Chapter 1247: Anxious Pagyi Gesang

Everything at home had been upgraded and put in order, both weapons and personnel.

Now the Shelter was rock-solid, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it could withstand an entire region without deploying the Death Reaper of Love.

In the breeding farm, under Zhou Ke’er’s careful tending, colorful ground centipedes finally began to hatch.

Frog, unusually, donned a white coat and started meticulously overseeing the insect farming.

He truly loved this work—he had always been an insect enthusiast.

Most importantly, these insects were also edible, which was a delightful bonus!

Having spent his days rolling in the mud under the Egret River, he had finally found something he enjoyed and was good at, so he applied himself unusually diligently.

Gradually, the first batch of elemental ore was transported over from Shengjing.

Zhang Yi allocated the agreed 7% to Blizzard City through the Dimensional Space, 5% to Deng Technology, and brought the rest back to feed the ground centipedes and refine elemental materials.

Finally, when everything was ready, he decided it was time to go to the Snowy Plateau.

During this period, Pagyi Gesang had called him more than a dozen times via video.

Each time he pleaded earnestly for Zhang Yi to come to the Snowy Plateau to attend the Prayer Festival.

If not, he said, he could only flee the plateau with his trusted men and seek refuge in other regions.

According to Pagyi Gesang, as the Prayer Festival approached, the Yasha Langtai family had intensified pressure on the other three great chieftain families.

The head of the Yasha Langtai family, Deji—who, as the Khenpo of Sangha Monastery, held supreme political and religious power on the Snowy Plateau—had bluntly told them there were only two choices.

Either submit to the Yasha Langtai family, surrendering all lands and private troops, or wait to be exterminated by them.

Although the Lord of the Charnel Ground came from the Yasha Langtai family and was benevolent, not given to wanton slaughter, his presence meant no one dared oppose the Yasha Langtai family.

The other families would be left to suffer.

It wouldn’t take long before their families would be struck off the records of the Snowy Plateau.

The Xi family differed from other forces.

Their presence on the Snowy Plateau went back too far, and their influence among civilians and religious-political circles was enormous.

The Yasha Langtai family would never allow them to continue existing; once war began, they would be wiped out completely to prevent any resurgence.

Thus Pagyi Gesang’s calls to Zhang Yi grew increasingly desperate, even humbly pleading.

Zhang Yi took the opportunity to demand two more original copies of the Epic of King Gesar from him.

The more he read, the more alarmed he became, because the contents described were shockingly disturbing.

Some ancient tales revealed inside were too strange and unbelievable.

But now they no longer felt like myths; instead, they seemed like historical truths intentionally hidden.

“It’s about time to go.”

Zhang Yi found Yang Xinxin. When facing important decisions, he often liked to make them together with her.

One person’s thinking has limits, but two people’s blind spots shrink considerably.

Zhang Yi said to Yang Xinxin, “The Pagyi family holds secrets of ancient history. If we can get the full Epic of King Gesar, we might be able to, through the Demon Kingdom beneath the Great Snow Mountain, glimpse the mysteries of those subterranean peoples.”

“So I think we should go to this Prayer Festival.”

“At worst, we can try to seize it from Pagyi Gesang when the opportunity presents itself.”

Zhang Yi prepared for the worst-case scenario.

He was determined to obtain that Epic; if it could be acquired by legitimate means, all the better.

But if things got too troublesome and he couldn’t afford it, he wouldn’t hesitate to act like a villain and take it by force.

Yang Xinxin replied, “Pagyi asked us to come because they’re being driven into a corner. Using one enemy to swallow another is a desperate measure; they’ll certainly be on guard against us.”

“Still, whether it’s the full Epic of King Gesar or the secrets beneath the Great Snow Mountain, both have tremendous value.”

She looked at Zhang Yi. “Brother, suppose you met the Gatekeeper of the Netherworld from Mist Valley Abyss or the white-clothed child beneath the Qinling Mountains, what chance of victory would you give yourself?”

Zhang Yi was silent for a full twenty seconds.

Finally he said with a gloomy expression, “If I ran with everything I’ve got, they still wouldn’t have a one-hundred-percent chance of catching me. Maybe I could escape, maybe…”

Neither the black-armored Gatekeeper of the Netherworld nor the snake-headed, human-bodied Bai Longzi had used their full power when confronting them.

They seemed constrained by some limit, unable to leave their own domains.

That was why Zhang Yi and the other human Epsilons could escape; otherwise, they wouldn’t stand a chance against their strength.

Yang Xinxin said, “In that case, constant retreat is useless sometimes. If danger is inevitable, the best response is to keep getting stronger.”

Zhang Yi crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, thinking of the countless crossroads in his life.

Every choice there had been crucial.

A wrong step could ruin a lifetime.

He smiled faintly. “You’re right. Given the present situation, the Snowy Plateau is probably the most suitable place for me to go.”

“After all, even if the Demon Kingdom underground still exists, how strong could a people suppressed by human heroes more than two thousand years ago really be?”

He comforted himself with that thought and sighed inwardly. “I hope that after the Apocalypse, they didn’t produce individuals who grew overwhelmingly powerful. Or—maybe I can study why some subterranean people exhibit extraordinary power.”

Zhang Yi and Yang Xinxin discussed the plan in detail.

This trip to the Snowy Plateau would take everyone from home, leaving only Frog to manage the breeding farm.

If something really happened, it wouldn’t take long for them to return anyway.

Only a few combat personnel would appear publicly; the rest would remain hidden and avoid showing themselves.

This time they also needed to conceal their identities.

Only by hiding in the dark and observing opponents under the sun could they gain full advantage.

Pagyi Gesang had no reason to leak information about Zhang Yi and his people.

Then, if Zhang Yi suddenly revealed his power, it would catch the other families off guard.

After all, Zhang Yi didn’t know just how strong that heaven-granted Epsilon on the Snowy Plateau truly was.

According to Pagyi Gesang’s account, he was godlike on the plateau and could sweep aside any opponent with a single move.

After finishing their discussion, Zhang Yi summoned his portable Smart System and ordered it to contact Pagyi Gesang.

Author's Note