Chapter 965: 荒原

The Human World

"Is this the Flower Fairy Lake?"

The Nine Phoenix King remained silent. She glanced out of the stone hall, then her figure flickered and she flew out, leaving a faint instruction: "There are still things you need to do. Follow me."

The demons exchanged glances. They had thought their task would be easily completed, but it seemed there were unexpected complications.

No one dared defy the Nine Phoenix King's command, so they quickly followed.

Qin Sang felt helpless and had no choice but to endure. He noticed Yuan Zhu lagging behind, his eyes holding a peculiar expression.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, what happened?" Qin Sang asked curiously.

"I had an important matter to attend to," Yuan Zhu said, shaking his head and forcing a smile. "Now I don't know if I'll still have time... Alas!"

The two swiftly followed, returning to the top of the hills.

The Nine Phoenix King cast out several streaks of light. The cave entrance instantly reverted to its original state, now reinforced with a sturdy barrier to prevent cultivators from accidentally breaking in.

"Cai Yi, where are the Nascent Soul cultivators among the immortal cultivators?" the Nine Phoenix King asked Fairy Cai Yi after setting up the barrier.

Fairy Cai Yi replied, "Aunt Jiu, Fellow Daoist Gu Heng and I entered immediately after the Seven Kill Palace opened. We carefully investigated and found that some Nascent Soul cultivators from both races have entered the seventh floor of the Celestial Pagoda, including Ling Zhuzi of the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Great Shaman Priest of the Witch Clan. They haven't come out yet. The other Nascent Soul cultivators have dispersed, with human cultivators openly following most of the Witch Clan Nascent Soul cultivators. If you wish to go to the Celestial Pagoda, Aunt Jiu, you must be careful."

"We are not going to the Celestial Pagoda," the Nine Phoenix King's gaze turned cold. "It's better if Ling Zhuzi and the Great Shaman Priest are in the Celestial Pagoda; it prevents them from interfering with my plans."

Fairy Cai Yi led the way, walking alongside the Nine Phoenix King. The Nine Phoenix King deliberately slowed her escape technique. She took out a topographic map and occasionally questioned Fairy Cai Yi, seemingly confirming something.

The demons remained silent, following closely behind.

Unexpectedly, not long after they flew out, a dull thud suddenly echoed from ahead, like an earthquake. A moment later, amidst the poisonous algae, a faint ripple spread from the front.

All the demons were startled.

"Did you discover anything when you came in?" The Nine Phoenix King halted her escape light, her beautiful eyes slightly narrowed as she stared ahead.

"No," Fairy Cai Yi shook her head, a confused expression on her face. "It was normal when we arrived, and we didn't encounter any cultivators. Perhaps a barrier was accidentally triggered. Aunt Jiu, should we go and check it out?"

The Nine Phoenix King shook her head. "Forget it. The main task is more important; let's not create unnecessary complications."

The demons set off again, moving more cautiously this time. Besides that single tremor, there was nothing else unusual.

Before long, they returned to the outskirts of Flower Fairy Lake, heading towards its exit.

Just then, the Nine Phoenix King seemed to sense something, abruptly paused, and frowned as she looked in another direction within Flower Fairy Lake. It was only then that Qin Sang and the others detected distant commotion, faintly hearing beast roars and the sound of air being torn apart.

Surprisingly, after staring in that direction for a moment, the Nine Phoenix King's figure flickered. She actually changed course and shot towards the source of the sounds, her escape technique astonishingly fast, easily leaving Qin Sang and the others behind.

The demons quickly followed. When they finally caught up, they saw the Nine Phoenix King holding a cultivator by the neck with one hand. Below her, amidst the poisonous marsh, lay the corpse of a ferocious beast.

The cultivator was still alive. The look of panic hadn't yet faded from his face. Seeing so many people suddenly appear made him even more uneasy. He struggled to speak, "Thank you, Senior, for killing the beast and saving my life. I am willing to..."

Before he could finish, the cultivator's eyes suddenly rolled back, his limbs twitched violently, and a pained expression appeared on his face. Guttural gasps escaped his throat, and then he breathed his last.

"Indeed!" The Nine Phoenix King dropped the cultivator's body, muttering to herself, a hint of joy appearing on her face. Then, without another word, she shot forward again.

Qin Sang and the others, full of doubt, quickly glanced at the cultivator's and beast's corpses before chasing after her. Qin Sang didn't recognize the cultivator, but what caught his attention was the beast's corpse.

The beast resembled a black wolf, looking fierce and malevolent. It was the first time he had seen such a creature.

Before long, they crossed two ridges and saw a surprising scene. On a raised ridge, several ancient wooden pagodas stood, most of them submerged in the sea of poisonous algae, with only their pointed tops visible. Between these ancient pagodas, there were also several ancient wooden halls, scattered in an orderly fashion, all naturally submerged by the poisonous algae.

"This place was once somewhat well-known. What's rare is that it's on the outskirts of Flower Fairy Lake, where the toxicity is limited. Many cultivators came here to explore, but gradually, it became neglected..." Fairy Cai Yi, who had thoroughly studied Flower Fairy Lake, recognized it. However, she didn't understand why the Nine Phoenix King had suddenly changed her objective and come here.

With a quick glance, Fairy Cai Yi pointed to a wooden hall. "There!"

The demons entered in single file, finding the ancient hall's barrier already broken. The Nine Phoenix King stood inside the wooden hall, hands clasped behind her back, gazing at a bare wall. The wooden hall was empty, cleared out. If the wall hadn't been protected by an ancient barrier, it would surely have been dismantled long ago.

"Aunt Jiu," Fairy Cai Yi looked at the wall with a puzzled expression. "Is there something hidden here?"

The Nine Phoenix King nodded slightly. "We descendants of the Celestial Phoenix are extremely sensitive to spatial fluctuations. I felt something unusual just now. After soul-searching, I learned that this cultivator was quite lucky; he actually opened an ancient barrier and discovered a place that seems never to have been trodden by others."

"A barrier that has never been opened? Here?" Fairy Cai Yi was incredulous, her face filled with surprise and joy. "Aunt Jiu has profound fortune! You just entered the Seven Kill Palace and already found a treasure trove. If no cultivator got there first, there must be many treasures inside. I wonder what kind of secret realm it is? Did that ferocious wolf perhaps escape from inside the barrier?"

The Nine Phoenix King opened her palm and produced a square seal carved from white jade. She grasped the jade and lightly pressed it against the center of the wall. Immediately, ripples appeared on the wall, eventually revealing a moon gate, leading to an unknown desolate garden.

The desolate garden was also overgrown with poisonous algae. The scenery here was very similar to the outside, stretching out of sight.

The Nine Phoenix King stepped through the moon gate, her expression subtly changing. She warned, "It's all poisonous algae! And the toxicity is far greater than outside. Remember, do not go too deep."

The demons were startled. After preparing their defenses, they cautiously tried to pass through the moon gate. What was shocking was that the toxicity at the entrance of the desolate garden was comparable to the depths of Flower Fairy Lake. Those who had only taken Millennial Viper Pills but lacked other detoxification methods dared not be careless and proceeded with extreme caution.

Only Qin Sang, Gu Heng, Fairy Cai Yi, and Yuan Zhu maintained their composure.

At this moment, Qin Sang stood behind the moon gate, his gaze sweeping over the vast expanse of poisonous algae. A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. After entering the desolate land, the Fat Silkworm suddenly stirred, conveying a sense of yearning. Since entering Flower Fairy Lake, the Fat Silkworm had remained still, leading him to believe there were no spiritual medicines of interest to it here. He hadn't expected to encounter one now.