Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level?-Chapter 88[Vol. 6] - Peach Blossom Peak, the Peach Blossom Sage

[Vol. 6] Chapter 88: Peach Blossom Peak, the Peach Blossom Sage

Although Violet was an outsider without any official status or land, it wasn’t difficult for Ling Feng, with her impressive powers, to create a temporary identity for her. After all, the [Yin Yang Division] was similar to the royal secret agents from the old days, and creating a fake identity book was no trouble at all.

In fact, Ling Feng even took out what appeared to be a special stamp used for creating fake identity books, stamped it with a mark, and made the final product look almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Using the fabricated identity of a young lady from the capital of the Western Origin Spirit Kingdom, Violet, Ling Feng, Bai’er, Murong Yun, and even the Little Mole (who had been brought along just in case), easily passed the inspection and entered Peach Blossom Peak.

Once they stepped onto the mountain path, the view suddenly opened up before them. The entire area was filled with peach trees in full bloom, and the sweet fragrance filled the air.

Although it was the end of winter, the coldest time of the year, the peach blossoms on Peach Blossom Peak, one of the Twelve Peaks of Cangyun Mountain, were defying the season and still blooming beautifully.

Tourists walked along the path, stopping to admire the scene. Violet even saw a few painters who had set up their easels to capture and share the rare beauty of the place.

However, this wasn’t what Violet was concerned about.

“By the way… there aren’t as many demons and spirit beasts around here as I expected. Didn’t they say that Cangyun Mountain is the birthplace of countless rare and magical creatures?”

As she walked along the path, her eyes wandered curiously from side to side. She saw only a few small spirit beasts jumping through the trees or hiding behind rocks. There didn’t seem to be many creatures that could match the title of the world’s most extraordinary peak.

The ever-blooming peach blossoms were certainly magical, but they were still just a curiosity. The true value of Cangyun Mountain was not in the tourist attractions.

“Not for that long… Miss Violet, the area below 2,000 meters in altitude is generally the active zone for Peach Blossom Peak tourists. Most of the spirit beasts and yokai that come into this area are those who are particularly eager to interact with outsiders. The majority of the real Cangyun Mountain creatures live higher up. If we’re lucky, we might start seeing them the further we go up.”

Listening to Mr. Murong Yun explain patiently like a tour guide, the priestess nodded slightly, though with some hesitation.

“Alright, that makes sense.”

Seeing the black-haired girl casually looking around with no sense of caution, almost like a child who had never seen the world, Ling Feng couldn’t help but remind her.

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“Violet, be a little more careful. We’re not here for sightseeing. The thieves from the [Y?kai Controlling Sect] have likely already entered Peach Blossom Peak. Don’t forget, there might even be the [Apothecary] among them.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered,” the black-haired girl said confidently, raising her hand to pat the little yokai beside her on the shoulder.

“Little Mole, have you noticed anything?”

Asked directly, the little girl quickly shook her tiny nose. Her round, fluffy ears also wiggled, but soon she lowered her head in embarrassment.

“Sorry, Great Immortal, I haven’t smelled the scent of the Mole King yet. It probably hasn’t come here for a while.”

“Why do you keep calling me ‘Great Immortal’… I’ve told you not to be so formal, just relax a little.”

“Yes… sorry, I’m so useless.”

Seeing Little Mole look slightly downhearted, Violet couldn’t help but shake her head in resignation but didn’t say anything more.

In reality, while Little Mole was a mole spirit, she couldn’t track people or objects from dozens or even hundreds of miles away based on scent, like her beloved dragon could, nor could she distinguish valuable scents from thousands of others. Violet had only asked out of habit, but it seemed the earlier battle had left a deep impression on the little mole spirit, making her take it more seriously than expected.

Actually, I don’t blame her.

After all, there is only one path up Peach Blossom Peak, and whatever the [Y?kai Controlling Sect] plans to do, from the information we’ve gathered, it seems inevitable that they will eventually run into the Peach Blossom Sage. So, continuing up the mountain is definitely the right choice.

At an elevation of 2,000 meters, it’s neither too low nor too high. With everyone putting in full effort, they quickly passed through the area with the highest foot traffic and officially entered the middle section of Peach Blossom Peak.

As they climbed higher, the altitude increased, and the temperature began to drop. Perhaps due to the local environment or the specific variety of peach trees, the peach blossoms covering the area didn’t change, but this shift in temperature did cause the number of tourists around them to drop drastically, and soon there were almost none left.

The cold and atmospheric pressure at these high altitudes during winter are hard for ordinary people to endure. Even Little Mole, with her relatively shallow cultivation, had to recently add a warm fluffy coat to withstand the dropping temperature.

What was strange, though, was that the number of spirit beasts, which Mr. Murong Yun had said would increase as they climbed, actually decreased here as well. Aside from a few tourists and the endless peach trees, there were almost no signs of active creatures around.

This puzzled everyone. While they could explain it away with reasons like “it’s too cold for the spirit beasts to venture out,” they all sensed something was off.

Whatever the cause, they all knew one thing. When things seem out of the ordinary, something unusual is definitely happening.

Soon, they reached the 4,000-meter-high area of the mountain.

The environment shifted drastically. Snow and wind battered them, and the harsh winds felt like blades slicing against their skin. It was as if they had suddenly stepped into a frozen, icy world.

By this point, the few remaining tourists had all but vanished, and the few people they occasionally saw were bundled in thick winter clothing, carrying strange equipment that Violet couldn’t quite understand but guessed was for safety.

These individuals didn’t seem like typical tourists. They looked more like professional mountaineers, explorers, and adventurers seeking to challenge the mountain and uncover its secrets.

The temperature here has likely dropped to minus thirty or forty degrees, a chilling cold where even boiling water would quickly freeze upon hitting the ground.

Even experts like Murong Yun and Bai’er, who are skilled in [Seeker of Immortality], needed spirit talismans from Ling Feng to shield them from the cold and maintain warmth. Violet, in her thin attire, could feel the cold biting her, and even Little Mole was shivering uncontrollably from the freezing temperature.

“I see…”

The only one unaffected by the cold was Violet, who seemed to be deep in thought.

The temperature shift was so extreme that it clearly surpassed the usual altitude-based changes. It was evident that this wasn’t entirely due to natural factors, but some external force was intervening, influencing the environment here.

It seems that while the Peach Blossom Peak is officially open to visitors, the truly accessible area is limited to the lower part of the mountain. This cold felt like an invisible barrier, separating the upper and lower sections of the peak, and the reason behind this was still unclear.

Once again, the young woman turned her silver-blue eyes toward the peach tree forest around them. Despite the intense cold and snowstorm, the trees were unaffected. No snow piled up on their branches. She seemed lost in thought.

“[Light Protection].”

She raised her hand, and a golden barrier rose from the ground, enveloping the five of them and shielding them from the harsh winds and cold. The temperature around them immediately began to rise.

“Violet?”

This action surprised the others. Ling Feng stopped walking and turned to look at the priestess with confusion, while Bai’er couldn’t help but ask,

“What’s wrong? Are there enemies?”

“It’s nothing,” Violet replied evasively. “I just thought it was better to use some energy on environmental factors like this.”

“By the way, Murong Yun, I remember you mentioned before that a few years ago, when you and the Peach Blossom Sage went to battle against [Taotie], you entered the secret realm from this Peach Blossom Peak, right? Was it this kind of cold wind blowing all the way up to the top of the mountain back then too?”

“No, we actually didn’t reach the peak of Peach Blossom Peak.”

The middle-aged man in white shook his head slightly.

“I remember that back then, the Sage and several [Peak Ascension] people teamed up to set up a seal. The goal was to reach the 6,000-meter-high endpoint, which was considered a qualification. The temperature there was even lower than now, and there were many more obstacles. Even with preparations, I almost couldn’t make it.”

“At that time, there were over a thousand of the world’s strongest warriors summoned, but in the end, only about a hundred were able to get past the dangers and join the battle. We only witnessed from afar the earth-shattering battle between the Sage and [Taotie] when the demon forces awakened.”

Standing inside the [Light Protection] barrier, Violet glanced outside but didn’t comment.

“Well, that kind of powerful being sounds like something really dangerous. If you aren’t strong enough, you’d just be walking to your death. But what you mean is, you didn’t actually reach the top of the mountain and didn’t meet the Peach Blossom Sage in person? So how did she lead you into the secret realm?”

“This… it’s hard to describe,” Murong Yun pondered.

“From my perspective, after the Peach Blossom Sage used her great power to assign us our task, a silver light descended from the sky. Then the world turned upside down, and our steps became unsteady. After things calmed down, we found ourselves already in the secret realm.”

“If I had to compare it to something, it felt very similar to the time when the Qilin suddenly appeared in the [Tidal Deep Valley] and sent me out of the valley.”

“Hmm?” The priestess raised an eyebrow slightly.

“…Space-based ability?”