Chapter 240
Chapter 240
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: A Spirit Platform's Boon, Xiao Hei's Bloodline Ascension
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*Whoosh… whoosh…*
In the dark, silent cavern, Xiao Hei lay sprawled on the damp, brown earth, his four limbs extended.
A dim yellow light emanated from his shell, providing a faint glow in the cavern.
Chen Jianghe watched Xiao Hei, who seemed to be in a deep slumber as he broke through, his breathing even and steady. It didn't look like a breakthrough at all.
The runes on his shell seemed to have come alive, leaping and flickering with a yellow light.
He was already used to Xiao Hei's peculiar method of breaking through.
He took out five Sealing Talismans and placed them in five different positions around the cavern.
This would prevent the aura from Xiao Hei's breakthrough from leaking outside.
This cavern was over three hundred yards underground; even if Xiao Hei were breaking through, his aura wouldn't be able to reach the surface.
Still, it was better to be cautious.
A day passed.
Xiao Hei's eyes were shut tight. The light on his shell flickered and the runes danced, seemingly refining the second-tier peak water-element spirit core he had swallowed.
Chen Jianghe could clearly feel that Xiao Hei's aura had grown much stronger.
It was almost comparable to that of the Golden-Horned Tiger Bull.
That was a second-tier peak demonic beast, while Xiao Hei was only breaking through to the second-tier late-stage, still a long way from the peak.
Another day went by.
Xiao Hei's aura climbed once more, now truly on par with the Golden-Horned Tiger Bull. The runes on his shell grew even more distinct.
The glow they emitted shifted from a dark yellow to a bright yellow.
"Why is Xiao Hei's breakthrough taking so long this time?" Chen Jianghe was puzzled.
Usually, Xiao Hei's breakthroughs would only take a few hours, five at the most.
Now, two days had passed, and he still wasn't finished.
The light from his shell formed a protective barrier, enveloping Xiao Hei as he furiously absorbed and refined the second-tier peak water-element spirit core.
Another day passed.
The glow on his shell dimmed.
It wasn't that the breakthrough was over, but rather that the second-tier peak water-element spirit core inside him had been completely consumed.
"Master, the Water Spirit Jades!"
Xiao Hei's voice echoed in Chen Jianghe's Spirit Platform.
Hearing the urgency in Xiao Hei's voice, Chen Jianghe didn't hesitate for a moment, immediately taking out all four Water Spirit Jades he had on him.
He had been planning to use these four Water Spirit Jades to cultivate the Tidal Body Tempering Art.
But if Xiao Hei needed them, he wouldn't be stingy.
He could always find more Water Spirit Jades.
Even if he couldn't, he could substitute them with other spiritual items, or even find a way to purchase water-attribute Spirit Essence Pills.
Whatever happened, he couldn't let Xiao Hei's breakthrough be hindered.
Four Water Spirit Jades floated above Xiao Hei, and a massive pillar of spiritual energy poured into his shell.
The glow instantly flared.
The runes on Xiao Hei's shell arranged themselves in an orderly fashion, converting the spiritual energy into mana and absorbing it into his body.
"What an incredible absorption speed!"
Chen Jianghe's face showed his astonishment.
In just an hour, a tenth of the vast spiritual energy within the four Water Spirit Jades had been devoured by Xiao Hei.
At this rate, it wouldn't even take a full day.
The spiritual energy in all four Water Spirit Jades would be completely consumed.
If Chen Jianghe were the one absorbing it, it would have taken him several years at the very least.
"No, this isn't cultivation!"
Chen Jianghe noticed that while the spiritual energy from the Water Spirit Jades was being absorbed and refined by Xiao Hei, his mana aura wasn't continuing to grow.
Instead, his aura began to exude a sense of pressure.
"Could he be increasing the purity of his bloodline?!"
Chen Jianghe sat down cross-legged and looked inward with his spiritual sense, focusing on the mark on his Spirit Platform. He discovered that the Spirit Turtle mark on it was changing in sync with the runes on Xiao Hei's shell.
Furthermore, the Spirit Turtle mark was becoming more imposing.
"Nothing for me?"
Chen Jianghe was bewildered. The mark on his Spirit Platform was bestowing an opportunity upon Xiao Hei, so why wasn't anything happening on his end?
Would it kill it to give him some benefits?
Another day passed.
Xiao Hei's breakthrough was still not over.
But the four Water Spirit Jades had turned to dust, scattered across the brown earth.
"Master, it's not enough!"
"..."
Hearing Xiao Hei's message through the Spirit Platform, Chen Jianghe gulped. Four Water Spirit Jades weren't enough.
His mind raced, trying to think of what else he had.
He had twelve thousand eight hundred and fifty spirit stones in his storage pouch.
But the spiritual energy in low-grade spirit stones was not pure, making it unsuitable for Xiao Hei to consume.
Without hesitation, Chen Jianghe took out the two second-tier top-grade absorbable spiritual items, the Spirit Pool Pearls, and tossed them to Xiao Hei.
The spiritual energy contained within the Spirit Pool Pearls was even more potent.
A single Spirit Pool Pearl held as much spiritual energy as three Water Spirit Jades. The sheer power of two such pearls was enough that if Chen Jianghe were to absorb and refine them...
He might not reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment, but he would be close.
With the support of the two Spirit Pool Pearls, Xiao Hei's massive body lay prone on the ground, allowing his shell to devour the spiritual energy and transform itself.
Another five days passed.
The glow on Xiao Hei's shell receded, and the runes on its surface vanished, seemingly having retreated into the shell itself.
But as Xiao Hei opened his eyes and circulated his mana, profound patterns emerged, glowing with a bright yellow light.
Then, another layer of shield armor formed on the surface of his shell.
"Hehe~"
Xiao Hei's mouth stretched into a wide, triumphant grin.
Chen Jianghe's face was glum, as if he'd just eaten an acre of bitter melons. Four Water Spirit Jades and two Spirit Pool Pearls.
If he had used all of that to increase his mana, he could have definitely reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
And just like that, it was all gone.
He hadn't felt the pain when he gave them away, but thinking about it now, his heart felt ice-cold.
"Xiao Hei, did you break through?"
Chen Jianghe asked via telepathy.
"Haha! This Turtle Lord has reached the second-tier late-stage, my Mystic Armor is complete, and the path to immortality is within reach! Two-legs, this entire mystic realm is ours for the taking!"
Xiao Hei's proud voice boomed in Chen Jianghe's sea of consciousness.
"..."
Chen Jianghe rolled his eyes and poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
"There's a third-tier demonic beast in the Ice Palace. Want to go give it a try?"
"Hmph! A third-tier demonic beast can only bully me because I'm young and weak. Once I become a Great Demon, what's a mere third-tier beast to me?"
Xiao Hei wouldn't back down, his spirit soaring.
"Stop getting sidetracked. Tell me, what benefits did the Spirit Platform give you for breaking through to the second-tier late-stage?"
Chen Jianghe asked curiously.
What kind of great opportunity could have made Xiao Hei so full of himself? He was practically bursting with pride.
"Hehe~ Take a guess."
Xiao Hei stood up, glancing at Chen Jianghe.
Worried Chen Jianghe couldn't see his smug expression, he lay back down, but held his head high.
"If you don't want to tell me, I won't listen."
"How can you not listen? Hurry up and ask me!"
Seeing that Chen Jianghe didn't want to listen, Xiao Hei grew anxious. Not listening was not an option! What was the point of getting a boon if you couldn't show it off? Keeping it bottled up was too painful!
"What opportunity?"
Chen Jianghe pursed his lips but asked again.
"A great opportunity!"
"Nonsense. Be specific."
"Hehe... The you on the Spirit Platform gave me another cultivation art, a very, very powerful one. It can devour spiritual energy and increase the purity of my bloodline."
"A cultivation art? What art?!"
"The Six Revolutions Great Demon Art, the sequel to the Three Revolutions Demon Ascension Art." Xiao Hei grinned, his large mouth revealing a row of big, flat teeth.
Chen Jianghe said nothing.
"It can devour massive amounts of spiritual energy to increase my bloodline's purity. Those four Water Spirit Jades and two Spirit Pool Pearls raised my bloodline to fourth-grade low-tier."
Xiao Hei looked at Chen Jianghe happily, his head almost touching Chen Jianghe's forehead.
"Two-legs, we need to work hard to find treasures to raise my bloodline. The stronger I am, the better I can protect you."
Xiao Hei patted his plastron with his short, thick claws, striking a pose as if to say, "This Turtle Lord has got your back."
"I've formed my Mystic Armor. Even that Icy Triangle Python would have a hard time breaking my defense. We can find even more treasures."
Xiao Hei grinned, feeling proud and vindicated.
"Two-legs? Master? Say something..."
"..."
Chen Jianghe shot a sideways glance at the chattering Xiao Hei, a bitterness in his heart that was hard to put into words.
Whose cheat was this, anyway?
Chen Jianghe sighed internally.
After a moment of self-pity, he came to terms with it.
In any case, a benefit for Xiao Hei was a benefit for him. They were brothers, so why quibble over such things?
The stronger Xiao Hei became, the safer he would be.
Chen Jianghe comforted himself, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
"So, with enough absorbable natural spiritual treasures, your bloodline can be improved?"
"You finally spoke! I thought you were struck dumb with joy for me."
Xiao Hei breathed a sigh of relief and nodded his huge head. "Yes, as long as there are enough absorbable spiritual items, my bloodline can keep improving."
"Then how many spiritual items would you need to raise your bloodline to fourth-grade high-tier?"
Chen Jianghe stopped joking around with Xiao Hei and asked seriously.
Even with a fourth-grade low-tier bloodline, the chances of breaking through to become a third-tier demonic beast weren't high. Not all fourth-grade low-tier demonic beasts were like the Black Flame Crow.
The Black Flame Crow possessed a trace of the Three-Legged Golden Crow's bloodline, and a very pure one at that. Although it was only a fourth-grade low-tier bloodline, as long as it didn't die prematurely, it was guaranteed to become a third-tier demonic beast.
As for other fourth-grade low-tier demonic beasts, like the Icy Triangle Python, they only had a thirty percent chance of forming a Demonic Core.
If they were lucky enough to obtain a Demonic Core, their chances would increase to fifty percent.
Therefore, in Chen Jianghe's view, if Xiao Hei's bloodline was only fourth-grade low-tier, the probability of him forming a Demonic Core was still too low.
If he could raise it to fourth-grade high-tier...
Then Xiao Hei's success rate in forming a Demonic Core would reach seventy percent, which was barely within Chen Jianghe's acceptable range.
If possible, becoming a fifth-grade bloodline would naturally be for the best.
"In terms of Water Spirit Jades, thirty should be enough," Xiao Hei said, his clear eyes looking at Chen Jianghe, full of hope.
"Thirty!"
Chen Jianghe swallowed hard. That was probably enough for him to cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment!
"How about you just eat these four stalks of Three-Leaf Blood Lotus Grass instead!"
"After cultivating the Six Revolutions Great Demon Art, this Three-Leaf Blood Lotus Grass is useless to me," Xiao Hei said.
"..."
Chen Jianghe felt as if his world had just collapsed.
He was already struggling to gather the cultivation resources for a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a second-tier spirit beast.
The resources he needed for his own cultivation.
The resources Xiao Hei needed for his cultivation.
These were the most important.
Then there were the resources for Maoqiu and Spicy Strip.
Each portion of cultivation resources was immense, especially for spirit beasts, which required even more than cultivators.
Now that Xiao Hei was cultivating the Six Revolutions Great Demon Art, although he could improve his bloodline, the resources required were equivalent to the total amount needed for him, Maoqiu, and Spicy Strip combined.
If you also counted what Xiao Hei needed for his regular cultivation...
The resources Xiao Hei alone required exceeded the sum of all their cultivation resources, with enough left over for another cultivator.
Relying solely on talisman crafting was simply not enough to support their cultivation.
"If it's Spirit Pool Pearls, ten would be enough."
Xiao Hei seemed to sense that thirty Water Spirit Jades was a bit much and quickly added another sentence.
Great!
Spirit Pool Pearls were even more valuable than Water Spirit Jades.
"Don't worry, two-legs. I'll work hard with you," Xiao Hei said with determination, trying to cheer Chen Jianghe up.
In his eyes, Chen Jianghe's silence was due to being intimidated by the terrifying resource deficit.
In reality, Chen Jianghe was pondering how to continue profiting from the mystic realm.
"What are you thinking about? I can support you with my talisman crafting."
"By the way, if Maoqiu consumes the Three-Leaf Blood Lotus Grass, how long will it take to improve its bloodline?"
Xiao Hei's breakthrough to the second-tier late-stage hadn't taken long; it was the bloodline enhancement that had been so time-consuming.
"It took me eight days. For Maoqiu, one or two months should be enough."
"One or two months? Then we'll wait until we're out of the mystic realm to improve Maoqiu's bloodline purity."
"For now, you should cultivate and consolidate your cultivation base."
Chen Jianghe said.
"Cultivate? The Spirit Pool Pearls are gone."
"Uh... then use spirit stones for now."
Chen Jianghe took out two thousand spirit stones for Xiao Hei to consume for his cultivation, to consolidate his second-tier late-stage cultivation base.
The spiritual energy in the mystic realm was abundant.
However, various restrictions and remnant arrays gathered the spiritual energy at the locations of spiritual items.
And in those dangerous areas.
This resulted in the spiritual energy in other places not being very rich, only comparable to a first-tier mid-grade spirit meridian.
If Xiao Hei wanted to cultivate, he could only rely on spirit stones.
As for recovering mana...
Even with thin spiritual energy, one could recover mana, it just took longer.
For example, with Chen Jianghe's mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, if his mana was completely depleted, it would take about half a month to recover to his peak state in the mystic realm.
However, he had Spirit Recovery Pills, so he wasn't worried about mana consumption.
When they entered the mystic realm, Jiang Ruxu had prepared nine second-tier Spirit Recovery Pills for him.
He had used two while drawing the Flame Dragon Demon-Breaking Talismans, so he still had seven left.
"The Water Spirit Jades and Spirit Pool Pearls from Sunset Pool have all been given to Xiao Hei. All I have left that can be absorbed and refined is the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Heart; the rest are spiritual materials."
"The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Heart is a Core Formation spiritual item that Luo Xiyue and Gao Peiyao must have. They bought me time to retrieve the treasure."
"Since I've obtained the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Heart, it belongs to them. I absolutely cannot use this piece."
Both Gao Peiyao and Luo Xiyue had shown him kindness.
They had also brought him into the mystic realm to search for treasures. These were all favors.
Besides, he had already obtained many treasures. How could he covet the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Heart?
However, searching for treasures outside was too dangerous. He had already been in this cavern for nearly four months.
He had no idea what the situation was like outside.
Naturally, he didn't dare to venture out rashly to search for treasures.
This wasn't like the beginning. As more and more cultivators stole the treasures guarded by demonic beasts...
It would surely cause the demonic beasts to riot.
He could encounter powerful second-tier demonic beasts anywhere.
Chen Jianghe wasn't afraid of encountering a single demonic beast.
With Xiao Hei, he wouldn't even fear that Icy Triangle Python, but what if he was surrounded?
"There's still one month and three days until the mystic realm closes. I'll stay here for another month."
Chen Jianghe settled his thoughts.
He took out the Peachwood Heart-Clearing Talisman Brush and the Dragon Pattern Red Pine bark he had cut earlier, and continued to draw Flame Dragon Demon-Breaking Talismans.
He had many defensive measures.
But his offensive means were lacking.
As for combat?
As a rogue cultivator, he still hadn't obtained a combat art. What was he supposed to fight demonic beasts with?
Even though he had the Silver Moon Flowing Wave Sword, without an offensive sword art, he couldn't even unleash half of its power.
For now, he needed to act with caution.
He had Profound Ice Sinking Wood and Moon Gazing Stone, as well as the main material for refining a magic treasure, Darktide Golden Sand.
As long as he could leave the mystic realm safely, he could definitely trade them for some of the treasures he currently needed.
As for keeping the Darktide Golden Sand and Profound Ice Sinking Wood, these two third-tier spiritual items?
Of course, he really wanted to.
He wasn't a fool.
He naturally knew how precious these two third-tier spiritual items were. If he traded them away, it would be difficult to obtain them again in the future.
But if he didn't trade them...
He was afraid he wouldn't even be able to get out of the Arctic Snow Forest.
Chen Jianghe took a deep breath, cleared his mind of distracting thoughts, and focused on drawing the Flame Dragon Demon-Breaking Talisman.
He wasn't worried about Gao Peiyao and Luo Xiyue's safety. Both women had powerful trump cards.
They even had Talisman Treasures in their possession.
As long as they didn't encounter a third-tier demonic beast, they could escape.
If he stayed with them, without using Xiao Hei, he would only hold them back.
Moreover, he couldn't easily reveal Xiao Hei.
He had already used the identity of Boss Feng and revealed Xiao Hei.
Ruan Tieniu, Liu Zhining, Qian Zhengdao, and Liang Wanru had all seen 'Boss Feng' riding Xiao Hei.
If he revealed Xiao Hei, Ruan Tieniu and the others would definitely suspect his identity.
Chen Jianghe wasn't worried about Ruan Tieniu.
Even if he was discovered, given Ruan Tieniu's character, he would keep it a secret for him and then get more resources from him.
But he couldn't be sure about those three sect disciples.
When his disguised identity was exposed, he would likely be attacked by a group.
In a flash.
A month passed.
He successfully drew one Flame Dragon Demon-Breaking Talisman.
There were three days left until the mystic realm closed.
Chen Jianghe prepared to go out and take a look. If he weren't worried about missing the mystic realm's exit, he would have stayed underground for another two days.
He was currently several hundred miles from the exit. Although it wasn't far, the place was riddled with restrictions. Without bringing Xiao Hei out, he didn't dare to recklessly trigger them.
Chen Jianghe woke Xiao Hei and遁 toward the surface.
When he was still thirty yards from the surface, he recalled Xiao Hei into the spirit beast space and extended his spiritual sense to check the scene outside.
The sky was filled with heavy snow, covering all traces left behind.
Only the toppled and leaning snow pines bore witness to the fierce battle that had taken place here.
Chen Jianghe took out a first-tier high-grade attack puppet. His mana broke through the surface, and the puppet leaped out immediately, its lifelike eyes scanning the surroundings.
After confirming there were no cultivators or demonic beasts around.
Only then did Chen Jianghe fly out from underground. He looked at the endless snow forest and the distant snow-capped mountains.
"Someone fought a fierce battle here."
Chen Jianghe looked at the broken snow pines. Within a three-mile radius, the pines were a mess, but only one row of them was snapped.
The breaks on the other pines were very clean, clearly caused by magical artifacts or some kind of spell.
"I wonder where Gao Peiyao and Luo Xiyue are?"
If the escape routes they mentioned were reliable, they should have gone to Golden Eagle Cliff or the Ice Palace.
He just didn't know if Gao Peiyao and Luo Xiyue were together.
As far as Chen Jianghe's mystic eye could see, there was an ice river running from east to west. He went to the riverbank, cast a water-repelling spell, and dove in, heading towards the mystic realm's exit.
He didn't dare to move too fast.
He was afraid of triggering a restriction or an ancient remnant array.
A first-tier high-grade puppet cleared the way in front, and he followed the path it took.
Half an hour passed.
Chen Jianghe suddenly broke through the ice, leaping out of the river. A faint glow flashed around him as he donned the Profound Ice Battle Armor.
He held the Silver Moon Flowing Wave Sword in his hand, his gaze fixed ahead.
The first-tier high-grade attack puppet had triggered an ancient restriction. A storm of wind blades instantly engulfed the puppet.
It was torn to shreds.
He waited for a hundred breaths. After the storm dissipated, Chen Jianghe's spiritual sense swept over the area.
Where there were restrictions, there were bound to be treasures.
"An Ice Soul Pearl!"
Chen Jianghe was overjoyed. His spiritual sense wrapped around the Ice Soul Pearl and pulled it into his hand.
It was bone-chillingly cold.
He took out a jade box and stored the Ice Soul Pearl inside.
This was a second-tier top-grade absorbable natural spiritual treasure. It could be absorbed directly, but only by someone cultivating an ice-attribute art.
To cultivate an ice-attribute art, one naturally needed an ice spirit root.
This was a special spirit root. Chen Jianghe had never seen one, or even heard of one.
Let alone a special spirit root.
He hadn't even heard of a single-attribute Heaven Spirit Root or a dual-attribute Earth Spirit Root.
However, the Ice Soul Pearl could be refined into an Origin Spirit Pill.
With the right medicinal herbs, it could be refined into a non-attribute Origin Spirit Pill, which could be used for cultivation by cultivators of any attribute.
"Something's wrong. It's too quiet."
Chen Jianghe was a little puzzled.
Although he had only traveled about twenty miles in the ice river, half an hour had passed. It shouldn't be this quiet!
There were no sounds of cultivators fighting.
Nor were there any roars from demonic beasts.
It was as if all the cultivators and demonic beasts were dead.
"Could it be that all the cultivators are in hiding?"
This possibility suddenly occurred to Chen Jianghe.
The closer it got to the end, the more cautious one needed to be.
As long as you entered the mystic realm and didn't die, you were bound to get some spiritual items.
If you showed up at the mystic realm's exit early...
You would most likely be ambushed by powerful cultivators.
*Rumble!*
A huge noise came from the west.
One moment, Chen Jianghe was thinking about how quiet it was, and the next, such a huge commotion occurred.
It was in the direction of the great snowy mountains.
However, the avalanche was not on the great snowy mountain where the Ice Palace was located, but on a smaller mountain next to it.
"A cultivator!"
Chen Jianghe released Maoqiu, activated his mystic eye, and looked toward the figure flying from the west.
When he saw the person's appearance clearly.
He subconsciously started to run.
"Brother Chen??"
"Brother Chen!"
At this moment, Ruan Tieniu had an arm growing out of one sleeve, while the other sleeve was empty and dangling.
"Brother Chen, wait! There's no danger behind me, brother."
Ruan Tieniu shouted.
Chen Jianghe communicated with Maoqiu, telling it to sense for the aura of demonic beasts. When it confirmed that none were in pursuit, he slowed down, keeping a distance of a hundred yards from Ruan Tieniu.
"Brother Ruan, you came from the western snowy mountains. What was that avalanche about?" Chen Jianghe asked.
"The avalanche? That should have something to do with you, Brother Chen. By the way, do you have any healing spirit pills on you?"
Ruan Tieniu spoke halfway before asking Chen Jianghe for medicine.