The northern ridge of Mount Kunlun was a frozen wasteland of jagged grey slate and howling alpine winds.
Unlike the vibrant front peaks where tourists rode roller coasters and soaked in hot mineral springs, this secluded cliff had been abandoned for decades. Heavy banks of black storm clouds hung low over the icy crags, casting long, gloomy shadows across the frozen ravines.
A sleek golden shuttle hovered silently through the freezing mist, setting down on a narrow granite ledge overlooking a mile-deep gorge.
Lin Mo stepped onto the frost-crusted rock, flanked by Su Wan, Chu Lingxiao, and Old Master Mo.
The wind whipped Chu Lingxiao’s dark hair across her cheek, but her hand remained resting lightly on the hilt of her Nine-Phoenix Immortal Sword. Her gaze was fixed on a massive iron cavern gate half-buried beneath ancient glacial ice.
“The foreclosed records had this entire sector marked as a condemned trash repository,” Su Wan said, consulting her tablet. “According to Kunwu’s private archives, no resources, maintenance staff, or heating arrays were allocated here since the late Republic era.”
Old Master Mo stepped toward the rusted iron gate. A faint azure glow flickered in his pupils as he activated his Heavenly Appraisal Eye.
