Yao Yue Mountain was located in the northern part of the Star-Moon Domain.
This was an ancient mountain range. It was said that Yao Yue Mountain occupied a mysterious Yin Moon spiritual vein. Because the Yin Moon spiritual energy on the mountain was relatively dense, in the ancient era, this place had once been a gathering ground for demons, monsters, ghosts, and strange beings. The name Yao Yue Mountain also came from this.
Legend had it that over ten thousand years ago in the ancient era, a powerful Evil Cultivator defeated the demons and monsters of Yao Yue Mountain and founded the Yao Yue Palace.
In the past, Yao Yue Palace was a famously evil force in the Great Northwest Frontier region, and it also gathered all sorts of demons, monsters, ghosts, and strange beings. However, as time passed and new generations replaced the old, the demons and monsters of Yao Yue Palace died, were injured, or scattered, gradually leaving behind only some Evil Cultivators.
Evil Cultivators were, after all, Evil Cultivators.
In the ancient era, Evil Cultivators had a hard time surviving, even in the mixed and chaotic place that was the Great Northwest Frontier.
Therefore, many Evil Cultivator sects had always been trying to find ways to whitewash themselves.
Yao Yue Palace was no exception.
Fortunately, Yao Yue Palace produced several remarkable palace masters. Through the efforts of successive generations of palace masters, Yao Yue Palace gradually shed the label of an evil force.
Although Yao Yue Palace still had a few Evil Cultivators now, this situation was quite common in the Great Northwest Frontier and wasn't considered a big deal. Especially in the current era, the treatment of Evil Cultivators wasn't as harsh as in the ancient era. As long as one didn't suck out others' essence and souls, a little contamination with evil spiritual energy was harmless and, at the very least, tacitly permitted by the Immortal Dynasty.
Moreover, Yao Yue Palace had even ruled over the Great Northwest Frontier towards the end of the ancient era.
Although in the current era, with the disappearance of Feng Zhuyue, it had gradually declined.
Still, a starved camel was bigger than a horse. Even today, Yao Yue Palace remained a major power in the Great Northwest Frontier.
It had dozens of Nascent Soul Daozuns, quite a few Daozuns who had evolved their Nascent Souls, and several experts at the Transformation Form, Transformation Spirit, and Transformation God stages. It was said that the Grand Elders of Yao Yue Palace were all Daozun experts who had survived several Heavenly Tribulations, their strength unfathomable.
Yao Yue Palace not only had a cloud of experts, but the current era also saw a constant emergence of geniuses.
Over a dozen personal disciples were all outstanding prodigies of creation. Even setting aside Han Dong, an unrecognized prodigy heir apparent, Yao Yue Palace still had two or three prodigious talents famous throughout the Great Northwest.
In the sky.
Gu Qingfeng stood on the Jade Elephant Grand Carriage, gazing at the increasingly close Yao Yue Mountain. His thoughts seemed to return to over four hundred years ago, bits and pieces of memories flooding his mind uncontrollably. Especially the open ground at the foot of Yao Yue Mountain—he still remembered clearly that it was there he had been besieged by experts from the major forces of the Great Northwest, and it was there he had self-destructed his cultivation.
Closing his eyes, memories continued to surge forth.
He also remembered that Yao Yue Mountain had many miscellaneous small peaks, one of which was the Little Moon Peak where Feng Zhuyue had lived.
Lifting his gaze to look over, Gu Qingfeng recognized Little Moon Peak at a glance from among the cluster of peaks on Yao Yue Mountain.
Little Moon Peak was covered with a very strange flower called the Yin Moon Sunflower. This flower looked ordinary during the day, but at night it would bloom, especially on the night of a full moon, when it was particularly beautiful.
There was also a strange Yin Moon Tree. This tree would only branch out, leaf, and bear fruit on the night of a full moon. However, the fruit it bore was highly poisonous. To be precise, it wasn't exactly poison, but contained a special Yin Moon spiritual energy. Ordinary people couldn't withstand that Yin Moon spiritual energy. Back when he was living incognito at Yao Yue Palace, Gu Qingfeng had once mistakenly eaten one and nearly died. It was Feng Zhuyue who discovered it in time, otherwise...
The consequences would have been unthinkable.
Thinking of Feng Zhuyue, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He asked, "Sister Han Dong, when did Feng Zhuyue disappear?"
As if not expecting him to suddenly ask about Empress Zhuoyue, Han Dong was slightly taken aback before replying truthfully, "Over fifty years ago."
"She... why did she disappear?"
"I only heard from my master that Empress Zhuoyue, because she missed Lord Chixiao too much, was initially depressed and unhappy. Over time, lovesickness became an illness, her spirit collapsed, her soul went mad, and she became insane. One day, she suddenly disappeared..." Han Dong shook her head slightly. "As for the specifics, I'm not too clear. Every time I ask my master about Empress Zhuoyue, she is deeply grieved..."
"Lovesickness became an illness, spirit collapsed, soul went mad..." Gu Qingfeng murmured these words, his heart filled with a sour feeling and growing guilt, feeling he had been too reckless and too young back then...
Alas!
A sigh.
A sigh for the ignorance of those years, and a sigh for the impulsiveness of those years.
"Does your master still live at Flying Heart Hall?"
Gu Qingfeng was thinking that when he met Han Dong's master later, he must ask clearly about Feng Zhuyue's affairs.
"No. After Master was injured, she has been recuperating at the Green Box Garden in the back mountain."
As soon as she finished speaking, Han Dong suddenly realized something was off. Frowning, she looked at Gu Qingfeng with suspicion and asked, "Wait, how do you know my master used to live at Flying Heart Hall?"
Han Dong was very puzzled. It was true that her master had lived at Flying Heart Hall before, but that was a very, very long time ago—so long ago that Empress Zhuoyue was still the heir apparent of Yao Yue Palace, and so long ago that her master was just a mere elder of Yao Yue Palace. After Empress Zhuoyue took over Yao Yue Palace, her master never lived at Flying Heart Hall again, because after Empress Zhuoyue became palace master, she built the Yao Yue Palace Hall. Back then, everyone in Yao Yue Palace lived inside the palace hall.
Even later, after the Yao Yue Palace Hall was destroyed in the great calamity, and until Empress Zhuoyue disappeared, when her master returned to Yao Yue Mountain, she had always lived at the Green Box Garden in the back mountain.
As for Flying Heart Hall, that was truly a very, very long time ago—almost four or five hundred years. Not to mention the disciples of Yao Yue Palace, even Han Dong, who had been raised by Feiyan Daozun herself, wouldn't have known her master once lived at Flying Heart Hall on Yao Yue Mountain if not for a chance opportunity.
How did this guy know?
"This..." Gu Qingfeng realized he had been careless and let it slip. He laughed and said, "I knew a senior from Yao Yue Palace before. He told me quite a bit about Yao Yue Palace."
"A senior from Yao Yue Palace? Who are you talking about?"
"What was his name... Let me think..." Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, trying hard to recall someone related to Yao Yue Palace from his memories. "Oh right, his Dao title was Jiangbei."
"Jiangbei?"
Han Dong thought carefully but had no impression of the name Jiangbei.
"That fellow seems to have left your Yao Yue Palace during the great calamity. It's normal you don't know him."
Indeed.
Before the great calamity, Yao Yue Palace dominated the Great Northwest and was hailed as the Yao Yue Dynasty. Its disciples were countless, and they included all sorts of people. Not to mention Han Dong not knowing, even Feiyan Daozun probably couldn't recognize them all.
However, Han Dong still seemed somewhat suspicious. She asked, "Did he tell you a lot about our Yao Yue Palace?"
"Not that much. He just mentioned your master and a few other miscellaneous people."