Book 2: The Golden Lock of the Eight Gates

Chapter 46: Thunder Flowers

“Her?” Taixuzi looked at the black robed Yinglan in surprise.

Yinglan quickly pulled the hood down to reveal her pretty face.

Taixuzi carefully inspected the young woman who hadn’t even reached the first level of Xiantian. Finally, he nodded, “Though you have yet reached the Xiantian stage, I can see great potential. The formation soul shall not disappear soon once in your hand.”

“Thank you, qianbei.” Yinglan respectfully answered.

“Hold on, I haven’t agreed to pa.s.sing it onto you.” Taixuzi shook his head.

“Ur?” Yinglan didn’t expect that, while Zhong Shan slightly frowned and glanced at Beiqingsi.

“Who are you to him?” Taixuzi asked Yinglan pointing at Zhong Shan.

“She’s my granddaughter.” Zhong Shan immediately replied before Yinglan could.

Yinglan paused when she heard Zhong Shan. Though she didn’t quite understand why Zhong Shan was claiming she was his granddaughter instead of his grandniece, she still nodded earnestly. She trusted Zhong Shan would never say anything without it having some purpose.

“Eh? Granddaughter?” Taixuzi glanced at Yinglan in surprise, then he looked at Zhong Shan and nodded.

Tianling-er was too naive to notice the difference. Beiqingsi did notice, yet she couldn’t figure out why Zhong Shan would say it.

“Alright, since she’s your granddaughter, then there’s nothing to be concerned about.” Taixuzi said while nodding.

Taixuzi, with a turn of his hand, produced a ma.s.s of grayish green energy on his palm.

He carefully handed it over to Yinglan.

Yinglan took it with both hands.

“Infuse fresh blood into it, bit by bit.” Taixuzi spoke.

“En.” Yinglan knew this was a chance of the lifetime and immediately made a cut on her palm to infuse her blood into it. It seemed that the blood absorption was slow and impossible to rush.

The grayish green energy ma.s.s, after absorbing blood, gradually turned lighter and lighter in color.

“It’ll take an hour to fully infuse with the formation soul. You have to wait patiently.” Taixuzi said.

“Yes.” Yinglan nodded.

Taixuzi then turned to look at Beiqingsi.

“Qingsi, I’m dying, my time is up. I already have four out of the five signs of decay; dirty clothes, scorched hair, sweaty armpits, and a stinky body. I’m going to die soon. I was planning to give the things inside my storage bracelet to the one who receives the formation soul. However, since you’re here, naturally I’ll give them to my niece. You can have them.” Taixuzi said to Beiqingsi.

“Uncle.” Beiqingsi sadly looked at Taixuzi. The uncle she just met was going to die soon?

“Hurry.” Taixuzi called out.

“En.” Beiqingsi nodded.

The two storage bracelets touched lightly, then the contents of Taixuzi’a bracelet was transferred into Beiqingsi’s. She didn’t bother to take a close look, her eyes sadly looked forward.

Afterwards, Taixuzi told Beiqingsi some stories about her father, Beiqingfeng, while Yinglan focused on infusing with the formation soul.

Zhong Shan looked back at Tianling-er.

“Ling-er, what did you see earlier?” Zhong Shan asked.

Tianling-er pointed at one of the pictures down below, “There, I had been there with my dad. There are two Thunder Flowers there. My dad wouldn’t take them then, let’s go collect them later.”

Zhong Shan looked at Tianling-er in surprise. Tianling-er was like a lucky charm for him. Everytime she brought him into danger, there was always treasure at the end of the adventure, either magical items or improving himself.

So there was treasure here as well?

Zhong Shan looked at the picture, unable to make up his mind. Tianling-er said there was treasure there, but he still had to consider whether there was any danger involved.

As if noticing Zhong Shan’s hesitation, Tianling-er said immediately, “It’s quite safe there. Last time, we stayed there for half a day and there wasn’t any living thing around.”

“Then, why didn’t you take them back then?” Zhong Shan questioned.

“My dad wouldn’t let me. He said they weren’t ripe yet. It’ll take three years to ripe. It’s been just three years by now.” Tianling-er answered.

Zhong Shan continued to think it over.

“Thunder Flowers are necessary ingredient to concoct a third level pellet and it’s quite rare. Though it’s just a third level pellet, it’s more precious than a fifth level one.” Tianling-er said.

“What kind of pellet?” Zhong Shan was curious.

“A Level Up Pellet.” Tianling-er said.

“What?” Zhong Shan’s expression changed.

“A Level Up Pellet.” Tianling-er said again with a smile as if she had expected Zhong Shan’s reaction.

Zhong Shan probably wasn’t paying much attention to other pellets, but this one, he had heard it from Tianling-er and Nanbatian while at Kaiyang School.

A Level Up Pellet was similar to the Pojin Pellet. A Pojin Pellet would advance a person from Houtian into Xiantian, while a Level Up Pellet would advance someone from the Xiantian Stage into the Gold Core Stage.

This pellet might not mean anything to someone else, but it was vitally important to Zhong Shan. In order for him to reach Gold Core Stage, he had to rely on the help of pellets.

“You’re sure there’s no danger there?” Zhong Shan asked again.

“Certainly not.” Tianling-er replied right away.

“En.” Zhong Shan nodded.

Zhong Shan happened to see the picture right above and saw Princess Qianyou had her eyes fixed on the gate they had entered.

Oh no! Zhong Shan looked back anxiously at Yinglan who was still infusing her blood into the formation soul.

Princess Qianyou had been paying attention at this particular gate all along. She watched Zhong Shan’s group walk into this gate and they hadn’t come out yet? Had they found it?

As Princess Qianyou was getting ready to send someone through that gate, suddenly, from another gate down below, Zhong Shan walked out.

Zhong Shan came out again? Though the other three women were nowhere to be seen, Zhong Shan had walked out of it which meant Taixuzi couldn’t be behind that gate.

Princess Qianyou lightly breathed out a sigh of relief, she looked at Ah Er. Ah Er was still looking down below with his eyebrows knitted. Obviously, he hadn’t seen anyone stay inside one gate without coming out somewhere else. Certainly, he had doubted about Beiqingsi’s group, but since Zhong Shan had already walked out from another gate, then the original gate they went in could be eliminated.

Slowly, others arrived at the same valley of gates, then quickly rushed into the various gates below. Everyone seemed to have guessed what was going on here.

After a little while, Mr. Shuijing, while waving his feather fan, led Tiansha and the other guards over.

“Princess, fortunately, I’m successful in my task.” Mr. Shuijing said with a smile.

“Thank you for all your trouble.” Princess Qianyou replied.

Tiansha was surprised to find Princess Qianyou and the others here. When he looked at Mr. Shuijing again, it was with new found respect.

“Everyone, the formation soul is right down below. There’s not much else to say, good luck to each of you.” Mr. Shuijing said with a smile.

“En.” Tiansha nodded and left with the other Kaiyang School disciples into various gates.

After Tiansha’s group left, Mr. Shuijing turned to Princess Qianyou, “Young master, Princess, how is it?”

“Ah Er hasn’t found it.” Princess Qianyou shook her head.

“En.” Mr. Shuijing nodded. Gu Lin was anxiously looking at all the gates, worried that someone else would get hold of it before them.

The sudden appearance of Zhong Shan made Princess Qianyou overlook that particular gate. Actually, Zhong Shan, with Tianling-er and others, was still inside that remote gate. The Zhong Shan who appeared suddenly was just Zhong Shan’s shadow double.

Zhong Shan had figured out Princess Qianyou’s strategy, so he used the shadow double to confuse her.

The shadow double turned to walk in another gate. Two men in white also followed him in.

The double found itself in a place vastly different from where Taixuzi was.

Inside the gate, there was an open s.p.a.ce about one hundred meters in diameter. About three hundred Spirit Stones were strewn on the ground. White fog surrounded the open area and the walls of the area was crystal.

In addition to the gate that the double walked in, there were another 7 gates here, situated in a circle, just like the eight gates of the formation.

Zhong Shan’s double knew if he walked out of one of the 7 gates, he would be within view of Princess Qianyou like the others.

Inside the double’s storage bracelet, except the Heavenly Nine Dragon Jade Square, he had a lot of Spirit Stones that he took earlier, therefore he didn’t stop for these Spirit Stones here.

He was ready to go out from another gate to maintain the charade. Just as he was about to leave, two other men suddenly appeared. When Zhong Shan’s double saw them, he instinctively felt that they had come for him.

The two men had swords on their back, the middle aged one stood behind like a servant. The other was a teenager, with a valiant look, filled with vigor, and with sharp eyes.

Once the teenager stepped inside the gate, he had fixed his eyes on the double with a strong desire to fight.

Facing the two strangers, Zhong Shan’s double raised his eyebrows in mute surprise.