Undying Life

Chapter 194: Fengdu Ghost City

"Qianyou, why give it to him?" Gu Lin immediately shouted.

Gu Lin was furious. As Qianyou Princess had said, how could such a precious opportunity be given to a mere servant? Void of karmic hindrances, it meant that anyone below the Nascent Soul stage could at least break through one level, maybe even two or three levels. Even though Gu Lin had extraordinary talent, such an opportunity was rare. Qianyou Princess giving it to Zhong Shan only deepened Gu Lin's resentment towards him.

Seeing Gu Lin, Qianyou Princess frowned slightly and said, "You have a higher cultivation level than Mr. Zhong. If he breaks through, he can protect himself."

Hearing Qianyou Princess's words, Gu Lin could only let it go, but he still felt a lingering anger. He looked coldly at Zhong Shan, his eyes filled with a sinister chill. Even A Da, standing nearby, noticed this, and everyone fell silent.

Zhong Shan, of course, understood the situation, but Qianyou Princess's words were too tempting. Void of karmic hindrances was something he had dreamed of. Although he knew Qianyou Princess was bestowing a great favor, Zhong Shan couldn't refuse. He desperately needed a breakthrough in his cultivation. Never mind, he thought, he would repay this great kindness slowly in the future. For now, he needed to focus on his breakthrough.

The golden dragon entered his body, transforming instantly into a golden energy, or rather, fortune. The dense golden fortune covered every part of Zhong Shan's body, even his soul. This kind of dragon fortune was different from the fortune granted to officials in the celestial dynasty, which was continuously connected to the dynasty and enveloped the individual at all times. The dragon fortune would only flush through him briefly before dissipating, so he had to seize this opportunity.

Zhong Shan focused on his breakthrough. Originally, he had just reached the third level of the Golden Core stage. Normally, it would take at least one or two years to break through further, even in the best cultivation environment. But now, something miraculous happened.

Void of karmic hindrances, his cultivation level surged. Within just three breaths, Zhong Shan's cultivation reached the fourth level of the Golden Core stage. There was still two-thirds of the golden dragon fortune left. Should he continue to break through?

Zhong Shan immediately abandoned that tempting idea. He had something even more important—Hongluan Heavenly Sutra. If he could break through one more level, reaching the fifth level of the Hongluan Heavenly Sutra, something magical would happen. The extraordinary power of the Hongluan Heavenly Sutra would truly manifest.

Focusing his mind on his brow, the pink lotus bud flame quickly began to transform.

Using up the remaining half of the golden dragon fortune, the lotus finally took shape, no longer a mere bud but a clear and detailed lotus. However, it was slightly closed and needed further breakthrough.

Sweat appeared on Zhong Shan's forehead. He needed to break through further, he had to. As the last of the golden dragon fortune was exhausted, it finally happened. The pink lotus bloomed.

The pink lotus was exquisitely detailed, no longer resembling a flickering flame but appearing as a smoke-like form, both ethereal and real. The fifth level of the Hongluan Heavenly Sutra! Foreseeing fortune and misfortune!

The pink lotus suddenly emitted a faint blue hue. Blue signified misfortune, red signified fortune. Now, with the fifth level of the Hongluan Heavenly Sutra, although Zhong Shan's awareness wasn't fully clear, if great misfortune approached, the lotus would turn blue; if great fortune was near, it would turn red.

This was the extraordinary aspect of the Hongluan Heavenly Sutra, the ability to foresee fortune and misfortune. With this power, once reaching the fifth level, Zhong Shan could foresee and avoid misfortune, seeking fortune instead. This was far more advantageous than merely reaching the fifth level of the Golden Core stage.

Collecting his thoughts, Zhong Shan took a deep breath, filled with gratitude towards Qianyou Princess. This opportunity not only elevated his cultivation but also prepared him better for future dangers. He knew he would have to repay this kindness someday.

Zhong Shan trembled slightly with excitement. This golden dragon fortune was unbelievably powerful. If only there were more of it!

His eyes flashed with excitement as he opened them.

"How do you feel?" Qianyou Princess asked.

Zhong Shan stood up and bowed slightly to her. "Thank you, Princess."

He was genuinely grateful. While cultivation could increase with time, breaking through with the Hongluan Heavenly Sutra required a rare opportunity. Zhong Shan knew that as the Hongluan Heavenly Sutra progressed, it became increasingly difficult to advance. It was a mysterious and unusual practice.

Seeing Zhong Shan's response, Qianyou Princess smiled slightly. This was a great favor, and she wondered how he would repay it.

Gu Lin stood nearby, his eyes filled with jealousy and a cold stare.

"Princess, is it possible to produce more of this golden dragon fortune?" Zhong Shan asked immediately.

"Mass production? How could that be? This is a rare phenomenon, the result of a feng shui array accumulating power over tens of thousands of years. Such heavenly treasures are extremely rare," Qianyou Princess explained.

"I see," Zhong Shan nodded, a hint of regret in his eyes. It seemed this was a one-time opportunity.

Zhong Shan didn't question why Qianyou Princess hadn't given the golden dragon fortune to others. There was no need.

"The flower has bloomed!" Mr. Shui Jing said, frowning.

Everyone turned to look. Indeed, the enormous corpse flower was slowly blooming on the compass ground, and the first petal had just fallen, covering the compass ground.

A petal opened up into a new world?

Zhong Shan watched in amazement as this internal world unfolded like it had been folded inside the flower, only revealing itself as the flower bloomed. What kind of world was this?

In the distance, many people were flying into it, including Huiguang Arhat, Chuba Moluo, the young man with Chuba Moluo, and a group of soldiers led by a powerful man in a purple dragon robe. This imposing man, with a hand on the hilt of a large sword at his waist, stepped forward boldly.

"Let's go in," Qianyou Princess said.

"Alright," everyone nodded.

"No," Zhong Shan suddenly said.

"Hmm?" Everyone looked at Zhong Shan.

With his eyes slightly closed, the pink lotus on Zhong Shan's forehead slowly turned blue. Ominous, extremely ominous. For him, entering that place would bring great misfortune.

Taking a deep breath, Zhong Shan said firmly, "It's too dangerous inside. I can't go. You should also reconsider."

"Hmph, just because you're afraid doesn't mean we are," Gu Lin immediately sneered.

However, Qianyou Princess and Mr. Shui Jing frowned. They knew Zhong Shan wasn't a coward. He always wanted to see things through, but why did he suddenly decide not to go? He never spoke without reason. Had he sensed something?

"Why won't you go?" Qianyou Princess asked, puzzled.

"My cultivation level is too low, and I fear the dangers inside. I'll wait outside," Zhong Shan said with certainty.

The group looked at Zhong Shan with a hint of confusion in their eyes.

"Alright. A Da, stay here to protect Mr. Zhong. We'll continue," Qianyou Princess said promptly.

She wasn't willing to leave behind the Imperial Jade Seal.

"Yes," A Da replied immediately.

Ah Da and Zhong Shan stayed behind, while Princess Qianyou, Mr. Shui Jing, Gu Lin, and Ah Er flew on a white cloud towards the flower world within.

"Sir, is it very dangerous inside?" Ah Da asked, though there was a hint of eagerness in his eyes. Ah Da wanted to go in and see for himself.

Ah Da wanted to see, and Zhong Shan did too. But the Red Luan Lotus had turned blue.

The fifth level of the Red Luan Scripture typically wouldn't show small fortunes or misfortunes, nor medium ones. It would only show a big fortune or a big misfortune, life-threateningly so, in blue. Now it was blue. How could Zhong Shan dare to take the risk? Even if it was the first time seeing the Red Luan Lotus turn blue, Zhong Shan wasn't willing to take that gamble. Some risks could be taken, but some absolutely couldn't.

A great misfortune, what kind of great misfortune?

The Dae army, apart from those who were devoured by the ghosts earlier, still had a remaining million troops, but only a few hundred Nascent Soul generals charged in again.

The flower bloomed, opening wider and wider until it occupied one-third of the dark illusion's length before stopping. Simultaneously, the entire flower gradually blended into the surroundings, slowly disappearing, leaving only a circular area inside, a peculiar circular world.

It looked like a huge hemispherical dome covering a world, and anyone entering it seemed to shrink a hundred times. No, people didn't shrink; it just looked that way from the outside.

Through the huge dome, looking inside, Zhong Shan saw Princess Qianyou and the others flying in the distance. However, this wasn't the most eye-catching thing. What really drew attention was the center of this world, a city.

By that scale, the city inside the dome world was thousands of feet high, comparable to Wushuang City. However, the sky above the city was shrouded in dark clouds, obscuring any view of the city itself. But the name on the city gate, Zhong Shan could see clearly.

"Fengdu"

The giant characters "Fengdu" exuded a chilling ghostly aura.

Fengdu City?

"Is this a ghost city?" Ah Da exclaimed beside Zhong Shan.

Fengdu Ghost City? No wonder Ah Da was surprised, because almost all the beings entering and leaving this city were the same kind of evil ghosts seen before. Evil ghosts came and went from Fengdu City, and outside the city, countless zombies roamed around.

Only a long yellow road had a group of figures walking on it. The road was yellow, and zombies approaching it would detour around it, not stepping on this yellow road. The evil ghosts entering and exiting Fengdu also avoided this yellow road.

On this yellow road, a group of nearly a million people was walking, each with a hand on the shoulder of the person in front, step by step, entering Fengdu City.

Looking at that group of a million, Zhong Shan felt his heart tighten.

"It's them, the million soldiers who were bitten to death earlier. It's their spirits," Ah Da pointed at the figures on the yellow road, exclaiming in surprise.

Indeed, Zhong Shan also saw among them a general, the same general who had died horribly before. He had remembered him by chance. Now, at the end of that line, was that general.

The spirits of the dead? Entering Fengdu City one by one?

What was going on? A feng shui array? Was this the power of the feng shui array? Was that Fengdu Ghost City real or not?

Zhong Shan swallowed, his heart uneasy. He felt an urge to go in and find out, but his rationality prevailed. He couldn't go. It was dangerous, very dangerous.