Nine Paths of Asura-Original Wuxia

Chapter 116-Star Stream Lake Pt.5

Thanks for voting guys, and sorry if I haven't been responding to follows and comments lately, I'll catch up at some point I promise. 

"The original inhabitants of Snowfall Mountain are the one and only Ice Fey!" The Snow God's Empress declared and Lineir's eyes widened. The claw of greed seized him as his heart began to beat fast. This was simply a god-sent chance sent from Fate itself.

"The Ice Fey?" He asked. The Empress stood up and brought out a blank jade slip. She quickly imprinted it with the necessary information and delivered it to him. When he viewed its contents he understood its exact location and the various dangers Bing Wei had encountered to get there.

"It's an ancient proving ground of the Ice Fey. As far as I know only my husband and I know of it in this generation. Now you do as well. I only ask that if you discover any clues regarding my husband's disappearance during your travels, you use this jade to transmit the details to me."

The Snow God's Empress bowed to Lineir who clasped his hands in return and walked away. He felt a burning desire to find this proving ground of Snowfall Mountain.

"When I was just looking for a chance to test myself against the Higher Realms. What a perfect opportunity!" He grinned and flickered off towards the distant mountain peaks.

*************************

"Hungry...consume..." The Ancient One wandered in search of the scent of life. However...all around the previously vibrant jungle something had happened. 

Death

Originally when he had awakened there had been an all compassing smell of ozone. This was the remnants of the terrifying bolt of lightning which had surpassed the space and time barriers of the estate to immediately strike at him when he returned into existence. The Heavens do not tolerate those who may threaten them and tribulation lightning was their oldest and most ancient defense. When the Ancient One had left the estate and soared into the sky something unexpected had happened.

KRANG!!!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

As he leaped into the sky he was assaulted by a bolt of tribulation lightning which shattered the skies and decimated the area around him. He tumbled to the ground and realized that though the lightning had failed to eliminate him as the Heaven's had hoped, all the mortal life around him had been destroyed. A few minutes later as he was recovering...

KRANG!!!!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

Another bolt of tribulation lightning came down and blasted him back down into the dirt.

Sssssss......

The ground around him charred black sizzled and the Ancient One slowly rose to his feet, his black body shifting and oozing unidentifiable fluids. He spat out a mouthful of blackened liquid and leaped forward suddenly sprinting close to the ground like a cheetah rather than bounding through the skies.

"Why do the Heaven's seek to suppress me? Soooo....hungry..." The Ancient One bounded forward as he tried to avoid Heaven's tribulation while seeking out life. He dared not take to the skies anymore. 

*****************************************

"It's so cold here. How can the mortals of the Higher Realms like the two girls live without the bodies of cultivators?" Lineir asked a question which had been bothering him for some time. 

"The mortals of the Higher Realms are not quite the same as the mortals who are born in your realm. As they are born here where the Laws are so much purer and the Qi so dense, their bodies are naturally fairly tough and hardy. Indeed, some of them are even born as cultivators, essentially giving them a massive advantage compared to those from the Lower Realms. If you were to place a mortal here with no protective treasures or countermeasures from the Lower Realms then they would surely die, but for the mortals of the Higher Realms, with the proper clothes they can survive in a surprising number of places. Never doubt the adaptive power of humans or other races, it does not take a cultivator to survive under Heaven's rule." Mei chuckled. She could understand Lineir's confusion. The mortals of the Lower Realms were truly just too weak in comparison to life in the Higher Realms. They would easily freeze to death just about anywhere.

"That makes sense. But doesn't that mean that the mortals of the Higher Realms should be fairly powerful in terms of combat power? Are they really still mortals?" Lineir asked as he trekked towards the mountains. 

"They are definitely still mortals. Those two Wei girls for instance, they have not stepped on the path of dedicated cultivation. While they might be able to passively benefit from the Qi in the air and water they cannot absorb it purposefully and use it for their gain. Without stepping onto the path they are hardier and they in fact are probably slightly more powerful than some of the weak cultivators of your world, but that is pure physical strength. It allows them to hunt some of the natural animals and survive in the conditions but make no mistake, they are no match for true cultivators. It is just your eyes need to be opened to the wider world. You will see, this is not strange, YOU are the strange one for stepping into the Higher Realms for the Lower Realms. You are the exception not the rule." 

Tak Tak Tak

The snow continuously crunched as Lineir enjoyed the luxurious scenery on the way to Snowfall Mountains. Frozen lakes and ponds, beautiful ice caves, and all around snow-covered forest were the natural geographical features which graced the Snowfall Territory. Lineir did not encounter many humans at all, the wilderness was simply too dangerous for ordinary mortals to travel for the most part. Only those desperate, like the Wei sisters, would do such a thing. Eventually, as Lineir headed down the route which the Snow Empress had taught him, he started to come upon small mortal settlements which he avoided for the most part. As a cultivator there was nothing to gain from interacting with such settlements which were devoid of other cultivators. However, a settlement which Lineir couldn't ignore soon appeared. A massive clearing appeared with the majestic Snowfall Mountains in the background. A grand citadel with immense walls proudly stood against the will of winter.

"So it's here I should stop before entering the mountains...Snowfall Citadel." Lineir smiled in wonder as he saw the vast structure, a testament to human might and ingenuity in direct defiance of the harsh climate. Its walls were reminiscent of Lightholme or even his home town of Brackenrock, however it was much more expansive than both of those cities combined. Numerous hides and furs were atop the citadel mounted upon spikes, and a great number of banners streamed out from up high. However, the biggest banner of them all was a great ice blue crown...the symbol of the Snow Empress's mortal enemy, the Jie Clan of Snowfall!

"Hm...strong. Very strong. Until one passes into the Divine Realm they would not be able to challenge the city's defenses without numbers." Lineir commented observing the high and thick walls and the numerous guards and static defenses lining the perimeter. At the moment however, it was peaceful and the gates were open with only some checkpoints. Naturally these checkpoints were  not checking for papers but for checking pockets.

"10 silver pieces for commoners! 20 for nobles and 100 for caravans of 10 of more!" The guards called out and Lineir randomly picked one entrance to enter from. Despite the fact that it was a harsh environment, Snowfall Citadel was the only major city for many kilometers around so it drew a fair amount of traffic daily. After a short wait behind some commoners and their wagons Lineir arrived up at the gate and paid his fee and walked in. Fortunately, the city had many mortals and accepted mortal currency such as base metals and gold. Mei had told Lineir of how cultivator cities existed which catered exclusively to cultivators and required one to pay materials containing Qi to enter. If that was the case, god knows what kind of hassle it would have been to enter as Lineir would have had to barter with treasures from the Lower Realms.

"You there!" As Lineir entered the city a guard wearing an embroidered robe emblazoned with the emblem of the Jie clan pointed at Lineir. He slowly came to a stop and looked at the Jie clan doing his best to look like a regular cultivator, or even better, a cultivator.

"Is there a problem?"