The Sage Ruins

Chapter 2: The Post-Civilization Era

The livestock, including cattle and sheep, were apparently spooked and had nearly broken through their enclosures. The herdsmen were shouting, trying to hold them back. A few of the normally fierce Tibetan Mastiffs were now cowering on the ground, growling restlessly.

Children were crying, and women were trying to comfort them.

Several elderly herdsmen were praying devoutly. Eventually, they knelt and kowtowed toward the distant, towering mountain range with great solemnity.

The herdsmen weren't surprised by Chu Feng's arrival; travelers often passed through and stayed in their tents.

After a long while, the commotion at the foot of the mountain finally subsided.

Chu Feng washed himself with hot water and drank some fragrant butter tea, feeling the exhaustion drain from his body. He gave all the candy he had to the children.

The children's small faces were flushed—a common sight on the high plateau—and their shy smiles were full of innocence. After sharing the candy, they scattered, happy and content.

What had happened in this mountainous area just a short while ago? That was the question on Chu Feng's mind. Had the almost demonic blue spider lilies bloomed here as well?

Inside the tent, an old herdsman with white hair and deep wrinkles on his face wore a look of clear worry. He gazed out of the tent flap, staring at the distant mountains.

Soon, Chu Feng learned that a blue fog had indeed appeared here, swirling through the mountains. Many of the livestock had been frightened by it, growing agitated and trying to flee.

However, there had been no strange blue spider lilies, and the fog had been thin.

"Why were you kowtowing toward the mountains?" Chu Feng asked.

"That is the direction of the sacred mountain," the old herdsman replied.

Kunlun. It had long been known as the Divine Mountain or the Sacred Mountain, a place steeped in mythology. It was mentioned frequently in ancient texts, from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* and the *Huainanzi* to the *Records of the Grand Historian*.

Earlier, only a thin layer of blue fog had appeared near this mountain area. But some people had seen an unusually dense blue fog in the direction of the Kunlun Mountains.

There, the great fog surged, crystalline and bright, a roiling vapor. It later formed beams of light, with waves of blue light and streaks of blazing radiance, an incredibly intense display.

It was as if a dazzling blue sun was wrapped in the thick fog, rising and falling. Though far away, it occasionally shot out rays of light like bolts of lightning.

Viewed from a distance, it was incredibly mysterious, with brilliant blue lights dancing about, utterly dazzling.

That was why some of the elderly herdsmen had kowtowed in that direction, praying devoutly.

Clearly, the phenomenon there was far more astonishing, with a blue fog so thick it couldn't be dispersed, accompanied by a radiant glow—even more intense than what Chu Feng had seen in the desert.

What was the cause of these strange phenomena? Chu Feng wondered.

He considered one possibility: perhaps it was caused by an earthquake in the mountains.

In the past, something similar had occurred in a valley where sudden bolts of lightning would strike living creatures.

If a mountain range experienced a severe earthquake, it could cause abnormally high magnetic field values. Under the effect of the electromagnetic field, the charge in the clouds could interact with the mountain's magnetic field, causing a discharge. Combined with an aurora effect, it could create a colorful and unique lightning zone, unlike any other.

Chu Feng was not superstitious. He believed the events in the mountains were most likely a natural phenomenon.

But no matter how he tried to explain it, the old herdsman refused to believe him. He even glared at Chu Feng, thinking he had blasphemed the sacred mountain, and almost drove him away.

In truth, there were parts of his explanation that didn't quite add up, and even Chu Feng himself hadn't fully figured it out, like the bewitching flowers in the desert.

He sighed softly. In this "post-civilization era," many things were simply unexplainable. Although people tried to use the laws of the past to explain them, the world was becoming increasingly difficult to understand.

Wars had once semi-destroyed the earth, nearly turning it into a wasteland. Although it had recovered over a long period and was once again teeming with life, the splendor of the former era was impossible to restore.

During the rather long post-civilization era, several mysterious and influential events had occurred, which remained unsolved to this day.

At dawn, a brilliant red sun leaped above the horizon. The bright morning glow slid over the hills and fell before the tents and across the grasslands, a scene full of vibrant energy.

Chu Feng bid farewell to the tribe and set out again.

He headed west, into the high plateau.

Along the way, he learned that the mysterious blue fog had covered a vast area; at the very least, all the regions he had passed through had experienced it.

"Could this be another mysterious event?" he murmured to himself.

The few historical incidents had caused huge stirs, and there were still no definitive answers.

The sky in the Tibetan region was exceptionally blue, with white clouds hanging low, so close it felt as if one could reach out and touch them. The Gobi, the mountains, and the grasslands were all tranquil. This place felt like a pure land, untouched by worldly strife.

Along the way, Chu Feng heard many rumors.

Some herdsmen said that the Living Buddha on the sacred mountain had awakened, which was why the blue light flowed and the great fog spread in all directions.

Others claimed that the Vajra Bodhi divine tree was growing and about to blossom and bear fruit.

"The Dragon Mastiff is about to be born!" was another rumor.

According to the locals, a true mastiff was born in the wild and could fight lions and tigers. Those raised by humans were not considered true mastiffs. There was also a legend that a Dragon Mastiff existed in the sacred mountains, one appearing every few hundred years, possessing immense strength and the power to vanquish demons.

A few days later, Chu Feng approached the Kunlun mountain region.

He had already learned that a faint blue fog had appeared everywhere along his route. It was likely another major anomaly, just like the ones in the past.

This also meant that, just like before, ordinary people would never know the true cause.

Most people wouldn't even know what the consequences would be.

Strangely enough, it was already late autumn, and the weather in the Tibetan region should have been very cold. But over the past few days, as Chu Feng traveled west, he had gradually felt a growing warmth.

A few days ago, yellow leaves had been falling, covering the ground. But now it was different.

The remaining leaves on the trees seemed to have regained their vitality, no longer withered and yellow, no longer falling.

Especially near Kunlun, the wild grasses, thorny bushes, and trees along the way were a vibrant green in the warm weather, full of life.

It was late autumn, yet it lacked the usual bleakness.

"The weather is getting warmer. Could it be caused by the anomaly?" Chu Feng guessed.

Finally, the Kunlun Mountains were in sight.

Even from a great distance, he could feel a sense of pressure.

The towering mountain range was majestic and imposing, continuous and grand, like the very spine of heaven and earth stretched across the land.

Its magnificence was unparalleled; no ancient mountain could compare.

This mountain range was the vessel of countless legends, shrouded in dense mythology from ancient times to the present day.

Originally, Chu Feng had planned to start his journey home after entering the Tibetan region. However, hearing constant rumors of strange activities in the Kunlun Mountains, where blue light had once shimmered, he wanted to get a closer look.

"This is the place."

Chu Feng reached his destination. Standing at the foot of the mountain, the colossal range looked like a divine city, vast and magnificent, seated upon the western lands, its ancient and powerful aura washing over him.

This was only a small section of the Kunlun mountain range. On that evening a few days ago, this area had blazed with blue light, visible to everyone nearby. However, few had dared to approach in the days since.

Chu Feng entered the mountains and began to climb.

The terrain grew steeper, with massive boulders scattered about, making the path increasingly difficult. All along the way, the vegetation was lush, which was clearly abnormal for late autumn.

"Was there really an earthquake a few days ago?" Chu Feng observed.

There were cracks on the mountain, and many large fissures in the ground. There were also large rocks that had clearly rolled down from higher up, and some cliffs had broken off.

It was this very mountain where the strange phenomenon had occurred.

"What's this?"

Chu Feng saw a massive stone, mostly buried under earth and rock, with deeply carved characters on it.

After the earthquake, small landslides had exposed this boulder from deep underground.

A layer of green covered the large stone, like dried moss.

"Xi... Wang...!"

Chu Feng ran his hand over the carved characters on the stone, recognizing the two words. It was Bronze script, an ancient form of writing often inscribed on bells and ritual cauldrons.

Most people would not be able to decipher it.

In an instant, his mind raced. Chu Feng was lost in thought. Why these two words?

Seeing the words "Xi Wang" (West Queen) here, how could one not make the connection? Could the Queen Mother of the West have truly existed in ancient times?

"Perhaps it's just a monument left by ancient people who came here to pay homage," Chu Feng said to himself, shaking his head.

"Something's not right!"

Suddenly, he froze. As he touched the carved inscription, he realized the so-called "dried moss" was not normal.

"Green bronze rust!" The discovery sent a jolt through him.

This monument had been sealed, buried within the mountain. Thinking about it, there shouldn't have been any moss. It had endured a vast stretch of time, only seeing the light of day again after the violent earthquake.

It was made of bronze!

But a piece of ancient bronze this large was truly rare.

"The Simuwu Ding unearthed from the Yin Ruins weighs less than 2,000 jin and is called the largest ancient bronze artifact, but this bronze tablet..."

Chu Feng pushed away some of the earth and rock. Conservatively, he estimated this piece of bronze had to weigh at least five or six thousand jin. It was an astonishing figure. In ancient times, this would have been a priceless, heavy artifact.

It was covered in green rust, clearly an ancient object that had been buried for a very long time.

If it had been a stone tablet, Chu Feng might still have believed it was left by predecessors paying homage. But now, seeing such a massive bronze tablet, he wasn't so sure.

In that distant past, who could have afforded such an expense merely for the sake of nostalgia?