txolops Chapter 278 Heavenly Capital Corpse Pearl
Chapter 278 Heavenly Capital Corpse Pearl
Chapter 278, "The Corpse Pearl of Heaven," is now available! Read it now!
The pressure instantly returned to the shoulders of the Extreme Yin Ancestor and Qingyi Hermit. The Extreme Yin Ancestor was filled with regret at this moment. He glared fiercely at Wu Chou beside him, wishing he could slap his grandson twice.
It was Wu Chou who suggested that Luo Ming's possession of spirit beasts be brought up. Those two spirit beasts would be unable to penetrate the cold air to retrieve the treasures, and might even be injured by the cold air, which would greatly weaken Luo Ming's strength.
Well, this is really bad. I didn't expect this guy to have two level-four mutated snow silkworms. Their silk might not be afraid of the coldness of the dry blue ice flames. Now that barbarian bearded man has seized the opportunity and forced them to bleed a lot! He looked at the jade box containing the Royal Yuan Pill in Luo Ming's hand, and then at the barbarian bearded man's menacing eyes. He felt his heart was bleeding.
Qingyi Jushi also frowned, quickly thinking about what treasures he had in his storage bag that were precious enough to deal with the bearded man, not so indispensable to him, and that would not reveal his secrets.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something, and a subtle smile appeared on his face.
He reached into his sleeve and took out a mutton-fat jade bottle, about six inches tall. The jade was of fine texture, with faint cloud patterns on its surface, clearly not an ordinary item. Holding the bottle, he introduced it to Luo Ming, saying, "Young friend Luo, since your Xuan Turtle spirit beast was damaged earlier, I happen to have something here that might be of great benefit to it."
He uncorked the bottle, and a rich, pure, and subtly oppressive scent of blood immediately wafted out. But this scent was not filthy; instead, it exuded a pure and profound vitality and power.
"This is the life essence of a 'Level 7 Giant Turtle'!" Master Qingyi said slowly, a strange meaning flashing in his eyes.
"If your Xuan Turtle can refine and absorb this essence blood, not only will its injuries heal quickly, but it can also extract a trace of the bloodline essence of the ancient exotic species 'Giant Turtle' to strengthen its own shell defense, and may even stimulate its potential bloodline, enhancing its growth potential and foundation."
"Level 7 Giant Turtle Essence Blood!"
Upon hearing this, Luo Ming was deeply shaken, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. He abruptly looked at Qingyi Jushi, and an uncontrollable thought surfaced in his mind:
"A giant turtle? Could it be... the peak level seven giant turtle that Tian Wuzi almost killed back in the waters off Qiyuan Island? That old guy Qingyi actually got its essence blood? Could it be that he ended up getting this beast too?"
At this moment, Luo Ming suddenly felt sorry for Tian Wuzi. Back then, he led a group of people to search for the mutated whale-kun, but he did not expect that not only did he fail to obtain the mutated whale-kun, but the giant turtle was also intercepted.
Qingyi Jushi seemed to see through the surprise and doubt in Luo Ming's eyes. He coughed lightly, casually sealed the jade bottle, handed it over, and mumbled:
"Ahem, this item was hard to come by. It is a treasure for earth-attribute spirit beasts, especially turtles and tortoises. Young friend, keep it safe and have the Xuan Turtle refine it as soon as possible to restore its strength. In this way, you will have a better chance of passing through the Ice and Fire Path."
Luo Mingqiang suppressed his excitement and doubt, took the jade bottle with both hands, and felt the heavy weight inside and the faint pressure of his bloodline. He was overjoyed!
This is truly a case of finding something you've been searching for without even looking for it! The essence blood of a peak level seven demon beast is no less valuable than the Imperial Essence Pill, and for the Xuan Turtle, it's an unparalleled tonic! Perhaps, the Xuan Turtle can use this opportunity to solidify its bloodline foundation and greatly shorten the time it takes to advance to level seven!
Having cultivated for over a hundred years and endured many hardships, relying mostly on his own efforts to fight against the heavens and against others, he had never before received such a "generous" gift of treasure from a high-level cultivator.
Holding the Imperial Essence Pill and the giant turtle's essence blood in his hands, Luo Ming truly felt a sense of security and... a secret thrill from having "someone above him".
"Hahaha! Old man Qingyi, this is not bad, it shows some sincerity!" The bearded man nodded in satisfaction when he saw that what Qingyi took out was indeed precious. Then, his unfriendly gaze, like a tiger eyeing its prey, slowly moved toward the last person—the Extreme Yin Ancestor, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Old ghost of extreme yin, it's your turn." The bearded man crossed his arms, relaxed but his tone leaving no room for argument. "Even old man Qingyi has brought out the essence blood of the giant turtle. As the lord of Extreme Yin Island and a giant of the demonic path, don't tell me you don't have anything decent to offer. If what you bring is shabby, hehe..."
The Old Ancestor of Extreme Yin's face was ashen. His gaze swept back and forth between the bearded man's half-smiling, half-serious face and the Qingyi Hermit's nonchalant, "I'm always looking for trouble" expression. Hatred surged in his heart, but he knew that the situation was beyond his control. If he really angered this scoundrel, things would probably not end well.
"snort!"
He gave a heavy, cold snort, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes as he thought rapidly: "Defensive magic treasures and escape tools are absolutely out of the question. Treasures that are too offensive might just benefit others and turn against us..."
With this thought in mind, he had already made up his mind. The item he took out had to be enough to shut the bearded man up, be no less valuable than the previous two items, be harmless to him, and even... ideally, plant some hidden dangers.
With a flick of his wrist, two jet-black beads, each the size of a longan, appeared in his palm. The surface of the beads was not smooth; instead, it was covered with fine, eerie natural patterns, like some kind of twisted pupil. A ghostly light flowed within them, and wisps of cold, deathly black corpse energy seeped out, causing the surrounding temperature to drop several degrees. Even without deliberately probing with his divine sense, Luo Ming could clearly feel the bone-chilling cold and destructive aura.
"This item is the 'Heavenly Capital Corpse Fire Pearl,' which I crafted using my unique Heavenly Capital Corpse Fire as its base, combined with the Yin Sha of the Earth Lung and various rare materials, imitating the 'Azure Fire Thunder' method of the Qingyang Sect, and after years of painstaking effort."
The Old Ancestor of Extreme Yin held the black bead in his hand, a self-satisfied sneer on his face. His gaze swept over Luo Ming, carrying a hint of profound meaning that was difficult to detect. "Each time I refine one, I have to divide a wisp of my original corpse fire, which is quite a loss. As for its power... hehe, when fully activated, it is comparable to the all-out attack of a Nascent Soul cultivator. If you encounter any ignorant beasts or... other troubles in the Ice and Fire Path, this bead should be able to lend you a hand and clear away obstacles."
He paused slightly on the words "other troubles," then gently flicked his wrist, and the two black beads slowly floated toward Luo Ming.
Upon hearing this, both the bearded man and the hermit of Qingyi carefully scanned the two corpse fire beads with their divine senses and nodded slightly. They could clearly sense the extremely compressed and violent corpse fire energy within the beads. Once it erupted, its power would indeed not be underestimated and would be enough to threaten cultivators of their level.
Although this item is a one-time consumable, it is not as long-lasting as the Imperial Yuan Pill in terms of improving cultivation, nor as enduring as the Giant Turtle Essence Blood. However, its value lies in its huge immediate increase in combat power and the difficulty in refining it, so its worth is still justifiable.
"Hmm, this thing does look somewhat decent," the bearded man gruffly agreed.
Luo Ming immediately put on a grateful smile and respectfully accepted the two eerie black beads with both hands: "Thank you very much for your generous gift, Senior Ji Yin! I will certainly make good use of this treasure and live up to your expectations."
Upon touching it, he felt an icy chill that seemed to pierce his bones, and a sinister, deathly aura attempted to seep into his meridians, only to be quietly dispelled by the pure magical power within his body. He was perfectly aware of this, and cursed inwardly:
"The extremely yin old ghost is indeed cunning! How could such a vicious thing, crafted with one's own original divine power, be so easy to obtain? It's said to be for protection, but I'm afraid it also harbors a tracking and sensing function, and might even turn against its master at a crucial moment! It might be fine to use it against others, but if I were to use it against you, old ghost, I'm afraid I would be the first to suffer."
Wu Chou, who was standing to the side, watched helplessly as the two Heavenly Capital Corpse Fire Pearls, which he had coveted for a long time and had begged the ancestor for so long without success, fell into the hands of his enemy so "easily". His eyes immediately turned red, his breathing became heavier, and his gaze toward Luo Ming was almost spitting fire.
When the Old Ancestor of Extreme Yin caught a glimpse of his grandson's impatient appearance out of the corner of his eye, and then looked at Luo Ming's respectful and low-key demeanor, which was actually a sure way to secure the treasure, and Han Li, who remained silent and composed in another corner, his anger flared up even more.
In comparison, he felt that his own direct descendant was utterly hopeless, and he glared at Wu Chou in anger, which made Wu Chou lower his head in fear. But in his heart, he felt even more jealous and resentful towards Luo Ming and the other man.
……
For the next while, Manhuzi, Jiyin, and Qingyi gathered together, whispering about the specific arrangements for retrieving the treasure from the Void Heaven Cauldron. Their words were rife with arguments and calculations. Luo Ming and Han Li quietly retreated to a corner of the main hall, awaiting the opening of the second trial, the "Ice and Fire Path."
Luo Ming sat down cross-legged, pondering to himself: "Based on the information I've gathered, Manhuzi, Jiyin, and Qingyi will most likely choose the Path of Ice. Meanwhile, the righteous path's Wan Tianming and the others will definitely take the Path of Lava. If I take the Path of Ice, I won't be able to use many of my techniques effectively, and it will be easy for me to expose myself."
His eyes flickered slightly, and he had already made up his mind: "Why not go against the grain and choose the Lava Path? Firstly, it will allow me to temporarily separate from Ji Yin and the others, reducing the risk of exposure; secondly, the Lava Path is rich in fire-attribute spiritual energy, which is the perfect environment for the Fat Sun Bird to unleash its power. My natal magic weapon is also water-based, which can counteract fire in a scorching environment, making it easier to deal with. As for the most troublesome fire-type demonic beasts and spirit insects on the Lava Path, with a rare insect like the Gold-Eating Insect in hand, we might not be unable to subdue them."
His mind raced through several rare fire-attribute monsters that might roam the lava path, and a sense of anticipation rose within him. Risks were inevitable, but so were opportunities.
Time passed slowly in silence. After an unknown amount of time, the huge stone wall at the end of the hall, which was carved with flames and glaciers, suddenly lit up with red and white light at the same time. Two restrictive light screens slowly emerged, and the aura of scorching heat and extreme cold intertwined and spread out.
"The Path of Ice and Fire is open! Everyone, let's rely on our own abilities!" Wan Tianming laughed loudly, transforming into a golden light and plunging into the entrance of the crimson, scorching lava path. Mu Tengzi, Tian Wuzi, and the others followed closely behind.
Seeing this, the bearded man grinned and called out to Ji Yin and Qing Yi. The three of them then flew together toward the chilling, icy blue portal.