Chapter 247: Going Against the Current... (Part 1)
The Ten Thousand Sword Formation of Li Mountain was activated once again. Beneath the morning sun, the countless sword lights gleamed like flowing gold.
A white crane let out a clear cry and departed from the Holy Maiden Peak.
On the Dew Terrace within the Imperial Palace of the capital, there was no sign of the Holy Empress.
The bells of the Li Palace rang out without any warning. Though not urgent, they were unceasing, as if they would never stop.
Beneath the thatched hut outside Hanqiu City, Zhu Luo abruptly opened his eyes. His gaze held only boundless vigilance and shock, with not a trace of drunkenness to be seen.
Inside the carriage, Melisa also opened his eyes. A faint, unreadable expression flickered in his slightly clouded gaze.
They did not know what was happening in the distant north, outside the city of Snow Old City. They were not yet aware of the tremors in Li Mountain or the ringing of the Li Palace bells. But at that very moment, they sensed something extremely unexpected and shocking—the Garden of Zhou had closed again.
The forest was in chaos. The elders of the Longevity Sect, the priests of the State Religion, and the masters of various academies and sects all surged forward to the patch of unyielding mist.
The lightning within the mist still writhed like serpents. The passage that had been opened by the rainbow at dawn had vanished at some unknown moment, once again consumed by the fog.
The rainbow remained, but it shifted positions incessantly, unable to carve a clear path, only causing the mist to churn endlessly.
Zhu Luo and Melisa stood at the forefront, their expressions grave as they gazed at the scene before them. With their keen eyesight, they could see the winding path flickering in and out of view within the mist, confirming that the passage had not completely disappeared. It had merely been disrupted by some interference, rendering it temporarily impassable.
"A small world operates by its own rules. No one but its owner can alter them," Melisa said slowly. "Unless Zhou Dufu were to rise from the dead, no one could close the Garden of Zhou ahead of time. I imagine that in a few days, the garden gate should reopen."
Despite his words, the atmosphere in the forest did not lighten.
Who was influencing the process of the Garden of Zhou's opening? What did they intend to do?
Zhu Luo and Melisa didn't need to think twice to know that the demons were behind this.
They even directly thought of that person's name—Black Robe.
Melisa's thoughts ran deeper, and the worry on his face grew heavier.
When would the gate of the Garden of Zhou reopen?
What would happen inside the garden during these days?
What would those people face?
What would happen between them?
Who could control the situation?
Zhu Luo suddenly said, "She went in."
Melisa was silent for a moment, then said, "It depends on him."
Those inside the Garden of Zhou did not know what was happening outside.
Chen Changsheng and Zheshe walked with umbrellas through a light drizzle.
Leaving the tranquil garden with its little bridges and flowing water, they entered a landscape of green hills.
Standing before a cliff, looking down at the rain-soaked forest below and the distant prairie bathed in sunlight, Chen Changsheng felt his mind expand with a sense of openness.
The Garden of Zhou was no mere garden—it was a true small world.
Zhou Dufu truly deserved his reputation as the strongest man on the continent in a thousand years. The small world he left behind was many times larger than the Green Leaf World of the Holy Maiden.
Following the mountain path into the forest and then out again, the two arrived before a river. Gazing into the distance, they saw the prairie still gleaming under the sun, its distance not seeming to have shortened at all.
Chen Changsheng took out his flowing water bottle and checked it. He found that it had taken half an hour to reach this point. Comparing it with his mental count, he confirmed that the flow of time had neither sped up nor slowed down.
"I've heard that deep within that prairie, one month inside equals one day outside. It's the best place for cultivation," Zheshe said. "But for over a hundred years, no one who entered the garden has been able to reach the deepest part of the prairie. No one knows if Zhou Dufu's legacy is there. All we know is that the prairie hides many dangers, including some particularly ferocious demonic beasts."
Chen Changsheng had read similar accounts in the Daoist scriptures. Hearing the words "demonic beasts," he instinctively glanced at Zheshe.
The wolf clan youth had grown up on the snowy plains and was likely most skilled at hunting beasts.
"Those demonic beasts that thrive in that prairie are not something a Tongyou realm cultivator can contend with," Zheshe said expressionlessly. "So don't think too much."
Gazing at the distant prairie, Chen Changsheng couldn't help but think about it, unconsciously touching the hilt of his sword.
The sound of the river was somewhat loud, or perhaps it was in his sea of consciousness. In any case, Zheshe didn't hear the two faint squeaks.
"Where are we going?" Zheshe asked.
The Garden of Zhou had five regions. Aside from the distant prairie, which appeared calm but was actually extremely dangerous, the other four regions had been largely explored by human cultivators and demons over the past few hundred years. Many relics of once-famous continent powerhouses had been discovered, their legacies revived, and many magical artifacts had seen the light of day again. After centuries, no one knew what else remained in the Garden of Zhou. But all sects and academies agreed that obtaining any magical artifact or legacy here now would require far more effort and risk than it had for previous generations of cultivators.
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and then said, "Is there any place you'd like to see?"
When he had observed the steles at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, he had already planned what to do after entering the Garden of Zhou.
He wanted to see the scenery and search for ruins. After that night, the destination of his journey had been slightly adjusted, but the prairie was definitely the last place he would go.
Zheshe said, "I want to go to the Sword Pool."
Then he added, "If there really is a Sword Pool."
Chen Changsheng said, "The Sword Pool is just a legend. No one has ever seen it... For hundreds of years, so many senior cultivators have searched and found nothing. I don't think we'll find it either."
"I have no sword," Zheshe said, looking at him seriously.
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, thinking it over. Indeed, for hundreds of years, the Garden of Zhou had opened many times. Cultivators who entered to explore had discovered many magical artifacts, treasures, and the most precious legacies, but never a sword. Whether in the mountains where the pines roared like anger or by the great lake as smooth as a mirror, there were no swords.
Where had all the swords of the continent's powerhouses who fell to Zhou Dufu gone?
The legend of the Sword Pool did make some sense.
"Even if we're lucky enough to find the Sword Pool, those swords are probably all broken, their spiritual energy gone. It would be better to search the caves in the cliffs. We might find a suitable magical artifact."
"I have no sword," Zheshe said, looking at him seriously. "If possible, I want to find a sword to use. And I don't like magical artifacts."
Chen Changsheng then remembered that Zheshe had always fought bare-handed. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I recall from the notes of a predecessor that if you follow this river upstream for about ten li, there's a mountain stream on the right-hand side. Someone once found a sword sheath at the bottom of that stream. If there really is a Sword Pool in the Garden of Zhou, it should be somewhere nearby."
The rain had stopped at some unknown time.
Chen Changsheng put away his umbrella and went upstream with Zheshe.
They hadn't gone far when they suddenly heard several sharp sword cries from the riverbank ahead.
Rounding a pile of rocks, they saw a young girl sitting against a tree, her left shoulder covered in blood. It was the senior sister from the Holy Maiden Peak who had traveled with Chen Changsheng from the capital.
The little girl named Ye Xiaolian stood guard in front of her, a sword in her hand, her small face filled with anger.
(To inform everyone of a few matters: 1. There will be a small event in the book review section. The event time is tomorrow, November 18th. The theme is xxxx. I will write less tomorrow because I'll be drinking. There are some small gifts for everyone, all handled by the deputy moderators. For details, please check the pinned post in the book review section. 2. Later, I will hold a giveaway on Weibo. Just for fun... but the prizes should be quite good. 3. Also later, the prototype of the Garden of Zhou's entrance will be released on WeChat, obtained during a "field trip" in September. Field trip... endless echoes.)