Chapter 400: The Hidden Gate of Harmony Peak

Marcus stared toward the roaring waterfall, hands resting on the saddle as he slowly turned in a circle. The entire area was buried beneath enormous boulders, some stacked, some half-sunken into the earth, all slick with mist and moss. There had to be hundreds of them. Maybe more. Finding anything specific here felt like searching for a needle tossed into a mountain.

’Great. Just great.’

At least Liam had given precise instructions. Without them, Marcus was certain he would have wandered around for hours and still left empty-handed.

He guided Blackie closer to a massive rock looming near the water’s edge. Calling it a boulder almost felt insulting. The thing was easily the size of ten grown men standing shoulder to shoulder. At first glance it looked completely ordinary, just another piece of the landscape weathered by years of wind and spray.

Only when Marcus leaned forward did he notice it.

A carving no larger than his fist lay etched into the stone’s surface. Two serpents intertwined, their bodies coiling around one another in perfect symmetry. Time had nearly erased the design. The lines were shallow, worn smooth by rain and age. If he had not been deliberately searching, he would have walked straight past it without a second thought.

’This hidden? Yeah, something’s definitely going on here.’

He studied the carving for another moment, curiosity prickling at him.

’So what exactly does this thing do?’

Following Liam’s instructions, Marcus faced the boulder directly and spoke the phrase aloud.

"Balance of forces, open the way."

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then the Twin Serpent carving began to spin.

Light and darkness bled from the symbol, twin streams of energy racing across the stone’s surface like liquid lightning. One shimmered pale and radiant, the other deep and shadowed. The two forces intertwined, chasing each other in endless motion until the entire boulder trembled.

The stone dissolved.

Where solid rock had stood moments ago now hung a swirling vortex of dark and light energy, turning slowly like a living doorway.

Marcus blinked.

’What the hell...’

Curiosity overrode caution almost instantly. Waiting around for permission had never really been his style anyway. He nudged Blackie forward and rode straight into the portal.

Fwoosh.

Energy surged around him, swallowing sight and sound. For a brief instant his body felt weightless, as if reality itself had been peeled away. Then the sensation vanished just as suddenly.

The world changed. Marcus inhaled sharply.

"Holy..."

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

’Beautiful.’

Even after everything he had seen in Dominion, even after legendary cities and hidden dungeons and impossible landscapes, the view before him stole the breath from his lungs.

He stood at the foot of a lush green mountain wrapped in soft mist. A clear stream wound gently through flowering grass nearby, its water sparkling beneath warm sunlight. Trees swayed in a calm breeze that carried the faint scent of pine and something sweeter he could not quite name.

But what truly captured his attention was the path.

A stone trail curved upward along the mountainside, elegant and deliberate, connecting tier upon tier of ancient buildings that climbed toward the summit. Each structure blended perfectly with the mountain, as if grown from it rather than built upon it. Roof tiles gleamed softly. Wooden balconies overlooked drifting clouds. The entire complex radiated quiet life and purpose.

High above, twin-colored clouds of pale gold and deep violet circled the peak. Strange birds, graceful and unreal, glided through the sky like creatures pulled from mythology. Thin ribbons of smoke rose from distant chimneys, and somewhere near the summit a massive bell rang, its deep tone echoing across the valley.

It felt less like a location in a game and more like stepping into a legend.

’Yeah. This has to be Harmony Peak.’

Marcus stood there for several seconds, completely absorbed. He had never imagined Dominion contained places like this. The architecture carried an ancient elegance, traditional yet alive, exactly the kind of scenery he loved exploring.

Almost reflexively, he opened his recording feature and began capturing everything.

A sharp voice shattered the moment.

"Who goes there? How dare you trespass on Harmony Peak!"

A group of disciples rushed toward him from the mountain gate. Their movements were swift but controlled, each step precise. The men wore black robes, the women white, long swords resting across their backs. They looked like martial artists pulled straight from an old wuxia film, graceful yet unmistakably dangerous.

They stopped several paces away, studying him carefully.

Marcus realized why almost immediately. His armor still carried its dark, soul-haunted aura, shadows clinging faintly to the metal. Compared to the serene surroundings, he probably looked like he had wandered in from an entirely different world.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Honestly, he had no idea how to start explaining himself.

A voice called from above.

"Is this the knight called Stonehaven?"

Marcus looked up.

"Whoa."

A man descended from high along the mountain path, easily five hundred feet above ground. He stood calmly atop a glowing dark cloud, robes fluttering as he glided downward with effortless control.

Cloud-riding.

Marcus’s heart skipped. Was this guy actually flying? Was he on the level of a Mythic Beast?

He glanced at Blackie, then at the Seven-Colored Divine Eagle perched proudly on Blackie’s head, then back at the descending figure.

’Am I playing the wrong game right now?’

Everything before him screamed Eastern Fantasy.

The disciples bowed respectfully as the man landed and stepped off the cloud.

"Uncle."

The title alone told Marcus this was someone important.

"I am Stonehaven," Marcus said quickly, straightening instinctively. "The King of the Mountains, Liam Windrunner, invited me to Harmony Peak."

The formal tone slipped out before he even noticed. Something about this place made casual speech feel inappropriate.

The man examined him carefully, then broke into a warm laugh.

"Stonehaven. So it really is you. I am Shadow Panther of the Harmony Peak Sect. I was meant to receive you earlier, but you arrived faster than expected. My apologies. Liam is waiting for you at the Wind-Hearing Pavilion."

He gestured up the mountain.

"Please, follow me."

"Thanks."

Marcus dismissed Blackie and followed him through the gate. Carved into the towering pillars were three bold words declaring the sect’s name: Harmony Peak Sect.

As they passed, two young women in white robes watched Marcus with open curiosity. Their gazes softened almost immediately, shifting into unmistakably flirtatious smiles.

"Young master," one said sweetly, "if you have time, this humble girl would gladly accompany you."

Marcus nearly stumbled.

’Wow. No hesitation at all.’

Harmony Peak clearly didn’t believe in subtlety. Unfortunately for them, while the girls were undeniably pretty, they were not quite enough to derail his focus.

"Heh..."

He laughed awkwardly, suddenly aware that Shadow Panther was watching.

To Marcus’s surprise, the man looked amused rather than annoyed.

"You truly are Liam’s guest," Shadow Panther said. "Our disciples rarely show interest so quickly."

Marcus scratched his cheek, unsure how to respond, and Shadow Panther continued, noticing his confusion.

"Our sect cultivates through the world’s dual energies. There are two paths. One is solitary cultivation. The other is harmonic union. Harmonic union requires genuine mutual affection, and once partners choose each other, that bond cannot be changed."

’Oh...’

So not a strange cult. Just... structured matchmaking powered by cultivation.

Marcus felt faintly embarrassed about the assumptions that had flashed through his mind earlier. His imagination had definitely gone in the wrong direction.

Shadow Panther laughed softly at his reaction.

"Since Liam invited you personally, you are clearly no demon or corrupted being. If you find someone here you connect with, harmonic union could greatly strengthen your abilities."

This sect is way too direct. Marcus felt heat creep up his face.

"Thanks. I’ll... keep that in mind."

He picked up his pace slightly, hoping to escape the topic.

They continued climbing, stone steps winding endlessly upward. Shadow Panther pointed out buildings along the way, explaining the sect’s history and architecture while disciples passed respectfully, some bowing, others watching Marcus with open curiosity.

After a while, Marcus’s curiosity won out.

"Shadow Panther, earlier you were riding a cloud. How strong are you compared to a Mythic Beast?"

"A Mythic Beast?" Shadow Panther chuckled awkwardly. "Ten of me... Twenty of me, is still not enough."

Marcus blinked. That big a gap?

"Then the cloud-riding..."

Shadow Panther looked toward the drifting twin-colored clouds above.

"True cloud-riding is an advanced technique reserved for masters. I am only a third-generation disciple. It will take another ten or twenty years before I can learn it properly."

He murmured an incantation, summoning the dark cloud again beneath his feet.

"This is a Harmony Cloud, a magical artifact forged by our elders using the peak’s dual energies. Within Harmony Peak it moves freely, but outside I can only use it for about ten minutes a day, and it cannot rise higher than twenty feet."

He glanced at Marcus with clear envy.

"Liam told me about you. You possess a flying mount. That black warhorse earlier... that was it, correct?"

Marcus nodded proudly. Blackie absolutely deserved admiration.

Based on the conversation, Marcus estimated Shadow Panther’s strength somewhere around Level 70 or 80. More importantly, Marcus began to suspect Harmony Peak itself was still a sealed region within Dominion, an area not yet open to ordinary players.

The only reason he had access was because of Liam’s trial.

’There is still so much hidden in this game.’

The climb continued for more than an hour before they finally reached a quiet wooden residence near the summit. The structure overlooked drifting clouds and distant peaks, its design simple yet elegant.

Shadow Panther stopped before the entrance.

"The Wind-Hearing Pavilion."

Inside, waiting calmly as if he had known the exact moment Marcus would arrive, stood Liam Windrunner, the King of the Mountains.