One of the guards grabbed the carriage shaft and effortlessly dragged the entire carriage deep into the side gate.
The other guard flipped his hand to produce six porcelain bottles, handing them over to the woman along with a heavy, gilded token. “Cultivators from the Nine Saints Hall yield double rewards, and personal disciples double that. Take this token to the Lord's Golden Body Hall, pay your respects, and claim the rest of your reward.”
The townspeople waiting in line nearby heard this clearly, and envious gazes shot over in unison.
Clutching the porcelain bottles and the token, the woman cast a worried glance at the carriage being dragged into the side gate. In the end, she could only thank the guards repeatedly and walk toward the Golden Body Hall with unsteady steps.
...
The carriage wheels rolled over the cold, green stone tiles, swaying as they traveled deeper into the Frost Flower Palace.
Ning Zhou sat with his spine ramrod straight, a thin layer of sweat breaking out on his forehead. He whispered to Song Yao, “The demon toxin and demonic energy are getting stronger here. Even though your pills are effective, I don't think I can hold out for much longer.”
Song Yao raised her hand and condensed a wisp of pale green spiritual energy. With a quick flick of her fingers, the energy formed several lines of tiny runes in the air.
She flicked her finger, sending the clear light straight into the space between Ning Zhou's brows. “Circulate your spiritual energy according to this mental cultivation method. It can slow down the effects of the demon toxin. It's not hard. Give it a try, and ask me if there's anything you don't understand.”
Ning Zhou focused his mind and circulated his energy as instructed. He immediately felt a cool, refreshing sensation rise from his dantian, instantly soothing most of the raging demon toxin.
He was both shocked and astonished. “How do you even know a way to suppress the demon toxin?”
This kind of demon toxin was rare in the Tianshu Realm; even their masters probably didn't know about it.
If they had, they wouldn't have been poisoned so deeply before.
Song Yao smiled. “Because I'm amazing.”
Ning Zhou hissed through his teeth. “You really are. We entered the sect at the same time, so how is our progress so different?”
Song Yao offered a casual word of comfort. “Our cultivation paths are different. You focus on body cultivation, while I'm a pill cultivator. If it comes to a fight, we'll still have to rely on you.”
Ning Zhou beamed at the praise. “That's true. When it comes to fighting, it has to be me.”
While they spoke, the carriage had traveled deep into the palace.
The light outside the window grew increasingly dim, and the cold inside the carriage deepened.
Dark shadows occasionally darted past the carriage walls. The whistling wind, carrying a dense demonic aura, lashed against the window frames, causing a cold shiver to run down their necks and goosebumps to break out.
Startled twice by the sound, Ning Zhou completely lost his smile and pressed himself against the window frame, full of vigilance.
Before long, the rumbling of the wheels gradually came to a halt. The carriage curtains parted on their own without any wind, slowly drawing back to both sides.
The guard who had dragged them here was nowhere to be seen.
Outside was a deep, secluded garden.
Under the dim light, layers of light gauze curtains hung along the corridor, semi-transparent from the damp, cold mist, swaying gently in the breeze.
The ground was covered with unknown, eerie flowers. Their petals were so richly colored they were almost black, their edges shimmering with a strange, pearlescent glow. Twisted stems climbed and wound around the pillars and curtain frames, their rich, sweet fragrance laced with a lingering metallic stench.
Song Yao hopped down from the carriage and warned him, “These flowers are also poisonous. Be careful.”
“Okay.”
Stepping off the carriage, they immediately spotted two cultivators in Daoist robes standing beneath the corridor.
Song Yao scrutinized them.
They seemed to be disciples of the Qianxi Hall.
Ning Zhou clenched his fists, ready for anything. He whispered, “I think there's something off about them.”
Song Yao blinked. “Where? I don't see anything wrong. How about you go give them a kiss so I can see?”
Ning Zhou: “...Is this really the time for jokes?”
He finally understood why the Teaching Elder had wanted to beat them so badly during their studies.
They were truly asking for it.
The two cultivators fixed their gazes on them, squeezing out a few dry words from their throats: “Follow me.”
Then, with expressionless faces, they stiffly turned their heads, their eyeballs rolling rigidly as they took stiff steps toward the pool in the center of the garden.
While Ning Zhou was still hesitating whether to follow, Song Yao had already started strolling forward at an unhurried pace.
Startled, he hurriedly caught up. “Slow down! Isn't it dangerous to follow them? Why don't you wait here while I scout the way first?”
He truly didn't understand. They had entered such a massive demon realm, one that even the elders had barely escaped with their lives. How could she, a mere Golden Core pill cultivator, remain so incredibly calm?”
Song Yao: “It's fine. If we run into danger, we'll die no matter where we wait.”
Ning Zhou: “You have a point, but...”
Before he could finish, the crisp, joyful sound of playful splashing drifted from the pool in the center of the garden, passing through the layers of gauze curtains.
Dampened and wrinkled by the mist, the gauze curtains offered a hazy, indistinct view of the scene inside the pool.
Warm mist billowed, and light and shadow flickered as several graceful figures of indistinguishable gender drifted in the water. The sweet scent of cosmetics mingled with the damp air, creating an atmosphere that was intensely seductive yet unspeakably eerie.
Song Yao narrowed her eyes to look.
This scene looked somewhat familiar.
Back when she had gone to the Earth Realm to fight the Great Demon of Qianhuang, she had witnessed a similarly decadent display.
Could the Great Demon of Qianhuang be here?
Unlikely.
She was bound by a restriction and couldn't possibly enter the Tianshu Realm.
Besides, given her methods and personality, if she ever managed to get in, she wouldn't quietly stay inside a demon realm. She would surely stir up a storm a thousand times greater than this.
The two cultivators stopped by the poolside and bowed in unison. They bent extremely low, their foreheads nearly touching the ground, their voices flat. “Imperial Father, the personal disciples and cultivators from the Nine Saints Hall have been delivered.”
Both Song Yao and Ning Zhou were startled.
Imperial Father?
Two cultivators calling a demon their “Imperial Father”?
What kind of bizarre roleplay was this?
Through the curtains, they could faintly see a figure draped in a golden robe lazily turning over in the very center of the pool.
The golden robe hung loosely around his waist, exposing a large expanse of pale skin glistening in the dense mist. His ink-black hair spread across the water like a waterfall, swaying gently with the fine ripples.
His voice was low and magnetic, laced with a hint of impatience, his drawl lazy and relaxed. “Can't you see this Venerable One is busy? These cultivators from the Nine Saints Hall are more stubborn than the last. Take them down first to pry their mouths open. Bring them back once you've got answers.”
The two cultivators assented in unison. Glowing demon-binding ropes shot out, wrapping neatly around Song Yao's and Ning Zhou's wrists. Without a word, they dragged the two of them along the corridor toward the interior.
Another soft, delicate male voice drifted from the pool behind them, its tone sweet and clinging. “Immortal Venerable~ Aren't you going to interrogate them yourself? Those cultivators have very stiff bones; ordinary methods won't pry them open~”
“This Venerable One has to accompany you all. How could I have time to waste on those cultivators?”
The person in the center did something that elicited a chorus of shy gasps.
Laughter rippled through the mist. His voice was lazy, carrying a hint of casual intimacy. “Besides, even if this Venerable One personally intervened, they might not know Song Yao's whereabouts. My precious time is naturally better spent on you little beauties~”
Rate on N.U.
