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Numerous palatial ruins dotted the mountain forest. Some of these palaces had clearly distinct features and totems that one could reasonably guess their origin, but most were for prayer. Thus, there was limited useful information.
In actuality, this was within Qi Lin’s expectations. These temples that were erected to demonstrate sincerity in praying to the Queen Mother Of The West were merely to make their intentions clear. It was impossible that they would leave behind the method to cross the Weak River, otherwise, there would be no need to construct these in the first place.
“Ai.” Chang sighed.
“Don’t have confidence?” Qi Lin saw her dispirited appearance.
“These prayer temples must all have been constructed only when our predecessors were in despair. Right now, I also feel this way.” Chang seemed to see that scene. Cultivators united in their will clinging to the legend of visiting the Queen Mother would at last reach these lands, only for a gigantic Weak River to obstruct their path, reducing all their hopes to nothing. Desperate, they could only use prayers as a way to search out a final hope.
Qi Lin carried a sense of vicissitudes as he agreed. Each historical ruin was a memory, and each historical memory was proof that one had lived. Each time he faced these, Qi Lin’s mind would imagine the scenes from those times.
Qi Lin searched the mountains for the solution up until nightfall.
The Western Kunlun Mountains after night deepened were cool as the water. A bright moon hung in the sky while a silver disc hovered above Jade Void Peak. Moonlight sprinkled down, seemingly draping Western Kunlun in a layer of thin silk, appearing elegant yet also a bit aloof.
Everyone reconvened near the Weak River. Unmistakably, everyone was very dejected.
Other than filling the environment with a strange atmosphere, these prayer ruins did not hold one bit of significance.
“Dammit. What was this all for, can it be that I am unable to cross a single river after all the effort needed to come here?” Xuanxuzi angrily pounded his fist into the ground.
“Big Brother Xuanxuzi, calm down. Since there is the promise of meeting the Queen Mother, there must be a way to cross.” Chang comforted him.
“En.” The others nodded.
Xuanxuzi’s gaze, filled with a chilling glint, swept over everyone. Qi Lin had no doubts that this Primordial Infant cultivator would kill them if they did not meet the Queen Mother.
“Should we construct a prayer temple?” Shi Xuan’s inquiring gaze looked to Hou Yi.
Hou Yi coldly said: “No need for such trouble. If prayer was effective, this place would not be in such disrepair.”
Shi Xuan grunted.
Afterward, Qi Lin and the others searched near the Weak River for the solution. These dilapidated prayer temples were in serious disrepair, not at all valuable.
Today, Qi Lin, Chang, and Qi Qi found another prayer temple. On closer inspection, this prayer hall had sharp corners that subtly corresponded to the ways of the sun and moon. Its details were perfect and flawlessly crafted, a world of difference compared to those prayer temples from before. From a glance, it was clearly a work of grand undertaking that even the craftsmen from a nation like the Yin Shang Kingdom could not produce.
This palace was relatively intact. It appeared to be well-rooted in fengshui, for it was situated in an ideal location where winds and water gathered. It could overlook the Weak River yet remain quite unaffected by the Weak River’s gravitational influence.
The palace was also well-matched with Western Kunlun’s mist. If one was not well-versed in fengshui, they perhaps would find it very difficult to detect this place.
The cultivator who constructed this hall had also erected a very orthodox prayer stele. Voluminous prayers were inscribed on it, authored by one “Kunwu.”
When he saw this name, Qi Lin had an epiphany. Kunwu was an ancient character from Han folklore, said to be the creator of pottery. In Primordial World, she was also from the Immemorial Royal Family and was naturally proficient in fengshui. In fact, he and his senior sister had once excavated Kunwu’s first work of pottery, the “Xuanyuan Dragon-patterned Pot.”
Seeing this place surprisingly had a prayer hall left by Kunwu, Qi Lin was instantly interested. Perhaps she had also come to visit the Queen Mother Of The West.
Kunwu was not so ignorant as to pray for blessings like the other cultivators. As a Divine General as well as a craftsman Divine Name of the Immemorial Royal Family, she appeared to be quite fond of contemplation. The inside of the palace was filled with many of her records.
From that beautiful script, Qi Lin could almost see the adorable appearance of Kunwu reflecting and pondering.
As expected, Qi Lin found an intriguing detail from these records.
“White night and black frost, step over the waves, as if beckoned by mother, I feel even more frightened.”
“When a feather cannot float, you cannot cross. But that which is lighter than a feather can.”
Qi Lin pondered upon these words whereas Chang was unable to make sense of them.
Qi Lin explained that these two sentences likely meant that Kunwu had spotted someone walk over the Weak River on a very bright night. They seemed to have been welcomed in by the Queen Mother Of The West. That they were able to walk across the Weak River without incident made Kunwu feel shock and fear. Afterwards, Kunwu carefully pondered and seemingly discovered something. Even feathers would sink in the Weak River, but if something were to be lighter, they could cross.
“Hm?” Qi Lin frowned. Something lighter than a feather. What in this world could be lighter than a feather. Hair? Air?
In the deep night, Chang relayed Kunwu’s discovery to the rest of the group, but everyone was stumped as to what could be lighter than a feather so as to allow a person to cross the Weak River. It was known that Weak River was the most dangerous waterway in Primordial World, unable to support anything.
In the end, Xuanxuzi believed that Kunwu had seen a Divine Name. In truth, only the Divine Energy of a Divine Name could have this sort of capability.
Moonlight sprinkled over the Weak River like mist. Western Kunlun’s nights were very white, as if the snow and frost blanketing the mountain was illuminated by the moonlight, bright as a paradise. In Primordial World, such a scene was also called a white night. The black Weak River also appeared like white frost. Qi Lin recalled the line “white night and black frost,” but it was no use.
Qi Lin was beside the Weak River, adjusting his breathing. He was already slowly acclimating to the Weak River’s ambient gravity.
Chang blankly stared at the Weak River, her thoughts a mystery.
Far away, a rumbling explosion could be heard. From time to time, there would be screaming sword-wind. Those were the sounds of Xuanxuzi and Gan Man hunting Western Kunlun’s Spirit Beasts. The pair had already completely given up and blindly scoured for treasures. However, Hou Yi worked with to actually slay a Demon Beast known as the “Chisel Tooth.”
Walk on water.
Qi Lin quietly contemplated. Qi Qi stayed at his side, yawning in boredom.
All of a sudden, a scream shattered the quiet of night. Qi Lin was jolted awake. He looked to see Chang had surprisingly fallen into the Weak River.
The girl was swallowed by the Weak River bit by bit. She struggled with all her might, but the Weak River was extremely heavy, her body submerging further and further. Xuanxuzi, Gan Man, Shi Xuan, and Hou Yi rushed over, aghast.
The group promptly used their abilities to mount a rescue, but upon touching the Weak River, their powers and magical energy dissipated like drops of water into the ocean.
Everyone was left at a loss of what to do when Qi Lin burst forth at this moment. His hands activated the Dual Modes Seal, which contained the mysteries of Heaven and Earth. He used the “light and heavy” aspect that made heavy objects light. The Weak River parted, and the heavy water droplets gently were brushed aside by Qi Lin’s hand. This Dual Modes Seal “light and heavy” could not be maintained for too long. Qi Lin pushed aside the Weak River and seized Chang’s hand, pulling her in as he dashed back to the bank.
Xuanxuzi, Gan Man, and the rest were left astounded by Qi Lin’s power. They completely did not expect a Golden Core cultivator could break free of the water.
Shi Xuan ruminated, but most of her attention was still focused on Chang. “Qi Lin, how did you let this happen, to actually let our physician fall into the Weak River. If you cannot even protect her, what use are you.” Xuanxuzi was furious, taking the lead in interrogating him.
Qi Lin frowned while QI Qi bared her teeth, vaguely surging with evil qi.
“Don’t blame Big Brother Qi Lin, Chang fell in herself.” Chang promptly explained.
“Sister Chang, have you gone mad. Did we not try and completely fail to cross the Weak River these past few days?” Shi Xuan scolded her.
Chang bowed her head very apologetically: “I forgot when I saw those lights on the water looked like a carpet.”
“Carpet?”
Qi Lin looked. Indeed, the Weak River was illuminated by the moonlight of Western Kunlun’s silver moon, manifesting a distinct layered appearance. This moonlight was like a thin curtain spread over the water. At first glance, it would appear that the Weak River was completely absent.
Lighter than a feather? Could that refer to this moonlight?!
Qi Lin was shocked, and Hou Yi also thought of this. The woman wordlessly moved towards that carpet of moonlight, “Elder Sister, you?” Shi Xuan was alarmed.
“Let her try, perhaps we can find a way to cross the Weak River.” Qi Lin informed them of his conjecture.
The group was half-convinced, half-skeptical. But upon careful inspection, moonlight indeed perfectly fit the description of lighter than a feather.
But their hopes were dashed again. The moment Hou Yi’s leg touched the moonlight carpet, she immediately sank. The woman promptly used her Divine Energy to barely break free.
Xuanxuzi sneered. As expected, it was in vain.
Shi Xuan and Hou Yi showed disappointed expressions. They had really thought that they had found the solution.
Qi Lin was not at all resigned to loss. With his experience, he was sure his hypothesis was correct. Step over the waves as if beckoned by mother. In other words, the reason Kunwu felt this kind of fear was precisely because of the moonlight walkway. As people walked across, it would seem like they had been summoned by the Queen Mother Of The West, which is why Kunwu used the phrasing that they had been beckoned. Then, an idea came to Qi Lin. He surmised that the reason this place had innumerable prayer halls was not because cultivators constructed them out of despair, but more likely they had all witness this phenomenon. They believed that sincere prayer could grant them the Queen Mother Of The West’s beckoning and allow them to cross the Weak River.
Qi Lin’s imagination was extremely abundant. His archaeological experience was already etched deep into his bones, and any one detail could be easily analyzed by him, the scene from those times reconstructed in his mind.
Xuanxuzi and the others were very bewildered to see Qi Lin’s intense concentration, but they were completely skeptical of this path of moonlight phrasing. Even Xuanxuzi had already suggested construction of a prayer hall. The others did not oppose. Evidently, they had entered the misconception of cultivators past.
The light of the two moons was layered, an avant-garde yet aesthetic arrangement.
Thin as a cicada’s wing, clear as water. In the vast Weak River, these were like stepping stones extending to the other shore.
One night, two nights, three nights…While Xuanxuzi constructed a prayer hall, Qi Lin remained unconcerned in his ruminations. Xuanxuz hatefully said: “If he has not found the solution after I finish this prayer hall, I will definitely kill him as a sacrifice for the Queen Mother Of The West.”
Gan Man and Shi Xuan did not say a word this time. In truth, Qi Lin’s unconcerned bystander appearance left them somewhat dissatisfied.
Chang informed Qi Lin of this out of worry, but Qi Lin simply smiled in disdain.
At last, the night of the seventh day came.
The moonlight was even thinner than before.
Xuanxuz had already constructed the prayer hall. Finally, the man walked towards Qi Lin with murderous intent.
Shi Xuan, Gan Man, and the others also walked over.
Xuanxuzi gathered light into his palm and looked down on Qi Lin: “You have done nothing but laze around for the last seven days. Presumably, you should know the rules. As a junior who has cultivated a Golden Core, you enjoyed the fruits of others’ labor and lazed around in front of a Primordial Infant senior. You must be prepared to die. In consideration of Sister Chang, I shall give you a relatively painless death.”
Qi Lin smirked: “And If I have already found the way to cross the Weak River, how shall Senior apologize then?”
Xuanxuzi was taken aback. He sneered: “Your Servant would be impressed with that Golden Core Realm who was able to find it and will retract the previous statement, protecting that one absolutely in Western Kunlun.”
“Protect me?” Qi Lin shook his head: “No need. If I actually found the way, then I want only one thing.”
“You have no need for my protection, are you not afraid of having no life to enjoy??” Xuanxuzi coldly spat.
“The life I want does not need another’s protection.” Qi Lin’s words were filled with an air of dominance.
“What do you want?” Gan Man asked.
“The Chisel Tooth’s Demon Core!”
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Xuanxuzi’s arrogance is disgust8ng. He’s bitch8ng at Qi Lin when he’s contrib7ted less than n9thing to crossing the Weak River other than getting pissy. Grade A l9ser. Honestly, I k8nda wish he’d try something just to give Qi Qi a reason to beat h8s ass.