When Mei Li Sha said these words, he looked at the several hundred cultivators that were preparing to enter the Garden of Zhou. These cultivators were all at the Ethereal Opening realm and could be considered as experts in a general sense. They weren't too old, it could be said that these several hundred Ethereal Opening cultivators were the future of the human world.
Chen Chang Sheng was amongst these several hundred people, he knew that the Archbishop's words were directed at him, he slightly nodded his head to indicate that he understood, then followed the crowd into the forest.
The forest in the early morning was very quiet and secluded, perhaps because the Garden of Zhou was faintly discernible in the distance, not even the cry of a bird could be heard, only the rustling sound of people stepping on the old leaves in the forest.
It didn't take long for the several hundred cultivators to arrive at the thick fog, the faintly discernible Tranquil Garden within the fog became even clearer, as if it was right in front of them, yet it also seemed to be on the horizon.
Many cultivators could already clearly feel that this fog was filled with dense Essence Qi, it was similar to the radiance of the stars, more like some sort of energy that was contained within crystals. Cultivators could not directly absorb it, but it was still extremely beneficial, it was of great assistance in calming the mind and mind.
However, the depths of the fog hid an extremely great danger, a few cultivators with good eyesight could even see that outside the seemingly real yet illusory Tranquil Garden, within the fog, there were extremely brief flashes of lightning that incessantly flashed and then disappeared.
The Orthodoxy's priests that were in charge of the opening of the Garden of Zhou, as well as the teachers and seniors of the various sects and academies, all remained outside the fog, not taking a single step forward. Perhaps the lightning within the fog had some sort of reaction towards cultivators that had surpassed the Ethereal Opening realm, bringing about some extremely terrifying consequences.
This was already the outer garden of the Garden of Zhou.
Several hundred cultivators were separated by the sects of the North and South, along with several dozen unaffiliated loose cultivators and cultivators from the Gate of Witchcraft in the wilderness. However, the fog forest was very quiet, no one spoke.
Everyone was waiting for the opening of the Garden of Zhou.
Every ten years, the Garden of Zhou would appear on the continent, and each time it would open for a full hundred days, but it was not always discovered by people. In the past few decades, it had not appeared even once.
The appearance of the Garden of Zhou outside Hanqiu City this year was not discovered by the humans, but rather confirmed by the mysterious and unfathomable Military Advisor Black Robe of the Demon race. Fortunately, one of Black Robe's subordinates had attempted to assassinate Luoluo in the capital's Orthodox Academy and failed. Because he was greedy for survival, he did not commit suicide on the spot and was captured alive by Xue Xingchuan. In the end, Zhou Yong used an unparalleled method of interrogation and actually found a spy organization that Black Robe had planted deep within human society. Using this clue, he discovered the location and time of the opening of the Garden of Zhou.
In order to control the Garden of Zhou, the opening location was not the most important thing. The most important thing was to grasp the key to the Garden of Zhou. In that period of time that was unknown to the world, the demons had sent out several upper level Ethereal Opening experts. Before the Garden of Zhou had even floated over to Hanqiu City, they intended to seize the key first. The human world had already received the relevant information. On the surface, they pretended not to know, but in reality, they had also sent people to quietly infiltrate the outer garden of the Garden of Zhou. Because they had to hide from the eyes of the Devil Race, they had to quietly seize the initiative, so only one person went.
This important decision was made by the Five Saints. The person they sent was Qiushan Jun. Whether it was human, demon, or yao, in the Ethereal Opening stage, the eldest brother of Mount Li was invincible.
Qiushan Jun seemed to be in danger, but in reality, he had succeeded without any surprises. He had paid the price of heavy injuries, but he had also used this opportunity to become the youngest Star Condensation expert in the world.
The world had already begun to acknowledge that Chen Chang Sheng had the qualifications to compete with Qiushan Jun. However, the Grand Examination where Chen Chang Sheng obtained first upon the First Banner happened once a year, while Qiushan Jun obtaining the key to the Garden of Zhou was a major event that happened once every ten years. Not mentioning the difference between Star Condensation and Ethereal Opening, more importantly, Qiushan Jun had obtained glory in a battle against the Devil Race. No matter how shocking Chen Chang Sheng's performance in the Grand Examination was, it was, after all, a matter of the human world. The significance of the two was completely different. If Chen Chang Sheng had not viewed the entire front mausoleum in a single day a few days ago in the Mausoleum of Books and succeeded as Principal of Orthodox Academy, his image might have been even dimmer.
In the short period of time that they were waiting for the Garden of Zhou to open, many people subconsciously looked towards Chen Chang Sheng.
Chen Chang Sheng did not notice this, he was still thinking about Xu You Rong. After confirming that Xu You Rong was not amongst the several hundred people, for some reason, he felt much more relaxed. According to the records in the Daoist Canon, in previous years, there were also some cultivators that would enter the Garden of Zhou a few days later. Xu You Rong was probably the same, but why did she purposefully come later? Was it because she did not want to receive the passionate gazes of adoration from the crowd, or because she did not want to see himself?
Furthermore, how would the Garden of Zhou open?
The key to the Garden of Zhou that Qiushan Jun had obtained should have been given to Mount Li, but amongst the senior experts that had come to the Garden of Zhou today, there was only an elder from the Longevity Sect, there was no one from Mount Li.
Chen Chang Sheng stood at the very front of the crowd, looking at the turbulence formed by the lightning and the tearing of space within the fog, looking at the Tranquil Garden that was sometimes near and sometimes far, thinking about these matters.
It was at this moment that a rainbow descended.
This rainbow had originated from some unknown place, descending from high up in the sky, piercing through the thick fog and landing in front of the crowd.
The moment the lightning and the turbulence formed by the tearing of space within the fog came into contact with this rainbow, they all dissolved and dispersed, disappearing without a trace.
The fog also became much thinner, and the scenery behind the fog became much clearer.
A small bridge, a flowing stream, a winding corridor, and in front of the flowering trees, a faintly discernible wall appeared.
Between the wall, which was also in front of the several hundred cultivators, a circular arched door appeared.
The inscribed board on the arched door had two words written on it: Ethereal Opening.
Behind the arched door was a stone path made of bluestone, its surface covered in a light layer of moss. It curved forward, extending into the depths of the fog. There, there were flying eaves that connected together, and there was even more scenery.
Standing in the forest, it was impossible to take in all of the scenery with a single glance.
The scenery was all behind the wall.
The winding path led to a secluded place, who had ever cared for the Garden of Zhou.
The fog gradually dispersed, the scenery gradually became clear, the water vapor gradually condensed, and with a pitter patter, a rain fell.
The spring wind blew the rain, wetting Chen Chang Sheng's face.
He quietly stood where he was for a while, then walked behind the arched door known as Ethereal Opening.
Several hundred cultivators followed him into the Garden of Zhou.
… …
… …
The spring rain also began to fall outside the forest.
The pitter patter was like silk or thread.
Several women dressed in white walked through the drizzle from the direction of Hanqiu City.
In front of the forest, the priests of the Orthodoxy had confirmed their identities as members of the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green.
There was a plague in a certain place in the south. They had received the Pope's decree to bring the medical officials of the Imperial Court there to treat and save people, so they had arrived somewhat late.
Seeing the several women walking into the forest, Zhu Luo revealed a hint of understanding.
One of the women was dressed in the white ceremonial robes unique to the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green. Her appearance could be considered delicate and pretty, and her bearing ordinary.
Sensing Zhu Luo's gaze, the woman calmly bowed, then continued forward.
Zhu Luo smiled, but said nothing.
… …
… …
(The next chapter is before two thirty.)
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