Chapter 852: Eerie Temple

Zhao Ruizhi thought to himself, if he were to step through this immortal gate, wouldn't it be his son's body that achieves immortality?Of course, he most desired to achieve immortality with his own body. Even if it was his own son, he didn't want to yield such a divine opportunity. However, he quickly realized that this chance for immortality was fleeting, and he probably couldn't wait for his true self to achieve it.It was better to let this body become immortal first. After leaving the secret realm, he could take the immortal peaches out and see if his true self could then achieve immortality.

As this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly looked down at the Duke Qi's Residence assassins, wondering why these "ants" should be allowed to achieve immortality with him.Were they even worthy?He remembered that many of them had eaten the immortal peaches before him, and he worried that they might become immortal first. It would be too late if he didn't stop them now.So, he paused his step towards the immortal gate, turning instead with the intention of eliminating the others first.

However, the moment he turned, everything before him changed. The scene of falling blossoms and fragrant fruits vanished. All colors around him suddenly dimmed. The Duke Qi's Residence assassins were no longer holding the large, beautiful immortal peaches but bizarre, skull-shaped fruits.Other Duke Qi's Residence warriors walked into the lake with eerie smiles on their faces. The lake, once as beautiful as a sapphire, was now pitch black, and a faint ghastly face seemed to emerge from its surface.The strong bodies of the Duke Qi's Residence warriors who first stepped into the lake withered at a visible pace, yet they themselves seemed completely unaware, their faces still wearing expressions of intoxicated bliss, making the whole atmosphere even more unsettling.

"What fiend is this!" Cold sweat broke out all over Zhao Ruizhi's body. He immediately realized something was wrong. He turned his head to look, but there was no immortal gate; he himself was already near the lake's edge.His internal energy instantly surged to its peak, and an extremely powerful aura radiated outwards, shattering the surrounding illusion in an instant.

Just then, he felt something strange inside his body. A black hole seemed to have appeared, furiously absorbing his vital essence.He frowned, immediately using his unparalleled cultivation to suppress the frantic absorption. Then, he performed an internal scan and discovered three hideous flowers growing in his stomach. Each bud resembled a skull, not only fiercely drawing in his vital energy but also sending countless roots wildly spreading towards his internal organs.Each root secreted a liquid; clearly, it was this liquid that had just numbed his nerves, giving him a sensation of otherworldly bliss.

"You're asking for death!" Zhao Ruizhi snorted coldly, immediately unleashing his full power. Golden light radiated from every inch of his skin.The three skull-like flowers inside his body emitted piercing screams. Their roots twisted frantically, releasing wisps of dark energy to resist, but the emperor's cultivation was formidable. They only lasted for a few breaths before being incinerated into ashes by the golden light.

Immediately after, Zhao Ruizhi gestured towards the Duke Qi's Residence warriors, pulling them all back from the lake's edge while chanting an incantation: "Awaken!"In this eerie secret realm, these individuals still had some use; at least they could be sent to test various mechanisms, just as before.The Duke Qi's Residence warriors trembled, feeling as if a giant bell had rung beside their ears. That soul-shaking tremor startled them, and they all snapped out of it.

"What happened?""I remember I was about to become immortal just now.""Ah, why has this lake turned black?""What the hell is this?"Many noticed the skull-like fruits in their hands and quickly threw them aside in horror.What could be scarier than holding a skull-like fruit?Holding half of one...

He Li looked at the half skull-like fruit in his hand, seeing various familiar tooth marks on it. He instantly felt disgusted and quickly began to retch to the side, though there was nothing left for him to vomit at this point.

Zhao Ruizhi's voice rang out: "We were just under an illusion. The Jade Pool and immortal peaches we saw earlier were all fake. I have awakened you; there's nothing to worry about now.""Thank you, Your Majesty!" The group of warriors expressed their profound gratitude, while simultaneously cursing the deceptive nature of the illusions.

He Li, however, wore a mournful expression. With his cultivation, he had already performed an internal scan and discovered an ugly, skull-like flower inside his body, which was merely being suppressed by a golden light, preventing it from growing further.That golden light must have been the emperor's recent intervention, but he knew such suppression was only temporary. Once the golden light's effect weakened over time, the skull flower would resume its rampant growth.He tried to force the strange flower out himself, but no matter what method he used, he couldn't. The flower seemed to have merged with his flesh and blood; he couldn't expel it unless he was willing to discard his own body.He instantly understood the emperor's intentions but dared not expose them, only looking at his excited companions with a despondent face. Sometimes, ignorance truly was bliss.

At this moment, Zhao Ruizhi approached the lake, coldly pressing his palm down. A giant golden hand immediately appeared in the air. The lake water instantly boiled and was quickly evaporated by the golden hand, revealing the lakebed.All that could be seen were withered bones, both human and various fierce beasts. Some skulls even showed a bizarre smile, a mix of satisfaction and agony, much like the expressions on the faces of the Duke Qi's Residence warriors earlier.

Everyone felt a chill down their spine, Zhao Ruizhi included.If he hadn't happened to turn around by chance just now, by the time he discovered it, that strange flower might have already established itself within his body, making its expulsion difficult.

He quickly extended his divine sense, and his brow furrowed instantly. Normally, his divine sense could cover the entire capital city, but now it could only extend a few dozen zhang, clearly suppressed by the unique spatial rules here.

"Continue forward and explore!" Zhao Ruizhi scanned with his divine sense. Since he didn't detect any traces of mysterious creatures nearby, he temporarily abandoned further searching. The immediate priority was to reach the highest immortal mountain.There was a magnificent palace there, which clearly seemed to be the core of these three immortal mountains. If there were any secret treasures, they would most likely be found there.

However, after experiencing these events, his previously soaring spirits were suddenly clouded. It seemed there might not be any elixir of immortality here after all.If he had known this, he should have eliminated that brat Zu An immediately!A surge of frustration welled up within him; it was all the fault of these strange peach trees.With a flick of his sleeve, a streak of golden light shot out. The bizarre peach grove instantly burst into fierce flames, with various ghastly faces constantly appearing and screaming within, causing everyone nearby to turn pale.Though the peach grove looked dense, Zhao Ruizhi's attack, fueled by his resentment, was formidable. In almost an instant, the peach grove turned into a pile of ashes.

Zhao Ruizhi snorted, then turned directly towards the direction Zu An had fled. The Duke Qi's Residence entourage quickly followed.However, it wasn't long before the group stopped. The lush green scenery had vanished, replaced by an endless desert stretching before them.

"Is it another illusion?" He Li asked, swallowing hard.Zhao Ruizhi shook his head: "There was a violent fluctuation in the spatial elements just now. It seems the space here has just shifted. What stands before us is not an illusion, but a real desert."

His brow furrowed subtly. If this were the case, he and Zu An might not even be in the same space, making it troublesome to pursue him."Let's go to the palace at the top first," Zhao Ruizhi quickly decided. Since Zu An was on the island, he couldn't escape anyway. Zhao Ruizhi would thoroughly investigate this secret realm, retrieve its legacy treasures, and then slowly settle the score with that brat.

"Achoo!" On the other side, Zu An rubbed his nose. "Some beauty must be thinking of me to death again."Mi Li rolled her eyes. "More likely wishing you were dead."Zu An gave an awkward smile. He had to admit that was quite possible, especially since he'd been receiving waves of the emperor's Rage points intermittently."Oh, there seems to be a strange temple ahead," Bi Linglong's voice came then.Zu An looked up and saw a massive temple about a hundred zhang away. However, the temple's shape was exceedingly bizarre, unlike any he had ever seen. It possessed no hint of sacredness or solemnity; instead, it resembled a monster quietly crouching there.