
"I thought you were going to pack up and run away."
"I'm not that kind of person."
Han Chang stretched and took a deep breath, and then continued: "We spent too much time in the city in the morning. If we set off early, we could at least rest at the camel shed and have enough supplies, so we wouldn't be in trouble now. Take Miss Ye to suffer."
"I'm used to it, why are you talking about this now?" Ling Huan smiled lightly.
"In the end, I didn't ask anything about it. They seemed to have only heard about it, but never seen it. Very few people asked them, and those who asked never showed up again. It is estimated that they either found it or gave up. .”
Han Chang picked up his chin: "Well... at least I am sure that if we find it, it will prove that there are other exits from the Eclipse Palace. The Wuchang people also said that there is indeed more than one way, and this one is already the most convenient for us. Besides, since the people who turn to him for help are all monsters, they probably have little contact with humans. I wonder how many of the people who ask about them are monsters."
"...Go to bed early." Xie Zhe straightened the blanket and said, "Get up early tomorrow."
The nights on Pingding Mountain are indeed very cold, dry and cold, slightly better than the wet and cold conditions over Qinglize. But Ling Hu almost forgot how hot it was here during the day, it didn't feel like winter at all. I wonder if the three of them can find the Eclipse Tower before the Chinese New Year? What kind of person is the owner of that remote and secluded place?
Thinking about it, she slowly fell asleep.
Ling Huan woke up from the cold the next day, and he probably didn't open his eyes for more than an hour. There was light in the sky in the east, and there was limited firewood. The bonfire had probably been extinguished for a long time, and it was already cold to the touch. Now is the coldest time of the day, because the heat left by yesterday's sun on the ground has dissipated, and today's sun has not yet risen. She shiveringly wrapped herself in a thin blanket, stood up and lingered in place for a while. The other two friends didn't seem to wake up yet, so she didn't disturb them, but walked farther away with a blanket.
She didn't know what the other side of the mountain looked like. Can I go down directly from there? But there is no point in going down. I heard from the residents of the small town that if you go further to Pingding Mountain, you will reach the real desert, and you won’t even see gravel. After walking for a while, she felt a little warmer, so she hung the blanket on her arms. After walking for a while, the barren ground was no longer in sight, but a yellow area appeared, which was probably the desert.
When Ling Huan stopped, he was startled and completely woke up. There was a cliff ahead. She was not mentally prepared at all. When she poked her head out, she realized that it was almost a section. The cross section is not smooth and has many pits, and every gust of wind can take away some sand and dust from it. She took several steps back, fearing that she would slip down the mountain if she wasn't careful.
"Why are you here?" It was Han Chang's voice, "You have come so far."
"Wow... look -" Ye Lingquan stretched out his hand and pointed forward, "There are sand dunes everywhere..."
This is indeed a scene worthy of emotion. The sand going down from Pingding Mountain is still a bit rough, with a lot of gravel hidden in it, but the further you go, the sand becomes finer and dust-like, forming undulating sand dunes of different heights at the front. It is like a solid sea surface with strange ripples of light and shadow, which is very spectacular.
"Could the Eclipse Palace... be in a place like this?" Xie Zhe also followed.
"You will know if you are there or not after seeing it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Han Zhang jumped down. Ye Lingquan screamed in fright, and Xie Zhe also took a few steps forward and looked down from the cliff. I saw Han Zhang stepping on the cliff, his body was as light as a swallow, and his whole body was almost parallel to the ground. He looked like he was "running down", but in fact his legs were exerting resistance on himself, reducing the impact caused by the ground. Soon, in their eyes, Han Chang turned into a dot, and the smoke and dust he stepped on filled the air, blurring their vision.
Han Chang gradually lowered his body while running down, bent down, and touched the cliff with his hands. A special red light spreads out from his entire body. If someone looks from a distance, they can definitely see the outline of a huge, red fox, even with nine tails. However, looking down from Pingding Mountain, one can only see a burst of red mist in the dust.
Did he see something or feel something? Neither of them knew, and I'm afraid they would only know if they caught up and asked.
"It's too messy." Xie Zhe frowned.
"This, this, he, he will be okay, right?"
Ling Hu felt that his voice was trembling a little. What is she worried about? She herself couldn't explain clearly, but she had seen Han Chang's strength before. It's just that after spending too long together, Ling Huan always easily forgets that he is a monster and treats him like an ordinary human male. So as soon as the question came out of her mouth, she had the answer in her mind. Xie Zhe, on the other hand, was always calm.
"What can he do? Whatever he dares to do, he is absolutely sure of it."
"Then...how are we going to get down?"
"I can go down directly, but I'm afraid it won't be easy for you." Xie Zhe looked around, "Wait, look over there -"
Xie Zhe's finger pointed to the right, where there was a soft ladder. They walked up to it and Xie Zhe checked it.
"The rope is still strong, but it has been used for a few years, so it's better to be careful."
"It doesn't seem to be straight to the end..."
The feeling of weak legs appeared again, even though Ling Huan just observed along the cliff for a while. Probably to prevent the rope from breaking due to aging, the ladder has many parts, which are intermittently forming a road. The distance between each two soft ladders is large and difficult to reach.
"I'll get off first and help you keep an eye on it."
"Okay...I'm sorry to trouble you."
