Chapter 798: The Unseen Ones
Chapter 798: Chapter 798: The Unseen Ones
"The stars shift, and over the long span of time, everything changes. Even mountains and rivers undergo changes. But despite the changes, they leave traces of their past behind."
Captain Zhang stopped in his tracks, staring at the murals of the celestial sacrifices, repeated again and again, and said resolutely,
"Don’t you think these indistinct positions are precisely where we’re standing beneath our feet?"
There was a heaviness in Captain Zhang’s tone, mixed with a sense of the ancient history.
Bai Xiqin suddenly raised her head to look again at the mural.
Only then did she realize that the mural was 2D; the top part of the totem was similar to the Ancient Kunlun Mountain, but it became slightly different towards the bottom.
Initially, Bai Xiqin thought that it was because such a long time had passed that it changed greatly.
But from a different perspective, if you look at the lower part as being inside the mountain, it becomes easier to see clearly.
The snake-like pattern wasn’t mountains, or rivers, or even a road, but something inside the mountain that couldn’t be seen with the naked eye, yet truly existed.
"It’s the Dragon Vein."
Old Master Bai Zhengxuan said his thought out loud, startling himself.
In ancient times, Emperors performed sacrifices to the heavens to seek mandates, claiming themselves as the sons of heaven to execute their imperial power.
If one were to ask what ancient emperors valued the most, it was undoubtedly the fortune of the dynasty.
Fortune is elusive, neither visible nor tangible.
Yet every emperor through the ages believed in it.
And the Dragon Vein symbolizes the rise and fall of dynasties.
It is said that when Liu Bang of Han Gaozu killed the White Snake to start his uprising, slicing the snake into two, it symbolized the later fate of the Han Dynasty having the Eastern Han and Western Han.
The slain White Snake naturally symbolized the Dragon Vein.
"Many things in this world are beyond explanation, and some cannot be fully interpreted by science."
Captain Zhang’s voice was calm, so calm that it bore no ripples,
"The Dragon Vein represents the future of a dynasty, as well as its rise and fall. Haven’t you noticed that the energy fluctuations have become more intense since we entered the cave?"
Saying this, Captain Zhang’s fingers lightly brushed against the surrounding stone walls.
The patterns carved on the wall were repetitive, but they always became indistinct at the snake-like images.
Bai Xiqin also reached her fingers out, touching the patterns on the stone wall, clearly feeling the energy fluctuations.
It was Earth Energy.
The energy contained within the stone wall from endless ages past was astonishingly intense.
"How... is this possible?"
Bai Xiqin furrowed her brow, recalling the myriad bizarre sci-fi novels she had read before the apocalypse.
Apart from some special individuals with strange powers in novels, there were numerous folk tales describing mysterious forces.
In the past, she thought it was all made-up nonsense.
Now it seemed that, in the long ages before the apocalypse broke out, the energy had always been there; it was just that most people couldn’t perceive this energy at the time.
Perhaps in ancient times, when energy tides arrived, most people awakened to their superpowers, and the plants and animals mutated.
Later on, the energy tides stabilized and gradually dissipated.
The powers people once had weakened generation by generation until almost everyone became ordinary.
And in those places rich in energy, the energy decreased but did not completely evaporate.
In some ancient and mysterious places, the energy had been evaporating for thousands of years yet was not exhausted.
Back then, without superpowers, people couldn’t sense their presence.
When a new generation of Superpower Users emerged, the ancient energy unveiled itself to the world.
"Do these people live here because they wish to be emperors? Guarding this place is essentially guarding the Dragon Vein, so why are they now so miserable?"
Bai Yifan swallowed his saliva, his gaze landing on a piece of red fragment beneath the ice layer nearby.
It was already minced to a paste.
A part of the remains of the area’s survivors.
When the zombies rushed in, a fierce struggle ensued between them and the zombies, yet they couldn’t escape the sharp claws and teeth of the zombies.
Just imagining the scene made Bai Yifan feel his entire body ache.
"Even Emperors, who considered themselves ordained by destiny, did not dare to build palaces here; at most, they held grand sacrificial ceremonies here," Captain Zhang said.
Throughout the dynasties, every emperor regarded the Ancient Kunlun Mountain as a sacred site.
Claiming it to be the place closest to heaven.
Today’s people lack the ability to control this place.
Those who toy with power will ultimately die by it.
Those who desecrate this place will ultimately meet their doom.
As one of the most sacred places on land, it certainly has its marvels, as well as its pride.
Living off this mountain range, apart from the lush Mutated Plants, are some ancient and rarely seen mystical creatures.
They usually hide in the woods, seldom showing themselves, but that doesn’t mean they won’t ever appear.
The so-called Tomb Guardians watch over this mountain range, which is the legendary Dragon Vein.
Human flesh and blood cannot guard it, for it doesn’t belong to any individual or organization.
But to all creatures on this land.
It belongs to the flowers, grasses, trees, to humans, ... and also to zombies.
"Then are we going in directly, won’t there be a problem?"
The Base Commander glanced at Leng Yebai and Bai Xiqin, hesitant to speak.
Such mysterious things naturally deserve respect.
He wasn’t afraid for himself, just for his son’s safety.
His son had finally found a wife and was about to embark on the happiest time of his life. If coming to this place ruined his future, it would be a shame.
He didn’t want anything affecting his son and daughter-in-law.
"It doesn’t belong to any creature, yet it exists for any creature," Captain Zhang said with a smile, "It’s good not to covet it. Aren’t the plants and Mutant Animals on the mountain doing well?"
The energy fluctuations here are dense, with a special magnetic field. Life grows rapidly; it’s truly a land of geomancy and treasure.
Saying this, Captain Zhang pulled out a compass from his pocket.
In the cave, the compass spun much faster, not stopping for a while.
"Can such a holy place be explained by science?"
Bai Yifan looked at the compass in Captain Zhang’s hand, feeling somewhat time-traveled.
Just now they were talking about these mystical Dragon Veins, and now a man-made compass had been produced.
Is it faith in science or in mysterious forces?
"If explained by idealism, it’s unseen, intangible fantasy. By materialism, it’s the special magnetic field of the mountain. The Dragon Vein is actually a unique mineral creating a unique magnetic field, which periodically releases undiscovered elements that alter the surrounding magnetic field, and such minerals exist in all mountain rivers around the Earth, hence the sudden surge of energy tides."
Captain Zhang adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and tucked the compass into his pocket again.
"So, is the matter of fortune and these people’s eventual demise merely coincidences?"
Bai Yifan widened his eyes, confused by what Captain Zhang said.
So, does the Dragon Vein truly exist? Can fortune really determine the human future?
Or is it merely the special magnetic field due to unique minerals, and the magnetic field produces special energy, as explained by science?
"To an individual’s point, if you believe, it exists; if you don’t, it doesn’t."
Captain Zhang mysteriously smiled, not saying more.