Deep within the Wild Goose Mountain Range, more than four hundred li northwest of Dragon Carp Lake, Sunset Glow Peak rose a thousand zhang high, its slopes steep and treacherous, ancient trees standing thick upon it amid carpets of green grass and wildflowers.
A bluestone path over a zhang wide appeared and vanished beneath the cover of great trees and lush vegetation, winding from the foot of the mountain all the way to its summit.
The three of them dismounted at the foot of Sunset Glow Peak and handed the Azure Scale Flood Dragon Horses over to the mountain keepers.
The mountain keepers were a group of mortals whose ancestors had likewise come from Cultivation Families, though those families had long since declined into ruin.
Entrusted by the nearby Cultivation Families, they had guarded Sunset Glow Peak for generations, serving cultivators exclusively.
Just as the three stepped onto the stone stairway, Zhao Chongxiao suddenly halted. Looking uneasily at Zhao Sheng, he seemed to want to speak but held back.
Noticing this, Zhao Sheng asked with mild surprise, "Is something wrong?"
"Well... after we meet the Black Mountain Three Immortals, could you not attack right away? Let me say a few words first." Zhao Chongxiao rubbed his hands together ingratiatingly.
"Sure. But give me a reason to persuade me," Zhao Sheng said readily.
Zhao Chongwei was unwilling to accept that. Puffing up in anger, she said, "Hmph, Chong He, let's not listen to this traitor. Who knows what rotten scheme he's plotting?"
With a bitter expression, Zhao Chongxiao said, "I-I've been afflicted with a Rotten Blood Gu. I want to see if I can trick them into giving back the antidote first."
Zhao Sheng froze upon hearing that. He had nearly forgotten that Zhao Chongxiao still had a life-threatening thing inside