Volume One: The Misty Immortal Palace Chapter 120: Entering the Gourd

Golden Double Pupils!

Even though Yu Nan and the others had seen Zhou Hao use these mysterious eyes more than once, they still watched that pair of eyes with a mixture of strangeness and skepticism, lost in a daze.

They had asked him about it before, but Zhou Hao never knew how to answer. These double pupils had appeared ever since he first practiced the Great Solar Palm. According to the Turtle, however, his eyes were the kind that would make even those in the "high and mighty" Immortal Realm green with envy, for they belonged to the category of ocular arts.

Ocular arts! They were cultivation techniques for the "Eyes of the Immortal," belonging to the realm of Immortal Arts. Generally, only ancient deities or powerful Human Immortal clans with long histories possessed the heritage of such arts. For the former, it was innate—much like the "double pupil" phenomenon described in the mortal world; it was natural for ancient deities to possess ocular arts. The latter, however, was vastly different. The ocular arts of Human Immortal clans were unique Immortal Arts created by the founding patriarchs after studying the Eyes of the Immortal. They could not be pioneered without top-tier talent and heaven-defying cultivation. Once created, these arts could be passed down through generations via bloodline, meaning descendants could awaken the same Immortal ocular arts as their ancestors.

At this moment, Zhou Hao channeled golden light into his gaze, peering down beneath the cliff. Piercing through clouds and mist, breaking through all obstructions, he finally saw the landscape beneath this towering immortal mountain.

A vast purple lake shimmered with light, looking exceptionally dazzling. Clouds and mists rose from the lake, and the purple energy of the mountain seemed to originate from those waters.

When Zhou Hao’s twin beams of ocular light tried to penetrate the lake, they encountered resistance and could not advance even an inch further. A careful survey of the surroundings revealed nothing—or more accurately, no living things. For thousands of miles, there was not a trace of bird or beast!

After a long while, Zhou Hao retracted his gaze and closed his eyes to rest for a moment before opening them again. His eyes returned to their normal appearance. He sighed softly and said, "I understand now. The Purple-Gold Vermilion Fruit tree is indeed planted beneath the Yunmiao Immortal Mountain, but it is protected by a barrier. This barrier shares the same origin as the temple’s defensive array. To pick the fruit, one must break the barrier, which means destroying the defensive array. When that happens, I fear..."

"I fear the entire Yunmiao Immortal Temple will perish because of it!" Yu Nan murmured, her teeth biting gently on her lower lip.

"Indeed. Once the defensive array is destroyed, the Immortal Temple will no longer be protected. Yunmiao’s enemies will surely come knocking, and the temple will be unable to resist. This immortal land will certainly be shattered by the enemy," Xiao Shanshan also grasped the severity of the situation.

"Not necessarily. There is another way!" the Turtle spoke up, standing with his hands behind his back, looking quite composed.

Everyone looked down at him. "What way?"

"It’s simple: use your gourd." The Turtle pointed a dark, leathery finger at the yellow-skinned gourd hanging from Zhou Hao’s waist.

"Even a big shot like me, who has seen all sorts of grand spectacles, is curious about this treasure. The power it possesses will benefit you for a lifetime—it is no less powerful than the Great Solar Palm inherited from the Sun Lord!"

Zhou Hao was confused. "What do you mean? Are you saying this gourd can take us to where the Purple-Gold Vermilion Fruit tree is without destroying the array?"

The Turtle nodded. "Exactly. If my guess is correct, the unfathomable power contained within your gourd is related to space. As long as you channel enough immortal energy into it, it should be able to traverse the barrier. That way, you can pick the fruit without destroying the array!"

"Wow, that's a great idea! I didn't realize you were so smart, little Turtle," Huohuo said, lifting the Turtle up happily.

"Put me down, put me down! I’m not a 'little Turtle,' I am the Great Immortal Turtle!" the Turtle protested.

Zhou Hao pondered for a moment. "But I haven't mastered the gourd well enough yet. I can't trigger it to traverse space."

"Try entering the gourd!" the Turtle said solemnly after Huohuo finally set him on the ground.

"Enter the gourd?" Zhou Hao was dumbfounded, instantly recalling the first time he saw the gourd unleash its world-shattering power.

"Are you joking? With my current strength, I’d be sliced into bits by the sword energy the moment I stepped inside!" Zhou Hao refused flatly.

The Turtle replied, "You are the master of the gourd; the sword energy will not backfire on you. Moreover, only by entering the gourd can you discover its secrets. Don't always think about waiting until you are stronger. What does it mean to be strong? Being strong is about exploring your potential time and again on the edge of life and death. If you fear death, you will never become strong!"

At this point, the Turtle shed his playful demeanor, his expression becoming as grave as a stern master, making Zhou Hao, Yu Nan, and even the Green Snake feel like he was a stranger.

"Are you alright? Why are you being so serious today?" the Green Snake, Qingqing, asked with concern, blinking her eyes.

"I am fine. I am just disappointed that you aren't living up to your potential. Jade must be carved to become a masterpiece. Zhou Hao, if you truly want to stand firm in this cruel world, you must learn not to fear death and be brave enough to experiment," the Turtle said, gesturing at Zhou Hao in a manner reminiscent of a father teaching his son.

Zhou Hao’s expression froze. He felt embarrassed, but also awakened. Gradually, his eyes became resolute.

"Fine. I’ll go in! Who’s afraid of whom?" Zhou Hao unhooked the yellow-skinned gourd, removed the stopper, and tossed it into the air.

He then transformed into a beam of light and flew into the mouth of the gourd, entering the inner space of this mysterious vessel for the first time!

Everything he saw was milky white. Zhou Hao felt as if he had stepped into a dreamlike space. The light was soft, and the interior was vast. He found himself in this milky-white world, where for a moment, he had the illusion that he couldn't even perceive the existence of space.

"Is this the place where Senior Deng Tulang once stayed?" Zhou Hao whispered to himself.

"What is the true origin of this gourd? I heard Senior Deng Tulang say that this object is a legacy item, having passed through the hands of many masters, generation after generation, until it reached me. None of the previous masters could uncover its true origins or secrets. Will I be able to?"

Zhou Hao walked forward aimlessly. Aside from the gourd mouth behind him, which allowed him to orient himself, he had no sense of direction. He wanted to see what lay at the end.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Zhou Hao saw something different in the milky-white space ahead. There appeared to be a vortex. As he stared at it, the entire space seemed to rotate along with it. Then, he was astonished to find that he himself had been inverted; there was no vortex in front of him, only the mouth of the gourd. Curiously, he was certain the gourd outside was stationary, so why had he been inverted?

"Is it an illusion? Did this vortex cast an illusion on me?" Thinking this, Zhou Hao immediately closed his eyes to test his hypothesis.

When he opened them again, he found himself "upright" once more. The milky-white space in front of him had become the vortex again, and the gourd mouth was undoubtedly behind him. But this time, Zhou Hao did not stare at the vortex.

"So that's it. Staring at the vortex causes an illusion, and I get inverted... No, something is not right. Could it be..."

"Could it be that what I am seeing right now is the illusion? I was under an illusion the moment I stepped in, and the true interior of the gourd is hidden by it." Zhou Hao suddenly had a different thought.

"Very well. If these eyes are truly as legendary as they say—capable of piercing through falsehoods and seeing the truth—then let me see what the inside of the yellow-skinned gourd really looks like!" Zhou Hao channeled his power again, and his golden double pupils manifested.

*Swish! Swish!*

Under the reflection of the Golden Double Pupils, the milky-white space gradually dissipated, revealing a completely different inner world.

To Zhou Hao's surprise, he saw a transparent world; he could even see the world outside the gourd. Beyond that, what caught his attention were the dense golden symbols carved onto the inner walls of the gourd. Looking closely, the symbols resembled countless tiny swords.

"You have finally come... I was right about you. This sword technique, famous throughout the Immortal Realm, has finally waited for its new master!" A familiar voice rang out. Zhou Hao instinctively looked toward the source.

At the bottom of the gourd, a wisp of milky-white immortal mist appeared out of thin air, forming a humanoid silhouette. It had no legs, and its lower body was nothing but mist.