"The cold moon reflects the frost and the snow, and the cold mountain holds the frozen lake. Eight thousand feet cannot surpass it. The end of the world is now here."
Xue Meng wore deerskin gloves. He brushed off the snow on the huge boulder and read the cinnabar inscription on it. He turned back and said: "Shizun, we're here."
Dawning Peak was covered in snow all year round. At this time, when the moon hung high in the sky, the piercing moonlight reflected on the frozen lake. There was a chill in the air, piercingly cold. Jincheng Lake was frozen but it wasn't covered in snow. Just like a polished pearl, the Milky Way and its thousands of stars reflected off its surface. It was infinitely magnificent. It was really like walking to the end of the world, to its luminous snowy white peak.
A group of people came to the lake. The smooth mirror-like surface of the lake was overflowing with breathtaking light. and there was a stone embankment leading to the center of the lake. A stone tablet stood beside the embankment with flowering frost lines stretching across it. The line patterns covered the stone except for four words, "Difficult Travels Lay Ahead," which were still prominent even after thousands of years. The vermillion colour was still bright red indicating that someone seemed to touch up the paint often.
Chu Wanning stopped in front of the stone embankment and said: "Only one person seeking a sword can enter Jincheng Lake at a time. Which one of you will go first?"
Xue Meng couldn't wait: "Shizun, I'll go first!"
Chu Wanning glanced at him. He thought for a moment and shook his head: "I'm not comfortable with how reckless you are."
Then, Shi Mei, who stood by his side, smiled and said: "Shizun, let me go first. I probably won't be able to melt the frozen lake anyway."
On the vast ice lake, Shi Mei walked slowly walked along the stone embankment that could only allow one person to pass at a time.
According to the proper procedure, he condensed a mass of spiritual energy in his hand, and then leaned over and put his palm on the frozen surface - Shi Mei's spiritual energy continued to flow down through the ice surface and the luminous white light flickered in the distance.
Mo Ran was frozen in place with bated breath, clenching and unclenching his fists.
But despite how long Shi Mei tried by the lake, the frozen water remained motionless. He smiled bitterly and walked back, shrugging it off. He said to Chu Wanning: "Shizun, I'm sorry."
"It doesn't matter. Practice for a few years and try again."
Mo Ran let out a soft sigh. He seemed more upset out of the two of them but he still comforted Shi Mei: "It doesn't matter, there's still a chance. Next time, I'll accompany you."
Chu Wanning said: "Don't talk so much. Step forward, it's your turn."
In his previous life, when Mo Ran came to ask for a sword, he had been a frivolous young man who had infinite expectations for the cultivating arts. However, in this life, he was just here to get the sword. He already knew what was waiting for him and he no longer had that kind of tension and expectation. Instead, there was a kind of warmth, like the feeling of being reunited with an old friend.
He walked down the stone embankment, kneeling in front of the ice lake.
He bent down and touched the ice with his palms.
Mo Ran closed his eyes.
His sheathless sword…
The sinister blade that accompanied him to the end see the flowers and taste the blood of the world——
Opening his eyes, Mo Ran whispered to the lake: "Bugui, I'm here."
As if sensing the call of its fated master, a huge black shadow suddenly rose under the ice surface of Jincheng Lake. The shadow circled underneath the ice surface, becoming clearer and more distinct.
Suddenly, the thousand-foot ice surface shattered. Mo Ran distantly heard Xue Meng's exclamation on the shore. His voice was so distant, it was barely inaudible.
"The ice melted!!"
The tide surged and the lake water rushed into the sky. A turquoise-black dragon broke through and came out. Each scale on the dragon was seven feet wide. In an instant, the surface of Jincheng Lake was surged with waves. Mist clung in the air. The dragon swayed in the brilliance of the moonlight, exhaling a snort.
At the same time, an ancient barrier fell around the edge of the pool, separating Chu Wanning and the others from Mo Ran.
Inside the barrier, a man and a dragon looked at each other from afar.
Mo Ran narrowed his eyes, facing the sky filled with mist, and looked up at the dragon.
He noticed the dragon was holding a pitch-black modao sabre in his mouth without a sheath. The ancient clumsy blade was thick but sharp, bending iron and breaking gold. The dragon turned the sword into a size suitable for mortals and slowly bowed its radiant dragon body and put the sword in front of Mo Ran.
But it didn't look up immediately. Instead, he stared at him with the pupils of its ginger eyes, which were as tall as two grown men.
The eyes of the dragon were like two bronze mirrors, clearly reflecting Mo Ran's reflection. Mo Ran held his breath, waiting for it to speak.
If things stayed the same, then he only needs to go to the foot of the mountain to grab a plum blossom branch and give it to it.
Unexpectedly, after waiting for a long time, this dragon was not like in his previous life, where it gave up the weapon with ease. Instead, the dragon's whiskers danced. A pair of huge bronze pupils squinted. Then, it raised its front claws and wrote down three words in the snow in front of Mo Ran: Are you mortal?
Mo Ran froze.
He clearly remembered that in his previous life, this dragon could speak, so why did it become mute in this life?
After the mute dragon finished writing those words, it immediately corrected itself, erased the handwriting with its thick scaly claws, and wrote another string of words: No, mortals don't have such a strong aura. So are you a divine being?
Mo Ran: "…"
The old dragon thought for a moment then shook his head and wrote: Not a divine being. You have an evil aura around you. Are you a ghost?
What a mess!, Mo Ran thought to himself. This Venerable One has just been reborn. What's there to think about? Bring this Venerable One his sword!
However, the old dragon seemed to have sensed his eagerness to receive the sword. It suddenly raised its scaly dragon claws and held the modao blade under his claw. The other claw wiped the writing away again, added some more snow and continued to write: Don't take offence. I saw two other auras in you, which is a really rare sight. Are you a human or a ghost, a god or a devil?
Mo Ran raised his eyebrows and said: "Of course I'm human. Does that even need to be said?" Just a human who has died once before.
The old dragon paused and then wrote: A person's soul being split like this is rarely seen and practically unheard of.
Mo Ran saw it stupidly shaking its head and tail and couldn't help but laugh: "What's so strange about it? Rather, senior, what exactly do you need before you are willing to give this sword to me?"
The old dragon looked at him and wrote: Stand still and let me cast an enchantment to see your soul, then I will give you the sword, okay?
"…"
He didn't expect it to make such a request. Mo Ran was stunned and he hesitated.
He thought what if this old thing could see what happened in his previous life, what would happen?
But there was no chance to return. The power of this sabre is fierce and ruthless. It was a rare weapon that, if refused, it would be impossible to get it again in the future.
After a moment's hesitation, Mo Ran raised his head and asked: "Alright, but senior, will you be willing to give me the sword no matter what you see in me?"
The old dragon said one stroke at a time:
This is the rule. Naturally, I will not go back on my word.
Regardless of whether I was good or evil in the past?
The old dragon paused and then wrote: Even if you were evil in the past, there's nothing I can do. I only hope that you will be good in the future.
Mo Ran smiled: "Well, since senior said so, then I naturally have nothing to hide. Please cast the enchantment and take a look."
The old dragon raised its body slightly. It bowed its radiant body and exhaled, followed by a layer of a bright red glow emanating from its pupils.
Mo Ran tilted his head up and found that the layer of red light was actually a layer of mist. The blood mist gradually deepened, slowly covering up his reflection. After a while, when the mist slowly dissipated, the standing figure reappeared in the old dragon's eyes.
Only this time, Mo Ran suddenly found that in addition to himself, the dragon's eyes also reflected two other vague shadowy figures, one on his left and one on his right, standing behind him.
Mo Ran was taken aback and immediately turned to look, but there was nothing behind him. There was a blanket of vast white snow under him. Where are the others?
Turning his head back, the two people in the dragon's eyes became more clear, as if they were something submerged in the water that was slowly surfacing. Mo Ran stared at them for a while, and suddenly felt that the two shadow figures seemed familiar – He couldn't help but take a couple steps forward. Unexpectedly, the two illusions in the dragon's eyes suddenly changed, their closed eyes abruptly opening!
Shi Mei!
Chu Wanning?!
He didn't expect it to be them. This was a huge shock for Mo Ran. He stumbled back, stepped back, and stammered, unable to form a complete sentence: "How – this is-"
The three people in the old dragon's eyes stood quietly. Their faces were calm without the slightest expression, just staring peacefully into the distance.
Mo Ran was astonished. After a while, the blood red mist rose again, and the shadow figures in the dragon's eyes began to blur before finally disappearing.
The old dragon snorted. His whiskers trembled and he quickly wrote: I can't see it through. I've never seen anyone in my life with the imprint of two other people on their soul. It's really strange.
"I-I have their imprint… in my soul?"
Yes.
After the old dragon finished writing this word, he paused for a moment and wrote: I don't know what happened to you. Just how deep is your obsession to be entangled with others?
Mo Ran stared at the crooked lines in the snow. His face slowly flushed as though he were choking.
His obsession with Shi Mei went deep into the marrow of his bones. Even if this was engraved into his soul, even if the old dragon saw him and Shi Mei together, he didn't think it was a big deal.
But what's the deal with Chu Wanning… ?
What obsession does he have with Chu Wanning?
Is excessive hatred considered an obsession?
The man and dragon fell into contemplation. So much so that when the Jincheng Lake's water started to waver, they never noticed it.
When the huge tide broke through the sky and the waves crashed against the shore, it was already too late.
They saw Jincheng Lake's waters split apart like it was sliced by a sword. Each column spewed up to the sky. In the turbulent tide, two groups of black beasts rushed out. They had the body of a leopard but the head of a bull. Although they weren't as large as the old dragon, their bodies were huge. The horns on their heads let off a biting cold, and their claws were piercingly sharp. Hundreds of them gathered together, but the old dragon was not afraid and gave them a side glance.
Mo Ran asked: "What's going on?"
The old dragon paused and wrote: Gouchen the Exalted.
Glancing at these words, Mo Ran was struck.
Gouchen the Exalted is the master of killing and destroying, unifying the world's weapons. This primordial god created the world's first sword and helped Fuxi to eliminate the demons.
That majestic primordial god is actually a bunch of cows?
This was too frightening, Mo Ran couldn't accept it. He was dumbfounded when, suddenly, he heard a faint ocarina sound in the distance.
The ocarina was a very ancient instrumental music, and nowadays, not many people still play it. As the sound of the ocarina gradually approached, the beasts that were rushing towards them slowly halted and finally bent down on their front legs, kneeling in two rows. When the tidal wave of beasts dispersed, a man in elegant clothes carrying a long sword came forward riding a qilin.
The man had a handsome image with delicate features and a very gentle face.
He stood against the wind, the night snow enveloping his body, the hem of his clothes fluttering softly. His fingers pressed against the openings on the instrument in his hand, a ceramic ocarina rich in colour, as he brought it to his mouth to play it.
As the last ghostly sound ceased, the heads of the hundreds of bulls suddenly turned into mist. It turned out that they were actually misty illusions. They saw the man put down the ocarina. He looked over at Mo Ran and then gently smiled: "You are indeed a strange kind of person that I've never met in thousands of years. No wonder Wangyue is curious about you. I am Gouchen the Exalted and I reside in Jincheng Lake. I made all the blades in this lake. A simple task, truthfully."
Although the old dragon wrote it once and this man repeated it, Mo Ran was still in disbelief and he paled: "You're Gouchen the Exalted?"
The man, however, was not impatient and smiled: "I am."
Mo Ran felt like he was suffocating: "… As in, the God of a Thousand Weapons?"
"Yes." Gouchen raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile gleaming in his eyes. "That's what I seem to be called by the newer generations. I'm so ashamed, I just have nothing else to do. I just sharpen a little knife or braid a small whip or something, but people hold me in a high regard."
Mo Ran: "…"
It's really annoying for powerful people to act humble. Chu Wanning would calmly say, "I have three divine weapons." Gouchen the Exalted was even more annoying. How dare he call the weapons he made "little knives" and "small whips". Would he consider Heavenly Emperor Fuxi to be a "little old man"?
Mo Ran slowed down and said: "Well then, shouldn't you be in the realm of the gods? Why are you in this… this pond…"
"I like to jest, and I often disturb the Heavenly Emperor's peace and quiet. Instead of being scorned by him in the realm of the gods all day, it's better to excuse yourself to be in the human realm."
…
Mo Ran was speechless: "Can I ask how long you've been here?"
Gouchen pondered a little and then smiled: "It's alright, a few hundred years or so."
"… Hundreds of years." Mo Burn repeated, laughing dryly. "Don't you think it's been a little too long?"
Gouchen smiled lightly and waved his sleeves without much concern.
"It's not that long. Besides, after casting the sword for the Heavenly Emperor, I lost a lot of divine energy. But, in the realm of the gods where there are precious stones as far as the eye can see, it's boring to stay there. It's much better here."
Although Mo Ran was quite curious about this legendary God of Killing, it wasn't polite to ask about more private matters. After thinking about it, he felt that another matter was more important, so he said: "You didn't come out to see me today just because you saw that my soul is special, right?"
"Why not? Your spiritual power is rare, it's really hard to come by." Gouchen smiled and said, "I'm afraid it's distasteful to give you such a flimsy blade."
Mo Ran said: "Haha, it's okay. I think this sword suits me well."
"I thought so too at first glance." Gouchen smiled, "After careful consideration, I found that it does not. You have a rare talent and that intrigues me, so I came out to invite you to the bottom of the lake for a little chat. I want to see which one is most suitable for you among the thousands of blades."
"…"
This shock was no laughing matter. Even though Ta Xianjun had experienced many things, this left him at a loss for words.
The God of a Thousand Weapons actually invited him… to pick a weapon?
Gouchen saw that he wasn't saying anything and thought he was afraid to go, so he said: "Don't worry, although there are many monsters underwater, they all obey me and would never hurt you. Wangyue can testify to that."
The old dragon didn't say anything and nodded slowly beside him.
When Mo Ran saw that it was indeed a sincere invitation, he couldn't help but feel slightly moved: "If I go, could you grant me a request?"
"What's the request?"
"The person who asked for a sword just now is my dear friend." Mo Ran said, pointing to the shore outside the barrier and gesturing to Shi Mei. "He couldn't get a sword just now, so I thought, if I fulfilled your wish, could you also fulfill my wish and give him a weapon?"
"I thought this would be a large request but that's nothing." Gouchen laughed. He waved his hand and the ancient barrier that reached to the sky instantly disappeared.
"That's an easy thing to do. Let all three of them come over. If you find a weapon you like, just take it."
Mo Ran was overjoyed. He didn't expect it to go that smoothly. It took no effort at all. Shi Mei can get a divine weapon which made him more excited than the fact that he's going to get a more powerful weapon. He immediately agreed to Gouchen's terms. When Shi Mei and the others came and he caught them up on everything, Shi Mei and Xue Meng's eyes kept growing wider, and even Chu Wanning reacted minutely.
Gouchen watched from the side and suddenly seemed to realize something. "Hmm?" He stared at Chu Wanning.
"It's you?"