At dawn, they continued their journey, as their carriage was guided along the bumpy mountainous road. The squeaking noises, made by the wheels, even scared away some of the nearby birds.
After about three to four hours, the team had gone through a forest and arrived at a large plain.
“Hey, guys, look, is that the Luo Shen Mountain?”
Lifting the curtains of the carriage up, Qingwu and Qinghan looked afar at the plain, behind which loomed a fog-wrapped mountain, like a towering skyscraper. The mountain stood out amid the flatness of the grass-ridden plain.
“Ah, you’re right. That is the Luo Shen Mountain. Here we are! I’ll allow you guys to have a closer look at the mountain when we stop there.” Elder Qingniu nodded his head approvingly. He wasn’t bothered by the youngsters’ surprise and excitement; rather, he found them quite adorable, because they reminded him of his own youth.
“Wow, this mountain is super high! It’s perpendicularly straight. Look, the whole mountain is covered in fog, except the top. Why? Oh, wait… what’s that over the top? Ah… is that a pavilion?” Qingwu hung out of the carriage window, to have a closer view of the mountain. It was her first time seeing such a mysterious scenery. Of course, she couldn’t help but to reveal her excitement.
“Errr… yeah, you’re right. It looks like a pavilion. Could that be the legendary Little Immortal Pavilion? What your grandpa told us about weren’t lies!” While, at the same time, Qinghan squeezed next to Qingwu, trying to get a better position to watch the details. When his eyes landed on the top, his mouth fell wide open, as he found it totally unbelievable to see the pavilion-like architecture on top of the mountain.
“Hehe, not everyone is welcomed in the Small Immortal Pavilion, it’s a place only for the most capable and courageous cultivators, for those who pass all three trials. Now you know that I’m not bragging, the proof is right in front of your eyes. Never has anyone doubted this legend. Because the Small Immortal Pavilion is such visible evidence, that no one can deny its very existence. Also, many of the miraculous phenomena in the Luo Shen Mountain all support the legend.” Elder Qingniu explained.
“It’s amazing! But, why doesn't anybody directly fly to the Small Immortal Pavilion and fetch the treasure? Has anyone done that?” Qingwu asked in confusion.
“Oh, poor girl, this isn’t as simple as you might think. If what you said was real, then the Little Immortal Pavilion wouldn’t exist anymore!” Qinghan found Qingwu’s idea laughable. But, when he replied, he looked at her with affectionate feelings in his eyes.
“Hehe, my little darling, your brain is much slower these days. Qinghan is right, if the adventure is this easy, the Luo Shen Mountain would have already been destroyed. As per the legend, as long as an intruder gets the item in the Small Immortal Pavilion, the mountain will automatically perish. As for why nobody has flown to the top, hmm, this can only be explained by the mystery of this mountain. Anyone who approaches the Luo Shen Mountain, will be dragged down by a mysterious, invisible force, thus even those higher-realm cultivators cannot fly freely. They have to move forward step by step. The gravitation there is overwhelmingly huge. Later, when you get there, you’ll have a first-hand experience yourselves…” Ye Qingniu patted on the head of Qingwu, as he explained.
“Uncle Ye Ping, please whip the horses harder. I can’t wait to see the Luo Shen Mountain!” Qingwu winked to Qinghan, before she turned to Ye Ping, who was driving the carriage in the front.
“This is one of the mythical phenomenons of this mountain. You know, the gravitational force here is ten times stronger than at other places. The only thing you have to do is to adapt to this dense-gravitation environment as quickly as possible.” Sainan tried to ease everyone’s fear.
“Ohhh…” Qinghan roughly remembered, that Elder Qingniu had mentioned this phenomenon earlier. Honestly, he hadn’t given it much heed at all; but, only after he had experienced it himself did he fully understand how terrifying the gravitational force here was. It was a challenge for them all to steadily walk. It was so uncomfortable, and they even felt as if their blood was flowing backwards.
Since Sainan had reassured them that there were no enemies around, Qinghan hurriedly expelled the integration with his beast. By circulating his Battle Qi in his body, he managed to adjust his body to a state more suitable for this environment. On the other hand, if there were enemies, Ye Qingniu and the other elders, who waited in the near distance, would’ve already warned them. But, right now, they were quietly sitting in their respective carriage. The safety of the young lords and ladies was secured.
After Sainan’s patient explanation, everyone felt relieved, though they were still greatly confused by this phenomenon. As instructed, they all manoeuvred their Battle Qi, trying to raise their adaptability ability.
“Never in my lifetime have I ever encountered such a supernatural place. It is far more difficult to walk here, than in any other place in the continent. We all have to use our Battle Qi, to counter the gravitational force that is dragging us downward so intensely. This terrifying gravitation is killing me!” Feng Zi complained, as his mouth curved down a little bit.
“Me too! I cannot even jump! Besides, my speed of walking is dramatically reduced. Well, that’s impressive!” Hua Cao tried to jump up several times, but failed miserably. Scarcely had his feet left the ground, or he was struck by a turbulent flow in his blood veins. Being afraid to cause any damage to his body, he stopped trying.
“In the periphery of the Luo Shen Mountain, no one can escape the intense gravitation. The higher the realm, the heavier the force. Everyone has to walk on foot, even those in the peak level of the Realm of the Saint. It’s true, however, that some of them can fly as high as one or two meters if they use their Saint Domain to counter the mysterious force. But, the amount of Battle Qi required for such a tactic, can be called astronomically huge. Therefore, they rather walk instead of flying!” Sainan continued.