Chapter 142 Losing Everything Without a Trace

"What is going on here?" Wang Changsheng asked, frowning.

Hearing Chen Yuan speak in this manner, Wang Changsheng felt that the situation had likely escalated to a serious degree. At the very least, Cloud Palace Peak had truly hardened its resolve for the sake of its heritage.

"If I am not mistaken, that array disc is no ordinary artifact!" Chen Yuan said in a deep voice. "There is a very high probability that a micro-world is sealed within that array disc!"

"A micro-world?"

Wang Changsheng immediately wore a look of utter disbelief. "You must be joking!"

It was hardly surprising that Wang Changsheng found it difficult to believe. After all, a micro-world was no ordinary supreme treasure; even when compared to a sect's heritage, it was by no means inferior and could likewise elevate a sect's foundational strength.

As far as Wang Changsheng knew, the Li family of Dayang possessed a micro-world—the Fire Phoenix Pool!

"To use a sealed micro-world to impact this grand array is truly sheer folly!" Chen Yuan said gravely. "To seal a micro-world within an array disc—not even a Grand Elder would dare claim the ability to accomplish such a feat. Furthermore, once the micro-world crashes into the array, there is a very high likelihood it will be reduced to cosmic dust!"

As Chen Yuan watched the churning sea of clouds, he felt that Cloud Palace Peak was utterly squandering a rare heavenly treasure!

"What is more, Cloud Palace Peak cannot even guarantee that there is a heritage hidden within the array..." Wang Changsheng said with a bitter smile. "According to what you are saying, Chen Yuan, does this mean Cloud Palace Peak is wagering a micro-world on the gamble of finding a heritage inside the array?"

A reckless gamble?

This was no mere reckless gamble. Probably only Cloud Palace Peak possessed such audacity and ruthlessness to pull off a stunt like this.

"It is not yet certain; this is merely my conjecture," Chen Yuan replied.

Boom!

The moment Chen Yuan's voice fell, a massive explosion erupted from within the churning sea of clouds. Following that, the gathered cultivators saw the roiling sea of clouds disperse under the shockwave of the blast, finally revealing the God of War Mountain that had been concealed beneath!

"Is this the God of War Mountain?"

"It is so tall! I cannot even see the peak!"

"Neither can I! Is this truly the God of War Mountain?"

...

Once the rolling sea of clouds cleared, the full view of the God of War Mountain was revealed. The colossal mountain pierced straight into the clouds, its summit entirely out of sight. At the foot of the mountain stood a massive stone tablet, upon which two characters were clearly visible: "Qi Wu"!

"Qi Wu? Could that be the name of this mountain?"

Many cultivators wore puzzled expressions. Wasn't it called the God of War Mountain?

Or perhaps Qi Wu was the name of the God of War himself?

Some cultivators were unaware of the origin of the name God of War Mountain, knowing it only as the moniker given to the peak by the cultivators of the Heaven Realm before the grand array was unsealed—a title that conveniently matched the reputation of the God of War's Tomb.

As for the two characters "Qi Wu," whether they referred to the name of the mountain or the name of the God of War, no one present could say for certain.

"Alright, the array has been opened!" Seeing the mists disperse and reveal the God of War Mountain, Caiyun let out a sigh of relief.

After all, as far as Cloud Palace Peak was concerned, they had no absolute certainty that the array disc could breach the barrier; they could only know after trying. Now that the array had been successfully opened, the cultivators of Cloud Palace Peak could finally relax.

"I hope everyone remembers what they said just moments ago. Should the heritage be discovered, give Cloud Palace Peak a fair chance to compete for it!" Caiyun said, cupping her fists toward the surrounding cultivators.

Immediately afterward, a pitch-black object was seen flying out from the God of War Mountain.

The dark object was caught by a Cloud Palace Peak cultivator, and the crowd instantly recognized that this charred item was none other than the array disc from earlier.

It appeared that although the grand array had been broken, Cloud Palace Peak's array disc had been completely destroyed in the process.

"The array disc is on the verge of total destruction. If a micro-world was indeed sealed inside, it has likely been reduced to ashes," Chen Yuan said solemnly.

The expression of the Cloud Palace Peak cultivator who caught the array disc was far from pleasant, making it evident that a heavy price had been paid.

"Let's move!"

At Caiyun's command, she immediately led the Cloud Palace Peak cultivators soaring toward the God of War Mountain.

The surrounding cultivators did not contend with Cloud Palace Peak for the lead. After all, the grand array had been opened by Cloud Palace Peak—who had undoubtedly paid a steep price—so it was only right that they entered first.

The crowd noticed that upon approaching the God of War Mountain, the Cloud Palace Peak cultivators did not fly straight up. Instead, the moment they touched the mountain, they descended to the ground and began walking up step by step.

Regardless of what Cloud Palace Peak was doing, among the remaining cultivators who had yet to make a move, someone took the lead and charged toward the God of War Mountain. Following that, all the cultivators present surged forward in a chaotic swarm toward the mountain.

Wang Changsheng was in no particular hurry; instead, he kept his eyes on Chen Yuan.

When the Cloud Palace Peak group charged ahead, Chen Yuan had already closed his eyes, and up to this moment, he had yet to open them.

"Hah..."

After nearly the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Chen Yuan slowly opened his eyes, let out a long breath, and wore a look of shock.

"It really did have a micro-world sealed inside the array disc!" Chen Yuan said in a deep voice. "However, it was already a withered micro-world. The sheer magnitude of Cloud Palace Peak's resources is truly staggering!"

"What is a withered micro-world?" Wang Changsheng immediately asked with a puzzled expression.

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment before explaining, "A micro-world is, in essence, a fragment of land. These micro-worlds once belonged to the Three Realms, but due to ancient battles among supreme powerhouses, these land fragments were blasted out from the Three Realms..."

"These fragments drifted through the endless starry expanse. If an independent, self-sustaining ecosystem existed within them, a micro-world would slowly form over time," Chen Yuan continued. "Once a complete ecological environment failed to take shape, it would gradually degenerate into a withered micro-world!"

"Such withered micro-worlds are extremely abundant in the endless cosmos, varying in both size and scale," Chen Yuan said gravely. "Cloud Palace Peak must have dispatched top-tier experts to lasso and pull a withered micro-world from the starry void!"

"So that's how it is!" Wang Changsheng said heavily. "If it were a living micro-world, Cloud Palace Peak would surely not have been so willing to part with it."

"Even a withered micro-world holds immeasurable value," Chen Yuan remarked. "A withered micro-world can be rebuilt and restored, though the resources required for such an endeavor are astronomical."

"Then by what method did the micro-world within the array disc impact the grand array?" Wang Changsheng inquired.

"I am not entirely certain either. That is a method accessible only to those genuine cultivators who have achieved the Dao of the Golden Core," Chen Yuan sighed. "I only caught a fleeting glimpse of that profound mystery just now, which is why I was able to be certain."

Wang Changsheng wore a thoughtful expression, clearly understanding Cloud Palace Peak's unwavering determination to secure the heritage of this God of War's Tomb opening.

"Let's go, we should go take a look as well," Wang Changsheng said.

Aside from the Corpse Refining Sect led by Wang Changsheng, which had yet to make a move, every other cultivator present had already headed toward the God of War Mountain. One could see a dense multitude of cultivators climbing upward along the mountain slopes.

When Wang Changsheng and his group drew closer, they finally understood why all the cultivators were walking up step by step. It was not out of reverence for the God of War; rather, for some unknown reason, a terrifying gravity permeated the God of War Mountain, and it was this immense pressure that made even flying a difficult task.

"How is it?" Wang Changsheng asked Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan took two heavy, ragged breaths and said in a deep voice, "It feels oppressive and extremely heavy."

Zhang义 and the others also nodded. Even Vajra, whose body was defined by bulging muscles, wore a face flushed red with exertion.

Wang Changsheng was faring no better; otherwise, he would not have bothered asking Chen Yuan.

Wang Changsheng's sensations were roughly identical to Chen Yuan's.

"That means this gravity is rather peculiar," Wang Changsheng said, gasping for breath.

There was a vast disparity between Wang Changsheng's cultivation realm and Chen Yuan's—in fact, Chen Yuan could crush Wang Changsheng to death with a single finger.

Given the pressure Wang Changsheng was able to feel, matching Chen Yuan's cultivation level, the latter should theoretically have felt zero pressure at all!

"It would seem that this pressure scales according to one's cultivation level," Chen Yuan said, huffing and puffing. "Regardless of how high or low one's cultivation is, the perceived pressure remains entirely the same!"

Wang Changsheng nodded in agreement.

The spot where Wang Changsheng and his group stood was already at the very rear. Behind them, virtually no figures could be seen, and even ahead of them, only vague, distant silhouettes were discernible.

It took a full two days of enduring the crushing gravity for Wang Changsheng and his group to finally reach the waist of the mountain.

During these past two days, they had overtaken quite a few cultivators. Wang Changsheng had also noticed numerous cultivators turning back down the mountain, heading toward other regions enveloped by the grand array.

After all, the area covered by the grand array was at least three thousand miles wide, whereas the God of War Mountain occupied only about half of it. The remaining half consisted of virgin territory that had never been excavated, and with spiritual Qi this dense, countless spiritual herbs were bound to grow there.

The God of War Mountain undoubtedly held the highest probability of housing the heritage. Many independent cultivators and minor sects understood that as long as Cloud Palace Peak was here, their chances of obtaining the heritage were practically nil, leaving such feats to the top-tier mega-sects capable of locking horns with Cloud Palace Peak. Since that was the case, they might as well try their luck elsewhere.

It took nearly five days in total for Wang Changsheng and his company to finally ascend to the summit of the God of War Mountain.

Upon reaching the peak, Wang Changsheng and the others instantly wore expressions of astonishment.

"Is... is this the place that Cloud Palace Peak paid such a catastrophic price to reach?" Wang Changsheng's face betrayed utter disbelief.

Not only Wang Changsheng, but even the cultivators from the Corpse Refining Sect who had arrived slightly earlier at the summit were staring in bewilderment at the scene before them.

"Now this actually looks like a place where an expert would live," Wang Changsheng remarked with a sigh.

Judging from the conditions at the summit, someone had indeed lived here once. However, at the peak, there was merely a small courtyard consisting of two or three thatched huts. Furthermore, due to the passage of countless years, the thatched huts had fallen into utter disrepair, proving they were completely ordinary houses with not a single trace of any grand heritage to be found.

As for the cultivators of Cloud Palace Peak, their expressions at this moment were unsightly to the extreme, clearly enraged by this outcome.

After going through untold hardships and spending nearly five hundred years refining the array disc, this was the result they got? Was this a total loss of their entire investment?

"Search! Find it for me! A mountain this bizarre cannot be simple! Even if you have to turn the God of War Mountain upside down, you must find the heritage!" Caiyun's furious roar echoed across the peak.