Chapter 283 - 281: Spiritual Pool

Before long, Luo Tian and the Crow neared their target, only to find the location was slightly off.

After all, the map was two months old, and the terrain of Xuankong Mountain was constantly changing.

The disciples who didn’t have a map could only search blindly at first, wasting even more time.

From a distance, Luo Tian saw a cluster of ruined buildings filled with the air of ancient times.

Nearly a hundred Demon Beasts roamed the area around the buildings. Most were at the Middle Tier of the Spirit Sea Realm, but there were also a dozen or so at the High Tier.

The one with the highest Cultivation was a Red-striped Giant Tiger at the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm. It was like the king of this place, sprawled out asleep inside the entrance to the ruins.

As is often the case, crisis and opportunity went hand in hand.

’But rushing in alone would be too difficult!’

Luo Tian frowned.

Even with his strength, just dealing with the Red-striped Giant Tiger would be quite difficult, to say nothing of the horde of other Demon Beasts.

Even the Demon Emperor Bone couldn’t intimidate so many Demon Beasts at once.

If he got surrounded, his trip to Xuankong Mountain would be over.

Luo Tian’s gaze couldn’t help but fall on the Crow.

The Crow instantly shuddered, sensing that something bad was about to happen.

"Crow, didn’t you want to sing? Look, you have an entire audience!"

Luo Tian said to the Crow.

"...Really?"

To this day, the Crow still believed its singing was a heavenly sound.

It was rather dense on this subject, so it was partially convinced.

"But I have a feeling you’re up to no good!"

the Crow added.

"How could that be? Look at these Demon Beasts—they’re all your loyal fans! If you don’t grace them with a song, would that be fair to them after they’ve waited so desperately?"

Luo Tian said with righteous conviction.

SWOOSH!

Looking thrilled, the Crow immediately shot forward, attracting the attention of many Demon Beasts.

"Ahem... If the world were dark, you’d still be ug-ly... Oh, you ugly thing, ahhh, please don’t turn on the light... Oh, you ugly thing, ahhhhhh..."

The Crow cleared its throat and, with a look of pure bliss, began to caterwaul.

At first, the Demon Beasts paid no mind to the ugly crow. But the moment it opened its beak, they all contorted their faces in savage agony and began to roar in fury.

Even the sleeping Red-striped Giant Tiger snapped open its icy, brutal eyes, unleashing a murderous aura.

Seeing this, the Crow wasn’t frightened in the least. Instead, it began to sing with even greater gusto.

It seemed to think the Demon Beasts were so moved by its heavenly voice that they were roaring to cheer it on.

The next instant, however, a dozen Demon Beasts charged forward, baring fangs and claws, looking like they wanted nothing more than to tear the Crow to shreds.

"What are you doing?"

the Crow squawked in alarm.

"It is the blessing of a lifetime for you to hear my heavenly voice, yet you’re so jealous of my handsome face that you want to kill me?"

"I was born this handsome! Killing me won’t make you any better-looking!"

The Crow looked indignant, feeling deeply wronged.

"CAW CAW CAW, retreat!"

Seeing dozens of Demon Beasts charging at it, the Crow hastily fled.

ROAR! ROAR!

The Demon Beasts roared to the heavens, their eyes bloodshot as they gave chase. Even the Red-striped Giant Tiger joined the pursuit.

’Nice one!’

Luo Tian mentally applauded the Crow’s impressive performance.

At the same time, he was left speechless by the Crow’s bizarre logic.

Even now, the Crow hadn’t realized its singing had turned the Demon Beasts hostile. It actually thought the whole mess was because it was too handsome.

Luo Tian almost didn’t have the heart to tell it the truth.

SWOOSH!

Luo Tian immediately moved toward the ruins.

Now, only ten to twenty Demon Beasts remained, with just two of them being High Tier.

CLANG!

His Ice Trace Sword left its sheath as he executed "Flowing Wind and Clouds," the second technique of the Nine Heavens Sword Technique.

A flash of frigid Sword Qi transformed into a biting wind and cold cloud, enveloping Luo Tian. The piercing Sword Qi was impenetrable, annihilating everything in its path!

Any Spirit Level Middle Tier Demon Beast that came within three meters of Luo Tian was riddled with holes by his Sword Technique.

ROAR!

The two Spirit Level High Tier Demon Beasts roared and charged murderously at Luo Tian.

One of them, a Dark Cyan Giant Wolf, shot a beam of cyan light from its mouth, kicking up a violent whirlwind.

BOOM!

Luo Tian met the cyan light beam head-on, and his Flowing Wind and Clouds technique shredded it to pieces.

His figure flickered as he closed in on the Dark Cyan Giant Wolf, instantly leaving four Sword Marks on its body.

Luo Tian had already cultivated the second technique, Flowing Wind and Clouds, to the Perfect Realm. The Swordsmanship was impenetrable, effective for both offense and defense, and excelled in group combat.

Five breaths later, the Dark Cyan Giant Wolf, covered in sword wounds, collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.

In less than twenty breaths, Luo Tian had dealt with the remaining Demon Beasts. He then blurred into an afterimage and entered the ruins.

’Huh? Why is the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi suddenly so dense?’

Luo Tian immediately sensed that something was amiss.

The inside and outside of the ruins were like two different worlds.

Inside, flowers and plants grew in lush abundance, bursting with life. The concentration of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi even surpassed that of an Upper Sect Disciple’s residence in the Yunxiao Sect.

’There seems to be a strange magnetic field here that concentrates the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, preventing it from dissipating.’

Luo Tian couldn’t be bothered to delve too deeply into the peculiarities and mysteries of Xuankong Mountain.

His only goal was to find treasures here.

’Spiritual Essence Fruit.’

Luo Tian’s eyes immediately fell on a small tree bearing three milky-white fruits that emitted a faint, sweet fragrance.

Spiritual Essence Fruits could be consumed directly to replenish one’s Vitality and refine one’s True Qi, though the latter effect was rather weak.

Among Two-star Spiritual Materials, this fruit was considered merely ordinary.

But every little bit counted, and there were many other Spiritual Materials like the Spiritual Essence Fruit in this area.

Luo Tian plucked them all.

Although he couldn’t use a Storage Ring, carrying everything would be a hassle.

But Luo Tian had the Celestial Book!

Since these materials weren’t particularly valuable and had little use for Luo Tian himself, he fed them all directly to the Celestial Book to replenish its Energy.

Within a few breaths, the dozen or so Spiritual Materials Luo Tian had gathered turned into a pile of ash, all of their power used to replenish the Celestial Book’s Energy.

Luo Tian released his Spiritual Sense, carefully surveying the area for any treasures he might have missed.

Sure enough, he discovered another Spiritual Material: Biyun Grass. It was known to greatly enhance Water Element Techniques and also had some youth-preserving properties, making it far more valuable than the previous materials.

Beyond that, Luo Tian also discovered something unusual.

There were extremely strong Energy fluctuations underground, and that was also where the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was most concentrated.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Luo Tian used a Palm Technique, striking repeatedly to blast away the rubble in front of him.

A passageway appeared before his eyes.

The entrance was covered with plants and vines. Luo Tian sent out a palm strike, clearing away the obstacles and revealing what lay beyond.

Luo Tian’s eyes immediately fell upon a pool of water underground.

The pool was shrouded in a sacred radiance, surrounded by emerald ripples, and it emanated a potent life force.

’Could this be... a Spiritual Pool?’

Luo Tian recalled the words a Yunxiao Sect senior had left behind in the valley.

The Spiritual Pool was the key to the Xuankong Mountain trial.

’But how is it the key?’

The water in the Spiritual Pool was a pure, pale green, and it shimmered with a faint light. One glance was enough to tell it was extraordinary.

’I’ll try a sip!’

Luo Tian moved closer.

HUM!

As he came within a meter of the Spiritual Pool, the surrounding emerald ripples suddenly released a powerful resistance.

The emerald waves surged, making them difficult to penetrate.

The surrounding vines seemed to come alive, transforming into tentacles that snaked toward Luo Tian.

SWISH! SWISH! SLASH!

Luo Tian immediately drew his sword and slashed the surrounding vines to pieces.

But the severed vines quickly grew back and continued to snake toward him.

Luo Tian was surrounded by countless vines and was about to retreat.

But then he discovered that his body was somehow pushing through the layer of emerald light, getting closer to the Spiritual Pool.

If he could just hold on a little longer, he would reach the Spiritual Pool!

’Activate!’

Luo Tian immediately activated his Nether Dragon Divine Vein. Faint, dark scales shimmered on his back, and a vortex of dark, icy cold enveloped an area a dozen meters around him!

Instantly, the cold eroded the vines, causing frost to form on their surfaces and slowing them down.

Luo Tian’s Divine Vein Power also contained a life-stifling force that further restrained the vines.

Seizing the opportunity, he unleashed all the True Qi in his body, resisting the obstruction of the emerald light as he pushed inward!

BUZZ! SIZZLE!

The surrounding vines were constantly growing stronger, becoming thicker and tougher. The frost on their surfaces began to peel away as they snaked toward Luo Tian once more.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! SLICE!

At one point, four or five arm-thick vines shot out like lightning-fast arrows, powerful enough to instantly pierce even the Protective True Qi of someone at the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm.

But just at that moment, Luo Tian broke through the barrier of emerald light and reached the Spiritual Pool.

One of his hands touched the water inside.

Instantly.

HUM! HUM!

The pale green liquid in the Spiritual Pool surged up as if it were sentient, transforming into emerald water snakes that coiled around Luo Tian’s hand!

Luo Tian was badly startled, but he didn’t struggle free, as he sensed no danger.

He could feel the immense Energy from the Spiritual Pool gathering in his palm.

Gradually, the pale green liquid in the entire Spiritual Pool began to lose its color.

Meanwhile, three emerald-green marks began to form on the back of Luo Tian’s hand. They looked like three glistening droplets of water.

SPLASH!

The water coiling around Luo Tian’s arm splashed back into the Spiritual Pool.

The emerald light protecting the Spiritual Pool faded away, and the thick, menacing vines began to wither, no longer a threat.

The Spiritual Pool, which had seemed so mysterious and extraordinary just moments ago, now looked like any ordinary pool of water.

’What are these three marks?’

Luo Tian looked at the back of his hand, a puzzled expression on his face.

Just then, Luo Tian suddenly had a sense of impending danger.

He left the underground passage and returned to the surface, where he immediately saw a dozen or so Demon Beasts approaching in the distance.

’The Demon Beasts that were chasing the Crow are back!’

Luo Tian’s expression changed, and he prepared for a swift departure.

But suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted.

ROAR!

A bloodthirsty, malevolent wind swept out in all directions, toppling trees.

Luo Tian’s eardrums rang. He saw the Red-striped Giant Tiger from the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm staring at him, its face savage, its eyes bloodshot, and its killing intent palpable!

RUMBLE! WHOOSH!

The next moment, the Red-striped Giant Tiger led a dozen other Demon Beasts in a frenzied charge, intending to tear the human who had invaded their territory to shreds!

’This is bad!’

Luo Tian’s face fell.

This was no place to linger. If he were surrounded by Demon Beasts, he wouldn’t be able to escape even if he sprouted wings.

The Sixth-Layer Spirit Sea Vortex inside Luo Tian’s body began to spin, causing a massive amount of True Qi to erupt and condense in his palm!

Guiyuan Cloud-Dispelling Hand!

Luo Tian held nothing back, unleashing his full power. He sent a five-to-six-meter-tall, crystalline-yellow giant palm smashing forward like a massive wall.

Just then, one of the green droplet marks on the back of Luo Tian’s hand suddenly flashed, erupting with a brilliant, magnificent emerald glow!

This emerald glow blasted out along with Luo Tian’s Guiyuan Cloud-Dispelling Hand!

Wherever the Palm Technique passed, the surrounding plants began to grow frantically.

BOOM!

The Red-striped Giant Tiger opened its mouth and roared, firing a raging crimson shockwave that struck the Guiyuan Cloud-Dispelling Hand head-on.

The solid and heavy Guiyuan Cloud-Dispelling Hand, which excelled at defense, was pierced and shattered by the tiger’s Attack, exploding in a burst of yellowish-green light.

But it wasn’t over yet.

RUMBLE! WHOOSH!

All the plants within a radius of several dozen meters began to grow wildly, sprouting blade-like leaves. Dozens of vines shot out, their surfaces covered in sharp thorns.

A few flowers even grew to the size of millstones, then suddenly opened their gaping maws and chomped down on a Demon Beast!