---

Chapter 58: What Kind of Mountain is Cangyun Mountain?

“Cangyun Mountain?”

That night, in the temporary camp set up by the Ling Wei Army, Ling Feng showed a look of surprise after listening to the Priestess’s explanation.

“Are you sure it’s Cangyun Mountain? But that’s quite far from here… No, no, no, if it’s the Princess, there is indeed a possibility of collaborating with Cangyun Mountain, but what does she intend to do with the power of Cangyun Mountain? Why not discuss it directly with our country?”

Unlike Ling Feng, who was lost in thought, Murong Yun, sitting on the other side, slightly shook his head with a hint of emotion upon hearing the name.

“I never thought we’d end up back at that place, it seems to be fate, unavoidable and inescapable.”

The Priestess’s head was filled with three question marks.

“What’s going on? Why does it feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t know anything… So, what kind of mountain is Cangyun Mountain?!”

“Hehe… Cangyun Mountain is something extraordinary, it’s known as the first wondrous mountain of the Ancient Spirit Realm, and it is said to be the residence of the ancient dragon, the world’s guardian, the Ancestor Dragon.”

“You see, this is a map of the Ancient Spirit Realm continent drawn by our predecessors.”

Ling Feng took out a scroll from his sleeve and spread it out in front of the few people gathered.

The moment Murong Yun laid eyes on it, his eyes lit up.

“Remarkable! Such a high-precision world map! It’s as if the artist traversed countless mountains and rivers personally and drew every detail, Ling Feng, you truly hide your depth!”

“Now is not the time to be impressed by these things…”

With a helpless shake of her head, ignoring the avid gaze of this seasoned adventurer, the gray-haired girl pointed at the clearly colored irregular patterns on the map in each direction and explained.

“This includes our Western Ling Kingdom and the four countries of the Ancient Spirit Realm. Our Ancient Spirit Realm is surrounded by sea to the east, south, west, and north, with a clearly defined total area, thus the boundaries of each country are very clear and overall quite similar, basically encompassing the whole continent.”

“Among these, only less than ten percent of the land has not been governed by the four countries for various reasons, and the most symbolic and representative area is here.”

Ling Feng pointed her delicate, white fingers at a small area in the center, which was surrounded by the maps of the four countries.

“Cangyun Mountain, the most magnificent and highest mountain of the Ancient Spirit Realm, is said to be where many sacred beasts, including the Ancestor Dragon and Qilin, were born, hiding unimaginably great secrets.”

“Indeed.”

A certain white-clad middle-aged man nodded and interjected.

“Years ago, when I answered the call of Saint Peach Blossom and went with many powerful individuals to subdue the ferocious beast Taotie that was about to revive, we entered that secret realm from Cangyun Mountain. Although it wasn’t listed as one of the ten most dangerous places in the Ancient Spirit Realm, if one truly delved deep, the dangers might surpass any of the previous ones.”

“Uh, that…”

Miss Bai’er raised a hand, making a rather weak inquiry.

“Speaking of which, weren’t we looking for Princess Ling? How did we suddenly get onto Cangyun Mountain?”

With a helpless smile and shake of her head, Ling Feng quickly explained to her little guardian.

“Bai’er, the Princess is no longer in Yangyuan County.”

“With such a big event, once Prefect Wenfu of Yangyuan County learns of the news, he will definitely command the Yin-Yang Bureau to investigate with the Heavenly Eye immediately. Whether the Princess was taken away or, as Miss Vilyric speculates, is intentionally avoiding the crowd and has plans of her own, she cannot possibly remain in this area waiting for the Yin-Yang Bureau to find her.”

“The Ling Wei Army’s extensive search of the mountains today has also proven this to a certain extent.”

“In that case, if we want to find the Princess’s whereabouts, our perspective can no longer be limited to the small Yangyuan County. Now that the great era has come, with intricate plots unfolding one after another, if we continue to think with ordinary logic, we will only be led into a trap.”

“Eh, is… is that so?”

Ling Feng nodded slightly in contemplation, her expression once again showing a thoughtful look.

“This matter might be more complicated than we imagine. The current Princess’s situation is already quite special, and it coincides with the tumultuous events of this great era, making predictions even more difficult…”

“Oh, come on, why stress over things like this? With such an obvious clue right in front of us, we’ll know once we go look.”

Hearing the Priestess’s comfort, the girl couldn’t help but smile and shake her head.

“Vilyric, you are quite optimistic, but Cangyun Mountain is not like the Tide’s Deep Valley; even you might not walk easily there.”

“But it’s true, no matter what, we’ll face whatever comes, and since there’s nothing to do right now, it’s enough to leave the cleanup work to the Ling Wei Army and Wenfu. It’s time to head to a more distant place.”

With both girls expressing their intentions clearly, Bai’er, who always followed Ling Feng’s lead, naturally didn’t need to be told much, so the girls turned their gazes to the white-clad middle-aged man who had come with them from the Tide’s Deep Valley and had previously cooperated with them.

“May I ask what Mr. Murong plans to do next?”

Having been listening until now, Murong Yun nodded.

“I travel the world, having no fixed abode. My original intention was to stay a while after concluding matters in the Tide’s Deep Valley and then continue my adventures. Since this kind of event has arisen now…”

“Cangyun Mountain… that place holds profound meaning for me as well; perhaps this is fate. If I wish to resolve my heart demon, I must ultimately confront it in person.”

The middle-aged man bowed respectfully.

“Should the three young ladies not mind me, a rough man, I, Murong Yun, would willingly accompany you for a while. I can’t guarantee protection, but at least I can handle some minor troubles. What do you think?”

Ling Feng smiled brightly.

“That would be excellent. What do you think, Miss Vilyric?”

“I’m fine with whatever.”

“Alright, then let’s tentatively decide on four people traveling together. However, Yangyuan County is several thousand miles away from Cangyun Mountain, and the journey is long, so we still need to plan a specific itinerary.”

The gray-haired girl pointed her finger at the map in front of her, slowly outlining a curve.

“First, we go east from here…”

…

A few days later.

On the eastern edge of Yangyuan County, at the border with Linqu Wu Jia County.

Pulling aside her sunshade hat, the gray-haired girl surveyed her surroundings, gazing at the wide river stretching to the horizon and the many boats passing over its surface, she nodded slightly.

“This is it. From here, we will take a boat along the largest waterway within the Ling Kingdom, the Kaiyuan River, until we reach the easternmost province, Xiangshou County, from where we can ascend Cangyun Mountain.”

Among the group of four, the only man who hadn’t covered his face with a hat nodded in agreement and casually remarked.

“Ling Feng seems particularly knowledgeable about the northern and southern governance, county and state divisions, and rivers of the Western Ling Kingdom. Did you perhaps travel this way often in the past?”

The girl paused slightly, but her expression suddenly became a bit awkward.

“Ahem, no… to be honest, this is my first time seeing this scene with my own eyes, and I’m not familiar with the specific process of taking a passenger boat. The only reason I know those details is because I often see them… in books.”

Seemingly afraid this statement might cause misunderstandings, Ling Feng quickly patted the shoulder of the brown-haired girl beside her.

“But don’t worry! Bai’er has been walking the martial world for many years and is quite experienced in such matters, she’ll definitely know how to handle it… right?”

However, the guard girl merely rolled her eyes.

“Master, you know well, I’ve lived in the deep mountains all my life. After my old man brought me out to participate in the Four Saints Selection Tournament, I went straight to working at the Yin-Yang Bureau in the capital, so I haven’t been on a passenger ship very much.”

“…?”

The master and the guard girl exchanged glances, then reflexively looked towards the black-haired girl who was still glancing around, making the latter wave her hands repeatedly upon noticing.

“What’s going on? Who’s the local here?!”

“Hah…”

Watching the three before him, who seemed reliable but weren’t exactly trustworthy “senior experts,” Mr. Murong sighed heavily, revealing a look of helplessness.

“You three needn’t worry, leave these trivial matters to me.”