They explored a little deeper but there was a lack of light to let them explore any deeper.
There were a lot of flowers growing on the walls and in the ground all over the place so it was not easy to move any deeper without stepping on them accidentally.
Ki wanted to explore further to confirm how big of a number the flowers that were growing within were but did not wish to cause harm to those growing closer to the entrance so the exploration had to be put on halt.
Closer to the entrance, Ki asked Rayleigh. "Hmm.. do you know anything about this mountain?"
Rayleigh who was the student of the Grand Elder of the Divine Ice Sect would have known far more than Ki about topics related to the Northern Lands.
It was best to consult with Rayleigh about such topics since she would have seen certain records or been told some things related to the lands and history of the Northern Lands.
Rayleigh thought for some time before thinking of an old story related to the mountain. "This mountain was once a location rich in resources that was primarily under the influence of the Ice Phoenix Sect which had strong ties to the Royal Family.
The mountain was the primary source of their sects herbs and miracle elixirs a long time ago but it gradually became stripped of everything due to various reasons. Fighting over resources between sects and families was one of the reasons.
The lands became barren and affected by the constant conflict while having its resources taken so often that it was unable to recover and produce more. Once it was stripped clean and left as an infertile mountain used for different purposes, it has no longer been such an important landmark.
It is rumoured that the herbs taken have either been used up by other influences while the Ice Phoenix Sect have taken full control of the production and distribution of the herbs and the products that come from them."
Ki pondered over the words and sighed. "It is no wonder that it has been much more difficult to acquire herbs from the north without paying a higher price for them. So there must be few locations where they grow now and when they are discovered, there is usually conflict to claim ownership over them if they are in a larger number."
Rayleigh nodded. "The Divine Ice Sect had to fight hard for the resources they had over the years just so that they could use what they had to support themselves. Anything else had to be gained through payment, exchanges or carrying out tasks within the Northern Lands."
Ki began to understand some things more clearly and how things worked with the resources that were related to training ice based martial arts in the Northern Lands. 'So the Ice Phoenix Sect has the monopoly over such herbs and elixirs since they know how to grow them.
They grow their own supplies within their own walls and lands while using what they need. Anything remaining from their production will be used to trade or sell for anything they need. It is no wonder they have such power and ties within the capital.
They are a powerful force that is needed for the economy and power of the capital that cannot be discarded or provoked if the people of the capital wish to live stable lives.'
The cold and ice type herbs and miracle elixirs were very important for the growth of the sects and families that practiced cold based qi martial arts.
They relied heavily on them to aid the growth of each generation of martial artists within their sect or family so that their growth would be quicker and smoother.
Without such herbs and elixirs, it would be very difficult for the sects and families to produce as many higher ranked martial artists so they would be very vulnerable to attacks from other forces inside and outside of the Northern Lands.
The more herbs and elixirs they possessed, the more martial artists they would have with a higher realm within each generation so it was something they really needed.
Even though the Divine Ice Sect possessed a medicine recipe of their own to help boost their qi training in ice qi martial arts, they still needed to rely heavily on the ingredients used for it that came from the Ice Phoenix Sect.
It was the same for everyone else who would have to turn to the Ice Phoenix Sect who had the biggest amount of control over those resources.
The only influences that did not have to rely on them were those that used a different attribute qi art or did not have a qi art that had a specific type of attribute so the medicine was not that compatible with their qi training method.
Any other smaller influences and sects within the Northern Lands would heavily rely on the Ice Phoenix Sect and even the Divine Ice Sect had to have some kind of relationship with them too in the past since they were able to exist as larger sects for so long until the Divine Ice Sect finally fell.