Chương 81: Beginning the journey

"I wonder how long it will be until we return," Shu Yang said as he looked back at the settlement in the distance. It was early dawn, and Shu Yang had left while everyone was sleeping. His family had gathered for dinner the previous night to say goodbye. Perhaps his children believed he would still be there when they woke up, but Shu Yang knew that if he stayed until the morning, he would find it a lot harder to leave. Now, only Qianyue had been there when he left, and that alone made Shu Yang reluctant to leave.

The thought of staying just one more day was hard to shake off. But what if he was just one day late in saving Tianyi? That thought made it easier to grit his teeth and leave.

"I'll bring some resources for everyone to make up for these years of hiding. It would be great if I found something that could help Tianhu and Xiaoshi break through," Shu Yang said. Xiaorong didn't respond; she was still lazing on his shoulders with her eyes closed.

'Anyway, no time to waste.' Shu Yang turned around and stamped on the ground, shooting himself through the air. He had found that while he couldn't fly like Xiaorong after his advancement, he wasn't far from it. His body could jump hundreds of feet into the air, and the landing felt like nothing to his improved body.

'At this pace, I should be able to reach the Desolate Mountains in no time.' … No time was an exaggeration, but it still only took him two weeks before he had crossed the entire Lishen Empire and made his way into the mountains that made up its northern borders. It would have been faster if he hadn't feared alerting people too much. Whenever he came close to human settlements, he would slow down and travel at the speed of a Master for a while.

He didn't want to take the risk of revealing the existence of another Saint. There was no telling how the Lishen Emperor would react to the news.

"It doesn't look that hard to traverse from here," Shu Yang said. Xiaorong lifted her head and looked around as well. The mountain range stretched out in front of him, but it wasn't impossibly tall. Shu Yang felt that he should have been able to cross it when he was still a Master without any problems. There was even a traveled path he could follow.

"I guess it should be worse further north," Shu Yang reasoned, "Or I will really have been taken for a fool." He turned his head to look at Xiaorong at his shoulder.

"Are you awake?"

"Awake," Xiaorong answered.

"Don't you feel like moving at all?" Shu Yang asked. He knew she was somewhat weakened, but she was still a beast at the Foundation stage; she certainly didn't have issues walking on her own.

"No," Xiaorong answered.

"It might be good to move. At least a little," Shu Yang said. Xiaorong wasn't heavy, but after carrying her for two weeks, he was getting a little tired of the weight. Xiaorong didn't answer; she just grasped her tail around Shu Yang's neck.

'Whatever. It's fine, I guess. I shouldn't complain until I make up for her life-saving grace.' Shu Yang braced himself and leaped into the air, determined to cross these mountains in as short a time as possible. …

"This is insane," Shu Yang said, finding himself in front of a cliff wall that climbed into the sky. There were no protruding rocks where you could grip your hands; it was almost as smooth as a mirror.

'Do I go back and find another way around?' Shu Yang turned his head around and tried to recall if there was a better path he could have taken.

'Forget it. From what I've seen, this shouldn't be the result of an unlucky turn.' Only a week had passed since Shu Yang had entered the Desolate Mountains, and it was safe to say that they lived up to the name. The first day had been fairly alright, with the terrain quite nice to traverse. But after that, the peaks grew higher and higher, and they became steeper and steeper. It was like crossing a jagged labyrinth.

'Yeah. It was a good thing I waited until I advanced.' Shu Yang thought as he stabbed his fingers into the cliff wall. It was the only way to get across. He pulled himself up and then jabbed his foot into the cliff wall. One step at a time, he made his way up. If the incline hadn't been so steep, he might have been able to shoot himself up, but it was impossible with this steep a wall. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

'It's really no joke. If I were a Master, this would definitely exhaust me. I might not have been able to even travel a mile a day. And with no source of food around, it's no wonder that they say this place is impossible to cross unless you're a Saint.' Shu Yang might have been troubled even as a Saint if not for the two storage pouches he had packed with food before leaving. There was basically no vegetation this deep into the mountains, and obviously no wildlife either.

He and Xiaorong were completely reliant on the provisions they had brought. Just because Shu Yang was at the Foundation stage didn't mean he didn't need food. In fact, he was more reliant on it now than ever. If he were just sitting still at home, he might have been fine for a year without food, but if he was going to make use of his Foundation stage power, he would have to recharge whatever he expended.

'I'll have to be more efficient with my energy going forward, and ration the food.' Shu Yang had no idea how long the journey across the Desolate Mountains was, and he was beginning to be afraid of running out of food before he crossed them.

"Huh!" Shu Yang pulled himself over the cliff edge. He wasn't very tired from the effort, so he took a few steps forward to look at the terrain going forward.

'As expected, I'll have to go down again.' Shu Yang was incredibly high up, and the only way forward was down to the valley below again.

'Is there no way to jump across?' Shu Yang could see another peak in the distance, but it was probably several miles away.

'I don't think I have it in me, and a jump from this altitude seems risky.'

'Let's just do it the safe way.' With a light jump, Shu Yang started making his way down the cliffside again.

'I hope this is as bad as it gets.' …

"What is this?" Shu Yang questioned aloud as he rubbed the finely ground sand between his fingers.

'Sand? Dust?'

'Wait? Could it be the Dust?' Shu Yang looked out over the bleak desert in front of him. It did remind him of the description he heard about the Dust.

'Damn, how come I never knew about this?'

'I guess not many people have crossed these mountains, and that cultivator might not have known if they came here in a flying ship.' Shu Yang sighed and took a seat on the solid ground, deciding to take a small break before tackling his next obstacle.

"It should be about a month since we entered the Desolate Mountains now, right?" Shu Yang asked.

"Yes," Xiaorong said, jumping off Shu Yang's shoulder and starting to walk around.

'Is she stretching her legs?' Shu Yang didn't know what to say about that.

"Do you think this is a rare occurrence, or have we just come upon the beginning of several of these valleys of Dust?" Shu Yang asked.

"Beginning," Xiaorong said with a certain nod.

"How optimistic," Shu Yang murmured.

'At least it's not very wide.' Shu Yang could make out the other side of the Dust, where another mountain rose.

'I might be able to jump across. At least if I come at it with some running speed.'

'But I should see if there is some place close by where the Dust is a little more narrow.' But first, Shu Yang decided to eat something. He had packed mostly dried beast meat, and that was what was on the menu today as well.

"Here," Shu Yang said, tossing some of it to Xiaorong. While eating, he stared in the northern direction. He knew his daughter was out there somewhere. Shu Yang took a deep breath and activated his Bloodline Ability. This would be the fifth time he used it since entering the Desolate Mountains.

'Hm? She is with others? Girls?' Shu Yang, for once, didn't see his daughter alone, hunched over books and documents, but standing out in the sunlight with other people. She wasn't smiling, though. She wore a rather serious expression on her face.

'Doesn't look like she's with friends.' Shu Yang thought with a frown. He hoped nothing had happened. He turned his head southwest to look at Tianxu. Tianxu wasn't laughing with his friends this time.

'He's…killing someone?' Shu Yang watched with some horror as blood splattered onto Tianxu's cheek. He tried to make his vision zoom out and see the whole scene, but it was difficult.

'Damn. Why is this so hard?' His Bloodline Ability had improved somewhat with his advancement, but only in how long it could last, not in improving his abilities. He still couldn't see Lady Jiangxi or Zhangye. Fortunately, it didn't seem like his ability was entirely restricted to his bloodline, as he could see his wife Qianyue just fine. Shu Yang turned his attention away from Tianxu, having no luck in understanding what was happening or why he was killing someone, and turned his head to the south.

He watched how Qianyue held a baby in her arms; from the looks of it, it should be Tianzheng's son.

'Looks like everything is fine back home.' Shu Yang thought with a smile. He interrupted his ability after a brief glance. He didn't want to exhaust it completely in case he would need it.

"Alright, let's see if we can find a place to cross," Shu Yang said to Xiaorong. But before that, Shu Yang was a little curious what the Dust felt like to step on. He took a step onto the fine sand, with his weight still on the other foot on firm land.

'It really is like snow. Would I actually sink down forever if I stepped out there?'

'Wait! Xiaorong?' Shu Yang could hardly believe his eyes, but Xiaorong was stepping on the Dust like it was solid land. She took a few jumps before coming back and sitting down next to Shu Yang.

"Don't you sink? How do you do it?" Shu Yang asked.

"Exhausting," Xiaorong said. She jumped back on his shoulders.

"Go around."

'Wait, Xiaorong can fly. It's not strange that she doesn't sink.' Shu Yang suddenly remembered. Shu Yang started walking along the edge of the Dust and couldn't help but feel jealous.

'One day, I'll be able to fly too. I think I might cross the Desolate Mountains again then, just to feel the difference!' But for now, he would have to find a place where he could jump over the Dust safely.