Chapter 74: Chapter 72: Consuming the Ice Dragon Flower
The disaster struck too quickly for anyone to react. They could only watch, wide-eyed, as Jiang Jichen and Jiang Ling’Er vanished into the chasm in the Blood Pool.
They stared blankly at the dried-up Blood Pool, which had already returned to its original state, completely undamaged even after the combined attack of the Innate Fourth Realm powerhouses. A kaleidoscope of expressions played across their faces.
"How could there be a hidden mechanism in this Blood Pool? One that leads into the Dragon Blood Altar!"
Murong Hai was the first to break the silence, his voice laced with resentment.
"That’s not the point. The point is, how did Jiang Jichen know about the mechanism? He’s just a Ninth-level Mortal Warrior!"
the talented elder from the Five Spirits Sect asked, perplexed.
At that moment, Elder Liu of the Mountain Sect flew over to the Dragon King’s Throne, only to find that the longsword had destroyed the mechanism, making it impossible to control the entrance to the Blood Pool chasm.
The only way to open the entrance now was with brute force. However, their earlier combined attack hadn’t even left a scratch on the Blood Jade. How could they possibly break through it by force?
"What do we do now?"
asked a Spirit Cultivator Powerhouse at the Middle Realm of the Innate Fourth Realm.
None of them were willing to accept this outcome; they certainly didn’t want to leave empty-handed.
Not far away, Huang Chuang, who had been sent flying by one of Ding Xiaodao’s slashes, was severely wounded. His face was ghastly pale and blood trickled from his mouth, but he wiped it away nonchalantly. His voice was cold and sinister as he said, "Aren’t you all curious about where that chasm in the Blood Pool leads?"
Elder Liu of the Mountain Sect frowned before speaking. "I’ve heard a secret legend. Somewhere in Ice Dragon Valley is the Ice Dragon’s greatest treasure trove. It must be deep inside this Dragon Blood Altar. But the only entrance is now inaccessible. Only Jiang Jichen and that girl fell in. Our only option is to wait here for them to come out."
"When they do, that kid will surely be loaded with treasures. We need to agree on this now. When the time comes, we absolutely cannot let that crafty brat escape again. We can’t even let him speak. We must kill them both the instant they appear. After that, we’ll fight amongst ourselves for the treasures based on our own strength!"
The crowd had already witnessed Jiang Jichen’s glib tongue and experienced his endlessly cunning tricks. They didn’t want to give him another chance. The plan was to kill him on sight to prevent any more surprises.
Everyone nodded, clearly in agreement. And so, the crowd sat down in a circle around the dried-up Blood Pool, quietly waiting for Jiang Jichen to return with the treasures.
Ding Xiaodao, however, stared intently at the Blood Pool, a flash of astonishment in his eyes.
...
Jiang Jichen and Jiang Ling’Er were holding each other tightly as they fell into an endless darkness.
Here, their Spirit Cultivation Step Technique was useless. They couldn’t fly, and their bodies tumbled uncontrollably through the air, just like ordinary mortals falling from the sky.
In that instant, Jiang Ling’Er activated her Water Curtain Radiance. A faint blue light flared in the darkness, enveloping both her and Jiang Jichen.
At the same time, Jiang Jichen pushed his nine golden Spirit Veins to their limit. Nine lines of golden spiritual power wrapped around him and Jiang Ling’Er, shining with a dazzling light.
All around them was pitch black, and the intertwining gold and blue lights surrounding Jiang Jichen and Jiang Ling’Er created a strange and beautiful sight.
"Chen’Er, do you think we’re going to fall to our deaths?"
Jiang Ling’Er suddenly asked in a soft voice as they continued to fall.
Bathed in the shifting gold and blue light, Jiang Ling’Er radiated an ethereal, otherworldly beauty. She possessed a peerless elegance, like a fairy gracing the mortal world.
Jiang Jichen’s gaze was firm, his voice calm. "Trust me. We’ll live. In the future, we’ll even step onto the Path of Longevity and become eternal and undying."
Hearing the word "longevity," Jiang Ling’Er’s beautiful eyes lit up. "Eternal and undying... Doesn’t that mean I can be with Chen’Er forever and ever? Ha, longevity sounds pretty good!"
"AH—"
However, just as the words left her lips, she felt a violent jolt. Amidst her cry of alarm, they crashed to the ground. The Water Curtain Radiance shattered, the lines of golden spiritual power broke apart, and then came the sound of Jiang Jichen’s body slamming heavily onto the earth.
With Jiang Jichen cushioning her fall, Jiang Ling’Er only suffered from the shock of the impact, sustaining some minor internal injuries from which she quickly recovered.
"Chen’Er, are you okay?"
There was light now, but Jiang Ling’Er didn’t have time to take in her surroundings. She called out to Jiang Jichen worriedly.
"Not dead," Jiang Jichen replied, "but too many of my bones are shattered. I can’t move for a while!"
Jiang Jichen lay on the cold, icy ground, his body twisted out of shape by the fall. Thankfully, the lines of golden spiritual power and the Water Curtain Radiance had absorbed half the impact. That, combined with the resilience of his physical body, was the only reason he hadn’t been torn to pieces.
He could only slowly circulate the Undying Scripture to repair his body, but he feared an injury this severe would take a very long time to heal.
Hearing Jiang Jichen’s voice and knowing he was alive, Jiang Ling’Er breathed a sigh of relief.
Only then did they have a moment to take a proper look at their surroundings.
Brilliant light radiated from countless treasures, illuminating the entire space. Fist-sized Luminous Pearls were embedded in the cave walls, making the area as bright as day.
They were in a massive Treasure Cave. Their current location was just a passageway, but light spilled from further ahead, indicating that the real treasures lay at the end of the cave.
"Chen’Er, take the Ice Dragon Flower first. You can recover in a short amount of time, and your strength might even increase dramatically!"
Although the treasures ahead were tempting, Jiang Ling’Er’s only concern right now was Jiang Jichen. If he hadn’t cushioned her fall, she would be dead.
But because of it, he was now gravely injured, his bones completely shattered. Only the Ice Dragon Flower could help him recover in the shortest possible time.
Jiang Jichen didn’t hesitate or stand on ceremony. With a flick of his Divine Thought, the Ice Dragon Flower floated out of his Mid-Level Storage Bag.
"Chen’Er, the Ice Dragon Flower’s medicinal power is incredibly domineering. I’ll use my Water Spirit’s Ultimate Softness to refine it for you a little!"
Jiang Ling’Er’s hands moved in a blur. She activated her Water Spirit Body’s Innate Divine Technique, Highest Virtue Like Water. A curtain of blue light enveloped the Ice Dragon Flower, refining it into a crystalline water dragon that then shot into Jiang Jichen’s mouth.
BOOM!
The power of the Seven-Petaled Ice Dragon Flower was indeed tyrannical. If he had swallowed it directly, even with the Undying Scripture, his grievously wounded body would have likely exploded.
But now, with the help of the Water Spirit’s Ultimate Softness neutralizing some of that domineering power, Jiang Jichen was just barely able to withstand the flower’s astonishing medicinal energy.
The moment the Ice Dragon Flower entered his body, Jiang Jichen trembled. A boundless Anomaly manifested as myriad dragon phantoms swam around him, their roars echoing endlessly.
Snowflakes began to materialize out of thin air, drifting down to land on Jiang Jichen and Jiang Ling’Er, turning the Ancient Cave World into a beautiful, dreamlike scene.
’This little man has finally grown up!’
Watching the young man amidst the boundless Anomaly, Jiang Ling’Er sighed with emotion. The little boy who had always needed her protection could now stand before her and shield her from the storm.
Jiang Jichen, however, was oblivious to everything around him. He was now completely immersed in a state of cultivation.
The Seven-Petaled Ice Dragon Flower contained the very essence of Ice Dragon True Blood, and it could only bloom after absorbing energy for a thousand years.
Now, the endless Ice Dragon True Blood Essence fused into his body. The Undying Scripture and the Source Character Qi Condensing Technique operated simultaneously, refining this immense power at extreme speed.
The portion of Ice Dragon True Blood Essence refined by the Undying Scripture transformed into Undying Power, which repaired his physical body at an astonishing rate. His shattered bones knitted back together, good as new, and even became stronger than before.
This was Body Refining: a cycle of destruction and rebirth. To rise from the ashes, stronger each time!
As for the Ice Dragon True Blood Essence refined by the Source Character Qi Condensing Technique, it flowed into his Qi Sea and Spirit Veins, which then began to undergo a shocking transformation.
