Chapter 146: A Path Arranged by Another

Liu Pan frowned and was just about to withdraw when a slight tremor suddenly emanated from the canyon. Following that, several ice crystals slid down from the glacier on one side of the canyon entrance and smashed onto the icy ground beside his feet.

Lifting his eyes to scan the surroundings of the canyon entrance, Liu Pan suddenly realized something, his expression shifting slightly.

After a brief hesitation, Liu Pan reached out and caught an ice crystal that was about to fall to the ground. Then, without leaving a trace, he retreated and concealed himself behind a protruding mass of hard ice far away.

For the expert inside the canyon to appear here was undoubtedly very strange. After all, according to the timeline and the settings in the book, Liu Kuang would soon arrive here to search for the Ice Crown Lotus.

The Ice Crown Lotus was a top-tier spiritual herb among ice-attribute treasures. If it truly grew within this canyon, there was no reason for the expert residing inside not to harvest it—unless he did not care for it!

Not care about the existence of a top-tier spiritual herb? In the books Liu Pan wrote, no such person truly existed. Moreover, this was an era nearing the exhaustion of resources; the value of any top-tier spiritual herb was immeasurable. Liu Pan simply could not believe anyone would remain unmoved.

Looking at the ice crystal in his hand, then lifting his gaze toward the direction of the canyon, Liu Pan suddenly felt a complex emotion rise within his heart.

He had a premonition that although he had "created" this world, in the face of human nature, his own thoughts were still somewhat too "naive." Perhaps what he witnessed this time would teach him yet another harsh lesson.

Adjusting his position, Liu Pan found a suitable hiding spot to begin his cultivation, while simultaneously partitioning a portion of his spiritual energy to monitor the canyon direction, ensuring that if any movement occurred, he would know at the very first moment.

Cultivating in the world of ice and snow was truly a deeply comfortable matter for Liu Pan. Especially after successfully cultivating the eighth layer of the Profound Ice Art, his speed in absorbing primordial energy had more than doubled.

Now, he could clearly feel the chilling cold entering his body while simultaneously stimulating and tempering his physical flesh; this sensation of growing strength was genuinely intoxicating.

Two days later, Liu Pan's cultivation at the fifth stage of the Martial King realm stabilized, and he could initiate a breakthrough to the sixth stage of the Martial King realm at any moment. It was precisely at this time that he noticed movement coming from the direction of the canyon.

A stream of light flashed, and a figure clad in gray robes flew out of the canyon on a flying sword, coming to a halt above the canyon entrance.

This was an elderly man whose hair was a mottled mixture of black and white. After sweeping his gaze around the canyon entrance, the old man waved his hand, though it was unclear what exactly he had done, and then directly flew away on his sword toward the northwest.

The old man's appearance and departure were rather abrupt, lasting less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense from start to finish. If Liu Pan had not been continuously monitoring the direction of the canyon, he truly would not have noticed.

Astonishment and confusion filled Liu Pan's eyes. Although a certain distance prevented him from seeing the old man's features clearly, Liu Pan could be certain that this old man was not any character from his writings.

Aside from the old man's identity, what also puzzled Liu Pan was the old man's method of departure.

Having sensed the aura of a living being at the canyon entrance earlier, Liu Pan could be certain that the cultivation level of the person inside the canyon was absolutely terrifying—perhaps even the most formidable person he had encountered since coming to the Heavenly Peak Continent.

Yet, when the old man departed earlier, he did not use teleportation; instead, he rode a flying sword. This... could it be that this old man had not yet mastered the power of space? How could this be possible!

Frowning in deep thought, Liu Pan waited for half a day. Estimating that the old man would not return in the short term, Liu Pan could no longer sit still and once again approached the canyon entrance.

No one? Sensing no aura of living beings, Liu Pan was not overly surprised.

Lifting his eyes to scan the area, a mysterious glint flashed in Liu Pan's eyes. Although the ground was uneven, he could not spot a single ice crystal that had fallen from a high place...

After a slight hesitation, Liu Pan retrieved a long sword from his spatial ring, and then flew on his sword into the canyon.

His spiritual sense slowly expanding, Liu Pan slowed his speed and flew for nearly a quarter of an hour. In his heart, he grew increasingly certain of his guess—this canyon was not formed naturally, but had been manually excavated!

What was the meaning of this? Could it be... that this was a trap set by someone?

Recalling the plotlines described in the book, Liu Pan felt a chill in his heart. Because, judging from the current situation, the path Liu Kuang walked in the book seemed to have been arranged for him in advance! At the very least, the matter of coming here to search for the Ice Crown Lotus had been arranged by someone...

If the discovery of this route was arranged by someone, what about before? What about afterward? How much of it had been artificially arranged?

Just how many unknown secrets were hidden behind this Heavenly Peak Continent?

That old man from earlier? Liu Pan frowned. Who was he? Why would he come here to set up a trap like this?

If this truly was a trap, was Liu Kuang's subsequent arrival here also artificially arranged? If so, the ancient texts auctioned at that Central Plains auction were also...

Who possessed such great ability to set up this trap?

As the author, Liu Pan was well aware that the reason Liu Kuang came to the frigid region to search for the Ice Crown Lotus was to go to the Western Desert in search of Heavenly Fire to enhance his own alchemy cultivation.

That being the case... Liu Pan's expression shifted slightly. He thought of a possibility: perhaps the undercurrents hidden beneath the Heavenly Peak Continent were terrifyingly vast, and furthermore, from the very moment Liu Kuang exposed the fact that he possessed the Great Desolation Saber, this undercurrent had already existed.

The entire world was a trap? Liu Pan seemed to sense the full malice emanating from the entire world, and he could not even be certain whether he himself was now trapped within this grand scheme.

Another quarter of an hour later, Liu Pan arrived at the bottom of the canyon.

The temperature was terrifyingly frigid. Although much was missing here compared to the book—even the most basic guardian demonic beasts were absent—Liu Pan's gaze instantly landed on an ice wall at the very depths.

He could sense that behind that ice wall lay a chilling cold that made his entire body brim with pleasant joy.

How could this be? Liu Pan was somewhat stunned. After discovering that this was a man-made canyon, Liu Pan had harbored zero hope left, but what he sensed now...

Could it be that the Ice Crown Lotus was not manually excavated and placed here, and that this canyon was not entirely dug out by human hands?

Suddenly, Liu Pan thought of the old man who had departed earlier. If his conjecture was correct, then that old man had been remarkably generous in his investment toward Liu Kuang, even yielding his own lair...

Leaving on a flying sword? Liu Pan raised an eyebrow. Perhaps this was a desperate gamble.

Landing from his flying sword, Liu Pan raised his hand and grasped the long sword tightly. After a brief hesitation, he cleaved fiercely with his sword against the ice wall.

Regardless of whether this was a trap set for Liu Kuang, since he had already arrived here and sensed the aura of the Ice Crown Lotus, he had no reason not to make a move.

As for whether he himself was caught within this trap, Liu Pan no longer cared. In fact, Liu Pan even felt a slight yearning for the undercurrents behind the Heavenly Peak Continent to surge even more violently, because this was not a bad thing—at least, in the early stages.

The ice wall shattered, and a stream of biting cold air, almost tangible in its substance, spewed outward. At the very moment the ice wall shattered, Liu Pan's figure charged straight behind the ice wall...