279: Chapter 279 The Snowy Plains, Before the Heavenly Demon Mountain

It had been three days since Chu Sheng emerged from the bottom of the Duanhun River.

He did not return to the Tianfeng Kingdom, nor did he go to Jin Xiao City.

He went straight to find the Lord of the River.

The Lord of the River was meditating in the ruins of the small town, with Jiang Ling sitting beside him.

Chu Sheng looked at the Lord of the River.

"Take me to Tianmo Mountain."

The Lord of the River opened his eyes, glanced at him, was silent for a moment, and then nodded.

"Very well. But before we go, I must first take you to see someone."

"Who?"

"The Snowfield Old Ancestor."

The Lord of the River stood up and brushed the dust off his body. "The guardian of the Ten Thousand Li Snowfield. The entrance to Tianmo Mountain is on his territory. Without his permission, no one can enter."

Chu Sheng frowned. "What is his cultivation?"

The Lord of the River held up three fingers. "Dao Completion. He has lived for over ten thousand years and is a figure from the era of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor."

Chu Sheng's heart sank.

Having lived for over ten thousand years, his foundation was deep, and his methods were strange.

"Does he not belong to the three major powers?" Chu Sheng asked.

The Lord of the River shook his head. "He belongs to no one. In his eyes, the three major powers are nothing but Juniors. He only guards that snowfield and pays no heed to anything else."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's go. Let's go see him."

At the end of the Duanhun River was an endless snowfield.

Chu Sheng and the Lord of the River traveled across the water, moving upstream for three days and three nights.

The river water became narrower and shallower, eventually turning into a small stream that disappeared at the edge of the snowfield.

The moment Chu Sheng stepped onto the snowfield, he felt a bone-chilling cold.

It was not an ordinary cold, but the kind of cold that pierced straight into the Soul and could even freeze spiritual power.

His Heavenly Demon Body activated automatically, and Devilish Qi surged within his body, dispelling some of that cold.

The Lord of the River's expression was also not very good; although his cultivation was higher than Chu Sheng's, his resistance to the cold was not as strong.

However, since both were at the Dao Completion realm, it was only a slight physical discomfort and did not affect them.

Deep within the snowfield stood a palace cast from ice crystals.

The palace was not large, but it was exquisite. Every ice crystal was engraved with ancient runes, emitting a faint blue light.

At the entrance of the palace stood two ice crystal Puppets, a zhang tall, holding ice spears, motionless like two sculptures.

Chu Sheng's Divine Sense swept over them, and he discovered that their cultivation was at the Palace Building Realm.

He thought to himself: Even the gatekeepers are at the Palace Building Realm; this display is even grander than the Nine Nether Palace.

The Lord of the River walked to the palace entrance, cupped his hands in a salute, his voice not loud but clear.

"Junior Jiang Yuan requests an audience with the Snowfield Old Ancestor."

The ice crystal Puppets did not move, but the palace doors opened automatically.

Inside the door was a field of ice-blue light that was so piercing it made one unable to open their eyes.

Chu Sheng squinted and followed the Lord of the River inside.

The interior of the palace was much larger than it appeared from the outside.

The dome was impossibly high, and ice crystal pillars stood like a forest, each engraved with dense runes.

The floor was a transparent layer of ice, and one could see silver specks of light swimming beneath it like countless small fish.

In the very center of the palace was an ice crystal throne.

An old man sat on the throne.

His hair was white and disheveled over his shoulders, his face thin, and his eyebrows and beard were frosted over.

He was wearing a white ice-silk robe and leaning on an ice crystal cane.

His eyes were closed, as if he were asleep.

But his aura was not asleep.

That aura was as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea, pressing heavily upon the entire palace, causing even Chu Sheng's Heavenly Demon Body to tremble slightly.

Dao Completion Peak.

An old monster who had lived for over ten thousand years.

Chu Sheng took a deep breath and exhaled the turbid air.

The Lord of the River cupped his hands in a salute again, bowing deeper this time.

"Junior Jiang Yuan pays respects to the Snowfield Old Ancestor."

The Snowfield Old Ancestor's eyelids twitched, but he did not open them.

His voice was very soft, like the wind blowing over an ice surface.

"Jiang Yuan... why are you not staying at the bottom of the Duanhun River, and instead coming here to see me?"

The Lord of the River said, "Junior has brought someone. He wishes to go to Tianmo Mountain."

The Snowfield Old Ancestor's eyelids twitched again, then slowly opened.

His eyes were ice-blue, his pupils like two pieces of cold ice, without a trace of warmth.

His gaze moved away from the Lord of the River and landed on Chu Sheng.

Chu Sheng felt that gaze like two ice blades scraping across his body.

His Heavenly Demon Body vibrated, and the wendao bell in his Dantian rang automatically.

The Snowfield Old Ancestor's pupils constricted.

"Heavenly Demon Body... zhu xian sword..."

His voice carried a hint of surprise. "Just how many secrets do you carry on you?"

Chu Sheng cupped his hands, neither humble nor pushy. "Junior Chu Sheng, Outer Sect Elder of Wendao Palace. I have come to ask Senior to grant a convenience and allow Junior to enter Tianmo Mountain."

The Snowfield Old Ancestor was silent for a moment, then laughed.

The laughter was very cold, like the sound of an ice surface cracking.

"Tianmo Mountain? Do you know what kind of place that is? That is the dojo of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor, the place where he disappeared. For ten thousand years, countless people have wanted to enter, and not one has come out alive."

Chu Sheng said, "Junior knows. But Junior must enter."

The Snowfield Old Ancestor stared at him for a long time, then slowly spoke.

"The Heavenly Demon Body on you is Acquired Awakening. It is not a Legacy, but an Opportunity."

Chu Sheng did not speak.

The Snowfield Old Ancestor continued, "An Acquired Awakening Heavenly Demon Body is closer to the Origin of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor than a pure-blood Legacy."

He paused, his voice dropping a few degrees.

"But your current cultivation is not enough. The dangers within Tianmo Mountain are not something you can handle."

Chu Sheng said, "Junior has no time left. Arrogance has already ascended to supremacy. Junior must obtain the true Legacy of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor before Arrogance finds me."

The Snowfield Old Ancestor was silent for a long time.

His gaze moved away from Chu Sheng and looked toward the endless snowfield outside the palace.

His voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

"Heavenly Demon Ancestor... I followed him back in the day. He was the strongest person I have ever seen, and also the loneliest. Before he disappeared, he once said to me that one day, there might come a person bearing the Heavenly Demon Body to Tianmo Mountain. That person will inherit everything of his."

He turned his head to look at Chu Sheng, and there was a hint of warmth in his ice-blue eyes.

"I have waited for ten thousand years, could it be you?"

Chu Sheng was stunned.

He had not expected the Snowfield Old Ancestor to say such things.

He thought he would have to waste some breath, or perhaps even fight.

He did not expect that the Snowfield Old Ancestor had been waiting all along.

The Snowfield Old Ancestor stood up from the throne, leaning on his cane, and slowly walked down the steps.

His pace was slow, but every step was steady.

He walked up to Chu Sheng, stopped, and looked into his eyes.

"The entrance to Tianmo Mountain is in the deepest part of the snowfield. I can let you in, but you must promise me some things."

Chu Sheng said, "Please speak, Senior."

The Snowfield Old Ancestor held up two fingers. "First, after you go in, whether you live or die has absolutely nothing to do with me."

Chu Sheng nodded.

"Second, if one day you become the Demon Venerable, do not forget this snowfield. Do not let anyone disturb my quiet cultivation."

Chu Sheng nodded again.

The Snowfield Old Ancestor turned around and walked toward the depths of the palace.

"Let's go. I will take you to the entrance."

Chu Sheng and the Lord of the River followed behind him, walking through the long ice crystal corridor to the deepest part of the palace.

There stood a door, entirely ice-blue, with a huge ancient seal character engraved on it — Heaven.

The Snowfield Old Ancestor stood before the door, stretched out his hand, and pressed it against the door.

Ice-blue light poured from his palm, illuminating the entire door.

The runes on the door lit up one by one, like countless swimming snakes.

Rumble—

The door opened.

Behind the door was a void, and nothing could be seen.

Only endless darkness, and in that darkness, the aura that made Chu Sheng's Heavenly Demon Body tremble.

Tianmo Mountain.

It was right there.

Chu Sheng took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Behind him, the Lord of the River followed.

The Snowfield Old Ancestor stood at the doorway, watching their backs disappear into the darkness, and was silent for a long time.

Then he whispered, "Heavenly Demon Ancestor... your successor has come."

The door slowly closed, and the ice-blue light extinguished.

The palace returned to silence, with only the runes on the ice crystal pillars glowing faintly.