Chapter 218: Jade Pool Wonderland: A Bewildering Paradise
Shi Hao reached the edge of the white jade bridge.
Broken pillars stood on either side, the vast emptiness of the void beyond. He stared at the Milky Way, its countless stars swirling and flowing, a river of light.
As he looked, it seemed to press down on him, the stars swirling closer and closer, a suffocating, mesmerizing sight, making his chest tighten, his breath catching in his throat.
A gentle force pulled him back, and he turned to see Ye Zi Yin beside him, her voice soft, “Don’t look too closely.”
Shi Hao exhaled, glancing at the Milky Way again, its swirling stars receding.
They continued forward, reaching the end of the bridge… or perhaps just the middle.
Before them stood a large, circular gate, the white jade bridge extending inwards, its surface shimmering, the space around it distorted, making it difficult to see clearly.
“What’s on the other side?” he asked.
Su Mei, floating back to his side, smiled, “We don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
Ye Zi Yin nodded slightly, “We’ve never been there.”
Su Mei said, “Our individual strength isn’t enough to pass through this gate. We’ve considered joining forces, but…”
She smiled, “We don’t trust each other. Cooperation is impossible.”
Shi Hao understood. He took their hands, his voice filled with excitement, “Let’s go together then.”
He was intensely curious about what lay beyond.
This Primordial Grotto Heaven was even more mysterious than he had imagined.
Although, thinking about it, if it weren’t so mysterious, it wouldn’t have trapped them here for so long.
Holding their hands, he stepped towards the gate, separating them, a buffer between the two rivals. Although his cultivation was still lower than theirs, his current power, amplified by their combined energies, surpassed theirs.
If either of them tried anything, he could stop them.
This mutual distrust, this precarious balance, was their only guarantee of safety.
As they approached the gate, a powerful wind erupted, pushing against them, its force like a physical barrier.
The sudden intensity of the wind, as if they had crossed some invisible boundary, was startling.
Shi Hao now understood why they needed to join forces.
This powerful wind, its energy swirling, was similar to the energy within him, the fusion of his Daoist and demonic cultivation.
They struggled forward, each step an effort, the wind threatening to tear them apart.
With Shi Hao as the conduit, the combined power of the Holy Jade Immortal and the Enchanting Fire Witch flowed into him, creating a protective barrier against the wind.
He tried using his Primordial Energy to sense what lay ahead, but it was useless… This was the first time his Primordial Energy had failed him.
Even with their combined strength, they were like flickering candles in a storm, on the verge of being blown away.
He knew that without them, he would have been crushed by this wind alone.
They were like fish swimming against a raging current, the pressure immense.
The gate was just a few steps away, but each step took them almost an hour, their progress slow and arduous.
They finally reached the gate and looked through it.
They saw another half of a white jade bridge, intact and unbroken.
Beyond the bridge was a floating island, a magnificent landscape of mountains, lakes, and a white jade city.
And bolts of purple lightning, crackling and flashing, tore through the sky, shattering space itself.
It was a breathtaking… and terrifying sight.
The lightning bolts danced across the island, the air filled with the smell of ozone, the buildings, miraculously, mostly undamaged.
But the constant barrage of lightning gave the otherwise ethereal landscape a desolate, lifeless quality.
Space warped and distorted around them. A bolt of lightning struck the peak of the mountain, not destroying it, but spreading outwards, like a branching tree, its energy seeking out and destroying any living thing.
Under this constant bombardment, nothing could survive.
Behind them, the Primordial Grotto Heaven, its buildings collapsed and ruined, offered at least a chance of survival.
And before them, the mysterious floating island, its ancient palaces and jade city still intact, a wondrous and magnificent sight, was a desolate wasteland, devoid of life.
Only here, at the gateway between the two worlds, were they safe, for now.
“What is that place?” Shi Hao asked, his voice filled with awe.
Although the Primordial Grotto Heaven was also a wondrous place, it was in ruins, a reminder of a lost past, a place of mystery and forgotten history.
But this island, its scale immense, its palaces magnificent, its jade city breathtaking, its lake seemingly reflecting the heavens themselves… it was as if all the secrets of the universe were contained within it, a vision too vast, too profound, to comprehend.
It made the world around him seem small and insignificant.
Shi Hao whispered, “What is that place?”
Ye Zi Yin said softly, “If I’m not mistaken, it’s the Jade Pool.”
Shi Hao’s body trembled, “The Jade Pool?” He wanted to look at her, but his gaze was fixed on the mesmerizing landscape before him, its image burned into his mind, threatening to overwhelm him.
Su Mei chuckled, “According to legend, in ancient times, there were two rulers of the immortals: the East King Father, who ruled the male immortals, and the West Queen Mother, who ruled the female immortals. The Jade Pool was the West Queen Mother’s abode. But something happened, and the immortals vanished, either ascending to a higher realm or dying, leaving the Jade Pool in ruins.”
Shi Hao still couldn’t believe it, “So we’re actually seeing… the Jade Pool?” He swayed, his mind reeling, unable to process it.
Two gentle forces pulled him back as they retreated towards the bridge.
He wanted to look again, to linger, but they wouldn’t let him.
He stumbled back onto the bridge, his mind reeling, his stomach churning, the world around him spinning.
The bridge seemed to tilt beneath his feet, the Milky Way swirling around him, its stars pressing down on him, suffocating him.
He lost consciousness—
He woke up on a soft bed, his head resting on a smooth, delicate thigh.
Su Mei, dressed in her crimson robe, sat beside him, her legs drawn up, letting him use her lap as a pillow.
Little Emerald hovered nearby, holding a small jade dish, sprinkling cool water on his forehead.
His head throbbed. He didn’t even remember returning.
He rubbed his temples, “What happened?” He tried to sit up but hesitated, enjoying the comfort.
Su Mei smiled, “You looked into the Jade Pool, but its power, its mysteries, were too much for you. Your mind couldn’t handle it.”
Shi Hao sighed, “But you two were fine.”
Su Mei gently tapped his forehead, “Don’t think that just because you’ve borrowed our power, you’re on our level. Although it was our first time seeing the Jade Pool as well, we’ve encountered similar… wonders before.
“Your soul is still too weak. Compared to ours, it’s like a clay figurine that melts in water, while ours are forged from steel.”
Shi Hao had witnessed the ethereal duel between the Sword King and the Sword Demon, two high-rank experts, a battle that would have stunned the martial world.
Yet, he had been overwhelmed simply by looking at the Jade Pool, his mind unable to process it, his spirit almost broken, if not for their intervention.
And now, trying to recall what he had seen, the image was blurry, the details lost, a fleeting, dreamlike memory.
He felt disoriented, disconnected from reality.
He needed something to distract him, to ground him… Dwelling on the Jade Pool would only make it worse.
He felt a strange sense of detachment, the vastness of the universe, the insignificance of human life, making his own struggles seem… meaningless.
He reached out and tugged at Su Mei’s robe, seeking something tangible, something real.
“What are you doing?” she asked, pushing his hand away, a playful smile on her face, “You just woke up, and you’re already thinking about this?”
Little Emerald, seeing his intentions, hovered above him, her tiny fangs bared, ready to bite.
“Wife,” Shi Hao looked at her, his eyes pleading, like a wounded animal, hoping to evoke her sympathy.
Su Mei, her heart softening, said, “Just a peek.”
She gently lifted the hem of her robe—
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