Eighty-one steps.
A few minutes to walk.
But to Qin Xiaoya, it seemed like a century.
She remembered the number of steps in her mind, and only when she reached the eighth step did she slowly open her eyes.
Daylight was pouring down.
She could not help but squint her eyes, only to feel as if she saw a sea of immortal mountains and clouds.
The towering mountain was majestic and magnificent, with a staircase spreading to the clouds, and only vaguely visible in the sea of clouds were the hidden jade buildings.
This is a mountain that you have to look up to.
It may not have the power of the Five Mountains, but with just one glance, there is an endless sense of shock and awe in the soul.
Qin Xiaoya was deeply engrossed in this place, and she did not know how long it took for her to wake up in a daze as the mysterious tug appeared in her mind again. She glanced back and found that Liu Ru and the others were also looking at this divine mountain with reverence, while Wang Half-Man and Old Painting even knelt on the ground and bowed three times in respectful worship.
The mood of the crowd could not be calmed down for a long time.
Sky Wolf lamented, “Seeing this divine mountain, I have no regrets in this life.”
“Where is Zhu Xiaodi?”
At this moment, Zhao Shan suddenly exclaimed.
The crowd was busy looking over and was appalled to find that there was no longer any trace of Zhu Xiaodi in the crowd, they were turning back and the woods were still there, just where was Zhu Xiaodi’s figure?
“Zhu Xiaodi!” Zhao Shan shouted.
No one answered.
Wang Half-Man had finished worshipping by now and got up, “He should be lost.”
“Impossible!” Zhao Shan said anxiously, “He was behind me the whole time!”
“Nine-nine, the illusion of nothingness.” Wang Half-Man shook his head and said, “It would be strange if you could detect it.”
He wasn’t telling a lie.
Just as Qin Xiaoya had warned earlier, this last eighty-one steps were exceptionally difficult for them to take, as if they were constantly weaving in and out of the illusionary realm, and the slightest mistake would cause them to get lost in it. If it wasn’t for a sudden thunderstorm that woke them up, I was afraid that they would all be lost in this Ninety-Nine Returning to One Great Formation at this point.
“No, we have to get him back!” Professor Qian said anxiously.
Zhao Shan also wanted to retreat back.
But Wang Half-Man stopped the two of them and said in a deep voice, “Do you know how lucky we are to have made it over? Nine to nine, no one can cross without great perseverance, and for you to return now is no different from sending yourselves to your death!”
The two of them were grief-stricken.
After all, they had studied together for a long time, and the thought that he might fall into the infernal purgatory and suffer, naturally made their hearts sad.
“It’s okay.”
At this point a rare serious Huang Ying spoke up, “We can’t go back to find him, I feel that this is not the place for us to mess around, let’s continue up the mountain, Master Wang and Sky Wolf you guys break off, Xiao Ya and I will open the way in front, no one is allowed to leave the group!”
He could sense that the majesty of this place was not to be trampled on.
The crowd was in a low mood, but they had no choice but to nod one after another and decided to continue on.
The steps up the mountain were not steep, but very straight. Huang Ying and Qin Xiaoya led the way, and after about two hours they arrived at a huge platform surrounded by twenty-eight stone pillars, and in the centre of the platform was a huge bronze tripod.
“Oh my.”
Professor Qian shouted in excitement.
He then ran to the nearest stone pillar and looked at the carvings above, thrilled beyond words, his grief at Zhu Xiaodi’s disappearance long forgotten.
“This is the Pillar of Heaven, twenty-eight of them, representing the twenty-eight astral constellations, which in ancient rituals had the meaning of leading the people’s wishes to the heavens.” Professor Qian said with a trembling voice.
On the twenty-eight pillars, there were carvings of human rituals in the ancient times on the land of Kyushu, as well as carvings of the slaughter of demons, and also the inscriptions that had never appeared before, all phenomena told Professor Qian that this definitely represented the peak civilization of the ancient times, which would perfectly replenish the gap in Chinese history before the Yin Shang.
Professor Qian instructed Zhao Shan to take photographs and make copies, while he himself studied the large bronze tripod in the centre, which was more than twice the size of the Simuwu tripod.
The others were tinkering in situ.
After about two hours, Zhao Shan finished his work and, somewhat excited and thrilled, he said, “Professor, let’s go on up!”
“Yes, yes!”
Professor Qian also climbed down from the big tripod and said, “There will be more important clues to civilisation inside, let’s go right now.”
The old man, who had been panting three steps at a time before, was now like a chicken, and did not let Huang Ying and Qin Xiaoya lead the way ahead of him.
The bronze figures were carved so vividly that from a distance they looked as if they were living beings.
Seeing that the old man was about to do some more research, Wang Half-Man couldn’t help but say, “Professor Qian, it’s almost dark, let’s not waste time, let’s go in first and have a look.”
“Right, teacher.” Zhao Shan was also busy advising, “Let’s go into the palace first and have a look.”
Hearing this, Professor Qian had no choice but to nod his head.
Qin Xiaoya, on the other hand, was looking at the bronze figures warily, her face grave.
“What’s wrong?” Huang Ying asked in a small voice.
Qin Xiaoya said, “They are, supposedly, alive.”
“What?” Huang Ying winced.
Looking warily at these bronze figures on either side, but seeing that they were again motionless, she whispered again, “Don’t say much, or this Professor Qian will have to move away.”
Huang Ying had a hunch.
It was best not to move anything here, otherwise no one would get out alive.
Qin Xiaoya also nodded her head.
The crowd soon went up to the front of the palace, a grand and magnificent hall in front of them, a kind of civilizational architecture that had never been seen before, but one could feel that it was an ancient Chinese civilization, for there was a familiarity mapped in the bloodline, and a majesty that compelled one to hold devotion and reverence.
Just one step forward.
The bronze doors of the main hall opened automatically in an instant.
This startled the crowd and sent shivers down their spines.
“Go in, there is no danger inside.” Qin Xiaoya said.
The crowd did not hesitate and entered one after another, and only once they entered, they felt endless mystery and antiquity coming over them.
The main hall was very empty.
The walls were covered with colourful paintings, mapping the history of the lost civilisation, which made Professor Qian dance with excitement again.
“The Nine Cauldrons of China!”
Professor Qian exclaimed, “This must be the Nine Chinese Cauldrons!”
He cried.
This was a lost national treasure, and now that he had found it, how could he not be thrilled?
