Qin Yiyi raised an eyebrow, about to say something, but was pulled away by the Grand Elder: "Hey? Why are you pulling me? He's still injured!"
Facing the divine children, especially Jiacuo standing at the front, Qingchen smiled and said, "Why do you want to compete with me?"
The divine son Gyatso shouted, "Yiyi likes you, and we must prove that the men of the hearth are no less than outsiders. Do you dare to compete? If not, then admit that you are inferior to the men of the hearth!"
The man by the fire pit took off half of his sheepskin robe, revealing half of his strong arm, with black totems flowing on his arm.
Qing Chen smiled, shook his head, and walked past them.
The divine prince Gyatso asked loudly, "Don't you dare?"
Qing Chen smiled and said, "Comparing yourself to others is not as good as comparing yourself to yourself. I'm going to that great snow mountain. Those who can keep up, please do so."
With that, he turned and led Chen Jiazhang into the mountains without looking back.
The great snow-capped mountain stood in the darkness ahead.
The divine children looked at each other and said, "Fine, let's go!"
Before entering the mountain, Da Yu stood by the roadside and asked in a deep voice, "This is not Mount Everest. There are no Sherpas here, no aluminum ladders set up, no safety ropes nailed in place, and no oxygen cylinders placed at 7,200 meters in advance. If you go up like this, you will probably die."
Qing Chen burst into laughter: "Then I'll die in the snowy mountains!"
A team that was climbing the world's highest peak set off unexpectedly.
Qing Chen walked at the front, with a safety rope around his waist, which was tied to Chen Jiazhang's waist behind him.
Both of them were wearing white down jackets and spiked boots, holding trekking poles in their hands, and walking into the mountains with their heads slightly bowed, facing the mountain wind.
Qingchen was even carrying a huge hiking backpack, which contained his and Chen Jiazhang's skis.
The next moment.
Qing Chen turned to look at Chen Jiazhang: "Reverse breathing."
Chen Jiazhang laughed and cursed, "Damn it! You've ruined my life here today!"
In an instant, ice-blue patterns bloomed on Qing Chen and Chen Jiazhang's cheeks, like glowing mechanical skin after modification.
Qing Chen once again reversed his breathing to the fourth section of the Myriad Gods Thunder Division, and all the thunderous energy was gathered into the deepest part of his body.
The two of them bent slightly as they trudged forward, followed by more than ten divine sons, elders, and great feathers.
...
...
On the way, the main force of Huotang was still coming out of the mountains and returning to Huotang Valley.
In the vast snow-capped mountains, the group gathered around the fire pit ran into Qingchen and his companions.
Qing Chen simply walked past them in silence, like a solitary pilgrim.
In the darkness, the mountain wind, carrying stubble of snow, lashed at everyone; there was a power in that silence.
The Second Elder, who had just led his clansmen out of the mountains, looked at the two men with astonishment, then turned to the First Elder: "First Elder, what's going on? Has the Chen clan attacked again?"
The elder explained with a complicated expression, "No, it's that the knight is about to complete a life-or-death trial."
The Second Elder's eyes widened: "I smelled blood on them, and some of them were injured."
As soon as he finished speaking, the wound on Qingchen's thigh that Arthur had cleaved open reopened, and he staggered and half-knelt on the ground.
But he didn't utter a sound. Instead, he stood up again with unwavering determination and continued walking forward.
The Second Elder exclaimed, "Have these two knights gone mad? Why are they going against our Holy Mountain?"
The First Elder watched Qing Chen and Chen Jiazhang's retreating figures and said, "They're making things difficult for themselves. Let's go and see what's going on."
Qingchen started from the valley at an altitude of 3,300 meters, walked for two hours to an altitude of 4,200 meters, and then walked for another two hours to a snow-capped mountain platform at an altitude of 6,300 meters.
The air begins to thin, and beyond that lies a no-life zone.
On the mountainside, the fire pit people have built a sacrificial tower, which is wrapped with strips of snow-white cloth. This is where they worship the sacred mountain.
Seeing that Qing Chen and Chen Jiazhang showed no signs of stopping, the Second Elder immediately pulled the First Elder back: "They're being reckless, but you can't join in! Look up, the stars are gone! This is a divine revelation; a black storm is coming!"
Shenzi Jiacuo wanted to continue into the mountains with Qingchen and the others, but the Second Elder glared at him and stopped him: "Do you want to die? Do you want me, an old man, to bury my young?! Do you think I don't know whether you have the ability to reach the summit?"
The elder suddenly sighed, "Stop, everyone. This is not a path we can take. Even I wouldn't go up under these circumstances."
Divine Child Gyatso stared blankly at Qing Chen's retreating figure: "But why did they dare to go?"
The elder took out his pipe and leaned wearily against the foot of the sacrificial tower: "Knights are not creatures that can be judged by common sense. They never rely on theoretical 'do' or 'don't' to do things."
"Then what do you rely on?"
"belief."
For some reason, they suddenly lost the will to continue competing with Qingchen.
At that moment, the fire pit surrounded by black stones in the valley suddenly burst into flames, and the huge firelight illuminated the path on the mountain.
The elder suddenly turned around and saw that the towering flames resembled a banner in front of an army of 100,000.
Qin Yiyi sat cross-legged beside the sacrificial tower, softly chanting a prayer: "May all evil karmic ties be severed and eradicated, may all desires be swiftly fulfilled, I now take refuge in you, may I eliminate all sentient beings, may all calamities be completely eradicated..."
The divine children stared blankly at the two lonely figures, then sat around the sacrificial tower, murmuring, "I now take refuge in you, may I rid all sentient beings of all calamities..."
...
...
Gradually, ice formed on the faces of Qing Chen and Chen Jiazhang, leaving them weathered and worn.
Only Chen Jiazhang knew that the boy in front of him not only had to climb the mountain with great effort, but also had to use the rope around his waist to save him energy.
When crossing the ice crevasse, Qingchen jumped over it, but Chen Jiazhang didn't have enough strength when he jumped and fell into the dark crevasse.
With a roar, Qing Chen drove his ice axe into the ice wall and slowly inclined forward, managing to pull Chen Jiazhang back up: "Keep going!"
Along the way, they crossed mountains and ice fields, and Qingchen was his Sherpa, securing him with a safety rope.
Ten years have passed.
For the past ten years, Chen Jiazhang has not dared to even look at this snow-capped mountain, nor has he dared to return to Forbidden Land No. 002.
When he heard the news that Li Shutong had taken on a disciple, he happily drank a jin of liquor. He wanted to see what his junior apprentice was like, but he didn't dare to go.
Chen Jiazhang was afraid, afraid that people he used to know would see him in this state.
But for some reason, tonight I suddenly went crazy and, without any preparation, went into the mountains with this junior apprentice, beginning a long-awaited life-or-death ordeal.
As dawn broke, Chen Jiazhang even forgot how long he had been walking.
His body, weakened by alcoholism, was simply not strong enough to support him to reach the top.
Upon reaching an altitude of 6,800 meters, the lack of oxygen gradually clouded his consciousness, and he followed Qing Chen forward like a walking corpse.
The slope of the snow-capped mountain began to steepen, becoming almost vertical.
The two men used their hands and feet to stabilize themselves with spiked boots and ice axes, as if climbing a sheer cliff made of ice and snow.
Qingchen clenched his teeth so hard that his gums bled.
Braving the wind and snow, they worshipped their lives like devout pilgrims. As the snow was blown down from the mountaintop, it lashed against them like a waterfall.
Chen Jiazhang roared, "I can't hold on any longer!"
Qing Chen: "Keep moving forward!"
As the two climbed a ridge, Chen Jiazhang looked at the boy who was using all his strength to pull him up the mountain and whispered, "Thank you."
He prepared to untie the safety rope.
At this moment, Qingchen suddenly turned to look at him and said loudly and earnestly in the wind and snow: "I know your wish today is to die on the road to challenging life and death. But if you dare to untie the safety rope between us, I will go to the cliff of the green mountain and erase the words you carved, because you are not worthy of being a knight. Continue, move forward."
Chen Jiazhang was stunned for a long time. The safety rope was tied around his waist and pulled him forward.
He watched as Qingchen staggered ahead, his ice axe striking the ice wall repeatedly with unwavering determination.
Blood flowed from the wound on Qingchen's thigh, seeped into his down jacket, and froze.
Upon reaching an altitude of 7,200 meters, Chen Jiazhang collapsed onto the snow as if he were about to die, and cried out, "Why?"
Qingchen looked up at the sky. There was no black storm tonight; it seemed the world was making way for them.
He laughed heartily and retorted, "What do you mean, 'why'?"
As laughter erupted, an avalanche began on the distant mountains, as if the world were shattering in response.
Chen Jiazhang said, "I can't walk anymore. Let me die here. I will die a worthy death."
Leg pain, headache, shortness of breath—all these tormented this broken body.
"No," Qingchen grabbed a handful of snow from the ground, took off his goggles, and rubbed his face vigorously until it turned bright red.
He placed one foot on the mountain ridge, gazing at the sliver of white light appearing in the distant sky: "On Whale Island, I brought out so many knights. I thought I was going to teach them some principles, but later I realized that they taught me many things. I watched as even that idiot Hu Jingyi passed the test of the heart and climbed the sheer cliffs of the green mountains, and only then did I understand what detour I had taken this time... Indeed, the process of challenging the test of life and death is to pass the test of the heart again and again."
Qing Chen stood up, looked at everything below the mountain, and then turned to Chen Jiazhang and smiled, "Uncle-Master, I'm really ashamed to think about it. Sometimes I'm not even as good as my disciple Hu Jingyi. Today I'll give you a piece of advice."
Chen Jiazhang, panting, asked, "What did you say?"
Qingchen put on his goggles: "Life is only just beginning. If you don't die, keep going!"
This time, he took the initiative to cut the safety rope between them: "I'll be waiting for you at the top of the mountain! Whether you want to die here or continue with me is up to you! Just don't forget what a knight is!"
After saying that, Qingchen turned around and charged to the top alone!
At that moment, the sun rose.
The golden rays of the rising sun in the distance enveloped the mountain, giving the sacred Huotang Mountain a golden top.
Chen Jiazhang felt a strange surge of emotion welling up inside him. He knelt down on the golden summit of the sacred mountain and suddenly burst into tears.
After ten years of wasted time, I've rediscovered my original aspirations, and it seems that whether I can become a demigod is no longer important.
Chen Jiazhang slowly struggled to his feet. He imitated Qing Chen by rubbing his cheeks with the snow, and then took another step forward.
On the mountainside, the First Elder and the Second Elder silently gazed at the distant ridge, watching two small black dots climb upwards one after the other.
The elder, leaning on the sacrificial tower, sighed, "Although I've cursed the knights a thousand times, every time I see this group of people heading towards the holy mountain, I feel nothing but admiration."
Second Elder: "Back then, you and Li Shutong went up the mountain together..."
The elder smiled and said, "You can just say that I was taken up there by him. There's nothing shameful about not being able to beat these people."
At this moment, all the divine children stood up and gazed at the two small black dots reaching the top. They stood motionless, as if guarding the sculptures of the sacrificial tower.