Chapter 1807: Flower Field

The Mortal World

Passing through auspicious clouds, they entered the Golden Hall region.

Without pausing, the three, led by Qingdan Yuanjun, swiftly flew towards one of the Golden Halls and immediately vanished from sight.

A short while later, the three reappeared in a different Golden Hall, gazing into the distance at the spot where they had just disappeared.

That area remained perfectly calm, with no other figures in sight.

"No one is tracking us. Daoist Court and Guifang Nation aren't focused on this place right now," said Bo Xian Shanren.

Qin Sang nodded slightly. In fact, he had already confirmed through his Heavenly Eye Butterfly that no one was following them. After advancing to the fifth transformation, it was difficult to evade the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's gaze, unless it was a Void Refining stage demon king or a demon marquis with special divine abilities.

"Let's wait a bit longer," Qingdan Yuanjun said cautiously. The illusion here was meticulously set up by her.

After waiting another hour, and confirming there was no doubt, the three finally set off, quietly arriving in front of the Nine-Bend Star River and crossing it.

Without the rampant golden light, the space deep within the Altar of Governance was stable.

Qingdan Yuanjun led the two through cloud pathways, but soon they couldn't proceed without forcing their way through some illusions.

"True Immortal also cultivates strength-based techniques. In some places ahead, we may have to rely on you..." Qingdan Yuanjun stopped before an illusion and said to Qin Sang. In some illusions, strength-based cultivators could handle things much more easily than magic cultivators. Qin Sang could save them a lot of effort.

"In that case, let this humble Daoist lead the way," Qin Sang said.

Auspicious Seal and Vajra Heavenly Armor Seal were consecutively cast. Qin Sang's blood qi surged, and his skin took on a faint golden hue. At the same time, his hands erupted with azure and crimson light, and he had already put on a pair of gauntlets.

The gauntlets were mostly made of fine azure scales, with three bone spurs extending from each knuckle. The blood-red bone spurs were razor-sharp, emitting an eerie glow that even caused a stinging sensation to the naked eye.

Both Qingdan Yuanjun and Bo Xian Shanren's pupils constricted. They were secretly astonished, knowing this must be a top-tier formidable weapon.

Over the past ten years, Qin Sang had finally forged the gauntlets with the help of Master Qi. If Master Gu were to appraise it, the forging technique might be slightly rough, but its advantage lay in the superior quality of the spiritual materials. Most importantly, with the transverse bone spurs meticulously refined by Marquis Li for many years, the gauntlets, once forged, possessed the power of a pseudo-spiritual treasure.

The process of refining the gauntlets was also Qin Sang's process of integrating all he had learned and seen. Coupled with his comprehension of the artifact refining scriptures given by Master Gu, his progress in the Dao of artifact refining was rapid. In the future, when he had time, Qin Sang would continue to refine the Whirlwind Armor and the gauntlets. These two treasures not only served to verify his artifact refining Dao but also bore witness to his continuous progress.

Qin Sang took the lead, while Qingdan Yuanjun and Bo Xian Shanren also deployed their respective magical treasures, following behind Qin Sang, positioned on his left and right, ready for anything. Maintaining this formation, the three successively passed through one illusion after another.

'Whoosh!'

No sky above, no ground below. Black winds, capable of eroding bones and dissolving souls, howled and were omnipresent. Three figures struggled to fly through the wind. This was a peculiar spiritual wind, capable of dispersing True Essence. Defensive magical treasures also had their power greatly diminished here, finding it difficult to resist the spiritual wind.

Qin Sang's physical body was robust, as if unaffected. Qingdan Yuanjun and Bo Xian Shanren could only exert their full strength to resist the spiritual wind. After traveling through the endless black wind for an unknown period, a light finally appeared ahead, and the three immediately accelerated.

'Whoosh!'

Finally escaping the spiritual wind, both Qingdan Yuanjun and Bo Xian Shanren showed expressions of relief.

Qin Sang surveyed the surrounding environment, his expression subtly changing. Because the route was different, the illusions they experienced this time were completely unlike the last. It was his first time seeing a familiar sight. At the edge of their vision, amidst countless bizarre sights, there was a tiny trace of blue, very much like the blue sea of light he had seen last time. It was clear the blue sea of light was extremely far from them, but they could use it to determine their direction.

Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then asked Qingdan Yuanjun with some doubt, "Can we reach the Poison Domain from here?" Based on the blue sea of light, it could be determined that this direction deviated too much from where they appeared last time, making it hard not to be suspicious.

"This is an old path explored by my ancestors of Mole Cricket Mountain. Although it presents many difficulties, as long as one is careful, there's generally no life-threatening danger," Qingdan Yuanjun said, raising a jade-like finger and pointing to the right. "After discovering the Poison Domain, this humble Daoist found a shortcut, but..."

Bo Xian Shanren sighed softly, "That shortcut passes through the area contested by the Daoist Court and Guifang Nation. It's better to take a more troublesome route and avoid it."

Hearing this, Qin Sang's heart stirred. The Golden Light chaos had indeed not yet concluded.

Qingdan Yuanjun carefully identified their surroundings, her expression slightly relaxed. "There are no changes ahead. True Immortal can rest for a while. The next two illusions, the two of us can handle." As she spoke, they moved in front of Qin Sang. With this rotation, the three passed through one illusion after another. The deeper they went into the Altar of Governance, the more dangerous the illusions became. They were forced to slow down, stopping and starting.

Finally, a green lake appeared in their vision.

"The Poison Domain you mentioned, is it this lake?" Qin Sang walked to the lakeside, gazing at the water with a peculiar glint in his eyes.

This lake had a considerably wide surface, but compared to other illusions, it seemed small. Sandwiched between two illusions stretching for hundreds of miles, it even felt a bit cramped, like an abrupt courtyard. The lake surface was a perfectly regular circle, yet it was tilted at a steep angle. Their position was the lowest point, as if facing a mirror placed on a slope. The green lake water brought no vitality. The lake was extremely deep, and its water displayed a dark, almost black, shade of green, giving off a highly dangerous sensation.

"It's quite a good passage. Passing through the poisonous lake should lead us to a very deep area..." Qin Sang observed the nearby scenery, thinking to himself.

Qingdan Yuanjun gazed at the poisonous lake and explained, "This is it. According to our sect's ancient texts, the lake water here used to be clear, normal water, without any toxins. The water suddenly turning poisonous isn't unusual in the Altar of Governance; this place is inherently ever-changing. If that golden light were to erupt a few more times, the Ju Shan Altar of Governance might have already become completely unrecognizable..."

As she spoke, an intense red light appeared between Qingdan Yuanjun's eyebrows, shooting out a divine talisman with an extremely complex symbol. Qingdan Yuanjun had clearly fully comprehended this talisman. As the divine talisman appeared, it immediately emitted a dazzling red light. In an instant, the divine talisman transformed into a crimson palace dress, flying towards Qingdan Yuanjun. The palace dress was exquisitely crafted, vividly depicting two unknown divine birds, appearing like spirit beasts attending to her sides. Worn by Qingdan Yuanjun, it added an air of nobility to her.

Bo Xian Shanren, meanwhile, took out a piece of jadeite, placed it in his mouth, and said to Qin Sang, "The surface poisonous water should not be underestimated. True Immortal must be careful. After passing through the poisonous water, the danger will actually decrease. The interior of the poisonous lake is very peculiar, difficult to explain in words. I will explain it to you as we go."

Qin Sang nodded, his body emitting a seven-colored light that merged with the light armor and the faint golden hue of his skin, appearing even more radiant. Both Bo Xian Shanren and Qingdan Yuanjun couldn't discern what divine ability or magical treasure Qin Sang was using. They were secretly astonished but also knew it must be Qin Sang's secret and did not inquire further.

Stepping into the poisonous lake, Qin Sang heard the gurgling sound of water and felt the swift current flowing past him. However, through the perception of the Poison Bead, the seemingly strange poisonous water actually had no potent venom and could not be absorbed by the Poison Bead.

Just as he felt puzzled, he noticed ripples suddenly appearing in the lake water ahead. Despite there being no whirlpools, the ripples materialized out of thin air within the water and surged towards him.

"Be careful," Bo Xian Shanren reminded him as the first ripple touched Qin Sang.

'Whoosh!'

A current of water slapped against Qin Sang's body. The force was gentle enough and did not push him back. The moment he touched the ripple, Qin Sang's vision was suddenly filled with a dense green, and then he felt something unusual. He abruptly raised his arms and found that almost instantly, his body was covered in dense, bluish-green spots.

As the water ripples continued to surge, the spots gradually grew larger, swelled, and burst like bubbles. 'Pop, pop, pop...' The sounds of bursting continued to echo. Green poisonous weeds emerged from their "shells." The weeds were tiny, forming a thick, velvety carpet on Qin Sang's body, as if he had been submerged in water for a long time and was covered in aquatic plants. Before long, the aquatic plants even grew flower buds. One by one, green poisonous flowers bloomed, and Qin Sang seemed to have transformed into a flower field.

"The poisonous water itself is non-toxic. There must be some unknown special formation or restriction that uses the poisonous water to generate these poisonous flowers. The flowers aren't real; it's very bizarre..." Qingdan Yuanjun and Bo Xian Shanren were accustomed to this. They ignored the poisonous flowers on their bodies and kept moving without pause. As they moved, tiny green flowers drifted off their bodies, leaving a beautiful trail of blossoms.

The two didn't explain the consequences of the poisonous flowers blooming inside one's body, and Qin Sang didn't want to try. His Anti-Poison Armor blocked the flowers from entering his body, and he followed closely. The poisonous flowers grew faster than they fell off. As they progressed, the three became enveloped in layers of poisonous flowers, resembling three light, floating flower balls in the water.

"We'll pass through the poisonous water area soon. How do you feel, True Immortal?" Qingdan Yuanjun asked with concern.

"Acceptable," Qin Sang replied calmly. The poisonous flowers were far from exceeding the Anti-Poison Armor's limits. If he couldn't even get past the peripheral poisonous water, he might as well just turn back.

Before long, the foremost flower ball began to rapidly wither and fall off, revealing Qingdan Yuanjun's figure. Bo Xian Shanren and Qin Sang also appeared shortly after. What greeted their eyes was an endless expanse of green mist. The mist drifted like clouds in the void. There was no wind here, and the mist moved without any discernible pattern.

Qin Sang looked up and saw the poisonous water forming a green firmament above. The surrounding mist, though seemingly sparse, could block divine sense probes. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly could see further than they could, but even it couldn't see the end, as if the area was boundless. The internal space of the poisonous lake far exceeded expectations.

"The mist is the same color as the peripheral poisonous water, but we haven't found any threat from the poisonous mist itself yet. The danger comes from elsewhere. True Immortal, remember not to let your divine sense spread too far..." Qingdan Yuanjun explained via spiritual transmission, identified their direction, and flew forward.

They traveled through the mist as if riding on clouds. The danger Qingdan Yuanjun spoke of never appeared; it looked peaceful. Using the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine ability, Qin Sang carefully observed his surroundings. He found nothing special; compared to other illusions created by divine abilities, this place was remarkably calm.

Not long after, suddenly, a clump of mist appeared in the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's vision. This clump of poisonous mist was very dense. It drifted among the other mist and slowly approached them. Shortly after the Heavenly Eye Butterfly discovered the mist clump, the others also noticed it.

Qingdan Yuanjun's expression turned solemn. She immediately made way for the mist clump, hovered motionless, and sternly warned, "Do not let any aura leak out!" Qin Sang complied, standing behind Qingdan Yuanjun, watching the direction from which the mist clump was flying. He was curious about what was inside it that made the two True Immortals act as if facing a formidable enemy before it even got close.

As the mist clump drew nearer, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly finally saw what was inside the mist clump. Strangely, there was a bubble inside the mist clump, with the poisonous mist gathering around the bubble to form the clump. The bubble was transparent, and inside it was actually a piece of land! More precisely, it was a flower field. The flower field was full of spiritual flowers, a swaying sea of blossoms, resplendent in all colors, extremely vibrant. Anyone who saw the sea of flowers, even through the bubble, would feel refreshed and delighted, as if they could smell a refreshing fragrance. The spiritual flowers in the field did not belong to any species they recognized; they seemed to have been created out of thin air.

The mist clump passed by them. The beautiful flower field remained unchanged. Qin Sang glanced at Qingdan Yuanjun with some doubt, only to hear her transmit, "Follow!" They followed the mist clump, slowly flying deeper into the mist.

After following for a while, changes finally appeared within the flower field. Qingdan Yuanjun softly said, "It's coming." Her voice even held a trace of fear. The spiritual flowers in the field suddenly swayed faster, and the entire sea of flowers seemed to have gone mad. The stamens of all the spiritual flowers were frantically spewing out filaments, which twisted and coiled in the air, while a pollen-like mist also permeated the area. In an instant, flower cocoons floated above the flower field.

The next moment, the flower cocoons split open one after another. Upon seeing what was inside the flower cocoons, a look of surprise flashed in Qin Sang's eyes. They were human-shaped flower spirits! The flower spirits, both male and female, were all exceptionally beautiful. All the flower spirits moved with uncanny uniformity, each hugging their knees and gazing at the sky. Then, they rose from the openings of their cocoons and walked onto the ground, stepping on the filaments. The beautiful spiritual flowers and delicate flower spirits created a scene that felt exceedingly eerie.

The flower spirits' eyes were hollow and deep, their faces expressionless, as if manipulated by an invisible force. They walked to the ground, paired off, and then began to dance gracefully in the flower field. There was no music, and the flower spirits' gazes at their dance partners remained hollow. Watching the graceful dance steps, the three felt a chill run down their spines.

"The first time I came in, I sent out a wisp of my divine sense, wanting to see what else was inside the flower field and whether the flower spirits were real or not. But the moment my aura leaked, all the flower spirits froze and stared at me simultaneously..." Qingdan Yuanjun recounted her experience, still feeling lingering dread when she thought about it. The instant the flower spirits stared at her, she immediately sensed danger. Fortunately, she hadn't gone too deep that time and quickly fled the poisonous lake, and the flower spirits did not pursue her.

The flower spirits danced for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, then each returned to their respective flower cocoons. The flower cocoons closed, withdrawing their stamens, and the flower spirits seemed to fall into peaceful slumber. Everything occurred in silence.

They quietly followed behind the mist clump and soon encountered another, also a flower field, but of a different size. After that, Qingdan Yuanjun stopped following and changed direction.

They continued to fly for a while longer, and finally, a different sight emerged from the mist ahead: an ancient palace appeared before them.

"What this humble Daoist seeks is within this palace," Qingdan Yuanjun exhaled softly. As agreed, she took out a jade slip and handed it to Qin Sang. "This contains half of the cultivation method. Once we obtain the treasure, I will give you the other half."