A gale and blizzard, a sideways wind and snow, slanting wind and fine snow. There was no need to return, nor was it possible. It then became a ghostly wind and violent snow, a nether wind and nether snow, snow that blotted out the sky and the sun, and snow that sprang from beneath one's feet, reaching above the knees, threatening to bury a person whole with the slightest misstep. On this very day, after enduring a journey of bitter cold for dozens of days, all the snow suddenly stopped, as if the heavens had suddenly realized that their childish act of constantly scattering paper scraps onto the world could not captivate the three young people's resolute gazes, so they clapped their hands and withdrew them into their sleeves.

The sky cleared, revealing a porcelain-blue, yet still frigid heaven. Although the sunlight was not warm, it was extremely dazzling, reflecting a white, monotonous light in every direction from the boundless snow and glaciers.

After the storm, there wasn't necessarily a beautiful sky, and not every sunny day brought a rainbow. So Forrest Gump, upon returning to his homeland, had to go through so much before seeing Jenny again. And then he would still be considered to not understand certain things, and set off again, running and running, past countless beautiful landscapes.

After the wind and snow, the sled team on the snowfield also set off again amidst the cheerful barking of the sled dogs, crushing and rolling over the loose or solid ice and snow, heading north. The pale-faced Fan Xian sat on the sled, half his body leaning against Haitang's embrace, coughing as he forced his weary eyes open, focusing on the extremely difficult-to-discern terrain, comparing it to the map in his mind to determine the direction.

The cold in his body grew increasingly severe. Although the medicine he carried with him had not been lost, the extreme cold of the world was undoubtedly a cruel torment for Fan Xian, who was gravely injured and whose true energy was completely depleted. In these past few days, every night, Fan Xian huddled in his sleeping bag, feeling a damp chill all around him, coughing as if he were about to cough up his internal organs. The sounds of thunder were hoarse, like a knife constantly grinding against a stone, and no one knew when it would be broken.

Haitang and Wang Shisanlang were very worried about his health and even considered returning south, but Fan Xian resolutely and coldly stopped them, because he knew that if he couldn't find that illusory temple in one go, he didn't know if he would ever be able to muster this kind of courage again in his life. Moreover, the meridians in his body were in complete disarray, and His Majesty the Emperor was still mending his injuries in the southern palace. Without finding Wu Zhu Uncle at the temple, there was no point in him returning south.

What gave Fan Xian even more confidence was that, through the little booklet of spells left by Grandmaster Ku He, he could clearly perceive that the further north he went, the higher the concentration of vital energy in the world became. With constant meditation, the sea of Qi in the Xue Shan acupoint behind his waist had gradually shown signs of stabilizing and accumulating energy. Giving up at this time would be too regrettable.

The biggest problem for the three of them now was time. This was a race, a race between Fan Xian's injuries and illness and the distance to the temple. Fan Xian had a feeling that if he really found the temple, the injuries in his body would definitely improve a lot.

Haitang and Wang Shisanlang both knew that beneath Fan Xian's gentle exterior lay an extremely stubborn and fierce disposition, so they had no choice but to silently listen to his advice. However, these two friends were still very worried about his health, especially after hearing the heartbreaking coughing every night, who could sleep peacefully?

In the quiet night, Haitang crawled into Fan Xian's sleeping bag, gently rubbing his chest and abdomen, using her own body temperature to warm that frigid area. The two people's bodies were so gently and intimately close together, but there was no thought of romance between them, just holding each other tightly, like two little piglets warming each other.

Wang Shisanlang naturally noticed this, but he showed no expression or reaction, only sped up his journey north, leading the team of sled dogs, taking advantage of the sunny weather, desperately hurrying on.

…

…

"How much further?" In the snow-stopped world, there was still wind. Wang Shisanlang, on the first sled, shouted against the wind, and it quickly echoed throughout the snowfield.

Fan Xian squinted, looking at Wang Shisanlang, who was standing on the sled in front of him, his fur coat fluttering in the wind. He couldn't help but smile, thinking that this kid was quite dashing, not afraid of the cold at all, actually standing on the sled riding the snow, especially with those sunglasses, looking like those extreme sports kids from that world.

Taking out the compass and map from his chest, Fan Xian coughed twice in Haitang's arms, carefully confirming the direction. The sled was constantly moving up and down as it traveled across the snow, making his observation a little difficult. After pondering for a long time, he said wearily, "At most, fifteen more days."

When Fan Xian unfolded the map, Haitang turned her face away. This was not the first time Fan Xian had unfolded the map. At the beginning, he simply relied on his extraordinary memory to point the way, but later, when he became too ill, the map had to be taken out, but Wang Shisanlang and Haitang would deliberately avoid looking at it.

This was because it was Fan Xian's request, and also the oath the three had made before embarking on the journey to the temple. Fan Xian asked Haitang and Wang Shisanlang not to reveal the location of the temple to anyone, because he could guess that once the location of the temple was leaked, and once the things inside the temple fell into the human world, it would only bring endless disasters to this world.

Just like those martial arts manuals that his mother, Ye Qingmei, had brought out back then, like that box, if there were many more in the temple, what would this world become? Fan Xian didn't want this world to become a terrifying place where celestial-level masters flew everywhere and electromagnetic cannons blasted everywhere, where the strong could casually fight and cause the heavens and earth to collide, and the vital energy to be in chaos. How would those ordinary people live?

…

…

The journey was not lonely because they had companions, but it was exceptionally arduous. However, this kind of hardship could not be described in words, because the hardship lay in the bitter cold, in the monotony, in the endless, seemingly eternally unchanging white color.

After who knows how many days, the flat snowfield and the slightly arched snow hills gradually became lively, the terrain began to become complex, the sunlight became dimmer and dimmer, and the temperature dropped to a level that humans could hardly bear. Fortunately, the blizzard had not fallen again.

Beyond the northern skyline, a high mountain suddenly rose, a high snow mountain!

It seemed that since the beginning of the world, this majestic and great snow mountain had stood here, coldly and calmly awaiting the arrival of those brave travelers to offer their respects.

The sled team slowly stopped next to a glacial relic. Fan Xian squinted, looking at the distant snow mountain in front of him, gazing at the strange peaks that gleamed with a cold white light under the azure sky. He felt a surge of excitement in his chest that was difficult to suppress, an excitement from the depths of his heart, which quickly occupied his entire body, causing his fingers to tremble slightly.

In his dreams, he had seen this great snow mountain, which was somewhat similar to Da Dong Mountain. In his dreams, this snow mountain was so unreachable, so mysterious, powerful, and cold, just like the feeling that the Emperor had given him. But today, when this great snow mountain suddenly appeared in his eyes without any warning, Fan Xian felt infinite joy.

Humans are born afraid of death, but if one can hear the Dao in the morning and die in the evening, if one can see the scenery that others cannot see in their short lives, learn more secrets of the world, and know the unknowns that most attract human eyes and urge human evolution, what kind of enjoyment would that be?

Fan Xian's body suddenly stiffened, and the coughing that had never stopped also stopped. He greedily looked at the serene great snow mountain, seeming to want to firmly imprint this touching scene in his heart, never to forget it in the years to come.

He was not only moved by the scene, not only by the temple in the mountain, but also because the vital energy of this world was so rich that it was trembling. Fan Xian's pale face had sunken eyes and was extremely thin, but with every breath, he seemed to feel himself gradually getting healthier.

Haitang was the first to notice Fan Xian's strangeness. Her body was already exhausted to the extreme. Her eyes, which used to be so bright, had long been polished into a piece of weariness by the harshness of the world. But at this moment, her eyes lit up again, and she followed Fan Xian's gaze towards the great snow mountain, remaining silent for a long time.

After the sled stopped, the sled dogs also seemed to sense a different atmosphere, growling in low voices. Of the sixty-odd sled dogs, only seventeen remained after such a difficult journey, and the long sled team had also been reduced to five as they discarded things along the way.

Wang Shisanlang stood on the foremost one, not turning his head, but staring blankly at the mountain, asking in a hoarse voice, "The temple... is in this mountain?"

"Yes." Fan Xian, who had been too weak to speak for several days, didn't know where he got the strength from, and uttered a word with incomparable certainty.

Having received confirmation, the three young people just stared blankly at the snow mountain in the distance, as if they didn't want to take another step forward. Suddenly, Wang Shisanlang jumped off the sled and howled at the great snow mountain like a madman. His voice was extremely hoarse, extremely angry, and even more extremely joyful!

Seeing this scene, Haitang and Fan Xian couldn't help but laugh, thinking that this usually gentle and firm closed disciple of Jian Lu had finally erupted with the madness inherited from Si Gu Jian after enduring until this moment. After laughing, there was silence. Haitang's eyes became moist and finally turned into a few clear tears, which dripped onto her fur coat and quickly turned to ice. Fan Xian shook his head happily, unable to speak for a long time.

Those who have not experienced their long journey cannot understand their emotions at this moment. It is a satisfaction of achieving a great wish, it is a boldness of conquering the heavens and the earth, and it is also an impulse to immediately come into contact with the most mysterious place in the world!

On the long snow journey, sled dogs died along the way, Fan Xian was seriously ill and could die at any time, and Haitang and Wang Shisanlang were also tortured to the point of losing their human form. Such hardships are not enough to be told to outsiders.

...But they finally arrived!

...

...

If it weren't for Fan Xian's thorough preparation and understanding of nature, the three of them, supporting each other alone, would have died on the snowfield long ago. At the thought of this, Fan Xian squinted, looking at the great snow mountain in the distance, and couldn't help but think of those two powerful pioneers many years ago, Grandmaster Ku He and Lord Xiao En.

Fan Xian and his party set off from Northern Qi in early spring, and it should be summer now, the warmest time of the world. However, Xiao En and Ku He's party of hundreds of people set off in the summer, and died countless times along the way. By the time they arrived at this snow mountain, it was exactly the polar night.

The entire polar night lasted for several months. How did those two pioneers survive? Unlike Fan Xian, Xiao En and Ku He did not have a route map and experience left by their predecessors, but they were still able to survive in such a miserable environment, which really made Fan Xian, who had survived the catastrophe, greatly admire them.

Compared with those two pioneers who ate human flesh, Fan Xian and his party were actually much happier and more relaxed, but they were still in a terrible state. Fortunately, both Haitang and Wang Shisanlang were the top powerhouses in the world, plus Fan Xian, a useless person with knowledge from two lifetimes—everything seemed to be destined. Fan Xian was destined to be the most awed and least awed person in the world towards the temple, and also the person who was most capable of entering the temple and needed to enter the temple.

Looking at the mountain can exhaust a horse. Fan Xian gradually broke free from the excitement and agitation in his heart, forcibly suppressed his mind, and quietly looked at the tall snow mountain, guessing the appearance of the great temple in the mountain, and said in a hoarse voice: "Rest for one night, enter the temple tomorrow morning!"

...

...

(It's New Year's Eve, finally saw the temple, rest for one night, the workaholic is going to celebrate the New Year...)