Chapter 2: Chapter Two: Dan Yao Peak

After another ten or so minutes, the two reached the end of the road, and a towering scaffold appeared before them; below was a sheer cliff, and all they could see was an impenetrable thick fog.

The scaffold held three simple wooden planked bridges, each only about a meter wide, stretching toward the distant peaks, most of the bridges hidden within the clouds.

"Let's go!"

Wei Yuning expected to take the bridge, but the little fairy girl turned onto a path on the right, walked less than fifty meters, passed a low rise, and arrived before a massive three‑courtyard courtyard house.

The courtyard house had gray tiles and white walls, an antiquated charm, and a gigantic twisted old pine grew beside the outer wall.

The little fairy girl, familiar with the place, led Wei Yuning into the courtyard.

Wei Yuning again saw the familiar cyan stone slabs; the entire courtyard floor was paved with them, and the air was filled with a strong refreshing scent.

In the left side chamber of the second courtyard, the little fairy girl finally brought Wei Yuning before the steward.

It was a middle‑aged man with a clear, refined face and a graceful bearing, dressed in a light cyan robe, sporting a long beard, sitting upright at a large square table writing characters. His calligraphy fluttered like dragons and phoenixes; Wei Yuning could not identify the characters, but the man gave him a spring‑breeze feeling, instantly endearing him.

"Uncle Hongzhi, this is a local villager who mistakenly entered the Panshi Great Array; my nephew took a look and found he has a wood‑type spirit root, but we don't know his aptitude yet, so please take another look!" Qing Ling first bowed to the middle‑aged man and then spoke.

The middle‑aged man set his brush down, glanced at the uneasy Wei Yuning, stroked his beard in silence for a few seconds, then nodded, "I understand. The person will stay here; I will make appropriate arrangements."

"Very well, Uncle, my nephew will take his leave now!" Qing Ling walked away without turning her head.

After the little fairy girl had been gone for a while, the middle‑aged man spoke in a deep voice, "Boy, you could fool that little girl Qing Ling, but do you think you can fool me? The Panshi Great Array is a spacetime turbulence point with passages to other worlds. Lately the heavens have shown anomalies; space is unstable. Though seals suppress it, coincidences still occur. Judging by your demeanor and clothing, you're clearly not a local villager. Tell me honestly, where do you actually come from?"

"I come from Earth." He confessed, hoping for leniency, but the middle‑aged man's gaze flashed like lightning, and the lie that had reached Wei Yuning's lips recoiled in fear.

"Earth? What kind of place is that?"

"It's the place with legends of the Three Purities and the Jade Emperor!" Wei Yuning thought that these people were the great celestial masters of Earth, somewhat related to cultivators.

"The Jade Emperor? What's his relation to the Heavenly Sovereign Haotian?"

"It seems Haotian Sovereign was an earlier Immortal King, and the Jade Emperor came later!" Wei Yuning searched his mind and said uncertainly.

"Hehe, impressive—so you're from the famed Nine Continents Little World, once a land of immortal origin, though I hear it has long become a Land of Corruption. You… sigh, never mind, I can't send you back. Since you come from a corrupted place, your thoughts are inevitably impure. In favor of Qing Ling's nephew, you'll serve as a laborer planting herbs in the Pill Medicine Hall's herb garden!"

The middle‑aged man acted without delay, immediately ordering a disciple standing nearby to escort Wei Yuning to the Pill Medicine Hall.

The Pill Medicine Hall is on another mountain. This is Guest‑Coming Peak, the mountain through which the Cloud Hidden Sect connects with the outside world, while the Pill Medicine Hall sits on Dan Yao Peak.

The disciple named Qing Wu wore a poker face, remained silent the whole time, and looked at Wei Yuning as if he were a clump of germs, as though any extra word would spread infection.

"People from a corrupted world have surely filthy souls!"

The two climbed the scaffold and headed toward a wooden bridge.

The bridge's main structure consisted of four massive iron chains engraved with silver runes. The side chains served as handrails, while the lower two chains supported the planks. Both ends of the bridge rose above the clouds, but its middle was entirely shrouded within the mist.

"Senior brother, what kind of creature is that?" Wei Yuning again noticed the gigantic flying birds, of various colors, each enormous; even the smallest, with wings spread, spanned about three zhang.

"Senior brother, what exactly does the herb garden do?"

"Could you tell me about the sect?"

"……"

"Senior brother, are you familiar with Senior Sister Qing Ling? Could you tell me how to find her?"

"You… what are you looking for her for? By the way, I must correct you: your current role is a laborer, you should call me Uncle!" After a long silence, hearing Qing Ling's name, he finally spoke.

"Un‑… senior brother, you know my talent; I'll eventually become a formal disciple, so calling you senior brother is inevitable, I'm just saying it early." Looking at these youngsters several years younger than himself, Wei Yuning found it hard to call him 'Uncle', but seeing Qing Wu about to lose his temper, he hurriedly added, "You know, without Senior Sister Qing Ling's help I could never enter the sect, so I want to take some time to thank her!"

Indeed, upon hearing Qing Ling's name, Qing Wu immediately restrained his temper, curled his lip, and after a few seconds said, "You're still a laborer and may not inquire about sect secrets; perhaps… hmm, if you ever wish to see Senior Sister, you can come find me and I'll take you."

After that, no matter what Wei Yuning said, Qing Wu ignored him completely, responding with utter indifference.

The wooden bridge stretched endlessly; the distant peaks seemed close, yet the actual distance was at least several tens of kilometers. After another three to five minutes, the two arrived at a circular bridge deck. It appeared to be a resting spot; the deck was much larger and a pavilion above provided shade.

Soon, Wei Yuning realized his mistake: the pavilion contained no tables or chairs for rest, no floor, only a hazy, strange vortex.

"This is a minor teleportation array; rest assured, short‑range teleportation carries no risk!" Qing Wu, seeing Wei Yuning stare fearfully at the gray‑white vortex, said impatiently.

Being forcefully pulled by Qing Wu into the vortex, Wei Yuning had no idea how Qing Wu operated it; just as he steadied himself, his head swirled with dizziness, and the sensation of his body being hollowed out returned. When he came to, he found himself in another pavilion, the ground again a gray‑white vortex.

"So the feeling of one's body being hollowed out is the sensation of teleportation," Wei Yuning thought.

Leaving the pavilion, another peak loomed not far ahead.

At the bridge's end stood another scaffold. Descending it, the two arrived at Dan Yao Peak.

Compared with the varied terrain of Guest‑Coming Peak, Dan Yao Peak above the clouds resembled gently rolling hills, except for a massive eagle‑beak‑shaped stone at its summit.

The scaffold on Dan Yao Peak sat near the mountain's middle, and ahead lay a mid‑mountain valley.

The valley's north and east‑west sides were sheer mid‑mountain cliffs; only the south opened onto a flat valley mouth, beyond which rose a deep, mist‑shrouded gorge. Inside, the environment was elegant, with shade‑giving green trees, tinkling clear springs, and near the mouth a huge lake covering at least a hundred mu.

The valley was dotted with clusters of buildings, tightly packed. The two descended from the eastern mid‑mountain cliff, following a sizable road paved with cyan stone slabs, arriving at a structure near the northern cliff edge.

The building was built against the mountain; its interior was rough stone, preserving the original landscape as much as possible. Yet a clear spring gushed from the cliff foot, preventing the structure from looking shabby and instead giving it a spiritual aura.

The building was long, wide, and tall, with no special decorations; along both side walls stood rows of square tables separated by screens, each table's back occupied by a cultivator with eyes closed, giving the whole a vibe of a government public service hall.

Wei Yuning once again sensed the strong fresh aroma, this time even more intense, and he couldn't help but take a long breath.

Unexpectedly, his inhalation was so loud it produced a "hiss" whistle; at least a dozen cultivators opened their eyes and glanced at Wei Yuning.

"Speak more softly!" Qing Wu, irritated by Wei Yuning's indifferent demeanor, turned his head and growled harshly.