The person on an aimless journey was truly free.
To the east, west, south, and north.
Did whatever he wanted.
It was a kind of feeling that Li Tianlan never experienced.
Without any worries nor strings, he did not have to look back, because the way which he came from was far away. Meanwhile, he did not have to be persistent because the purpose was unknown.
Life was a journey.
Li Tianlan was already on his way. He neither knew where to go nor thought about the future.
There were mountains and rivers along the way.
There were downtown areas along the way.
Li Tianlan was more and more relaxed in his body and mind.
It was a kind of freedom and leisure after putting aside all the troubles. He forgot, neglected, and then became pure.
Without feelings, thoughts, and emotions, he became more and more focused and illusory.
Amidst the mountains and rivers, he was the mountains and rivers.
In the downtown areas, he was the downtown areas.
On the way to the world, he was the world.
Only when he really immersed himself in it, whether it was the mountains and rivers or the downtown areas, each had their own charm.
In Huating, the autumn rain after the Mid-autumn Day faded away.
He saw the fallen leaves flying in the air in Wuyue.
He saw the magnificent mountains and rivers in the Central Plain.
He saw the cold dew and frost after a night in East Mountain.
In the northern city, he looked forward to Youzhou and heard the winter thunder.
After pa.s.sing by Youzhou, he saw the first snow of Zhongzhou State in Liaodong.
He was still on the journey.
Everything was so charming and magnificent, in front of him or behind him.
Li Tianlan was deeply intoxicated in it. On his way, there was neither a great trend unfolding on a magnificent scale nor treacherousness erupting like a storm, but only nature.
The natural was the most beautiful.
He began to become silent and quiet. Many sceneries along the way were left behind him, whether he was willing or reluctant.
He did not go fast, but he never stopped.
From the mid-autumn to the late winter, he walked thousands of kilometers.
He wore white clothes and a red sword, with a yellow dog.
He was silent and focused on the road. His life was pure and colorful.
He did not know the time.
He seemed to have forgotten the Martial Arts.
The handed-down sword of the Lin Clan on his back was tainted with wind, frost, rain, and snow. The long scarlet sword was dyed with the earth and became mottled without edge.
In Liaodong, it was sunny after a light snow.
In Guandong, the snow fell in soft flakes.
Li Tianlan finally realized that he was heading towards the north.
All the way to the north.
Large snowflakes fell everywhere, spotless and flawless.
Li Tianlan kept moving.
Mount Taibai was in Guandong.
He would go there, but it was not his destination.
He had no destination. Since he went here, he suddenly wanted to go to Snow Country and even went all the way north.
He liked the snow.
He liked the beauty and holiness in the world of ice and snow.
Even if it was illusory, it was fascinating.
Mount Taibai under heavy snow was increasingly misty.
n.o.body could see the city on the mountain.
But in the vast snow, the entire Mount Taibai seemed to sigh silently.
Li Tianlan took out the badge that Tribulation gave him in Changdao. And then, he wore it in front.
The badge was a superior black jade. It was pitch-black with a subtle white line throughout the body, like a ray of light in the darkness.
There was a big stone tablet down the hill.
It was engraved with a few bright red characters “Military Forbidden Zone”.
Li Tianlan cast his eyes on the characters and started climbing.
Golden Retriever wagged its tail behind Li Tianlan and ran very cheerfully.
It was silent all the way.
Sigh City must have placed guards here, but perhaps because of the badge, n.o.body came out to stop him.
From the foot to the mountainside, and then to the top of the mountain, a snowstorm was raging.
On the pale Mount Taibai, snowflakes seemed to swirl wildly.
Li Tianlan finally saw some figures.
A man and a woman were marching in such a blizzard. Li Tianlan just took several steps, but they had already appeared in front of him from afar.
A smile lit his peaceful face.
He looked at the man in front of him.
The man looked pale, but compared to a few months ago, he had some subtle changes in essence, qi, and spirit.
He stood in the snow in black, but he was as obscure as a snowflake, which was so small with endless cutting edges.
“Martial uncle.”
Li Tianlan bowed to Tribulation and said softly, “I haven’t seen you for a long time.”
“I heard from some spies down the hill that a young man holding a dog goes up the mountain. I know it’s you, but I didn’t expect that you’re so late.”
Tribulation, who had returned from the Sky Academy, said in a calm voice, “Welcome back.”
“I just pa.s.s by, so I come up and see.”
Li Tianlan’s voice was softened and condensed in the snow.
He had reached the top of the mountain, but he still could not see Sigh City.
It was said that the city was beautiful. But for the city, he was a pa.s.ser-by instead of a returned man.
Li Tianlan turned his eyes and looked at the woman beside Tribulation.
She was a beautiful woman, but he was unable to tell her age.
He was unable to tell her age and see her appearance. She wore a white robe, which covered her plump and soft body. Her long black hair was casually coiled up in the back of her head. A golden mask covered most of her face. Li Tianlan could only see her eyes with mixed emotions and her beautiful lips.
She stood in front of him as if she stood on the horizon.
She did not deliberately alienate him.
Instead, Li Tianlan’s uncontrollable keen sense was continually reminding him of the vast strength gap between them.
His first impression of her was that she was graceful and mysterious. However, he felt most that she was powerful.
She was not merely keen.
She was dominant in all aspects.
She was Situ Cangyue, the Hidden G.o.d of Zhongzhou State, and the Governor of Sigh City!
Li Tianlan made his politest bow to the woman. He met her for the first time, but she had helped him many times. He did not know what to say for a while.
“Does it seem to be aloof to call her Governor?”
“But if not, what else can I call her?”
“Call me aunt.”
Situ Cangyue voluntarily said. Her voice was ethereal and pleasant, which was as soft as the white snow on the mountain.
“Aunt.” Li Tianlan called her a little bit strangely.
Situ Cangyue nodded without thinking, “Go in and talk.”
“No.”
Li Tianlan smiled and shook his head. His eyes were sincere. “I come here to see… Er… you and my martial uncle. Now since I’ve seen you, it’s enough.”
He did not ask about Tribulation’s injury.
It could be perceived.
His injury had improved a bit, but he had not really recovered to the best physical condition.
“Aren’t you coming back?” Situ Cangyue softly asked.
It was totally different between not going in and not coming back.
Li Tianlan suddenly felt touched, but he still insisted on shaking his head. He pointed to the front, the direction of Sigh City, “There is no freedom.”
Sigh City was so beautiful, but there was a general trend.
It was not the general trend he wanted, so he would not be free there.
Situ Cangyue was silent.
She looked at Li Tianlan seriously.
She had been dying to see him for a long time, but she never thought that it would be so hasty.
She did not see enough, but he was leaving.
“Alright.”
Situ Cangyue nodded, “Do you need something? I’ll ask someone to prepare.”
“No.”
Li Tianlan smiled. For a few months, he got thinner and taller. Now, he smiled with a natural and dazzling style, “I feel so good.”
“Tianlan…”
Tribulation paused and quietly said, “How is your body recovery?”
Perhaps all the people in the Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State wanted to know it.
Even Li Tianlan himself wanted to know.
So, he shook his head and whispered, “I don’t know.”
The astonishment in Tribulation’s eyes flashed away.
There was a smile in Situ Cangyue’s eyes. She looked at Li Tianlan and the mottled Divine Punishment behind him.
Finally, she fixed her eyes on the happy Golden Retriever by his feet.
Situ Cangyue became thoughtful and then whispered, “If you don’t want to come back, then where do you want to go?”
“The north.” Li Tianlan said.
“Snow Country?”
Situ Cangyue slightly raised her eyebrows. She seemed to realize something, and suddenly said with an air of some importance, “Or, do you want to go to the Polar Ground?”
“I still haven’t decided yet.”
Li Tianlan said softly, “The scenery in the north is gorgeous, so I want to have a look.”
He faced the north.
His way was in the north.
Situ Cangyue nodded.
Li Tianlan moved. As if struck by a sudden idea, he slightly frowned and became a little hesitant.
“Speak your mind freely, as long as Sigh City can do it.”
Situ Cangyue looked at Li Tianlan, with complicated emotions in her beautiful eyes.
“Aunt.”
Li Tianlan called out to her. Then, he said slowly, “If you can… I want to see your Martial Arts.”
He had seen Tribulation’s Buddhist Incantation of Nine Words.
However, he had never seen that Situ Cangyue launched an attack.
It was quite important to him.
Situ Cangyue looked at Li Tianlan with astonishment and said as she nodded, “No problem.”
Li Tianlan didn’t say “thank you”.
On most occasions, these two words were pale.
Situ Cangyue thought about it.
She reached out and stepped forward.
All of a sudden, the bitter wind died away at the peak of Mount Taibai.
Only the flying snowflakes were floating in the air.
Situ Cangyue moved forward again.
She jumped up to the sky.
With her figure, countless snowflakes went against the trend silently.
Countless snow dragons seemed to appear at the peak of Mount Taibai.
Situ Cangyue rotated and jumped up in the whirling snow.
Snowflakes were dancing around her.
The area around her had already become a pure void.
It was Situ Cangyue’s domain.
It was not darkness but light.
The heavy snow seemed to become the light and covered everything. Situ Cangyue’s figure disappeared in the vast storm.
Whether it was the ultimate darkness or light, once it reached the acme, there was no essential difference.
Her figure slowly fell.
The rays of light in the void vanished, and snowflakes instantly spread out.
The wind whistled.
Snowflakes swept over the mountains. Endless waves of snow surged to the sky, messy and broken.
Li Tianlan looked speechless.
“While in battle, the surrounding area is my world, and it moves with me.” Situ Cangyue replied quietly.
It was Situ Cangyue’s world, so it was useless to her opponent.
Useless Heaven and Earth!
Li Tianlan nodded, “There should be another move before it.”
He saw too many familiar things from the move.
“It’s the All-embracing Collection.”
Situ Cangyue nodded, “There is half a move after it, named Athanasy.”
“All-embracing Collection.”
“All-embracing Collection.”
Li Tianlan laughed and whispered, “Regardless of changes, it’s still the 24 Moves of Sword.”
Situ Cangyue did not speak.
Li Tianlan waved his hand and went straight down the mountain.
The Golden Retriever followed him, shaking its head and wagging its tail.
Tribulation looked at Li Tianlan’s back, slightly frowned and said, “He really wants to go to the Polar Ground?”
“Only in the most extreme environment can one make the prefect Breakthrough.”
Situ Cangyue looked at Li Tianlan’s back and whispered, “As far as I know, many years ago, some people successfully broke through in the Polar Ground. He did not start over, but directly got into the Invincible Realm.”
“Who?”
Tribulation raised his eyebrows. He had been pursuing his own Martial Arts before and did not know much about this.
Situ Cangyue turned towards Sigh City and said simply, “w.a.n.g Tianzong.”