This wasn't Zhang Yu's first time in the Peace Mountains. Back then, his teacher had brought him in through the northern river pass. Five years later, he had returned to the Protectorate Office from the lower reaches of the Dawn River. Most of his travels had been east of Peace Mountain; he had never set foot on its western foothills.
The conditions here were vastly different from those on the eastern side, whether in climate or terrain.
Yet the west of Peace Mountain was, after all, within the Protectorate Office's territory. Though wild beasts and Strange Monsters still emerged one after another, and native barbarians of unknown origin wandered everywhere, it was ultimately far safer than the eastern side.
As he gradually climbed higher into the mountain plateau, he felt his breathing become slightly labored. After making a small adjustment, the sensation quickly faded, and no further discomfort appeared.
His horse, however, seemed to have grown somewhat listless. He deliberately fed it some crushed pills, then loosened the reins and let it move as it pleased. Only then did it slowly recover.
After another two days of arduous travel, he led his horse along a ridgeline. Goddess Peak still stood in the distance, seeming not to have drawn any closer at all.
Looking at that majestic, solitary form, he couldn't help but ponder. Few people had likely ever seen the Celestial Xia Beacon Tower atop Goddess Peak, yet in a certain sense, it had already become a spiritual symbol of the Protectorate Office.
But Zang Shu had said that someone wanted to tear it down, severing the Protectorate Office's ties with Celestial Xia proper. That likely represented the thoughts of some people.
The battle sixty years ago had brought great changes to the Protectorate Office's Upper Layer, and power had