Chapter 178: Celestial Garden (One)

Xu Feng glanced at the other Beastkin, who all looked displeased with him. He shook his head with a smile and said, “No, I’m not going. Xihua’er, my friend… I wish you a bountiful haul.”

“Ha! Alright then! Looks like your strength has grown even more. Consolidating that is a must,” Xihua’er laughed heartily, eyeing Xu Feng.

Xu Feng gave a slight nod and headed towards the Beast Demon Village. His destination was the Ancient City behind the village. Hu Tian, the Priest, must be getting anxious waiting by now.

Arriving at the Ancient City, just as expected, Priest Hu Tian had already left the Ancient Castle. He was pacing back and forth in front of it, a deep frown etched on his face. Behind him, over a dozen Beastkin radiated strong auras, standing obediently. Among this group, Xu Feng immediately spotted the Golden-Winged Great Peng that had once fought him for the Giant Dragon Essence Blood.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng saw Xu Feng too. A ferocious snarl twisted its face, and unconcealed murderous intent shone in its eyes, chilling the air several degrees instantly.

“Xu Feng, you’ve finally arrived,” Hu Tian seemed to exhale in relief upon seeing Xu Feng. He hurried forward with a welcoming smile.

“I’m not too late, am I?” Xu Feng replied with a slight smile.

Hu Tian’s strength was probably around Five Stars, not quite peak Five Stars. At his current level, Xu Feng was his equal. His tone held little extra reverence.

“Ha! Perfect timing,” Hu Tian chuckled.

“Blood Scales,” Hu Tian’s eyes narrowed as he gestured subtly towards the village below. “Go check the Beast Demon Village. See if anyone is still there… If there are…” He made a small, sharp gesture.

“Understood!” A lion-headed Beastkin covered in blood-red scales nodded. A cruel, bloodthirsty grin spread across its face as it bounded towards the village downhill. Its movements were swift as wind and unnaturally silent, marking it clearly as a natural assassin.

“Xu Feng, wait a moment,” Hu Tian said smoothly. “We must ensure absolute secrecy. The other Beastkin in the village cannot know.”

Xu Feng nodded to show he understood. He threw another glance at the Golden-Winged Great Peng. It was still glaring at him hatefully. Yet, in front of Priest Hu Tian, it didn’t dare be insolent, not even uttering a single taunt.

‘These Beastkin must have already sworn allegiance to the Extraterrestrial Beastkin Tribe,’ Xu Feng thought to himself.

Hu Tian and the village Beastkin were clearly not united. These Beastkin standing behind Hu Tian had likely abandoned their ancestors’ vows and joined the Extraterrestrial Beastkin Tribe. They were no longer Earth’s creatures. Once Earth’s Will fully awoke, these traitors would be the first hunted down.

After just a short while, Blood Scales returned. Blood stained its jaws and coated its claws.

“Three badly injured ones were lying in their homes…” Blood Scales licked its claws clean, a look of pure cruelty on its face.

Priest Hu Tian gave a cold nod. He forced a strained smile towards Xu Feng and announced, “Let’s move. The Celestial Garden has a brief opening at high noon.”

The group followed a narrow path up towards the summit of the Main Peak.

The Main Peak soared hundreds of meters high. Yet, everyone present had strength of at least Four Stars; such a height was trivial to them. They reached the peak quickly.

Looking down, clouds and mist swirled below the peak. Looking up, an immense palace appeared before them. It was encased in a thin layer of golden light, barring entry. However, from the outside, the palace’s interior revealed a profusion of exotic flowers and rare plants. Each blossom looked like a piece of exquisite crystal, radiating intense vibrant life energy. It was a breathtaking view, stirring deep longing to step inside.

“Wha—what’s that?!” Xu Feng exclaimed, his body trembling slightly. He pointed towards a small tree on the left side inside the palace.

This tree glowed fiery red, radiating scorching heat energy. It looked exactly like the Ancient Tree bearing Fire Spirit Fruit Xu Feng had encountered in the wild days ago, only much smaller.

But it wasn’t the tree itself that shocked him. It was the dozens of pale yellow fruits hanging from it!

Fire Spirit Fruits. All Fire Spirit Fruits. Dozens of them!

Xu Feng was momentarily speechless. He scanned the garden intently, soon spotting dozens more plants bearing miraculous fruits known to enhance attributes. The Celestial Garden truly lived up to its name as a garden belonging to gods. Stepping inside would surely elevate one’s strength to terrifying heights.

“That’s right. This is the Celestial Garden,” Hu Tian declared, his own eyes burning with fierce greed. “A god’s garden. The garden that can make a man into a god!”

“And… that one?” Xu Feng pointed towards a thick stone pillar inside the palace. A golden vine coiled around it. At the very top of the vine rested a faintly golden fruit, the size of a fist. Its skin seemed thin, almost translucent, revealing a shadowy mass slowly swirling within.

“The Spirit Fruit,” Hu Tian breathed, staring at the fruit with raw hunger. “A Spirit Fruit on the verge of awakening intelligence.”

“Intelligence springs from the fruits here?” Xu Feng asked, startled.

“Not possible!” Hu Tian shook his head sharply. “The Celestial Garden forbids it. Any plant that births intelligence is instantly erased. But this fruit… it’s on the cusp. Intelligence stirs but isn’t fully born. And that… extracts the maximum potential boost for one’s Spirit Attribute.”

Hu Tian turned to look squarely at Xu Feng. He repeated emphatically, “I said potential.”

Xu Feng understood. Raising the Spirit Attribute was achievable, but every being had innate limits to their potential. That’s why the same Beast Crystal might grant one person three free attribute points, another only two, or even just one. It came down to low inherent potential.

Xu Feng’s natural potential had been mediocre. It was why he had opted to absorb the Giant Dragon Essence Blood directly through his body. Had his potential been sufficient, he would have gambled by ingesting it, hoping for the extremely rare Sacred Dragon bloodline.

The garden overflowed with diverse flora—some heavy with fruit, others ablaze with vivid blooms. A small stream bubbled along the very center of the palace floor, nourishing the entire garden. Even its water pulsed with life energy, promising healing with just a single sip.

…

“This truly is a land of miracles,” Xu Feng murmured, his anticipation for this journey swelling ever stronger.

Hu Tian glanced at him. A flicker of something dark passed deep within his eyes, masked almost instantly by a crafty smile.

“The defense won’t drop until the precise moment. It only opens briefly at high noon each day. Our time to break the palace shield won’t be long,” Hu Tian stated coolly.

Xu Feng nodded, settling in to wait patiently for the thin golden barrier shielding the palace to vanish.

Soon, high noon arrived. The faint golden light enveloping the palace faded away, soundless and smooth. The entire palace lay fully revealed before them.