The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 857 - 472: Volcano (Part 2)
The world of the Cultivators is like this, gatherings and separations, happen in the blink of an eye.
Before leaving, Ning Xiaoxian heard Tantai Yi’s message to her, a solemn "Thank You", and as she turned, she saw him nod slightly at her.
Finally, he acknowledged her effort in matchmaking. Many things are just like this, once you see through them, the path ahead is as vast as the sea and sky. Ning Xiaoxian suddenly said: "Catch this." She casually tossed him a storage bag. Tantai caught it, showing a questioning look.
"Over three hundred pounds of homemade good wine," she smiled with a hint of mischief, "Two hundred and fifty pounds of Spiritual Wine, fifty pounds of Osmanthus Wine."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the two Great Cultivators flushed red. Hu Huoer spat, dragging Tantai, they turned and fled as if flying, their full separation anxiety instantly dissipated into pieces.
He gave a peach, she returned a plum. He saved her life, she rewarded him with a beautiful bride. On the path of cultivation, she repaid yet another debt.
Ning Xiaoxian tossed the Black Stone in her hand, her heart darkened with separation anxiety, but such emotions flashed only momentarily. Changtian has always accompanied her, unwavering; she still has Tu Jin, Qi Zai, and Jiu Mo by her side, and that is enough.
"Let’s go, return to the Snow Mountain." She collected her subordinates into the God Demon Prison, then instructed Qi Zai. The Chongming Bird reverted to its true form, carrying her northwards. Flying back from here, at Qi Zai’s speed, would only take a day’s kung fu.
However, after flying for less than fifteen minutes, Changtian suddenly said: "Wait, let me take a closer look at the stone Hu Huoer gave you."
Qi Zai immediately landed on the ground. At this moment, the plateau was heavily snowed, and according to his request, she used the Divine Fire to melt a patch of snow into water and placed the stone in it. This inconspicuous Black Stone indeed floated lightly on the water surface. What Hu Huoer said was indeed correct; this stone doesn’t sink when it encounters water.
Anyone who has learned a bit of physics knows that the density of stone is greater than water, usually sinking with a thud to the bottom. If it exhibits such abnormal behavior, the reason is likely—its interior has too many cavities, sponge-like, light in weight, able to hold air. In Huaxia, she has seen such stones, locals call them "floating stones," and this is not a product formed over millions of years through natural evolution.
"Volcano." Changtian and she said in unison. Hu Huoer found the floating stone by the river when young, meaning there is supposedly active volcanoes within Atalia Mountain range. Floating stones, also known as volcanic rocks, are formed when magma cools and the bubbles inside turn into cavities.
From all the various messages, Changtian pulled out a small piece of information sent by a team of Hidden Guards three days ago: "Far northwest of the Snow Mountain, two thousand miles into the mountains, hidden giant yellow pear wood, tanoak, age untraceable, wood petrified." This message is very brief, seemingly normal at a glance, but when combined with the stone Hu Huoer gifted, it appears to hold much intriguing meaning.
Yellow pear wood and willow rong are plants that like to grow near volcanoes but do not tolerate extreme cold. This is the Northwest, Atalia, for millennia suffering from temperature abuse, wind howling, why would these two types of trees have once grown here?
The reason that can be inferred is simple—the presence of active volcanic activity, raising surrounding temperatures, and volcanic ash itself is rich in nutrients, capable of supporting many towering plants aside from snow pine, birch, and tanoak. However, now it’s all a white blur, the forest scene no longer exists, and the yellow pear wood, willow rong found have all turned to fossils, suggesting the volcano has long ceased activity, no longer erupting, at least the mountain’s magma doesn’t flow.
Why is this? The reasons for the formation of dead volcanoes are myriad, but is it possible there is some human factor involved?
After pondering for a while, Changtian instructed Ning Xiaoxian: "I’ve sent Hidden Guards back to this mountain range to find more clues. Additionally, send a message to Dou Er. His task of sending someone should be complete; have him set off immediately to meet us." Dou Er is familiar with the Northwest terrain, he should be one of the most likely candidates to locate the dead volcano.
Qi Zai immediately changed flight path, heading west straight to the rendezvous point. His speed far exceeds any others wielding sword control, hence Ning Xiaoxian designated the meeting location as the place Dou Er last dropped off the maid, also his last message’s location. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Flying in the snow plains’ Gang Wind is to fight against the forces of nature, even for Cultivators it’s not easy. Therefore, Qi Zai dared not travel at full speed, taking about eight hours to reach the specified location.
The Snow Domain population centers mostly choose locations near water sources, and this small town is no exception. However, the river outside the town is of too little supply, freezing over by winter. Passing this river, she saw townspeople chiseling ice holes for fishing. By estimation, the town had over two thousand people, a large human gathering point in the vicinity, no wonder Dou Er chose this for dropping off the maid.
She must have arrived first. Qi Zai reverted to human form, accompanied her into the town’s only tavern, intending to wait here for Dou Er and the others. The place was overcrowded, Qi Zai leading the way managed to find an empty table with chairs worn out and creaky, stained with some wine spots not cleaned. She frowned, sat down, ordering two cups of liquor on impulse without drinking—having been accustomed to the taste of Spiritual Wine, Mortal World’s inferior brew was beyond acceptable for her.
She didn’t quite like it here. Since entering the tavern, everyone’s eyes persistently fixated on her and Qi Zai. In such small towns, residents generally recognize one another, and in this season, there are few outsiders; she had taken off her felt hat, revealing a young, pretty face, many men fetching their drinks while not taking their eyes off her. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to vote recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)
