Chapter 502: Chapter 456: Cauldron Slave
Jiang Yuebai swallowed hard, ready to accept either result of the situation going awry or not.
"I heard from Xingchou above that the Witch Ancestor has a Sacrificial Artifact that can devour all things in the world and fuse and refine them into Chaos Qi. So I want to ask, is that artifact in your possession?"
The white flood dragon’s vertical pupils contracted, gazing down at Jiang Yuebai, flicking its tongue.
Jiang Yuebai’s fingers were tense, trying hard not to show fear, to probe whether the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon knew of the Black Cauldron’s existence and whether it was aware of the cauldron’s drawbacks.
But the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon remained silent, merely watching her, leaving Jiang Yuebai unable to grasp reality from illusion.
The pressure from the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon grew ever stronger, like countless needles slowly piercing into her body from all directions, stirring bit by bit.
Fine beads of cold sweat formed on Jiang Yuebai’s forehead, and she felt a tingling numbness in her scalp and fingers.
The pressure continued to intensify, and Jiang Yuebai finally couldn’t endure it any longer, "I accidentally obtained a Black Cauldron outside earlier, inscribed with the name Calamity Transformation Cauldron. I feel it resembles the Sacrificial Artifact somewhat. I kindly ask you to help identify it."
Jiang Yuebai gritted her teeth and took out the Black Cauldron.
A swirl of black mist enveloped it, and the Black Cauldron instantly flew to the front of the flood dragon’s head, which moved closer to sniff it, then exhaled a breath of energy.
Jiang Yuebai watched in astonishment as the surface of the Black Cauldron disintegrated like ashes, revealing the original bronze color beneath. Carved on it was a simple but grand Nine Dragon Totem, very similar to the totems she had seen throughout the city.
Jiang Yuebai feigned excitement, "Indeed, this cauldron has mysteries. That’s great! My lord, please quickly refine this cauldron, after which, you can refine Chaos Qi. If you trust me, I am willing to absorb the Chaos Qi to cultivate the Cultivation Technique and assist you in breaking free!"
The flood dragon’s eyes lifted, once again fixing on Jiang Yuebai.
The black mist suddenly surged up, binding Jiang Yuebai in place with irresistible force, and the Black Cauldron was pushed before her.
She was completely helpless against the power of the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon, and the Nine Dragon Totem on the cauldron lit up, the nine dragons soaring upward, all rushing into the center of her brow.
Even though she was currently just a White Vine Avatar, the power of the Nine Dragon Totem directly invaded her main body’s Sea of Consciousness through the white vine, forming a complex circular totem deeply imprinted within her Sea of Consciousness.
Buzz!
Jiang Yuebai’s Sea of Consciousness and Divine Soul trembled in response, sensing the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron’s hunger, and at her soul’s depths, a greedy desire arose, tormented by extreme hunger, wanting to devour dragons!
This scenario was within her expectations.
Jiang Yuebai snorted softly. The Nine-Headed Flood Dragon wasn’t easily fooled; since the situation has flipped, she would proceed with the plans she had for such an outcome.
"My lord, what of becoming a Cauldron Slave? If you refuse to help, even throwing the three of us into the cauldron won’t yield Chaos Qi, and you can’t hope for someone else to assist you later. You’ve been here for a long time, haven’t you? Unless you are ageless as heaven and earth, your lifespan will eventually end."
"Rather than pinning hopes on an uncertain future, it’s better to make good use of us while you can still control, right? Rest assured, my goal aligns with yours. We both want to escape here; it would be even better if we can gain some benefits along the way."
Jiang Yuebai aptly displayed her own greed. To those in power, people with weaknesses are easier to control, whereas those who are flawless only raise defenses.
"To merge Chaos Qi requires Innate Yin Yang Qi, which is currently a problem the three of us can’t solve, but you can. To enter here, Nine Dragon Essence Blood is needed to break the restriction. After many years, you’ve likely accumulated some of it. The Dragon Clan, born with the world, surely retains Innate Qi in their bloodline. Using your blood to refine Chaos Qi is the only way."
Jiang Yuebai was speaking the truth. When she and Lu Nanzhi arrived here, they fell into the Dragon Bone Pit, proving it true. In Ancient Times, Zhur Jiuyou was certainly using dragons for sacrifice to refine a special type of Chaos Qi.
The flood dragon head moved closer to Jiang Yuebai, its breath carrying a bloody scent.
"Cooperate, yes! Should you cultivate the Cultivation Technique successfully and assist me in escaping, the Chaos Sacred Body and Zhur Jiuyou’s legacy shall be yours!"
The flood dragon’s eyes glanced upward, prompting Jiang Yuebai to look up, seeing the black mist dispersing, revealing the bottom of the Black Coffin.
From its base, she could vaguely discern an extremely small corpse, clad in radiant garments, lying still within the coffin.
Jiang Yuebai’s pupils quivered slightly. Was the body in the coffin truly Zhur Jiuyou’s? A Chaos Sacred Body?
This time, it wasn’t about someone trying to possess her; it was about her possessing that corpse?
Jiang Yuebai felt both shocked and resistant. She was content with her current body and didn’t want to change it, so what use would she have for Zhur Jiuyou’s Chaos Sacred Body?
Oh, right. Only Zhur Jiuyou could control the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron. To break free from being a Cauldron Slave, she must obtain Zhur Jiuyou’s corpse.
The sound of chains echoed as the flood dragon head slowly retreated into the black mist, and a brand new Witch Rune Cultivation Technique appeared in Jiang Yuebai’s Sea of Consciousness.
At the same time, nine beams of light flickered from the darkness, wrapped in a black light sphere. Nine drops of flood dragon blood, like tadpoles in nine different colors, swam in the black sphere, drifting to Jiang Yuebai’s front.
"This is your reward. Thirty years. If you fail to cultivate it, you die!"
As the words fell, Jiang Yuebai was blown out of the abyss by a fierce wind, crashing heavily outside alongside the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron, the light sphere trailing behind her.
Before she could even stand, she saw the black mist stream out from the abyss below, spreading a barrier on Xingchou’s side. The white vine deeply buried under Xingchou’s feet withered entirely, severing its connection with her.
Jiang Yuebai frowned. Was the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon protecting Xingchou?
Or perhaps it was merely bluffing, wanting her to think it had arrangements on Xingchou’s side too, intensifying her urgency, pushing her to hurry her work?
Jiang Yuebai considered the latter more likely. Also, the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon might be afraid she’d target Xingchou, leaving it with one less pawn if she failed.
Jiang Yuebai rose unhurriedly, used the Dust Cleaning Technique to sweep away the dust from her body, looked deeply at the black mist, and retreated to her own array.
The Black Cauldron was placed in the center, the light sphere hovering above. Jiang Yuebai felt an intense hunger strike to her very bones, so strong it made her want to chew her own flesh.
Relying on her exceptionally strong willpower, she suppressed this hunger. The cauldron had just been refined; it shouldn’t consume her immediately, right?
Since the Nine-Headed Flood Dragon had given her thirty years, even if she could succeed in three, she had to drag it out to thirty.
"Let’s see what Cultivation Technique has been given to me now. This is... ’Dragon God Transformation’? How come it looks similar to the ’Demon Dragon Transformation’ auctioned at the Spring Boudoir?"
Jiang Yuebai endured her hunger, ignoring the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron’s cravings, and sat there quickly translating the Witch Runes of ’Dragon God Transformation.’ After reading, she surmised that this ’Dragon God Transformation’ was more original and advanced than ’Demon Dragon Transformation,’ a Body Refining Cultivation Technique.
Once cultivated, it allows temporary transformation into a dragon, possessing a massive Dragon Clan physique.
Strength, speed, and defense far exceed those of a Human Clan Cultivator.
The large physique itself is an advantage. A single spell could kill a person, but against a dragon many times larger, it might take dozens of spells to achieve the same effect.
"The Heavenly Witch Clan always cultivates the three paths of Human, Demon, and Devil together. If ’Chaos Nirvana Skill’ is considered a Method for Human Clan’s Qi Refiner, ’Dragon God Transformation’ is a Body Refining Method for the Demon Clan. Shouldn’t there also be a Method for the Demon Clan’s Refining God?"
Jiang Yuebai sensed that she was certainly influenced by the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron, with her greedy desires becoming hard to suppress.
"’Dragon God Transformation’ requires a dragon heart for entry level, or replacing a segment of the dragon spine bone. I don’t have a dragon heart, but I do have a dragon spine bone. But should I really follow the Heavenly Witch Clan’s cultivation route? Didn’t the Divine Tree say I am a human carrying a Demon Fate? If I cultivate this, wouldn’t I be straying from my fate?"
Jiang Yuebai pondered hesitantly, yet she had already shifted her Divine Thought back to her main body hidden within the mountain rocks, entering the Lotus Platform Cave Heaven to look for Lu Nanzhi and select Dragon Bone.
