Chapter 262: It's Just a Cute Snow Hare

"Is this the Valley of Death?"

The viewers in the stream were still reeling from Ning Fei's words.

They stared at the broadcast on their screens.

Mountains surrounded him on all sides, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The only gap in the terrain lay far behind him—the path he had taken to get here.

In other words, right at this moment, Ning Fei was entirely boxed in by peaks thousands of meters high.

Snow-capped mountains filled the view. The pristine white snow, accumulated over countless years, intertwined with the jagged, exposed black rock.

A sense of ancient, boundless desolation washed over everyone.

This was a sacred mountain of Huaxia, known as the ancestor of the Dragon Veins. The terrain was incredibly treacherous.

"Temple Master Ning is too bold. I can't believe he actually came to a place like this."

"The stream is going to get intense over the next few days."

"Silently praying for Temple Master Ning. I heard the snowy region is full of terrifying dangers."

"Yeah, wasn't there that glacier enthusiast a while back? He spent most of his life exploring glaciers and still ended up in a fatal accident."

"I really envy their free-spirited nature and their pursuit of freedom."

"I think Temple Master Ning should be fine."

"He's a proper immortal—what's the big deal about him visiting an immortal mountain?"

The chat was buzzing with discussion as countless viewers fretted over Ning Fei's safety.

Ning Fei spoke up to reassure them.

"Don't worry, everyone. I'll pay strict attention to my safety while climbing."

"I'm not someone who seeks thrills just for the sake of them."

"I just want to witness the extraordinary scenery of nature."

Pointing toward the east, he continued, "Look at that mountain over there. The ridge rolls smoothly, and the slopes aren't too sheer."

"It's also the highest peak in this immediate area."

"That's where I'm heading."

The viewers followed his gaze.

A towering mountain surged from the earth, connecting seamlessly with the surrounding ranges.

Yet its peak rose so high that it dwarfed the neighboring summits, standing out like a crane among a flock of chickens.

Now that looked like a true immortal mountain!

Upon seeing the peak, the viewers felt a sense of pure holiness welling up from the bottom of their hearts.

It was like a pilgrimage!

It was just like the Potala Heavenly Palace. The reason so many devout believers prostrated themselves hundreds of meters away and crawled forward was because they could sense a sacred power radiating from that palace stretching across the horizon.

The viewers in the stream felt the exact same way. Just looking at such a magnificent, sprawling mountain range seemed to purify their minds.

"This reminds me of my road trip through Xizang," one viewer commented. "It's the exact same feeling I had when I first saw the salt lakes."

"+1. I've been there too. It really does cleanse the soul."

"Exactly like what we're experiencing right now in Temple Master Ning's stream."

Ning Fei continued forward. Before long, the little falcon swooped down to his side.

On this trip, Ning Fei had only brought the little falcon along.

As a bird of prey, the little falcon could easily adapt to all sorts of harsh environments.

Moreover, the largest population of Huaxia's white falcons lived in these western snowy regions. This place could very well be considered the little falcon's ancestral home.

The lower slopes were not difficult to climb. The incline was gentle, so Ning Fei simply had to maintain a steady, unhurried pace.

He was in excellent physical condition; this level of exertion didn't strain him at all.

"It's getting colder!"

Ning Fei remarked, noticing the sharp drop in temperature.

"I'm currently at an altitude of about 4,300 meters. That's already quite high. I can feel a slight resistance when I breathe, but it's nothing too serious."

Kuncheng was already at a high elevation to begin with. The higher Ning Fei climbed, the more noticeable the freezing temperatures became.

However, the air up here was exceptionally crisp.

Carrying a biting chill, it swept through his lungs and left him feeling incredibly clear-headed.

'Thank goodness for the System's Warmth skill,' Ning Fei thought silently to himself.

At that moment, his entire body felt exceptionally comfortable, completely unaffected by the freezing wind and snow.

"Did you know?" he addressed the camera. "Human technology is highly advanced nowadays."

"Yet there are still countless secrets in nature that humanity has not conquered."

"Take glaciers, for example."

"There was a news report a while back. Experts studied two ice cores from the glaciers here in Xizang and discovered twenty-eight viral groups that had never been seen before."

"Those ice cores came from pristine, unpolluted layers of ice. So, it's impossible to estimate just how many ancient viruses from tens of thousands of years ago lie dormant beneath this snow."

As soon as Ning Fei finished speaking, a collective chill ran down the viewers' spines.

"Hearing Temple Master Ning talk about it makes me realize how much danger humanity is actually in."

"That does sound pretty terrifying."

"I just searched up that news report, and it's totally real!"

"Is it really that scary?"

"That's why we must revere nature. Humanity boasts about conquering the natural world, but when you look at the Earth as a whole, we are truly insignificant."

"Isn't Temple Master Ning's Dao all about following nature and respecting it?"

Not long after, as Ning Fei continued his ascent, patches of snow began appearing on the ground.

"Now, I've officially entered the snowy region. From here on up, there will be nothing but endless white snow," Ning Fei announced.

Watching Ning Fei brave the snowy peak, the viewers couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration. At the same time, gazing at the imposing mountain, a lingering sense of fear tugged at their hearts.

The snowy mountain was genuinely intimidating.

For this ascent, Ning Fei had packed some high-calorie food. He hadn't brought much, though; it was strictly for emergencies.

Worst case scenario, he still had an Immortal bean, which would stave off hunger for three whole days. He had acquired the Immortal bean during his very first Ten-Pull from the System and had never found a reason to use it.

The terrain of the snowy mountain gradually became uneven. Several large boulders blocked the path ahead, forcing Ning Fei to climb over them.

For this expedition, he was equipped with specialized climbing gear, including Crampons, an Ice Axe, and snow goggles.

However, since the current conditions were relatively mild, he hadn't put the goggles on yet.

Once Ning Fei scaled that precarious section, the ground leveled out again.

The viewers finally let out a collective sigh of relief.

Watching him navigate that stretch had set their hearts pounding.

"I lost track of time while climbing. It's already well into the afternoon."

"I'm going to stop and eat something."

Ning Fei said, gazing straight ahead.

"There's nothing to eat on a snowy mountain. What are you going to eat, Temple Master Ning?" the viewers couldn't help but ask.

They were incredibly invested in how he was going to survive out here.

Ning Fei, on the other hand, wasn't worried in the slightest.

He had brought rations to deal with his hunger. As for drinking water, there was snow everywhere. He only needed to stuff some into the Spirit Treasure Gourd at his waist, and it would be ready to drink in no time.

The Spirit Treasure Gourd was an item he had drawn from the System. It functioned like a portable water purifier, completely filtering any impurities.

In Daoism, gourds had always been a common magical artifact—virtually standard issue for any Daoist priest.

"There's a snow hare up ahead,"

Ning Fei said suddenly, his eyes fixed on the distance.

Ever since he had entered the snowy region, the viewers had seen nothing but an endless expanse of white.

The drone panned forward. The viewers squinted in the direction Ning Fei was looking, but they couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary.

"A snow hare? Where?"

"Is Temple Master Ning hallucinating?"

"It's possible. Isn't snow blindness a thing? Staring at pure white snow for too long can easily cause hallucinations."

"I don't see any hare."

Ning Fei kept walking and said, "The snow hare is right over there."

"The Peak of the Kunlun Mountains is a snowy domain stretching for ten thousand li. The environment is harsh, yes, but because there's absolutely no human interference, a vast array of wildlife thrives here."

"The snow hare is one of them."

Then, Ning Fei called out softly, "Little falcon."

The very next second, the little falcon flapped its wings, taking off from Ning Fei's shoulder and darting straight ahead.

Startled by the falcon's sudden movement, a streak of white suddenly bolted. On the live stream, the viewers finally saw it—there really was a white hare running just ahead!

Its fur blended in so perfectly with the snow that no one had noticed it until it moved.

"It really is a hare!"

"I can't believe there are hares on a snowy mountain!"

"Rabbits are incredible. Forests, grasslands, snowy mountains... they're literally everywhere."

"It's mostly because they breed like crazy. Put two rabbits in a place with no natural predators, and they'll spawn an entire army in a few months."

"Not necessarily. What if they're both males?"

The little falcon was a master hunter, after all. The snow hare had scrambled away in terror the moment it spotted the raptor, but the little falcon still pinned it down easily. With a sharp bank, the bird wheeled around and flew right back to Ning Fei.

Ning Fei took the snow hare from the little falcon's talons.

The hare was tiny, barely the size of his palm.

More importantly, it was incredibly pretty. With its huge, round eyes, it was unbelievably cute.

Seeing the creature nestled in Ning Fei's hands, the chat exploded.

"Wow, that hare is so cute!"

"I'm dying from cuteness! So adorable!"

"What an adorable snow hare!"

"What is Temple Master Ning going to do? He's not planning to eat it, is he?"

"But bunnies are so cute..."

Ning Fei looked down at the hare in his hands and hesitated.

He had genuinely planned to catch a wild hare and roast it for lunch.

But staring into those wide, innocent eyes, his heart melted instantly.

There were wild hares back in Qinshan too. But those were brown, their fur was matted with dirt, and they looked rugged and wild.

This snow-dwelling hare, by contrast, was unspeakably adorable.

"Forget it. I brought some rations up with me anyway."

Ning Fei sighed.

Sometimes, pure cuteness could deal massive damage even to the toughest of men.

Loosening his grip, he let the snow hare go.

The moment its paws touched the snow, the terrified hare bolted, fleeing as fast as it could and leaving behind only a tiny trail of paw prints.

The little falcon gave a sharp cry, seemingly confused by this turn of events.

Ning Fei stroked the little falcon to comfort it.

"Let it go. It's just a little hare."