Zuo Ci, his disciple, and Bai Xiaowen sat cross-legged on three cushions.
Following Zuo Ci's instructions, each of them drew out his Origin Force.
The cushions beneath them gave off a soft glow. A fine thread extended from the edge of each cushion toward the dark-gold gate.
The embossed patterns on the gate lit up one after another.
A clicking sound came from the disc at the center of the gate. It turned twice to the left, then eight times to the right.
The dark-gold gate split down the middle, its two halves sliding into the mountainside.
A glowing cavern appeared before the three men.
A delicate fragrance drifted out, accompanied by the faint, lingering sound of a bell.
Bai Xiaowen found it strange. The cavern had clearly been sealed for ages, yet there was no stale air inside—only fragrance and bell chimes. It was truly a blessed place of the immortals.
Zuo Ci rose. "The gate is open. I shall enter first and lead the way. Your Majesty will follow, with Ge Xuan attending behind you."
The three entered in single file. Once Ge Xuan, the last of them, was inside, the dark-gold gate slowly closed and vanished into the mist.
Bai Xiaowen was stunned.
Looking in from outside, he had been unable to see clearly. He had taken it for an ordinary cave dwelling, perhaps a spacious one.
Only after entering did he realize an entirely different world lay beyond the gate.
It was a valley. Blue sky and white clouds stretched overhead, while strange peaks and verdant cypresses rose along its sides, wreathed in celestial mist.
Clear springs murmured, birds sang, and flowers filled the air with fragrance.
Bai Xiaowen could not help asking, "Immortal Zuo, why does this valley seem like another world?"
Zuo Ci said,