Gaining nothing in Spirit Hall, Lucas Warren didn’t dwell on it. He simply exited the hall and headed elsewhere.

He didn’t believe the entire Hillcrest could truly have been swept clean. Even if Master, Senior Sister, and the others were forced to ascend and didn’t have time to awaken Lucas Warren in Sanctuary Hall... surely they could have left a note? If they could leave the position of Mountain Lord behind, it was impossible there were no other clues.

Yet, in the next half day, Lucas Warren found nothing.

Or rather, Hillcrest did not reveal even the slightest clue to its new Mountain Lord. In this half day, Lucas Warren walked through all the hundred halls of Hillcrest on foot, but every time he found the doors tightly shut, and even with Mountain Lord privileges, he could not open them. And so, Lucas Warren didn’t even find a single note. Things were starting to get a bit strange.

Because during this half day, Lucas Warren wasn’t just wandering through the sea of clouds—he carefully pored over the Ascension Record in his possession. He didn’t find any clear clues, but he did discover many suspicious points.

After inheriting the position of Mountain Lord, the functions of the Ascension Record not only didn’t increase, but were drastically reduced. Even the simple storage function was disabled, so the supplies Lucas Warren had stored in his personal warehouse were now sealed away.

Moreover, the function he valued most: the Hillcrest Chronicle, had stopped updating after he entered Sanctuary Hall, and didn’t even record how James Sutton and the others had ascended!

Most absurd of all, even the calendar function was damaged—the date column’s ink was twisted and distorted, like a ferocious beast... so much so that Lucas Warren couldn’t even tell how long he’d been in seclusion inside Sanctuary Hall.

With more and more questions, Lucas Warren decided not to waste any more time in this swamp-like sea of clouds, but instead to follow the mountain path outward.

On one hand, there really were no usable clues left in Hillcrest; on the other, he couldn’t even find any usable resources. With his personal warehouse in the Ascension Record sealed and the doors of Embroidered Hall tightly shut, he couldn’t even find any pills to nourish his dantian and jade palace—let alone dinner...

So he might as well go down the mountain and hope that Outer Gate would bring him some surprise.

As he walked, another half day passed. As Lucas Warren gradually approached the foot of the mountain, the surrounding clouds and mist thinned, revealing a golden-red hue cast by the setting sun, and the outlines of the distant world.

However, at this moment, the mountain path suddenly dipped, leading into a winding mountain hollow. The golden-red, hazy scenery was instantly blocked by towering cliffs on both sides, which was rather disappointing.

But Lucas Warren knew the terrain well. He knew that once he crossed this hollow, he would stand on a spacious platform. Though unremarkable in appearance, this platform was where Ancestor Grant had once ascended to immortality—a place of great commemorative value... Moreover, although the Summit Terrace was close to the foot of Hillcrest, its elevation was still the highest for hundreds of miles around, enough to take in the distant view.

But before he could round the hollow, Lucas Warren heard the faint sound of human voices not far ahead, as if dozens of people were talking and laughing as they walked!

In that instant, the 84th generation Mountain Lord’s breath caught.

Not out of fear, but caution.

Although this place was already near the edge of Hillcrest, it was still very much within its boundaries, and strictly off-limits to outsiders.

In fact, not to mention ordinary people—even the leaders of Outer Gate or direct descendants of the mountain-guarding families could not enter Hillcrest without authorization, let alone approach the commemorative Summit Terrace!

So, who were these dozens of people? Had the outer formations of Hillcrest failed?

Out of caution, Lucas Warren immediately hid in the dense vegetation beside the path. Several clusters of waving peace ferns clung to him like affectionate puppies, their broad leaves pressing close, cool to the touch, but perfectly concealing his figure, which gave him some comfort.

At least the plants of Hillcrest still recognized him as their master.

Under the cover of the foliage, Lucas Warren quietly rounded the corner and saw the source of the voices.

The mountain platform, still somewhat familiar in outline from his memory, lay ahead, with a shaded stone stairway embraced by greenery. And then...

The first thing to enter his view along the steps was a lively, fluttering little red triangular flag, its pole bobbing energetically as it climbed. Beneath the red flag was an equally eye-catching little red cap, worn by a vibrant young girl who bounced up the steps, as radiant as the rising sun, instantly drawing the eye.

And accompanying this ray of morning light was a string of crisp, bright opening remarks, as clear as a songbird in a mountain valley.

“Everyone, please look this way! Up ahead is the last stop of our journey, Falling Sky Valley. It is the largest disaster site in the history of human civilization, symbolizing the end of the classical era.”

After a pause, the young girl spoke loudly again: “A thousand years ago, a great calamity struck the world. The celestial realm fell, the earth was overturned, four of the nine provinces were lost, and the heavenly way turned to desolation.”

“And at the time of the calamity, the immortals of the heavenly court fell here. The corpse of the ancestor of all immortals, Mr. Grant, decayed and sank at his own place of ascension, gradually sinking into the nether earth, becoming the eternal accursed soil. Fortunately, it was suppressed by the great law, so we descendants can safely live on this land and pay our respects to its former master.”

“As everyone knows, in the classical era, Hillcrest was the leader of the immortal path, its fame known from the celestial realm to the nether earth. By the time of the 82nd generation Mountain Lord James Sutton, Hillcrest reached an unprecedented peak, with two generations of mountain dwellers ascending almost overnight, treating the path to immortality as a smooth road.”