110 - Dungeon Growth Log

No matter how much of a nuisance the system is, at this point, there’s no way to make peace with this Jiao Long. The grudge over the stolen inner core is irrevocable; clearly, one must die for the other to survive. The green Jiao Long writhed in agony for a moment before lashing its tail, chained with iron, against the green water. Instantly, enormous waves surged. Clutching Chu Yi, Xia Ge dived deep into the water, moving so swiftly she choked on it. Surprisingly, for someone normally struggling to swim, Xia Ge found herself maneuvering effortlessly in the dark green water, feeling no discomfort. This was because the water, being laced with the Jiao Long’s blood, resonated with her after she had consumed its inner core. After a wave had passed, Xia Ge prepared to resurface when she noticed a faint glimmer beneath the water’s depths. That glow tugged at her curiosity, making it impossible for her to resist checking it out. “Boom—” The water stirred vigorously! The Jiao Long had also plunged into the water! Realizing the danger, Xia Ge pulled Chu Yi up with the current and sprang out of the water. They reached a small, dry rock untouched by the water, and Xia Ge settled Chu Yi down carefully. Unwrapping Xiang Si from her wrist, Xia Ge whispered, “Guard her.” Xiang Si, uneasy, nuzzled against the back of her hand. “You protect her,” Xia Ge said softly. “I’ll be fine.” Hardly had she spoken before the Jiao Long burst out of the water. The burnt wound around its neck, soaked in the blood-green pool, showed no traces of the former char. It emerged unscathed! The dragon rampaged out of the rock pool, scattering green water everywhere. Chu Yi, still disoriented and choking, seemed on the verge of waking. Quickly, Xia Ge bought medicine from the system’s marketplace and administered it, causing Chu Yi to drift back into unconsciousness. Worry etched her face as she questioned the system: “There truly aren’t any side effects, right?” System: “…You ask that after already feeding her the medicine?” Xia Ge: “I couldn’t explain it if she woke up now.” System: “Wait…what are you planning?” Surviving comes first. She could worry about niceties later. “Roar—” Infuriated by the ants beneath it who didn’t regard it highly, the Jiao Long roared, “You impudent wretch!!” Subsequently, a differently colored, green fire erupted with intensity! This green flame was riddled with skulls and thick resentment, resembling eerie ghost fire, striking fear into hearts! Xia Ge’s dark eyes reflected the roaring flames as she muttered, “I want… to take a gamble.” System: “Wha…” the system began but Xia Ge was already leaping, drawing out the scythe she had stored in her ring. Dodging the green flames, she dived back into the dragon blood pool! Xiang Si unfurled, shielding Chu Yi from the green flames! However, this particular fire was adhesive; it even ignited the water’s surface. With the green flames sticking to it, the skulls within twisted grotesquely, unquenchable! Beneath the undulating surface, oblivious to the fierce external flames, Xia Ge fixated on the glow emanating from the pool’s depths. Enraged, the Jiao Long bellowed. It only wanted the thief of its inner core to meet a grave end. As it dived back into the water, a red electric surge suddenly materialized, transforming into a dense red web in an instant. This web bore traces of the unextinguished green ghost fire and seared net-like imprints onto the dragon’s head! It was Xiang Si! The dragon snarled, “What is this thing?!” Underwater. Xia Ge swam rapidly. At first, she felt alright, but the prolonged exposure started becoming problematic. It was hot. Like she was being scorched. The initial ease in the water vanished altogether. Coughing up water, the Jiao Long’s inner core began to heat abnormally, causing her body to overheat. System: “This is bad! Get out of there, now!” “…What’s happening?” System: “The Jiao blood and core are resonating!! It’s triggering an automatic body refinement because of your physical incompatibility!” “There’s no time—” Enduring through the discomfort, Xia Ge swam deeper, discovering the source of the light, eyes wide in surprise: “This is…” The source of the light was an array. At its heart lay a flute. This flute, covered in layers of green moss, was indistinguishable in form. Yet, from its grimy husk, it emitted a soft white glow, compelling further examination. However, it wasn’t the demonic aura-laden flute that captivated Xia Ge, but the array sealing it… The array harnessed the power within the Jiao blood, acting as its source, sealing the flute. Feeling the searing heat intensify, the system warned, “Don’t look anymore! Get out of there! You can’t handle this refinement process right now!” Xia Ge pressed on, “No…this array…” System: "What about the array?" Xia Ge: “I saw it in the ancestral tomb…one of three arrays.” The system paused. The first was a spiritual gathering array that had allowed Xia Ge to excel during the Dan Summit entrance exam, crafting a three-life golden pill to become a special enrollee. The other two arrays, though studied by Xia Ge during her free time, had not been as easily understood or used compared to the initial one. It seemed they required particular conditions. The system’s voice, oddly panicked, hurried her, “Forget about it! Mention it next time! You need to get out now!” Above, the Jiao Long roared furiously, sounding like a death knell. The scorching heat within intensified, with the foreign inner core rotating rapidly in her dantian, emitting a strange force. Xia Ge’s muscles burned painfully as she forced herself downward, muttering, “You said I couldn’t defeat it.” System: “…” “I think you’re right.” Xia Ge, biting through the excruciating pain reminiscent of muscle reformation, knelt before the array, her trembling fingers tracing its edge, “So, leaving means death, staying gives me a sliver of hope.” If she tried, she deserved the result! Physical agony translated into a spiritual trial. A fleeting something seemed to blur within her mind’s eye. Countless stars shimmered, glowing fireflies, a poorly dressed girl clutching a fruit, crying in anguish… What...is this? For a brief moment, Xia Ge was lost, but the Jiao Long’s enraged roar brought her back. This wasn’t the time to zone out! System: “What are you going to do?” Xia Ge: “I don’t know.” System, stunned: “…Huh?” Battling the bone-wrenching agony, Xia Ge’s hand quivered as she traced the secondary array around the one sealing the flute, “But this array…is similar to the second one…” It was a risky bet. Xia Ge had no certainty about its meaning or potential outcomes, only knowing that she had no other options left. She understood this was an incredibly dangerous array, locking a Jiao Long on the verge of transforming into a divine dragon by extracting its inner core, using its blood’s force as the array’s source to seal an unknown demonic flute… System: “…Wait, you’re trying to unseal that?!” Indeed. Victory meant life. The pain magnified until everything blurred, Xia Ge’s effort was mechanical as she recreated the array she had memorized, resonating with the one sealing the flute. Amidst the chaos, the system’s voice faded. Outside, the Jiao Long’s wrathful roars reverberated, hindered by Xiang Si’s entanglement. Instead, she heard a girl’s gentle, bashful voice— “I have a girl I like…” Stroke by stroke. The intricate dual arrays began to meld, intertwining like two blooming flowers under the pulsating green pool. —Dou Dou. The final stroke was a hair’s breadth from completion. Her hand faltered. Life’s fleeting moments, a dreamlike haze. —The girl you like, who is she? In that instant, fiery agony ignited in her dantian, fire spiritual energy seeping from her fingertips, bridging that final gap! The twin arrays interlocked, then began to unravel, inch by inch! —You cannot die. Water churned violently! Unbearable pain seared from body to soul. The system, astonished, exclaimed, “You actually—” Victory brought life. Xia Ge murmured, “…Defeat means death.” But she really didn’t… want to die. Won’t someone… save her— “…Hehehe…Defeat means death…” As the seal on the flute broke, an eerie, sinister laughter echoed— “I won’t let you die…” What? What was that? Overwhelmed by physical agony and mental chaos, Xia Ge felt disoriented. Anyone… anyone could… She had once promised someone…to live. “So…accept me?” “My name is…” “Roar—” Outside the water pool, Xiang Si twisted and shimmered with golden light. In an instant, a holy radiance burst forth, eradicating the green ghost flames from its body! The Jiao Long broke through Xiang Si’s web and lunged toward the water! However, in that moment of dazzling brilliance, it seemed stunned, abruptly halting all its movements! It trembled; its anger dissipated, and its massive eyes filled with fear. Ripples spread across the water, slowly revealing a youth in white robes emerging. The youth's attire, originally adorned with red maple leaf patterns, appeared as if it had been devoured, leaving only plain white robes faintly stained with blood. Xiang Si, freed from its grasp, instinctively backed away and retreated to stand protectively in front of the unconscious Chu Yi. Dripping with water, the youth held a moss-covered flute in delicate, pale hands, eyes closed, wet black hair draping over their shoulders. The aura emanating from the youth was a chaotic mix of eerie ghostly energy and terrifying Jiao Long’s presence, making them seem neither fully alive nor dead. “What are you?!” The green Jiao Long quivered at this aura— The youth in white slightly raised their head and slowly opened their eyes. Those were blood-red eyes, radiating a murderous aura as if they had slaughtered thousands. The white robe against the snowy backdrop, and the blood as striking as red plum blossoms, rendered the youth akin to an immortal saint turned demon, whose mere gaze could decimate armies. In an instant, the pressure intensified terrifyingly! A vague confusion flickered in those blood-red eyes, “...Who am I?” —Who is she? 【Please call my name…】 【My name is...】 “Hou Ming.” The youth whispered, holding the algae-covered jade flute, “I am... Hou Ming.” Author's note: Aaahhh, this took so long to write— = = Magnetic Storm threw a grenade at 2018-08-11 00:02:52 Wu threw a grenade at 2018-08-11 01:00:05 Perpetual Assassin threw a grenade at 2018-08-11 01:00:25 Lee Jing Tian threw a grenade at 2018-08-11 01:01:00 Gu Gui threw a grenade at 2018-08-11 01:38:53 White Meow Meow threw a grenade at 2018-08-11 06:59:06 Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Form threw a grenade at 2018-08-11 10:19:05 I’m Tired threw a grenade at 2018-08-11 11:45:31 Sleeve Book Exterminator threw a grenade at 2018-08-11 16:47:50 my__ threw a depth charge at 2018-08-11 17:09:29 I’m amazed, thank you for the support, little angels! I’ll see if I can add more chapters tomorrow...