40 Trapped in the Illusory Peach Grove, the Southern Border's Three Kings' Inheritance Emerges
After discovering a clue about Wenquan Wine, Qi Tian did not linger.
Using his soul-searching techniques alongside his Snake Tongue Gu and Tracking Qi Gu, he pursued the lingering scent of the Flying Crane.
A day later, after passing through layers of mist, Qi Tian once again caught the fragrance of Wenquan Wine.
---
Following the scent, he arrived at a creek.
"There's a faint aroma in this water, similar to Wenquan Wine… Could its source be nearby?"
Uncertain about the specific conditions required for Poetry Spring Wine to form, Qi Tian could only make an educated guess.
The gently flowing mountain stream, lined with smooth pebbles, glistened as if composing a poem of its own.
---
As he traced the stream uphill, the faint sound of a waterfall reached his ears.
After passing through a sparse forest, he came upon a massive boulder.
The sight brightened his eyes, prompting him to pause. Surveying his surroundings, he realized this was a shallow riverbank.
Large cobblestones covered the ground, with river water barely an inch above them. Scattered throughout were gray-white boulders, placed seemingly at random.
---
"This is going too smoothly…"
The closer he got to the Wenquan Wine's source, the stronger his unease grew.
He couldn't pinpoint the reason, but an inexplicable sense of crisis loomed over him.
Success was within reach, yet he had to be cautious—there could be hidden dangers nearby.
Everything seemed normal, yet his instincts screamed otherwise.
---
Qi Tian took this feeling very seriously.
He had lacked such an intuition when he first transmigrated. It was only after enduring hundreds of years of hardship—surviving countless near-death experiences—that he had honed this sense of survival.
There's an old saying: "The elderly grow wise." Even the dullest person, after suffering enough losses, facing enough hardships, and witnessing enough of the world, will inevitably develop a survival instinct.
This applies not just to humans—wild beasts, too, possess an innate sense of danger.
---
"Should I leave…?"
"The Fox Immortal Blessed Land is about to open, and I must return to receive my mission to go to Sky Ladder Mountain. If anything goes wrong…"
"I could choose the safer path, withdraw now, and not take the risk…"
Even as he contemplated, he continued activating his scouting Gu insects to observe his surroundings.
"If I miss this opportunity, who knows when I'll gather all the rare wines needed for Spirit Travel Gu?"
"But even if I obtain the wine, there's no guarantee I'll get the Spirit Travel Gu…"
---
As his thoughts deepened, Qi Tian suddenly chuckled.
"Since when did I, a once-mighty hegemon, become so timid and hesitant? If I abandon my goal over a vague sense of danger, how will I ever achieve immortality as a Gu Master? I might as well have lived out my life as an ordinary mortal in a village."
With that, he stepped forward.
And then—
"So that's it… I've fallen into an illusion."
---
The creek and forest before him seemed ordinary, no different from the previous terrain.
However, once he entered, he sensed something was amiss.
Relying on his past life's experience, he realized he had stepped into an Illusory Peach Grove.
The peach trees here were numerous, their illusionary powers profound. The Illusory Peach Trees naturally created illusions to protect themselves.
Qi Tian sighed.
---
The grove appeared vast at first glance. Fortunately, he hadn't ventured deep inside yet. At the illusion's edge, its strength remained manageable—he could break free, but it would take time.
And time was exactly what he lacked.
If he didn't escape quickly, he might miss the elite disciples of Immortal Crane Sect departing on their mission.
Would he have to head straight to Sky Ladder Mountain and meet up with them there?
---
There were still several months before the ten major sects' elite disciples would gather, duel, and determine their rankings.
According to Feng Jinhuang's Biography, she would ascend the mountain on October 24th at exactly 3:30 PM.
According to Gu Master, in this timeline, Fang Yuan—despite overwhelming obstacles—would successfully refine the Immortal Gu: Fixed Immortal Travel. He would reach the mountain mere moments before Feng Jinhuang.
There were still over six months left.
However, if Qi Tian arrived too early and intervened rashly, it could arouse suspicion.
The Immortal Crane Sect had a Gu Immortal, Crane Wind Yang, overseeing matters.
Though Crane Wind Yang might not concern himself with elite disciples, Qi Tian did not believe a Gu Immortal would overlook an anomaly like himself—this was a critical event.
He had to break free of this illusion and return to Immortal Crane Sect in time.
---
Meanwhile, in the Southern Borders—The Legacy of the Three Kings Unfolds
As the Fox Immortal Blessed Land opened, another major event shook Southern Border's Three-Forked Mountain.
The legacy of the Three Kings had surfaced.
The Three Kings—Dog King Er Gou, Faith King Wang Ya, and Explosion King Wang Ba Dan—were three powerful five-turn demonic path Gu Masters.
Their inheritance was the most significant event in Southern Border in the last 50-60 years.
Numerous factions took notice, though the vast and perilous terrain made intervention difficult for many.
But those capable sent forces to claim a share.
---
Normally, three five-turn inheritances would barely tempt Southern Border's elite families.
However, the Three Kings had once stumbled upon an Ancient Gu Master's Blessed Land, a legacy left behind by a mysterious six-turn Gu Immortal.
They each inherited a portion of his inheritance and cultivated diligently until they reached five-turn.
Now, their legacy site was none other than this ancient Blessed Land.
---
In the Gu Master world, five-turn is still mortal, but six-turn is immortal. The gap is immense.
A five-turn inheritance might attract first-rate families, but a six-turn Gu Immortal's legacy?
That would make every major faction in Southern Border flock to it like moths to a flame.
Even existing Gu Immortals—normally secluded from mortal affairs—would emerge for such an opportunity!
And this inheritance was a must-have for Fang Yuan.
---
At the start of the inheritance's emergence, Fang Yuan had already leveraged his rebirth knowledge—buying up one-turn Taming Dog Gu, two-turn Paper Crane Gu, and one-turn Exploding Egg Gu in bulk.
Not only did he make a fortune, but he also helped Shang Xinci secure an advantage in the Shang Family's heir competition.
After assisting Shang Xinci in assembling her power base, Fang Yuan departed Shang Clan City with Bai Ningbing, heading straight for Three-Forked Mountain.
---
Back at Immortal Crane Sect
On Flying Crane Mountain, where ten thousand cranes soared, pine trees stood like waves, and their calls echoed grandly, the Immortal Crane Sect's internal Mid-Year Tournament Finals were underway.
Against all odds, Fang Zheng—using a vast crane swarm as his trump card—barely defeated veteran elite Sun Yuanhua, becoming the tournament's biggest dark horse and earning elite disciple status.
Moments after his victory, the sect master summoned him.