Lu Yuan made up his mind, his heart filled with curiosity.
Previously, he had never had the chance to investigate the true secrets of Mount Tai. The first two revivals had not been enough for the world to fully reveal itself before everyone. And in his past life, he had possessed neither the ability nor the qualifications to do so.
Now, however, things were different. The third metamorphosis had begun, and the various truths of the world would gradually begin to unravel.
Having reached his decision, he hesitated no longer and walked straight out of the room.
Soon, Jiang Ningxian emerged as well.
"Where is Divine Son Jiang?" Lu Yuan asked proactively, as he truly had not seen the man lately.
"Him?" Jiang Ningxian rubbed her temples with a slight headache. "In order to surpass you later on, he went straight into secluded cultivation. He's waiting for the Severance of Heaven and Earth to unseal further while doing everything he can to raise his own strength."
With that, she glanced at Lu Yuan beside her, her expression helplessly wry.
As a prodigy of the Jiang clan and a Divine Son, such a person naturally had his pride and arrogance. Being bested by someone now naturally left him unwilling to concede. From childhood, he must have been the most outstanding among those around him; one could scarcely find anyone to rival him across the entire Desolate Flame Star Domain.
"Surpass me?" Lu Yuan was startled at first, but quickly understood.
"Anyway, let's not talk about that boy," Jiang Ningxian said, shaking her head, unwilling to say more. Changing the subject, she asked, "Have you also felt some changes within Mount Tai? Any thoughts?"
"Not yet. I'll need to investigate before I know," Lu Yuan replied without hiding anything.
"Then let's go take a look together." Jiang Ningxian did not say more either.
The two went straight up Mount Tai. It was not their first time ascending. As for the Peacock King, the Nine-Tailed Fox King, and the others, they had their own affairs to attend to, so they were temporarily away from the mountain.
Throughout their ascent, Lu Yuan and Jiang Ningxian could clearly sense that the aura and majesty emanating from Mount Tai were different from before. Even if its exterior had barely changed, the difference was still caught by the two of them.
Soon, they reached Jade Emperor Peak, the highest summit of Mount Tai.
Right then, the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Spirit Monkey also came up.
"Master!"
"Master, starting a few days ago, those Heavenly Palace ruins have been glowing all day long. We thought it would only last for a little while, but unexpectedly, it has happened almost every day," the Golden-Winged Great Peng reported, describing the strange occurrence recently noticed on Jade Emperor Peak.
Hearing this, Lu Yuan turned his head to look not far away.
He walked straight into the ruins of the Heavenly Palace and opened his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye.
Sure enough, a gentle glow rippled across the ruins and crumbling walls of the Heavenly Palace.
Looking closely, one would also discover that in certain places, ancient runes were surging. They intertwined with the ruined walls, merging into one before sinking into the ground.
It was underground.
He realized that the peculiar aura from before was leaking from down there. But when he tried to probe deeper, he found himself unable to do so. It was as if some mysterious force had veiled its greatest secret, rendering outsiders entirely unable to explore it.
Since even the Martial Dao Heavenly Eye could not see through it, he had no choice but to seek other methods. Yet to accomplish that, unless one could cleave the entirety of Mount Tai open... Famous mountains and great rivers all had their unique qualities; cleaving one open was far easier said than done, and clearly impossible here.
Frowning, Lu Yuan turned to look aside.
There, Jiang Ningxian was also observing closely, holding a bronze mirror in her hand. Wherever its reflection shone, different reactions appeared.
"How is it? Did you find anything?" Lu Yuan walked over and asked.
She was the Holy Maiden of the Jiang clan, possessing peerless talent, and was far from as simple as she appeared on the surface. And as one of the most formidable clans across the entire starry sky, the Jiang clan surely had many unexpected methods of investigation. Jiang Ningxian had always maintained a low profile, appearing quiet and refined, and the two had spent considerable time together, so there was no need for guarded vigilance. Still, one must never treat this woman like an ordinary young girl.
To Lu Yuan's surprise, upon hearing the question, Jiang Ningxian immediately shook her head. "I haven't found anything either. I can only see the surface. As for the deeper regions, it's like a dense mist.
"It seems some special power wants to conceal it, unwilling to let outsiders know." This was what she had discovered, and she stated it plainly.
Beside her, Lu Yuan nodded in agreement; his own findings were much the same.
Still, Lu Yuan was well aware that as the site of the Fengshan sacrifices, Mount Tai held an exceptionally significant place throughout Huaxia's history and civilization. Now that the third revival had begun, what secrets still lay hidden here?
If they could unravel some of these secrets, it might clear up many mysteries—such as the formidable enemies that Guangchengzi and the Ancestral Dragon had to face. Beyond extraterrestrial incursions, Lu Yuan had always been concerned about the great calamity that all the ancient sages held in such high regard. He had asked Jiang Ningxian about it, but she was not clear on it either. What exactly was that unknown catastrophe? Having had no contact with it before, he had no idea what it truly entailed.
Although nothing catastrophic had yet erupted, who knew when it might arrive?
Now, however, things differed from before. And he knew that Mount Tai's changes could not possibly be hidden from her.
Seeing this, Jiang Ningxian frowned slightly and continued, "This is completely different from the previous two times. During the first and second revivals, Mount Tai underwent corresponding changes, but not many. Yet now..."
She brought up the question again, finding it exceedingly strange.
"I wonder if all famous mountains and great rivers are like this, or only Mount Tai?" Lu Yuan responded, having traveled to many places before. Leaving distant places aside, he had seen no such phenomenon in the Hengduan Mountains earlier.
"It should only be Mount Tai."
With that, Lu Yuan began observing the mountain once more.
The surrounding power of heaven and earth was drawn in. In an instant, he saw all the power of heaven and earth converging from all directions, merging into Mount Tai in a peculiar manner.
Indeed.
The two exchanged a look.
"Then that's even stranger." Jiang Ningxian's brow furrowed even deeper. Raising the bronze mirror, she said, "According to my observations, the power of heaven and earth is continuously converging into the mountain. Though the amount is small, it has been persistent. And the power within is growing increasingly vast and pure... almost as if it is nurturing a god!"
Chapter 252