Chapter 361: Chapter 203: Only Reflections Beyond Cloudy Mountains

Parts containing the whole may seem counterintuitive in daily affairs, but in mathematics, it does not defy logic.

For example, in set theory, the set of natural numbers is as large as all rational numbers, termed as aleph-null; more typically in fractal geometry, each part contains the information of the whole.

Also, there’s the recursive function that He Kao, the programmer, is most familiar with, something he often uses in programming…

But in the natural world, the infinite fractals of logical meaning have their limits, for the natural world cannot be divided infinitely, ending at the Planck scale…

The above are the fleeting thoughts of He Kao. One can imagine the brainstorming he went through after taking a scroll into the Floating Colors Grotto Heaven, but in the end, he had to accept the confirmed facts.

Knowledge stems from phenomena. When the established knowledge system cannot provide the answer, it is better to return to the phenomenon itself. He Kao ultimately let go of various thoughts and decided to take a good look at this Grotto Heaven Secret Realm.

He walked in, immersing himself to feel the mountains, rivers, grass, and trees.

Following the yellow dirt road into the valley, the road zigzagged between two mountain ranges, and at its end, the view suddenly opened up. In the distance, directly facing this Grotto Heaven World’s highest point, there lay a flat basin.

Two rivers meandered along the basin’s edge, converging at the valley’s mouth.

The sound of running water had been audible along the way, the mountain stream likely just off the path, but the view was obscured by dense vegetation. Now by the water, there was a white stone three-arch bridge over the river.

The bridge was about a zhang wide, with no railings. The water beneath flowed clear and bottomless, with small waves and visible swimming fish. There was a stone archway at the bridge’s end, inscribed with four large characters “Floating Colors Grotto Heaven”.

The characters were clearly written rather than carved, black ink on a white stone plaque. Yet the ink seemed to penetrate the stone as if part of the natural grain, achievable only with artifact refining techniques.

The stone archway was a double-beam four-post structure, with the plaque inserted between the top and bottom beams. On the inner sides of the two arch posts were written a couplet—

“Beyond the clouds and mountains the Immortal Transformation Realm merely reflects,

Viewing the world through the years is akin to creating it.”

The couplet had no attribution, unknown who wrote it, also using ink forced into the stone.

He Kao was not an expert in ancient architecture and was unsure of the stone archway’s era, but based on Magic Sect records of the Hidden Moth Lineage, this place had been unvisited for at least eleven hundred years.

Yet the stone archway looked as new, with no thousand-year weathering marks, not even the slightest dust or dirt… He Kao was no longer surprised by this, for the things of the Immortal Family defy common sense.

The road disappeared behind the stone archway. Viewing the basin again, circled by two rivers, it was about seven to eight hundred meters in radius, covering half a square kilometer or so.

In the outside real world, this place would be a township, such as Phoenix Tail Town’s local government, with about a thousand households. But within the Grotto Heaven, there was no village, no signs of man-made structures.

If a place had been wild for a thousand years, one would expect overgrown weeds and trees, as evident around the basin.

Yet the basin’s scene differed, like a recently leveled land, covered in low grass just reaching one’s ankles.

The wild grasses were diverse, with colorful small flowers, some bearing bead-like fruits, appearing like a colorful carpet from afar, while the surrounding hills seemed like a multicolored curtain.

The name “Floating Colors” was indeed fitting.

Along the way, He Kao discovered various herbs, though to him, many common weeds were medicinal, and with proper cooking, could make various dishes.

But clearly, many of the flowers and grasses here were not ordinary, likely cultivation spirit medicine, and He Kao, having learned much from Lin Qingshuang, recognized many of them.

This was an expected find, with a thousand-year-sealed Immortal Grotto Heaven likely to have various spirit medicines growing. However, He Kao sought remnants left by ancients, like what might have been left by generations of Hidden Moth Sect ancestors?

Given the Hidden Moth’s abilities across generations, what treasures could they not collect? If he were to find magical treasures or even divine artifacts here, it wouldn’t be surprising.

However, to He Kao’s disappointment, he found none of these relics. There wasn’t even a trace of abandoned buildings; it was completely undeveloped wildland.

Though his primordial spirit had long known the Grotto Heaven’s condition, he couldn’t help feeling regret, with the odd suspicion that this place had been “refreshed” like a program, removing all “drops”.

Playing too many games, such a mentality was inevitable.

The only remaining human-made relics were the stone bridge and archway at the entrance. He Kao glanced back, seeing two large characters “Hidden Moth” on the plaque behind the stone archway.

Hidden Moth referred to a person, while Hidden Moth in this context should refer to this Grotto Heaven, the majestic mountains and rivers hidden in the world, or perhaps suggest another realm.

He Kao turned around and continued on his way. There wasn’t even a single house here; if it rained, there’d be nowhere to hide. Just as he thought this, it really started to rain—a light drizzle in the early morning, while the sky in the distance was already slightly bright.

He Kao, in his midnight sitting meditation, broke through the Demon Realm, attaining Tier Four Cultivation, casually refining Xue Guanghan into an artifact. Guided by an unseen force, he arrived at Gu Mountain Secret Mansion, opened the scroll gate, and entered the Floating Colors Grotto Heaven.

Then he felt that this world had a bug, as he brought the scroll into the Grotto Heaven and took it to many places, including capturing a monkey and taking it to Sawa Country, then returning it to Gu Mountain—all these activities were done in the latter half of the night.

Rain threads drifted down his body but didn’t wet his hair or clothes, and soon he found a place to shelter from the rain.

By now, he had crossed the basin and arrived at the foot of the mountain peak. The mountain wall here was very steep, with a recessed area like a natural stone chamber, about five or six meters high, six or seven meters wide, and more than four meters deep.

At the deepest part was a smooth stone wall, its textures resembling a natural landscape painting.

What kind of landscape was it? If the figure of Immortal Tan in the “Tan Xian’s Walking Stick Painting,” as well as Leidunzi’s signature, were erased, and some detailed sketches removed, leaving only the outline of mountains and rivers, it would be similar to the textures on this stone wall.

The stone wall textures clearly depicted the mountains and rivers here, from the Lingxi Sect’s Flower Shocking Grotto Heaven to the Xingshen Sect’s Fengyu Grotto Heaven, and the Grotto Heaven Secret Realms of the other Seven Great Magic Sects. The topography was the same, and all had such a natural stone niche.

In those seven Grotto Heavens, this position was actually where the Sect Ancestral Hall was located, with courtyards and various buildings in front of the stone chamber. The final courtyard was next to the cliff, with the stone niche right in the center.

In the halls of the buildings in front, one could pay homage to the ancestral masters of past generations, storing various inheritance texts and artifacts, but the most important sacred site was this stone niche, where what was worshiped was the natural landscape on the stone wall.

In the eyes of Magic Sect Disciples, it was a symbol representing master and law, also symbolizing the world of the Magic Sect’s heritage.

The rock in front of the stone wall extended out like a smooth and natural incense table. He Kao glanced at it and disappeared; when he reappeared, he had brought an incense burner, candlestick and other items.

After thinking for a bit, he turned back home, fetched two vases, and picked various mountain flowers to place in them, completing the five offerings with the two candlesticks and an incense burner, lighting incense candles to worship.

This should have been the first worship ceremony here in more than eleven hundred years. After the worship, he thought for a while and simply hung that “Tan Xian’s Walking Stick Painting” in this place.

The drizzle stopped, and he began his mountain ascent in the morning light. The mountain had a winding path, parts of which were carved into the giant rocks, and even after years had not been overtaken by wild grass.

The mountain path after the rain was very slippery, with many steep places, but nothing could stop He Kao, who was a High-tier Sorcerer. Even if his cultivation hadn’t broken through to Tier Four, he had mastered the Earth Formation Skill from the Heart Plate Sect well, and his footing was excellent.

From the location of Floating Colors Platform to the distant main peak’s top, the elevation difference exceeded kilometers, and the journey was up and down, crossing several peaks. For another person, even if very fit and fully equipped, it might take an entire day.

In reality, at Phoenix Tail Town, Floating Colors Platform’s altitude is around 1200 meters, while the highest point of the northern ridge is over 2500 meters above sea level.

He Kao admired the scenery along the way; as he climbed higher, the vegetation gradually changed, with ancient trees hundreds or even thousands of years old visible at any time, along with many rare flowers and plants.

As daylight brightened, he gradually heard birds singing, with water sounds near and far. Occasionally, springs and cascading waterfalls appeared along the path; there were no bridges, but one could jump across the stones in the water.

There were many wild animals here… Mountain chickens looked quite delicious, and tree-dwelling clouded leopards, thinking they were well hidden, but He Kao’s Divine Sense had long discovered them.

As he walked on, the surroundings were soon shrouded in thick fog, and once his sight cleared again, he had passed through the clouds. At dawn, he happened upon ascending a peak, gazing at a higher peak ahead while standing above the cloud sea in the morning glow.

The scenery before him was extremely breathtaking, yet He Kao didn’t pull out his phone to take pictures; he simply stood and observed quietly.

As the sun gradually rose higher, He Kao walked down into the cloud sea; the clouds dispersed with the mountain wind, and he steadily climbed step by step to the highest peak in this painting.

Standing atop the peak looking ahead, the terrain of mountains and rivers stretched endlessly, yet he could no longer proceed as this place marked the boundary of the Grotto Heaven Secret Realm.

This Grotto Heaven Secret Realm was boundless, yet it had boundaries.

The so-called boundless meant that everything seen along the way—sun, moon, stars, wind, rain, mountains, and rivers—appeared just like the natural landscapes outside in Phoenix Tail Town, as if located on the same planet, with the cosmos beyond.

The area of Floating Colors Grotto Heaven spanned several hundred square kilometers—vast yet small.

Because a confined space of several hundred square kilometers couldn’t possibly form such landscapes and ecosystems, nor could it explain the climate changes and existence of sun, moon, and stars.

Thus, it was like a courtyard on the starry universe’s planet; everything beyond the boundary seemed both existent and nonexistent.

The reason it seemed nonexistent was quite simple, as He Kao couldn’t leave; the entire universe beyond the boundary was like a rendered program segment without open operation permissions.

Or perhaps, the entire universe was the underlying operating system, and the Domain of Floating Colors Grotto Heaven was a program segment He Kao could execute… for ordinary people, this was how they used computers.

**

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