The Forsaken Mountain
Now, whilst Xiao already had the key and the knowledge of where to go, it did not mean that he could just waltz right over and gain the protagonist's cheat cultivation technique–As he would call it…
The Chen clan’s domain had been atop a treacherous and dangerous mountain. In the past, that entire mountain had been inhabited by the Chen and their vassal clans. It had counted amongst the great clans and used to control several powerful sects that specialised in the cultivation of specific weapons.
Thus, back when the Chen clan was still around, it was not that rare to hear about a spear saint or bow saint emerging… Nowadays, only the sword saint and sword saintess remain common occurrences.
That mountain, despite being a place rich in ambient energy, resources, and overall magnificent terrain … Despite it all, it had been left forsaken by the people who had destroyed the Chens.
Their destruction was something that even Xiao did not understand. He knew who had massacred the Chen, but he didn’t really know why it had occurred. It was a secret that had simply not been revealed in the story.
The various legacies owned by the Chen had mostly disappeared, having seemingly not been claimed by the victors of this conflict... Only leaving behind only Weapon Encyclopedia for the protagonist to claim.
The ancestral territory had been left unattended, as though expecting a descendant to come and eventually reclaim it… This was a bit confusing, and frankly, Xiao had thought that the author had just forgotten or decided to sweep that under the rug.
But in this reality, where the characters were now real people with their own thoughts and agency, it seemed like the story of the Chen’s clan demise had gone the exact same way. This implied that there was an actual, deeper reason as to why things were the way they were.
However, the crimson-eyed disciple didn’t have much time to wonder about such topics. He needed to begin strategising and planning right now. After all, the mountain his clan had once occupied was far from being a mundane one.
Its peak went through the clouds, and its sheer size was difficult for the human mind to fathom... Also, its richness in ambient energy, along with the blood that had been spilt upon its surface, had turned it into a refuge for beasts.
Creatures of high power dwelled all over the mountains, using the ruins as dens. Some had harmonised with the noble blood that had seeped into the soil, becoming capable of manifesting a bizarre version of weapon intent–Simply known as bestial intent.
As far as anyone knew, bestial intent was not unique to this place in particular, but it was excessively more common there than anywhere else.
In short, to get to his destination, Xiao would have to climb a mountain that had become overgrown with vegetation and powerful beasts. Not to mention that since it was originally a story, there was obviously a ‘boss’ at the top of the mountain.
Namely, a creature that decided to slumber right on top of where the vault containing Weapon encyclopedia was buried.
It would be a challenge for sure, but Xiao felt ready for it. So after finishing up with the explorations of places Elder Gang had discovered in the past, he decided to set off on an adventure with Ai.
After a period of rest at the Myriad-Arm Sect, the couple began their journey, and immediately, Xiao felt like fate was trying to get in the way.
The duo encountered a plethora of obstacles, even though they weren’t even near the mountain yet… Bandits and aggressive creatures just kept showing up, and some of them were far from being pushovers.
Xiao had to pause the journey, as a tiger left deep gashes across his chest, forcing him to spend time recuperating.
Another time, a lone bandit approached the couple, and he nearly managed to sever one of Xiao’s arms.
In return, the protagonist chopped off one of the bandit’s legs, leaving him alive as the crimson-eyed youth felt like something was off... He wanted to interrogate the man, but he refused to speak, no matter what…
It was tiring, but thankfully, Ai was here. Even if she wasn’t useful against the more powerful opponents, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention that her presence was quite soothing.
Having her with him helped Xiao calm his nerves.
Fortunately, Bedi wasn’t anywhere to be seen. It seemed like he had managed to lose her at some point.
Despite the unexpected and suspiciously common interruptions in the journey, Xiao eventually made it to the foot of the ancestral mountain of the Chen clan. The many obstacles had nearly tripled the time it should have normally taken to get here, but it was fine.
Now that he was here, it was time to focus on overcoming this adverse environment…
The mountain was indeed immense. Getting to the top frankly looked like an impossible venture from all the way down here. However, Xiao did not falter, and with Ai by his side, he began ascending.
They did their best to avoid fights, but some were simply inevitable.
The first creature to attack them was a deer. It had a rather majestic presence and stood tall. If Xiao had to guess, that beast could probably look Edrick in the eyes.
Its pelt was a greyish brown, and its antlers had taken on a metallic glint, the points resembling that of a blade. With a bellow, it summoned swords that weaved out of energy, launching them at the couple whilst approaching head-on.
Planting its antlers into the ground, it used brute force to pull them out, launching rocks and dirt forth at the humans. Unfortunately for the beast, the two cultivators deflected the blades and dodged the hail of pebbles, each of them closing on the sides of the beast.
The deer seemed to consider Xiao a greater threat and decided to turn its back to Ai, using its antlers to prevent the crimson-eyed disciple from landing a strike, whilst blindly kicking backwards to get rid of Ai.
This proved to be a mistake.
She swung both of her Wodaos at the beast’s hind legs, making it grunt in pain as it forcefully broke away from the two cultivators and took off running.
Although it lacked its usual speed due to the injuries it sustained, they still considered it a waste of time to try and catch up to the creature.
They eventually decided to simply keep on progressing up the mountain, unknowing that the deer’s cries served as a signal for figures that were most definitely not of local origins…