Chapter 1842: Chapter 1842: Advancement in the Cold Pool
Fang Bai took step after step into the pond, the water gradually submerging over his head, enveloping his entire body.
Being fully submerged in the pond was completely different from just dipping his ankles in earlier.
Previously, Fang Bai circulated the Water Spirit Qi within his Qi Sea, barely managing to resist the invading chill.
But now, he felt the cold like knives and swords, assaulting him from all directions, constantly slicing into his skin, bones, and flesh, a pain so extreme he could hardly bear it.
He clenched his teeth tightly, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, and whenever he couldn’t endure it anymore, he would let out a loud roar to vent that bone-deep chill and pain.
Fang Bai dared not use the Spirit Fire Power within his body to resist the cold because he understood the principle of water and fire incompatibility. If he used the Spirit Fire Power to protect himself, he might destroy the Bluewater Cold Pond, making it very difficult to find such a cultivation treasure again in the future.
Cultivating in the Bluewater Cold Pond not only tempered his physical body but also honed his will, greatly benefiting his cultivation.
After a moment, Fang Bai began to circulate the Water Element Art, absorbing the extreme Yin and cold Water Spirit Qi contained within the Bluewater Cold Pond.
This was yet another great test for Fang Bai.
As streams of extreme Yin and cold Water Spirit Qi flowed in, layers of thin ice constantly formed on Fang Bai’s body surface, accumulating and thickening until it was several feet thick, wrapping him firmly within.
Fang Bai’s body was now cold both inside and out; not only was his body’s surface being invaded by the cold, even his internal organs were frozen into icy confinement.
Several times Fang Bai almost fell unconscious under the extreme cold, but with great willpower and determination, he managed to hold on.
The extreme cold Water Spirit Qi absorbed into Fang Bai’s body was eventually refined into wisps of pure Water Spirit Qi, which converged into Fang Bai’s Qi Sea, merging into the Water Element Spirit seated cross-legged within.
As Water Spirit Qi continuously merged in, the body of that Water Element Spirit grew in size and solidity, its facial features becoming clearly visible, like a small Fang Bai nurtured within the Qi Sea.
All seven Primordial Spirits within Fang Bai’s Qi Sea maintained the same state, sitting cross-legged with closed eyes, hands resting on their knees.
However, since the amount of Spiritual Qi each absorbed varied, so did their powers; this could be seen in their size and the solidity of their bodies.
Among the seven Primordial Spirits, because the Fire Primeval Spirit absorbed two clusters of Spirit Fire Energy, it was currently the strongest, with the largest size and most solid body, most resembling Fang Bai’s form.
Due to absorbing the Water Spirit Qi from the Bluewater Cold Pond, Fang Bai’s Qi Sea’s Water Element Spirit underwent significant change, becoming second only to the Fire Primeval Spirit.
Because of frequent alchemy, which required the use of not only Fire Spirit Qi but also Wood Spirit Qi, the Wood Element God was also very powerful.
As for the Metal, Wind, Earth, and Thunder attributes’ Primordial Spirits, which Fang Bai seldom used, their strengths were somewhat similar; if released to fight, their combat power would be comparable.
All seven Primordial Spirits had developed a trace of spirituality. Although far from being able to speak, they could communicate with Fang Bai through consciousness, conveying their thoughts and expressing their emotions.
As Fang Bai absorbed large amounts of Water Spirit Qi, strengthening the Water Element Spirit continuously, the other six Primordial Spirits were somewhat dissatisfied, each communicating with Fang Bai, inquiring when he could absorb some of their corresponding Spiritual Qi to become stronger and more solid.
If Fang Bai could one day ascend to immortality, his body would undergo qualitative transformation, with the seven Primordial Spirits in his Qi Sea turning from substance to flesh, becoming true aids of his own.
The legendary three heads and six arms were not conjured from thin air but were the result of cooperation between the body and Primordial Spirits.
Usually, cultivators with Dual Attribute Innate Spiritual Roots have two Primordial Spirits; once such cultivators ascend to immortality, they can cooperate with their two Primordial Spirits to face opponents with triple the battle power.
However, with seven Primordial Spirits, Fang Bai can certainly materialize more than three heads and six arms.
But when facing many strong enemies in siege, three heads and six arms are just right; there’s no space limit, and it prevents collisions among themselves; any more heads or arms would create chaos.
Thus, even the Immortal Realm experts, at most, use three heads and six arms when fighting and don’t use four heads and eight arms or more.
After enduring the initial life-and-death ordeal in the Bluewater Cold Pond, the subsequent cultivation seemed much smoother.
Fang Bai slowly sank to the bottom of the pond, sitting cross-legged to cultivate.
It’s unclear how much time passed, but the pond’s water changed color, from blue-green to colorless; the Water Spirit Qi that filled the pond and was contained within it also vanished.
The flowers, grass, and trees inside the entire valley seemed to lose their vitality, no longer vibrant, looking rather desolate.
"Boom!"
The pond water suddenly surged violently, then exploded outward with a rapid burst of energy, sending giant waves in all directions and creating deafening sounds.
Fang Bai’s figure rose in the air several feet above the water as the water burst, still maintaining the cultivation pose with crossed legs, eyes slightly closed, like an Old Monk in meditation, the turbulent aura that once enveloped him gradually calming and flowing back into his body.
"This small Bluewater Cold Pond, yet like a massive Spirit Stone Vein, has an abundance of Spiritual Energy, helping me break through yet another barrier!"
A moment later, Fang Bai slowly opened his eyes, shifting from a cross-legged cultivation state to a standing position, treading lightly on the water surface as if walking on ripples to reach the shore.
"Compared to my previous Thunder Tribulation Third Stage Realm, my current strength is many times greater! But when facing a Thunder Tribulation Eighth Stage expert, the gap is still significant, without the slightest chance of victory."
Feeling the immense power within him, Fang Bai’s lips curled into a slight smile, yet he didn’t become overly ecstatic like other experts upon advancing, maintaining his composure.
Fang Bai understood that his current Thunder Tribulation Fourth Stage cultivation was capable of contending with a Thunder Tribulation Realm Great Calamity Period expert, but only against a Thunder Tribulation Seventh Stage expert, and he still couldn’t traverse the three thousand great worlds with impunity.
And wanting to confront Tong Shun to avenge Granny Yu was far beyond his grasp.
However, this already marked significant progress for Fang Bai, thinking that even if Tong Mengjiao and Feng Zihua’s killing was discovered by Tong Shun and he came after him, Fang Bai now had the means to protect himself.
Fang Bai didn’t know how long he had been cultivating in the Bluewater Cold Pond, but now that the time was right, the sunlight was abundant, he lay on a flat large stone by the pondside for a short rest, then departed from the place to return to Alchemy Immortal City.
Fang Bai was unaware that at this moment, Alchemy Immortal City was already in chaos over the disappearance of Tong Mengjiao and Feng Zihua, with all sorts of rumors flying around.
