Reflection in Water

Qin Sang extended his divine sense into the jade slip. Half of a secret manual appeared in his mind. It indeed used poison dao to temper the body, but the manual had no name. Qingdan Yuanjun claimed to have obtained it by accident; it was not an authentic transmission of Leigu Mountain, otherwise she could not have given it to an outsider. Judging from just the first half, it was quite strange, but whether it was truly as profound as Qingdan Yuanjun said could only be confirmed upon seeing the complete manual. Qin Sang put away the jade slip and observed the palace ahead. The palace hovered within the poisonous mist, drifting ceaselessly like those banks of fog. Qin Sang surmised there must be some connection and pattern between the fog banks and the palace; perhaps the fog revolved around the palace. Previously, Qingdan Yuanjun had followed the fog banks for a long time, presumably using them to locate the palace. "Are there also flower fields and strange flower spirits within the palace?" The thought crossed Qin Sang's mind, and his wariness grew. From outside the palace, he could not see much. All the palaces were sealed by thick poisonous mist, even denser than the fog banks. Moreover, the palace undoubtedly contained powerful formations and restrictions fused with the mist, isolating it from outside perception and spying. All they could see were the roofs of palace after palace, and exquisitely carved ridge beasts. The ridge beasts included jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards, dragons, phoenixes, and auspicious beasts—too many to count—seemingly no different from mortal palaces, making it impossible to judge the palace's origins from these. Within Jushan Diocese, apart from the outermost Golden Hall, man-made halls and pavilions were actually very rare. Deep within the diocese, even if halls and pavilions existed, they were illusory scenes conjured by the divine powers of ancient mighty figures. This place seemed different, however; at least Qin Sang and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had not spotted any flaws. One could see that the palace grounds were vast, but there were not many halls—fewer than a hundred, large and small. Extending from the central courtyard to several palaces at the very rear, judging by their size, these should be the core main halls. "We enter from the central courtyard," Qingdan Yuanjun said in a low voice, looking toward the position of the main halls. Qin Sang could no longer hold back: "Fellow Daoists, shouldn't you tell this humble Daoist what exactly you are seeking?" Qingdan Yuanjun hesitated for a moment. Since they had come this far, there was indeed no need to conceal anything. She nodded. "What this humble Daoist seeks is a spirit tree. This tree is of great importance to my Leigu Mountain. I once caught a fleeting glimpse of its illusory shadow within the palace and am certain that spirit tree exists inside..." As she spoke, she pointed toward those main halls in the distance. "This tree should be near those palaces. As long as you, True One, help me find this tree, this humble Daoist will not only hand over the manual with both hands, but the treasures within the palace shall be for the two of you to choose first." Qin Sang smiled faintly. They had not yet entered the palace; who knew if treasures even existed inside? Discussing this now was premature. Unexpectedly, Qingdan Yuanjun paused, then said meaningfully, "This manual was obtained by this humble Daoist within the palace." Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this. So the manual came from here. Qingdan Yuanjun understood the art of offering flowers to the Buddha; since there was a manual, other treasures might exist as well. From Qingdan Yuanjun's tone, what she had explored before was only the outskirts of the palace. By common sense, the treasures in the core palaces would be of even higher grade. It had to be admitted that Qin Sang's interest had also been piqued. At this moment, a bank of fog drifted over from the distance. The three waited for the fog bank to pass, then their figures flickered and they arrived at the entrance to the palace's central courtyard. There ought to have been a gate at the entrance, but whether Qingdan Yuanjun had dismantled it or it had always been this way, the empty archway revealed the interior scenery without reservation. A garden! A hundred flowers bloomed, peach red and willow green. The moment he saw the garden, Qin Sang's mind tensed involuntarily, and he stopped subconsciously. Seeing Qin Sang's action, Boxian Shanren smiled. "When this humble Daoist first arrived, I was much like you, True One, and was nearly frightened. Rest assured, this garden differs from the flower fields within the fog banks; these are merely ordinary flowers, with no flower spirits. However, there is one thing to note after entering the palace: the palace differs from the outside world. The poisonous mist here will silently assail us, gradually accumulating toxins. Do not underestimate it." Qin Sang mused, "The mist inside and out seems no different. So you mean the mist outside is not non-toxic, but the accumulation is simply not enough?" If that were true, Qin Sang would also need to be vigilant, because his Poison-Warding Armor had not reacted. "Perhaps..." Boxian Shanren could not explain the reason, and followed Qingdan Yuanjun into the central courtyard. Qin Sang followed at a leisurely pace. The garden was large, square in shape. No one tended them, yet these flowers grew extremely well, and they were not spirit flowers. The garden's owner seemed to choose flowers by appearance. Qingdan Yuanjun, revisiting familiar ground, knew the way well and moved with great speed. Qin Sang observed the palace's surroundings as he went, but found no danger. At the end of the garden was an archway. According to Qingdan Yuanjun, the central courtyard should lead directly to the main halls, connected by one archway after another. The archway stood open, the path clear, but it was not so easy to traverse. She divided the palace into nine sections; previously, her furthest advance had been the seventh section, where she stopped. "The strange poison that afflicted your disciple—does it come from the main hall?" Along the way, Qin Sang had not sensed any aura similar to that strange power. Qingdan Yuanjun and Boxian Shanren both furrowed their brows. Boxian Shanren hesitated. "They were indeed afflicted by the strange poison when fleeing the palace, but whether the poison originated in the palace, we still cannot confirm." "What do you mean?" Qin Sang asked, puzzled. "When the disturbance came, Daoist Qingdan and I were helping our disciples stabilize the formation. The strange poison suddenly appeared beside us, as if seeping out from the void..." Boxian Shanren briefly explained what had happened then. Qin Sang frowned and pondered. As they spoke, they had already entered the second section of the palace; wherever they passed, loud thumping sounds arose continuously. Their enemies were stone beast statues crouching beside the garden, as if guarding spirit flowers. After they entered the palace, the stone beasts were startled and attacked wildly. Qin Sang did not act. Boxian Shanren and Qingdan Yuanjun could still handle them, allowing Qin Sang to conserve his strength. With irresistible force, the three passed through six archways in succession and entered the seventh section—the place where they had stopped last time. The seventh section's layout was entirely different from the previous six. There was no garden here. Two stone walls enclosed a spacious passage, yet it gave an inexplicable feeling of oppression. A straight passage led to the next archway. Before the archway stood two strangely shaped, ferocious stone beasts, and the archway was sealed by a light gate. The light gate glowed with green radiance beneath the poisonous mist, looking like merely a thin curtain of light. The instant they stepped into the passage, a 'crack crack' sound came from ahead. The stone beasts twisted their necks and stared fixedly at them. An oppressive feeling emanated from the stone beasts. Qin Sang's expression turned solemn. He knew these two stone beasts were incomparable to those before. "Breaking open this door still requires relying on you, True One," Boxian Shanren transmitted, explaining the agreed strategy. Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Qingdan Yuanjun and Boxian Shanren showed delight, exchanged a glance, and each walked toward one of the stone beasts. Qin Sang fell behind, gazing at the light curtain, his expression thoughtful. Halfway along, Qin Sang's eyes flickered once, his figure paused imperceptibly, but his expression remained normal as he continued forward. At this moment, within his dantian, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's gaze fell instead upon the right-hand wall. The walls on both sides of the passage were built of red bricks, but of course they were not ordinary walls. When Qingdan Yuanjun first came here, she tried to go around the stone beasts ahead, found no second path, and had to attempt climbing over and damaging the walls. Unexpectedly, this drove the two stone beasts mad and attracted all the stone beasts in the palace, nearly causing them to perish there. She had specifically warned Qin Sang that when fighting the stone beasts, he must restrain his fluctuations and keep away from the walls. But at this moment, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly discovered something unusual: there seemed to be a secret door on the wall! Qin Sang secretly circulated a secret art, helping the Heavenly Eye Butterfly fully activate its divine power to confirm without doubt. Where did the secret door lead? Qingdan Yuanjun did not know what lay beyond the wall either. Qin Sang showed no outward sign. He swept his gaze over the backs of the two True Ones but made no mention of it, then turned his attention back to the light gate. As they drew closer step by step, the stone beasts gradually came to life, posturing to lunge forward and issuing warning roars from their mouths. Qingdan Yuanjun acted as if she had not heard, her steps unceasing. At the same time, she flicked her jade hand, and the sound of water echoed within the passage. Ripples of water spread through the void. Qingdan Yuanjun's true body vanished into the water, rushing toward the stone beasts along with the water waves. "Roar!" The intruder had crossed the stone beasts' bottom line. The stone beast roared furiously, without hesitation brought up a foul wind and pounced at the intruder, splashing huge waves of water, and vanished just like Qingdan Yuanjun. The other stone beast was already fighting Boxian Shanren. The stone beasts seemed to have soaked in venom for countless years. Even simple attacks carried deadly poison. Though Boxian Shanren's body was enveloped in thick warm jade radiance, he dared not let the stone beasts get close. Without knowing poison-warding methods, one would be full of misgivings and unable to exert oneself. Seeing that the two stone beasts were already entangled, Qin Sang did not hesitate. His figure flickered repeatedly as he hurried to the light gate. Qin Sang recalled the two True Ones' earlier instructions and directly pressed both hands against the light gate. The next moment, Qin Sang's fingers were stained black-green, as if deadly poison were seeping into his body. In fact, this was Qin Sang actively drawing the deadly poison into his body. The light gate was a type of poison restriction. Qingdan Yuanjun had tried many times; the only method she could think of to break the restriction was to actively absorb deadly poison, thereby weakening the poison restriction's power. One person was not enough. They would succumb to poison before breaking the light gate. Others had to share the burden. That was precisely why they valued Qin Sang, who possessed poison-neutralizing secret arts, so highly. The poison entered his body and was immediately suppressed by the power of the Poison Bead within. The poison power within the light gate was continuously absorbed by Qin Sang, and its luster soon dimmed slightly. Qingdan Yuanjun and Boxian Shanren fought the stone beasts with all their might, anxious in their hearts, constantly glancing toward Qin Sang. Living up to expectations, in a short time Qin Sang had absorbed a large amount of deadly poison, yet his expression remained normal, and he had not reached his limit. Seeing this, the two were instantly overjoyed. But just as Qin Sang continued to absorb deadly poison, the stone beasts suddenly let out an earth-shattering roar. In an instant, the earth shook. The tremors came from behind. All the stone beasts in the palace were awakened by the roar. "Hurry!" Boxian Shanren shouted loudly. A stampede of beasts surged from behind. The time left to them was very urgent. Qin Sang's eyes sank. Instantly absorbing a large amount of deadly poison, his hands turned dark green, and his nails almost turned black. Next, he stepped back one step and withdrew his palms. Qin Sang withdrew, forcibly suppressing the fierce poison within. With no time to regulate his breath, he flashed to the right. At the same time, Boxian Shanren rushed over, and they rotated positions. "Whoosh!" The Grey Oriole Sword shot out like an arrow. Midway, it transformed into the Seven Mansions Division Sword Array, precisely enveloping the pouncing stone beasts within. Qin Sang glanced outside the passage, suppressing the fierce poison while maneuvering with the stone beasts. The stone beasts charged to and fro in the starry sky formed by the sword array, but could not break out of the sea of stars. Having received the sword dao transmission and careful guidance from Real Person Zhijian, Qin Sang's understanding of the sword array was vastly different from before. It had reached great perfection a year ago! The stone beasts could not be completely killed, only trapped. Thus this was not yet the full might of the sword array. Boxian Shanren could not last nearly as long as Qin Sang. He withdrew, and Qingdan Yuanjun took over. The three rotated in this manner for three rounds. At this time, countless stone beasts had already rushed into the passage. The three acted in unison, suddenly rushing toward the light gate. Qin Sang threw a punch, Qingdan Yuanjun brandished a jade-green wooden staff, and Boxian Shanren employed a spirit talisman, transforming it into a sharp cone. "Boom!" Three attacks landed on the light gate simultaneously. The light gate instantly shattered with a tremendous crash, collapsing and crumbling. "Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!" The three passed directly through the light gate. What met their eyes was actually a huge drill ground. The drill ground was exceptionally empty. One could see the archway on the opposite side at a glance. Unexpectedly, the last archway stood wide open, with no stone beasts guarding it. Qingdan Yuanjun was both surprised and delighted. She had already prepared to return empty-handed, planning first to investigate the formations and restrictions of the last archway, make preparations, and come again. Unexpectedly, it seemed they could directly enter the main hall! "Rumble..." The stone beasts followed them into the drill ground, eyes red, pouncing crazily, vowing not to stop until they tore the intruders to pieces. The three hesitated no longer, heading straight for the last archway. They actually passed through it with ease. At the same time, the clamor around them disappeared. To their astonishment, the frenzied stone beasts all stopped before the archway. Dense masses of stone beasts filled the drill ground, roaring without cease, yet they dared not step past the archway by half a step, as if an invisible restriction blocked them. The three exchanged glances. No longer paying attention to the stone beasts, their gazes were all drawn to a spirit tree in the courtyard. The spirit tree was small, only as tall as a person, seeming not yet fully grown. It bore no fruit, but its leaves were curled into balls, as if hung with small emerald-green lanterns. It was quite peculiar. "It is it!" Qingdan Yuanjun's eyes flashed with joy. She took a deep breath and was about to step toward the spirit tree when she remembered something. She took out another jade slip and handed it to Qin Sang. According to their agreement, the spirit tree belonged to Qingdan Yuanjun. The stone beasts' actions made them dare not be careless. After confirming nothing unusual surrounded the spirit tree, Qingdan Yuanjun approached slowly. Boxian Shanren looked at Qin Sang. "Daoist Qingfeng, the two main halls behind—how about you and I each enter one?" "Good!" Qin Sang nodded. Each set up a spirit formation at the entrance as a precaution. The two main halls looked the same on the outside. The two casually chose one and walked to its hall door. The restriction on the hall door was not a poison restriction. Qin Sang observed for a moment, secretly nodding. Given some time, breaking the restriction was not difficult. He mobilized his true essence. One seal after another flew from his hands, sinking into the hall door. Brilliant lights of many colors burst forth continuously. Just as the restriction was being peeled away layer by layer, Qin Sang's gaze suddenly sharpened. He noticed fine ripples rising on the hall door, as if the door were twisting. "What is this..." Qin Sang frowned. After a moment, his expression changed drastically. He turned and shouted sternly, "Stop!" At this moment, Qingdan Yuanjun sat cross-legged before the spirit tree, her hands held up, palms empty. An invisible force entwined the spirit tree, uprooting it inch by inch. In an instant, the entire palace, together with the void, rippled—like a shattered reflection in water! (End of chapter)