Chapter 95: The Nine Profound Sect and the Black Cold Snow Clan

Han Mo did not answer Chu Feng’s question. Instead, he spoke a few words to the white-bearded master of the Yao Wu Hall, instructing him to handle the rewards for the disciples of the Thunder Sect. Han Mo then led Chu Feng away from the Yao Wu Hall.

Chu Feng observed Han Mo’s expression closely; the melancholy between his brows suggested that whatever business he had with Chu Feng was certainly not good news, though it likely wasn’t something truly disastrous either. With this in mind, Chu Feng’s curiosity grew. The key point was that he had never had any dealings with the Nine Mystical Sect, nor had he ever met these two masters of the sect’s Gao branch before. What could they possibly want with him?

The brothers Gao Guangying and Gao Guanghe were waiting at the pavilion outside the Yao Wu Hall.

Entering the pavilion, Han Mo first said to Chu Feng, “Nephew Chu, I’ve just learned that your two senior uncles came all this way not merely for the banquet at our Wind and Thunder Martial Pavilion, but specifically to find you. There’s something a bit awkward to discuss, and they’d like to consult with you.”

“Uncle Han, and Uncles Gao, if you have something to say to me, please speak frankly,” Chu Feng replied, nodding as he took a seat on the stone bench.

Chu Feng had a rather favorable impression of these two masters from the Nine Mystical Sect. At the earlier banquet, they had showered him with praise, repeatedly calling him “nephew,” and had even, despite their seniority, personally toasted him—an uncommon gesture. Thus, Chu Feng’s attitude toward them remained courteous.

“This matter... is a long story. We must begin with the Broken Cloud Carved House,” Gao Guangying said with a gentle smile, trying not to pressure Chu Feng.

“The Broken Cloud Carved House?” Chu Feng paused, then immediately asked, “What happened to it?”

“Nephew Chu, here’s how it is: when I rode the Broken Cloud Carved House to the Tianji Mu family to fetch you, you competed with it, didn’t you?” Han Mo explained. “Because of that contest, it suffered a force injury.”

“Oh? Did it die, then?” Chu Feng asked. “Uncles, if there’s something specific you need from me, please just say it.”

Chu Feng was straightforward by nature and unaccustomed to such roundabout dialogue.

“Very well, I’ll be direct!”

Gao Guanghe picked up the conversation. “That day at the Tianji Mu family, nephew Chu, your contest with the Broken Cloud Carved House left it seemingly unharmed, but in truth, it suffered a severe force injury. After returning to the Nine Mystical Sect, it ate and drank nothing, lying there groaning, as if gravely ill! When we realized this, we sent word by flying sculpture, and then learned the truth from Brother Han—the injury was due to your contest.”

Chu Feng nodded, “So you want me to heal the Broken Cloud Carved House? And if I can’t, I must give your sect a satisfactory explanation, is that it?”

“Ha, nephew Chu, don’t take it the wrong way! That’s not how it is.”

Hearing the tone in Chu Feng’s voice, Gao Guangying quickly patted his shoulder in a friendly gesture. “Frankly, if it were an outsider who left the Broken Cloud Carved House half dead, the Nine Mystical Sect would never let it rest. But, not only are you an outstanding young talent, even just for the sake of the Tianji Mu family and the Wind and Thunder Martial Pavilion, we wouldn’t trouble you over this.”

“Then, what is it you want from me?” Chu Feng asked again, still unclear as to their purpose. Surely this wasn’t the only matter.

“Well, this is where the story grows long. Nephew Chu, don’t rush—hear me out.”

Despite his sharp-sounding name, Gao Guangying spoke with a gentle demeanor. “The Broken Cloud Carved House, though kept in the Nine Mystical Sect, is not for our own use, but for a tribe in the far north called the Black Cold Snow Clan.”

“The Black Cold Snow Clan?” Chu Feng asked, astonished.

“Exactly! Have you ever heard of them?” Gao Guanghe inquired.

“No. I am ignorant, I’ve only heard of the Black Cold Snow Mountain north of the Nine Mystical Sect, but I’ve never climbed it, nor heard of such a tribe,” Chu Feng replied, eager for further explanation.

It wasn't so much ignorance as the vastness of the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Veins. With hundreds or even thousands of tribes, families, and small factions, it was normal for those who weren't seasoned veterans to know little of the lesser tribes.

“This Black Cold Snow Clan is deeply connected to the mountain itself. The mountain forms the boundary—our sect lies south of it, over a thousand miles away, while the clan resides deep in the mountain’s northern reaches,” Gao Guanghe explained. “They are a remarkable people: their female warriors are clever and spirited, their men bold and strong, especially in their creative skills, far surpassing any outsiders.”

“Ha, what is this all about? I’m utterly confused!” Han Mo laughed wryly.

“Sigh, it’s not easily summed up! To put it simply, the clan’s men and women live year-round in the mountain’s depths, using advanced formations to block and dissipate the bitter cold blowing from the polar Nether Sea. Without their protection, our region would lose its four seasons and suffer a freezing calamity.”

“Their warriors don’t love the cold; it’s because, generations ago, their ancestors suffered a mysterious blood curse. Because of this, every clan member, young or old, must rely on golden pearls produced by the Nether Mother Shell in the sea to survive. Thus, they must live by the mountain close to the sea.”

“The Nether Mother Shell is difficult to find in the vast sea. Clan members often spend more than half a year searching for a shell’s nest, and once its pearls are harvested, they must seek another, possibly thousands or tens of thousands of miles away.”

“To travel swiftly across the sea and find these nests, they borrow the Broken Cloud Carved House from our sect. The relationship between our sect and the clan is inseparable, so of course, we lend it. Now, because of your inadvertent injury to the sculpture, it cannot help the clan, and we are even more anxious than they are!”

The Gao brothers alternated their explanation, finally laying out the situation.

“So, now that the Broken Cloud Carved House is injured, it cannot carry the clan members across the Nether Sea, making it hard for them to find the Mother Shell’s nest. If they can’t find it, they can’t obtain the golden pearls. Without the pearls, what happens to them?” Han Mo asked.

“The clan members, under the blood curse, must consume a certain number of golden pearls every half month. Without them, it’s as if trees go without water—they perish swiftly and terribly,” Gao Guangying replied.

“But... what does this have to do with your Nine Mystical Sect?” Han Mo pressed.

“Sigh! Brother Han, you still don’t understand!” Gao Guanghe said, a bit displeased. “As I said, with the clan living in the mountain, their formations block the cold from the sea. If they all perish for lack of pearls, the bitter cold will sweep through, and within days, our sect will be destroyed in all but name! If it keeps moving south, your Wind and Thunder Pavilion won’t survive either. When it reaches the Tianji Mu family and the Terror Gate, they too will suffer!”

“Oh? Is the cold from the Nether Sea truly so powerful? It could destroy your sect in days?” Han Mo asked incredulously.

“Brother Han, I dare wager that the cold from the sea, if it crosses the mountain and reaches the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Veins, will wreak havoc far greater than the storms in the Wind and Thunder Cavern!” Gao Guangying declared.

“Martial artists below the fifth refinement stage can barely enter the mountain, but move with great difficulty. Even those at the sixth stage may not survive the bitter cold of the sea! Brother Han, imagine—the cold sweeps through, and anyone below the fifth stage will freeze to death instantly. Houses collapse, plants die, the land becomes barren,” Gao Guanghe stated solemnly.

Han Mo nodded, realizing that the storm, the thunder, and the cold from the sea each had their own terrors.

Seeing that Chu Feng hadn’t spoken, Gao Guangying asked, “Nephew Chu, have you understood?”

“Yes, I understand the clan’s situation and your sect’s connection,” Chu Feng nodded, but then frowned, “But what I don’t understand is, what does any of this have to do with me?”

Chu Feng was truly perplexed—did the Gao brothers mean for him to travel thousands of miles to the mountain, or even to the polar sea, to resolve a cold fiercer than any storm or thunder? If so, Chu Feng would turn and leave without another word, paying them no further mind.