Where Immortals Once Walked

“The first time Tianluo Star flickered strangely, the array eye appeared as well. It was shining brightly. My avatar saw that its surface was spotless, especially clean.”

The array eye has to be quite large if Zhu Erniang’s largest molt can be placed inside it. “That doesn’t prove much. It had only just emerged from the void then, and perhaps the void itself is dustless.”

“I made my avatar explode in midair. The larger stones were bounced away, but the rock dust and black ash fell into the array eye. They weren’t repelled. Only after almost a quarter of an hour did they get automatically cleared away all at once.”

“Impressive.” This aberrant creature might have a stone for a brain, but it’s smarter than most people, and quite adaptable too. “So the tiny grains of sand stayed behind?”

“Yes.”

He Lingchuan immediately said, “Then it seems the defensive array won’t stop objects that are too small.”

How much force, and what kind of projectile, would be judged as an attack? For an array, this was a matter of detection and classification.

If Juju threw an exploding lump of lava at it, that was certainly an attack.

But what if a leaf drifted down? What if raindrops landed on the array eye? Would those count as attacks?

If even that counted, how many times would the defensive divine technique have to activate during every autumn and winter shower?

Any array had to strike a balance between cost and power. Even the wealthy Heavenly Palace would not want to pay again and again for the array eye’s excessive sensitivity every time it rained or snowed.

So, extremely fine objects entering it probably would not trigger its defenses.

Dust, rain, and snow might be handled by a separate cleaning array instead, but that would mean a delay or a window of time.

“This is excellent news. We might be able to use it. Also, I’ve heard the array eye itself was originally an ancient magical artifact made of glazed gold. The gods merely modified it into a sturdy fortress.”

“Glazed gold?” Juju thought for a while. “I’ve eaten some before. The Ke Family offered it to me twice, but each piece was only the size of a booger!”

He Lingchuan’s spirits rose at once. “Can you get more? Try ordering it from the Ke Family. We need glazed gold for experiments.”

A piece of rare metal the size of a booger to this giant monster would likely be a heavy lump in front of me... No, why am I even thinking about that?

“The more thorough our preparations, the higher our chances of success.”

Juju longed for success, so it said, “I’ll think of a way.”

He Lingchuan returned to the question he cared about most. “If we can destroy the array eye, can you break Star-Plucking Tower? I heard its defenses are also extremely powerful.” But no matter what array it was, it should have a limit. “How many lava shots can you fire?”

Juju burst into laughter. “As long as I’m on Mount Xu, as many as I want.”

Its source of power was the inexhaustible true fire of the earth veins!

After such a long discussion, Juju finally felt that breaking the Grand Spirit-Gathering Array was no longer a fantasy. There was now a faint possibility of success.

Whether this boy is reliable in the end was another matter. Hopefully, he won’t turn out to be all talk and leave his life on Mount Xu.

“No rush. We solve the problems one by one.” He Lingchuan’s gaze flickered.

If he could break the array eye, then Juju could draw away most of the Heavenly Palace’s attention for him.

Then perhaps he would have a chance to strike at the divine object inside Star-Plucking Tower.

“But we need more preparation.” With his strength alone, he could not handle every unexpected development.

After carrying out so many missions, He Lingchuan knew very well that accidents were inevitable.

He then smiled and said, “Speaking of which, more than ten years ago, when you woke before they finished installing the array eye, it wasn’t because the Ke Family made a mistake, was it?”

The Ke Family had been entrusted with such a major task. How could they possibly miscalculate the amount of offerings, or feed it inferior ore?

After gathering clues over the past few days, He Lingchuan felt this had not been an accident.

Juju chuckled twice and neither confirmed nor denied it.

That was as good as admitting it.

* * *

At the Grass Sea, North of Lingxu City.

The Grass Sea was not a grassland, but an expanse of marshland. The water was only knee-deep, and across several dozen hectares, reeds, cattails, bulrushes, and other aquatic plants grew taller than a man.

It was the ninth month, and everything now faced frost.

At this season, the land was turning withered yellow, and the grasses and trees were beginning to dry, yet the sunlight still insisted on gilding the fading Grass Sea with a lavish, brilliant coat.

Even Fushan Yue sighed. “It would’ve been better if the Grass Sea event had opened a month earlier.”

Autumn sightseeing at the Grass Sea had always been one of Lingxu City’s major entertainments.

And during the biennial Grass Sea Festival, the banks of the marsh were packed with people. Life was far too bland on ordinary days. From imperial relatives to commoners, nobody wanted to miss such a grand gathering.

The shoreline itself had been designed and repaired over many years, and had long since been fixed into the shape of a “3” in order to let more people gather along the bank and enjoy the scenery.

For 3.5 kilometers along the shore, fine white sand covered the ground. It had been transported from elsewhere and specially laid here. When stepped on barefoot, it was soft and yielding.

Of course, the best spots in the front row had all been reserved for nobles and dignitaries.

Fortunately, behind the sandy shore were low hills. Commoners could stand row after row along the slopes without their view being blocked.

He Lingchuan followed Fushan Yue onto the sandbar, then turned and looked back.

Damn, it’s really packed!

For a moment, he was almost dazed, reminded of a stadium during a major event, where the spectator stands were packed to the brim, and the roar of the crowd surged like a tide.

Or perhaps, a train station before a holiday.[1]

Many aquatic race guards were maintaining order at the site, their blue skin and scales especially striking beneath the sunlight.

He Lingchuan remembered now. This year’s Grass Sea Festival was hosted by the Zhongsun Family. Back when he and Fushan Yue crossed the border, Zhongsun Mou made things difficult for them, and Fushan Yue threatened to sabotage the Grass Sea event that the Zhongsun Family was organizing. Only then had Zhongsun Mou let them pass.

Judging from the grandeur of today’s event, the Grass Sea Festival clearly held an important place in the hearts of Lingxu City’s people.

The event had not officially begun yet, but the sandbar was already bustling as aristocratic families arrived one after another.

They would not be like commoners, spreading a cloth on the ground and sitting in the open air. Instead, they drove their carriages directly into the venue. The Grass Sea Festival was a long-standing tradition in Lingxu City, and the wealthy had long since devised better ways to view the Grass Sea, improving them over the centuries.

And in this case, they had devised specially made carriages.

Once the carriage stopped and was positioned to face the Grass Sea, one side of the carriage compartment could be fully opened and extended outward. There were even hidden sections inside both side walls that could be pulled out as well.

In this way, the carriage turned into a mobile wooden cabin, instantly tripling its original space. It had a canopy overhead to block the sun and rain, and inside were soft couches, wine tables, charcoal stoves, water cabinets, and even a chamber pot behind a screen.

In short, everything required for an outing and camping trip was there.

Some wealthy families even brought their cooks along, roasting and preparing food on the spot. It was comfort taken to an art form.

He Lingchuan had also heard that these carriages had become tools for the nobility to compete with one another. In addition to refined materials and clever functions, every family liked to make these special carriages bigger and bigger.

The Ke Family’s carriage had grown to over thirty meters in length. It was assembled from three grounded carriage sections, could accommodate twenty to thirty family members, and provided activity space for over two hundred servants.

But the Grass Sea sandbar only had so much room. If the wealthy kept showing off this way, everyone else would have nowhere to stand, which was a poor look. Therefore, Lingxu City had issued a special decree strictly limiting the length, width, and height of such custom carriages.

As the crown prince of a vassal monster state, Fushan Yue did not often attend this kind of event. But coincidentally, the Ke Family’s housewarming gift to him had been a scenic-viewing carriage. It was not excessively large, but its exterior was luxurious, its interior exquisite, and its functions complete. While grumbling that the Ke Family’s gifts were always flashy and impractical, Fushan Yue told the coachman to drive it to the water’s edge and seize a good spot.

The event had yet to officially begin, but He Lingchuan already saw movement in the marsh.

Tiny droplets of water frequently broke free of the surface and rose into the air. Though they drifted upward slowly, their sheer number was endless.

One after another, strand after strand, row after row.

The entire marsh was filled with this sight.

It was as though the place had become the bottom of the sea, with bubbles rising from below.

“It’s starting, it’s starting!” Lingxu City’s people had waited two years for this very scene.

He Lingchuan was used to seeing strings of water droplets fall, but he had never seen them rise like this. He reached out a finger to block them, only for the droplets to slide away from his fingertip and continue upward.

A gravity-reversal effect?

As a cultivator, his bodily perception was acute. He could indeed sense that his body had quietly grown a little lighter.

Several dozen breaths later, the upward movement of the droplets stopped. Immediately afterward, they fell from the sky.

Fine and delicate, scattered by the wind, like a light rain.

That lifting force vanished.

Fushan Yue wiped the water droplets from his face. “The omen has arrived. Usually, it should have begun an hour from now.”

Now was free activity time. He Lingchuan had only just gone to the water’s edge to wash his hands when Shan Qixiang appeared from nowhere and stood behind him. “Her Lordship and Nian Zanli have gone to ask State Preceptor Shuang Ye to bear witness.”

He Lingchuan’s heart tightened. He knew this was Li Qingge informing him.

“Let’s go. I’ll take a look.”

Along the way, He Lingchuan saw many familiar faces, and quite a few dignitaries nodded and smiled at him.

“He Xiao” had become rather famous in Lingxu City lately. If not for his hurried pace, someone would probably have come over to strike up a conversation.

This biennial Grass Sea Festival was also an excellent opportunity for middle and upper-class figures to mingle and strengthen ties.

On the way, they passed Songyang Mansion’s encampment. At a rough glance, there were at least thirty people there, and customers were crowding outside the tents in an endless stream.

He Lingchuan was surprised. “The Marquis of Songyang brought so many people this time?”

“Grass Sea hunting is dangerous, and demand for magical artifacts, talismans, and various custom-made items is high.” Old Shan smiled. “Songyang Mansion set up a working post here so hunters can come over and buy whatever they lack. It counts as a convenience.”

Unbelievable, despite having life-and-death matters at hand, Li Qingge still manages to have business in mind. He Lingchuan sighed. “If she doesn’t succeed, who can?”

Business was everywhere. This also showed how fierce competition in Lingxu City was.

He followed Old Shan quickly into a stretch of woods.

The grove was in the middle of the scenic “3” shape, less than fifteen meters from the water. Several round tents had been pitched among the trees. All of them were pale red, and each bore an enormous maple leaf emblem.

It seemed that State Preceptor Shuang Ye had not followed the trend of scenic camping carriages but had instead opted for old-fashioned tents.

1. I think this mainly applies to Asia. ☜