Chapter 29: Sword Mountain.
Yun Yantian and Yao Jun started wandering the frozen expanse, closely examining every hill and mountain. They did not dare split up to search a wider area, after all, there was no telling what else was lurking within this frozen world.
Yao Jun had tried to bring out Little Gray and Little Thunder, but the cold winds were too much for Little Gray to manage, he could at most stay outside for half an hour.. Little Thunder could hold on for longer, but he was after all still just a young Lightning Tiger, so there was a limit to how much he could handle.
After they had wandered the frozen world for a few more hours, without finding anything, Yun Yantian spotted a massive mountain in the distance. The mountain was pure white, almost blending perfectly into the surroundings. The mountain was so tall that it's peak pierced through the clouds above, completely shrouding it.
“That should be it. We haven't found anything that resembles the eye of the world so far, but the peak of that mountain could very well be it. I suggest we climb it”
Yun Yantian looked at the mountain from the distance in silence for a while. Yao Jun had very little experience with adventuring, so he had no problem with letting Yun Yantian make some of the decisions. Yao Jun also carefully looked at the mountain from the distance.
The mountain looked like a massive sword had been lodged into the ground, it's tip piercing the heavens. The mountain was slightly tilted, so climbing it wouldn't be too hard as long as they were a bit careful. Lacking any better options, Yao Jun nodded his head to Yun Yantian's words.
“Alright. It does indeed seem to be the most likely place for the eye to be located.”
Yao Jun and Yun Yantian made their way towards the mountain, reaching the foot of it after walking for around half an hour. Standing beneath the mountain, they could not help but take a deep breath.
They had seen the mountain from afar, and it was already plenty majestic then. But as they were standing beneath it, the entire mountain seemed to radiate the majestic pressure of a monarch overseeing all life. It was truly an awe inspiring feeling. The snow on the mountain was the purest white, shimmering with an almost ethereal glow, untainted by the world.
“We need to be careful. We haven't encountered any obstacles yet, but there could very well be some traps on this mountain.”
Yun Yantian took a deep breath and calmed his mind, putting his focus on the task ahead of them. After reminding Yao Jun, he started climbing the mountain with slow steps. Since the mountain was slightly slanted, he only had to lean his body forwards to move steadily, occasionally using one of his arms to steady himself.
Yao Jun took his eyes off of the mountain peak and followed after Yun Yantian, quickly catching up to him. Yao Jun brought out Little Thunder, allowing him to walk next to them. Little Thunder could not stay out in the cold for too long, but climbing this mountain would not be a problem.
They had only managed to climb for a short quarter of an hour when the ground around them suddenly trembled slightly, the snow quickly forming into a small human shape.
The snow human looked just like a normal human, only shrunk down til it was around one meter in height. The features on the human were blurry and indistinct, not allowing anyone to clearly see what it looked like.
“Oh? New people have come to undertake my trials? How fun, maybe you can reach the end. I've got some good treasures you know, it would be a shame if they just wasted away.”
The snow human spoke with a slightly childish voice, but it seemed to take great joy in being able to see other people, even going as far as jumping around Yao Jun and Yun Yantian.
“What are you?”
Yao Jun couldn't help but ask as he inspected the snow human. He could not feel any signs of life from it, nor had he or Yun Yantian sensed anything when it arrived. It seemed like it had been created by the world around it.
Listening to it's words, it seemed to either be the creator of the tower, or the creator of this world of ice. But it spoke with such a childish voice. The owner of these ruins could not be some child could it?
“Hehe, i'm an incarnation of the tower master. I was put in charge of this section of the tower. In here, I am the boss.”
The snow human pranced around them. As it spoke it's last sentence, it's voice suddenly changed, sounding like it came from all around them at once, bringing with it an almost crushing pressure.
“Is this mountain the eye?”
Yun Yantian straightened his body after the pressure disappeared and looked towards the snow human with an expectant gaze. Since it had shown itself before them, it either meant that they were headed in the right direction, or that it had taken a fancy to them. Either one was good for them, as it could maybe help them save time.
“Hehe. Nice try little one, but i'm not allowed to give any hints. All I can say is that all you have to do is pierce the eye and you can leave. I only popped in here since it has been ages since anyone was sent to this world of ice, I was terribly bored.”
The snow human snickered as it looked at Yun Yantian with a slightly mocking gaze. Did this human really think that they could get his help just because he showed himself.
“Just keep on climbing, i'll just be watching you.”
Before they got the chance to say anything else, the snow human waved it's hand and urged them forward, clearly not interested in talking any longer.
Yun Yantian and Yao Jun had no choice but to sigh and shake their heads, it seemed like it wouldn't be that easy to get this little thing to give them hints. They could only continue climbing the mountain, hoping that the peak was the eye.
They continued to climb in silence for almost an entire hour, the snow human leisurely following behind them as they walked. Yun Yantian was just about to take another step when the snow human suddenly spoke up from the side.
“I wouldn't set my foot there. If you put your foot there you will trigger a small array that will increase the strength of the wind.”
Yun Yantian was shocked at it's words, but he also felt some joy at it's words. Since it had warned him about the array, it obviosuly had some good feelings towards them. He quickly shifted his raised leg to the left and put it down.
When he put down his foot, the snow around them suddenly lit up with a myriad of blue lines. The snow around them started to slowly rise, forming several bulky apes made of snow. The apes stood tall, almost reaching two and a half meters in height, their arms as thick as a normal man's thighs.
“What the fuck, you said the array was where I was about to put my foot!”
Yun Yantian couldn't help but shout at the snow man. The apes around them started to slowly take form, easily numbering above 30. He could not feel any life from these apes, so they were clearly formed by the array he had stepped on.
“Indeed, had you set your foot down where you planned to set it down, you would have triggered the array and increased the strength of the wind. But I never said that there wasn't an array where you moved your foot.”
The snow human smirked as it looked at Yun Yantian, and Yun Yantian finally understood. This snow human wasn't there to help them, it just wanted to use them to relieve it's boredom.
“Fuck, Run!”
Yao Jun didn't need Yun Yantian's reminder. There was no way they would be able to fight these snow apes once they fully formed, escaping was their only option. Yao Jun returned Little Thunder to the Garden of Eden and started sprinting up the mountain. Since there were arrays hidden beneath the snow, this mountain obviously held something of great importance to this world.