"During this time, I've been staying in Shandai-Gold Valley City."

Listening to Master Qing's words, Du Yu also recalled the map of Great Xia in his mind.

In this "remodeled" map of Great Xia, the provincial divisions were completely different from his previous life. The "Rooster" shape had become a roughly rectangular continent.

On this independent continent, there were no Little Bears to the north, no Little Sun or Korea to the east, and even less so were there many countries to the south. When Du Yu first saw the map, he was stunned for quite a while.

Only on the west side, there were a few scattered little countries, sharing the independent continent with Great Xia.

But those places were too far from Du Yu's daily life, so he hadn't spent much time researching them.

Luckily, within Great Xia, some major rivers and mountains kept names similar to those in his previous life. For example, within Shandai Province, there was a very famous mountain—Mount Tai.

Most of Shandai Province should correspond to the Qi and Lu lands from Du Yu's previous life.

Shandai Province is in the southwest of Shaohai Province, the two share a border.

So technically, the Ancient Pine Tower City where Du Yu lives now would've been… uh, in the sea, if put in his last life?

Yeah, sure!

Roughly rounding up, this Prince Du is pretty much the Sea King.

"A little over a month ago, over by Dai Mountain Province—Golden Valley City, a mountain shaped like a gourd appeared."

"It suddenly sprang up. In a world covered with heavy snow, Gourd Mountain didn't have a speck of frost or snow on it."

Du Yu nodded, "So, an ancient spiritual artifact."

Yang Qingqing looked at Du Yu. "Its location is special—it appeared right above the Bottomless Pit."

Du Yu's expression froze, "Bottomless Pit?"

"Yes." Yang Qingqing let out a deep sigh. "This gourd-shaped mountain blocked the Bottomless Pit and completely destroyed all the defensive fortifications we'd spent so long building."

"Was anyone hurt?"

Yang Qingqing silently looked at Du Yu and didn't answer.

Du Yu lowered his head a bit, realizing he'd asked something unnecessary.

Inside the Bottomless Pit, there were always Demon Spirit Squad soldiers, building the underground city and reinforcing fortifications.

A massive gourd mountain erupting from the ground—how could there have not been casualties…

After a long silence, Yang Qingqing quietly said, "Since Gourd Mountain appeared, that land has never again been plagued by Cold Qi."

At that moment, Du Yu finally realized the key to the problem!

He spoke: "Just like my Shadow Gu Tower, for an ancient spiritual artifact to reveal itself again, it must make a huge sacrifice, change its very nature to adapt to this world.

My Shadow Gu Tower was revived by accepting Demon Breath.

This Gourd Mountain, could it have come alive by absorbing Cold Qi?"

Yang Qingqing nodded gently. This kid really is quick on the uptake…

Seeing the woman's reaction, Du Yu's heart was thrown into a tumult!

Surviving by accepting Cold Qi, changing its own nature?

That was almost unbelievable!

Everyone knew Spiritual Qi and Cold Qi were mortal enemies. How did this ancient spiritual artifact blend with Cold Qi?

The Shadow Gu Tower had revived now, and could be powered by Demon Breath, but don't forget, it still needed Spiritual Qi as its foundation. But this Gourd Mountain…

Yang Qingqing: "Because last time I did a great job with the Shadow Gu Tower project, I was sent to Golden Valley City.

The first thing I tried when I got there was to communicate with Gourd Mountain.

I was still thinking in old patterns. I figured that after all it had suffered to return to the world, Gourd Mountain must have some grievance, and wanted to talk to someone.

But that wasn't the case."

Du Yu: "It wants?"

Yang Qingqing shook her head. "To this day, we still don't know what it wants.

My logic was wrong. Maybe it's not so complicated. Maybe survival is the instinct of all living things.

Maybe, Gourd Mountain just wants to go on living, not be buried and forgotten."

Du Yu: "Mm…"

Yang Qingqing suddenly spoke. "I've seen it."

"Eh?"

Yang Qingqing: "I've seen Gourd Mountain's artifact spirit.

When our team entered and explored, we discovered a most unusual Cold Beast."

"Cold Beast?"

"Yes." Yang Qingqing looked at the Little Tai Sui running back beside her. She reached out a hand, and the Fire Phoenix Tree got the message.

The Little Tai Sui, trying to get back to its master, was intercepted halfway by a supple branch, which wrapped its furry little body and delivered it into Yang Qingqing's arms.

"Ying?" Little Tai Sui curiously twisted its head, looked at the graceful lady, and seemed to remember her a bit.

Fluffy and round, the creature in her arms soothed Yang Qingqing a little. She gently pinched Little Tai Sui's ear.

"Ying!" Little Tai Sui's ear twitched as it struggled, still wanting to go find its master.

Yang Qingqing casually plucked a Firethorn Fruit from a branch and offered it to the little guy's mouth.

At that, Little Tai Sui stopped struggling, instantly forgetting all about Du Yu…

Yang Qingqing looked up at Du Yu. "Inside Gourd Mountain, there are Cold Beasts everywhere, and the place is soaked with endless Cold Qi.

If nothing went wrong, the bottom of Gourd Mountain should sit right atop the Bottomless Pit—Underground Gate.

There, we even found branches of the Tree of Cold Qi, forming natural walkways.

The only difference is, inside Gourd Mountain, the cold branches aren't entwined or bound by spiritual branches, yet they still cannot move."

Hearing such confidential information, Du Yu couldn't help but marvel to himself.

What an ancient spiritual artifact—truly tough!

Even Cold Trees from the Otherworld can't stir up trouble inside it?

Du Yu asked, "So inside Gourd Mountain, it's like another Bottomless Pit?"

"It's even more dangerous there. It's a graveyard for Cold Beasts."

Yang Qingqing stroked Little Tai Sui and spoke softly, "Gourd Mountain is refining Cold Beasts—more accurately, it's refining all life.

It's like the frog in boiling water—by the time the Cold Beasts realize what's happening, it's too late and they have no strength to resist.

When us humans went inside to explore, we were being refined as well—both physically, and in terms of Demon Breath and Demon Soul."

Instinctively, Du Yu hugged the Bai Yujing called "Nainai" in his arms even tighter.

As sharp as ever, Yang Qingqing understood Du Yu's body language right away.

She consoled him, "Don't worry, refining is a long-term process. As long as we leave within the allotted time, our bodies won't suffer irreversible damage."

"I can go in and out of Gourd Mountain freely? I won't be stopped?"

"That's right. Cold Beasts aren't very bright—they just focus on destroying things. If they single-mindedly tried to escape, flying straight upward, maybe they could even get out."

Yang Qingqing quietly added, "But so far, no Cold Beast has ever escaped. They've all perished inside Gourd Mountain."

"I see." Du Yu nodded. "By the way, Master Qing, why do you say that particular Cold Beast was special?"

"Because all the Cold Beasts are ferocious and violent, and they destroy everything around them.

But that one Cold Beast was very calm, behaved very strangely, with not a hint of viciousness. It just watched us for a while."

Yang Qingqing shook her head helplessly. "After I discussed with my team and we wanted to approach it, it had already vanished.

Thinking about it now, that so-called Cold Beast was probably the artifact spirit of Gourd Mountain.

That was the closest we ever came to solving the mystery, but from that day on, no matter how hard we searched, we never found that Cold Beast again.

We paid too high a price for it. Lost too many soldiers—left too many bodies behind."

Du Yu: "Do we really have to find it?"

"Because we don't know what it might become." Yang Qingqing sighed inside, "If it stays how it is, that's fine. But if it refuses to settle…?

With such a powerful spiritual artifact, even the slightest unrest could bring unthinkable danger."

Du Yu's face darkened a little. "Mm…"

Yang Qingqing gestured to the Bai Yujing in Du Yu's arms. "My Spiritual Qi only works in the upper half of Gourd Mountain—it can drive away the nearby Cold Qi.

But as we descended deeper, the Cold Qi became so strong that Spiritual Qi lost effect entirely.

We lost all visibility, and could only use some special Demon Pet demon skills to explore the terrain around us.

We also tried some tech devices, like thermal imaging, but the Celestial Treasure Race Demon Beasts' bodies are so strange, within that place, we couldn't…"

Yang Qingqing abruptly cut off, looking at the strange expression on Du Yu's face. Something felt odd about him.

And for good reason.

When Yang Qingqing mentioned that Gourd Mountain was shrouded in Cold Qi and everyone was blind, Du Yu looked a little guilty—his heart was pounding!

The Eye of Burning Sun can pierce any form of fog!

Way back when Du Yu was only at Demon Tamer·Peak Stage, Master Qing led him to the battlefield, down twenty levels into South Suburbs Bottomless.

Even then, he'd used the Eye of Burning Sun to look down into the Bottomless Pit, seeing everything down there crystal clear!

It was a pity, though, because the Tree of Cold Qi's branches were too thick and the trees too massive and tangled; he and Little Fen Yang couldn't find that piece of Demon Fire.

Now, Du Yu was already at Demon Tamer stage, his constitution far improved—not like last time, when he could only glance for two or three seconds.

"Du Yu."

Snapping out of it, Du Yu looked up at Master Qing. "Hm?"

Yang Qingqing's face was solemn. "Any thoughts?"

"Ah…" Du Yu scratched his head, his mind whirling.

With someone of Master Qing's level sitting right in front of him, all his tiny reactions were as obvious as daylight.

He said, "Master Qing, do you think… that Cold Beast staring at you all was looking at your bell bracelet?"

Yang Qingqing lifted her wrist to study it. "I can't rule out that possibility."

"Ying?" Little Tai Sui was instantly drawn to the bell bracelet, blinking his beady little eyes. He stretched out a bear paw and gingerly reached for it.

Du Yu suggested, "So if I bring the Shadow Gu Tower along, maybe the other side would be willing to talk with us?"

Yang Qingqing: "Even if it was interested in my bell bracelet, it never approached us to communicate. I spent plenty of time exploring inside—it never showed up again."

Du Yu continued, "But this time's different, Master Qing!

The Shadow Gu Tower used to absorb Spirit Masters' Spiritual Po, but now it switched to absorbing and refining Demon Soul.

No matter what Gourd Mountain used to do, it's started refining Cold Beasts and Demon Souls as well.

Both artifacts changed their function to re-emerge in this world. Their effects overlap—maybe the two artifact spirits have some common language?"

Yang Qingqing: "..."

Du Yu seized the moment. "Let's try, Master Qing! Nothing to lose. Treat it like a trip—I've never been to Shandai Province."

Yang Qingqing pondered a moment before slowly standing up. "I'll think about it."

After all, Gourd Mountain was too dangerous. It wasn't as easy to talk to as the Shadow Gu Tower.

Nor was it the kind to weaken itself or offer Spiritual Qi to explorers in order to attract people to hear its ancient tales.

Gourd Mountain is powerful. If Du Yu and the Shadow Gu Tower really did lure it out, no one could predict what it would do next!

And Du Yu—he was her beloved student…

As Master Qing turned to leave, Du Yu opened his mouth, but until her graceful figure disappeared at the doorway, he didn't dare say a word.

Master Qing sure is deep in thought!

How come she even took my Little Tai Sui away?

You dare steal a panda,

do you know that's a crime!

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