82 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

Chapter 82 The Little Snake Spirit finally regained her composure from the initial shock, only to realize that something was increasingly wrong with the opponent. Her cultivation level was plummeting at an alarming rate. Moreover, the opponent kept talking to thin air. Could there be someone else here? The mere thought made the Little Snake Spirit even more cautious. He had already reached the Golden Core stage, yet he couldn't detect the presence of the other party. Could there be a powerful entity hidden by their side? Thinking about this, the Little Snake Spirit felt immensely fortunate that she hadn't made a move earlier. If she had, she might have been defeated by this hidden powerhouse. Mingzhu stood nearby, pacing anxiously while muttering, "If only my true form were still here; unfortunately, it was lost long ago to seal something." Baifan had fully transformed into a flood dragon now. His tail, formerly that of a snake, had morphed into something fish-like with prominent bone spurs—more than just ornamental, it was a formidable weapon. When his tail struck the cave wall, cracks spider-webbed outward, even reaching the Dragon Transformation Pool. The boiling water inside the Dragon Transformation Pool suddenly leaked through a crack, which heart-wrenchingly caught the Little Snake Spirit's eyes. This pool was invaluable for purging impurities from one's bloodline and enhancing qualities—an irreplaceable boon for snake species like hers, which had even a smidgen of flood dragon lineage. Unable to bear watching the Dragon Transformation Pool get ruined, the Little Snake Spirit dove in, hoping to fully enhance her potential while she still could. The pool was several tens of feet wide, spacious enough even for two giant pythons. Baifan could feel the fierce battle within himself, with his cultivation level plummeting rapidly. The once abundant spiritual energy inside him had become sparse, and the struggle between the two forces inside him was diminishing due to the lack of energy. As Baifan spat blood nonchalantly, Mingzhu suddenly screamed. "I've got a solution!" "What solution?" Baifan, desperate, didn't care who this woman was. Surviving this ordeal was his only priority. "Yehe." "My name is Baifan, not Yehe." "Yehe, to resolve the current situation, you can only shatter both cores and then fuse them." Baifan coughed up more blood in disbelief. "Are you dreaming? Shattering my Golden Core means losing my cultivation entirely. How am I supposed to live? You're basically asking me to mutilate myself." Mingzhu impatiently clarified, "That's not what I mean. I mean a different way of shattering the cores, not the conventional one." "What way? Hurry up and tell me." Mingzhu stepped up to Baifan and demonstrated the technique to shatter the cores. Baifan was stunned—to him, there was no difference. It looked like she was suggesting smashing the Golden Core and flood dragon core into mush, then mixing them to form a new purple core. This seemed easy, but in reality, who could manage it? "Like this." "I can't do it." "You can. You possess dragon blood, which can refine these cores without breaking them." Half-believing but with no other choice, Baifan decided to try. He forced both the Golden Core and flood dragon core out of his body. The two cores emitted a vibrant vitality. As they left his body, Baifan felt his strength wane; even his claws buckled, bringing his body closer to the ground. "Now what?" Baifan weakly asked Mingzhu. Mingzhu floated over the cores, her face serious. "Now, bleed." Grimacing, Baifan used his claws to slice his abdomen, letting the hot orange blood gush out. Impacted by Baifan's spiritual energy, the blood didn't flow into the Dragon Transformation Pool but formed an orange-yellow blood sphere, slowly moving towards the cores. Enveloping the cores, the blood began to sear like flames. The cores remained unmoved, but Baifan felt as if his very essence was burning—the scales began to redden. "More blood," urged Mingzhu urgently. Seeing that the cores were untouched, Baifan slashed another wound on his abdomen, sending more orange-yellow blood toward the cores. He didn't let his wounds heal, continuously feeding blood, trying to speed up the fusion. Meanwhile, the Little Snake Spirit didn't dare move upon seeing the two cores. This phenomenon was beyond her comprehension. How could a demon possess two cores? How was this even possible? Baifan's body turned crimson, his aura weakened, and his cultivation dropped to the third layer of Foundation Building. At this rate, he would lose all his cultivation soon. Mingzhu anxiously stared at the merging cores. Thanks to Baifan's blood, the cores finally began to fuse into a golden-blue dual-colored core, not the anticipated purple one. "The fusion isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough. Hurry and take it back," Mingzhu instructed after examining the core. Baifan quickly retrieved the core. As it re-entered his body, his weakness began to alleviate. This new core, having fused outside his body, made him feel a foreign rejection. "How do you feel?" Mingzhu asked. "A bit of rejection." "That's due to the method of refining. But it’s a lot better compared to before. Night River, you really don't remember me?" Baifan headed back to the Dragon Transformation Pool, his lantern-sized golden eyes fixated on Mingzhu, confirming she had mistaken him for someone else. "I'm not Night River. Call me Baifan." Mingzhu's smile was somewhat forced. "It’s okay if you don’t remember me. As long as I remember you, I’ll wait for you to recall." Seeing her persistence, Baifan felt helpless. If she wanted to wait, he wouldn't stop her. As his Golden Core returned, his cultivation began to recover, albeit very slowly. It would take at least ten days to half a month. Baifan felt concerned about He Yiman, who was still under the Enlightenment Tree. Would she come looking for me? The Little Snake Spirit remained absolutely still, convinced that the hidden powerhouse was still around. She only hoped to be ignored entirely. Entering a deep slumber to recover, Baifan remained unconscious for over half a month. When he awoke, the Little Snake Spirit was long gone, leaving Mingzhu idly staring into space. Hearing Baifan awaken, Mingzhu ran over with a smile. "Night River, you’re awake!" "Mm." Baifan felt odd being called someone else's name, as if another person resided within him. "Today is the last day the underground palace will be open. If you don’t leave now, you might be trapped here for over a hundred years." "What? The underground palace is closing?" Mingzhu nodded, floating closer. "This place was a refuge left by the Middle Land Dynasty, but it’s severely damaged from the great war. It used to open once every hundred years, but now it might take even longer, assuming it ever opens again once the earth veins settle." Alarmed, Baifan swiftly rose, causing a burst of wind and water. "What are we waiting for? Let’s go." Mingzhu beamed, nodding. "Follow me. I know the quickest way out." Baifan transformed into a human, his masculine attire making Mingzhu’s eyes shine. "I didn’t expect Night River’s new body to be this attractive." Feeling slightly embarrassed by Mingzhu's praise, Baifan furrowed his brows and pretended not to care. "Ahem, let's just get going." "Alright, I'll lead the way," Mingzhu said, floating effortlessly ahead. Following behind, Baifan felt a conflicting mix of emotions, constantly pondering why Mingzhu had mistaken him for someone else. Unable to hold back any longer, he finally asked, "How are you so sure that I'm Yehe? Do I really resemble him?" Leading the way, Mingzhu replied, "Because only Yehe could break my seal. I arranged everything ten thousand years ago, so there’s no mistake. No matter what form Yehe takes, I won’t be wrong. I even pleaded with Lord Shang back then, and he foretold that I would see Yehe again ten millennia later, and that Yehe himself would break my seal." Baifan, cautious, asked, "Maybe this Lord Shang made a mistake. It could just have been a coincidence that I broke your seal. And look at me—I really don't resemble your Yehe." Shaking her head vehemently, Mingzhu insisted, "Lord Shang never makes mistakes. He even predicted the fall of the Middle Land Dynasty. Without his foresight, this underground palace wouldn’t exist." Baifan thought she had too much faith in this Lord Shang. He sighed inwardly, feeling that her unwavering conviction was putting him in a tough spot. "Why is there a Dragon Transformation Pool in the underground palace?" Hopping along in front, Mingzhu's pink outfit made her look like a youthful girl, making it hard to believe she was a ghost that had lived for over ten thousand years. "That's because Lord Shang is of the dragon race, so having a Dragon Transformation Pool here isn't surprising." "But, shouldn't a cultivation dynasty—" "The Middle Land Dynasty wasn’t just composed of humans. I, for example, am not entirely human." ... (Client, I'm off to take a bath. Thank you to the lovely reader who cast a vote or donated nutrient solutions.) Thank you to the lovely readers for the [nutrient solutions]: NanBei 50 bottles; 27281623 38 bottles; Exhausted Soul 4 bottles; SangSang 1 bottle; Thank you all for your support. I will continue to work hard! Previous Chapter Table of Contents Next Chapter