As if aware of Meng Qi’s perception, the peach suddenly withdrew with a swish, disappearing so quickly that Meng Qi almost thought it had been an illusion.
A spirit-imbued peach? A chill ran through Meng Qi’s heart. In a world filled with deities, demons, and immortals, the idea of a peach spirit wasn’t surprising, yet this particular peach was extremely eerie. Its entire body radiated a blood-red glow, its skin was translucent, and its flesh seemed filled with blood vessels and meridians. Moreover, it had grown inside the skull of an ancient longevity deity—just looking at it was enough to make one’s skin crawl.
Regardless of its origins, why had it followed him without reason? Did it harbor ill intentions or good?
Many evil sects cultivated fetuses into powerful beings; innocent-looking children with pure eyes were often terrifying symbols of cruelty and malice. Even though the peach had not shown any evil intent, Meng Qi remained cautious.
“Just now, the Great Dao Tree seemed to react to it. Could it have sensed the tree as well, prompting it to risk leaving the Peach Garden to follow me?” Meng Qi mused inwardly. As his gaze and perception began to withdraw, the eerie peach once again timidly peeked out, trying to observe Meng Qi.
Upon noticing Meng Qi’s attention, it quickly vanished again, shrouded in swirling mist, leaving Meng Qi unable to track it.
“Does my husband have something troubling him?” Gu Xiaosang asked, feigning concern.
Meng Qi hesitated briefly. “Back in the Peach Garden, did you see that strange blood-colored peach inside the longevity deity’s skull? The more I think about it, the more unsettling it seems.”
Gu Xiaosang, knowledgeable and seemingly well-informed, was someone Meng Qi was willing to swallow his pride to ask for advice.
“With such an eye-catching presence, how could I have missed it?” Gu Xiaosang smiled sweetly. “As the Dao moves in opposites, it seems to symbolize the negative aspect of the Peach Garden, absorbing most of the longevity deity’s essence and undergoing some bizarre transformation. Whether it’s a hidden trick left by the deity or something else, I’m afraid I don’t know.”
If even you claim ignorance, what does that make me? A clueless hick? Meng Qi inwardly grumbled.
Just as he suspected Gu Xiaosang was deliberately withholding information, he heard her melodious voice continue, “Since the end of the ancient era, the changes to the world’s lifespan have never ceased. Though the process has accelerated or abruptly changed many times, fundamentally, it’s still part of the same event. Since this is the first occurrence in this current aeon, how can I claim to know what the peach truly is without any reference?”
“Perhaps only those ancient beings who survived from the previous aeon could identify it—they’ve likely witnessed such phenomena more than once.”
“The previous aeon?” Meng Qi furrowed his brows slightly. The term “aeon” Gu Xiaosang used seemed different from what he understood.
Wasn’t an aeon just another term for an era? Was the Taigu era one aeon, followed by Shanggu, Zhonggu, and Jinggu as subsequent aeons?
Gu Xiaosang chuckled. “Later generations loosely equated ‘era’ with the ancient term ‘aeon,’ but how can the vast transformations of the world be exactly the same?”
“If you encounter ancient sages clinging to life from the Shanggu era, they might indeed refer to Taigu as the previous aeon, but the next aeon has yet to ‘arrive.'” Her eyes twinkled with amusement as she cast a sly glance at Meng Qi.
“The next aeon hasn’t arrived yet? So we’re still in the ‘Shanggu era’?” Meng Qi was slightly surprised, though it didn’t feel particularly significant to him which aeon they were in.
The more they conversed, the more Meng Qi felt that Gu Xiaosang possessed extensive knowledge of ancient secrets, as if everything was within her grasp.
The swirling mist ahead gradually thinned, and Gu Xiaosang’s star-like eyes sparkled as she succinctly concluded, “Before Shanggu, there were multiple aeons collectively known as Taigu. They may have also experienced a similar decline in the world’s lifespan. Perhaps that peach is a malevolent remnant from the previous aeon.”
“A malevolent remnant from the previous aeon?” Meng Qi’s heart trembled involuntarily. He instinctively tried to sense the peach behind him again, but it seemed to have been scared off, leaving no trace.
If it had followed the Great Dao Tree here, it should reappear… Meng Qi remained deeply wary of Gu Xiaosang. The Great Dao Tree appeared closely linked to the Immortal Realm, and might serve as a trump card, so he decided not to reveal it for now.
The mist grew increasingly thin, even carrying a sinister and resentful aura. While remaining vigilant for the eerie peach, Meng Qi drew his saber and sword, eyeing the path ahead. “Where is this?”
“It’s the Gate of Divine Punishment. Divided into the Dragon-Dismembering Platform, Demon-Slaying Platform, Demoness-Chopping Platform, Deity-Hanging Platform, and the Immortal-Degrading Pool, countless powerful demons, fiends, and immortals have been executed here. Their lingering essence pierces the heavens, and their thoughts remain, filled with curses, resistance, and desperate pleas.” Gu Xiaosang’s gaze turned deep and solemn, her usual smile fading, replaced by a sacred and compassionate expression, as if genuinely moved. “When the Nine Heavens shattered, it should have marked the end of the aeon, but something went wrong, prolonging its effects until now, leaving places like this lingering.”
Such a place was likely even more dangerous than the Peach Garden!
A chilling wind blew, and Meng Qi seemed to hear the voices of countless powerful beings from the three realms—shrieks of pain, anger, defiance, curses—shaking his very soul and slowing his thoughts.
Yet, an uncontrollable thought still surfaced in his mind:
Didn’t the Great Sage Equal to Heaven survive unscathed after being punished on the Demon-Slaying Platform?
…
The Solar Sovereign “Xi” and the Northern Dipper Sovereign simultaneously stepped into the vortex and appeared within the Peach Garden.
The soil was stained with blood, and the sight of the withered, eerie peach trees met their eyes.
“The Peach Garden?” The Northern Dipper Sovereign found it hard to believe this hellish place could be the legendary Peach Garden. Wasn’t it supposed to be filled with pure energy and a fragrant aroma, where a single breath could extend one’s life by centuries?
Xi, wearing the solemn mask of the Solar Sovereign, remained silent, seemingly as surprised as the Northern Dipper Sovereign by the garden’s current state.
Both were seasoned Revenants, experienced in the Outer Scenery. Faced with this anomaly, they discarded any carelessness and each retrieved an item.
Xi held a crimson bird, its feathers resembling condensed flames, while the Northern Dipper Sovereign grasped a snow-white weasel, its body seemingly covered in frost.
As they released the creatures, the bird and weasel suddenly turned back as if sensing something.
Whoosh! A cold wind blew, and both the flame bird and snow weasel collapsed lifelessly, as if their lifespans had abruptly ended, their eyes still wide with confusion.
The Northern Dipper Sovereign inhaled sharply, unable to suppress his astonishment, for he had sensed nothing—no formation, no change!
How eerie was this!
Suddenly, Xi softly uttered, “Let’s keep moving. No matter what happens, don’t stop, don’t look back, don’t turn around, and don’t retrieve anything.”
As he spoke, he inscribed indelible words on the ground near the entrance, a message for Han Guang and Gao Lan who would follow.
“What?” The Northern Dipper Sovereign had no intention of advancing.
Without further explanation, Xi radiated a golden glow, forming a towering, thirty-three-layered illusory pagoda around himself, exuding sacredness and repelling all evil. At the same time, he stepped forward on a surge of majestic purple energy, avoiding death and seeking life, striding ahead fearlessly.
The Northern Dipper Sovereign’s eyes flickered briefly, his demeanor turning cold and profound once more, before he chose to follow.
…
Boom!
The swirling mist trembled, and clear light rippled outward as purple clouds rose into the sky, and the power of countless beings transformed into a sword.
“Cui Qinghe’s eyes darkened slightly, his heart stirred with surprise. The fragment of the Celestial Court seemed to have already become someone else’s foundation, with numerous forbidden techniques set up and connected into a grand formation!
This was completely unexpected when he entered!
If so, what value did the ruins of the Nine Heavens still hold?
Under Cui Qinghe and Sima Shi’s leadership, imperial officials and Six Sects’ divine hunters struggled to counter the formation.
Han Guang stood in midair, his wide robe fluttering like a god or demon, manipulating the grand formation to unleash heavenly thunder and netherwater.
“If we have ten days or half a month, we can deal a heavy blow to the Jin Dynasty,” Gao Lan, dressed in black robes, said with imposing presence.
Han Guang, calm and composed, replied, “On one hand, we have the upper three layers of the Nine Heavens; on the other, we might face enemies with powerful reinforcements. Which do you think we should choose?”
Gao Lan didn’t answer, instead shooting straight into the sky.
Han Guang fully activated the formation to delay and obstruct, then followed upward.
Destroying the main forces of the Jin aristocrats led by Cui Qinghe was his desire, but while within the Celestial Court, he was unaware of the outside world’s changes. He worried that at a critical moment, a half-Step Divine Body wielding a divine weapon might come to reinforce, or even several Divine Bodies. In that case, not only would success be unlikely, but he might also miss the opportunity to explore the upper layers of the Nine Heavens.
Prioritizing reason, he chose the latter!
…
A towering, ancient gate appeared before Meng Qi’s eyes, behind which stood a bloodstained execution platform. Phantom true dragons danced in the dark clouds, their lingering resentment unbroken, their malice bone-deep.
Each dragon was once a mighty immortal or deity, and the concentration of their lingering willpower here sent a chill through Meng Qi’s very soul.
A golden lotus bloomed, giving birth to the Primordial Will, and Meng Qi barely steadied his mind. He felt an overwhelming pressure here, making it difficult to connect with heaven and earth. Even using divine weapon materials, their effects would be reduced to less than a tenth.
How could it be like this?
“As a place of execution, the surrounding laws naturally suppress powerful beings. Otherwise, why would it be chosen?” Gu Xiaosang seemed to sense Meng Qi’s confusion and lightly explained with a smile. In her star-like eyes, two white lotuses slowly bloomed.
Roar!
Dragon roars echoed endlessly, and Meng Qi trembled slightly, forcing himself to move forward.
…
On the misty path, the Northern Dipper Sovereign exhaled in relief. “I didn’t expect the longevity deity to die here.”
“Perhaps he sensed something beforehand…” Xi replied evasively.
The Northern Dipper Sovereign didn’t dwell on the oddity, stating solemnly, “Thanks to them clearing the way, we’ve made smoother progress. We should catch up soon!”
“Ahead is the Gate of Divine Punishment. They won’t be able to pass quickly,” Xi gazed into the distance, speaking indifferently.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage