Alex and the rest got out of the ship, landing on an open field where many other ships landed as well.
As Flastride got out of the ship, many humans and beasts turned toward him, quickly greeting him. Alex and the rest could see that the man was quite popular in this place, which made sense given both his standing and his cultivation base.
Several eyes fell on Alex and the rest as well. At first, Alex could tell they were only curious to see who had arrived, but afterward, the look in their eyes changed as they recognized him.
He could hear them calling out his na, 'Dawnblade, between whispers and hushed conversations.
Alex doubted they recognized him as the Alchemist who won it all, but rather as the person that the Storm God was searching for, and had mobilized thousands and thousands of Divinities to do so.
Ignoring the chatter, Alex continued with Flastride as they flew into the city, quickly making their way to a massive palace at the center. Alex looked around the city, amused by its massive size. It was easily a hundred kiloters across, if not more. His eyes couldn't even see it all, and he had to rely on his sense to do so.
While many towering pagodas covered the city, the palace wasn't tall. It was no more than four stories tall, but it took up a massive area of land, making it easily the biggest building in the city.
Flying across the sky, it took the group no more than a minute to arrive before the gates of the massive building, at which point they finally slowed down and dropped from the sky.
"Welco to the Holy Beast Palace," Flastride said as he took them through the gates.
Alex could imdiately feel an increase in Qi concentration inside the palace the mont he stepped in. There was an invisible barrier that
kept the Qi concentrated within the palace, and he could almost swear that the reason for this intense Qi was, in fact, a Celestial Spirit
vein.
This place was covered in Celestial Qi.
Two massive gardens with flowers flanked the two sides of the path once they entered the gate. Alex could see flowers of all sorts growing in the garden, along with a massive amount of insects constantly buzzing around the flowers.
He could almost swear those insects were in the Divine realm as well.
Ahead, the path split into two, both of which circled around a massive pond before joining back on the other side before the building.
The water within the pond was clear, with several fish swimming within it. He could sense a strong cultivation base from the fish, but they weren't as powerful for so reason.
Instead, what caught Alex's eye were the massive lotus flowers growing in three spots on top of the pond, each one large enough for a human to sit inside when it fully blood.
The petals of the lotus were a deep shade of erald, which gave Alex an idea as to what they were.
"Are those the Sacred Jade Lotus?" Alex asked.
"They are indeed," Flastride said with a smile. "Have you seen one before?"
"No," Alex said. "But I have read about it. I'm an alchemist after all."
"Ah. Of course."
"I heard they were nearly extinct," Alex said, trying to rember what he had read while he was with Silvermist. The Alchemy God's knowledge only told him about the plant itself, and nothing about the circumstances surrounding it. That knowledge had only co from Silvermist.
"Not just nearly extinct," Flastride said, stopping before the lake to look at the flowers. "They were indeed once completely extinct."
"Really?" Alex asked with no small sense of surprise.
"Yes. Sacred Jade Lotus carries an effect that allows anyone who cultivates within the lotus to gain a powerful spirit and soul," Flastride said. "The stronger the flower, the stronger the effect. So, once people knew about it, they began using it to cultivate as much as they could, improving their spirits at the cost of these lotuses."
"Before long, they were all used up and the lotus went extinct."
"I see. But if they went extinct, then how are these lotuses here?" Alex
asked, pointing at the three jade lotuses.
Flastride smiled. "Well, that would be thanks to Senior Sacredlotus."
Alex cocked his head in confusion. "Who?"
"Sacredlotus, a Celestial from a long ti ago. She died long ago, so it is understandable if you've never heard about her," Flastride said.
"Sacredlotus..." Alex mulled the words over, thinking of a possibility. "Was she a plant who gained humanity when she reached the
Immortal realm?"
Flastride smiled. "You do have a good head on your shoulders," he said. "That is indeed the case. Senior Sacredlotus beca an Immortal, and once she reached the Divine realm, she brought back
her species from extinction. She liked to keep to herself on the small island at the center that we call Jade Lotus Island, and that is where
most of the lotuses are kept."
"Once she reached the Celestial realm, no one dared use the lotuses anymore, and now they are very much protected. When Senior Sacredlotus was alive, she nad this world her dominion, and it has stuck since then."
"Once she died, there were people who tried to make use of them,
but the Beast God before Mother stopped it from happening. Afterward, once Mother took over her master's role, she and the Wine God together made it impossible for anyone to use the lotuses
without going through the appropriate channels."
"I see," Alex said. "So no one can abuse the flowers, huh?" Flastride nodded. He was about to say sothing when he paused. A slightly awkward smile flashed across his face.
"Mother is angry that I'm taking too long to get you," he said with a
dry laugh. "Co, let us go inside. We can discuss everything else
afterward."
Alex nodded, and together with Flastride, he went around the pond, finally entering the palace.
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