The Sage Ruins

Chapter 3: Bronze Kunlun

"Dong!"

A deep tremor emanated from the bronze, carrying the vicissitudes of time.

Chu Feng dropped the stone in his hand, confirming beyond a doubt that this was a bronze stele. He could barely believe it—this ancient bronze artifact weighed several thousand jin; it was no trivial matter.

If word got out, it would surely cause a sensation.

Carved on it were the characters "West King," steeped in the sediment of time, primitive yet mysterious, captivating the mind. No one could say for certain which era it dated back to.

"Who buried it in the Kunlun Mountains?"

Chu Feng tapped the stele, and metallic vibrations echoed continuously. Unfortunately, he was no archaeologist, so he couldn't draw any valuable conclusions.

"Perhaps there was an extremely splendid bronze civilization here long ago," he muttered to himself, making such a guess.

He had never been superstitious. Even though Kunlun was shrouded in countless mythical tales, and even though he had unexpectedly encountered this massive bronze stele inscribed with "West King," he didn't quite believe those legends.

Chu Feng thought that even if the Queen Mother of the West had truly existed, she might have merely been the leader of a powerful ancient tribe, and this place was nothing more than a ruin.

"Violent earthquakes caused abnormal magnetic field values in the mountain, triggering electrical discharges in the clouds. Coupled with the massive bronze exposed on the mountain, that's why it attracted lightning?"

Chu Feng became more and more convinced that this must be the reason.

He was eager to dig out the stele and examine it closely, but half of it was buried underground. Without tools, it would be extremely difficult to succeed.

After lingering for a moment, he continued climbing upward.

The large cracks on the mountain were wide and deep, pitch-black and shocking, presenting a desolate scene.

There was no proper path along the way. The mountain was steep, with boulders scattered everywhere, and the going got harder the higher he climbed.

The mountain was imposing. Walking alone on it, feeling its grandeur and recalling the many legends surrounding it, Chu Feng felt a strange stir in his heart. Looking into the distance, the giant mountain connected with the sky, creating a magnificent spectacle.

Climbing over a thousand meters upward on an earthquake-ravaged mountain was no easy journey. It was extremely dangerous when loose rocks slid down.

Ahead, there was a huge pile of earth and rocks—part of the cliff had collapsed not long ago.

From a distance, Chu Feng noticed something unusual. His eyes widened in surprise, and he quickened his pace, climbing upward to confirm what he had seen.

"It looks like patina!"

From afar, he spotted a patch of greenish rust on the collapsed cliff—not a small cluster, but a large area.

Finally reaching the spot, he saw it clearly.

"It really is!"

This was even more shocking than the bronze stele he had seen earlier.

After a large section of the mountain cliff had collapsed, the broken area and the steep part clinging to the mountain revealed a long-buried truth.

Against the stone wall, there were extensive patches of patina, ancient yet mysterious. This was a bronze structure, exposed as part of the mountain slid down.

Three bronze houses, primitive and silent, leaned against the stone wall. Some parts were buried under earth and rocks, but most of them were still visible.

The bronze houses had an ancient style, exuding a sense of historical weight amid their grandeur.

Even the roof tiles of the houses were cast in bronze, piece after piece, neat and regular. At a glance, they looked like green scales covering the structure.

Chu Feng was truly astonished, his mind unable to settle.

This was a sensational discovery—such massive bronze artifacts, three entire bronze houses built on Kunlun Mountain and once buried deep underground.

What era did they belong to, and who had built them?

Based on his guess, this area must have once been home to a brilliant bronze civilization, dating back to an extremely ancient time, unrecorded in existing historical books.

Yet amid his shock, he also felt unease and confusion.

The Simuwu Cauldron was known as the largest ancient bronze artifact, but compared to this stele, it was not only lighter—it was utterly insignificant when pitted against the houses before him.

Undoubtedly, constructing such houses was far more difficult than casting a cauldron.

The bronze houses were cast as a single piece, exuding grandeur, solemnity, and mystery.

If discovered by the outside world, they would surely be regarded as treasure-level bronze artifacts. Never before had such massive objects been seen; they were groundbreaking.

Chu Feng was usually calm in the face of events, but today he couldn't remain composed. The fact that such bronze ruins existed in the mountains of the western land was truly astonishing!

He tried to push open a bronze door. A slightly harsh metallic scraping sound echoed, and the door opened.

Chu Feng didn't enter immediately. He stood outside for a moment to let the air circulate before stepping in cautiously. The interior was extremely quiet, as if isolated from the outside world—you could hear a pin drop. But it was bare, with nothing inside.

There were no other artifacts on the ground or walls.

The other two bronze houses were the same—empty inside, without tables, chairs, or any other furnishings.

After careful inspection, he found nothing missing. The bronze houses were completely empty.

Chu Feng exited, staring at the three bronze houses, filled with countless questions. Were these dwellings for ancient people, or were they used for rituals?

In that distant age, this was truly extravagant!

Historical records stated that the casting of the Simuwu Cauldron during the Shang Dynasty required the coordinated efforts of hundreds of craftsmen to complete with great difficulty.

In ancient times, how immense would the challenge have been to cast three bronze houses?

Chu Feng lingered here for a long time before climbing the mountain again. Several hours later, he was finally close to the top—only about two hundred meters away. He was covered in sweat.

He had an exceptional physique—tall, slender, and robust—but climbing such a massive mountain for so long still left him extremely exhausted.

Approaching the summit, he looked far into the distance. The mountains undulated, and the land stretched out grandly, making him feel utterly insignificant, like a speck of dust.

Standing on the giant mountain, looking up at the azure sky so close at hand, his mind felt refreshed. He could forget all worries, personal glory and disgrace—everything seemed trivial.

The altitude here was already very high, yet there was no snow, and vegetation still grew. This struck Chu Feng as odd.

"There are traces of lightning strikes!"

Chu Feng noticed scorch marks on the mountain—areas where lightning had struck. Large patches of vegetation had turned to ashes, blackened completely.

In addition, the rocks had been split apart, and large sections of the mountain were damaged.

This further confirmed his suspicion: the heavy fog and blue light that had shrouded the area a few days earlier were actually lightning. This place had been struck by thunderstorms.

The path ahead was difficult, blocked by piles of boulders. Chu Feng detoured, trying to climb up from the other side of the mountain.

However, when he circled around to the other side of the summit, his body stiffened slightly, and his pupils contracted. For the first time, he felt such overwhelming shock—even more so than when he had seen the bronze houses.

A landslide had occurred on this side of the mountain, and a thick layer of earth and rocks had slid down, revealing a metallic texture underneath.

"Bronze mountain!"

The sight exposed after the massive landslide was simply breathtaking.

The area near the summit was actually made of bronze, once covered by a layer of soil.

This was no small patch—nearly two hundred meters from the top, this vast area had revealed its bronze nature.

How could this not spark other thoughts? Was this mountain made of bronze, with soil covering its exterior, and the "true form" lying beneath?

It was utterly inconceivable!

The truth remained unknown, but at the very least, this two-hundred-meter-high section of the mountain was bronze—enough to astound the world.

Chu Feng was stunned. This was a mountain in Kunlun, with a bronze interior. It overturned his thinking and challenged the concepts he had held for a long time.

He didn't believe in supernatural things, always treating so-called legends as stories.

But here, everything felt bizarre and unexplainable.

Struck by lightning, the truth of the bronze summit had been revealed.

What had happened here was truly extraordinary!

Chu Feng climbed upward along the bronze mountain but stopped when he was nearly a hundred meters from the top. The terrain was extremely steep—sheer bronze cliffs that were nearly impossible to climb.

At the same time, he smelled a faint fragrance drifting on the wind.

This area was entirely made of bronze, cold metal. Earlier, there had been no vegetation—just barrenness.

Chu Feng looked up, searching carefully.

Sure enough, he saw it—a plant growing on the bronze cliff!

It was already part of the summit area. He stepped back, then searched for another path to climb upward from a different direction, gradually drawing closer to get a better look.

Before long, although he still couldn't reach the top, he saw it clearly.

A small green tree, about a meter tall, had actually taken root in the bronze cliff. It bore a single flower bud, ready to bloom.

Chu Feng confirmed he wasn't mistaken. There was no soil here—only bronze. It had taken root in the bronze cliff. It was utterly inconceivable.

This was too shocking, almost incomprehensible.

He changed positions, choosing a spot more conducive to climbing, and drew even closer. He saw clearly: the small tree was indeed rooted in the bronze!

So many comments, a booming comment section, and even rewards—this makes me feel a bit pressured. I must write "Sacred Ruins" well to live up to everyone's support.