Majestic mountains stood along the northern edge of Great Qian's territory, with Mountain and River Pass hidden among them. Beyond lay the Ancient Battlefield where north and south had fought for a thousand years.
In the bitter depths of winter, the mountains were empty and silent. Only occasionally did a snow eagle sweep beneath the starry sky, its cry ringing through the clouds:
"Kree-"
Wei Wuyi stood atop a snowcapped peak in black martial attire, two sabers hanging at his waist, gazing at the wilderness beyond the pass.
Directly ahead, Lu Wuzhen hovered on the wind outside the mountains, right above the border between north and south. His body served as an impassable chasm, barring all advance. He watched the schoolmate he had grown up with, pity in his eyes, but more than that, a sigh that said he had known this day would come:
"The Imperial Succession Secret Canon is fake, and you won't get away with King Xiang's Order either. Why carry those things if you want to run?"
Breathing softly, Wei Wuyi gestured toward the Danluo Plains behind him:
"I was luring the tiger away from its mountain. Couldn't you tell?"
"I could. But His Majesty only just ascended the throne. Even if he's assassinated, it won't damage the Righteous Path's sinews and bones. You, however, have a chance of reaching the sixth realm. Letting a tiger return to its mountain might leave a million corpses someday, so even if the sky falls over the Capital City, I have to stop you first."
"Aren't you afraid someone will take the opportunity to dig open the Corpse Ancestor Mausoleum?"
"I am. But since my elders didn't entrust the Corpse Ancestor Mausoleum to me, I need only do my own duty. There's no need to trouble myself with matters