In the great hall carved from mountain rock, a person in gauze robes and a jeweled diadem lowered their head and asked, “Imperial Advisor, the Heavenly Mountain collapsed yesterday. Is a calamity about to befall us?” Below, the seated man’s hair and beard were completely white.
His brows were furrowed, and only after a long moment did he reply, “Your Majesty, according to the ancestors, the Heavenly Mountain is the Pillar of Heaven. For some unknown reason, it has suddenly collapsed. I fear there is a danger of the sky falling.”
The Monarch was greatly alarmed. He steadied his jeweled diadem with one hand and asked repeatedly, “Imperial Advisor, is there a way to fix this!” The white-haired Imperial Advisor let out a sorrowful sigh, closed his eyes, and shook his head.
The ancestors had only passed down the art of observation and calculation; they had not mentioned anything else. Although he had inherited some of their true teachings, when it came to a matter concerning the survival of the entire world, there was truly little he could do.
Seeing that even the Imperial Advisor said there was no solution, the Monarch’s expression turned mournful. He collapsed weakly back into his seat, mumbling incoherently. Suddenly, someone was heard running and shouting, “A deity!
There is a deity in the sky!” The Monarch was in a state of distress. Upon hearing these words, he thought it was one of his subjects spouting nonsense.
Anger rose from his heart, and he stood up, saying, “Who is making such a racket outside!” An attendant hastily ran into the hall, knelt, and kowtowed, “Your Majesty, there is indeed a small, snow-white boat in the sky outside. The people in the royal palace believe it is where a deity resides, hence the commotion!”
“Such a thing is truly happening!”
The Monarch strode quickly out of the hall. The attendant hurriedly got up to help the Imperial Advisor, and they followed him outside. The royal palace was situated on the highest ground in the city.
As soon as they stepped out of the hall, they could see a white boat floating gracefully in the air, moving through the sky without any visible means of support. As for the person in the boat, it was none other than Zhao Chun, who had come to investigate!
Ever since she had entered the area surrounded by the rocky mountains, although she had not detected the trail of any cultivators, she had not let down her guard. Looking down, she saw what appeared to be a miniature city. To call it miniature was in comparison to the cities in the Drifting Clouds World.
Honestly speaking, the size of this city was probably comparable to Pingyang Prefecture, where the Zhao Family resided, within the Flying Gourd Minor World. The population within was only a few tens of thousands, which did not seem like a place where cultivators would exist. Zhao Chun shook her head.
She had thought wrong. This place was completely devoid of spiritual qi, so naturally, no one could enter the path of cultivation. Since that was the case, she might as well go down for a look.
With this thought, the Smoke Boat followed her will and slowly descended into the city. Just as it was said that the royal palace was on the highest ground, Zhao Chun chose this spot to land. The Monarch and the other onlookers only saw the white boat grow from small to large, gradually approaching them.
They were all in a state of panic. It was the white-haired Imperial Advisor who stepped forward, leaning on his staff, to stand beside the Monarch. Just as the white boat was about to land on the high platform of the royal palace, it suddenly dissolved into a cloud of smoke.
The crowd cried out in alarm, having never seen such an immortal transformation. The smoke gradually dispersed, condensing into wisps, revealing a young girl within. Her face was serene and her figure well-proportioned.
Judging by her appearance, she was approaching the age of a young maiden. After the smoke formed into wisps, it slowly returned into a yellow talisman in her hand. The Monarch was utterly astounded and did not know how to speak.
Seeing this, the white-haired Imperial Advisor made a long bow and said, “Greetings, Immortal…” His action served as a reminder to the others, who hurriedly bowed in unison, “Greetings, Immortal.” Seeing the white-haired old man speak, Zhao Chun asked him, “There is no need for such ceremony.
Let me ask you, what is this place, and what are your identities?” This question made everyone look at each other, but they did not dare to discuss it in front of an immortal. They heard the Imperial Advisor slowly say, “This is the Great Jun Nation, the only country within a thousand-li radius.
This is the Monarch of our Great Jun Nation.” That man was dressed in resplendent golden gauze robes and wore a gemmed diadem, his status extremely revered and noble. He was indeed the Monarch the old man spoke of.
As for the old man himself, he said he was the Imperial Advisor of the Great Jun Nation, named Mao Wu. The look in his eyes when he regarded her was one of reverence with little fear, suggesting he was quite knowledgeable.
Although the Great Jun Nation had the word “Great” in its name, in terms of its territory and population, it could hardly be called a great nation. However, according to Mao Wu, it was the only country within a thousand-li radius.
In this world, either the territory was truly vast, making it sparsely populated, or human presence was so scarce that it was rare to find a settlement. Mao Wu and the Monarch invited Zhao Chun inside and offered her wine.
“May I be so bold as to ask where the Immortal has come from?”
Zhao Chun did not drink wine. She only asked for a cup of plain water, drank it, and replied, “I am not a person of this realm. I entered this place by mistake and wish to return to my original world.
Have there been any strange occurrences in this world lately?” The Monarch and Mao Wu both had expressions full of doubt. They did not understand what the immortal meant by “this realm.”
They assumed she was a being from the heavens. Hearing Zhao Chun ask about strange occurrences, the Monarch hastily replied, “There is indeed one matter!” His expression was frantic as he continued, “There is a mountain here that props up the sky.
Yesterday, it suddenly collapsed, causing the earth to tremble ceaselessly. I do not know if this is some kind of strange mutation.” A mountain collapse?
Zhao Chun keenly caught this key point, certain that it must be related to the similarly collapsed mountain in the ruins of the Flaring Wind Sect. Or perhaps, they were fundamentally the same mountain! But, how could the same mountain appear in different worlds?
Could it be that she was not in a minor world, but still within the Drifting Clouds World? With many questions and no answers, Zhao Chun said directly, “Can you lead me there for a look?”
“This…”
The Monarch was timid upon hearing this and did not dare to reply. Mao Wu supported himself on the table and said, “The Immortal may not know, but it is not that we are unwilling. It is that we are truly powerless to help.
The distance to the Heavenly Mountain is unknown. I fear we would die of old age on the journey and still might not reach it…”
“That is no matter. I can carry you with my Smoke Boat. When we reach the Heavenly Mountain, I will send you back.”
“In that case, there would be no difficulty…”
Mao Wu considered it carefully. He thought that if Zhao Chun went, she might be able to resolve the calamity of the sky falling. He replied, “The Monarch must remain in the country to handle state affairs.
Let me accompany the Immortal. Although the Heavenly Mountain is no longer there, I still remember its location. I can guide the Immortal.”
Zhao Chun nodded. After waiting for Mao Wu to prepare for a while, she summoned the Smoke Boat, led him inside, and headed in the direction he pointed. Before they departed, all the people of the Great Jun Nation came to see them off.
Knowing the journey was long, they wept profusely, watching as the Smoke Boat floated up and flew out of the rocky mountains. Seeing this, Zhao Chun commented, “The Imperial Advisor is certainly loved and respected by the people.”
Tears welled in Mao Wu’s eyes as he replied, “The Mao Clan has been passed down since the day the nation was founded, serving as Imperial Advisors for generations, protecting the royal clan. In the past, we were practitioners of the Mystic Dao, skilled in deducing heavenly secrets, performing ritual farming, and praying for rain.
That is how we earned some respect from the people…”
“Ritual farming? When I first entered this realm, I did not see any fields.”
Mao Wu grew even more sorrowful.
“That was during the time of my ancestors. It is said that every family had hundreds of qing of fertile fields, with abundant rice and fish. Rivers were everywhere, and the water and grass were lush. But from some unknown time, this became a legend. It feels as if since birth, we have been living in a stretch of desolation…”
Zhao Chun sighed, thinking only that the people’s livelihood was difficult and life was not easy. The journey took a full half-month before they reached the remains of the Heavenly Mountain. From the boat, the Heavenly Mountain could no longer be called a mountain.
All that remained was a stretch of rubble and scorched earth. What was strange was that a heavenly pit had sunk into the ground. It was pitch-black inside, and from a visual inspection, it did not look like rock.
“The Pillar of Heaven… is broken…”
Mao Wu leaned against the side of the Smoke Boat and began to cry out loud, weeping for the calamity and for the people. Zhao Chun landed from the boat and said, “This is as far as you need to guide me.”
Seeing the white-haired old man shedding tears, she felt a great sense of emotion, but she was powerless to reverse the so-called calamity of the sky falling. From her storage pouch, she took out a bottle of Nourishing Essence Pills and gifted them to him.
When this pill was mixed with water, a mortal who drank it could strengthen their body and have all chronic illnesses eliminated. It was a token of thanks for Mao Wu’s guidance.
With a thought, she commanded the Smoke Boat to carry him back to the Great Jun Nation, while she herself remained at the Heavenly Mountain, intending to investigate the pit.
(End of Chapter)