Everything around became pitch black.

This darkness was like the primordial chaos from the beginning of time, before heaven and earth were separated. There wasn’t a sound around them, only profound dead silence. People within it felt as if they had been thrown into a tranquil place that no one had visited for thousands of years, with only heavy, deathly silence remaining.

After an unknown amount of time, as if hands covering their eyes slowly moved away, the surroundings gradually brightened bit by bit.

A powerful thrust pushed everyone forward. Zanxing nearly got thrown out, but she quickly drew her Wuyou Stick to steady herself before managing to stand firm. Mimi looked ahead and called out softly twice.

Before them lay a desolate wasteland.

Gradually, human voices came from behind as the others also appeared on this land.

Once they had steadied themselves, a sect disciple couldn’t help but curse: “What is this place? I knew the demon clan had no good intentions!”

Before Bujiang could speak, Zanxing spoke first: “Didn’t you want to enter the Ruins of the Golden Gate? This place is the Ruins of the Golden Gate.”

That person was stunned and momentarily speechless.

This was a desolate land with only sticky black mud underfoot – not a single blade of grass, not a single flower, let alone any living creatures. The place they had come from was a stretch of black river, like the Nether River. The black dragon fish was by the riverbank with most of its body submerged in water, only its pitch-black spine visible.

Fu Ronghua walked forward two steps: “This is the Ruins of the Golden Gate?” He looked at Bujiang with some confusion, “How could the Ruins of the Golden Gate be at the bottom of the Nether River?”

Their group had been brought by the black dragon fish into the whirlpool of the Nether River, and when they reappeared, it was as if they had arrived at another place. Here, there was only black wilderness and a great river – whether at the bottom of the water or on shore was unclear.

Bujiang walked forward two steps and smiled faintly with a hint of mockery in her eyes: “Who said the immortal realm must be in the sky? Humans and gods don’t interfere with each other, each keeping their proper order – this is called severing earth from heaven. The bottom of the Nether River is the great river that connects to the celestial realm.”

The immortal realm was in the sky, but to reach it, one had to first pass through the underground of the demon realm. No wonder all these years, except for Gui Diao Tang and Qinghua Xianzi from long ago, no one had known the location of the Ruins of the Golden Gate.

Mendong looked ahead, his gaze suddenly focusing as he pointed into the distance: “What is that?”

The black wilderness stretched endlessly, with only a long river dividing the earth in two from the middle. But in the gently flowing river water, a gate stood quietly.

This was a vermilion-arched gate standing in the wilderness, in the center of the river. As everyone walked closer, they could see that at the very top of this arched gate, a majestic dragon’s head was carved in relief. The giant dragon was lifelike, staring intensely at the crowd before it.

Zanxing murmured: “Dragon Gate…”

Tian Fangfang didn’t understand: “Junior sister, what is the Dragon Gate?”

Zanxing turned back to look at the black dragon fish lurking by the riverbank. Having swum here, the black dragon fish refused to continue forward.

“Legend says that carp that leap over the Dragon Gate can transform into dragons.” Gu Baiying said, “This should be the Dragon Transformation Gate.”

“Dragon Gate?” Hearing this, Nie Xinghong’s eyes lit up as he excitedly walked toward the arched gate, “Then let’s hurry over too. As long as we pass through this gate, perhaps we can become immortals…”

Before he could finish saying “immortals,” there was an “ouch” as Nie Xinghong was sent flying by a tremendous pushing force. It took him quite a while to get back up.

“This…” Rongshuang looked coldly at Bujiang.

Bujiang smiled slightly: “To enter the Ruins of the Golden Gate, you must first open the gate.”

Everyone looked at her. Lingxin Daoren couldn’t help but speak: “What’s with all this dawdling? Does Heishi City want to break its word and renege at the last moment?” He then looked at Shaoyang Zhenren threateningly: “Shaoyang, are you going back on your word?”

Bujiang snorted with laughter: “For the sake of those ninety-nine pages of supplies, this palace will forgive your rudeness today. Zhenren,” she also looked at Shaoyang Zhenren, “didn’t you tell them?”

Shaoyang Zhenren was like a person caught in the middle, taking abuse from both sides. He paused, then spoke calmly: “To open the Ruins of the Golden Gate, besides the key, Heaven-tier yuanli and Heavenly Demon yuanli must fuse to achieve balance. Everyone’s help is needed.”

The cultivation world people were stunned – this requirement hadn’t been mentioned before. Those disciples had cultivated for a short time and naturally didn’t possess Heaven-tier yuanli, except for those with exceptional spiritual root talents like Gu Baiying. These old fellows did have it, but they would have to expend some energy here before even entering the Golden Gate…

Bujiang laughed softly: “This palace and Zanxing both possess Heavenly Demon power, but if you don’t assist, even if we stand here for days and nights, the Ruins of the Golden Gate cannot be opened. In business, one can’t just think about gaining without being willing to give, right?”

Rongshuang glared fiercely at Shaoyang Zhenren and said sarcastically: “So that’s how it is. Zhenren has racked his brains for Heishi City. Those who don’t know might think you’re one of the demon clan.”

Only revealing here that Heaven-tier yuanli and Heavenly Demon yuanli fusion was needed to open the Ruins of the Golden Gate meant that the ninety-nine pages of supplies that Heishi City had demanded from the cultivation world were negotiable. Shaoyang Zhenren knew all this but didn’t inform everyone – his favoritism was completely obvious.

Mendong clicked his tongue twice and said in a low voice: “Our sect master is devoted.”

Gu Baiying warned him: “Shut up.”

Bujiang raised her eyebrows, waiting for everyone’s response. Before long, Fu Ronghua stepped forward first, smiling amiably: “Forget it. If the spiritual veins can’t be revived, keeping this Heaven-tier yuanli is useless anyway. The floods in Duzhou are still raging, and now the Ruins of the Golden Gate are our only way out – there’s nothing to hesitate about.” He walked to Shaoyang Zhenren’s side, “I’ll help you.”

“What about you two?” Bujiang looked at Rongshuang and Lingxin Daoren with a beaming smile.

These two already looked extremely displeased, but having come this far and already sent out those supplies, backing out at the last moment would be truly uneconomical.

Fu Ronghua continued persuading: “Since we’re already here…”

“You better not play any tricks.” Lingxin Daoren said with an iron-blue face, standing beside Fu Ronghua along with Rongshuang.

Bujiang seemed to have already known their decision and smiled slightly. From her palm, a silver key gradually floated up.

This key also seemed capable of transformation, slowly changing into a square silver tablet. She held her hands opposite each other, and Heavenly Demon power flowed from her fingertips, carrying the silver tablet toward the vermilion arched gate before them.

“Creeak—”

Suddenly, a deep rumbling sound came from the void, as if an invisible great door was slowly opening.

A magnificent surge of heaven and earth yuanli suddenly poured out from the arched gate, rushing toward everyone.

“Now!” Bujiang called out.

Several streams of Heavenly Demon power and Heaven-tier yuanli rose from all directions, condensing in the air into a massive phantom, as if a blue-green giant dragon had risen from the water waves, charging toward the Dragon Gate with bared fangs and claws.

“Creeak—”

The vermilion arched gate trembled, then disappeared.

The Ruins of the Golden Gate had opened.