In the center of the lake was a small island with only a single, solitary ancient tree.
The ancient tree wasn't particularly tall, only about a dozen zhang, but its entire body flowed with a hazy green halo.
On the trunk, profound patterns grew naturally, as if recording the tracks of the Great Dao.
With just a distant glance, Luo Shui felt her Divine Soul become clear, as if invisible sounds of the Great Dao were whispering in her ears, drawing her in!
"Is that... an Enlightenment Tea Tree?!"
Luo Shui almost cried out in shock!
She had seen scattered records about the "Enlightenment Tea Tree" in an ancient text.
That was an Innate Spiritual Root that only existed in legends!
It could help one comprehend the Great Dao and see their true nature; a single tea leaf was enough to plunge Mahayana and Undergoing Tribulation Cultivators into an Epiphany!
Her Master, Empress Qing Xuan, had searched for tens of thousands of years without finding a single trace!
Now... it actually appeared in the Southern Region, in the Jade Pool Immortal Palace?
Luo Shui felt her understanding of the world being frantically overturned!
"This way, please."
Fu Shan's voice pulled her back from her extreme shock.
Luo Shui took a deep breath, forced herself to look away, and followed behind Fu Shan along the white jade corridor bridge towards the depths of the Immortal Palace.
Along the way, everything she saw and heard made her heart tremble.
Pavilions and towers were arranged in an orderly fashion, all built from spiritual jade and precious wood, carved with profound patterns.
Although there weren't many Disciples coming and going, each one had a solid aura and a firm Foundation; the lowest cultivation among them was the Early Foundation Establishment Stage.
What shocked her even more was that most of these Disciples were only in their early teens, and some were even children of seven or eight years old.
One must know that at this age in the outside world, one would have just begun to Cultivate; the Disciples of this Jade Pool Immortal Palace were simply terrifying!
When passing through an open square, Luo Shui's gaze was firmly captured by the towering nine-story ancient pagoda standing in the center.
The pagoda was simple and ancient, flowing with the aura of ages, and a strange fluctuation of time faintly emanated from it.
"Fluctuations of time, space, and Laws... this pagoda..."
Luo Shui's pupils contracted once more.
She could clearly feel that the flow of time within that pagoda seemed completely different from the outside world!
"That is the Myriad Phenomena Pagoda."
Fu Shan explained casually, his tone carrying a hint of pride.
"A treasure bestowed by the Palace Master. The time flow inside the pagoda is ten times that of the outside. The Disciples all Cultivate inside."
Ten times the time flow!
Luo Shui's heart trembled violently!
What did it mean to possess a treasure that could alter the flow of time?
It meant that the Disciples of the Jade Pool Immortal Palace would have ten times more cultivation time than Cultivators in the outside world!
No wonder... no wonder these Disciples had such high cultivation at such a young age!
The Foundation of this Jade Pool Immortal Palace... was simply unfathomable!
She surmised that there must be other powerful experts stationed within the Jade Pool Immortal Palace!
Sensing with her Divine Sense, her gaze involuntarily turned towards the two most prominent mountain Peaks in the distance.
One was solitary and proud, covered in snow year-round, with the faint echo of clear sword cries soaring into the clouds, as if to cleave the world apart!
The other was shrouded in mist, peaceful and serene, but the vast Sword Qi hidden within the clouds was like an abyss or an ocean, bottomless!
"Those are Snow Moon Peak and Yunwu Peak."
Fu Shan followed her gaze and said:
"Snow Moon Peak is the cultivation place of our Immortal Palace's Grand Elder, Li Hanyi, while Yunwu Peak is the residence of the Vice Palace Master, Yun Yun."
Li Hanyi... Yun Yun... Luo Shui silently noted these two names.
She could clearly feel that the auras entrenched on those two mountain Peaks had both reached the level of the ninth level of undergoing tribulation!
Moreover, both were much stronger than her, at least at the Peak of the ninth level of undergoing tribulation!
The Sword Intent on Snow Moon Peak was pure and sharp to the extreme, as if it could sever anything!
The Sword Intent on Yunwu Peak was thick and enduring, encompassing all things, and carried a sense of strategic mastery.
Two experts at the Peak of the ninth level of undergoing tribulation!
Combined with the several other Great Ascension Stage auras and five Fusion Peak auras she sensed... as well as that unfathomable Yaochi Empress Gu Han, who had dispersed an Immortal Ascension's remnant soul in a single move... the high-end combat power of this Jade Pool Immortal Palace was already no inferior to any top power on the continent!
The slight sense of superiority Luo Shui once felt as a Cultivator from the Eastern Region vanished completely at this moment.
She finally understood why her Master's tone was so solemn when mentioning this person, even carrying appreciation and... joy.
This Yaochi Empress and the Jade Pool Immortal Palace she established already possessed the qualifications to look down upon the Canglan Continent!
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