Chapter 1808: Water Reflection

## The Mortal Realm

Qin Sang's divine sense penetrated the jade slip, and half of a secret manual appeared in his mind. It was indeed a body-tempering technique that utilized poison. However, the manual had no name, and Qingdan Yuanjun claimed she had obtained it by accident, stating it wasn't a genuine transmission from Ant Hill Mountain. Otherwise, she wouldn't have given it to an outsider. The first half alone was quite peculiar, but whether it was as profound as Qingdan Yuanjun described could only be confirmed by seeing the complete manual.

Qin Sang put away the jade slip and observed the palace ahead. The palace floated amidst the poisonous mist, seemingly drifting continuously like the other mist clusters. Qin Sang speculated there must be some connection and pattern between the mist clusters and the palace, perhaps with the clusters revolving around the palace. Earlier, Qingdan Yuanjun had followed the mist clusters for a long time, likely using them to locate the palace.

"Are there also flower fields and strange flower spirits inside the palace?" This thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind, intensifying his vigilance.

From outside the palace, not much could be seen. All the palaces were enveloped in dense poisonous mist, even thicker than the mist clusters. Moreover, powerful array restrictions must exist inside the palaces, integrated with the poisonous mist to block external perception and prying. What they could see were the tops of the palaces and beautifully carved ridge beasts. The ridge beasts depicted jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards, dragons, phoenixes, and auspicious beasts, among others. They seemed no different from those on mortal palaces, making it impossible to determine the palace's origin from them.

At Jushan Zhitan, man-made halls and pavilions were actually very rare, apart from the outermost Golden Palace. Even if halls and pavilions existed deep within the Zhitan, they were illusions manifested by the divine powers of ancient mighty beings. This place seemed different; at least, neither Qin Sang nor the Heavenly Eye Butterfly could discern any flaws. It was evident that the palace grounds were vast, yet there weren't many structures, fewer than a hundred of varying sizes. From the central courtyard extending to the rear, several palaces appeared to be the core main halls based on their size.

"We'll enter through the central courtyard," Qingdan Yuanjun said gravely, looking towards the main halls.

Qin Sang finally couldn't help but ask, "Shouldn't you two fellow daoists tell me what exactly you are seeking?"

Qingdan Yuanjun hesitated for a moment. Since they had arrived here, there was no need to conceal it. She nodded and said, "I am looking for a spirit tree. This tree holds great significance for my Ant Hill Mountain. I once saw a fleeting phantom of that spirit tree inside the palace, confirming its presence within..." As she spoke, she pointed towards the main halls. "This tree should be near those palaces. As long as True Person assists me in finding it, not only will I personally present the manual to you, but any treasures inside the palace will also be yours to choose first."

Qin Sang smiled indifferently. They hadn't entered the palace yet, and he didn't know if there were any treasures inside, so it was too early to discuss such things. Unexpectedly, Qingdan Yuanjun paused and said meaningfully, "I obtained this very manual within the palace."

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly at her words. So the manual originated from this place. Qingdan Yuanjun certainly knew how to "offer Buddha with borrowed flowers." If a manual was found, it was possible other treasures also existed. Judging by Qingdan Yuanjun's tone, her previous explorations only covered the outer areas of the palace. By common sense, the treasures in the core palaces would undoubtedly be of higher quality. Qin Sang had to admit, his interest was piqued.

Just then, a mist cluster drifted from a distance. The three waited for the mist cluster to pass, then flickered their figures, arriving at the entrance to the palace's central courtyard. The entrance should have had a gate, but it was either removed by Qingdan Yuanjun or had been empty previously. The gaping doorway revealed the interior completely.

A garden! A hundred flowers bloomed, with vibrant pinks and lush greens. The moment he saw the garden, Qin Sang's heart tightened, and he instinctively halted.

Seeing Qin Sang's reaction, Boxian Shanren smiled. "When I first arrived, I was almost startled just like you, True Person. Rest assured, this garden is different from the flower fields in the mist clusters; these are mere mortal flowers, with no flower spirits. However, once we enter the palace, there's one thing to note: unlike the outside, the poisonous mist here will silently invade us, gradually accumulating toxins. It must not be underestimated."

Qin Sang mused, "The inner and outer poisonous mists don't seem different. Does that mean the mist outside wasn't harmless, but merely hadn't accumulated enough?"

"Perhaps..." Boxian Shanren couldn't elaborate. He followed Qingdan Yuanjun into the central courtyard, and Qin Sang slowly followed.

The garden was large and square. Unattended, the flowers thrived exceptionally well. None were spirit flowers; it seemed the garden's owner chose them for their appearance. Qingdan Yuanjun, revisiting the familiar place, moved swiftly with her knowledge of the paths. Qin Sang casually observed the palace's environment 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 a series of archways. The archways were open, and the path seemed clear, yet it wasn't an easy one. She divided the palace into nine "advances" or sections. Previously, she had ventured as deep as the seventh advance and stopped there.

"Was the peculiar poison your disciple contracted from the main halls?" Qin Sang hadn't sensed any similar aura along the way. Qingdan Yuanjun and Boxian Shanren both frowned. Boxian Shanren hesitated, "They indeed contracted the strange poison when fleeing the palace, but whether it originated from the palace, we still cannot be certain."

"What do you mean?" Qin Sang asked, puzzled.

"When the tremor struck, Fellow Daoist Qingdan and I were helping our disciples stabilize the array. The strange poison suddenly appeared around us, as if seeping out from the void..." Boxian Shanren briefly recounted what had happened. Qin Sang frowned in thought.

As they spoke, they had already entered the second advance of the palace, and continuous thudding sounds echoed wherever they passed. Their enemies were stone beast statues crouching beside the garden, seemingly guarding the spirit flowers. After they entered the palace, the stone beasts were agitated and attacked furiously. Qin Sang did not make a move. Boxian Shanren and Qingdan Yuanjun could still handle them, allowing Qin Sang to conserve his strength.

With unstoppable momentum, the three successively passed through six archways and entered the seventh advance, which was where they had stopped last time. The layout of the seventh advance was completely different from the previous six. There was no garden here, just a wide passage flanked by two stone walls, yet it gave off an inexplicable sense of oppression. The straight passage led to the next archway, in front of which stood two ferocious, oddly shaped stone beasts. Moreover, the archway was sealed by a gate of light.

The gate of light shimmered with a green glow under the poisonous mist, appearing to be merely a faint barrier. The moment they stepped into the passage, a 'crack-crack' sound came from ahead. The stone beasts twisted their necks, staring intently at them. A sense of pressure emanated from the stone beasts. Qin Sang's expression turned serious, knowing that these two beasts were far stronger than the previous ones.

"To break through this gate, we still need to rely on True Person," Boxian Shanren transmitted, explaining their pre-arranged strategy. Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Qingdan Yuanjun and Boxian Shanren showed delight, exchanged glances, and each walked towards one of the stone beasts. Qin Sang stayed behind, watching the light barrier with a pensive expression.

Halfway through their advance, Qin Sang's eyes flickered, his figure imperceptibly paused for a moment, then he continued forward with a normal expression. At this moment, inside his dantian, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's gaze fell upon the wall to his right. The walls on both sides of the passage were built with red bricks, which were, of course, not ordinary walls. When Qingdan Yuanjun first came, she tried to bypass the stone beasts ahead but couldn't find another way. She resorted to attempting to climb over or break through the walls, but this inadvertently provoked the two stone beasts into a frenzy and drew all other stone beasts in the palace, nearly causing her demise there. She specifically reminded Qin Sang to restrain his energy fluctuations and stay away from the walls when engaging with the stone beasts. Now, however, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly noticed something unusual: there seemed to be a hidden door on the wall!

Qin Sang secretly activated a secret art, helping the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to fully exert its divine ability, confirming it without a doubt. Where did the hidden door lead? Qingdan Yuanjun also didn't know what was beyond the wall. Qin Sang remained composed, glanced at the backs of the two True Persons, made no sound, and then refocused his attention on the gate of light.

As they approached step by step, the stone beasts gradually revived, poised to pounce, issuing roaring warnings from their mouths. Qingdan Yuanjun acted as if she hadn't heard, maintaining her pace. At the same time, she waved her jade hand, and the sound of water echoed in the passage. A wave of water spread through the void. Qingdan Yuanjun's true body vanished into the water and rapidly approached the stone beast with the wave.

'Roar!' The intruders had touched the stone beast's bottom line. The stone beast let out an enraged roar and, without hesitation, charged at the intruder with a gust of foul wind, splashing huge waves and vanishing like Qingdan Yuanjun. The other stone beast was already locked in combat with Boxian Shanren. The stone beasts seemed to have been steeped in venom for countless years; even their simple attacks carried potent poison. True Person Boxian, though enveloped in a thick warm jade glow, dared not let the stone beast get close. Without knowledge of poison-warding methods, one would be overly cautious and unable to exert their full strength.

Seeing that the two stone beasts were already entangled, Qin Sang did not hesitate. His figure flickered repeatedly as he swiftly darted to the gate of light. Qin Sang recalled the instructions from the two True Persons and pressed his hands directly onto the gate of light. The next moment, Qin Sang's fingers were stained dark green, as if potent poison was seeping into his body. In fact, Qin Sang was actively absorbing the potent poison into his body.

The gate of light was a poison restriction. Qingdan Yuanjun had tried many times, and the only method she conceived to break it was to actively absorb the poison, thereby weakening the restriction's power. One person wouldn't be enough; they would succumb to the poison before breaking through the gate. Others had to share the burden. This was precisely why they valued Qin Sang, who possessed secret detoxification arts.

The toxins entered his body and were immediately suppressed by the power of the poison bead within him. The poisonous energy from the gate of light was continuously absorbed by Qin Sang, and its luster quickly dimmed slightly. Qingdan Yuanjun and Boxian Shanren fully engaged the stone beasts, their hearts tense as they continuously glanced at Qin Sang. True to their expectations, in a short time, Qin Sang absorbed a large amount of potent poison, yet his expression remained normal, and he was far from his limit. The two were immediately overjoyed at the sight.

However, just as Qin Sang was continuously absorbing the potent poison, the stone beasts suddenly let out an earth-shattering roar. In an instant, the ground trembled. The tremor came from behind; all the stone beasts in the palace had been awakened by the roar.

"Hurry!" Boxian Shanren cried out. With thousands of beasts charging from behind, their time was pressing.

Qin Sang's gaze deepened. He instantly absorbed a large amount of potent poison, his hands turning dark green, and his fingernails almost black. Then, he took a step back and withdrew his hands. Qin Sang retreated, forcibly suppressing the virulent poison in his body. Without time to recuperate, he flashed to the right side, while Boxian Shanren swiftly moved forward, rotating with Qin Sang.

'Whoosh!' The Gray Oriole Sword shot out, transforming midway into the Seven Constellation Sword Array, perfectly enveloping the pouncing stone beast. Qin Sang glanced outside the passage, suppressing the virulent poison while maneuvering around the stone beast. The stone beast rampaged within the starry sky created by the sword array but could not break out of the stellar sea. Having received sword dao inheritance and careful guidance from the True Person of the Sword, Qin Sang's understanding of sword arrays was vastly superior to before, having reached mastery a year ago! Stone beasts couldn't be completely killed, only trapped, so this wasn't the full power of the sword array yet. True Person Boxian's endurance was less than half of Qin Sang's. He retreated, and Qingdan Yuanjun took his place. The three rotated like this for three rounds.

By this time, countless stone beasts had already surged into the passage. The three, without prior agreement, suddenly charged towards the gate of light. Qin Sang punched, Qingdan Yuanjun conjured a verdant wooden staff, and Boxian Shanren cast a divine talisman, manifesting a sharp awl.

'Boom!' The three attacks simultaneously struck the gate of light. The gate of light instantly crumbled and disintegrated amidst a massive roar.

'Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!' The three passed directly through the gate of light, and what greeted their eyes was a massive training ground. The training ground was exceptionally vast and empty; the archway on the opposite side was visible at a glance. Unexpectedly, the final archway was wide open, with no stone beasts guarding it. Qingdan Yuanjun was both surprised and delighted. She had already prepared for a fruitless return, planning to first investigate the array restrictions of the last archway and return once fully prepared. Unexpectedly, it seemed they could directly enter the main halls!

'Rumble...' The stone beasts followed them into the training ground, their eyes red, pouncing furiously, determined not to stop until the intruders were torn to shreds. The three no longer hesitated, heading directly for the final archway, and surprisingly passed through it with ease. At the same time, the surrounding clamor disappeared. To their astonishment, the frenzied stone beasts all stopped before the archway. Countless stone beasts crowded the training ground, roaring incessantly, yet none dared to step even half a pace through the archway, as if an invisible restriction blocked them.

The three exchanged glances, no longer paying attention to the stone beasts. Their gazes were drawn to a spirit tree in the courtyard. The spirit tree was small, only a person's height, seemingly not yet fully grown. It bore no fruit, but its leaves curled into spheres, as if adorned with countless emerald-green lanterns, making it quite unique.

"That's it!" Qingdan Yuanjun's eyes flashed with delight. Taking a deep breath, she was about to step towards the spirit tree when she remembered something, took out another jade slip, and handed it to Qin Sang. According to their agreement, the spirit tree belonged to Qingdan Yuanjun. The behavior of the stone beasts made them cautious. Only after confirming there were no anomalies around the spirit tree did Qingdan Yuanjun slowly approach.

Boxian Shanren looked at Qin Sang. "Fellow Daoist Qingfeng, how about you and I each enter one of those two main halls behind us?" Directly behind the spirit tree, two ancient palaces stood in the center, signifying their most esteemed position.

"Good!" Qin Sang nodded. Each of them set up a spirit array at their respective entrances as a precaution. The two main halls looked identical. They each randomly selected one and walked to its door. The restriction on the palace door was not a poison restriction. Qin Sang observed for a moment, secretly nodding. Given some time, breaking the restriction would not be difficult. His true essence surged, and seals flew from his hands, merging into the palace door, causing colorful, strange lights to continuously erupt. He watched as the restriction was broken layer by layer.

Qin Sang's gaze suddenly focused. He noticed subtle ripples emerging on the palace door, as if it was twisting. "This is..." Qin Sang frowned. Moments later, his expression changed sharply, and he turned, shouting sternly, "Stop!"

At this moment, Qingdan Yuanjun was sitting cross-legged in front of the spirit tree, her hands hovering as invisible forces coiled around the tree, pulling it up root by root, inch by inch. In that instant, the entire palace, along with the surrounding void, rippled, like a distorted reflection in fractured water!