Inside the Yuehua Pagoda.
Ling Xiao slowly opened his eyes.
Peak of the Eighth Mortal Realm.
That was his current cultivation level.
After a period of absorption and transformation, his cultivation had advanced from the early stage of the Eighth Mortal Realm to the late stage, a rather challenging leap.
In the past, this amount of energy would have been enough to propel him directly from the First Mortal Realm to the Sixth Mortal Realm.
Indeed, the higher the level, the slower the progress.
Fortunately, no one else heard his thoughts, or they’d be furious. His cultivation speed was practically unmatched.
Especially after entering the Seventh Mortal Realm, where progress became excruciatingly slow, yet he had managed to reach the peak of the Eighth Mortal Realm in such a short time, it was enough to make others green with envy.
Standing up, Ling Xiao glanced at the prison shrouded in black mist in the distance.
According to the Heavenly Maiden of Yuehua, that was where the Primordial Behemoths were imprisoned, likely the most dangerous place in the Yuehua Pagoda. Entering there would almost certainly lead to elimination.
But having come this far, even elimination didn’t seem like a big deal.
With that thought, Ling Xiao leapt towards that direction.
He soon reached his destination.
Calling it a prison was a stretch, it was more like a vast basin.
The basin, shrouded in black mist, was several thousand metres deep.
Thanks to the abilities of his Mountain and River Martial Soul, golden light flickered in Ling Xiao’s eyes, allowing him to see what lay at the bottom of the basin.
It was a sprawling primeval jungle.
A dragonfly there was seven or eight metres long.
A centipede, resembling a divine dragon, stretched over ten metres.
And the towering, majestic sub-dragon species were all colossal monsters.
These terrifying Primordial Behemoths were slaughtering each other, turning the area into a veritable purgatory.
Ling Xiao swallowed hard.
Because he realised that any creature down there could easily take his life.
The weakest among them had the strength of a nine-tenths Half-Step Celestial!
“Huh? What a find, such massive Five Elemental Fruits!”
Ling Xiao was shocked to discover that within the basin, there were Five Elemental Fruits of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, each a hundred times larger than those he had obtained in the second trial.
Their effects were undoubtedly exceptional.
Though wary of the monsters, having come this far, Ling Xiao wasn’t about to leave empty-handed.
He had to go down and investigate.
Fortunately, the creatures weren’t densely packed everywhere.
There were still many areas free of monsters, and if he could conceal his aura, gathering a few more spiritual fruits wasn’t impossible.
With that in mind, he didn’t hesitate, leaping into the basin and landing on the ground in an instant. Using the cover of massive wild grasses, four to five metres tall, Ling Xiao quickly collected several Five Elemental Fruits.
The Wood Spirit Fruit was what he needed most right now.
Once he gathered all five types of spiritual fruits, he could condense the Five Elemental Body, significantly boosting his elemental resistance. This would lay a strong foundation for advancing to the Celestial Realm.
The stronger his body and the higher his elemental resistance, the greater his chances of condensing the “Celestial Vein.”
Before long, Ling Xiao had collected dozens of spiritual fruits of various attributes, enough to last him a while.
Just as he was about to leave, a massive cold pool caught his eye.
Based on his experience, with such abundant energy in the pool, there had to be something valuable inside.
Why not check it out?
One shouldn’t enter a treasure mountain and leave empty-handed!
Now that he was the only one left in the Yuehua Pagoda, there was no need to worry about interruptions. He could explore boldly.
Besides, the higher his cultivation, the more resources he needed. Despite the abundant rewards he had gained this time, he’d likely be strapped for resources again soon.
A martial artist’s cultivation didn’t rely solely on effort and talent, it required vast resources to sustain.
With that thought, Ling Xiao sent his soul force into the cold pool.
This was the safest approach.
He didn’t know what dangers lurked in the pool, and diving in recklessly could cost him his life.
Boom!
“What! My soul force was shattered!”
Ling Xiao was startled.
His soul force was exceptionally strong, comparable to that of a Celestial Realm expert, yet it was obliterated by an even more powerful soul force after penetrating less than ten metres.
This suggested that whatever was down there was incredibly formidable!
With that, Ling Xiao took out a sealing card and released the Mortal Blade Master.
This was a Half-Step Celestial with five-tenths strength. If even this couldn’t reach the depths of the pool, he wouldn’t bother going down.
The monsters released from sealing cards were spiritually linked to their master.
Thus, whatever the Mortal Blade Master saw, Ling Xiao could see clearly.
Crack, crack!
The cold pool was indeed frigid.
As soon as the Mortal Blade Master entered the water, he felt waves of chilling energy, as if trying to freeze him solid.
Fortunately, as a Half-Step Celestial, a surge of true essence shattered the ice forming on his body.
But Ling Xiao wasn’t relaxed in the slightest.
This was just the surface, who knew what horrors awaited deeper down.
When the Mortal Blade Master dove to three or four hundred metres, the terrifying pressure and cold made Ling Xiao shiver.
It wasn’t the pressure of the water but something seeping from the pool’s bottom, likely a treasure.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so terrifying.
Black-golden light flickered in Ling Xiao’s eyes as he channelled more soul force into the Mortal Blade Master to help him withstand the pressure. Without it, the Mortal Blade Master wouldn’t make it to the bottom.
Four hundred metres!
Five hundred metres!
Six hundred metres!
…
At a thousand metres deep, the Mortal Blade Master’s movements became stiff.
Ling Xiao frowned, infusing a trace of black hellfire into the soul force within the Mortal Blade Master.
With the flame’s arrival, the Mortal Blade Master’s movements became fluid again.
If not for the fear that the black hellfire might destroy the Mortal Blade Master, Ling Xiao would have infused more.
But this should be enough for now.
Yet, the pool still hadn’t reached its bottom!
Ling Xiao cautiously guided the Mortal Blade Master to continue descending, activating the Mountain and River Will to protect him.
With the strength of a Half-Step Celestial and Ling Xiao’s will, comparable to a Celestial Realm expert, he finally reached the bottom.
“Good, I’ve reached the bottom. Let’s see what’s down here that makes this cold pool so terrifying.”
Through the Mortal Blade Master’s eyes, Ling Xiao saw that the pool’s bottom was mostly soft sand, but one spot was a pitch-black stone.
Others might overlook it.
But Ling Xiao couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.
