Chapter 1851: South Heavenly Gate

A World of Mortals

“Dong!”

One half-decree let out a dull sound, like a bronze bell.

All cultivators and demon cultivators, hearing the bell’s sound, felt their minds tremble, an inexplicable stirring within them.

The old Taoist priest instinctively reached for the other half of the decree before him, but it was already too late.

The half-decree vibrated violently. The spiritual talismans sealing it flickered with divine light, then suddenly burst into flames, spontaneously combusting and instantly burning away their power.

“Dong!”

Two bell sounds rang out successively, with little interval, almost merging into one resonant note echoing within the auspicious clouds.

The bell sounds not only stirred everyone's minds but also made the auspicious clouds turbulent, creating hurricanes out of thin air.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”

Fierce winds howled, and cloud currents swirled.

Both half-decrees simultaneously burst forth with golden light. The old Taoist priest's expression changed drastically, but he was powerless to stop it, watching helplessly as the golden rays shot towards the sky.

The two golden rays converged in the void, and a complete golden character '敕' (Chì – meaning 'decree' or 'imperial order') appeared before everyone.

Golden light shimmered on the '敕' character's surface, imbued with divine essence.

The surrounding phenomena grew even more intense.

The middle-aged scholar's lips curled slightly, revealing a hint of a triumphant smile as he glanced at the old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest's face was grim. Ignoring his adversary's provocation, he ceased his futile attempts to seal the decree, looking up towards the depths of the auspicious clouds with an incredibly solemn expression.

At this moment, all eyes were drawn to the large golden character.

As the '敕' character appeared, all cultivators present felt an unprecedented, strange fluctuation originating from the depths of the auspicious clouds.

The middle-aged scholar stood up, hands clasped behind his back, looking intently, his eyes betraying excitement.

Though the old Taoist priest felt a pang of reluctance, he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation at this moment, wondering what the legendary Divine Court truly looked like.

“Whoosh!”

The '敕' character burst forth with a brilliant golden light, then shattered.

The next sight was unexpected; the expressions of both humans and demons turned somewhat peculiar.

The strange phenomena rapidly dwindled. The fluctuations from the depths of the auspicious clouds went from strong to weak, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

Several Great Venerables and Demon Kings were about to give orders to vie for entry into the Divine Court, completely unprepared for this sudden turn of events.

The middle-aged scholar's face changed drastically. He turned and stared intently at the half-decree before the old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest also realized that the incomplete decree might be the cause. Instead of alarm, he felt a surge of delight. His side only had four Great Venerables present, clearly at a disadvantage. If they could delay for a while, it would be to their benefit!

The old Taoist priest secretly ordered his allies to be vigilant, then waved his sleeve, shielding the half-decree from the middle-aged scholar's covetous gaze, preparing to put it away.

At this moment, another change occurred.

“Rumble, rumble, rumble…”

The cloud currents continuously churned, and dull thuds like thunder emanated from the depths of the Cure Altar, as if the earth was shaking.

Demon soldiers with weaker cultivation immediately felt their qi and blood surge within them, making it difficult to maintain composure.

At the same time, all cultivators felt it: the entire Cure Altar was shaking!

This tremor was even more violent than when the Vajra Bodhi Tree first emerged.

The True Ones who hadn't yet arrived hastened their pace, fearing that the demons would get there first.

Venerable Liu glanced at Venerable Zuo, who was sitting cross-legged beside him, and felt a quiet anxiety.

Venerable Zuo was severely injured, and healing would not be instantaneous; he likely wouldn't make it in time.

Indeed, as the tremors intensified, Venerable Zuo merely gave a slight tremor of his eyelids, remaining unconscious.

Qin Sang and the various demons at the bottom of the blue light sea also felt the abnormality.

Qin Sang, who was moving through the light waves, paused, sensed for a moment, then looked up towards the sea surface.

Since the tremor originated from outside and was unrelated to the Vajra Bodhi Tree, Qin Sang didn't pay it much mind, withdrawing his gaze after a brief look.

However, this tremor was clearly extraordinary. With Great Venerables and Demon Kings having cut down their cultivation to enter the Altar, events were more complex than he had imagined. It would be best to acquire the Vajra Fruit quickly and return to his cave mansion.

Thinking of this, Qin Sang's movements accelerated.

In the distance, Spirit Ghost King and other demons also stopped, looking up at the sky.

“Your Highness, King Yan and his group might have found the Divine Court’s entrance,” Marquis Dingxiang whispered.

Spirit Ghost King's expression remained calm. He grunted indifferently, withdrawing his gaze, and continued to ride the phantom waves forward.

Watching Spirit Ghost King's back, a trace of helplessness flashed in Marquis Dingxiang's eyes; he did not agree with His Highness's approach.

The struggle for the Divine Court was not merely a matter of earning merit; it concerned the Great Dao itself.

If the Divine Court could be controlled, the Capital Merit Seal of Gangshan's Cure Altar would regain its connection with the Divine Court, and its power would be fully restored. Whether one chose to pursue the divine path or continue their previous cultivation, they would no longer be restricted by the Capital Merit Seal, and their future would be boundless.

What this meant, Spirit Ghost King surely understood.

If great contributions were made, the Great Saint would be greatly pleased and bestow generous rewards. Perhaps the next to ascend to the position of Great Saint would be Spirit Ghost King.

This was truly a case of 'one person's enlightenment elevating their entire household.'

To think he had followed a lord with no great ambitions, Marquis Dingxiang sighed inwardly, resigned to following closely with the other demon marquises.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The tremors came in waves.

Amidst the chaotic cloud currents, the old Taoist priest and the middle-aged scholar temporarily abandoned their thoughts of combat.

Not long after, humans and demons alike saw golden light spreading from the depths of the Cure Altar.

In recent days, they had witnessed the sight of golden light obscuring the sky many times, but this time was different.

The golden light was very gentle; as it washed over them, it felt like a soft breeze, imparting a sense of tranquility to everyone.

Immediately after, everyone saw precious light ascending from within the golden glow, revealing a strange sight.

Its outline appeared to be a divine gate.

Before its true form was fully revealed, myriad golden rays streamed forth with crimson rainbows, and thousands of auspicious mists spouted purple fog. At the top of the divine gate's outline, three clusters of golden light were particularly striking, appearing to be three large golden characters.

Behind the divine gate, bright rosy clouds shimmered and a misty azure expanse stretched out. Faintly, scenes of immortal palaces and treasure halls could be discerned, as if leading to the celestial dwelling of immortals.

Unfortunately, perhaps due to the distance, no matter how much they strained their eyes or activated their spiritual vision, they couldn't see it clearly.

For a moment, all cultivators and demon cultivators gazed in fascination.

“This… could this be the legendary South Heaven Gate?”

The old Taoist priest gripped the half-decree in his hand, sensing it tremble as if it wanted to break free from his grasp and fly towards the immortal palaces behind the divine gate.

“It really is the Divine Court… The great chaos at the Cure Altar over a hundred years ago was truly a sign of the Divine Court’s emergence…”

Venerable Ruoquan murmured, only now truly daring to believe it was real.

Upon hearing the claim that the Divine Court was about to emerge, she hadn't fully believed it. Even if these Taoist legends were true, for the Divine Court to suddenly appear after countless ages of dormancy inevitably aroused suspicion.

As far as she knew, after that great chaos at the Cure Altar, the Taoist Court sent people to investigate, but found nothing unusual.

Decades after the chaos, the decree appeared out of nowhere, and it was the Guifang Kingdom that first discovered it, not the Taoist sect that had created the Divine Court.

Later, the Taoist Court sent people with half a decree into the Cure Altar multiple times, but found no trace of divinity. It was only through other means, after nearly a hundred years, that they confirmed the residual aura within the decree was related to the Divine Court.

From the discovery of the decree to the confirmation of its origin, there had always been the shadow of demonic involvement.

Now, witnessing the legendary South Heaven Gate with her own eyes, she could no longer deny it.

The location of the South Heaven Gate was precisely the origin of the great chaos at the Cure Altar over a hundred years ago, clearly inseparable from it.

Venerable Ruoquan could barely suppress the excitement in her heart. Those who were not Great Venerables would not understand the depth of their repression—a path existed, yet they dared not tread it, a stifling inability to foresee their future.

Finally, dawn was breaking!

Just then, the golden light began to recede again, and the scene of immortal palaces gradually blurred.

The True Ones' hearts tightened, fearing that the South Heaven Gate would be fleeting and their hope would be extinguished.

However, the half-decree in the old Taoist priest's hand continued to tremble, perfectly capable of guiding them.

“Go!”

At the old Taoist priest's command, the giant black qi sword changed direction, breaking through the clouds and soaring away.

The demon cultivators were not to be outdone. They formed a battle formation around the middle-aged scholar, with several Demon King avatars encircling them in all directions. Leading the various demon marquises, they rode the air, their speed in no way inferior to the giant sword.

As they sped along, those within both camps who knew the inside story secretly communicated amongst themselves.

“Is that the legendary South Heaven Gate?”

“His Highness said the South Heaven Gate is the entrance to the Divine Court. But though this gate is divine, why does it look… somewhat incomplete?”

“Didn’t His Highness say the Divine Court was cast down from the nine heavens and fell into ruin in the mortal world? The South Heaven Gate must have borne the brunt; what’s strange about it being incomplete? I fear it’s just a ruin inside as well.”

“Even if it’s a ruin, it’s still the Divine Court. The Great Saint’s Residence surely has a way to restore it, otherwise why would so many lords willingly sacrifice their cultivation…”

Humans and demons, each with their own thoughts, traversed through layers of illusions.

If Qin Sang had been there and seen their direction, he would have been greatly shocked.

The South Heaven Gate seemed to be located near the illusions where the crimson-gold spirit needle and ancient mirror were!

Qin Sang, oblivious to this, was moving through the bottom of the light sea, diligently searching for the Vajra Bodhi Tree.

“Boom!”

No sooner had the external tremors ceased than the light sea began to tremble again.

Qin Sang experienced even more violent impacts than before, forced to resist the light waves with all his might to avoid being pushed too far away and losing all his previous efforts.

His figure surged and swayed amidst the light waves, unable to stand firm in any one spot.

Qin Sang ordered his Heaven's Eye Butterfly to be vigilant, while he devoted a sliver of his mind to sensing the light waves, attempting to find a pattern amidst the chaos.

This action was precisely inspired by Spirit Ghost King.

In fact, Qin Sang's current location could already be considered the source of the tremors.

The source was not a single point, but a vast area at the bottom of the light sea. The scenery here was monotonous, with no distinguishing marks, forcing him to search inch by inch.

Qin Sang had already searched for some time, but with little success, failing to find the Vajra Bodhi Tree.

Spirit Ghost King and the other demons were also here, but due to Qin Sang's presence, they dared not split their forces. Furthermore, Qin Sang was deliberately avoiding them, so the two parties had not encountered each other.

As time passed, the power of the light waves reached its peak. Qin Sang seemed to understand something, waiting patiently for a while until the tremors weakened to a tolerable level.

With a flap of his phoenix wings, he identified a direction and soared through the air.

Not long after, Qin Sang spotted a deep blue line appearing in the distance ahead.

The blue line was not straight, but winding and twisting, its ends out of sight. As he drew closer, he could see light and dark alternating along the line, with waves of impact rushing towards him. The light waves were erupting from within this blue line.

It resembled an ocean trench, continuously gushing out torrents of light.

Qin Sang headed straight for the blue line. As he drew close, his expression shifted slightly, and he turned his head to look towards its other end.

Even with his Heaven's Eye Divine Ability fully activated, he could only vaguely discern a phantom wave hidden within the blue line.

“What speed!”

Qin Sang’s heart sank; that phantom wave could only belong to Spirit Ghost King.

He had thought Spirit Ghost King would be slower, needing to gather the scattered demon marquises, but he was unexpectedly faster than Qin Sang himself.

A Demon King's methods were truly unfathomable!

Qin Sang sighed inwardly, but he had no intention of retreating. With a vigorous flap of his phoenix wings, he arrived instantly before the blue line.

Before him lay a blue crack, its interior diffusing with blue light, like a secluded blue valley, extraordinarily mysterious.

Light waves continuously surged out from the secluded valley, attempting to push him away.

The force of the light waves grew weaker with each surge, and the secluded valley was rapidly closing.

Clearly, when the secluded valley was closed, the light sea was temporarily stable, but its opening caused the light sea to tremble.

However, how many more times could the secluded valley open?

Once the secluded valley completely closed, would those inside be able to get out?

Qin Sang pondered these questions, but no one could give him answers; these were the inherent risks of treasure hunting.

He was always cautious, but when opportunity presented itself, he never lacked the courage to diligently advance, which was how he had come so far today.

With his gaze slightly deepened, Qin Sang did not hesitate, rushing into the secluded valley!

“Boom!”

“Hiss…”

Only after entering did Qin Sang discover that the secluded valley's interior was far more chaotic than the outside. Immediately upon entering, he was met by the crushing force of three light waves, as if struck simultaneously by three giant hammers.

A Nascent Soul cultivator, if in his place, would likely have been instantly flattened into a meat patty.

His Bright Mountain Armor shone brightly. Qin Sang’s arms vibrated, and with powerful punches, he shattered the light waves before him, struggling free.

Within his vision, light waves surged endlessly, and deep blue hues dominated everywhere, yet he couldn't see any truly existing objects.

The secluded valley seemed to be a void, with no discernible spatial boundaries. Searching for a tree here was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

Qin Sang activated his Spirit Wood Body to sense around, but finding no wood spirit qi nearby, he continued to dive deeper, intending to reach the bottom of the secluded valley first.

He moved through the gaps in the light waves, finding it extremely arduous.

However, Qin Sang considered this a good thing. The group of demon cultivators would find it difficult to maintain their formation here, unless Spirit Ghost King continuously used powerful divine abilities, willingly enduring the consumption.

The secluded valley was bottomless, so the opposing party would likely have to search separately.

He shouldn't have to worry about facing a group of demon cultivators all at once.

After diving for an unknown distance, a spot of light suddenly flashed before his eyes.

“Eh?”

Qin Sang’s expression shifted slightly. He rushed over and immediately saw a bubble bobbing in the light waves.

He had seen such bubbles outside the secluded valley before, but only for a fleeting glimpse.

Qin Sang was about to approach when he noticed the bubble's surface was cracked and on the verge of bursting. His figure paused, and he activated his Heaven's Eye Divine Ability to observe.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the bubble actually contained a mountain, verdant with lush vegetation. Near the peak, there was even a thatched hut with its door half-open.

The scene inside the bubble was incredibly real; every single tree seemed genuine.

“Pop!”

The bubble burst, and the mountain image and thatched hut vanished.

Qin Sang swiftly darted forward, focusing his senses, but the burst bubble had left nothing behind.

Everything seemed like a fleeting illusion.

He didn't understand why, but he temporarily suppressed his doubts and continued to dive.

He encountered more and more bubbles.

Each bubble contained an almost perfectly real scene, yet they were all different: some held mountains and waters, others wild plains and desolate villages, still others palaces and pavilions—a varied assortment, but notably, none contained living beings.

If they were real, then after the bubbles burst, not a trace remained.

If they were illusory, all the details were so lifelike.

“Boom!”

A light wave surged towards him, carrying a bubble.

Qin Sang's gaze swept over it, seeing an octagonal mountain pavilion within the bubble, its pillars adorned with exquisite murals.

He approached the bubble and reached out, fully expecting to grasp empty air as he had done several times before.

The next instant, his expression shifted slightly, and he quickly pulled back his palm. His palm felt heavy; he was surprisingly holding a red tile, unmistakably from the octagonal mountain pavilion.

“Pop!”

The bubble burst, and the mountain pavilion disappeared.

Still, it left no trace, save for the single tile in his hand!