Chen Xuan entered the Southern Wilderness, climbed a small hill, and gazed into the distance.
"Rumble..."
The pursuit battle between top-tier mighty figures was raging with earth-shaking force. All kinds of splashing immortal light reached hundreds or even thousands of zhang into the distance, illuminating the entire sky.
Lu Zhuan clearly had no intention of letting Green Deer Mountain and the Hanging Temple off easily. Riding a black flood dragon hundreds of meters long, he pursued them relentlessly, determined to vent his anger for Yan Yushu.
The old white tortoise of the Southern Wilderness and the tiger-eyed figure pursued them one after another. They even tried to drive the forces of Red Crow City, represented by Lu Zhuan, out of this region as well, claiming all the benefits from the fall of the Peach Blossom Garden for themselves.
"The Mystic Cat didn't enter the battlefield directly."
Chen Xuan muttered to himself. Through the Mind Fast Power, he noticed that the Mystic Cat Goddess was waiting nearby. Many unlucky low-level Qi Refiners had died in the aftermath of the battle, their corpses obliterated, yet she seemed utterly unmoved.
"Whoosh!"
Just then, the sky suddenly darkened.
Layer upon layer of dark clouds appeared above the vault of heaven. They were pitch-black, as though completely soaked in the world's darkest ink.
"What's going on?"
Chen Xuan raised his head and looked at the sky. The boundless black clouds truly existed in the world, and everyone could see them clearly.
It was not only him. At that moment, all the Qi Refiners gathered near the Southern Wilderness were looking up at the sky. Even the top-tier mighty figures battling in the distance gradually quieted down.
"The Peach Blossom Garden is about to descend into the world..."
Chen Xuan made a guess. The clouds rose and fell, layer upon layer, like black mountains piled across the sky. Suddenly, rain began to fall.
"Drip!"
A drop of ink-like rain fell.
Chen Xuan swiftly turned aside and dodged it. He sensed something unusual: a strange power was spreading through the raindrop.
"Patter, patter, patter!"
The torrential rain poured down, shrouding everything in sight. Grass and trees, green mountains, and the earth were all stained by the ink.
Chen Xuan hid beneath a dense old tree and stared at the pool in the low-lying ground.
"I see the Peach Blossom Garden..."
Within the pool, it seemed as though someone was holding a brush and outlining an ancient, tranquil painting.
A stream murmured. A fisherman was punting a boat along it. Peach trees stretched into a forest in the distance, their fallen blossoms scattering in profusion, while wisps of cooking smoke rose from within the grove.
Farther away, paths crisscrossed the land, mulberry trees and bamboo formed forests, and black and yellow puppies chased chickens with brightly colored feathers through the fields. The houses stood in neat rows, exuding an atmosphere of peace and harmony.
"The Peach Blossom Garden! This little monster is going into the Peach Blossom Garden!"
Nearby, a fox demon with a fully scarlet body and an upright gait wore an expression of wild delight. It plunged headfirst into a small pool and vanished.
"Wait for us!"
The demons that normally kept themselves hidden in the Southern Wilderness now surged out like a swarm of bees, leaping joyfully into the pools.
Chen Xuan lifted his head and looked toward the plains beyond the Southern Wilderness. Ink-colored stains spread across the earth, and groups of human Qi Refiners were leaping into the small pools that had gathered across the land.
"Then let's meet the Heaven's Chosen in the Peach Blossom Garden!"
Chen Xuan lifted his foot and stepped into the nearest pool. His step cracked the tranquil scroll of the village, and his figure sank downward.
On the plains.
The Dao Repository Realm cultivator Wang Zhenyang was leading a group of low-level Qi Refiners affiliated with his Household in a rapid retreat from the Southern Wilderness.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
The ink-colored rain poured down in torrents, covering the earth for dozens of li in every direction.
One tranquil scene after another from the Peach Blossom Garden appeared across the earth, filled with an ancient, scholarly charm.
"Stop!"
Only after Wang Zhenyang and the others reached the outermost region covered by the rain curtain did they dare to halt. He then leaped down from the carriage.
"Splash!"
The black rainwater immediately writhed away from beneath his feet as though avoiding snakes and scorpions, revealing the grass and soil.
Wang Zhenyang raised one arm and pointed toward the round-faced Maiden among the crowd, as well as several young disciples of various Lineages. "Ling'er, lead everyone into the Peach Blossom Garden. I'll hold the line here."
Wang Ling'er's expression tightened. She pointed at herself and said blankly, "Me? Grandfather, what if City Lord Lu Zhuan and the others really are driven away? Even if I obtain the Arrayed Immortal Scripture and the Ancient Sage Relic from the Peach Blossom Garden, you won't be able to protect them."
She voiced her concern, pointing out that Wang Zhenyang's strength was insufficient to contend with the demons of the Southern Wilderness. By then, all their efforts might merely amount to making wedding clothes for someone else.
Wang Zhenyang's eyes widened. He raised one hand and smacked Wang Ling'er hard on the head before scolding her:
"Stop daydreaming! You'll be lucky if you can pick up a few slightly valuable scraps. What do rare treasures have to do with you? Better not even think about them. Get inside quickly, and don't grow greedy. Staying alive is what matters most."
He showed no mercy, making it clear that one had to know one's own limits. Wang Ling'er was a somewhat renowned genius, but she still lacked the qualifications to obtain those Arrayed Immortal Scriptures and Ancient Sage Relics.
The great opportunities in the Peach Blossom Garden had nothing to do with them. Picking up a little soup and water was enough. The Southern Wilderness would not be so overbearing as to seize absolutely everything...
"Ah, all right."
Wang Ling'er rubbed her head and hurriedly led her clansmen, along with several forces affiliated with the Wang Household, into the Peach Blossom Garden together with the Chu Household and the others.
Elsewhere.
Among the people of the Xie Household.
"Miss Yushu, where did you flee to just now? We searched everywhere and couldn't find you. We even thought you had been caught in the battle..."
The young men, who had looked as wilted as eggplants struck by frost, instantly seemed injected with chicken blood when they saw Yan Yushu appear. Their spirits soared, and joy filled their eyes.
Some even shed tears of relief upon learning that Yan Yushu had escaped safely.
"Ah, I..."
Yan Yushu's delicate face flushed slightly before immediately taking on a guilty, frail expression. She casually fabricated an excuse and offered it from her lips in an evasive tone.
After parting from Chen Xuan earlier, she had traveled along the way and taken the opportunity to drag several Qi Refiners who had just died, whose essence, energy, and spirit had yet to dissipate, into the Six Desires Heaven, ordering them to be eaten.
She had originally intended to let matters take their natural course, but now that she had successfully established contact with Chen Xuan, Yan Yushu had thrown caution to the wind and decided to make full use of the Six Desires Heaven...
Her body had already been seen through completely, and she had long since lost all face. Besides, the Six Desires Heaven's reputation was already terrible. Whether she charged once or ten thousand times, she might as well charge all the way!
"Whoosh!"
Before long, everyone here was ready. They surrounded Yan Yushu and entered the Peach Blossom Garden one after another, searching for the opportunities meant for them.
Farther away.
At the foot of the mountains, the white-clad woman with the Black Horse at her side and a sword at her waist spoke coldly to the handsome young man before her, whose brows were sharp and whose eyes shone like stars:
"Enter the Peach Blossom Garden and take what belongs to you. Do not act on your own in other matters."
In the shadows, a figure dressed in black robes took out a letter and solemnly handed it to the person before him, whispering:
"Give this letter to the Heaven's Chosen hidden within the Peach Blossom Garden. He will give you some things then... If he refuses, kill him and take them yourself."
Beside the great river, a brawny young man with a saber and sword hanging from his waist had a foxtail grass stem between his lips. His chin was covered in rough stubble, and an exceedingly frivolous smile hung on his face as he muttered:
"Heh, there are plenty of my kind here..."
"..."
At this moment.
Countless figures hidden in the shadows were making their moves, and even more forces were revealing a corner of themselves.
"Whoosh!"
The stream murmured. Chen Xuan suddenly opened his eyes beneath the water and swam toward the surface.
A fishing boat rocked in the stream. An old man with a white beard, wearing a straw rain cape and carrying a fishing net, slowly turned his deeply furrowed, gloomy face around. His gaze was dark and cold.
"Splash!"
Just as Chen Xuan's head emerged from the water, a large fishing net descended from the sky.
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