The moment the last disciple enter the passage, every protectors let go the passage and face the battered woman.

A very deep frown are very apparent on Vice Sect Leader of Cold Jade Palace while she looks at the very familiar body but different controller. But that didn't stop her from raising her own sword and pointed it towards her former fellow sect sister.

However, she was about to attack when a body appear in front of her, blocking her attack. Her frown immediately turn deeper while her grip on her sword tighten. He wanted to put her sect sister out of misery soon.

While his back was facing her, the monk said with monotonous tone, "Amitabha. Cold Jade Palace's Vice Sect Master, let us Buddhists deal with her."

Her grip in his sword tighten more for a second before she return it back towards its sheath. She might not want to admit it, but dealing with this kind of oppenent are the greatest bane of their martial arts. Buddhist Arts are the best way to defeat her.

"Please save my sister Senior Ji Zhen." She said with helpless voice.

Suprisingly, the battered woman didn't attack when the Vice Sect Leader of Cold Jade Palace approach, but the moment the monk appear, she immediately raise he ice sword and start attacking.

While they still have a distance between them, the battered woman swung her sword and attack again with gust of very cold wind, produce by both her sword and energy. In addition, she also started to close the distance between them; she intends to attack in close combat using her sword.

The monk just looks at the gust of wind with indifferent gaze, as though that attack was everything but powerful. But in the next second, the monk's body turn yellowish-brown, from head to toe and including his eyes.

Golden Perseverance Temple is a buddhist sect that cultivates their own body to zenith as their main art. Their main cultivation method, known as [Golden Vajra Body Esoteric], have the mission of cultivating their body into nigh indestructible body that could even rival Divine-Rank equipments or weapon. Just the last sentence was enough indicator that the main art are very powerful and, of course, very sturdy.

The said cultivation method have nine levels, just like the other top tier kind. And for every third part of the levels, there were indication of mastery and that was the color of the body.

There were two levels before the grand golden vajra body, and that is Brass Vajra Body, Bronze Vajra Body and finally, the Golden Vajra Body.

Budddhist cultivator Ji Zhen turns yellowish-brown which indicates that he's on the level of Bronze Vajra Body. And if one look closely, there were already a conspicuous golden color in his body, which means that Ji Zhen was nearing on reaching Golden Vajra Body.

And the moment he reach golden body, his body will be on par with those body of Saints! This just means that Ji Zhen was a Mortal Emperor-Stage flesh cultivator! And already treading on the path of Saint at that!

Without even bothering on dodging or countering the attack, the bone chilling wind hit Senior Ji Zhen's body. However, as though his body was covered with wax, the gold wind creates an ice but instantly fall in the ground when it formed.

The attack didn't affect Senior Ji Zhen at all!

Flesh cultivation might be more hard than spiritual kind, but its advantages and merits are superb!

The battered lady finally arrived in front of Ji Zhen. Without hesitation, she slash him using her ice sword.

Still without a change to his expression, Senior Ji Zhen casually raise his hand and catch the sword!

Clang!

A sound of unique to metal colliding reverberates in the scene and a cloud of smoke was stirred, signifying the great force of the attack.

With his eyes still closed, Master Ji Zhen squinted his eyes and holds the ice sword tightly not even bothering at the ice forming in his palms and crawling towards his arm. He then fastly raise his free hand and holds the battered lady too, tightly.

Being tightly hold, the battered lady started to struggle violently, not bothering to injuries she receive by doing so. However, no matter how hard she struggle, she can't even move the hands that clamps holds her.

But seconds later, maybe due to her desperation, black, ominous aura started to radiates from her body. Her beautiful face started to look more vicious and twisted.

After the battered lady was caught, all of the protectors approach the scene and the people from Cold Jade Palace first to do so.

With a blackened and sad expression in her face, Vice Sect Leader of Cold Jade Palace approach the struggling lady. And when she see and felt the ominous aura that radiates from her, fury instantly appear on her face, including the other lady beside her.

With murderous aura, she said while gritting her teeth, "Poltergeist Cult!"

Frown immediately appear on every person in the scene when they heard the name of the sect, of course, except for buddhist monks that always have tranquil expression in their faces.

Seconds later, Master Ji Zhen started to chant some kind of sutra which makes his body glow, weak at first but gradually turn brighter as seconds pass. And while the glow turns brighter, the battered lady struggle more fiercely which add more injuries. A black cloud was also released from her body which gradually form a blurred silhouette.

Moments later, the moment Master Ji Zhen finish the sutra he was reciting, the battered lady stop struggling and went limp all at once. At the same time, the blurred silhouette form the shape of female human but full of malicious and ghost energy.

Wooo~~

Instantly, the temperature drop by few deegress. But this time, the chill was different from cold the ice produce. The chill was the indication that there's a yin creature nearby.

The formed female ghost finally form. But it could be seen that she received some serious damage from Master Ji Zhen's sutra.

The malicious face of the female ghost smile crazily at the group and her body started to get blurred again. She was trying to escape!

But before she could banish, the glow on Master Ji Zhen's body gathered into his palm and slap it to the ghost! Instantly, the black miasma of the ghost reduced by third.

"Kyahh!!!" A pained, piercing cry unique from ghost was heard from the black miasma.

After that palm attack, the black miasma didn't bother on escaping but materialize her body again, but this time, only the head appear and other parts of the body of the ghost was nowhere to be seen. Even the head was glowing weakly which gradually reduce her body.

The female ghost knew that she can't escape death today which is why she didn't bother. The sutra that expells her from the dead body of Cold Jade Sect greatly damage her.

The deadly face of the ghost didn't said anything but her malicious smile threaten all the protectors. Having a powerful ghost enough to possess a Mortal Monarch-Stage cultivator from Cold Jade Palace was enough indicator that there's a malicious cultivator behind.

It didn't take a minute before the remaining body of the ghost vanish from the world.

The glow from Master Ji Zhen's started to subside and his body return to normal.

With a rare grave expression in his face, Master Ji Zhen said, "It seems that those hiding demonic sect somehow heard this secret exploration."

Instantly, all the faces of the others change because his statement also implies that there's a traitor among them. Or else, this secret ruins exploration won't have something like this to happen.

Now they learn that Poltergeist Cult might have already enter the secret ruins but knowing the world of cultivation works, there might also be some allies with them. Which means that not only Poltergeist Cult sneaks inside, their fellow demonic sects allies might be among them.

Perhaps only the Poltergeist Cult leave some trace, which definitely done deliberately, but there's a very high chance that their assumptions are true.

All of the protectors in the scene comes from Eastern Continent and the name of Poltergeist Cult started to spread their terror once again in the continent. Among the news they received, the Poltergeist Cult seems to have acquired a disciple with very special constitution called Ghost Devil Physique.

Ghost Devil are very known among the Devil Race. In fact, the Ghost Devil are one of the most scary Devils known by cultivator. The terror its name brought are almost onpar with Devourer Devil.

Just those words are not enough to explain how powerful Ghost Devils are. Then it could be seen just how powerful and special Ghost Devil Physique is.

And among its many scary abilities, Ghost Devil Physique are known to have an ability to bypass physical obstructions and restrictions just like a ghost, including the barrier of formations. That disciple of Poltergeist Cult mighy not be strong enough by now but the formation of the secrets ruins are on the time of being weakened.

Without seeing and feeling any signs of strangers in the vicinity, all the protectors knew that those demonic cultivators are already hiding nearby and just waiting for their disciples to come out. And knowing demonic cultivators who master hiding as they almost live like that their whole life, they knew that there's a very low chance they'll find those critters.

One of the monk beside Master Ji Zhen said with solemn voice while he looks at the barrier in front of them, "We could only hope that our discipels are alright."

Without a doubt, the difficulty of the ruins increase drastically with the presence of demonic path cultivators disciples.

∞

If there's a dungeon, then there will be a dungeon map.

Cole look excitedly in the transparent map in front of him.

The said given map is mostly blank except to the place he's currently standing, also registering those his eyes can see. Although the said map don't gave him the structure of the whole ruins, or dungeon in system vocabulary, at the least, this will ensure that he won't get lost inside.

However, what Cole made very excited are the blinking lights scattered on the map. That was because those blinking lights have a legend, an image exactly the same with the Tracking Token he was holding!

This means that the token he was holding resonates with the other, revealing their location to him! He don't have to worry about finding the others.

After some moment of thinking, he decided to walk towards the east side. Among the ten of them, three people was in the east side of the dungeon and the remaining six was at the west side.

After deciding that, it was only then he takes his time on checking his surrounding.

According to the dungeon map said, the place he was transferred at was called Clear Lotus Pond. Fortunately, he reappear just near the pond and not exactly in the water or else he'll be drenched by now.

Although it have a pond on its name, it was not really wrong to say that it should be called a lake on just how big the body of water was. But knowing the standards of people of this world, where a land as wide as a country back at earth was just a city territory, he barely accept it.

Since it was called a lotus pond then it won't be without a lotus. In fact, third of the pond was covered with many different lotuses that have their own unique medicinal purposes.

In his location, his [Heavenly Eyes] already spotted more than ten different kind of lotuses. There were this blood red colored lotus than can recover lost blood, a green lotus that almost looks a jade that's a main ingredient of Energy Pill intended for Wood affinited cultivators and many more. What more, the lowest rank among those cluster lotuses is Heaven-Rank while the highest is have reached Monarch-Rank. Since where he was just the periphery, the middle of the lotus pond should have more surprises.

And what caught his very attention was this very particular unblemished white lotus;

Pristine Lotus [Heaven-Rank] A very special and rare medicinal lotus. Pristine Lotus have the ability to cleanse both body and soul. There's a moderate chance to increase [Potential] upto Heaven-Rank.

Increase potential!

Potential was very important for every creature, specially those with physical vessels like humans and beasts. That was because this will identify the fate of the said creature.

And increasing potential are no different from altering one's own fate!

And this said Pristine Lotus was one of those!

It was no exaggeration to say that every creatures alike will have their eyes turn white in greed when they saw this! After all, not everyone was like Cole who have the Messiah Tree that can increase potential by long exposure to its released aura.

Even Cole won't deny that he's moved by the natural treasure in front of him.

However, before he got overwhelmed by excitement, he remember the restrictions of this Forgotten Garden; everything regarding about Space was banned in this place, including equipments, skills, and the likes.

Experimenting, he immediately try to use his [Levitate] skill but he didn't even managed to float even an inch. He then cut a grass below his feet and try it to put inside his spatial storage ring. But even this Holy-Rank equipment didn't work.

It looks like the restriction of the place was working and powerful at that.

Then it dawn to him that summoning also uses spatial skills...

Instantly, he summon his Summoning Grimoire and try to summon one of his tamed beast.

When the summoning circle appear in front of him and Celia comes out in her human form, he exhale a sigh of relief. It looks like that just like the Archer Class, his Tamer Class also nullify all effects that blocks on using his beasts.

It was fortunate or else, without his tamed beasts and spirits, his abilities will basically reduced by half.

Celia look at Cole with questioning gaze.

"Nothing. It's just this place blocks spatial related things. I just experiment if I can't summon you guys." He explains.

Celia just nodded and promptly check her surrounding. When she saw the clusters of lotus, her eyes lit up and instantly fly towards the pond. She cut the Pristine Lotus specifically and brought it back to Cole.

Since she knew that her Master have the ability to identify everything within his sight, Celia didn't try to explain what she harvest but just said, "This is the most valuable among them."

Cole nodded as he received the mature Pristine Lotus.

He then willed on putting the lotus inside the Summoning Grimoire and it instantly vanished.

Seeing this, Cole was relieved. If this didn't work, then he can't harvest a single thing on this place. It seems that there's a exception, or perhaps loophole, from the restriction of the place. But since not everyone is like Cole who have Summoning Grimoire, he knew that the others is probably having a hard time now, after all, most of them used Spatial Ring.

Then, he remember his new beast. Knowing his special characteristic, he decided to summon him too.

Instantly, a small rat appear on top of summoning circle. It was the Treasure Hunter Rat.

At first, the little beast looks lethargic, as though it just woke up from the nap.

"Squeak~"

But seconds later, it's eyes open widely without even a trace a sleepiness.

"Squeak!!" It bounce energetically and run towards the tree at their back and swallow every fruit in it with very fast speed. It didn't even take a minute before the fruit infested tree get bald. In fact, even the tree was not spared as it was also swallowed by the greedy rat.

Cole : "..."

It's no wonder it was a headache for many creatures!