Chapter 854 — Reunion with an Old Acquaintance at the Peach Blossom Spring

The Kunlun Realm had once been a holy land within Jingping, hailed as the King of Ten Thousand Mountains. This sacred ground boasted countless peaks that vied with one another in splendor and wonder, and the Dao Gate lay hidden among them.

When Shen Mu and his party came once more to the Kunlun Realm, they looked about and saw divine mountains soaring in majesty, thrusting into the sky like a forest; then, turning their eyes to the Kunlun peaks, they found them immeasurably lower than those divine mountains, not the least breath of a holy land about them, and could not help shaking their heads. Now that the Origin Realm had reappeared, the Kunlun Realm could hardly maintain its name as a holy land. The Dao Gate Academy was built at the foot of Dao Gate Mountain.

The Daoists were an easygoing lot, and far poorer than the Great Thunder-Roar Temple, so they had raised a town below the mountain, written the words Dao Gate Academy above the city gate, and begun admitting scholars from far and wide.

Beside the Academy stretched a peach grove ten thousand li broad, its blossoms opening in lavish splendor. Shen Mu peered into the depths of the grove and, strain his gaze as he might, could see no end to it; he could only faintly make out many palaces and city walls far within, where unknown people dwelt. The blind elder closed his eyes and "looked" at the grove.

After a moment he said, "A very mighty being dwells within this peach grove and has sealed it off. When I trained my Heart-Sage Eye on it and reached the deepest point, I saw countless peach blossoms flying through the air, blocking my sight. " Shen Mu started in doubt.

"Even Grandpa Blind's Heart-Sage Eye cannot see through it? " The blind elder's Heart-Sage Eye was said to be the strongest sage eye in the world, and it was also the key to his great achievements in the way of formations. When he was still young, he had already cultivated his eyes to the true-god level, and although he was known as the Divine Spear, it was the all-piercing sage eye that was the true cornerstone.

After he lost his eyes, he had gone on to master the Heart-Sage Eye in Yincan Village.

Now that his sight had been restored, his attainments in the Heart-Sage Eye had only grown deeper and more unfathomable. It was thanks in no small part to that eye that he could fight Qu He, squad leader of the Celestial Court's Divine Constable Camp, on equal terms.

Yet even the blind elder's Heart-Sage Eye could not see through the workings within the ten-thousand-li peach grove, and this put Shen Mu on his guard. The grove was so vast, and the being within it so far out of the ordinary, that if it chose to strike at the Dao Gate, the Dao Gate likely would not be able to hold out.

To his surprise, however, the scholars of the Academy seemed perfectly accustomed to the peach grove at their side; some of the local folk who lived nearby under the Dao Gate's protection even ran into the grove to gather peaches.

The grove was so immense that all four seasons existed within it at once, and the fruit on some trees was already ripe.

Yet even with these mortals passing in and out, no one from within the grove ever came out to stop them.

Shen Mu stood outside the Academy watching for a long while before he finally went in. Everywhere in the town stood plain, unremarkable houses, with none of the grand structures of palaces. Many old Daoists were teaching their disciples, and some old masters simply sat down cross-legged in any open space, their students likewise seated on the ground in the most casual fashion.

That the foremost holy land of calculation arts in Jingping should be so austere was rather unexpected. Shen Mu's arrival at the Academy with Yutianzun to study caused no small stir. Daoist Master Lin Xuan hurried out to receive them and said with a smile, "Cult Master Shen is a man of your word—you have indeed come.

" After exchanging a few pleasantries, Shen Mu asked, "What is the story behind the peach grove outside the Academy?

" "I have no idea.

" Daoist Master Lin Xuan shook his head.

"Ever since the Origin Realm broke its seal, this peach grove abruptly appeared beside the Academy. Strange to say, the Origin Realm is full of bizarre places, and the sanctified among the demigods there are beyond counting, yet the vicinity of the Dao Gate has been wholly peaceful—not once has a demigod caused trouble. I suspect it is the peach grove's doing.

I once went into the grove to investigate, but I could never draw near the palaces within; something like a formation seemed to bar the way.

" Shen Mu's face showed suspicion. "I noticed on the road too that no demigods appear near the Dao Gate, and that it is very tranquil here, unlike other places.

In those places the demigods oppress the human race, and it is considered merciful of them merely to drive men as slaves.

I had assumed the Dao Gate had cowed those demigods; I never thought it was the peach grove's effect.

" Daoist Master Lin Xuan smiled ruefully. "How could the Dao Gate have such strength? There are many powerful demigods dwelling on the divine mountains nearby. I once saw one of them inhale and exhale, and even the sun in the sky was drawn a good deal closer by his breath—the sun in the Heavenly Chart, of course. And there is another strange matter: this peach grove is easy to enter, and even easier to leave.

" Shen Mu was puzzled. "When you look at the grove from outside, it is ten thousand li broad. Walking in from the edge, I have traveled ten thousand li and more—a hundred thousand, a million li—and never reached the end. As I walked on, the peach trees around me went through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and the weather changed with the seasons; clearly the road I took was real.

" Daoist Master Lin Xuan wore a peculiar expression. "But the moment I turned around, I found myself still at the edge of the grove. I only needed to turn back and take a few steps to emerge. For this reason, many of the folk around here run into the grove to pick peaches without the slightest fear of losing their way.

I too once wished to uncover the grove's secret, but in the end I found no solution, and since the master of the grove seemed to harbor no ill intent, I let the matter drop.

" The blind elder spoke abruptly: "This ought to be a formation, and yet it does not feel like a formation. It is as if boundless space has been compressed by magic power into the span of ten thousand li—even to the width of a foot! But no one in this world could possess so colossal a magic power; only a formation borrowing the strength of heaven and earth could achieve such a thing. " Shen Mu asked, "Can Grandpa Blind tell which formation it is?

" The blind elder shook his head. "Nothing can be discerned from outside; only by entering can one see what it truly is. Moreover, I can barely make out any traces of a formation. If it truly is a formation, then Heavenly Master Zixi would be far inferior to the master of this grove! And yet it is impossible that a formation master far greater than Heavenly Master Zixi should exist. " "Since the master of the grove bears no ill will, and even shelters the common folk here, there is no need for us to worry.

" Shen Mu smiled. "Daoist Master Lin, I have come to the Dao Gate Academy to study, so I shall board here for the next few days. My imperial brother also needs to learn the calculation arts; may I trouble you to find some able scholars of the Imperial Academy to teach him the fundamentals? " Lin Xuan nodded.

"Rest assured, our Dao Gate has no shortage of masters in the calculation arts.

Let Lan Yutian study with them. As for Cult Master Shen, I and the elders of the Dao Gate shall instruct you ourselves. " Shen Mu was overjoyed and bowed in thanks. Lin Xuan hastily returned the bow and said gravely, "Cult Master, you are overwhelming me.