Chapter 361 351: Excellent Mountains, Excellent Water, Excellent Wind, Excellent Land

In the residence, decked out with lanterns and streamers, the Chanting Officer's announcement of "One hundred and twenty-eight Ancestral Dragon Coins" silenced the bustling crowd in an instant.

A moment later, a crisp, bright laugh rang out from the center of the gently rippling lake on the far side of the garden. "Oh, my!"

Her voice, a cascade of clear notes, preceded her. "Old Man Turtle said there would be joy upon joy today, a most auspicious time indeed. I was wondering where this second blessing would come from. And what do you know! It seems a most distinguished guest has graced our Third Sister's celebratory banquet! Marvelous! Truly, utterly marvelous!"

As these crisp words tumbled out, a woman appeared in the center of the lake. With almond eyes, rosy cheeks, and an elaborate, cloud-like coiffure, she approached by walking on the water, a radiant smile on her face and a flower basket on her arm.

Under the night sky, the lake's surface was a dark mirror, reflecting the stars above and the colorful lanterns floating upon it. Where the lights met their reflections, the woman's gaze seemed even more gentle and captivating than the ripples themselves.

A fresh wave of soft gasps rippled through the scattered guests in the garden.

"It's the Eldest Princess! The Eldest Princess has come herself!"

"One hundred and twenty-eight Ancestral Dragon Coins..."

"Good heavens!" someone cried softly, and all the noise died down once more.

The woman from the center of the lake glided across the water and stepped onto the flower-lined path on the shore.

This Eldest Princess, as the people called her, moved with sublime grace, seeming to float like a celestial peony until she was before Song Ciwan.

She warmly took Song Ciwan by the arm.

Song Ciwan didn't resist. Since the princess offered a smile, she returned a faint one of her own.

The Eldest Princess was even more delighted. Holding Song Ciwan's arm, she said, "My dear girl, your name is Song. How about I call you Little Sister Song?"

Song Ciwan replied, "As the guest, I'll follow the host's lead. Please, call me whatever you wish, Eldest Princess."

The Eldest Princess beamed. "You truly are gracious, little sister. No wonder I felt we were kindred spirits the moment I saw you! Come, come, this is no place to talk. Follow me, little sister. There's a private banquet waiting for us up ahead!"

As she spoke, she took Song Ciwan's hand and took a single, light step forward.

The scene before them warped. In that instant, the Eldest Princess had pulled Song Ciwan into a strange, kaleidoscopic passageway.

Various scenes flashed by at dizzying speed on either side of the passage. There was the Xizhai garden Song Ciwan had just left, and the ruined Mountain God Temple where she had slain the Evil Spirit on her way here. But there were other, unfamiliar scenes as well...

A faded vision of the Mortal World, where a monk in ragged robes trudged on alone.

A vast expanse of scorched earth, where a tide of bizarre insects swarmed in the distance.

A Daoist adept flew in on a cloud and laid out a great Array that enveloped the land. With a flick of his sword-fingers, a series of rumbles shook the heavens, and the world was turned upside down.

Caves filled with the severed heads of Divine Spirits, their features mottled and worn...

Why assume these were the heads of Divine Spirits?

Because in a fleeting glimpse, Song Ciwan saw clearly that the broken heads were richly colored and strangely formed. They weren't ugly or demonic; rather, they closely matched the depictions of certain Huaxia Divine Spirits she remembered from her past life.

Yes, based on appearance alone, the severed heads were an undeniable match for the Divine Spirits of Huaxia myth.

'Then again, that's not so surprising.' After all, in this world, Song Ciwan had already encountered countless cultural traces similar to those of her past life.

'They even have seal script. What's a few severed heads of Divine Spirits in comparison?'

Wasn't the pantheon of the Great Zhou—with its City God, Earth God, Night Wanderer, and Day Traveling God—already remarkably similar to that of Huaxia?

More strange images flashed by in fleeting glimpses until finally, everything stretched into two blurred lines of color. The next moment, Song Ciwan's feet were on solid ground.

But upon landing, Song Ciwan discovered that despite that seemingly "long" journey, the Eldest Princess hadn't led her to the ends of the earth.

Shimmering water surrounded them, and across its surface, she could still see the garden they had just left.

It turned out the Eldest Princess had only led her to the small island in the center of the lake!

Such a small, seemingly simple and placid lake, yet crossing it felt like traversing countless worlds.

'How utterly profound.'

A sense of understanding dawned on Song Ciwan as she observed the island. Every detail was exquisitely arranged.

There were trees that shimmered with iridescent light and ponds from which Immortal Energy rose like mist—

Yes, an island in the lake, and on that island, more water.

Pools of all shapes, looking as if they were naturally formed, were scattered across the island's landscape.

Various flowers and trees of differing heights and vibrant colors grew along the edges of the pools, each unique.

And the Immortal Energy rising from those pools—it was real Immortal Energy!

No, that wasn't a turn of phrase. It was tangible, actual Immortal Energy.

The moment Song Ciwan set foot on the island and took a single breath of it, she felt a light rain begin to drizzle within her Dantian Sea, which had been as empty as a bottomless pit.

The rain fell for only a moment, but Song Ciwan could already feel the level of her True Qi Sea rise by a minuscule layer.

'If this isn't Immortal Energy, what is?'

The Eldest Princess stood beside Song Ciwan, her smile like a blossoming flower, and asked with a hint of pride, "Little Sister Song, what do you think? How is our little corner of the world?"

Song Ciwan answered honestly, "It's a true treasure land."

The Eldest Princess beamed. "Oh, this is just the ordinary part. Come, Little Sister Song, there are even better places up ahead."

With the flower basket on one arm, she raised her other hand and gestured forward as she spoke.

Song Ciwan followed her, winding past numerous flowering trees and pools, and they walked on a bit further.

As they walked, Song Ciwan inhaled a few more breaths of Immortal Energy.

This time, it didn't start raining in her Dantian, nor did her True Qi Sea show the same noticeable increase as before.

But no noticeable increase didn't mean there was no increase at all.

The benefits of the Immortal Energy were still undeniable.

However, Song Ciwan was not greedy. She wouldn't start desperately gulping it down just because the Immortal Energy's effects were so extraordinary. 'That would be unseemly. No need for that.'

She and the Eldest Princess walked along the outer edge of the island, past the many pools, and rounded a grove of flowering trees. Before them stood an exquisite house.

Truly, it was a residence with a lake, a lake holding an island, and the island holding yet another residence.

A marvelous, recursive place. What appeared to be a tiny patch of land clearly contained the wondrous paradox of a Sumeru Mustard Seed—a vast world in a tiny space.

Numerous maids were rushing about at the entrance to the house. When they saw the Eldest Princess approaching with Song Ciwan, they bent their knees from a distance in a respectful curtsy.

Then one of the maids rushed forward, saying anxiously, "Eldest Princess, this is terrible! In the short time you were gone, the Third Princess has given birth again!"

What?

What in the world?

Song Ciwan thought she must be hearing things. 'What did I just hear?'