"Giddyup!" "Giddyup!"
On the boundless desert, two people on two horses rode hand in hand, galloping at full speed. The fierce wind whipped Hamster Pudding's long hair into a wild mess as she raised a hand to shield her eyes from the stinging sand.
They raced across the desert at top speed until they reached the outskirts of the Heavenly Mountains. The howling west wind abruptly weakened, the sandstorm settled, and Hamster Pudding slowly opened her eyes.
"Stuck in that dark cave for so long, I never got a chance to really take in the scenery here. I didn't expect this place to be so beautiful!"
Hamster Pudding slowed down, turned to Jiang Yuan with a smile, and began to leisurely admire the surroundings. Seeing this, Jiang Yuan also reduced his pace, accompanying her as they moved forward slowly.
"The Heavenly Mountain Jade Pool is where immortals descend to the mortal world. Perhaps it's the lingering immortal energy that makes this place so full of birdsong, floral fragrance, and vibrant spiritual power!"
Jiang Yuan chuckled and said to Hamster Pudding.
The two arrived at a stone gate that seemed to pierce the sky, entered side by side, and then headed east along the path.
As the mountain road grew steeper, they dismounted, held hands, and continued on foot, slowly climbing toward the summit of the Heavenly Mountains.
At first, they felt nothing unusual, but when they reached the halfway point, Jiang Yuan looked up and saw thick snow above, a chill rushing toward them.
"On the southern ridge of Zhongnan, beauty stands; snow floats atop the clouds like strands. The forest gleams in clearing light; the city's evening cold grows tight."
This scene involuntarily brought to Jiang Yuan's mind an ancient poem he'd read in his spare time. Finding it fitting, he recited it casually.
"A pity this is the Heavenly Mountains, not Zhongnan, but the scenery is much the same."
To his surprise, Hamster Pudding actually identified the poem's origin. Jiang Yuan paused briefly, then smiled and nodded.
They exchanged a glance and a smile, then continued climbing upward. The higher they went, the rougher the path became, and with the unmelted snow, many spots were treacherously slippery.
Jiang Yuan held Hamster Pudding's small hand with one arm while wrapping the other around her slender waist, moving cautiously every step of the way.
After about ten minutes of climbing, they finally reached the snow-covered summit of the Heavenly Mountains.
"Wow! This is magnificent!"
On the other side of the summit stood a stone archway over ten meters tall. In the middle of the arch hung a plaque inscribed with four large characters: "Kunlun Immortal Realm." Directly beneath the plaque was a spatial rift radiating dazzling, colorful light.
"I never imagined the Kunlun Immortal Realm would be in another dimension."
Staring at the spatial rift before him, Jiang Yuan exclaimed in surprise.
"Darling, I suddenly feel a bit scared!"
Hamster Pudding let go of Jiang Yuan's hand and instead hugged his entire arm, looking up at his chiseled face with a timid expression.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here! Besides, even if we run into some terrifying monster we can't beat, we can just respawn back in Shangjing City!"
Jiang Yuan patted the hand clutching his arm, offering reassurance, then led her slowly toward the magnificent spatial rift.
"Come on, hold tight!"
Jiang Yuan shot a firm look at Hamster Pudding, who was clinging to his arm, and spoke softly. Then he stepped forward, crossing into the spatial rift!
After a violent whirl of disorientation, their feet finally landed on solid ground. They opened their eyes one after the other.
"Oh my god! This place is stunning!"
Entering the Kunlun Immortal Realm, Hamster Pudding opened her eyes and her first words were a heartfelt exclamation of beauty!
She had thought the scenery of the Heavenly Mountain Jade Pool was already breathtaking, but this place surpassed even that in splendor!
Unlike the snowy summit of the Heavenly Mountains, here it was springlike and bright, filled with birdsong and floral fragrance!
The area they had just stepped into was called "Langyuan," planted with all kinds of flowers—peonies, roses, winter jasmine—as if the seasons didn't apply here. Any flower you could name was abundant in Langyuan, perfectly matching the phrase "a riot of reds and purples vying for beauty!"
Hamster Pudding held Jiang Yuan's hand as they strolled through Langyuan, looking here, sniffing there, so lost in the moment she nearly forgot why they had come!
Ahead of Langyuan was a rainbow bridge, beneath which immortal mist swirled. Occasionally, cranes flew by in pairs, heading to some unknown destination.
"Darling, let's walk a bit further."
Jiang Yuan said softly to Hamster Pudding, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they stepped onto the rainbow bridge.
Standing on the bridge, through the swirling mist, they vaguely made out three towering peaks reaching into the clouds.
"Pudding, do you know the names of those three mountains?"
Jiang Yuan pointed at the three peaks half-hidden in the clouds and asked Hamster Pudding.
"No idea, don't keep me in suspense, you big scholar!"
Hamster Pudding lightly patted Jiang Yuan's chest and chuckled.
"Legend has it that over two thousand years ago, the alchemist Xu Fu told Qin Shi Huang that there were three immortal mountains overseas, named Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou, where immortals dwelled. So Qin Shi Huang ordered Xu Fu to take five hundred boys and five hundred girls to seek the elixir of immortality. Those are the three."
Jiang Yuan explained the names of the three mountains through this historical tale. The eastern one was Penglai, the western one was Fangzhang, and the one near the southwest was Yingzhou.
"Let's head to Yingzhou and see if we can find some monsters to level up on."
Jiang Yuan said, then led Hamster Pudding down the rainbow bridge toward the nearest mountain, Yingzhou.
Soon, they arrived at the foot of Yingzhou, where the area was densely packed with wild monsters called "Yellow Turban Warriors." These creatures had bare, muscular torsos, wore yellow silk trousers, and had their hair tied in a topknot wrapped in a yellow turban.
Jiang Yuan focused his gaze on the Yellow Turban Warriors' heads and immediately read their stats.
[Elite Monster: Yellow Turban Warrior] Level: 105 HP: 1,200,000 MP: 50,000 Attack: 8,500 Defense: 6,200
"Let's grind here for a while!"
After reading the data, Jiang Yuan judged that these monsters would yield decent experience. He said this to Hamster Pudding, then summoned ten thousand Dragon Beard Tigers, used the "Summon Evolution" skill to evolve one into a Heaven-tier Dragon Beard Tiger, and ordered it to charge at the group of Yellow Turban Warriors.
"Ding! Congratulations, your party has defeated the elite monster Yellow Turban Warrior, gaining 31,500 experience points!"
With one swipe of the Heaven-tier Dragon Beard Tiger's claw, over a dozen Yellow Turban Warriors fell. Listening to the system's chimes, Jiang Yuan nodded in satisfaction!
Each Yellow Turban Warrior yielded over 30,000 experience points. Jiang Yuan decided to grind here for at least an hour.