Path Of The Dragon (A Dark Fantasy Cultivation Wuxia Xianxia Progression Series)

Chapter 82 The Garden Of Ice

They returned the way they'd come and went down the final path. The air was heavy with the scent of spiritual medicine, and it only grew more intense as they walked along the path. But it grew colder too. So cold that even their fireblood pills didn't stop them from shivering. Even Xue with his thick coat of fur didn't look happy.

But, it wasn't cold enough to be deadly. At least not to cultivators of their level. Still, it set Jie's nerves on edge, and judging by the nervous glances the others gave their surroundings as they shivered... she wasn't alone in that feeling.

They came out into a massive and beautifully maintained garden filled with incredibly detailed ice sculptures of people and magical beasts of all sizes and perfectly trimmed bushes and trees. Cut stones formed a pathway through the garden with spiraling patterns. Wind chimes rang with gentle musical notes in the cold wind and frozen pools reflected the sky above. All of it lit by light shining from within stone lanterns that lined the pathways and the myriad glow of countless spiritual medicines.

"Wow..." Pan Tian said.

"Don't say anything," Jie said.

"I wasn't going to do what I did before," Pan Tian said.

"Good," Jie said.

Ithilix giggled and Xue yawned.

"It is quite beautiful though," Ithilix said as they walked through the garden picking spiritual medicine and enjoying its beauty despite the cold.

"It is," Jie said as they passed under an overgrown archway that framed the incredibly detailed ice sculpture of a droguth. Like the one Jie had killed earlier, only bigger. It frightened her for a moment as it looked so very real, but her spirit sense didn't sense an aura coming from it other than an intense power that emanated from the ice itself. But, it wasn't familiar.

"Someone must've spent countless hours making it so detailed. I wonder who maintains this place," Jie said.

"Yes," Ithilix said, "these sculptures have items of value as well. We could collect them."

"Won't that make whoever made all this angry? Let's stick to the spiritual medicine and get out of here. It'll probably annoy them but most of this wouldn't do much good for a cultivator that must be at least in the elementalist rank anyway," Pan Tian said.

"What items do the sculptures have anyway? Don't look at me like that. I'm just curious," Jie said.

"This one has storage rings, and a satchel filled with items," Ithilix said, pointing her finger at one in a group of four statues. Each looked like a teenager around Pan Tian's age and they all looked furious with the girl in their group.

"Wait a minute," Pan Tian said, "I know them... that's... oh no..." Her green eyes widened.

"Pan Tian?" Jie asked.

"We need to go. Right now. Say nothing and let's just leave," Pan Tian whispered. She moved swiftly but silently back the way they'd come and Jie followed her.

Whatever Pan Tian had seen seemed to have disturbed her greatly and Jie already had a sinking feeling as to what it was...

Jie frowned as they moved through the garden. Was it her imagination or was the exit getting smaller? She picked up her pace, as did her friends. But that only made the exit shrink even faster... no... it wasn't shrinking. It was getting further away.

She and her friends slowed to a stop and looked around. Their surroundings seemed to have suddenly changed. The exit was incredibly far away now, and they found themselves in a kind of clearing within the garden, with more open space than the rest of it.