Chapter 2561: Bizarre Prayer

Due to being the master of the underworld, Zu An had a heightened sensitivity toward death, even though it hadn’t been established in this world yet.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The mountain was well-lit, but it was so quiet that it felt eerie under the darkness of the night.

The Goddess of Wu Mountain grimly warned, “Be careful.”

She commanded the cloud beneath them to accelerate. However, as they approached Genesis Mountain, a wave of heat surged at them. Even the cloud they were riding on started slowly dissipating.

Zu An frowned. It felt as if nothing ever good happened whenever he encountered such intense heat.

With a wave of her sleeves, the Goddess of Wu Mountain released water vapor, causing the cloud to become more condensed. “Genesis Mountain is a giant volcano. The shamans turned the volcano into a massive furnace that could be used to forge the strongest weapons in the world.” She gestured to the nearby mountains and continued, “The earth flame from the main peak is drawn to the surrounding 72 peaks to form smaller furnaces.”

By then, Zu An and the Mermaid Queen could already see Genesis Mountain’s main peak, which had a circular opening. A crimson light shone from the opening, dyeing the surrounding sky the color of blood. The other 72 peaks were positioned in a formation around the main peak. Zu An could sense light-blue ancient runes inscribed on the mountains. They resonated with Genesis Mountain’s main peak to form a massive formation that allowed earth flames to flow safely and smoothly.

There was a strong, stinging smell in the air—it was the smell of metal, precious material, and sulfur. Who knew how many overpowered weapons had been born here?

As they got closer, the Goddess of Wu Mountain was no longer able to maintain her cloud, so they had no choice but to stop on a nearby mountain peak.

Zu An looked at the formations flickering in the sky and said, “The protection formation is still functioning. It would have attacked us if we continued flying straight in.”

“That’s weird. How did something happen when the protection formation is still functioning normally?” The Mermaid Queen surveyed their surroundings. It had been some time since they arrived in Genesis Mountain’s vicinity, but they hadn’t seen a single shaman.

“It is bizarre. There should have been battle marks if it was an invasion.” The Goddess of Wu Mountain mulled it over. “The Genesis Shamans amassed a sea of wealth from forging weapons, and that drew unwanted attention upon them. However, the Genesis Shamans have powerful weapons and defensive formations that are also strong enough to deter most troublemakers. Several renowned experts invaded Genesis Mountain, only to suffer tragic deaths. Since then, no one has dared to target this place.” She couldn’t make sense of the situation either.

“Let’s head in to take a look.” Among the trio, Zu An had the best grasp of the situation. The death aura inside Genesis Mountain was extremely dense.

The Goddess of Wu Mountain nodded. She led the way, as she had been here before.

The surrounding 72 mountain peaks were connected to the main peak via suspension bridges. Red rivers flowed beneath the bridges, but on second glance, they were made of flowing lava. Smoke lingered in the air. The suspension bridges were made out of black metal and wooden panels. Walking on them seared one’s legs; it was a wonder that the bridges hadn’t burned up yet.

While Zu An was wondering how the Genesis Shamans ensured the suspension bridges’ safety, he noticed the Goddess of Wu Mountain suddenly stopping. He asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” The Goddess of Wu Mountain continued walking while casually fanning herself and wiping off her sweat. Her clothes were a bit more open than usual, revealing her snowy skin.

“Big brother Zu, why are you so dense? I’m from the Ocean races, and her Wu Mountain is manifested from a fog. We don’t do well in such hot environments,” the Mermaid Queen tugged Zu An’s sleeve and secretly reminded him.

Zu An looked at the Mermaid Queen. A hair strand was sticking to her face, and her cheeks were flushed red. Realization finally dawned on him. He secretly used the Snow Phoenix’s ability to cool down the surrounding air. Snowflakes even began drifting down.

“How beautiful.” The Goddess of Wu Mountain instinctively reached out to touch a snowflake, only to realize right after that Zu An was caring for her. She turned to him and said, “Thank you.”

“You've helped me a lot along the way. This is nothing compared to that.” Zu An smiled.

His smile was so warm that the Goddess of Wu Mountain didn’t dare to look him in the eye. She averted her gaze as she remarked, “It’s very rare for someone to be able to control multiple kinds of elemental ki like you.”

Zu An was surprised. “Is it the norm to only be able to use one element?”

Most cultivators in the future also specialized in a single element. Could it be the same for the more powerful ancient era too?

“Not exactly. Most shamans and fiends have powerful bloodline powers, so they often specialize in a single field and develop it to its maximum potential. It’s rare for someone to simultaneously cultivate multiple elemental abilities without suffering any setbacks... Is this due to humans’ learning ability too?” the Goddess of Wu Mountain wondered.

By this point, they had already reached the main peak.

Genesis Mountain had been modified into a nine-leveled forging platform. Nine was the number of extremity, which was why many world structures tended to involve the number nine. Each level consisted of a vast space filled with forging stands, a market, and residences, resembling a miniature city. The space became smaller the higher up one went, but there were also improvements in the scale of the forging stands and the extravagance of the residences. Going up the forging platform meant an increase in standing.

The suspension bridge led them to the fifth level, but there wasn't a single person to be seen. The massive city felt like a ghost town.

They made their way up to the highest level before coming to a halt. The ninth level was much smaller than the levels below, but it was still a vast area. At its center was a massive copper sculpture that was over three hundred meters tall, depicting a shaman holding a hammer.

Had Zu An and the others seen this sculpture under normal circumstances, they would have been awed by its craftsmanship. However, their attention was instead drawn to the ground.

Countless people were kneeling before the sculpture. Their clothes suggested that they were the Genesis Shamans. It looked as if they were praying to the copper sculpture with faint smiles. And yet, this seemingly heart-warming sight felt sinister, because all of them were dead.

The Mermaid Queen leaned toward Zu An and murmured, “Big brother Zu, their plight resembles that of the Chang clan.”