bookbashuk Chapter 177 The Monster at the Bottom of the Pool, the Yaksha Serpent
Chapter 177 The Monster at the Bottom of the Pool, the Yaksha Serpent
Zhang Lingyu and his two companions, having set up an array around the valley, followed the token's signal and ventured deeper into the valley.
It must be said that Master Mingyu hid his cave very well; even a Golden Core cultivator wandering around the valley might not be able to find its location.
After flying for nearly fifteen minutes, a pool of water appeared in front of the three of them. It looked ordinary, but in fact, it contained a hidden mystery.
"Following the token's guidance, the cave dwelling is just below. Lingyu, you should get ready."
With his destination in sight, Zhang Yuanhua dared not be careless in the slightest. He quickly took out two top-grade third-tier talismans and affixed them to his robe, while keeping the spells in his sleeves firmly in his palms at all times.
"Understood." The two didn't dare to be careless and followed the old man's method as well.
After the preparations were completed, they each cast a water-controlling spell and burrowed into the bottom of the pool.
From the outside, the pool doesn't look very deep, but once you actually enter the water, you'll find that even Foundation Establishment cultivators can't see the bottom with their divine sense.
"I never imagined there was such a hidden world beneath the pool. No wonder that Master Mingyu set up his cave here."
Zhang Xingyao sensed the surrounding environment and couldn't help but sigh. Tianshui County was named this because the area was extremely rich in water resources and had numerous underground rivers.
There is also a large lake on land called Tianshui Lake, with an artificial island in the center, which is now the location of the Yunhai Cave sect.
It is said that this prefecture was originally no different from Yingchuan Prefecture. There was a Nascent Soul cultivator who wanted to attain enlightenment and ascend to immortality here, but unfortunately he failed by the slightest bit.
Because the other party was a water-element cultivator, the strange phenomenon of his death caused extreme changes in the local earth veins, with the central point transforming into a celestial lake and underground rivers flowing continuously within the county.
The higher a cultivator's cultivation level, the greater their power. While Foundation Establishment cultivators may not be able to fill the sea, they can still accomplish small tasks like moving mountains.
Therefore, if a Nascent Soul cultivator wanted to, changing the spiritual energy of an entire prefecture would be a piece of cake, let alone the fall of a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.
According to the intelligence system, the cave is located at the bottom of the pool. Because of an external array, its aura cannot be detected by cultivators outside.
While using water escape, Zhang Lingyu observed his surroundings. There were quite a few spiritual plants and objects near the bottom of the pool. Although none of them were above the fourth rank, he left nothing behind, hoping to exchange them for spirit stones.
Perhaps they were cultivators practicing the Fire element, and their auras could not be well concealed. Or perhaps there were powerful demonic beasts at the bottom of the pool. As the three of them approached the bottom of the pool, they could see the demonic beasts that usually hid at the bottom rushing in from all directions as if they had smelled some delicious food.
The once calm waters at the bottom of the pool suddenly began to flow violently, and low growls approached from afar, indicating that at least four demonic beasts were getting closer.
Zhang Lingyu had anticipated this; even the four strongest were only at the mid-level of the fourth rank.
"Xingyao, Lingyu, each of you deal with one low-level fourth-tier beast, and leave the remaining two to me."
Zhang Yuanhua reacted extremely quickly, unleashing the spell he had prepared in his sleeve, and simultaneously taking out the Bright Jade Mystic Light Ruler to fiercely attack the two demonic beasts.
Although their cultivation techniques are somewhat suppressed at the bottom of the pool, it's not a big problem. The main issue is the water pressure, which causes them to need to consume more magical energy to activate their magical artifacts.
In contrast, the monsters can come and go freely in their home turf.
Therefore, even with Zhang Yuanhua, a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, present, they dared to rush forward recklessly, disregarding the danger.
Zhang Lingyu was facing a Xuan Shui Ao, which seemed to be the weakest of the four demonic beasts, but its defense was top-notch.
Moreover, once a demon beast reaches the fourth rank, it already possesses considerable intelligence. Just as this Xuan Shui Ao was about to get close, it suddenly stopped.
Although it didn't seem to make any move, a vortex suddenly appeared in the center of the human and the demon, and it continued to expand at an extremely fast speed.
The powerful suction caused the protective aura around Zhang Lingyu's body to flicker. If it were to expand further, it would inevitably be sucked in and then its body torn to pieces by the water pressure.
In contrast, the Xuan Shui Ao remained standing motionless in the distance, clearly indicating that this phenomenon was caused by it.
"Lingyu, watch out!"
"Please rest assured, elders, I know what I'm doing."
Zhang Lingyu first calmed the two down, then the Phoenix Feather Flowing Light Shuttle beneath her feet shone brightly, instantly escaping the vortex's range.
Even so, the vortex is still expanding, and it is not an easy task to attack the Xuan Shui Ao. Moreover, the beast's shell is too hard and must be broken through with thunderous means.
"Due to the influence of the vortex, the water pressure is increasing; we must act quickly."
A thought flashed through Zhang Lingyu's mind, and she made a hand seal. Instantly, underwater mist surged, covering everything nearby. Zhang Xingyao, who was far away, sensed that the mist actually had the effect of suppressing divine sense.
The Art of Concealing Clouds.
Although the cultivators in the clan cannot cultivate for the time being, there are no taboos for them, who are Foundation Establishment cultivators, since there are no cultivators from the Tranquil Mind Pavilion nearby.
The mist generated by the "Cloud-Concealing Technique" is still expanding underwater, but due to some eddies, it is being absorbed little by little.
"But that's enough."
With the cover of the fog, Zhang Lingyu quickly approached the Xuan Shui Ao. The opponent was very cautious and used its innate divine power as soon as the fog appeared.
Water shield.
It had already retracted its limbs and head, and a thin film of water covered its thick shell. Although it looked inconspicuous, it was something that ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could not do anything about.
Moreover, being underwater, the spells of the Zhang family cultivators practicing the "Purple Sun Secret Manual" were weakened by ten percent invisibly.
But he is proficient in earth magic and lightning magic!
Nine Heavens Thunderclap Technique.
"Boom!"
The raging lightning collided with the water elemental shield of the Xuan Shui Ao, and the pool water instantly vaporized, turning into white mist that surged to both sides.
The Xuan Shui Ao had sensed a deadly threat, and the water ripples on its carapace flickered violently as it tried to further strengthen its defense. Unfortunately, the thunder was too powerful, and three breaths later, a faint but clear cracking sound rang out, and the water film covering the tortoise shell shattered, revealing its smooth body.
The struck body sank sharply, crashing into the bottom of the pool, raising a cloud of dust.
Roar!
The Xuan Shui Ao let out a deep, angry roar, and violently swung its tail fin, trying to escape into the distance.
It relies mainly on its own defense and innate supernatural powers to hunt for food. Unfortunately, the Water Shield is no longer effective, and the lightning has caused some damage to its internal organs.
If we continue to deal with this, our lives will inevitably be in danger.
It would be better to take advantage of the distance now and escape quickly, even if it means suffering some more injuries!
"Trying to escape?"
Zhang Lingyu snorted coldly, and lightning gathered in his palm, transforming into a lightning spear that he hurled at the target. Xuan Shui'ao once again used the Water Element Shield to defend against it.
Although it managed to defend itself, the massive impact further aggravated the injuries to its internal organs, causing it to cough up a considerable amount of blood after fleeing some distance.
But the more it did this, the less it dared to look back.
After fleeing for some distance, Xuan Shui'ao dared to look back. Only when he saw that no one was chasing him did he slow down.
"Chirp!"
Before it could react, it suddenly heard the sound of running water. Its keen intuition told it that the other party had caught up and was about to put all four limbs into its shell.
Unexpectedly, a dazzling white light appeared before his eyes, and violent lightning struck his entire body. The intense pain rendered him completely immobile, and then his vision blurred.
When the thunder subsided, a figure flew in from afar. He summoned his flying sword back, carefully collected the corpse of the Xuan Shui Ao, and then turned and disappeared.
After Zhang Lingyu finished packing, she quickly returned to meet up with Zhang Yuanhua. The water was already a dark red, and the four demonic beasts that had dominated this place for many years had lost their lives in vain.
"Is it resolved?" The two greeted the boy with smiles as he returned.
Fourth-tier demonic beasts are rare, and most of them are located in the inner perimeter of the Ten Thousand Spirits Mountain Range. Obtaining four demonic cores at once can be considered as preparing the materials for refining Foundation Establishment Pills in advance.
Zhang Lingyu nodded and smiled, "The shell of this Xuan Shui Ao is a good thing. When we get back, we can at least refine a mid-grade Foundation Establishment defensive magic weapon."
"Even if I sell it, I can get more than 10,000 spirit stones."
"Haha, your great-grandfather and I also had a good harvest." Zhang Xingyao smiled after hearing this. The monsters he and the old man dealt with were no less powerful than the Xuan Shui Ao.
It can be said that before even entering the cave, they had already amassed nearly 60,000 spirit stones.
"Alright, let's hurry up and go in." Seeing this, Zhang Yuanhua urged them on, as the smell of blood underwater was too strong and would easily attract other monsters.
The environment here is obviously not suitable for monsters to advance to the fourth rank, but considering that Tianshui County has many underground rivers and is well-connected, the Xuan Shui Ao and other monsters may have migrated from other places.
The three of them continued down and soon reached the bottom of the pool. Although all around them were rocks and sand, the token used for guidance remained standing still.
In the message he conveyed, Master Mingyu also explained the reason: in order to prevent the cave from being discovered or destroyed by outsiders, a special formation was set up outside to conceal it.
"What a brilliant formation."
Even with his peak Foundation Establishment level, Zhang Yuanhua couldn't discern the array in front of him; it was most likely a high-grade or top-grade fourth-order array.
If such a formation could be dismantled and moved, whether placed in Xiaohe Village or near the spirit stone mine, the risk of it being discovered would be greatly reduced.
"Let's see if we can dismantle the formation after we enter the cave."
The old man pondered for a moment, then returned to the problem at hand. Although the three of them couldn't break through the great formation, the information said that as long as they activated the token with all their might, the entrance would naturally appear before them.
"This master really takes good care of rogue cultivators."
Zhang Lingyu joked that with this series of actions, the cultivators who obtained the tokens acquired the inheritance almost effortlessly. If things were even more direct, the inheritance could be placed inside the tokens.
As magical power was continuously poured in, the token shone brightly. Although there was no movement around, an entrance could be seen suddenly appearing not far away.
The three exchanged a glance and then quickly flew off in that direction.
The cave was damp and dark. Zhang Yuanhua and Zhang Xingyao were on tenterhooks. The so-called Mingyu Zhenren had taken such good care of them that they hadn't encountered much danger along the way.
This phenomenon is extremely abnormal.
In the cultivation world, most cave dwellings are fraught with danger. In the end, the inheritance might be a scam, designed to kill those cultivators who are blinded by greed.
However, many great cultivators are devoted to their lineage and are willing to leave their mantle for future generations to inherit.
Therefore, it was under such complex psychological pressure that they struggled with whether to come or not.
However, Zhang Lingyu, who had some intelligence, knew that apart from the Yaksha serpent guarding the outside of the cave, there wasn't much danger.
After walking for about 15 minutes, specks of light began to appear underfoot. These were ghost lamp grasses, which often grow in dark caves. Although they are not considered spiritual plants, they can still provide some visibility.
Since these ghostly grasses have appeared, it proves that they are almost there.
As they quickened their pace, their view suddenly opened up, revealing another deep pool in front of them, with the official entrance to the cave on the opposite bank.
"Everyone be careful..."
Zhang Yuanhua immediately stopped the two of them. Wasn't this blatant design clearly telling them that there was danger ahead?
Sure enough, a large number of bubbles soon rose from the pool, and a huge shadowy figure hovered at the bottom of the pool, ready to burst out of the water at any moment.
Perhaps out of fear of Zhang Yuanhua's strength, or perhaps seeking an opportunity to strike, they have yet to show themselves.
Zhang Lingyu and the others weren't in a hurry. They had the upper hand now. After waiting for almost a quarter of an hour, the shadowy creature could no longer suppress its hunger. Its massive body burst out of the water and lunged at one of them.
The target is Zhang Lingyu, who is located in the center!
He was the weakest among those present, and therefore the easiest to manipulate.
"You beast, we've been waiting for you!"
Zhang Yuanhua and his companion simultaneously unleashed their magical artifacts, one wielding a jade ruler and the other a jade wheel, hurling them fiercely at Youying.
"Boom!"
The sudden attack caught the shadowy creature off guard. It tried desperately to change direction, but it still couldn't dodge. With a painful roar, its massive body crashed into the rock wall beside it, causing the cave to shake violently.
Only then did the three of them get a clear look at its appearance.
"It's a Yaksha serpent!"
Zhang Xingyao recognized the monster at a glance. As an ancient and exotic species, the Yaksha Nether Serpent was not only enormous in size, but also had a strong desire to attack. Judging from its aura, it was not far from the peak of the fourth rank.
"This Master Mingyu is really taking care of us. If there weren't three of us, we probably would have been doomed here."
The Yaksha Serpent is known for its speed, its venomous fangs, and its scales, which can withstand most attacks. But these are not the most important features. Its head, shaped like a Yaksha, can spew out poisonous mist that is specifically designed to target the soul.
If a cultivator is exposed to poisonous fog for a long time, he will first feel dizzy and his magic power will not flow smoothly. After a while, the toxins will completely invade his soul and become extremely difficult to remove.
It was through these two methods that the Yaksha Nether Serpent was able to make a great name for itself in the cultivation world.
Sure enough, as the opponent's massive body slowly rose, the ghostly face on its forehead slowly opened its lips, spewing out a ghastly green poisonous mist.
Zhang Lingyu and the other two had already made preparations for this, and they all activated their protective spiritual shields.
When the poisonous fog completely filled the entire cave, the Yaksha serpent began to constantly weave through it, waiting for its chance to strike.
"Um?"
The three, who were originally preparing to take the initiative to attack, suddenly found that the spiritual light of their protective shield was flickering and was fading at an extremely fast speed. It seemed that the poisonous fog not only affected the soul, but also had a significant corrosive effect on magic power.
"This is a difficult situation."
......
......