Chapter 1287: Accidentally Stumbling Into the Very Center

Zu An thought in irritation, If you knew it was going to be like this, why didn’t you tell me ahead of time? We came all the way here for nothing! It’s already too late to change the route now.

Yan Xuehen said, “Even though it is dangerous in the depths of the Great Snowy Mountain, we can try to go around the side.”

Zu An still had some misgivings. He asked, “Aren’t the borders dangerous? Why did I hear that the edge of the Great Snowy Mountain was also extremely dangerous, and that people absolutely can’t go there?”

Yan Xuehen replied, “The border of the Great Snowy Mountain is also extremely dangerous, but that is just for ordinary people. With your cultivation and strength, even though there will still be a certain degree of danger, it should be tolerable.”

Who is he kidding? This guy could even exchange blows with me, and he even defeated a several-thousand-year-old monster last night. This amount of strength is already enough.

Zu An sighed in relief when he heard her say that. He replied, “Alright, then we’ll give it a try.”

He definitely didn’t want to fail the journey and be marked as a traitor. If that happened, he would have to hide in the fiend race territory and flee for the rest of his life. He still had his own people back in the human territory, so how could he just leave them behind?

“Do you see that mountain peak that resembles a finger? We should approach from that side,” Yan Xuehen said.

Zu An was a bit surprised, asking, “You know the way?”

Yan Xuehen explained, “In the past, in order to understand the essence of the Snowflake Sword better, I wanted to find a place of ice and snow to go into seclusion. The Great Snowy Mountain seemed to be the most suitable location. At first, I felt that I should not go since even the emperor had been injured, but in the end, I was unable to hold myself back. Fortunately, I sensed a terrifying aura not long after heading inside, so I decisively withdrew.” She couldn't help but release a sigh as she recalled the past.

“It was something even you felt was terrifying?” Zu An asked in surprise.

“Indeed. Back then, I even sensed the aura of death, which was why I left quickly,” Yan Xuehen said. Even though cultivators usually focused on advancing boldly, continuing even though it meant inevitable death was just pure stupidity.

Zu An didn’t dare to be negligent when he heard that. He placed his full attention on the task at hand. Thus, he gradually approached the Great Snowy Mountain by following the directions Yan Xuehen pointed out. Under the sun’s illumination, the distant mountain peak flickered with golden light. As he drew a bit closer to the mountain, he could even see the silhouettes of what seemed to be pavilions and kiosks, resembling one of the legendary imperial courts.

Zu An thought to himself, No wonder so many people say there’s a great treasure in the Great Snowy Mountain. This place was clearly special!

It was called the Great Snowy Mountain, but it was actually a snowy mountain range that stretched into the distance with no end in sight. There was no way to make a detour around it. Fortunately, with Yan Xuehen’s guidance, the two cut across by heading toward the tallest, finger-shaped peak in the distance.

When they entered the range of the snowy mountain, the surrounding temperature suddenly plummeted. Yan Xuehen shivered. It was clear that in her condition, it was hard for her to deal with such a degree of cold.

Zu An supported her while holding her hand, sending warm energy into her body. Yan Xuehen blushed, but she didn’t refuse. Either way, this wasn’t the first time, and she was already used to it. However, she still warned him, “You should not waste your strength on me. There might be danger at any time.”

Zu An smiled and replied, “What if you freeze? To me, that’s the greatest danger.”

Yan Xuehen was stunned. When she saw Zu An turn around and show her a warm smile, she felt as if something had struck her heart.

…

As the two of them headed in deeper, frigid winds and snow began howling through the air viciously, battering them and slashing across their bodies like blades. A real blizzard had begun.

Both of them felt a prickling sensation all over their bodies, and some cuts even appeared on their clothes. Zu An was shocked, quickly using his body to block the wind and snow for Yan Xuehen.

Yan Xuehen merely hid on Zu An’s back like a kitten. Suddenly, he felt as if the surroundings had fallen silent. Her grandmaster senses were extremely sharp, so she realized that Zu An had not only used her body to cover for her, but also used his ki to form a protective shield around her. Because of that, however, his own body was completely unprotected. Bit by bit, his clothes began to be shredded, and bloody gashes quickly appeared on his body.

Yan Xuehen was alarmed, exclaiming, “You should hurry and protect yourself! I will be fine as long as I am behind you.”

Zu An chuckled and replied, “It isn’t because I don’t have enough ki that I didn’t protect myself, but rather because I’m saving it to deal with any possible dangers that might pop up. Don’t worry. I’m pretty thick-skinned.” In order to comfort her, he even raised his hand for her to see. Even though there were some wounds on his arms, those wounds recovered at an astonishing speed.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Yan Xuehen had fought against him once, and after staying around him for so long, she knew he had astonishing regenerative abilities. No matter how great his regenerative powers were, though, being hurt and continuously healing those wounds again and again had to be extremely painful, right?

Just how does he manage to seem completely unaffected? He’s probably putting on a smile and joking around out of concern for me, right?

Is this the so-called duty of a man…

Yan Xuehen felt a bit absent-minded.

…

Zu An continued to carry Yan Xuehen on his back as he pushed through the difficult blizzard. The wind and snow gradually became more and more powerful. The clothes on his body had long since been cut into tatters, to the point that it was likely more appropriate to call them strips of cloth.

When she saw his body, Yan Xuehen didn’t feel the slightest bit of shame. She only felt endless distress and worry. She quickly said, “This storm is strange. The faster you go, the more powerfully it acts against you. I have never heard of anyone who could speed through Great Snowy Mountain. You should try and slow down, and also lower the altitude a bit.”

Zu An realized something when he heard that. He lowered his speed, and sure enough, the strength of the wind and snow fell quite a bit. When he lowered his Wind Fire Wheels until they were only two to three meters above ground, the blizzard practically became negligible.

Only then did he notice that there was already a thick layer of ice covering the Wind Fire Wheels. Even the flames were extremely faint, as if they might go out at any time. He quickly summoned the Flame Blade to melt the ice and snow on their surface. Then, he said in relief, “Thank goodness I had a knowledgeable grandmaster with me. Otherwise, if I charged straight in, I might have been hacked to pieces by that blizzard.”

Yan Xuehen replied, “Based on what I have just seen, the natural laws of the Great Snowy Mountain seem to be different. The strength of the wind and snow changes depending on the power of the intruder. The more you resist, the greater the speed and the greater the rebound will be. I wonder just how such an intricate layout came to be, and whether it was naturally created or if someone created it. If it is the latter, that really is inconceivable…”

Zu An chuckled and replied, “The fact that you could see through these principles makes you extremely formidable too.”

Yan Xuehen’s face turned a bit red when she heard him praise her. She looked away somewhat and said, “Hurry and change your clothes. The way you look right now… is far too provocative.” Previously, she had felt terrible when she saw the blizzard cutting him. Now, she was a bit embarrassed.

Zu An lowered his head and saw that there were only a few cloth strips left on him. They didn’t even cover up much. He didn’t feel that embarrassed, however. He took out a set of new clothes and changed into them while saying, “I’ve let you see me naked again. We’re even now, right? To be honest, I think you’re even winning a bit.”

Yan Xuehen was bewildered. She felt extremely embarrassed as she thought, Can you even call this kind of thing winning?

She was just about to react when her eyes suddenly narrowed. She looked into the distance, wondering, “What is that?”

Zu An followed Yan Xuehen’s gaze and saw a frozen sculpture that flickered with a strange light.

The two of them walked over and saw a frozen person inside. He was an elder. Even though his hair was completely white, his skin still appeared to be healthy and glowing. His body didn’t have any decrepit signs of age, and the clothes he wore were garments ordinary people would have no right to wear. Even after his death, his figure still gave off a hint of pressure.

Zu An was about to say something when Yan Xuehen cried out in alarm, “Martial uncle?”

Zu An was confused. He asked, “Didn’t you say you came here before?”

Yan Xuehen looked around her. The unfamiliar scenery made her visibly confused. Then, she thought of a possibility, and her expression changed greatly. She said, “Oh no. We might have gone the wrong way because of the blizzard and accidentally stumbled into the very center of the Great Snowy Mountain.”