<b>Chapter 652: Green Bamboo</b>
“Pah!” Huangfu Hao, who seemed to be a gigantic mountain stomping down, was suddenly smashed into a bloody pulp. “Ah!” Before he could react, his entire body was slapped away by this whip-like shadow. He was blown out of the capital and sent all the way towards the horizon before eventually disappearing in the farthest reaches of the sky.
His shrill scream filled the sky after being whipped and blown away. Even if he didn't die, he would still be at death's door!
After blowing Huangfu Hao away with one blow, both the dragon-shaped soil and the item that resembled a whip disappeared underground without a trace.
“That was…” After seeing this whip-like item, Madam Zi Yan was astounded. Amidst its action, she noticed that the whip was actually a bamboo root. To be more exact, it was a branch connected to the root. Madam Zi Yan herself used to be a violet bamboo tree, so after seeing the bamboo root, she immediately thought about many things.
The other alchemists didn't know what was going on since they were scared silly. They actually thought that there was a dragon hiding underground. They couldn't calm down as they shuddered at the thought of Huangfu Hao, a heaven's proud son at the Heavenly King realm, being swatted away like a fly by the shadow underground. How could they not be shocked by this development? Was there really a dragon underground?
Of course, there was no dragon beneath the soil. This earth was personally sealed by Li Qiye and strengthened by many wise sages, including Godkings. An extremely formidable law suppressed the area below.
After stepping into the garden, Li Qiye seemed to be enjoying the spirit grasses, but the truth was that he was measuring this land and calculating the changes to once again take complete control of the gigantic seal underground!
At this location, Huangfu Hao causing trouble was akin to courting death. Li Qiye didn't even have to do anything and could still easily kill him.
“Could that have been…” Madam Zi Yan regained her composure, but she still carried a shocked expression. She lifted her head up to look at the giant bamboo that pierced the firmament.
“You guessed correctly.” At this time, while looking at the madam, Li Qiye slightly raised his brows to say: “That was a branch of the bamboo's root, just a tiny one.”
This answer left the madam frozen. Although the giant bamboo tree was their Divine Guardian, for millions of years, no one had seen it take action. From the time she became a disciple of the country, she had never witnessed any movement from the tree.
The giant bamboo tree had always been the same, staying high above the clouds without any changes as if it would forever be this way for many more millions of years to come.
However, today, an outsider like Li Qiye came and spurred the giant bamboo deity to take action. Under Li Qiye's control, a small root actually came and swatted Huangfu Hao away to the ends of the earth. This was simply unthinkable!
While she was still in a daze, Li Qiye moved forward and instantly crossed the alchemy garden. At this moment, he was standing at the end of the garden, and in front of him was the path towards the Bamboo Garden.
Even though the two gardens were connected, the Bamboo Garden was currently full of rippling radiance. The giant bamboo in the sky poured down little specks of light that came together to form an extremely realistic ward and sealed off the entire Bamboo Garden. No one could cross this barrier to enter the garden.
Li Qiye looked at this barrier ahead and then the giant bamboo in the sky. He couldn't help but laugh as old scenes started to play out in his mind.
At this time, the endless sea of memories in his forehead shot out a golden law. “Bang!” This law struck the barrier and dissolved it before swiftly turning these flashing runic lines into a door.
The door opened as Li Qiye stepped inside the barrier and into the Bamboo Garden. After he entered, the door disappeared while the barrier remained without any changes, prohibiting entry for anyone else.
“Impossible…” After seeing this scene, Madam Zi Yan was horrified and had to take several steps back from the shock.
How could she not be shocked? This Bamboo Garden had always been a forbidden ground in her country. For millions of years, besides the progenitor, she had never heard of anyone else being able to enter the garden.
However, an outsider like Li Qiye could easily walk inside without using force. It was as if the Bamboo Garden specifically allowed him entry. It became even clearer to the madam after seeing the door formed on the barrier. This meant that the garden accepted Li Qiye, and more importantly, the deity of her country accepted Li Qiye.
For tens of millions of years, the Giant Bamboo Country had produced many brilliant geniuses along with wise rulers. However, outside of their progenitor, none of these people had been accepted by the garden and the deity. Despite all of this and to the dismay of the madam, an outsider like Li Qiye was accepted. She even saw it with her own eyes!
As for the other alchemists in the alchemy garden, they didn't know what was going on. They actually thought that Li Qiye was a disciple of the Giant Bamboo Country.
“Fellow guests, today was truly a grand event where everyone took the time to join us here.” The madam composed herself and immediately told all the alchemists in the garden: “However, some unexpected events happened and there was a misunderstanding, resulting in spilled blood, so we can't do anything except end the party before the appointed time.”
At this moment, she formally ended the party. After all, this sudden development caught even a Royal Lord like her unprepared.
The alchemists here didn't dare to say anything else. Qing Yu was dead and Huangfu Hao's fate was unknown. They knew a storm was brewing after such a big event occurred, so at this time, many of them quickly left the party.
After all the alchemists were sent out, Madam Zi Yan immediately went to the end of the alchemy garden and stood in front of the entrance, the barrier to the Bamboo Garden.
She took a very deep breath and reached out towards the barrier. She wanted to see if she could enter the Bamboo Garden or not. Unfortunately, with a bang, she was immediately repelled by an extremely powerful force from the barrier.
After she regained her balance, she took another deep breath and sent out a command: “Summon all eighteen Demon Monarchs here without delay!”
Meanwhile, Li Qiye had entered the Bamboo Garden and only saw an indistinct scene. The entire garden was immersed in a worldly energy so thick that it had nearly condensed into fog.
Such thick worldly energy was frightening. This level of density couldn't be found even in the ancestral grounds of the great powers. Anyone would feel relaxed in this place; all of their pores would open as if they were about to flutter away into the sky like an immortal.
By standing in this location, even those with the most ordinary of talents would be able to feel the laws of this ground. Those who were more talented could resonate and become close with the grand dao, and the dao would answer back.
This place could only be described as a treasure ground, one great enough to be coveted by all great powers!
“So tens of millions of years of saturation could turn a regular location into a sacred ground…” Li Qiye stood amidst this fog and felt the beat of the earth as well as the Elegant Azure Grand Vein beneath the ground. It was as if this earth was hiding a dragon, and it caused him to become sentimental.
Long ago, this land was only an ordinary location, but after a certain era, Li Qiye planted a green bamboo here. At that time, the kings heeded his call; Virtuous Paragons and Godkings all gathered here just to strengthen this ground. Many invincible existences created a supreme seal at this place.
In that year, Li Qiye used an extremely heaven-defying method to alter this land. He gathered the worldly energy from the Elegant Azure Grand Vein and moved it here so that the entire vein would cultivate the green bamboo planted by him.
As he walked around the garden, it appeared to be a forest with splashing rivers. Many flickering shadows were cast from the tree. Flowers and grasses were silently blooming with new green sprouts growing everywhere.
This place was full of life and vitality. Here was a scene of tranquility like a paradise amidst this vast world, an escape from the rowdy and mundane world.
Walking in this place allowed one to be immersed in the worldly energy, giving birth to the illusion that this was a land of immortals.
Li Qiye took a leisurely stroll through the garden and eventually found himself standing before a bamboo tree. This tree was beyond gigantic, and after millions of years, he had finally seen it once again.
It had a lush green color like jade. At a glance, it had a green and glossy glow just like a supreme immortal piece of jade.
As the flow of time raged on, this bamboo was still as shiny and moving as before. There was no sign of aging as if it could live for millions of more years without any problem.
When one stood before this unreasonably large tree, they would feel that there was a gigantic wall before them. One couldn't calculate how many people it would take to surround such a huge tree.
Li Qiye couldn't help but reach out with his hand to gently stroke the jade-like bamboo tree's trunk. He sighed before murmuring: “How many years have passed… When I brought you out from that Ominous Ground, you were only a seedling, but now you have become a deity.”
The bamboo tree's shadow swayed while rustling its leaves high in the sky. Its branches fluttered back and forth gently as if answering Li Qiye.
Since Li Qiye used a law from his sea of memories to open the barrier, the bamboo tree that had turned into a deity naturally knew what had happened and who was coming.