"Sister Jiang, this Ethereal Immortal Peak really does seem quite extraordinary. Could you please elaborate so I can get a better understanding?" Having heard all this, Chu Feng now had a completely new perception of the Ethereal Immortal Peak.
Before, he had thought it was just an ordinary mountain peak — made famous only because a reclusive expert lived there, along with Qiu Zhu, one of the renowned beauties of the Eastern Ocean Region.
But now it seemed entirely different. Chu Feng knew that such uniqueness must have its reasons. So if the Ethereal Immortal Peak truly was as extraordinary as Jiang Wanshi described, then there was likely some tremendous opportunity hidden here.
"To be honest, I don't know all that much about this place myself. I've only heard our Master mention a few things. As for its origins, no one can explain clearly. All anyone knows is that there are many special qualities here — it can even extend one's lifespan. That's why it's called the number one wonder of the Eastern Ocean Region."
"And from what Master told me, the Ethereal Immortal Peak is actually more like a massive sealing array, imprisoning some unknown demonic entity. The entity is sealed somewhere unknown, but it periodically projects phantoms that cause trouble."
"The demonic phantoms are what we saw earlier as those dark clouds. Although they're only phantoms and can't leave the bounds of the Ethereal Immortal Peak, if left unchecked, they could lead to the entity being completely unsealed. That's why the Ethereal Immortal Peak needs a guardian — someone to destroy the demonic entities whenever they appear."
"This guardian, it's said, is chosen by the Ethereal Immortal Peak itself, and only a woman can hold the position. The current guardian is Senior Ethereal Immortal. I believe the next one will be chosen from among the four senior sisters — Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter." Jiang Wanshi explained.
"That's truly remarkable. So who was the first guardian of the Ethereal Immortal Peak?" Chu Feng asked.
"Junior Brother Wuqing, I think you mean to ask who the first master of the Ethereal Immortal Peak was?" Jiang Wanshi smiled.
Seeing that she had seen through his intentions, Chu Feng scratched his head awkwardly and laughed. "Heh, yeah. After hearing you describe it, Sister Jiang — even though I haven't seen the Ethereal Immortal Peak yet, I can already tell it's something truly incredible."
"If it really is a massive sealing array as you say, then whoever created it must have been an incredibly powerful existence. Otherwise, how could they pull off something so grand? It'd be a real shame not to know such a person's name."
At this, Jiang Wanshi shook her head. "The Ethereal Immortal Peak has been passed down for ages. No one knows who its first master was. However, based on some murals carved on the peak and certain patterns and runes within the array, it likely dates back to ancient times."
"Ancient times? Then this place really is incredibly mysterious. I'm growing more and more eager to see what it actually looks like." Anticipation shone in Chu Feng's eyes.
"Don't worry — the Ethereal Immortal Peak will definitely not disappoint you." Jiang Wanshi smiled confidently.
After traveling a while longer, Chu Feng found himself entering yet another boundless expanse of ocean. Remembering that Jiang Wanshi had said the Ethereal Immortal Peak was close by, he couldn't help but wonder if it might be a beautiful island.
But he quickly realized he was wrong, because what ultimately appeared before him was a vast sea of white clouds.
The cloud formation was enormous and beautifully shaped — like countless giant pieces of cotton candy spread across the sky. Calling it the most beautiful clouds Chu Feng had ever seen would not be an exaggeration.
And when he passed through those vast clouds, Chu Feng was completely dumbstruck, involuntarily gasping in shock.
He discovered, to his astonishment, that in the distance beyond the clouds, there floated a mountain range — not one that rose from the ground, but one that grew from within the clouds themselves.
The range was stunningly beautiful, with countless peaks and flying waterfalls. Several cascades tumbled down from the mountaintops like white dragons, plunging into the sea of clouds below, sending up vast sprays of water and reflecting brilliant rainbows.
Yet when Chu Feng had been beneath the clouds, he hadn't seen a single drop of rain. This meant that the waterfall water, though it fell into the clouds, did not seep through and rain down below.
Chu Feng had seen floating islands before — with the right array, they weren't that difficult. The Boundless Blood Sea had plenty of them.
But seeing an entire massive mountain range floating in the sky was something else entirely. What kind of array could possibly maintain something like this? Chu Feng couldn't even begin to imagine. All he knew was that it required a level of power far beyond anything he could ever hope to reach.
Most importantly, the Ethereal Immortal Peak itself was built atop the clouds. But now, standing on the cloud surface and looking up, Chu Feng was astonished to discover that even further above, in the distant sky, there were still more beautiful clouds.
That sky was impossibly high. Even though Chu Feng could already fly through the air, he knew his current strength wouldn't be enough to reach that height.
And though those upper clouds drifted slowly, they always circled around the Ethereal Immortal Peak — proving they too were not natural formations, but were conjured by some powerful array.
He had to admit — despite having heard about the Ethereal Immortal Peak's uniqueness before coming here, actually seeing it with his own eyes left him utterly awestruck. And his curiosity only grew stronger: whose grand design was this?
"This isn't some 'Ethereal Immortal Peak' — I'd call it a Floating Mountain Range!" Chu Feng joked, still marveling at the sight.
"Junior Brother Wuqing, you're quite the comedian." Jiang Wanshi covered her mouth and laughed, then continued: "The wonders of the Ethereal Immortal Peak go far beyond this. See those clouds above? Both those clouds and the ones beneath our feet are part of the Ethereal Immortal Peak's array."
"Those two layers of clouds, floating at different heights, create varying temperatures based on the time of day, giving the Ethereal Immortal Peak its rare four seasons."
"Normally this region stays warm year-round. Spring, summer, and autumn are quite distinct, but winter doesn't actually exist here."
"Using a single array to simulate the change of four seasons? Incredible!" The more Jiang Wanshi explained, the more amazed Chu Feng became — and the better he understood why this place was called the number one wonder of the Eastern Ocean Region.
"Oh, Sister Jiang — the Ethereal Immortal Peak is supposed to be the Ethereal Immortal's hermitage, right? Then why have we seen so many young cultivators along the way? Are they all here to seek her as a teacher? Surely this many people is a bit much, isn't it?"
Chu Feng asked suddenly, curiosity getting the better of him. Along their journey, he had indeed noticed quite a few capable cultivators — most at the Martial Lord realm, a smaller portion at the Heaven Martial realm, and all of them remarkably young, none over thirty. This left him quite puzzled.
At first, he'd assumed these people were simply hoping to become disciples, given the Ethereal Immortal's far-reaching fame. But the closer they got to the peak, the more something felt off.
Setting aside that every single person they encountered was a prodigy — young yet possessing formidable cultivation — the sheer number was wrong. There were far, far too many.
"Heh." At his question, Jiang Wanshi first covered her mouth and laughed, then said with an air of mystery: "It seems Junior Brother Wuqing really doesn't know much about the Eastern Ocean Region."
"Sister Jiang, what's going on?" Chu Feng's curiosity was thoroughly piqued, and he pressed eagerly.
"They're probably all here for the Martial Pattern Wonderland!" Jiang Wanshi said.
P.S. — I recommend a fantasy novel to everyone: "Slay the Emperor."