Chapter 286

Chapter 286: Entering the Great Snowfield Again

Lou Yun’s gloomy mood finally lifted slightly with the emergence of this idea. Hurriedly, he closed his eyes and began recalling the contents recorded in the three volumes of "Formation Path Expansion Decision".

Lou Yun’s memory allowed him to recite the several thousand characters describing the "Formation Path Expansion Decision" backwards flawlessly, so naturally he didn’t need to take out the Dragon Suppression Plate to look at it.

"Thousand Layer Cave, Thousand Layer Cave!"

Muttering these three words repeatedly, Lou Yun tried hard to connect this name with some kind of formation. However, either because this name simply wasn’t a formation name, or because Lou Yun’s understanding of formations was genuinely too limited, he ultimately couldn’t find any useful information.

After pondering for a moment, Lou Yun decided not to wait until tomorrow. He would leave today. Time was tight now; delaying for even a day could mean an extra ounce of danger for his second brother.

Before leaving, he absolutely had to inform his father and the others. So Lou Yun sought out his father and his second uncle. Briefly, he told them about the affair concerning Beichen Ming. To avoid worrying them, he was careful not to make it sound too severe.

Of course, Lou Tianming and his brother had never heard of any place called Thousand Layer Cave. But hearing that Lou Yun, who had just returned yesterday, was leaving again today, they naturally felt reluctant, especially Lou Tianming. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Yun’er, since you mentioned that given Elder Bei’s level of strength, nothing serious should happen to him… and well, you wouldn’t really be able to help him much even if you go… how about you rest a few more days before leaving?"

Lou Tianzhi, however, was more direct. "Yun’er, I just need to ask you one thing. After leaving Yulu Mountain Manor, where exactly do you plan to go?"

This question immediately stumped Lou Yun. Yes, where was he going? No one knew the whereabouts of the Thousand Layer Cave so far. With Spirit Weapon Star being so huge, he couldn’t just run around aimlessly. Besides, with only three months left, not a single minute could be wasted frivolously!

Lou Tianzhi smiled faintly. "Since you don’t even know where you’re going, how about your second uncle gives you a suggestion?"

Lou Yun knew his second uncle was renowned within the family for his resourcefulness. Hearing him say this, Lou Yun instantly knew he must have an idea. His eyes lit up and he eagerly pressed him, "Second Uncle! What suggestion?"

"The place you mentioned, Thousand Layer Cave— though none of us have heard of it— apart from your theory that it might not be a place name but instead refers to that formation, well, I think there are two other possibilities."

Lou Tianzhi always liked to analyze things and naturally slipped into this habit. Lou Yun, however, listened with rapt attention and quickly urged, "Mm? What two possibilities?"

"First, the ‘Thousand Layer Cave’ Elder Bei told Chief Dai was actually just a convenient name he coined for himself to remember it. The actual name of the place is likely different. So, asking around just using that name, of course no one would know."

Lou Yun considered this; it was indeed a possibility. Just like his Divine Weapon Island— originally called Shuotai Island— he only changed the name after occupying it. If people back then had asked about Divine Weapon Island, no one could have pointed it out.

"What’s the second possibility?"

"The second possibility is that it is simply too remote, so truly, none of us happen to know it!"

"Hmph!" Lou Yun scratched his head. While it sounded a bit superfluous, it was still a possibility. "Second Uncle, what exactly is your suggestion?"

"Hehe, I suggest you look for a person."

"Look for whom?"

"Wen Zhi Lao Ren!"

"Wen Zhi Lao Ren?" Hearing the name, Lou Yun paused briefly before suddenly understanding. "I remember! That senior whose footprints are said to have covered almost the entire Spirit Weapon Star?"

Wen Zhi Lao Ren could be said to be a richly legendary figure on Spirit Weapon Star. However, his legend was completely different from those of Leng Cangqiong, Beichen Ming, and others. His fame did not rest on his cultivation level or power, but on his knowledge!

It was said that in order to uncover the truth about something, Wen Zhi Lao Ren would personally go through untold hardships and dangers to experience and feel it firsthand. And since the unknown things in this world were truly countless, over time, his travels had covered almost all of Spirit Weapon Star.

While it couldn’t be claimed that Wen Zhi Lao Ren knew absolutely everything, comparatively, no one else on the entire Spirit Weapon Star would dare to claim they knew things beyond what he knew.

The most crucial point was that Wen Zhi Lao Ren had been to many places. This was why Lou Tianzhi suggested Lou Yun go ask if he had ever heard of the place name Thousand Layer Cave.

Lou Yun’s excitement flared briefly, but then his expression dimmed. "Second Uncle, are you teasing me on purpose? I heard Wen Zhi Lao Ren vanished without a trace over ten years ago! Rumors are that he was too old to continue running around anymore and also became weary of people constantly knocking on his door to seek answers to all sorts of bizarre questions. So he found an absolutely hidden place to retreat into seclusion and never emerged. How could I ever find him?"

Lou Tianzhi smiled slightly. "Others don’t know where to find him, but I do. And, moreover… I had the privilege of sitting knee-to-knee and talking with the old man all night long!"

"Really?!" Lou Yun’s eyes lit up again. He truly hadn’t expected his second uncle to possess such an incredible, envied opportunity. "Second Uncle! Where is Wen Zhi Lao Ren now?"

"Not far from here. And… You’ve actually been there!"

Out of seemingly nowhere, inspiration struck Lou Yun. He blurted it out: "The Great Snowfield!"

"Haha!" Lou Tianzhi raised his thumb towards Lou Yun. "Clever boy! Exactly, the Great Snowfield!"

Back then, under Granny Bai Cao’s arrangement, Lou Yun had ventured deep into the Great Snowfield to find Qi Cai Xue Lian for Wan Huier. Not only did he find the Qi Cai Xue Lian, but he also befriended his big brother Leng Cangqiong!

Lou Yun eagerly stood up. "Then I’ll go to the Great Snowfield immediately to find Wen Zhi Lao Ren!"

"Not so fast! Hear me out completely!" Lou Tianzhi rushed to stop him. "Yun’er, you really should temper this impulsive nature of yours. Otherwise, when troubles arise in the future, you’ll easily suffer losses."

Lou Yun grinned sheepishly. "It’s mainly because I’m too worried!"

"Yes, I know. First, listen to what else I have to say. I’ll tell you the approximate location where Wen Zhi Lao Ren resides. Then you can set out to find him. Why? Because while the Great Snowfield may not be overwhelmingly vast, it’s certainly not small either. If you go searching aimlessly like that, you might well fail to find him."

"Yes, yes, Second Uncle, you are absolutely right!" Lou Yun hurriedly started buttering him up.

Lou Tianzhi rolled his eyes at Lou Yun. "Stop trying to flatter your second uncle! I can’t easily describe it… but I remember the rough location. Now, fetch pen and paper!"

Relying on his memory, Lou Tianzhi sketched the approximate location where Wen Zhi Lao Ren hid within the Great Snowfield. Lou Yun studied it twice and memorized it. Carefully storing the paper, he wasted no more time. Standing up and bidding farewell to his father and second uncle, he turned and left.

Before he reached the door, Lou Yun suddenly turned back, remembering something: "Father, Second Uncle, you recall those friends and disciples I mentioned before — Yi Jin Guan and Zuo Mingyang? I told them to seek refuge with the Lou Family. They ended up missing us through some mischance. And I still haven’t found any trace of them to this day. I’ve been worrying about this matter constantly. Originally, I planned to find them without fail during this return. But then… well, unexpected troubles arose. So I entrust this matter to you. By all means, help me find them!"

Lou Tianming and Lou Tianzhi nodded simultaneously: "Don’t worry, we understand. We will spare no effort to find them!"

"Mmm, then I’m off."

Lou Yun walked all the way to the main gate of Yulu Mountain Manor this time. But he thought again and paused. If he really did learn the location of the Thousand Layer Cave, he’d head straight there. He couldn’t say when he’d return next. So… he really should say goodbye to Xia Zhilan.

Although Xia Zhilan was both worried and reluctant to see Lou Yun leave like this, she understood that she couldn’t stop him once his mind was set. So she could only urge him to be careful and come back soon.

After comforting Xia Zhilan, Lou Yun circled around to Leng Qianrou’s room. He informed her as well, assuring her that he would surely find her big brother’s whereabouts and bring him back safely.

By the time Lou Yun finally left Yulu Mountain Manor, it was already noon. Propelled by his magical weapon, he flew directly towards the Great Snowfield. Having been there once before, the journey felt familiar this time, and he arrived upon the Great Snowfield quite quickly.

Though it was his second time there, arriving this time by flying on his magical weapon afforded a commanding view from above. Gazing out at the vast, white snowscape, the feeling was even more magnificent and awe-inspiring, unconsciously broadening one’s mind and spirit.

"Huuu…"

Heaving a long sigh that turned to mist in the cold air, Lou Yun urged his magical weapon onward. Following the map sketched by Lou Tianzhi, he began searching the Great Snowfield for a terrain and landform matching the description.

Although searching by a map sounds straightforward, actually doing it proved extremely difficult. At least to Lou Yun flying high above, every patch of terrain below seemed remarkably similar to the map his Second Uncle had drawn.

This wasn’t because Lou Tianzhi’s map was too simple. Rather, in this expanse of pure white snowy wilderness, everything visible shared the same color, offering no distinctive landmarks for reference and comparison. Under these conditions, the human eye inevitably experiences visual distortions.

This continued as he flew through the air for well over two hours. Lou Yun was on the verge of giving up when his eyes suddenly flashed. Below him now was a snow-covered mountain peak that looked awfully familiar. But this sense of familiarity wasn’t from resemblance to his Second Uncle’s map— it was because he had actually been to this place before.