Chapter 72: A Sumptuous Banquet
Xiao Nanfeng distilled almost two hundred golden dragons into yang qi, which he sent into the third of his divine conduits. Another golden thread emerged from his body, revolving around it as radiant light exuded from his pores.
After two hours, a gust of energy exuded from Xiao Nanfeng's body, causing the chilly air all around him to shift.
"The third stage of Immanence? I've unclogged my third divine conduit?" Xiao Nanfeng opened his eyes, blinking in satisfaction.
Beside him, the two toad spirits were croaking happily.
The Lady Arclight had been the first to awaken from her meditation, and she was currently looking at the spike with some vexation.
"Those spiritbeasts outside are getting all this draconic aether..." the Lady Arclight lamented.
One of these frost spheres harbored tens of thousands of the small golden dragons, but they had only managed to seize a few hundred each. The remaining draconic aether had swam up above the surface of the lake and been split by the spirits lying in wait.
Xiao Nanfeng also thought it pitiful, but there was nothing that could be done. He consoled her, "Forget it. Those spiritbeasts helped us take down the armored cultivators, didn't they? Let's think of it like a reward for their hard work."
"But—ten thousand golden dragons!" The Lady Arclight didn't seem as though she could let it go.
At the same time, she tried to pull out the spike from the cavern wall. The fact that it was able to pierce the frost sphere at all made it an incredible treasure.
"There are a few palmprints here from the frog spirit. I suppose it must have tried to do the same, but it was unsuccessful," Xiao Nanfeng remarked.
"Hmph!" The Lady Arclight kicked at the spike in frustration, clearly not able to do anything against it herself.
"The remnant fragments of this frost sphere are dissipating?" Xiao Nanfeng watched the fragments on the ground vanish.
"With the frost sphere broken apart, the yin qi that was trapped within has been reclaimed by the array. This has to be a masterful design..." The Lady Arclight glanced around her.
The two toad spirits hopped up and down, intending to break apart the remaining two frost spheres to repay the two cultivators for what they had done.
"Don't move!" the Lady Arclight cried out.
Ten thousand golden dragons had dissipated from that frost sphere, and she was bitterly upset about the treasure she had failed to gain. To break apart one such frost sphere again and waste the bulk of its draconic aether... The Lady Arclight didn't want to contemplate that thought at all.
The two toad spirits looked toward the Lady Arclight in confusion.
"Let me see if I can extract the draconic aether." The Lady Arclight walked up to one of the giant frost spheres.
The fifteen-meter tall sphere looked almost like a small mountain, and the Lady Arclight was vanishingly small before it. However, she was a Spiritsong-realm cultivator, one possessed of many secret techniques.
The Lady Arclight murmured a mantra, causing a wheel of light about the size of her hand to manifest before her. The interior of the wheel flashed with countless runes. She pushed it toward the frost sphere, causing it to sizzle on impact, as though it were melting the frost. Unfortunately, the aura of frost around the sphere was too intense, and the light wheel lasted only a little time before dissipating.
Suddenly, the frost sphere shook as yin qi followed the path of the light wheel all the way to the Lady Arclight's arm. She blanched as she tried to retract the arm, but it was too late. Quickly, her entire body became covered with frost, turning her into a sculpture.
"Be careful!" Xiao Nanfeng cried out, stumbling toward her. He had underestimated the potency of the technique, however, and the yin qi began arcing into his body through the Lady Arclight's body.
Xiao Nanfeng's eyes widened, but it was too late. He had immediately transformed into a snowman as frost surrounded him. Because of his momentum, Xiao Nanfeng ended up bumping into the Lady Arclight, but the two of them were both trapped within a layer of frost.
The two toad spirits croaked anxiously beside them.
Just then, all that frost surged into Xiao Nanfeng's mindscape, including the frost that had covered the Lady Arclight.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Nanfeng and the Lady Arclight recovered.
"Are you alright?" asked the Lady Arclight, as she shook herself down. She didn't even wonder how or why the frost had vanished; rather, she was worried about Xiao Nanfeng's safety.
"I... seem to be fine!" Xiao Nanfeng gaped as he touched himself.
"Even I couldn't withstand this frost. Why did you try to touch me? You should have let the toad spirits help!" the Lady Arclight grumbled.
"I was worried they wouldn't be able to respond quickly enough. An immediate response was necessary, and I didn't want you to get hurt," Xiao Nanfeng replied, scratching his head with some embarrassment.
The Lady Arclight was startled, her words of complaint having vanished entirely from her mouth. She gave Xiao Nanfeng a glance filled with complex emotions, but she then quickly schooled herself within moments.
The two toad spirits croaked at Xiao Nanfeng, as if inquiring what had happened to the frost.
"Did you suck it all up?" the Lady Arclight asked, only then reminded of the unusual phenomenon that had occurred.
Xiao Nanfeng took a look at his mindscape, which was filled with spiritual power, along with a superior yin pearl. The superior yin pearl had absorbed all that yin frost.
"This was yin frost, you said?" Xiao Nanfeng asked for confirmation.
"That's right, one of the rarest types of frost aura in the world. Didn't I mention this before?" the Lady Arclight replied.
Xiao Nanfeng frowned. No wonder the superior yin pearl was able to absorb yin frost—their names suggested their similarity!
"Do you have a treasure that counters yin frost?" the Lady Arclight guessed.
"No, it was just a matter of luck!" Xiao Nanfeng replied.
The Lady Arclight sighed. "Even if you did, it's hardly as though I would steal your treasure..."
Xiao Nanfeng smiled wryly. The superior yin pearl was too large a treasure, and concerned too many secrets, for Xiao Nanfeng to be willing to reveal it just yet.
"Can you continue absorbing this frost?"
"Let me try. Perhaps I'm still lucky enough," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
The Lady Arclight rolled her eyes at Xiao Nanfeng. Vexed though she was, her eyes seemed almost affectionate.
Xiao Nanfeng placed a probing palm on the frost sphere. The Lady Arclight watched on seriously, a mantra on the edge of her lips. The moment Xiao Nanfeng failed, she would be there to rescue him.
Xiao Nanfeng only knew how to agitate the superior yin pearl to release a bit of frost, and this was the first time he had used this effect in reverse. However, it didn't seem to be too complicated.
With a huff, the yin frost surged into Xiao Nanfeng's mindscape as it was absorbed by his superior yin pearl. Not long later, the frost sphere began to hum with a resonance. The frost by Xiao Nanfeng's palm had been completely absorbed, causing a transparent domain to form.
Countless runes flashed over the domain, like a barrier preventing the frost from being sucked away, but the authority of the superior yin pearl easily superseded it. Within the barrier could be seen ten thousand small golden dragons, furiously struggling but unable to escape.
"This barrier seems like the one by the side that prevents any pond water from flowing in. It was permeable to living creatures—I wonder if this one will be the same?" The Lady Arclight's eyes lit up.
"There's no rush. Let the two toad spirits handle this frost sphere while we deal with the other one. Additionally, let's have them help us determine whether there are any hidden dangers." Xiao Nanfeng raised a hand, halting the Lady Arclight.
The two toads croaked in excitement, more than happy to probe for danger.
"Please be careful!" Xiao Nanfeng warned the two toads.
The two toads nodded their heads. The male toad nudged the female toad aside, insisting that it take the lead just in case. Its palms touched the frost sphere's barrier—then passed through them. Indeed, the Lady Arclight's guess had been correct!
The male toad squeezed its way into the sphere, where it joined the countless imprisoned golden dragons. It immediately opened its mouth and swallowed up hundreds of them.
The male toad croaked excitedly at the female toad, who squeezed into the sphere as well. The draconic aether compressed around them both. Just like its male counterpart, the female toad began to devour the draconic aether with mounting excitement. Golden light suffused them both as they croaked. Their environment was filled with draconic aether—this was the first time they had enjoyed such a sumptuous, exhilarating meal!
The two toads croaked at Xiao Nanfeng, informing him of their safety.
Only then did Xiao Nanfeng release the sphere. Instantly, the barrier clouded over with frost once again, turning it opaque and snowy white. No longer could the details within the sphere be seen.
"It's safe inside. Let's head to the other sphere," Xiao Nanfeng suggested expectantly.
"Very well!" The Lady Arclight walked over and waited by its side.
Xiao Nanfeng touched the other frost sphere, clearing out enough frost to reveal the transparent barrier and the countless golden dragons within. The two cultivators' eyes lit up.
"Let's head inside!" the Lady Arclight cried out, stepping in.
Xiao Nanfeng followed suit. The two of them vanished into the sphere, which glazed over with a layer of frost once more. The cave was as quiet as it had once been.
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