Chapter Sixty-Seven: At the Foot of Mount Lu

“So impressive! It seems that Master Tonghu is held in high regard within the Sanctuary?” Yin Seventeen feigned astonishment.

“Yes,” Ruolan nodded, continuing, “Within the entire Sanctuary, even the Pope’s prestige may not compare to Master Tonghu’s.”

“It’s just that, for reasons unknown, Master Tonghu has always remained at Mount Lu, rarely leaving its confines.”

“If not for this, the position of Pope would surely belong to Master Tonghu alone.”

Although all Saints belong to the Sanctuary, there are inevitably bonds of closeness or distance among them, and the Saints themselves are divided into various cliques, much like the training camp at the base of the Sacred Mountain.

Tonghu hails from the East; were he to assume the papal office, Saints from the East—like herself—would surely take pride in their shared heritage.

Unfortunately, Master Tonghu rarely leaves Mount Lu and never takes part in Sanctuary affairs, disappointing many Saints who are connected to the East.

“That truly is a pity,” Yin Seventeen echoed softly.

Few know the true reason for Tonghu’s confinement to Mount Lu, but he is among them.

For atop Mount Lu lies the seal of the one hundred and eight demon stars of the Underworld—the Hades Saints.

Tonghu was charged by the previous Athena to watch over these demon stars.

Now, however, the seal has fractured, the demon stars have returned to their places, and the divine command binding Tonghu has vanished.

The chained tiger has escaped its bonds!

Just then, a majestic mountain appeared before them.

“That is Mount Lu!” Ruolan pointed to the distant peak with pride.

Through Master Tonghu’s presence, Mount Lu has become a sacred land for the Saints.

That wise elder always generously guides them through their doubts and tribulations.

Atop the Five Elders Peak of Mount Lu, a white-browed old man wearing a bamboo hat sat meditating before a great waterfall. Sensing the approach of two urgent cosmo energies, he opened his eyes.

“Chunli!”

Without opening his mouth, a wave of mental force, altered by his cosmo, spread to a nearby thatched hut and entered the mind of a braided girl.

“Grandfather, did you call for me?” The girl hurried from the hut and approached the waterfall, bowing respectfully to the elder.

“We have guests. Go down the mountain and greet them,” the old man said softly.

He could clearly sense the newcomers’ intentions—there was no hostility. They were guests, not enemies.

“Yes!” The girl withdrew reverently, agile as a fawn, bounding swiftly down the steep mountain trail toward the foot of Mount Lu.

The distance of several kilometers was nothing; Yin Seventeen and Ruolan reached the base of Mount Lu in just a few minutes.

They could have gone faster, but neither was in a hurry, wishing to savor the spectacular scenery.

The roar of water filled the air—a mighty waterfall cascaded from the cliffs, its drop at least a thousand meters by rough estimation.

Such a tremendous fall produced a powerful impact; spray burst forth, forming a dense white mist between the cliffs, so that Mount Lu seemed to ascend into the clouds.

“Chunli, how have you been?” Seeing the lovely girl at the foot of the mountain, Ruolan hurried forward.

She was Master Tonghu’s granddaughter.

The braided girl smiled gently. “So the guests Grandfather mentioned are you?”

She had recognized Ruolan, the Saint of Lepus.

The training camp at Mount Lu’s base was modest, nothing compared to the Sanctuary; few candidate Saints managed to ignite their cosmo.

Ruolan was one of those rare successes, who later entered the Sanctuary and claimed the Lepus Cloth, becoming a female Saint—a role model whom Chunli admired.

Thus, Chunli had a vivid impression of Ruolan.

“And this is…?” After greeting Ruolan, Chunli’s puzzled gaze fell on Yin Seventeen.

“Oh, he’s Yin Seventeen, the Silver Saint of Crateris. He’s returned to the East for vacation and came to Mount Lu specifically to visit Master Tonghu,” Ruolan explained considerately.

“Silver? Returned to the East?” Chunli’s confusion deepened.

He was evidently a Silver Saint from the East.

Chunli remembered every Saint who had left Mount Lu and claimed a Cloth, but she had no recollection of such a Silver Saint.

It was simply baffling!

“Isn’t it strange?” Ruolan guessed her thoughts and looked at her with a sly smile. “That’s because he’s not a candidate Saint from our Mount Lu, but was trained at the Sanctuary’s own camp.”

“Oh, so that’s it!” Chunli understood at last; no wonder she had no memory of him.

“But wait! All trainee Saints from the East train at Mount Lu. How did he appear in the Sanctuary?” Chunli’s curiosity was piqued once more.

“That’s because—” Ruolan began, but Yin Seventeen interrupted with a smile, “Why don’t we talk as we walk? We shouldn’t keep Master Tonghu waiting!”

He glanced meaningfully at the towering peak behind them.

“My apologies for being discourteous. Please, both of you, this way!” Chunli stepped aside, her face full of apology.

“It’s nothing. No need to apologize for such a small matter,” Yin Seventeen waved it off, unconcerned.

“Let’s go!” Ruolan called, taking Chunli’s hand and striding toward the stone steps behind them.

The stairs had been carved into the steep cliff, without any rails—dangerous-looking, and a careless step could send one plummeting.

But for those who had ignited their cosmo and gained extraordinary power, such obstacles were nothing.

A single leap could carry them to the summit.

Yet above was Tonghu’s place of meditation; out of respect, they could not be so reckless.

It was better to ascend step by step.

Before long, the three reached the Five Elders Peak. Along the way, Yin Seventeen told Chunli the tale of his “difficult past.”

Then, led by Chunli, Yin Seventeen finally came upon the guardian of Mount Lu—the Gold Saint of the East, Master Tonghu.

He was a short, white-browed and white-bearded elder, his skin deeply wrinkled.

He looked frail, yet within that frail body was a cosmo of immense power, impossible to underestimate.

It was a force far surpassing the sixth sense—a cosmo of the seventh sense!

“Greetings, Master Tonghu!”

“Greetings, Master Tonghu!”

Both bowed respectfully in greeting.

Tonghu’s deep gaze first fell upon Ruolan. He sighed, “Little Rabbit, you are far too lazy.”

“You spent three years in the Sanctuary, and I see almost no progress from you!”

A lack of progress did not mean Ruolan was dull-witted; quite the contrary, she was a gifted child.

At the very least, Bronze was not her limit.

But this child was too lazy, never applying herself to training.

During her time at Mount Lu, it was only because he supervised her that the playful girl managed to cross the threshold of igniting her cosmo.