Chapter 404: Chapter 403- The Mountain above the clouds (2) "Hmph. If you are both done talking, then find your own way inside."
The middle-aged man let out a cold harrumph after listening to Grey’s and Violet’s explanation. His tone remained as indifferent as ever, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Grey simply nodded in acknowledgment without saying another word.
Beside him, Violet blinked several times in surprise. She had expected the middle-aged man to continue guiding them, yet he had abruptly left the matter in their own hands. Nevertheless, she did not voice her thoughts and quietly followed after Grey.
A few moments later, the group began making their way up the mountain, gradually disappearing into the endless sea of mist.
The further they climbed, the denser the fog became.
The mountain path beneath their feet was rough and uneven, littered with jagged rocks, loose gravel, and layers of dust that had accumulated over countless years. Yet because of the thick mist blanketing everything, the ground itself was only barely visible, forcing them to tread carefully with every step.
Meanwhile, Kaien had already regained consciousness after the rather unhinged treatment administered by the middle-aged man.
The very instant his eyes snapped open, he released a terrified scream.
"No! Don’t kill me!"
His frantic cries echoed throughout the mountain, bouncing endlessly through the mist as though several people were shouting at once.
Grey, who was walking behind the middle-aged man, couldn’t help but admire the astonishing tenacity of Kaien’s body.
It had been less than five minutes since he had knocked him unconscious with a single devastating punch. Yet despite suffering such severe injuries—and even after having his cultivation sealed—Kaien had somehow already regained consciousness and possessed enough strength to leap around while screaming at the top of his lungs.
Grey found the sight rather unbelievable.
Even powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators would usually require considerably more time to recover from such a blow.
For a brief moment, Grey couldn’t help but wonder whether there was something fundamentally different about the people of the Bizarre Broken Sect.
The old man who claimed to be Kaien’s grandfather behaved like a walking corpse. Every movement he made seemed lifeless and unnatural, as though he no longer belonged among the living.
Kaien, on the other hand, possessed an absurd level of endurance and physical resilience that far exceeded what Grey had expected.
The contrast between the two was so strange that Grey couldn’t make sense of it.
For a split second, an odd thought surfaced in his mind.
Maybe I should dissect him one day and see what exactly makes his body so durable...
It was merely a passing thought born out of curiosity.
However, as though Kaien had somehow sensed Grey’s dangerous line of thinking, the terrified young man suddenly turned around.
Their eyes met.
Kaien’s loud muttering instantly came to an abrupt halt.
His pupils shrank violently.
His entire body began trembling uncontrollably.
"I... I don’t want to die again..."
His voice had become incredibly soft, barely louder than a whisper. Yet the fear contained within those few words was impossible to miss.
Grey, who had been observing him from behind, couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
What exactly traumatized him so badly?
A faint frown appeared on Grey’s face as the question crossed his mind.
Still, he decided against knocking Kaien unconscious again.
Judging by the latter’s current condition, there was hardly any need.
After noticing Grey’s gaze, Kaien obediently lowered his head and remained completely silent for the rest of the journey.
Not another complaint escaped his mouth.
The middle-aged man also remained silent throughout the climb, continuing to walk ahead without slowing down or showing the slightest change in expression.
Only several minutes later did the group finally arrive before an ancient temple.
The entire structure was painted a deep emerald green, resembling the lush forests that covered the surrounding mountains.
Dense mist continuously drifted around its foundation, wrapping around the ancient building like flowing water.
From a distance, the temple appeared as though it had stood abandoned for countless millennia.
Its weathered exterior carried the weight of unimaginable age.
However, the closer Grey approached, the more he realized that something about the temple was profoundly wrong.
The first thing that caught his attention was its outline.
It appeared strangely blurred.
Not because of the surrounding mist.
Rather, it was as though the temple itself couldn’t fully decide whether it wished to exist.
Its silhouette constantly fluctuated between clarity and distortion, giving Grey the unsettling illusion that it could disappear entirely at any moment.
His eyes narrowed.
Then he noticed something else.