Chapter 1711
by 林方方Chapter 1711 One Year Later
One year later.
“Old man, may I ask which direction is the Qilian Mountain?”
In front of a village filled with rising smoke, a figure wearing a bamboo hat stopped an old man and asked politely.
The old man wore coarse linen clothes, his shoulders bent under the weight of a heavy carrying pole, his skin darkened by the sun. He curiously examined the unfamiliar young man before him.
“Young man, where are you from?”
“I come from Chang’an.”
“Chang’an?” The old man looked him over. “The Qilian Mountain area is at the Xiongnu border. What are you going there alone for?”
“Nothing special, I just want to see it.”
“It’s better not to go there. Xiongnu scouts appear from time to time. You might lose your life!”
The young man smiled without saying a word.
“In that direction, after walking twenty more li, you’ll see the mountain range.” Eventually, the old man pointed out a path.
The young man thanked him, pressed his bamboo hat down slightly, and walked straight toward the Qilian Mountains.
The old man strangely watched the young man’s departing figure, shook his head, and was about to return home when he suddenly froze.
“Strange… why isn’t this carrying pole heavy anymore?”
He carefully checked the contents of his baskets at both ends. Everything was still there, but the pole on his shoulders had no weight at all, feeling light as a feather.
The old man muttered to himself but still carried the weightless pole, hurrying home.
Without the weight of the carrying pole, he moved swiftly, soon arriving at his home five li away. Only when he crossed his threshold did the weight of the pole return, landing heavily on the ground.
“Well, that was truly strange,” the old man murmured.
At the same time,
Several li away, Wu Quan slowly withdrew the index finger from his sleeve.
“The range of [Emperor’s Dominion] has expanded considerably… but it’s still quite far from the Lord’s power at his peak.” He sighed lightly and continued walking toward the Qilian Mountains.
The breeze lifted the veil on his bamboo hat, revealing a young face that had changed significantly from a year ago.
A youth’s body grows fastest, changing year by year. During this past year, Wu Quan had traveled across half of the Great Han, his skin darkened by wind and sun, but he had grown much taller, almost as tall as Lin Qiye now.
His brow showed traces of determination and experience, his gaze profoundly deep, looking nothing like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth.
Following the direction the old man had pointed, he soon saw the stretching Qilian Mountain range. After pausing briefly to admire the view, he set off again, heading straight into the mountains.
Though it was now spring, the Qilian Mountains remained as cold as winter. Wu Quan wore only thin clothes, already damp with dew, yet seemed completely unaffected by the cold as he moved swiftly along the rugged mountain paths.
Along the way, when thirsty he drank mountain dew, when hungry he picked wild fruits from the forest. Throughout this process, he didn’t use any spiritual power, relying purely on his physical body. He moved like an agile wild man, and if one looked closely, one could occasionally see a crimson glow flowing beneath his skin.
Finally, before sunset, he climbed to the top of one of the peaks.
In the amber twilight, two figures—one in blue, one in green—were already sitting on a boulder. Seeing him climb up, their lips curved into slight smiles.
“You’ve finally arrived.”
“Brother Qiye?!” Seeing the familiar face, Wu Quan was first surprised, then delighted. “You knew I was coming here?”
“A few days ago, I received intelligence from Gongyang Wan at the Demon Suppression Bureau saying you had left Mount Wolongxu and were heading east. You once said you wanted to follow in the Lord’s footsteps. The Lord didn’t defeat the Xiongnu in many places, so it was easy to guess you’d come here.”
His gaze carefully examined Wu Quan, surprise appearing in his eyes:
“You actually broke through?”
Wu Quan smiled.
“When did you break through?”
“Just a few days ago, on Mount Wolongxu,” Wu Quan said slowly, gazing at the surging sea of clouds in the distance. “This past year I’ve been walking among people, witnessing much suffering, gaining deep insights… A few days ago, I climbed to where the Lord performed his heaven-worshipping ceremony, suddenly felt something, and sat in meditation for seven days… When I came to my senses, I had broken through the ‘heart barrier.'”
Lin Qiye nodded. “No wonder…”
Though Wu Quan’s past was difficult, it was ultimately narrow—from Hanshan Orphanage to the Fasting Hall, he had always lingered in one small corner, meeting only a few people, naturally limiting his perspective… This year of experiencing the world had directly broadened his vision and spirit. With this accumulation and precipitation, at the place where the Lord had been titled “Wolf-Tamer,” he broke through the “barrier” in his heart.
“It seems the body-tempering method the Lord taught you has shown some results,” Lin Qiye said approvingly, looking at the luster on Wu Quan’s skin.
“Brother Qiye, you came to find me… is it because the time has come?” Wu Quan asked tentatively.
“That’s right.” Lin Qiye’s expression was somewhat complex. “Your lifespan is limited, and we shouldn’t delay any longer… Now that you’ve broken through the human ceiling and resolved all your karmic ties in this era, it’s time to return to the era where we belong.”
Lin Qiye reached to his waist, and the Eastern Emperor Bell expanded in the wind, landing heavily on the Qilian mountaintop. Mysterious runes flowed across the bronze bell’s surface, emanating an ancient and magnificent aura.
Wu Quan looked at the ancient bell before him, his fists tightly clenched, anticipation appearing in his eyes.
“Can I finally go back…”
“The Eastern Emperor Bell will suppress your time, so you won’t perceive its passage… When the bell rings again, you will automatically be unsealed. At that time, this great chess game will truly begin.”
Wu Quan nodded. He stepped up to the Eastern Emperor Bell and looked back at Lin Qiye:
“Brother Qiye, we’ll meet again in two thousand years.”
“Yes.”
Lin Qiye smiled slightly, raising his palm. The heavy bell body emitted a beam of light that directly enveloped Wu Quan. When the light faded, his figure had disappeared.
As Lin Qiye took a step forward, the mountain beneath the Eastern Emperor Bell shook violently, instantly splitting open a crack that swallowed the bell. Huge rocks rolled across the ground, completely burying the crevice moments later.
As the dust gradually settled, no trace of the Eastern Emperor Bell remained on the Qilian Mountain.
“Two thousand years… sigh.” Lin Qiye looked around. Above the sea of clouds, the setting sun gradually sank into darkness, disappearing without a trace.
“Who knows what this place will look like two thousand years from now.”
Lin Qiye shook his head, reached out to hold Jialan’s hand, and said softly: “Let’s go.”
“Mm.” Jialan’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn’t resist.
The two figures, one blue and one green, gradually faded into the darkness.