The surroundings turned pitch-black.
It was a darkness reminiscent of the primordial chaos before the heavens and earth were formed, a time when nothing existed. There wasn’t a single sound to be heard, only an overwhelming stillness. Standing within it felt as though one had been cast into a silent, untouched place that had remained undisturbed for thousands of years, enveloped in a profound, deathly quiet.
No one knew how much time had passed when, as if a hand was slowly lifting the veil from before their eyes, the darkness gradually receded, and light began to return.
A powerful force suddenly thrust everyone forward. Zanxing almost got thrown off balance but quickly drew out her Wuyou Staff to steady herself. Only then did she manage to stand firm. Mimi looked ahead, letting out a few soft barks.
What lay before them was a desolate wasteland.
Behind them, the sound of voices gradually began to emerge as the others appeared on this barren land.
As soon as they settled, one of the sect disciples couldn’t hold back and cursed, “What is this place? I knew those demons were up to no good!”
Before Bu Jiang could respond, Zanxing spoke first. “Weren’t you all trying to enter the Ruins of the Golden Gate? This is it—this is the Golden Gate Ruins.”
The man was taken aback, momentarily left speechless.
This was indeed a barren land. Underfoot was only sticky black mud—no grass, no flowers, and certainly no living beings. The place where they had arrived was beside a black river, much like the Mingming River. The Black Dragon Fish was resting on the riverbank, most of its body submerged, with only its dark back protruding from the water.
Fu Ronghua took a few steps forward. “This is the Golden Gate Ruins?” He looked at Bu Jiang, his expression somewhat puzzled. “How could the Golden Gate Ruins be at the bottom of the Mingming River?”
Their group had been carried into the whirlpool of the Mingming River by the Black Dragon Fish, only to emerge in what seemed like an entirely different place. All around was nothing but the black wilderness and the great river. It was impossible to tell whether they were underwater or on land.
Bu Jiang took a few steps forward, smiling faintly with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes. ���Who said the celestial realm must be in the sky? Mortals and gods do not interfere with each other, each following their own paths—this is called the ‘Impenetrable Heaven and Earth’. The bottom of the Mingming River is actually the path that connects to the heavens.”
Though the celestial realm might be in the sky, reaching it required passing through the underworld of the demon realm. No wonder that after all these years, no one had ever discovered the whereabouts of the Golden Gate Ruins, except for the likes of Gui Diaotang and Fairy Qinghua in the past.
Men Dong suddenly squinted and pointed into the distance. “What’s that?”
The black wasteland stretched out endlessly, with only a great river dividing the land in two. Yet, in the flowing waters of the river, there stood a single gate, quietly towering in the midst of it.
It was a vermillion archway, standing on the plain, in the center of the river. As the group moved closer, they noticed the top of the arch was adorned with an exquisitely carved head of a majestic dragon, lifelike in appearance, glaring down at them with a piercing gaze.
Zanxing murmured, “The Dragon Gate.”
Tian Fangfang was confused. “Junior Sister, what is the Dragon Gate?”
Zanxing turned her head to look at the Black Dragon Fish resting on the riverbank. Having swum this far, the Black Dragon Fish refused to go any further.
“It’s said that if a carp leaps over the Dragon Gate, it can transform into a dragon,” Gu Baiying explained. “This place should be the Dragon Transformation Gate.”
“The Dragon Gate?” Hearing this, Nie Xinghong’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly hurried toward the archway. “Then we should hurry and go through it! Perhaps, once we cross this gate, we can all become immortals—”
Before he could even finish the word “immortals”, there was a loud “ouch!” as Nie Xinghong was suddenly hurled backward by a powerful force, flying through the air before eventually managing to pick himself up.
“This—” Rong Shuang coldly glanced at Bu Jiang.
Bu Jiang smiled faintly. “To access the Golden Gate Ruins, the door must first be opened.”
Everyone looked at her. Daoist Lingxin couldn’t help but speak up, “Why are you dragging this out? Could it be that Heishi City intends to go back on its word and break the agreement at the last moment?” He then glanced at Shaoyang Zhenren and threatened, “Shaoyang, are you planning to renege on your promise?”
Bu Jiang chuckled softly. “In light of the ninety-nine pages of resources, I’ll forgive your insolence today. Zhenren,” she turned to Shaoyang Zhenren, “didn’t you tell them?”
Shaoyang Zhenren, caught in the middle like a scolded child, paused and calmly explained, “To open the Golden Gate Ruins, besides the key, we also need a balance between Heavenly Yuan Power and Demonic Yuan Power. Your help will be required.”
The cultivators of the immortal realm were taken aback; this requirement hadn’t been mentioned before. Most disciples hadn’t cultivated long enough to possess Heavenly Yuan Power, except for those with extraordinary talents like Gu Baiying. The older cultivators had it, but they were being asked to expend some before even reaching the Golden Gate.
Bu Jiang chuckled lightly. “I have Demonic Yuan Power, as does Zanxing, but without your assistance, we could stand here for days, and the Golden Gate Ruins would remain sealed. In business, you can’t just think about gains without being willing to give something in return.”
Rong Shuang shot a sharp glance at Shaoyang Zhenren and mocked, “So that’s how it is. Zhenren, you’ve gone to great lengths for Heishi City. One might even think you were on the side of the demons.”
Revealing the need for a balance of Heavenly and Demonic Yuan Power only after they had arrived meant that the initial demand from Heishi City for the ninety-nine pages of resources had clearly been open to negotiation. Shaoyang Zhenren had known this all along but hadn’t informed the group, his bias laid bare.
Men Dong clicked his tongue a few times and muttered, “Our Sect Master sure is devoted.”
Gu Baiying warned him, “Shut up.”
Bu Jiang raised her eyebrows, waiting for their response. Before long, Fu Ronghua stepped forward first, smiling warmly. “Well, if the spiritual veins can’t be revived, there’s no point in holding onto this Heavenly Yuan Power. The flood in Douzhou is still raging, and now the Golden Gate Ruins are our only option. There’s nothing to hesitate about.” He moved to stand beside Shaoyang Zhenren. “I’ll help you.”
“And you two?” Bu Jiang smiled as she turned to Rong Shuang and Daoist Lingxin.
Their expressions were already sour, but having come this far and already given up the resources, it wasn’t worth turning back now.
Fu Ronghua continued to persuade, “We’re already here.”
“You’d better not play any tricks,” Daoist Lingxin said coldly, stepping forward to stand beside Fu Ronghua, along with Rong Shuang.
Bu Jiang, as if expecting their decision, smiled faintly. From her palm, a silver key slowly emerged.
The key began to transform, turning into a silver square medallion. She raised both hands, and as Demonic Yuan Power flowed from her fingertips, it enveloped the medallion, which then floated toward the vermillion archway in front of them.
Creaaaak—
A deep rumbling sound echoed through the void, as if an unseen door was slowly opening.
An overwhelming surge of Heaven and Earth Yuan Power burst forth from the archway, rushing toward them like a tidal wave.
“Now!” Bu Jiang commanded.
Several streams of Demonic Yuan Power and Heavenly Yuan Power rose from all directions, converging in the sky to form a massive shadow. It was as if an enormous azure dragon had risen from the waves, its claws outstretched as it charged toward the Dragon Gate.
Creaaaak—
The vermillion archway trembled, then disappeared.
The Golden Gate Ruins were now open.