Chapter Twenty-Seven: Escape from Ascension Peak

Li Chongjun was shocked to see Zilan captured and cried out involuntarily, “Zilan! Why is it you?!”

White Snake and Li Duozuo seized the opportunity to leap out of the encirclement. The two barely escaped with their lives, panting in terror. Han Qinghua snorted, sheathing her long sword with a swish. Standing behind Yan Fengjiao, he looked at her wound, his face full of pain and pity.

White Snake smiled gently, “My dear Hua, it’s just a flesh wound, nothing serious.” Han Qinghua’s expression relaxed slightly.

“Young Master Li Chongjun, now that your beloved is in my hands, this benefits us both. At least we need not fight to the death. We can have a proper discussion. As long as you hand over the Sacred Armor, I’ll return your lady to you. Should you two marry, our Divine Crane Sect will send generous gifts to celebrate.” White Snake, having caught her breath, spoke again in her soft, melodious voice, betraying no sign of her recent brush with death.

Li Chongjun hesitated, and Li Duozuo, alarmed, cried, “Is this woman the Madam? My lord, one who achieves great things does not let sentiment hinder him. You must not jeopardize the cause for a woman!”

Li Chongjun snapped angrily, “Hold your tongue!” Li Duozuo sighed and said no more.

Muller bellowed, “If you refuse, I’ll smash this girl to death right now!” Noticing the wound on White Snake’s back, he shouted, “Madam! That scoundrel hurt you. I’ll tear this girl’s leg off to avenge you!” With that, he gripped Zilan’s calf, ready to wrench it.

White Snake knew of his cruelty; when he said he’d twist off a leg, he meant it. She immediately ordered him to stop. Muller obeyed, withdrawing his hand but still glaring fiercely at Zilan, as though she was the source of all his mistress’s woes.

Li Duozuo said, “Even if my lord were to surrender the Sacred Armor, it cannot be produced now. The armor is not here, and even if I went to retrieve it, it would not be a simple matter. The Sacred Armor is hidden in a most secret place, guarded by many experts around the clock. Even I can’t get close, only look for a chance to steal it away. If you wish to kill the Madam, then do so. After her death, I’ll tell my lord where the armor is hidden, and he can fetch it himself. I will end my life to atone for my failure.”

White Snake was taken aback, but she recovered quickly, smiling alluringly. “General Li speaks wisely. Why not this: I found Zilan instantly likable—why not let me take her to my place? We sisters can talk, far better than fighting to the death here. Once Young Master Li brings the Sacred Armor, I will return Sister Zilan to you untouched. Rest assured, my attendants are most obedient and will care for her attentively.”

Ghost Sword drew his blade, the sword edge brushing Zilan’s skin in quick, precise strokes, cutting the leather cords until they fell away. White Snake swiftly sealed Zilan’s acupoints and gathered her into her arms. With Ghost Sword, she leapt onto the rooftop and swept away. Muller, wielding his spiked club, withdrew with his eight attendants, all on guard.

Li Chongjun sighed deeply, “Such is fate.”

Li Duozuo said, “Do not worry, my lord. Though White Snake has taken the Madam, she will not dare mistreat her. There is no need to fret yet. I will go fetch the Sacred Armor, while you may seek help from our sect on Tianshan to rescue the Madam.”

Li Chongjun said, “Given the circumstances, that seems our only course. Where will you go to retrieve the armor?”

Li Duozuo glanced around, then leaned in to whisper into Li Chongjun’s ear, “Shaolin Monastery!”

Li Chongjun was surprised. “How could you hide it in such a place?”

Li Duozuo gave a bitter smile. “Years ago, I realized that carrying the Sacred Armor spelled disaster. I lacked the skill to protect it should danger arise. Coincidentally, that year Shaolin Monastery was rebuilding its Scripture Repository. I disguised myself as a laborer and worked there. I placed the armor in an iron box, and, taking advantage of transporting earth and timber, smuggled it in and concealed it within the walls. Once the repository was finished, it became the heart of Shaolin, storing scriptures and martial arts manuals, heavily guarded day and night. The armor is safest there. But retrieving it will be incredibly difficult. If I go openly, Shaolin will think I’m after their scriptures and will show no mercy. If I explain the truth, they’ll refuse to be embroiled in this affair and will likely kill me, destroy the armor, and leave no trace behind.”

Li Chongjun asked, “What’s your plan for retrieving the armor from Shaolin?”

Li Duozuo replied, “There is no real plan—just to infiltrate Shaolin first and improvise. It may take three to five months to recover the armor. I’ll set out at once. My lord, do what you must to rescue the Madam and do not worry about me.”

Watching Li Duozuo, ragged and worn, walk away, Li Chongjun heaved a long sigh and sped northwest using his lightness skill.

On Ascendant Peak, hidden from the world, Li Chongyuan finally broke through the eighth level of both the Primordial Harmony Skill and the Asura Divine Art.

Normally, reaching the eighth level of Primordial Harmony would require at least two decades of diligent cultivation. Even the Asura Art, though quicker, needed over a dozen years. Yet by a twist of fate, Li Chongyuan had mastered both of these peerless skills at once. The two arts complemented and enhanced each other, and with the help of the legendary Tianshan Snow Lotus and thousand-year Snow Ginseng—available to him in abundance—they fortified his essence and energy, doubling his progress. In just three years, he achieved what others would take more than a decade of hardship to attain.

However, to reach the ninth level in either art now required more than inner strength; it depended on advancing one’s state of mind. Since ancient times, once Tianshan disciples attained the eighth level, they ceased arduous internal cultivation and martial training, instead traveling the world to broaden their horizons. With enough experience and enlightenment, they would naturally break through to a higher realm. The elders, tied down with teaching and administrative duties, had to seek enlightenment by studying Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian texts, or arts such as medicine, astrology, divination, and horticulture, to quiet the mind and await sudden insight.

Li Chongyuan gathered the provisions in the stone cave, ate a hearty meal, stowed some remaining dried food in his bundle, and packed nearly a thousand Snow Lotus and Snow Ginseng pills he had accumulated into a leather pouch on his back. Filling a clay jar with water, he took a final look at the cave where he had lived for three years. He murmured, “Farewell, Ascendant Peak!” Lighting a torch, he headed straight for the cave’s depths. At the bottom, he restored the Qimen Dunjia stone array at the entrance, re-entered a smaller cave, and carefully sealed the breaches in the rock wall. Satisfied there were no flaws, he approached the stone well, took a deep breath, and leapt in.

Buoyed by currents of air, he slowly descended to Lotus-Ginseng Cavern, where he bowed three times at the burial site of the elders Lu Pinghu and Star-Plucker. He had spent three years here, longing every day to leave. Yet now, facing departure, he was suddenly reluctant to go. The martial illustrations on the cave walls felt like old friends. He sat there in a daze for a long while, then suddenly stood and declared, “A true man’s ambition lies in the world! Why cling to fleeting comfort?” With that, he shouldered his bundle and strode out of the cavern to the cliff’s edge.

A year earlier, Li Chongyuan’s profound internal strength had greatly enhanced his senses. He’d noticed that when howling winds swept the cliffs, a faint metallic slicing sound could be heard. Investigating, he discovered a nearly invisible thread of Western Region golden silkworm filament stretched between the cliff by Lotus-Ginseng Cavern and the opposite precipice, both ends anchored with iron stakes in hidden crevices. Only by following the thread with the eye could one see it.

In his time in the Enlightenment Cave, he’d learned that Western Region golden silkworm filament was extremely thin and tough—used by villains of old as a hidden weapon. Set across a path, it could sever the unwary like a blade. Only its extreme rarity kept it from being a greater menace.

Here, the filament stretched hundreds of paces—an astonishing length. Who had placed it, he did not know.

So sharp was this filament that even the lightest step would slice the foot. After much pondering, Li Chongyuan devised a clever solution: he poured water over the filament. In the bitter cold of Tianshan, the water instantly froze into an arm-thick sheath of ice, which could bear his weight. Standing on the ice, he poured more water ahead, extending the path. Over time, each trip to study martial arts in the cavern, he added more ice. After a year, nearly the entire filament, save for the last ten paces or so, was encased in thick ice.

He used the “Shadowless Before the Lamp” lightness skill to dash across the ice. Reaching the final stretch, he poured out the remaining water from his jug, freezing five more paces. With a tap of his toe, he soared through the air, swooping like a hawk to land on the opposite cliff.

Feet firmly planted, he could not contain his wild joy. Turning back to gaze at Ascendant Peak, he let out a long, triumphant cry, tears streaming down his face. At last, he had left Ascendant Peak as he had yearned, by chance mastering supreme skills. The world lay open before him—how could he not weep for joy?

Li Chongyuan was meticulous by nature. He anticipated that, after his disappearance, the sect elders would investigate. If the filament remained iced over, they would surely discover his method. So he hid his water jug in a nearby crevice, covered it with snow, then carefully pinched the filament between his fingers, channeling Primordial Harmony energy along its length. The warmth of his energy melted the ice, which fell away into the gorge below, leaving the golden silkworm filament once again invisible.