NOVPUB
Chapter 139: Dragon Back Mountain
The Dragon Back Mountain is a mountain range that spans the territories of three noble families of Forgeheart kingdom and the Buddhist sect. Its name comes from the shape of the mountain, resembling the back of a dragon with many scales. Due to its location between these four territories, it has also become a point of intersection between them.
Aldrian, Xin Haotian, and Duke Valiard land at the edge of the mountain region before proceeding on foot. Walking is preferable because the strong winds that sweep across the mountain range can make flying dangerous, even for those at the Emperor stage. If one isn’t careful, they could be swept away by the currents.
The group finds themselves on a road with a steep cliff to the right. This road serves as a functional route connecting the four territories, but it is largely devoid of travelers. Thanks to teleportation stations, most people prefer those faster methods of travel over a time-consuming journey on foot. As a result, the road is mostly used by merchants transporting large quantities of goods or heavy packages.
Aldrian narrows his eyes, sensing the blueprint’s location now much closer. He looks towards a higher point on the Dragon Back Mountain and points toward it.
"I can feel that the blueprint is in that direction."
Duke Valiard frowns, puzzled by the location Aldrian indicates.
"Are you sure, young master? To reach that place, we’d have to climb the mountain the old-fashioned way. It’s one of the forbidden zone because it’s so dangerous—even for an Emperor stage cultivator. The energy flow there is unusual, making it impossible to absorb the energy of heaven and earth. The wind currents are even more treacherous—not only strong enough to sweep away an Emperor stage cultivator, but they also form blade-like gusts that can slash through cultivators at that level. For my elder brother to have reached that point with his Middle Emperor stage, it would be a miracle if he survived."
Xin Haotian nodded in agreement with Duke Valiard’s statement. The central part of the Dragon Back Mountain is one of the forbidden zones of the continent. Although it’s not as famous as the Everlasting Silent Forest, due to its location in the southwestern part of the continent and the fact that it isn’t frequently visited by many, this place has its own notoriety.
"I’ve tried to visit that area, and like Duke Valiard said, it’s dangerous. The strong wind currents are enough to make even Peak Emperor stage cultivators hesitate to enter. Essentially it’s impenetrable, if somehow Mardred Valiard managed to get there, we still wouldn’t know if he’s alive or dead," Xin Haotian explained.
"Also, that area is particularly strange. The disturbance in the energy flow seems unnatural, at least based on my observations," he added, using voice transmission to communicate with Aldrian.
"Why do you think that?" Aldrian asked.
"When I stepped into that extremely windy area, the energy flow became chaotic, making it incredibly difficult—almost impossible—to absorb the energy of heaven and earth. Thanks to my divine-grade cultivation technique, I was able to absorb some of it, but the wind also felt strange; its strength suddenly spiked when I entered. It made continuing to climb quite dangerous, but I managed to avoid the slashing winds thanks to my light laws."
"Oh? That’s quite interesting. If what you said is true, then I can guess one thing that might have caused all of this."
Aldrian and Xin Haotian exchanged glances.
"A formation," they both thought simultaneously.
"That’s what I thought, but what kind of person could create a giant formation that covers such a vast mountain? If that’s true, how powerful must they be to accomplish something like that?" Xin Haotian asked.
"Extremely powerful. I need to see for myself what kind of formation this is; maybe we can learn something from it," Aldrian replied.
Duke Valiard observed Aldrian and Xin Haotian, who had fallen silent. He knew they were exchanging thoughts through voice transmission and felt curious about their secretive discussion, but he chose not to ask them about it. After a moment of contemplation, Aldrian finally made a decision.
"Let’s move closer first and see what we can do. Let’s set aside the status of Mardred Valiard for now; our priority is to reach the blueprint. After that, we can solve the mystery surrounding Mardred Valiard’s disappearance."
Xin Haotian and Duke Valiard nodded in agreement. With their swift movement techniques, they approached the central region.
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As Duke Valiard and Xin Haotian had said, the moment Aldrian stepped closer to the central region of the Dragon Back Mountain, the wind began to blow stronger. Their senses struggled to penetrate far into the area, as something obstructed their perception.
Aldrian decided to stop in this windy region. They hadn’t fully entered the central area yet, but this place was sufficient for him to assess the situation.
"Yes, I can feel it. Although subtle, the flow of energy is becoming chaotic from this point. No wonder cultivators can’t absorb energy beyond this area; even here, the flow feels like a wild horse that refuses to be caught," Aldrian observed, looking around at his surroundings. "The chaotic energy doesn’t follow any discernible pattern, and I can only imagine how chaotic it must be in the central region."
After contemplating for a moment, he decided to establish his domain here. It would aid him in his investigation and serve as a safe haven. As he harmonized himself with nature and the universe, he successfully created his domain. However, he was stunned when he detected something.
"There are some people here," Aldrian said to Xin Haotian and Duke Valiard.
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Two and a half kilometers from Aldrian, dozens of dwarves had gathered inside a simple base camp. Their cultivation levels were notably high, with an average at the Earl stage and the highest among them at the Duke stage. Aldrian’s group masked their entire presence, using the surrounding environment to conceal their auras.
They were now 700 meters from their target, a distance where they would usually be detected. However, due to the special conditions in this area and Aldrian’s control over energy, they were undetectable even to the cultivator at the Emperor stage.
They kept a close watch on the group, which appeared to have been there for a long time. Traces in the surroundings indicated that many supplies had already been used. Aldrian, using his sense that spread throughout his entire domain, detected many presences in this region of mountain, as if creating a perimeter. While Aldrian was unsure of their intentions in forming some kind of barrier around the mountain, Duke Valiard was stunned when he noticed the symbol on their clothes.
"That’s the Badin family’s symbol. What the hell is the Badin family doing here?" he exclaimed to Aldrian and Xin Haotian. Even though this area was still considered part of the Badin dukedom territory, there was nothing here that warranted a base camp, especially since they seemed to be guarding something.
Aldrian focused on their activities, his domain now extending three kilometers, which was why he could detect the group as soon as he created his domain. Duke Valiard was once again amazed by this miraculous young man, who could sense things more than two kilometers away in such a chaotic energy environment. As for himself, he couldn’t even sense anything beyond the one-kilometer mark due to the obstructions.
"Let’s wait here. I want to observe their behavior and activities. After that, we can then ’nicely’ ask them about their purpose," Aldrian suggested.
Duke Valiard and Xin Haotian nodded, they stay still for hours as they observed every movement, listened to every conversation, and noted every sign left behind. Day turned to night, and they finally caught a new development when they saw a fresh group approaching from the opposite side of their position.
After waiting for a while, he noticed another group, this time emerging from the mountain itself. Their cultivation levels ranged from Grand Duke stage, with the highest at Low King stage. Duke Valiard was stunned by this composition.
"What are they trying to accomplish with this lineup from the mountain? Are they attempting to climb it?" he wondered aloud, knowing full well that even those at the Emperor stage couldn’t scale the mountain.
"Do they know the location of the blueprint? Are they trying to climb the mountain for that reason?" Duke Valiard asked Aldrian.
Aldrian smiled as he watched the incoming group. "Why don’t we ask them ourselves?" he replied. Duke Valiard felt puzzled and then shocked when Aldrian stood up from their hiding place and walked toward the base camp.
