Chapter 1127: The Blue Gold Celestial Mountain |
Tang San and Mei Gongzi stood at the foot of the Blue Gold Celestial Mountain, gazing up at its towering peak.
Yes, this was indeed the Blue Gold Celestial Mountain.
Until recently, only two Celestial Mountains had been permitted to stand beside Council Mountain. One belonged to the unchallenged former leader of the Ancestral Court, the Crystal Demon Emperor. The other was the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, whose Celestial Mountain was constructed from Fortune Stone and served as the anchor of fortune for the entire Ancestral Court.
Their Celestial Mountains stood beside Council Mountain; one symbolized absolute supremacy, the other a foundation built across millennia.
The newly decided location for the Blue Gold Tree clan's Blue Gold Celestial Mountain was on the opposite side of Council Mountain, forming a triangle with the other two. This alone was a clear display of the Blue Gold Tree clan's elevated status and the immense role it would play in the future within the Ancestral Court. For the clan, this was an immense honor—one that even Mei Gongzi, as the first Crown Princess, would not be afforded. She would only be allowed to build a Celestial Mountain after successfully overcoming her tribulation, and even then, it would not be in such a central location.
Today, Tang San had brought Mei Gongzi here to finish up the construction of his Celestial Mountain. More importantly, it was time to begin building the Tower of Life.
This Tower of Life would be the grandest of all, and it was of critical importance not only to Tang San but to the entire Ancestral Court. It was the very reason he had even been granted the privilege of building a Celestial Mountain before becoming an Emperor. Every Emperor in the Ancestral Court eagerly anticipated the Tower's ability to gather life energy, which would ultimately extend their lifespans. There was nothing more vital, literally.
At present, the Blue Gold Celestial Mountain had reached the projected height of eight hundred meters, set at Tang San's personal request. Slightly shorter than both the Crystal and Celestial Fox Celestial Mountains, this choice was a gesture of respect to the two senior Emperors.
The mountain had not, of course, been constructed from simple earth and stone. No Emperor's Celestial Mountain ever was. Tang San had requested that the mountain be composed entirely of high-grade minerals with attributes corresponding to the five phases. His reasoning was simple: the five phases reinforced and suppressed one another in a stable cycle, ideal for nurturing the power of life. As the foundation for the Tower of Life, this was of the utmost importance.
The project not only required vast resources but also consumed a great deal of the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor's own energy.
Now, the Emperor stood with Tang San and Mei Gongzi, looking at the mountain that had taken shape before them with no small measure of pride.
From the outside, the Blue Gold Celestial Mountain appeared to be a deep, rich blue, with faint golden metallic glimmers flashing beneath its surface. This was no accident, but a deliberate detail added by the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor, who had subtly shaped the five-phase aura to make the mountain worthy of the "Blue Gold" name. It was, of course, a goodwill gesture toward the Blue Gold Tree clan.
Mineral-type nymphs thirsted for life energy more than any other. The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor hadn't said much about this, but her efforts were all laid bare in this mountain. Tang San couldn't help but be astonished upon seeing it.
He had thought that if the Ancestral Court merely provided enough high-level ores, that would already be generous. He hadn't expected the mountain to be built to such perfection.
The eight-hundred-meter-high Blue Gold Celestial Mountain was simply perfect. The outer layer shimmered with blue-golden light, while within, the five-phase forces rotated in perfect harmony. At its peak, faint halos produced by the elemental energy had already appeared, purer than any Tang San had seen. They naturally drew in various elemental energies from the Ancestral Court's atmosphere and blended them into a unified field around the mountain.
Tang San bowed respectfully to the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor. "Your Majesty, your dedication humbles me."
The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor smiled slightly. "You asked the Ancestral Court to build your Celestial Mountain using the five phases, and this happens to be my specialty. It was no trouble at all. Back when I constructed my own Celestial Mountain, I used a similar approach. With the experience I've gained over the years, this mountain can even be considered one of my masterpieces. In all honesty, I'm quite satisfied with it. The cycle of the five phases even shows hints of yin and yang energies appearing as well. Even my own mountain didn't achieve such a great balance when it was first built. This one should be very well-suited for nurturing life."
Tang San nodded. "It's even more perfect than I imagined. Once the Blue Gold Palace is complete, I hope Your Majesty will visit often."
The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor's eyes lit up—it had achieved its goal. At its level, it wouldn't go out of its way to say much. She and Tang San hadn't had much contact before, but now that its efforts had been acknowledged, that was enough. From here on, their relationship would be friendly.
"Then I'll leave the rest to you, Crown Prince. If anything seems off, you'll need to make the adjustments yourself," it said with a smile.
"Of course. Thank you, Your Majesty." Tang San bowed once more.
The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor turned and departed. An Emperor's palace was an extremely private matter; no one else could intrude, lest it seem like they were spying. It had handled things with just the right degree of involvement, offering help without overstepping.
"It really put a lot of effort into this," Mei Gongzi said softly. She too could feel the harmonious energy flowing throughout the Blue Gold Celestial Mountain.
Tang San smiled and nodded. "Honestly, I couldn't have done it better myself. The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor really went above and beyond. Come on, let's go take a look."
As he spoke, he took Mei Gongzi's hand and began walking toward his Celestial Mountain.
Although the mountain was fully erected, there were no paths leading up yet. This wasn't negligence, but tradition. Every Emperor had their own preferences for their own Celestial Mountains, and such things were best designed by the owner.
Tang San took Mei Gongzi's hand and started climbing the mountain. Gentle energy rippled out beneath his feet, and the mountain's surface sank slightly to form a staircase that extended ahead of him. The stairs were smooth and well-polished, yet beneath them, a strange energy began to spread outward.
In the past, as he had ascended other Emperors' Celestial Mountains, Tang San had experienced various types of pressure. Such trials brought benefits to those who climbed them. Now that he was building his own Celestial Mountain, adding a similar feature was only natural.
Scenes from his past life flickered through his mind.
In his previous life, Tang San had received the inheritance of the Sea God on the aptly named Sea God Island. There, he faced the infamous Sea God's Nine Trials. The very first of these was the Stairway of Ascension.
That stairway had left a deep impression on him. Each level exerted different degrees of pressure. Step by step, he had climbed it, relying on unyielding willpower, unwavering resolve, and formidable cultivation. It was an intense test of both flesh and spirit. He had suffered greatly while climbing it, but in the end, passed the trials, inherited the Sea God's Trident, and ascended to the divine realm.
Now, as he constructed his own stairway for the Blue Gold Celestial Mountain, what better reference could there be than the one from his past life?
Step by step, he climbed the mountain with Mei Gongzi. With each stairway step they climbed, a new one emerged ahead of them, imprinted with Tang San's own energy—an exact replication of that ancient, grueling test. Each step carried a unique energy signature. With the power of his many bloodlines, recreating the first trial of the Sea God's inheritance was no difficult task.