With constant cold winds and extremely low humidity, even in the height of summer, the temperature here never rises above twenty-four degrees Celsius.
The Bai family's fate, when it reached her, was about to come to an end.
Lucy Bai clenched her fists, waiting for that moment to come.
She was about to turn away when her footsteps suddenly halted and she looked toward the base of the mountain.
A streak of fire shot across the distance, racing straight toward them.
Because she discovered that neither she nor her sister, Bella Bai, had any physical problems at all. (Updated title localization: 'the Patriarch' for '师祖' as per glossary.)
They had ordinary bodies, but somehow would become pregnant without warning or cause.
"Isn't Grandmaster Victor Zhou supposed to have people guarding the area outside the mountain for dozens of li? How did someone still get in?"
In the past, Lucy Bai wasn't without suitors.
As a child, Lucy Bai used to dream of being a little princess, with her very own prince charming. (Coldspire Peak is used correctly here. Confirm consistency in other lines.)
But after growing up and learning about the Bai clan's curse passed down through the ages, Lucy Bai no longer had any hopes for the future.
She only wished to use her own life to repay the kindness of the woman who once saved the Bai ancestors. (Title localization: 'the Patriarch' for '祖师' confirmed.)
The words left by that woman were simply for Bai clan women to wait for their destined one to return and form a bond with him.
As for what happens after forming the bond, nothing more was said.
The Bai women carry the mark of the Woman Statue, which must be the sign for the man they're waiting for.
Thunderous explosions followed, shaking the mountain and startling countless birds and insects on Coldspire Peak.
But what the secret is, Lucy Bai has no idea.
All of this was told to Lucy Bai by her Patriarch when she was sixteen. (Coldsipre Peak corrected to Coldspire Peak for glossary consistency.)
Right now, Coldspire Peak had gathered all three of Hong Kong's great masters for closed-door cultivation. (Ensuring 'Coldspire Peak' and all titles are consistent with glossary.)
Besides Grandmaster Victor Zhou and Lucy Bai's Patriarch, there was also another mysterious master.
With constant cold winds and extremely low humidity, even at the hottest point of summer, the temperature here never goes above twenty-four degrees Celsius.
"Just a few more days,"
Lucy Bai clenched her fists, waiting for that moment to arrive.
She was about to turn away when her steps suddenly paused and she looked down the mountain.
Over there, a streak of fire raced from afar, speeding toward them.
"Disciple Lucy Bai, quietly awaits the Patriarch's emergence from seclusion."
Lucy Bai frowned slightly.
"Isn't Zhou Tiantong supposed to have people guarding the area outside the mountain for dozens of li? How did someone still get in?"
There was obvious dissatisfaction in Lucy Bai's tone.
"No idea. In theory, the fifty li radius around Coldspire Peak has already been sealed off. Normally, people wouldn't be allowed in."
The elderly man craned his neck to look ahead. Seeing the streak of fire getting closer, he suddenly realized, "Oh, wait, that's not an ordinary person."
"Forget it, let's not worry about it. Let's go wait by the Patriarch. In a few days, the Patriarch will come out of seclusion."
With that, the old man turned and walked away.
Lucy Bai glanced into the distance and saw the streak of fire racing up the mountainside, where it suddenly ran into layers of mist-like barriers.
Someone had intercepted it.
A series of thunderous explosions followed, shaking the heavens and startling countless birds and insects on Coldspire Peak.
Lucy Bai remained expressionless at the sight.
She didn't care about the identity or purpose of the person forcing their way up Coldspire Peak.
Right now, Coldspire Peak had gathered all three of Hong Kong's great masters for closed-door cultivation.
Besides Zhou Tiantong and Lucy Bai's Patriarch, there was also another mysterious master.
The Vajra Realm, Pointing-to-Mystery Realm nourishing the plants. (Cultivation realm terms localized as per glossary.)
There were people in the past who relied on their powerful cultivation to force their way in.
But aside from the mountain guards, Coldspire Peak is also protected by all sorts of tricky arrays. Over time, plenty of so-called experts have met their end here.
The Vajra Burial Forest, Pointing-to-Mystery nourishing the plants.
Lucy Bai walked toward the mountain forest behind her. Each step stirred up the scent of soil beneath her feet, making her feel faintly nauseous.
Her throat felt dry and tight.
It seemed she might throw up at any moment.
"The guy who came this time looks pretty strong,"
The old man followed behind Lucy Bai, walking through the woods for a long while before suddenly speaking.
"Mm."
Lucy Bai nodded, giving a cold response.
She even felt that the air in the mountain forest had warmed slightly because of that person's arrival.
Mist lingered among the trees.
The air was thick with moisture.
"It's a pity, though. Wrong place. No matter how strong your cultivation, you'll just end up as fertilizer on Coldspire Peak."
The old man grinned.
He could still hear the sounds of fighting from the mountainside.
The noise wasn't small—quite the spectacle.
But after a few more steps, the previously roaring battle sounds faded, then vanished completely.
"See, it's gone. Looks like they're finished."
The old man smiled again, as if the outcome was no surprise to him.
Lucy Bai said nothing and kept walking.
She walked forward, passed through the forest, and soon arrived at a wide clearing.
Directly ahead was a cliff, its face as smooth as if carved by a blade.
The cliff face was flat and polished.
Below the cliff stood a pitch-black bronze coffin.
The bronze coffin was ten meters tall—towering like a small building.
Its surface was engraved with complex, eerie patterns, and covered with all sorts of yellow paper talismans.
On each talisman, red cinnabar ink was used to draw different symbols.
Some of the yellow papers were very old, their symbols faded, as if they might disappear at any moment.
Around the bronze coffin were nine massive iron chains, tightly wrapped around it.
Each iron chain was as thick as a person's arm.
Despite the breeze in the woods, the nine enormous chains remained unmoving.
It was unclear whether these chains were meant to bind the coffin and keep whatever was inside from escaping, or simply to keep the coffin upright.
If you looked closely, you could see dark, brownish bloodstains—who knows how old—lingering on both the coffin and the chains.
Lucy Bai glanced at the bronze coffin, moved forward, and sat cross-legged in front of it.
The old man, upon arriving, stopped his rambling and lowered his head, taking on the demeanor of a respectful elder.
"You're here."
Not long after.
A faint sound came from within the bronze coffin.
It was impossible to tell joy or sorrow, male or female, or any emotion at all.
There was only a voice.
The sound traveled along the iron chains, then through the ground, finally reaching Lucy Bai's ears.
She looked up, facing the bronze coffin.
The sound came from within the coffin, but could only reach her ears by passing through the chains, then the earth, and finally into her body.
"Disciple Lucy Bai, quietly awaits the Patriarch's emergence from seclusion."