Chapter 367: Chapter 371: The Other Shore Flower, The Ghost Gate_1
"Your Majesty, why are we rushing to the Cold River?" Guo Jia asked curiously on the way. He had also heard of the infamous Cold River, notorious for being difficult for even birds to cross and known as the ’River of Hell’.
For ages, countless powerful experts had sought to understand the peculiarities of the Cold River, but none had made any discoveries.
"The inheritance of the Yellow Spring Supreme is in the Cold River!" Qin Wudao relayed telepathically.
He could not speak openly about such confidential matters, as powerful astrologers might detect it and use divination to deduce the location of the Yellow Spring Supreme’s inheritance.
He did not want the Yellow Spring Supreme’s inheritance to be discovered by outsiders.
Guo Jia’s pupils constricted, and he almost exclaimed in surprise. Even with his composure, he could not remain calm upon hearing news related to the Yellow Spring Supreme’s inheritance.
The Yellow Spring Supreme, one of the Ten Great Supremes.
One of the most powerful beings since the creation of this world.
Obtaining his inheritance would be an immense stroke of luck, a truly rare and sought-after opportunity.
"Your Majesty, you’re too slow. I’ll take you there!" Guo Jia’s expression turned serious. He reached out, tore open the Void, grabbed Qin Wudao before he could react, and dived into the Void passage, disappearing from sight.
「Four hours later.」
By the Cold River, ripples spread through the Void, and the figures of Qin Wudao and Guo Jia emerged.
They surveyed their surroundings, silently amazed. Warm sunlight fell, yet it carried an extreme, biting chill. On the riverbanks, within a thousand feet of the Cold River, there were no signs of life, like a land of death.
The river water was clear, gliding like silk and shimmering beautifully, yet devoid of any sign of life.
Guo Jia picked up a hard stone and hurled it toward the water. The moment the stone touched the surface, it was corroded completely, vanishing without causing the slightest splash.
"Truly strange!" Qin Wudao muttered, squatting by the bank. He observed that the soil here was faintly red but otherwise unremarkable. And that was precisely what is astonishing: objects falling into the water are corroded, yet the river water itself does not corrode the banks. Why is that?
"Your Majesty, let’s search downstream first. If we find nothing, we’ll head upstream," Guo Jia suggested in a low voice after observing for a while and finding no trace of any ruins.
"Alright." Qin Wudao nodded. The two then flew along the Cold River, observing meticulously. Apart from encountering troops from the Qionghua Holy Land, they made no other discoveries.
The sky gradually darkened, and dusk settled. They had traversed a significant portion of the Cold River and were approaching its end. Vaguely, they could discern mountains in the distance.
Qin Wudao gazed ahead, his brow slightly furrowed. With a wave of his right hand, he summoned a book that radiated a black light—the Ledger of Life and Death!
This was the supreme Connate Spirit Treasure he had obtained—the Ledger of Life and Death, a system reward. After returning to the Imperial Capital, he had studied it for some time and concluded it was unsuitable for use in the mortal realm, so he had stored it in his personal storage space and paid it no mind.
However, upon arriving at the Cold River, he noticed the Ledger of Life and Death flickering with black light, conveying a clear sense of excitement.
"Your Majesty, what is this?" As the Ledger of Life and Death appeared, Guo Jia reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, leaping more than ten zhang away.
Gazing at the Ledger of Life and Death, a deep sense of unease washed over him; his soul trembled uncontrollably. Worse still, he felt as if all his secrets were completely exposed.
"This is the Ledger of Life and Death. You will understand its specific functions later," Qin Wudao said, choosing not to explain further. The abilities of the Ledger of Life and Death are too heaven-defying; even if I told him, Guo Jia might not believe it.
He opened the Ledger of Life and Death and discovered that on its originally blank first page, an exquisite and bewitching red flower had appeared, along with a description.
The Flower of the Other Shore!
*Flowers bloom on a shore that is no shore; souls fall into Oblivion’s River, yet remain in the river.*
*In drunken stupor, the vast expanse of mist and waves goes unseen; in dreams, the lantern light is faintly cold.*
*For a thousand years, its flower and leaf never meet; as karma ends and disperses, they dance fleetingly.*
*The Ghost Gate of life and death spans three existences; when the flower perishes, Yin and Yang remain separated by worlds.*
What does this mean? Qin Wudao stared at the description of the *Flower of the Other Shore*, completely puzzled, failing to grasp its deeper meaning.
"Your Majesty, look!" Just as Qin Wudao was pondering, Guo Jia suddenly shouted, interrupting his thoughts.
Qin Wudao looked up and saw that on the mountain at the end of the Cold River, the characters ’Yellow Spring’ had appeared. Countless red flowers were blooming on both banks of the Cold River.
Yellow Spring! The *Flower of the Other Shore*! Could this be the Yellow Spring Supreme’s inheritance? Qin Wudao’s eyes lit up, and he immediately flew towards it.
In his hands, the black light emanating from the Ledger of Life and Death grew increasingly brilliant, paradoxically rendering the long night even more profoundly dark.
Countless bewitching *Flowers of the Other Shore* swayed, emitting a red glow that formed the figures of a beautiful woman and a handsome man amidst them, vowing to stay together for eternity.
But the man was the leaf of the *Flower of the Other Shore*, and the woman its petals.
Flower and leaf are destined never to meet; thus, their story was fated to be tragic and unfulfilled.
As Qin Wudao walked among the *Flowers of the Other Shore*, the black light from the Ledger of Life and Death dispersed their red glow, causing all the blossoms to wither.
The Cold River flowed silently. On the stone face of the mountain, the words ’Yellow Spring’ pulsed with a dazzling radiance.
The Ledger of Life and Death automatically flipped to its second page, which depicted a stone gate. A pale lantern hung from it, creating an atmosphere of unbearable desolation.
On the stone gate was a plaque inscribed with the words ’Ghost Gate’.
The Ghost Gate, according to legend, is the nexus between the realms of Yin and Yang, and also the threshold of death. Every midnight, the Ghost Gate opens to allow the souls of the dead to pass through.
The appearance of the *Flower of the Other Shore* indicates that the Ghost Gate is also here. It is now an hour before midnight. I wonder if the Ghost Gate will appear! Qin Wudao mused, making a quick calculation with his fingers.
Standing amidst the withered flowers, Qin Wudao waited quietly. For some unknown reason, he felt no inclination to turn back, nor did he spare a thought for his companion, Guo Jia.
His current state made Guo Jia extremely anxious.
"Your Majesty, wake up!" Guo Jia shouted repeatedly from a thousand feet away. He tried to approach but was blocked by a mysterious force, unable to move an inch.
"Sever!" A white light erupted from Guo Jia’s eyes, his scholarly talent aura flaring to the heavens, forming like the sharpest Heavenly Sword and lancing forward.
Where his attack landed, a black light barrier materialized in the empty Void. Countless runes danced upon it, swirling in all directions and exuding a dense black mist.
A tremendous roar echoed for tens of miles, but Qin Wudao, as if he hadn’t heard a thing, remained utterly motionless.
Guo Jia frowned, drawing his seldom-used personal sword. He thrust it into the Void before him dozens of times. Sharp Sword Qi erupted, infused with destructive Sword Qi, the laws of the Confucian Dao, the power of ruin, and the aura of annihilation.
However, he had still underestimated the black light barrier. Faced with an onslaught powerful enough to destroy an entire Dao Domain, it remained utterly undisturbed, without the slightest ripple.
It was like a celestial curtain, dividing the world in two.
So, it can’t be broken! Guo Jia lowered his sword, refraining from further attacks. A thought suddenly struck him: this might be the inheritance ground of the Yellow Spring Supreme. Perhaps I can’t enter precisely because my cultivation is too powerful. That would explain why Qin Wudao was able to enter.
Once the aftershocks of the attack dissipated, the black light barrier gradually faded and vanished.