Ding Zheng's corpse poison seemed to have relapsed; his face had turned a strange bluish-green color, and he was extremely weak.
But he gripped Ji Kun's sleeve tightly, as if afraid that Ji Kun would attack the snow leopard.
Qiao Suinian rushed forward to support Ding Zheng, fearing that he might faint if he couldn't catch his breath, as he still needed Ding Zheng to take him to the Sacred Lake of Tianshan.
"King of Zhenxi, it's me! I've brought men to rescue you. Don't worry, they won't do anything to the snow leopard!"
"It's...it's you! Thank you, you didn't lie to me, you're a good person who keeps your promises." Ding Zheng also recognized Qiao Suinian and revealed a pure smile. "Could you please help me suppress the corpse poison again? I can't control it anymore."
"I'm sorry, King Zhenxi, I'm powerless this time either. Last time I was able to suppress the corpse poison only by using a treasure... I'm sorry, it's all my fault for not having the strength!" Qiao Suinian slammed his fist on the ground, his face full of frustration.
He dared not use demonic energy to suppress the corpse poison for Ding Zheng in front of everyone; with so many experts here, someone would inevitably notice something amiss.
"It's alright! I'm already very grateful that you could find someone to help me. The only thing we can do now is to hurry to Tianshan Sacred Lake, otherwise I really will turn into a zombie," Ding Zheng explained.
"Alright! These people are all experts. You lead the way, we'll head to the Sacred Lake right now!"
The sky was cloudless, and a bright, full moon hung high in the night sky, like a jewel embedded in the darkness.
The moonlight, as clear as mercury, flowed silently across the glacier, the two different shades of white seemingly merging into one.
Under the tranquil night sky, Qiao Suinian and his group trudged along the snow-capped peaks of the Tianshan Mountains. The earthquake survivors were unable to move in such extremely cold weather at high altitudes, so they had no choice but to trek on foot.
Ding Zheng, the Prince of Zhenxi, was carried on the back of a snow leopard at the front. Due to the increasingly severe corpse poison, he had fallen into a semi-comatose state.
As the altitude increases, there is no vegetation left around, and all you can see are bare rocks and snow.
"Damn it, it's freezing! How many days has it been? Why haven't we arrived yet?" Liu Haizhu was shivering from the cold, and even though he usually liked to go shirtless, he was now wearing a thick cotton robe.
Click, click, click, Wang Yuan tried to light the lighter several times but failed. Then she shook her head in disappointment.
Han Yueling was the only one among the group who was unaffected; on the contrary, her strength would be enhanced in this environment.
"It should be soon. According to the King of Zhenxi, the so-called entrance to the sacred lake is located at the very top of this Tianshan Mountain."
Qiao Suinian looked up at the mountaintop. They had been out for almost half a month, and now they were only a few hundred meters away from the top of Tianshan Mountain.
But only those who have climbed snow-capped mountains understand that the last few hundred meters are often the most dangerous and difficult.
"Don't delay any longer. Let's continue after we've rested. It seems like the Prince of Zhenxi is about to collapse," Ji Kun urged.
He also put on gloves. Without gloves, in this kind of weather, your hands would freeze as soon as you gripped the sword hilt. Anyone who has ever licked iron railings in the northern winter knows what that means.
At this moment, not only Ding Zheng's face, but most of his body had turned into a strange bluish-green color. If this bluish-green color covered his entire body, he would completely turn into a zombie.
"Alright! Let's go for it in one go!" Qiao Suinian nodded, and then the group set off again.
The last few hundred meters were extremely difficult to walk, with some sections forming near-vertical cliffs covered in snow that never melts. When you stepped on it, the snow could reach up to your thighs.
Fortunately, the people who came were all quite skilled; otherwise, even reaching the summit of Tianshan would have been a pipe dream.
The group quickened their pace and finally reached the summit of Tianshan Mountain several hours later.
But when they reached the top of the mountain, they were shocked by what they saw: there was a huge stone gate at the top of the Tianshan Mountains!
The stone gate seemed to be formed naturally, with the rocks on both sides converging upwards and then slowly intertwining to form a huge portal, which was about twenty meters high.
If it weren't for the narrow, elongated slit in the middle, no one would even recognize it as a door.
"Is this the gate to the Sacred Lake that the King of Zhenxi spoke of? It's unbelievable that there's such a gate at the summit of Tianshan Mountain!" Liu Huaqiang was somewhat shocked.
"Huh? Does this door really require the combined power of the five elements to open? I feel like I could just throw a skill at it and blast it open." Liu Haizhu felt a surge of eagerness.
"Don't do anything rash." Wang Yuan, who rarely spoke, stepped forward with a cigarette dangling from his lips, gently stroking the stone door. Then, a look of amazement appeared in his eyes. "Truly a masterpiece of nature!"
He was skilled in wood carving, and his carving technique was superb. With his keen eye, he could naturally tell that the stone gate was carved out of the mountain wall.
Wang Yuan found it hard to imagine what kind of person could carve a gate from the summit of Tianshan Mountain. It was simply astonishing.
"Old smoker, stop beating around the bush, what's going on?" Liu Haizhu's temper had clearly flared up since he arrived, and he couldn't help but urge him on.
"If this door is opened by force, the mountain walls on both sides will immediately collapse and crash down, which will instantly trigger an avalanche from the snow layer that has existed for who knows how many years."
“Breaking open this gate is certainly not difficult, but how will you survive the collapse of the mountainside and the avalanche?” Wang Yuan explained calmly.
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this and couldn't help but look around. If this place were to collapse, none of them would survive.
"Therefore, this door can only be opened using a specific method."
Wang Yuan looked up at the left side of the door, where the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth were engraved, looking incredibly mysterious. In contrast, the right side of the stone door appeared very simple, with only a shallow sword mark.
But when everyone stared at the sword mark, they felt an intense stinging pain on their skin, as if sword intent was shooting out through the sword mark.
Ji Kun was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward, took off his gloves, and gently stroked the sword mark with his hand.
"Such terrifying sword intent...Who left this behind?"
As a super genius obsessed with swordsmanship, Ji Kun's mastery of sword intent had long reached its peak. However, upon seeing this sword mark, he suddenly understood what it meant to be outmatched by others.
His proud sword intent paled in comparison to this sword mark; even with all his might, he could not create such a mark.
"Alright, everyone, stop exclaiming in surprise and start opening the gate. If we delay any longer, the Prince of Zhenxi will soon be unable to hold on."
Qiao Suinian couldn't help but urge them on. They were here to rescue people, so why were they all so focused on a door? It was such a waste of their time.
Unlike him, who was single-mindedly devoted to Hong... to save the Prince of Zhenxi!
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