Chapter 286

  Moon Lake (XII)

  We spent the night camping under the stars--and boy, were there plenty. The entire sky was littered with them, organized in all manner of shapes, with the most lustrous star almost seeming like a slightly distant moon.

  The most unique thing, aside from the colors, was just how quiet it was. I couldn't hear a peep throughout the entire night--not the flap of some fish coming up for fun, not a song of any bird, and certainly no people.

  I also learned why it was called Moon Lake come dawn--my expectations were kind of snuffed out as the lake, during the day, looked like... well, a lake. A big one, sure (a really big one), but 'just' a lake.

  The water was dirty-blue; there were no fancy shapes or colors dithering across its surface, no fascinating show of fantastical beauty... just a dull, slightly dirty lake that looked like it straight up belonged in the list of America's Great Lakes and such.

  I also saw the first sign of human life early in the morning when a small group of people flew right past us, moving north. I felt the scan of Qi wash over us, and though the kids looked fairly ready to go raise hell, I held them back; I understand that unprompted and unconsented scans like these are very much a grave offense for most cultivators, but I don't really mind them.

  Especially considering that we've all gotten into the habit of hiding our realms--in fact, I even passed the method onto Lao Shun, and now he looked like an ordinary man at the peak stages of the Spirit Manifestation Realm.

  "Those were members of the Immortal Spear Sect," Wei gave us the rundown. "I didn't know they'd come. They never showed up here before."

  "Oh?" That was a bit interesting since I think it indicated there'd be more people and groups this year than expected.

  I was already sort of dreading going someplace this public, but that bad feeling has already started feeling worse.

  While I have no doubt that, before long, everyone and their mother will know who these kids are, I was hoping to delay that until they are a bit stronger. But with the Silvercrest City, and now this whole ordeal, won't literally everyone know who they are by the time we get to that hidden realm thingamabob? And won't that put a target on their back, as everyone will know they don't belong to any major power?

  No.

  We're here to seek treasures, not to fight.

  So long as we don't piss anyone off--yeah, nah, even the most optimistic voice inside of me just gagged a bit at that thought.

  "Master, I broke through!" Xing Feng proudly announced as he came out of his little corner, showing off the fifth stage of the Qi Condensation Realm.

  "Ho ho, good job, Feng'er," I said, patting the top of his head. "You're becoming stronger and stronger."

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  "He he~" His speed was neither quick nor slow, just about average compared to the others. As they all congratulated him one by one, another group flew past us--aboard a small ship this time around. Though, at least, this one didn't scan us, just glancing our way curiously for a moment before speeding along.

  "Let's go," Lao Shun said rather abruptly. "Or we might not find a single room to stay."

  We headed northward along the shore, crossing rather jagged edges of the lake that pulled out and in so frequently they looked like zig-zag lines.

  It was also along the way that more and more people started showing up, and before long my face had dropped a bit; practically everyone was flying willy-nilly with the ships and boats and flowers, and there was even one group that flew inside a green apple, and yet here we are, walking like peasants.

  Like, okay, they probably have the pedigree of backing to do so, but still... it's kind of unjust, isn't it?

  "Just how big is this lake?" Dai Xiu asked the very question I wanted to ask.

  "It's about two thousand miles long," Lao Shun replied. "And about two-thirds that tall."

  ... nah. Forget it. I'm not gonna even bother doing mental math--I'll just shave off one number from the end there and retain a peaceful state of mind.

  "Waaah! It's so big!"

  "Ho ho, indeed," Lao Shun said. "However, compared to the Heavenly Star Lake, it's merely a drop."

  "Heavenly Star Lake? What's that?" Xi Zhao asked.

  "It's a lake larger than a sea, separating the western and eastern parts of the continent. It's so large, in fact, that at any given time, all seasons are occurring simultaneously on it. Legend has it that a meteor made fully of ice crashed from the cosmos eons ago and both formed and filled the lake all at the same time. To this day, in fact, most of its contents beneath the surface remain completely unknown to us, as even cultivators struggle to survive past a certain depth."

  Heavenly Star Lake... that's where the Nirvana Frontier Island is, the best I can remember. Why do I have a feeling that, before long, that old monster over there will tell me his twice-removed cousin left some thingamabob there and that we have to go?

  "Have you ever been, Master Lao?" Wan Lan asked.

  "Hm," Lao Shun nodded. "Alchemy Tower, after all, overlooks its western shores. Or, well, tiny parts of it, at least."

  Hm?

  What just hit me?

  I look down and... there's nothing. Just some odd-looking piece of wood that seems to have washed ashore at some point. Did I imagine it? Or maybe, somehow, stumbled upon the wood? Or am I losing my mind?

  "Once every thousand years or so, the lake's water level dips ever so slightly, and you can visit ruins of an ancient city said to have been the very first city ever built on the continent. Marble-cast walls still stand, though weathered and aged, and the grandeur is still very much evident."

  Hm?

  Something hit me again!

  Okay, I'm not imagining it!

  "What's wrong, Master?" Light noticed and asked, though I didn't really have an answer for her. From the looks of it, nobody else seems to be reacting or noticing it, so it was just me.

  ... am I being haunted by some ghost already?! I didn't even do anything that evil yet, come on!

  But, again, there's really nothing else besides my feet--just some random clutter of weeds and the unmoving pebbles.

  "Nothing," I said. "Just lost in thought, is all."

  "Hm."

  "We must go to visit the ancient city at least once!" Xi Zhao said. "I've read in books that they sometimes find secret tomes hidden in the walls, and maybe some other treasures, too!"

  "You're dreaming, kiddo," Lao Shun scoffed. "If there ever was anything of the sort, it was taken long before your entire lineage was born."

  ... again!

  Something hit me again!

  This time, I was ready--I immediately looked down, used Qi, and activated the system! And, what do you know, there is something!

  [--Creator's Eyes Used]

  [Target: Unknown]

  [...]

  [Host is not strong enough to grasp the information]

  [Spend 1,000,000,000 Creation Points to partially view target's information?]

  .... hm?

  Hmmmm?

  Did, did, did the system just ask me for one billion points just to partially view information?

  WHAT IN GOD'S NAME AM I BEING HUNTED BY?! And more importantly...

  WHY?!!