It is common to see the unusual; it seemed these lotus flowers and the pool water complemented and depended on each other, neither able to exist without the other. The Seven-Star Lotus was able to grow here thanks to the nutrients in the water and the extreme environmental conditions. The moment Qin Yi had absorbed it with his ring, it was equivalent to directly extracting the lifeblood of this region, accelerating its decay.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The ground fractured at an accelerated pace, shaking violently as if on the verge of collapse. Qin Yi steadied his footing, stepped forward to look closely, and cried out in shock, "That is... a door!"
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!"
The demonic spirit at his side also seemed to grow excited, instantly flashing to the front of the door and repeatedly turning back to signal Qin Yi to follow quickly.
"Should we go down?" Qin Yi stood rooted to the spot in contemplation for a moment. He had originally intended to take what he had and leave while he was ahead, but upon second thought, having come this far, he might as well continue deeper. Who knew, he might even encounter some great fortuitous encounter.
The next moment, Qin Yi also set off to follow, entering the stone door that extended all the way downward.
Ancient runes were embedded on the stone door, exuding a mysterious aura. Below lay a deep, secluded passageway, resembling a gateway to an unknown world. The inner walls of the passage were as smooth as a mirror, having weathered who knows how many years.
He closely followed behind the demonic spirit, cautiously walking down the passageway. The surrounding light grew dimmer and dimmer, leaving them to rely solely on the faint glow emanating from the demonic spirit for illumination.
From the end of the passageway came the crisp sound of tides, distant and mysterious.
"Why is there such a familiar feeling here? The meridian qi throughout my body also seems to be rising continuously, nourished and moistened..."
Qin Yi frowned slightly, an indescribable, peculiar feeling welling up in his heart. He stopped in his tracks, closed his eyes, and firmly engraved this familiar aura deep within his heart.
He felt as though his body was surrounded by an intangible force—a warm power that filled his entire body with vitality.
Qin Yi opened his eyes, looked at the deep passageway ahead, and could not help but feel a strong surge of exploratory desire.
He continued to follow the demonic spirit downward, and after walking for some time, they reached the end of the passageway.
Finally, there was light.
Qin Yi gazed around curiously, seeing a circular stone platform ahead. Inscribed upon its surface were intricate patterns, making it look like an altar. Those patterned totems looked even more like real human arms, vivid and lifelike.
It was truly shocking.
Hanging on the surrounding walls were many spacious paintings, the most prominent among them being four eyeless giant dragons:
The Azure Mystic Sea Divine Dragon,
The Golden Radiance Fire Pattern Divine Dragon,
The Gloomy Sky Purple Mansion Divine Dragon,
The Dao Ash Scaled Feather Divine Dragon.
Twenty-four large characters radiated a golden, magnificent light, suspended above the paintings, standing proudly in plain sight.
Each of the four giant dragons was seventy feet long, their entire bodies covered in scales adorned with gemstones that shimmered with crystalline purity, imposing and majestic.
Even lacking dragon eyes, they could not diminish that majestic, divine charm.
Qin Yi's heartbeat accelerated accordingly. What on earth was this place, and why did he have such a feeling?
Just then, he suddenly heard a burst of low chanting ringing in his ears, sounding like a summons.
Qin Yi abruptly lowered his head and saw ahead an old man in a black robe standing upon the altar, holding a wooden staff and incessantly chanting something. A faint white light radiated from his entire body, rippling like water waves and expanding outward endlessly.
A speck of light, a ripple of waves—two colors complementing and echoing each other, looking utterly bizarre.
He wanted to step forward and inquire, but saw the figure quickly vanish.
An illusion?
Swish, swish, swish!
At that moment, Qin Yi was drawn away by the sound of the tide from the side. Turning his head, he saw the lake's surface not far away shimmering with a faint white light, exceptionally dazzling under the illumination, resembling fish scales.
Splashes of water churned and dotted the surface, catching his eye. He stepped forward, scooped up a handful to examine, and then his eyes widened in astonishment, nearly causing him to topple over.
"This is spiritual dew..."
Qin Yi exchanged a glance with the demonic spirit, and realization instantly dawned in his heart. It turned out that what the spirit had been guiding him to find all along was not the Phoenix Spirit Seven-Star Lotus, but the supreme celestial treasure that surpassed all divine elixirs—Spiritual Dew!
Moreover, it carried a rich surge of origin power.
"To think I've actually found the origin of the spiritual dew here..." Qin Yi was so excited he was almost moved to tears; the harvest from entering the valley this time was truly colossal.
Heaven-grade Seven-Star Lotus!
The Great Dao Origin of Spiritual Dew!
Of the two, one could help open the divine wheel, while the other could refine celestial bones and recreate the life spring. Either one alone could help him avoid detours on his cultivation path and smoothly reach the firmament!
Qin Yi was already burning with impatience to give it a try, but the current situation did not seem to allow for it.
Because the four dragons in the paintings had disappeared!
A sudden sense of foreboding gripped Qin Yi's heart. He only now remembered the saying: "When the five dragons gather, they protect the primal origin!" He had felt something was amiss the moment he entered; why were there four dragons in the paintings, and why had he heard chanting just now? It must surely mean...
The dragon heads had appeared!
With a grave expression on his face, a vague guess regarding the origin of the matter forming in his mind, Qin Yi turned his head to look at the demonic spirit.
"Want to try a one-versus-five?"
"Hiss-hiss!"
"Very well, for the time of one incense stick, this place is yours."
With those words, Qin Yi turned and left without hesitation, flying straight ahead.
In the time of one incense stick, he had no idea whether he could fully absorb it.
He was gambling—gambling on his talent over the years, gambling on the genius title he had earned through his own efforts. In this very moment, he wanted to use these intangible things to buy himself a life.
No matter what, he wanted to try. Although he was born with blocked meridians and insurmountable chasms, he could never suppress his determination to defy the heavens.
My dear lord, there is still more to this chapter; please click the next page to continue reading. The upcoming parts are even more wonderful!
Success or failure hung by a single thought.
...
Boom—rumble—rumble—
Several more loud crashes erupted from the end of the passageway, shaking the entire floor of the cliff in a fierce battle.
Qin Yi kept his eyes tightly shut, his heart practically leaping into his throat. "Almost... just a little faster!"
Not daring to relax even a fraction, he mobilized all the true qi within his body with all his might, channeling the power of his soul essence entirely into the origin of the spiritual dew. Though they could not fuse perfectly, at the very least, he could fight poison with poison, meet violence with violence, and forcefully drive his profound qi back to Foundation Establishment, helping his strength recover to sixty or seventy percent of its former peak.
"Roar..."
"Boom..."
Amidst two roars, the booming noise grew louder and louder. Qin Yi's heart grew increasingly frantic; he could even hear the violent heaving sounds within his own chest.
He had reached the critical point; only the final step remained for success!
"Bang..."
Right at that moment, from the other side of the passageway, a wisp of red mist drifted over like a trail of light smoke, yet carrying terrifying lethality as it reached them in an instant.
"That is!" A chill ran through Qin Yi's heart. He had no time to react and could only take the blow head-on.
Boom!
The red mist struck Qin Yi's chest, instantly solidifying and condensing into an offensive strike.
"Embodied Soul Essence!" Qin Yi shouted aloud, gathering his qi to resist as a series of clanging sounds rang out around him.
Although this attack was blocked, his own true qi was nearly exhausted as well.
Thump, thump—
His heart was beating rapidly, blood pumping continuously.
That thing just now was the origin power of the spiritual dew, "Scorn." It had wanted to take the opportunity to devour Qin Yi's divine soul; thankfully, he had reacted quickly enough.
Otherwise, the losses would have outweighed the gains.
"Boom..."
The next moment, Qin Yi's hands assumed a downward guiding posture, slowly withdrawing his power. He then raised his left hand, seeing the blue-green flame burning in the palm of his hand, his eyes filled with excitement and thrill.
"It worked!" Overjoyed, Qin Yi quickly stood up and circulated his profound qi, feeling the surging power within. "In the time of one incense stick, I've jumped straight from Body Tempering Perfection across half a major realm to recover to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment!"
The power of an origin source could not be underestimated!
Qin Yi tried to release his soul essence posture, but was interrupted by the commotion outside. Nearly forgetting about the demonic spirit fighting a lone battle, Qin Yi did not linger, moving swiftly to return to their previous location.
"Roar..."
"Bang..."
Spirit waves reverberated, the fierce battle raged on, and victory remained undecided.
The time of one incense stick had long since passed. True to its reputation, the demonic spirit's strength was supreme; fighting five opponents at once, it did not fall behind in the slightest. Standing firmly upon the stone platform once more, Qin Yi felt the true qi within his body boil anew, his physique gradually turning transparent and crystalline like glazed glass.
At that moment.
One of the dragons let out an angry roar, turning to pounce directly at Qin Yi.
Swish, swish, swish!
The dragon moved with extreme speed, as if aligned with water, its entire body radiating the mighty power of a vast ocean.
"Get lost!"
Bang!
Qin Yi let out a thunderous shout, gathering his concentration to open his eyes, his gaze brimming with endless killing intent.
Instantly, an overwhelming and terrifying force surged forth, transforming into a continuous cluster of water droplets that enveloped the water dragon. Within those droplets lay the powerful force of the Law of Devouring, caging the giant dragon while continuously pulling at the power within its body.
Devouring power?
This was a new technique Qin Yi had hastily concocted during the critical juncture moments ago by fusing his own soul essence with the spiritual dew's origin. It possessed the ability to infinitely expand and devour all things.
Terrifying beyond measure.
"Roar..."
The water dragon let out wave after wave of agonizing, painful cries, attempting to break free from the shackles of the water droplets.
Sharing the same water attribute, it unexpectedly found itself completely powerless to resist.
Splat—
The wounds on the water dragon's body widened further, blood gushing out frantically and gradually staining the water droplets red.
"Not good!"
Panic flashed in Qin Yi's eyes as he tried to rein in the force, only to find that the power was growing increasingly fierce and violent.
Uncontrollable.
"Awoo..."
Amidst unending wails and painful struggles, the giant dragon showed signs of cracking. Its body emitted streams of white light, and finally, amidst an angry roar, it was completely refined and devoured by the water droplets.
No sooner had one wave subsided than another rose.
The remaining three dragons, following the white dragon king with the dragon head, charged straight at Qin Yi in a piercing assault. The demonic spirit at the side reacted swiftly enough, immediately throwing out a palm strike to block their path.
"Still want more!" Qin Yi seemed to be growing intoxicated by the battle; raising his eyes, his gaze turned sharp and laden with murderous intent.
Now that he had returned to Foundation Establishment, slaying a dragon required only a single strike!
"Ascending Dragon Slash!" Qin Yi roared at the top of his lungs, his hands forming hand seals as spirit waves surged forth.
Following that, his body soared into the sky, hovering high above the firmament.
"Hah!"
With a resounding shout, a beam of brilliant spiritual light condensed into a giant dragon-like phantom, carrying boundless, peerless might as it viciously slashed downward.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."
As the dragon phantom slashed down, the air was instantly torn apart, producing a piercing shriek.
"Boom!"
A moment later, a deafening roar echoed through the passageway, causing the entire stone platform to shake violently and the runes on the stone walls to flash repeatedly.
Faced with such a majestic strike, his strength was already far beyond the realm of Foundation Establishment. Seeing that the situation was turning south, the demonic spirit fled in haste and vanished without a trace.