Chapter 601: Seven Broken Seals, Flower-scented Hometown

The man in white held a Qi Ye Hai Tang flower in his left hand. Its pale pink and white petals glistened with a soft sheen, the stamens trembling and releasing wisps of subtle fragrance.

“Please tell me, are you two looking for this person?” He pointed at Yu Ling Di’s chest and asked.

Yu Ling Di stared intently at the Qi Ye Hai Tang in the man’s hand without speaking.

“Zhi Xu Wu?”

The tall man known as San Shi San Hao let out a questioning sound, causing Yu Ling Di’s pupils to contract suddenly.

“No.”

“It doesn’t look like it…”

Yu Ling Di replied, also using sound transmission: “Although it bears the shadow of those guys from Xu Yue Hui Gong, we can’t rule out that someone in this world just likes to hold a flower.”

“And, most importantly…”

“He has no ghost energy,” San Shi San Hao chimed in.

“Yes.”

Yu Ling Di nodded, his gaze fixed dead on the Qi Ye Hai Tang. He had never seen it before, yet he felt as if he should have some memory of this object, though he couldn’t recall it right away.

“Who are you looking for?”

Yu Ling Di asked aloud.

The man in white said nothing, lowering his finger and glancing briefly at Yu Ling Di’s chest before shifting his gaze to the tall man beside him.

San Shi San Hao was too tall. Even the man in white only reached up to his chest. Tilting his head back like that gave the impression of looking up at a giant.

Yu Ling Di frowned and fumbled around his chest, eventually finding something.

“Oil paper?”

He pulled it out and realized it was the item he had casually tucked away after failing to get answers from the woman earlier. That meant the man in white had been there all along. He had been observing everything?

“Do you know him?”

Yu Ling Di unfolded the drawing paper, revealing the image of an old man with a straw hat.

The man in white glanced at it and nodded slightly.

“Are you people from Sheng Shen Dian Tang?” he asked.

At that, the two in front were slightly taken aback, but before they could question further, the man in white turned to San Shi San Hao and asked, “Tian Ji Kui Lei?”

Thump.

Yu Ling Di’s heart tightened abruptly.

“He’s up to no good!”

Though the person in front of them showed no hostility, Yu Ling Di’s entire body broke out in goosebumps, as if he were being targeted by a hunter.

“Who are you?” San Shi San Hao said in a deep, muffled voice.

He knew he was easily recognizable, but only by those who knew of Tian Ji Kui Lei’s existence and had encountered one before could they spot the difference between him and a real human. And ordinary Zhan Dao, unless they had faced the mad pursuits of someone like the man in white, wouldn’t have seen a Tian Ji Kui Lei.

In other words, how many in the world had seen a Tian Ji Kui Lei and lived to tell the tale?

That single sentence was enough to judge the extraordinary nature of the man in white.

Yu Ling Di quickly deduced the same, stepping back slightly and positioning half his body behind San Shi San Hao.

The hall master had said it before: There are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens. Even though he had slain and captured many Zhan Dao in the past, a throne was still a throne. The gap in realms was the biggest obstacle until he broke through. If a Zhan Dao struck first, there was still a one-in-ten-thousand chance he could be killed on the spot.

The two figures, one tall and one short, both watched the man in white with a sense of gravity. They knew he was no simple foe. The only relief was that he seemed to harbor no ill intent and had boldly stood before them from Sheng Shen Dian Tang. Subjectively, he might be from the same side.

The man in white gently twirled the stem of the Qi Ye Hai Tang, pondering for a long time before a faint curve formed under his veil.

“People from Sheng Shen Dian Tang…”

He murmured softly, then narrowed his eyes with a hint of confusion, “Don’t people from Sheng Shen Dian Tang recognize me?”

They should recognize him, right?

Yu Ling Di was startled, his eyes dropping again to the Qi Ye Hai Tang in the man’s hand as he racked his brain.

San Shi San Hao scratched his head. This was beyond him. As a Tian Ji Kui Lei that had been scrapped and reloaded, he had lost much of his memory, and any data not entered could only be acquired through direct contact. His mind raced, and he confirmed that his database had no record of this person.

“Hai Tang…”

“Hai Tang?”

Yu Ling Di seemed to recall something, repeating it obsessively.

The man in white’s eyes showed a trace of amusement as he said, “Bei Yu.”

The two soft words hit Yu Ling Di like thunder from nine heavens. Expanding his thoughts from the Dong Yu and Zhong Yu regions he mainly handled to the five domains, a figure immediately sprang to mind.

“First-grade Hai Tang…”

Yu Ling Di exclaimed in shock, “You’re Hai Tang Er?!”

“That’s right, it’s me.”

The man in white nodded slightly and said calmly, “Sheng Nu seat nine, Hai Tang Er, in charge of Bei Yu’s Qi Duan Jin—that place you from Sheng Shen Dian Tang couldn’t take, Hua Xiang Gu Li.”

He pointed at the crumpled drawing paper in Yu Ling Di’s hand and continued, “The person you’re looking for is my senior.”

“May I ask, what business do you have?”

Yu Ling Di’s mouth twitched, nearly losing his composure.

Sheng Nu?!

He had thought this guy dared to stand out so openly because he was an ally, possibly even help sent by Wu Yue predecessor. But it turned out…

Sheng Nu!

“Hai Tang Er? Sheng Nu?”

San Shi San Hao was stunned for a moment before fully reacting. He stepped forward, his fingers curling into a grip.

Boom!

Space was directly crushed by his five fingers. The man in white’s head, caught in the grasp, exploded on the spot.

However, when Hai Tang Er exploded, no blood splattered. Instead, as his head and body dissipated, he turned into a wisp of faint fragrance that vanished into the space.

“Dun Shu.”

San Shi San Hao alerted, immediately retreating to Yu Ling Di’s side.

“Let’s get out of here first!”

Yu Ling Di declared firmly.

After realizing the man in white was the ninth seat of Sheng Nu, information flooded Yu Ling Di’s mind. Fighting this guy was most dangerous if he struck first. Because Hai Tang Er’s domain was comprehended in Qi Duan Jin, it was essentially a mobile version of Qi Duan Jin—whoever was trapped would die!

“Oh.”

San Shi San Hao was eager for battle, but the hall master had instructed that on this mission, everything should follow Yu Ling Di’s commands, so he didn’t resist.

As San Shi San Hao bent his legs to leap away, his expression suddenly turned serious.

“Too late.”

It was indeed too late. At the village entrance where they had come from, the flower buds clustered at the roadside, by the houses, on the roofs, and in the puddles had quietly bloomed. The faint fragrance lingered around their noses—they had likely already been affected.

Their vision blurred.

When Yu Ling Di and San Shi San Hao regained their senses, the scene was completely different. The small village had vanished. The thatched house behind them was gone too. In its place was a vast sea of flowers in full bloom.

The rich fragrance seeped into their bodies through every pore like an inescapable poison. Looking up, even the sky had changed. Everything seemed to have its rules disrupted. The flower sea stretched to the horizon, enveloping the entire sky. The only empty space was the void above.

Gravity, dust, elements—all had disappeared!

Yu Ling Di floated up. Suspended in the flower sea, his body flipped, and what was once the sky became the ground. The world he had seen earlier now appeared as glistening dew drops on petals, each drop like a tiny realm, profoundly mysterious.

“The flowers are poisonous.”

San Shi San Hao warned, then suddenly realized, “Oh, you’re an elemental body, so this floral toxin is useless on you.”

Yu Ling Di’s face was grim. “But we’re trapped.”

He knew this was Hai Tang Er’s “Hua Xiang Gu Li.” For a domain to be named after one of the Qi Duan Jin, its terror was unimaginable.

“Yes, the rules are all disrupted. I didn’t notice it in time—it’s my fault.”

San Shi San Hao was deeply frustrated. As a Tian Ji Kui Lei, he should be the most sensitive to heavenly rules, yet he hadn’t detected when Hai Tang Er had struck.

“It’s not your fault. This is Qi Duan Jin’s technique, known as the invisible blade. Even a Tai Xu entering it might not realize when they’ve lost themselves.”

Yu Ling Di didn’t dwell on it, waving his hand.

A rustling sound of rain emerged.

Strangely, the rain fell from all directions. Not just from above, but from below as well. It came from unknown places and fell into unknown places, making positioning impossible.

“We’re lost…”

Yu Ling Di’s expression darkened. His worst fear had come true—they had been struck first by a Zhan Dao and trapped in their domain. Inside it, the enemy was like a god, and even if he expanded his own domain, it would be futile.

“I can try to force my way out.”

San Shi San Hao took a deep breath, his belly swelling.

“Wait.”

Yu Ling Di stopped him, using sound transmission: “Hai Tang Er leaving Bei Yu means the Sheng Nu are in a critical situation… Let’s wait a bit longer.”

“Wait for what?” San Shi San Hao didn’t understand. Staying trapped in this flower realm would likely lead to complete disorientation. Even if they broke through by force, Hai Tang Er probably had more tricks up his sleeve. Multiple layers of domain exile might leave them unable to even find the door, let alone escape.

“Wait for Wu Yue predecessor.”

Yu Ling Di remained calm, analyzing: “I’ve already used my divine split technique to gather intelligence in Bai Ku. When the time comes, I can open a small world and bring all the information directly here. But if my divine split can’t sense me, it’ll know something’s wrong, and Wu Yue predecessor will sense it too—he’ll realize we’ve run into trouble.”

“The only one who could ambush us midway is a helper called by Sheng Nu. After all, our trip was secret.”

San Shi San Hao nodded blankly and asked, “But what if Wu Yue predecessor can’t help us? What then?”

He paused and added, “He called us for help, not the other way around.”

Yu Ling Di chuckled, “It’s not just relying on Wu Yue predecessor.”

He bounced lightly in the void, but without gravity, he shot upward, about to touch the flower sea above. A vibrant red rose suddenly thrust out like a sharp blade.

Yu Ling Di dodged sideways, clenching his hand, and extracted all the water from the rose, leaving it withered and dead on the spot. A blob of pale green water with red threads formed in his palm.

Yu Ling Di frowned. “It’s alive. These flowers aren’t dead things—they’re real and existing.”

He glanced around and began to understand. “So, this entire ‘Hua Xiang Gu Li’ must be made from spiritual flowers and exotic grasses dug out of Qi Duan Jin. Its power is terrifying…”

Yu Ling Di flung the water blob away, but the nearby flowers and grasses seemed nourished by it, perking up even more. A man-eating flower lunged and bit him, bursting his body with a pop.

However, he reformed in liquid form and reappeared on the flower stem.

“We can use this time to experiment here.”

Yu Ling Di continued, “Hai Tang Er can trap us, but I’m an elemental body, and you’re a Tian Ji Kui Lei—he can’t deal with us right away. So, we can take advantage of being trapped to gather firsthand data on ‘Hua Xiang Gu Li.’ That way, even if Wu Yue predecessor can’t come, we can get out ourselves.”

“How?” San Shi San Hao was puzzled. Besides brute force, he saw no other way.

“You’re dense!”

Yu Ling Di bounced off the man-eating flower, which withered and died from the impact. “The water in it is abundant…”

He burped and said, “Don’t forget, my elemental body is closest to the five elements of water. I’ve already mastered the rules of Sheng Shen mainland.”

“I haven’t Zhan Dao yet, but that’s because my Dao is as solid as rock. If I can sense more of Qi Duan Jin’s heavenly Dao, I might succeed in Zhan Dao.”

“That’s impossible.” San Shi San Hao analyzed seriously: “I can calculate it for you—the success rate is only 0.006279.”

Yu Ling Di: “…”

He suddenly didn’t want to talk to this guy anymore—it was too discouraging! Such a precise number shattered his hopes completely.

“It’s possible.”

Regaining his spirits, Yu Ling Di sighed: “I still have the feather token from Cang Sheng adult…”

“But it can only be used once.”

San Shi San Hao struck again mercilessly: “Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Besides, if you use the feather token for something like this, Cang Sheng adult will beat you until you’re out of your mind.”

Yu Ling Di: “…”

“It’s fine, I have another method…”

“Don’t say it.” San Shi San Hao suddenly frowned and interrupted: “He might be listening.”

“That’s exactly it!”

Yu Ling Di smiled: “If he can’t hear me saying this, what’s the point? I want him to hear it.”

Ending the sound transmission, Yu Ling Di waved his hands.

Snap, snap, snap…

Within several miles around, the spirited flowers and grasses in the flower sea shattered one by one as he extracted their water directly.

The next second, he said, “Gather.”

Opening his mouth to inhale, Yu Ling Di’s liquid body suddenly expanded to hundreds of feet tall. Then, with a twist of his waist, he reverted to his short form and fell.

Burp.

Yu Ling Di looked up, grinning at the sky: “Mad yet? If you don’t let me out, I’ll suck your flowers dry, and I’ve got a shot from Cang Sheng adult’s arrow—the kind that’ll make you go berserk. Scared?”

“If you are, let me go!”

By the thatched house, Hai Tang Er chuckled and shook his head, shifting his gaze from a petal on his left-hand Qi Ye Hai Tang—one that was multicolored but had a large bald spot—to the puddles on the village path.

“Yu Ling Di… the head of the Ling department, and just a throne?”

He furrowed his brow, beckoning with his hand. Flowers blossomed over the puddles, absorbing every drop of water until nothing remained.

“A throne, holding that position?”

A vague sense of unease crept into his heart, but Hai Tang Er couldn’t imagine how Yu Ling Di could break free. Hua Xiang Gu Li was renowned for Mi Jin Tai Xu and intoxicating Ban Sheng—it was one of the Qi Duan Jin. What could a mere throne do? Rely on Cang Sheng’s evil Sin Bow? Unlikely.

As San Shi San Hao had said, wasting a feather token that could slay Tai Xu just to escape a domain would be unforgivable.

Pop. Hai Tang Er plucked the colored petal from the Qi Ye Hai Tang and gently tossed it into a spatial rift that appeared in the void. As the rift sealed, he stopped thinking about it.

His gaze turned toward Bai Ku.

Hai Tang Er lightly twirled the six-leaf Qi Ye Hai Tang in his hand, lost in thought.

“Old second has come too? How rare…”