689 Celestial Judgment Gate

The peach with half of its flesh exposed withdrew into the mist as if it was aware that Meng Qi had detected it. It moved at such a speed that Meng Qi nearly doubted himself and thought that he had seen an illusion.

"A peach that has turned into a goblin?" Meng Qi's heart jumped. In a world of monsters, deities, devils, and immortals, he would not be surprised to find that it was true. What he was shocked about was the demonic quality of this particular peach. Its entire body was radiating a bloody glow and its flesh seemed to be covered with veins, arteries, and meridians. Moreover, it grew inside the skull of Longevity Sage of ancient times. Naturally, he could not help shuddering at the sight of it!

Whatever the origin of this peach, he needed to determine whether this peach was carrying good or malicious intent in following after him.

There were many skills from demonic sects that were capable of refining pure-looking infants. It was precisely these innocent children that were often the most terrifying sign of cruelty and malice. Even if the peach did not exhibit any malicious intent, Meng Qi dared not let down his guard.

"The Supreme-wisdom Tree is reacting to it earlier. Could it be reacting to the tree as well? Is that why it is taking the risk of leaving the Peach Garden to chase after me?" Meng Qi pondered. Just as he withdrew his gaze and senses, the Animated Peach once again revealed half its body in an attempt to size him up.

With a whoosh, the peach sought refuge inside the mist the moment it realized Meng Qi was looking at it. In a flash, it prevented him from locking its whereabouts.

"Is something bothering you, my husband?" Gu Xiaosang asked in faux concern.

Meng Qi muttered, "Did you see the bloody peach inside Longevity Sage's skull back in the Peach Garden? The more I think about it, the stranger I find it."

The experienced and knowledgeable Gu Xiaosang seemed omniscient. Meng Qi let go of any pride and shamelessly asked her for advice.

"How can I miss it when it is so attention-grabbing?" Gu Xiaosang flashed a lovely smile at him. "The peach moves against the Dao. It seems to be the symbol of negativity in the Peach Garden. Moreover, it has absorbed most of Longevity Sage's essence and sparked a strange change in itself. Whether it is the Sage's trick or not, please forgive your ignorant wife for not having the answer."

"If you are considered ignorant, what does that make me? A country hick?" Meng Qi silently retorted.

Just as he was suspecting that Gu Xiaosang was deliberately concealing the truth about the peach, he heard her sonorous sound like that of a yellow oriole. "The changes in heaven and earth occurred in the final years of the ancient times and has yet to cease to this day. Though the world has experienced great changes and events occur at a greater frequency and an accelerating or diminishing pace, the intrinsic growth could be considered to be happening simultaneously. This is its first appearance in the current era. With no precedent to compare it with, how would I dare say just what the peach is?"

"Perhaps only those old chaps from the previous era would know. I am sure they have many such experiences."

"The previous era?" Meng Qi frowned. Gu Xiaosang's definition for an 'era' seemed to differ from his.

"Doesn't an 'era' refer to an epoch? The pre-ancient times is considered an era while the ancient, medieval, and post-medieval times are altogether considered an era?"

Gu Xiaosang burst into laughter. "The later generations made irrelevant comparisons and dubbed an 'epoch' as the synonym for the term 'era' used in the ancient times. However, after such great changes in the world, how can they be equivalent to one another?"

"If we meet the ancient great powers at death's door, the previous era that they speak of will be referring to the pre-ancient times but the next era has yet to 'arrive' yet," she said, glancing at him with a mellow gaze.

"The next era has yet to arrive? So we are still in the 'ancient times'?" Meng Qi was astonished but it did not affect him much. It did not seem to concern him.

The more he interacted with Gu Xiaosang, the more he realized just how familiar she was with ancient secrets. It was as if everything was within her grasp.

The mist before them gradually turned dark and gloomy. Gu Xiaosang's eyes gleamed as she took note of this and ended her explanation concisely. "There were many eras prior to the ancient times; all dubbed the pre-ancient times. Perhaps those living in those eras had also experienced the weakening lifespan of heaven and earth. It is also possible that the peach is a demonic remnant of the previous era."

"Demonic remnant of the previous era?" Meng Qi's heart trembled. Subconsciously, he extended his senses backward but found nothing. The Animated Peach seemed to have escaped out of fright.

"If it is here for the Supreme-wisdom Tree, it will probably appear again..." Meng Qi was on guard against Gu Xiaosang. The tree seemed to have a fairly deep connection to the Immortal Realm and might turn out to be a mythical weapon. Thus, he kept his thoughts to himself.

The mist turned increasingly dark, so much so that he could feel a sinister and resentful aura. He guarded against the possible reappearance of the peach all while facing forward with his saber and sword raised. "What is that place?"

"Celestial Judgment Gate. It is divided into the Dragon-slaying Stage, Monster-slaying Stage, Demon-slaying Stage, God-hanging Stage, and Fairy-banishing Pool. There have been countless strong monsters, evil spirits, and immortals who had met their deaths here. Essence and lifeforce permeate the place, causing the dead's thoughts, curse, resistance, and pleading to stay on." Gu Xiaosang's gaze was deep and unfathomable as she lost her smile. She appeared pure and merciful as if she was sincerely lamenting the fate of the victims. "The destruction of the Ninth Heaven ought to mark the end of an era but there has been a glitch. The era continues to this day and results in such places being left behind."

Such a place was likely far more dangerous than the Peach Garden!

Wind imbued with Yin energy blew, and along with it the voices of masters who had traveled the three dimensions uncontested. Meng Qi could hear their shrieks next to his ears as well as their hatred, unwillingness, and curses. The noise caused his Vital Spirit to waver and his mind to turn sluggish.

However, he could not help the thought that surfaced in his mind.

"Didn't the Great Sage Equal to Heaven of yesteryears survive the punishment of the Monster-slaying Stage?"

'Sun God' Xi and Star of Northern Dipper stepped into the vortex at the same time and reappeared in the Peach Garden.

The strange sight of blood-contaminated soil and withered peach trees entered their visions.

"Peach Garden?" Star of Northern Dipper could not quite believe that the place that resembled the Nine Serenities of the Demonic World was the actually the legendary Peach Garden. "Shouldn't this place be permeated with essence and lifeforce and suffused with exotic fragrance? Shouldn't one be able to extend one's lifespan by several hundred years with just a whiff of the air here?"

Xi, who wore the dignified mask of Sun God, said nothing. He seemed to be taken aback as well, not expecting the Peach Garden to look like this.

Though they were both veteran Samsara travelers and Exterior experts of several years, they nonetheless raised their guard upon seeing this scene and each took out an item.

In Xi's hand was a scarlet bird with feathers that seemed to have been condensed out of flames. Star of Northern Dipper held a ferret, whose entire body appeared to be enveloped in frost.

They loosened their grips and the bird and ferret moved forward at the same time. Suddenly, the animals turned around as if they had detected something.

Whoosh! A burst of cold wind swept them. The bird and ferret helplessly fell to the ground and their vitality inexplicably vanished. Only their eyes were frozen in surprise.

Star of Northern Dipper took in a breath. He struggled to restrain his surprise for he had sensed nothing at all. He did not detect any formations or changes.

What a strange occurrence!

Suddenly, Xi made a soft cry of surprise as if he had recalled something. He said placidly, "Let's move on. No matter what happens, don't stop moving, turn around, or take any item."

While speaking, he left a message that would be hard to erase on the ground near the entrance. It was a reminder for Han Guang and Gao Lan once they caught up.

"What?" Star of Northern Dipper wanted nothing more than to stay in place.

Xi did not explain. His body lit up with a golden glow as if he had refined an illusory thirty-three story pagoda with him as the core. The glow was immeasurably divine and effective against demonic intent. His feet were treading on purple clouds at the same time, clouds that hastened life and shunned death. With his head held high, he strode forward with purpose.

Star of Northern Dipper's gaze flickered before his temperament finally regained its cold profoundness. In the end, he chose to follow after Xi.

"Kaboom!"

The swaying mist resulted in rippling green lights. Purple and red clouds soared into the sky as the force of all living beings transformed into a sword.

"Noble Purple Spirit" Cui Qinghe was startled. The shard of Celestial Court seemed to have become someone else's foundation. It had cast numerous protective spells to lay down a grand formation.

This was something completely beyond his expectations when he first entered this place.

"If that is the case, what value do the Ninth Heaven remnants have left?"

Under the leadership of Sima Shi, the officials of the imperial court and the Super Arresters of Six Fan School tried their utmost to respond and resist the grand formation.

Han Guang, a towering figure in a billowing wide robe, hovered in midair like a devil. Operating the grand formation, he made it rain down Sky Thunder.

"If we have half a month's time, we can most certainly cause great harm to the Great Jin Dynasty," Gao Lan commented, looking impressive in his black robe.

Han Guang said confidently, "On one hand, we have the three topmost layers of the Ninth Heaven. On the other, we are confronting opponents who may still have powerful reinforcements. What do you think? Which should we choose?"

Gao Lan did not reply and flew straight up the clouds.

Han Guang threw all his strength into activating the grand formation so it would stop or at least delay their enemies. He then followed after Gao Lan.

His greatest desire was to destroy the main force of the aristocratic families of the Great Jin Dynasty like Cui Qinghe. However, he was in the Celestial Court and was unaware of the changes in the outside world. He was worried that there would be Half-step to Dharmakaya masters with divine weapons showing up at the crucial point as reinforcements. There might even be several Dharmakaya masters. Not only would that enhance the difficulty of his plan, but it would also delay their chance of exploring the three topmost layers of the Ninth Heaven.

He should be rational, and thus he decided on the latter!

A simple, towering gate appeared in Meng Qi's sight. Behind the gate was a bloodied execution platform, where illusory True Dragons danced overhead and merged with the dark clouds. The consciousness of the dead was still lingering alongside the piercing sense of malice.

Each of the True Dragons was a powerful immortal or deity. The many consciousnesses that lingered in this place startled Meng Qi's Vital Spirit. He felt a chill that came from deep inside his soul.

A golden lotus flower blossomed, giving birth to the Primeval. Meng Qi managed to stabilize his mind after great difficulty. He found this place to be exceptionally stifling, so much so that he would find it hard to connect with heaven and earth even while using the main ingredient for forging divine weapons.

"How could this be?"

"Since this was a place that meted out death sentences, the Dharma and Logos in the vicinity would naturally have the ability to suppress masters. Why else would they choose this place?" Gu Xiaosang explained with a chuckle. She seemed to have detected Meng Qi's confusion. In her gleaming eyes were two gradually blossoming white lotuses.

"Roar!"

Dragons' Vast Cries resounded continuously, causing Meng Qi to tremble all over. He continued moving forward with great difficulty.

Star of Northern Dipper finally heaved a sigh of relief while traveling down the misty path. "I didn't expect Longevity Sage to die in this place."

"Perhaps he discovered something in advance..." Xi said, not answering his companion's doubt.

His reply did not bother Star of Northern Dipper, who added in a low voice, "Fortunately, we have those two opening up the path and making things much easier for us. I reckon we will be able to catch up to them in no time!"

"Up ahead is the Celestial Judgment Gate. They won't be able to pass through the place so quickly," Xi said placidly as he stared into the distance.