Chapter 132: According to the Book

Shui Xinxin was once again struck with burning anxiety after hearing from Ji Ling that someone was plotting to kill Lin Zhan.

"Hurry up! If you dare to deceive your grandfather, you won't have a good end!"

Ji Ling stumbled, quickly picking up his pace. "I certainly won't let you down!"

He had overheard that piece of intelligence by pure chance. Thank heavens, he had been resting in a large tree at the time, protected by a small concealment array. The group of twenty-some individuals had wandered right into the area and began discussing their plans to deal with Lin Zhan beneath that very tree.

After they departed, their bodies had been marked by a faint trace of energy from the array—a trail only Ji Ling could track. Following this scent, Ji Ling led Shui Xinxin on a long, nerve-wracking journey.

Shui Xinxin sought to find Lin Zhan, but where was he at this moment?

Naturally, he was exploring the Abyssal Secret Realm, accompanied by Gu Yuanzhou and Teng Sheng.

As the terrain sloped downward, the pressure in the air grew increasingly intense, making breathing difficult. All three men entered a state of breath-holding and focused stillness, minimizing their inhalations as much as possible.

Before long, stone steps became increasingly distinct, and the surrounding trees thinned out, replaced by low, orderly patches of unknown flora. Several strikingly vivid, beautiful flowers were scattered about, yet they exuded an aura of death.

Comparing these to the descriptions of rare treasures in the book *World of Blue Ice*, Lin Zhan realized these alluring blooms were, in fact, Ghost Flowers, which grew solely by nourishing themselves on corpse miasma.

Alongside the Spirit Radish Grass from the depths of the Flaming Lake, the Ghost Flower was one of the seven great medicinal wonders of alchemy. Beyond their use in alchemy, each of these wonders held unique properties. Just as the Spirit Radish Grass enhanced agility, the Ghost Flower was a holy antidote for all toxins.

Since they thrived entirely on the miasma of the dead, the sight of dozens of these flowers growing so lushly meant that the number of people who had perished here must be staggering.

Lin Zhan intended to harvest both the fully mature Ghost Flowers and those that were seven or eight parts ripe, intending to save them for future alchemy or other uses. Encountering them here was a rare stroke of fortune; if he missed this chance, he might never see them again in his lifetime.

Before Lin Zhan could make a move, Gu Yuanzhou and Teng Sheng stepped forward, seemingly aware that these flowers were valuable. However, they clearly possessed only a superficial understanding of the Ghost Flowers—a mistake that would lead to disaster.

The Ghost Flower was a holy antidote, but it was also a potent, lethal poison with a passive, predatory nature. Any living being that drew too close would be poisoned to death, their body becoming fertilizer to nourish the flowers, and their dying breath further fueling the blooms.

"Danger! These flowers are poisonous! Don't move!" Lin Zhan, unable to worry about anything else, bellowed to stop them from throwing their lives away.

"Lin Zhan, these are rare treasures! Whoever digs them up keeps them!" Gu Yuanzhou accelerated, his momentum increasing as he reached out to pluck the nearest flower.

Teng Sheng followed close behind, his target set on another. He moved with the speed of a rabbit, shouting, "Lin Zhan, come dig for treasure too!"

In their obsession with the rare find, the two men had ignored Lin Zhan’s warning, oblivious to the mortal peril.

*Come dig for treasure too?* Lin Zhan smiled bitterly. If he followed their lead, they would all end up dead today, serving as fertilizer for the Ghost Flowers.

He dared not hesitate. He summoned his White Bone Pagoda, aiming it toward the two men. As the formation within the pagoda activated, a massive surge of energy erupted.

"Lin Zhan, you dare ambush us?" Gu Yuanzhou was forced to a halt, his eyes wide with indignation.

Teng Sheng, being slightly weaker, could only channel his cultivation to resist the pagoda's pressure, struggling to hold on and unable to speak. His expression was equally dark; he assumed Lin Zhan was attempting to kill them to claim the patch of Ghost Flowers for himself.

Words were useless with those who did not trust him. Seeing their reaction, Lin Zhan didn't bother to explain; he simply wanted to save them first, and the truth would become clear later.

"Apologies, brothers. Seize!" Lin Zhan shouted.

The power of the White Bone Pagoda surged, swallowing Gu Yuanzhou and Teng Sheng one after the other.

"Lin Zhan, you—!"

"You profit-seeking piece of scum, betraying your own sect!"

Lin Zhan remained silent, his lips parting but ultimately staying shut. He adjusted the restrictive energy within the pagoda, causing both men to drift into a deep slumber. He had no desire to argue with them now; it was better they stayed quiet for the time being.

Perhaps the commotion had disturbed something lurking in the shadows. The stone steps began to tremble, dust billowed, earth and stone shifted, and low, deep growls echoed, accompanied by the distinct *shhh-shhh* sound of something gnawing on leaves.

According to the books, rare treasures were often guarded by powerful wild beasts. Lin Zhan’s eyelids twitched; he had a very bad premonition.

Since these were one of the seven great alchemical wonders, the guardian beast would certainly be formidable. Lin Zhan began to suspect that the Nine-Nether Savage Bull clan he had encountered at the bottom of the Flaming Lake had been the guardians of the Spirit Radish Grass, only to be driven away by the Great Derived Venerable.

But what, then, was the guardian of the Ghost Flowers?

"Who disturbs this deity’s beautiful dream? Who disrupts the tranquility of the Ghostly Stairway? Who covets the soul of my Ghost Flowers? Who is it!"

The voice was raspy and devoid of life, sounding as if it came from the deep earth, yet simultaneously echoing right beside Lin Zhan’s ear.

Losing his composure, Lin Zhan sat cross-legged on the stone steps, silently reciting the *Sutra of Creation*. The spiritual wheel within him spun rapidly, a protective barrier of energy tightened around his body, and even his slightly damaged Heaven-Devouring Demon Armor focused its defensive power to the maximum. The Nine-Star Diagram condensed strands of spiritual energy, extending them like tentacles in an attempt to communicate.

"Heh, such a bold human. It has been a millennium since a human reached this place. For the sake of that person from back then, I will give you a chance. Answer my three questions. Answer even one incorrectly, and you shall never leave!"

Lin Zhan suddenly felt as though he had been plunged into a freezing, bone-chilling environment, permeated with a sinister, terrifying aura of death. Darkness descended, swallowing everything, until even his spiritual sense could not discern what lay before him.

In the darkness, a viscous, chilling wind brushed against his face. Suddenly, two massive lights, like lanterns, appeared abruptly before him—incredibly close!

It took Lin Zhan a long time to adjust his eyes, only to realize that those two lanterns were, in fact, a pair of eyes.

The guardian of the Ghost Flowers was this monster, of which only the eyes were visible.

Was it a demon? Or a fiend?

Clearly, this was no mere wild beast.