Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 965: The Deserted Garden

"This is Celestial Blossom Lake?" The Nine Phoenix King said nothing more. She cast a glance outside the stone hall, her figure flashing as she flew out, leaving behind only a faint remark. "There are still matters that require your attention. Follow me."

The demons exchanged glances. They had thought the task was already completed with ease, but it seemed there were further twists. No one dared disobey the Nine Phoenix King’s command, and they hurried after her.

Qin Sang felt helpless and could only endure. He noticed, however, that Yuan Zhu deliberately stayed at the rear, his gaze somewhat unusual.

"Daoist Yuan, what is it?" Qin Sang asked curiously.

Yuan Zhu shook his head and forced a smile. "I had an important matter to attend to. I wonder if there will still be time... Sigh!"

The two of them quickly followed the others back above the hills. The Nine Phoenix King cast several streaks of flowing light. In an instant, the cave entrance restored itself as if untouched, now reinforced with a sturdy barrier to prevent immortal cultivators from intruding by accident.

"Caiyi, where are the Spiritual Infant cultivators among those immortals now?" After setting the barrier, the Nine Phoenix King questioned Fairy Caiyi beside her.

Fairy Caiyi replied, "Ninth Aunt, Daoist Gu Heng and I entered immediately after Seven-Kill Hall opened and investigated carefully. We found that some of the Spiritual Infant cultivators of both races have already entered the seventh level of the Sky Tower, including Lingzhuzi of the Heavenly Dao Sect and the grand witch priest of the witch race. They have yet to emerge. The other Spiritual Infants scattered about, most of the witch race ones openly followed by human cultivators. Ninth Aunt, if you intend to go to the Sky Tower, you must be cautious."

"We are not going to the Sky Tower." The Nine Phoenix King’s eyes turned cold. "The fact that Lingzhuzi and the grand witch priest are in the Sky Tower is better. It prevents them from interfering with my plans."

Fairy Caiyi led the way beside the Nine Phoenix King. The Nine Phoenix King deliberately slowed her evasion technique. She took out a geomantic map, occasionally questioning Fairy Caiyi, seemingly confirming something.

The demons remained silent, following closely. But not long after they left, a muffled rumble suddenly echoed ahead, like an earthquake. A moment later, a faint vibration spread from among the poisonous algae. The demons all froze.

"Did you discover anything when you came in?" The Nine Phoenix King halted her light, narrowing her beautiful eyes and staring ahead.

Fairy Caiyi shook her head with doubt. "No. Everything was normal when we came. We did not encounter any cultivators. Perhaps some barrier was triggered by accident. Ninth Aunt, should we go take a look?"

The Nine Phoenix King shook her head. "Forget it. The greater matter takes precedence. Do not invite unnecessary trouble."

The demons resumed their flight, though with greater caution. Aside from that tremor, nothing else happened. Before long, they reached the outer perimeter of Celestial Blossom Lake again, heading toward the exit.

Just then, the Nine Phoenix King seemed to sense something. She abruptly stopped, frowning as she looked toward another direction of the lake. Qin Sang and the others finally noticed the distant disturbance. Faint beastly roars and sonic booms came from afar.

To their surprise, the Nine Phoenix King fixed her gaze in that direction for a moment, then her figure flashed. She changed course and shot toward the sounds. Her evasion technique was so fast she easily left Qin Sang and the others behind.

The demons hurried to catch up. When they finally did, they saw the Nine Phoenix King clutching a cultivator by the throat. Below her, in the poisonous swamp, lay the corpse of a ferocious beast.

The cultivator was still alive. Terror still lingered on his face. Seeing so many people suddenly appear, his fear deepened, and he struggled to speak. "Thank you, Senior, for slaying the beast and saving my life. I am willing to..."

Before he could finish, his eyes suddenly rolled back. His limbs convulsed, his expression twisted in pain, and a hoarse sound rattled from his throat before all breath left him.

"As expected!" The Nine Phoenix King discarded the corpse, murmuring with a hint of joy on her face. Without another word, she shot forward again.

Qin Sang and the others, full of questions, only had time to glance quickly at the cultivator and beast corpses before chasing after her. Qin Sang did not recognize the cultivator. What drew his attention was the beast’s corpse.

It resembled a black wolf, ferocious and savage. This was the first time he had ever seen such a creature.

Soon, after crossing two mountain ridges, they came upon an unexpected sight. On a raised ridge stood several ancient wooden towers, most of them submerged in the sea of poisonous algae with only their spires exposed.

Among the towers were also several wooden halls scattered in an orderly fashion, also drowned beneath the poisonous growth.

"This place was once somewhat known. The rare thing is that it lies at the lake’s perimeter, where the toxins are weaker. Many cultivators once came to explore here, though over time it was abandoned," Fairy Caiyi explained, recognizing it from her research on Celestial Blossom Lake.

But she did not understand why the Nine Phoenix King had suddenly changed course to come here. The Nine Phoenix King's gaze swept across the ruins, then she pointed toward one hall. "There!"

The demons entered in single file. The barrier of the ancient hall had already been broken. Inside, the Nine Phoenix King stood with her hands clasped behind her back, facing a bare wall.

The hall was empty, long since stripped. If not for the ancient barriers, even the walls would have been dismantled.

"Ninth Aunt, is there some hidden secret here?" Fairy Caiyi asked in puzzlement, staring at the wall.

The Nine Phoenix King nodded faintly. "We descendants of the Heavenly Phoenix are especially sensitive to spatial fluctuations. Earlier I sensed something unusual. After searching the cultivator’s soul, I learned he had stumbled upon an ancient barrier and uncovered a place seemingly untouched by others."

"A barrier never opened before? Here?" Fairy Caiyi’s disbelief soon turned to delight. "Ninth Aunt, your fortune runs deep. To discover such a treasure land so soon after entering Seven-Kill Hall... If no cultivators have yet seized it, there must be many treasures within. Could it be a hidden realm? Was that wolf from inside the barrier?"

The Nine Phoenix King opened her palm, revealing a square white jade seal. She pressed it lightly against the center of the wall. Ripples spread across the surface, and then a moon gate appeared, leading to an unknown deserted garden.

The garden, too, was filled with poisonous weeds. The scene looked much like the outside, with no end in sight.

The Nine Phoenix King stepped through the gate. Her face shifted slightly as she warned, "It’s all poisonous algae, and the toxins here are far stronger than outside. You must not go too deep."

The demons were startled, hastily setting up protections before cautiously entering. Shockingly, the toxins at the garden's entrance already rivaled those in the depths of Celestial Blossom Lake. Those with only Thousand-Year Viper Pills but no other means of resistance dared not be careless. Only Qin Sang, Gu Heng, Fairy Caiyi, and Yuan Zhu remained calm.

Standing just beyond the gate, Qin Sang swept his gaze over the vast expanse of poisonous algae. His eyes flickered with surprise. Upon entering the garden, the silkworm within him suddenly stirred, conveying a deep hunger.

Since arriving at Celestial Blossom Lake, the silkworm had been silent. Qin Sang had assumed nothing here interested it. Unexpectedly, it reacted strongly the moment they stepped into this place.