zhou wen was overjoyed when he heard that there was the tiny palm symbol. however, when he thought of how it was at the top of chess mountain—a place he didn’t dare head up—he couldn’t help but turn sullen.
“i’ve seen similar symbols in other dimensional zones, but i don’t know what the symbol means. therefore, i’ve been studying them all this time, hoping to take a picture. by the way, do you know what the tiny palm symbol represents?” zhou wen asked half-truthfully.
“how would i know? i don’t know who carved it out of boredom. it’s easy if you want to see it. once you reach the peak, you will naturally be able to see it,” the flower said.
“forget it. it’s not necessary.” upon hearing that he was going to have to climb up the mountain, zhou wen rejected it without even thinking.
there were countless terrifying creatures in chess mountain. who knew if he would be able to come out after climbing up there?
however, the little flower laughed. “so you don’t want to climb it? then i’ll make you. if you can’t reach the peak within two hours, your eyes will go blind.”
previously, when the flower said that he would die within seven steps, zhou wen didn’t pay attention. however, this time, he saw it clearly. just as the flower’s voice faded, one of its petals wilted and scattered in the air as a point of light, as though it had vanished into thin air.
zhou wen didn’t feel anything, nor did the truth listener earring react. however, he knew that he had probably been hit by some curse.
what origins does this flower have? why is its power so strange? zhou wen looked at the flower and asked, “you said that i would die if i took seven steps. now, you want me to climb the mountain within two hours? doesn’t this conflict?
the flower said calmly, “don’t worry. the first wish’s wish forces have been covered by the second wish. you can walk anywhere you want now without dying. however, if you don’t ascend chess mountain’s peak in two hours, you will definitely become blind. even a mythical primordial energy skill that can resurrect the dead won’t be able to restore your vision. if you don’t believe me, go ahead and leave this place.”
“what are you really up to?” zhou wen looked up at the flower on the mountain wall and asked. if he were to go up chess mountain, he was afraid that he would lose his life. being blind was better than dying.
at the very least, he still had the truth listener earring. even if he was blind, he wouldn’t be completely blind. he could use his ears as a substitute for his eyes. he just wouldn’t be able to see any colors or changes in shadows in the future.
“nothing. i just find it fun. if you don’t want to climb the mountain, you can leave now. however, if i’m in a bad mood one day and think about you, i might make another wish to turn you into a cripple. i believe it will be very interesting,” the flower said.
zhou wen stared at the flower and thought to himself, indeed, i shouldn’t take risks going near dimensional zones. it’s better to just stay home and game.
“if you wish to kill me, just do it. there’s no need to go through so much trouble,” zhou wen said as he stared at the flower.
“if it wasn’t for your good looks, do you think you could still stand and talk to me, a thearch?” the flower said in contempt.
zhou wen was immediately rendered speechless. he thought to himself, you are a flower. why would you have any idea about human looks?
the flower continued, “forget it. i shall tell you another secret. there’s a treasure on the top of chess mountain. you shall have a chance of obtaining that treasure if you can climb up there. based on the standards of you humans, it is a mythical item.”
“what mythical item is it?” zhou wen asked.
“you’ll know when you get up there. however, i shall give you a hint. don’t think about flying up. you must climb up the mountain wall. otherwise, you’ll die,” the flower said.
“alright, i’ll climb.” zhou wen gritted his teeth. he knew that he had provoked this flower. even if he were to leave now, there would be endless trouble. he might as well go take a look. if there was really a tiny palm symbol, he could snap it and download it into the game. he could then understand chess mountain’s secret in-game and think of a way to eliminate the flower’s pestering.
zhou wen walked to the stone wall and reached out to grab the cracks on the rock before climbing up. the moment he climbed up, he immediately felt that something was amiss. a powerful magnet seemed to be situated beneath chess mountain. it tugged at his body, making it suddenly feel heavy. he struggled to climb up, just like ordinary people when they went rock-climbing.
“do you find yourself heavy?” the flower’s voice sounded.
“why did this happen?” zhou wen asked as he crawled up.
“the chess mountain is a sealed place. even those true immortals don’t dare approach it. only your human body can approach it. it won’t be injured by the power of the seal, but it will still be affected by it,” said the flower.
“a sealed place? who sealed it?” zhou wen took the opportunity to gather information.
“if you can climb up the mountain and see that mythical item, you will naturally be able to guess who he is. if you don’t climb up, it’s useless telling you.” the flower paused and said, “since you have already climbed up, don’t think about retreating. otherwise, you shall die. if you don’t believe me, look down.”
zhou wen looked down and was alarmed. he had only climbed up a few meters, but the bottom had turned into a bottomless abyss, as though it was leading straight to hell.
damn you flower, just you wait. once i download chess mountain’s instance dungeon and find your weakness in-game, i’ll finish you, zhou wen thought hatefully.
he didn’t know if it was an illusion or what was going on, but since he had come up, zhou wen didn’t plan on retreating. he continued climbing up.
the more he climbed up, the heavier his body became. it was as though his body was covered in chains. even with zhou wen’s strong physique, he found it exhausting just climbing a few hundred meters.
thankfully, chess mountain wasn’t tall. it was only about 700–800 meters. if it was a mountain that was thousands of meters high, zhou wen really doubted if he could scale it.
the flower said, “i couldn’t tell. your perseverance is not bad.”
“it’s okay. you’ve been at chess mountain for so long. do you know who chess mountain’s original owner is?” zhou wen didn’t forget to fish for more information.
“i’m the owner of chess mountain,” the flower said with a laugh.
zhou wen naturally didn’t believe it. according to an sheng, chess mountain traced to the ancient zhaoge city. if that was the case, there would definitely be many mythical creatures inside. there would be no lack of famous mythical existences. even if this flower had powerful and strange powers, zhou wen definitely didn’t believe its claim of being the owner of chess mountain.
despite nearing the summit, zhou wen’s truth listener still couldn’t hear anything from the top of the mountain. it was as though there was some mysterious force blocking the sounds, preventing zhou wen from peeping at the mountain peak.
now, zhou wen felt as though someone was pulling him with a chain beneath him. every step he climbed up required him to use all his strength. he had no choice but to use the ancient sovereign life soul to replenish his vital energies. this eased him greatly.
“eh? the aura of an ancient human sovereign. do you cultivate the ancient sovereign sutra?” the flower sensed the power of the ancient sovereign life soul and immediately guessed the primordial energy art zhou wen cultivated.