The Realm Spirit Clone stood before the stone wall and gently pressed a hand against the moss.
The moment he touched them, the moss and White Flowers slowly parted like living things, revealing an ancient-looking Stone Gate in the wall.
The Stone Gate bore no patterns or runes, only a straight seam running from top to bottom.
The Realm Spirit Clone braced both hands against the two sides of the Stone Gate and slowly pushed.
Rumble!
The Stone Gate scraped with a deep, muffled sound as it slid apart. Light poured through like a waterfall, flooding Fang Chen and the others' vision.
It was a warm, gentle gold, carrying the hope of dawn breaking.
Fang Chen narrowed his eyes. Once he had adjusted to the golden light, he finally made out what lay beyond the door.
It was a small space of extraordinary beauty, no more than a hundred li across. Yet its exquisite layout and scenery surpassed even the bamboo grove by the lake.
A golden orb floated in the sky, shedding a soft, warm glow like a miniature sun.
Below it lay a green meadow divided into countless small patches by streams and lakes. Flowers bloomed across it like brocade, their red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet blossoms woven into an endless carpet. When the breeze passed, waves of flowers rolled over one another like the sea stirred by Wind Origin.
Clear Streams wound between the patches of Meadow. Low trees with jade-like leaves grew along their banks, bearing fist-sized Fruits. Each fruit was crystal-clear, with liquid radiance flowing within it like solidified starlight.
A few low Hills rose in the distance, covered in green grass and scattered wildflowers of every color. Between them lay a secluded little vale, where the outline of a Thatched Cottage