417: Chapter 411 Great Snow Mountain 417: Chapter 411 Great Snow Mountain Seven days later…
In Japan, central Hokkaido, at the Great Snow Mountain.
Although it was already May, this region was still blanketed by vast snowfields.
What is known as the Great Snow Mountain is actually the collective name for this entire range of volcanos.
The peaks that rise over two thousand meters are plentiful within the Great Snow Mountain, numbering as many as twenty.
And there are countless more of average height.
Amidst the stretching snowy mountains, atop a peak of grey-black stone,
stood a cluster of pure white structures, quietly towering amidst the surrounding expanse, as if they were naturally one with it.
Their existence, if not closely examined, could easily be overlooked.
A white-haired, white-bearded elder, dressed in a long white robe, accompanied by three or four young men in grey robes, walked on the snowy ground in front of these buildings.
When they reached an area scattered with more than a dozen snow figures, the elder halted his steps and finally stopped.
As the Sect Master of the Snow Mountain Sect, the elder was named Yukizo Hayato.
Hayato being his given name and Snow Mountain his family name; all leaders of the Snow Mountain Sect, regardless of their original surnames, would adopt Snow Mountain as their surname from the moment they took charge of the sect.
“To gain the recognition of the spirits and truly become a great Onmyoji, one must endure what others can’t endure!”
“This batch, brought over from the Yamaguchi-gumi, has been trying to communicate with the spirits for seven days.”
“I hope that among them, someone will be fortunate enough to really establish some connection with the spirits!”
Surveying the snow figures around him, Yukizo Hayato sighed helplessly.
The Snow Mountain Sect had once flourished at its peak.
But now…
Looking around, Yukizo Hayato found it difficult to express in words.
The entire Snow Mountain Sect had dwindled to just a few, including himself, with barely enough true Onmyoji to count on one hand.
The young men who had come with him were merely servants of this place.
They were not Onmyoji; they only practiced some judo and karate for physical fitness.
“The seven-day Divine Inquiry has finished, and whether this batch will be recognized by the spirits will be decided today!”
“Koji, take action!”
With his hands folded behind his back, Yukizo Hayato looked up to the sky, gestured to the young men beside him, and commanded.
“Yes, Sect Master!”
The young men bowed respectfully to Yukizo Hayato and then quickly approached the nearest snow figure.
Compared to average people, these young men were undoubtedly more agile.
They reached the snow figure in a few steps and expertly began to clear the snow that had accumulated on it.
Naturally, the first to be cleared was the snow on top of the snow figure’s head.
As they carefully removed the thick layer of snow, a youthful face gradually emerged from beneath it.
“Sect Master, this person is no longer breathing; he must be completely dead!”
After checking the youth’s breathing, Koji, one of the young men, promptly reported back to Yukizo Hayato.
“People nowadays learn too much miscellaneous stuff; their minds are too complex.”
“I have already informed the Yamaguchi-gumi to send over unschooled children, those who can’t even recognize a single character.”
“I wonder how much of what I instructed was really listened to…”
Expressionless, Yukizo Hayato lamented.
He waved his hand, signaling Koji and the others to continue.
The confirmed deceased youth was left unattended as Koji and the rest headed straight to the next nearby snow figure.
What were called snow figures were actually misconceptions.
The dozen or so figures sitting in this area were all young boys and girls, who, after being frozen and then covered by snowflakes, attained their final appearance.
The secret technique of the Snow Mountain Sect involves placing these young men and women in a near-death state to communicate with the deities they worshipped.
Those who were favored by the deities and truly glimpsed their true form would naturally no longer fear mere coldness.
After all, the Snow Mountain Sect, the deities they worship, are only two: the Snow Woman and the Dog.
The location in front of them is the best place for communicating with the Snow Woman within the territory of the Snow Mountain Sect.
Half an hour later, the teenagers who had been frozen into snowmen, including Koji and his companions, had been checked one by one.
“Sect Master, no one was spared.
Not a single seedling of the Yin-Yang Masters survives here; all have long been frozen to death!”
Koji took a few steps toward Yukizo Hayato, bowed respectfully, and then spoke.
“Decades ago, the seedlings sent here had at least a ten percent chance of gaining the favor of the deities!”
“Why can’t these children, with their simple minds, avoid studying altogether?”
“Our Snow Mountain Sect has not had a real Yin-Yang Master in nearly ten years.”
“It’s not just our Snow Mountain Sect; other Yin-Yang Master Sects are not much better compared to us.”
“The government, instead of doing other things, insists on implementing compulsory education—they are digging at our roots!”
…
Although he had been mentally prepared, the reality of the situation still hit Yukizo Hayato with a bitter taste and a sense of helplessness when it unfolded before his eyes.
As he repeatedly lamented, he walked on his own, with his hands behind his back, towards the nearby Four-direction Pavilion.
As for Koji and his companions, they carried the corpses of those teenagers over a hundred meters away and then threw them directly down the cliff.
To their Snow Mountain Sect, the dead had no value whatsoever.
Whether the bodies were buried under the snow or eaten by wild animals once they hit the bottom of the cliff was of no concern to Koji and the others.
Ten li away from this place,
Chen Hai, wearing jeans, a leather jacket, and a pair of high-top leather boots, trod upon the snowy ground.
The severe cold weather, which was harsh and freezing, barely affected him since he had the ability to control fire.
The only drawback was the featureless white expanse, which could easily cause one to lose their sense of direction and become lost in the vast snowy territory.
Luckily, Chen Hai came here alone without any subordinates.
Otherwise, wandering aimlessly in the vast snowy field would not only be of no help to Chen Hai but would also become a burden.
Two days ago, he had already arrived at a small town near the Great Snow Mountain.
After only one night’s rest, he ventured alone into the vast expanse of the Snow Mountain yesterday morning.
“Dammit, Murakami Taro.
Isn’t it comfortable enough living in the bright and colorful world of the city?”
“Here in the Great Snow Mountain, birds are nearly extinct, and only occasionally you can see packs of wolves.”
“What is he trying to achieve by hiding here, serving wolves with his body?”
Chen Hai grumbled discontentedly.
With divination, he could only confirm that Murakami Taro was hiding somewhere within the Great Snow Mountain.
But in such a vast area, finding one person was hardly easier than finding a needle in a haystack.
Moreover, the chance of getting lost while walking through this vast snowy terrain was anything but small.
Just then, as Chen Hai scanned his surroundings, he realized he had taken a wrong turn and didn’t know where he had ended up!
“There’s no choice, I must perform another divination to see the situation!”
Feeling somewhat helpless, he took out the Copper Coins specifically used for divination again.
This was Chen Hai’s first visit to the Great Snow Mountain, and the environment was completely unfamiliar to him.
Since entering the mountain yesterday, getting lost had occurred at least eight or ten times.
Fortunately, with divination, he could figure some things out.
Otherwise, a normal person in his situation would have no option but to wait for death.
Walking through the vast Great Snow Mountain, Chen Hai performed divination without straining himself too much.
He did the divination half-heartedly with a few Copper Coins.
Heavenly Thunder without pretense, the divination revealed the Hexagram of Innocence.
“Fluttering birds fall into a cage; even in frantic flying, elevation eludes them.
Now, one should hold to their role; to aspire aloft is utterly unattainable.” He silently repeated this deciphering several times in his mind.
“To the southeast, within twenty li, the place where Murakami Taro is hiding is finally not far away…”
Muttering this to himself, Chen Hai continued walking forward.