209: Chapter 222 Nine-Aperture Infant Grass

Lu Yang stored the crystal core, his heart tightening. The commotion from deep within the forest was rapidly approaching—the earlier battle had attracted trouble. 'Follow me!' he ordered in a low, urgent voice, leading Ning Hong and Mu Wanqing as they swiftly and stealthily advanced toward the core depths of the forest, guided by the powerful call of life essence.

The core area was exceptionally rich in Spiritual Qi, brimming with vitality. Enormous crystalline plants of various shapes shimmered with light. Mu Wanqing had recovered significantly, her senses growing clearer.

Passing through a chaotic forest of crystal stones, they traversed a labyrinthine expanse of crystalline rock formations, and suddenly, the path ahead opened up into a wide clearing.

In the center of the clearing, on a smooth white jade platform, grew a peculiar plant about a foot tall. Its main stem was gnarled and twisted, with several leaves of varying shapes and colors swaying gently in the radiant glow. Each slight tremor of the leaves stirred the surrounding Spiritual Qi and light, faintly resonating with the stars and emanating a vast, pure aura of life essence.

'nine-aperture nascent soul grass?!' Mu Wanqing's voice trembled with shock, her eyes filled with disbelief. This name seemed to exist only in the legends recorded in the Sect's ancient texts.

Lu Yang's mind raced! Scattered impressions about this object surfaced. Vague memories told him that this grass grew in places where ancient great powers had fallen, fused with the creative power of a Secret Realm, and took ten thousand years to have a chance of being born. Its name 'Nine-Aperture' seemed related to the crucial mysteries of forming a Nascent Soul. Its leaves contained Origin power and fragments of Law. Legend had it that it could greatly assist Golden Core Cultivators in breaking through the Nascent Soul Bottleneck, a treasure sought for millennia, with traces found only in extreme places like the core of the Blood-colored Forbidden Land.

Before a divine object, there must be a fierce guardian!

On either side of the Spiritual Plant, two colossal flood dragons were coiled! Their size far exceeded any seen before, their auras terrifying. One was covered in deep blue ice-crystal scales, exuding bone-chilling cold that froze the surrounding air into frost. The other had scales as red as molten lava, its intense heat distorting the air and slightly scorching the jade beneath it. On their ferocious dragon heads, four cold, vertical pupils were fixed on the intruders. A foul wind carrying piercing cold and scorching heat swept over them.

'Ice Soul Profound Flood Dragon! Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon! Two of them! Late Stage Golden Core!'

The violent auras of water and fire mixed with poisonous Evil Qi pressed down like a tangible force! The air grew heavy and stagnant. Years of guarding the Spiritual Plant had caused their strength to surge and their ferocity to become exceptionally fierce.

The two flood dragons did not attack immediately. Low, thunderous growls rumbled in their throats, making the ground tremble slightly. Their cold, vertical pupils clearly declared: Trespassers will die!

Lu Yang's pupils contracted sharply! Two Late Stage Golden Core flood dragons! One water, one fire! The pressure was like a mountain! Ning Hong's expression turned grave, golden light flickering at her fingertips. Mu Wanqing's face paled.

The divine object was within reach, but death was also at hand!

Lu Yang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Two urgent Voice Transmissions entered the minds of Ning Hong and Mu Wanqing:

'Junior Sister Mu! Use all your strength to delay the cold flood dragon on the right! Just for an instant! Ning Hong! Unleash your Evil Qi, entangle the fire flood dragon on the left, buy me one breath of time! I'll attack the cold flood dragon on the right with Mysterious Sun True Fire! If we fail with one strike, retreat immediately!'

There was no way back—only a desperate fight!

Mu Wanqing gritted her teeth, disregarding her own consumption, her hands rapidly forming seals! A large number of vines filled with paralyzing and delaying energy surged out of thin air, wildly entangling the claws and long tail of the Ice Soul Profound Flood Dragon on the right! Her face instantly turned deathly pale!

At the same time, a fierce light flashed in Ning Hong's eyes! The Xin Metal Evil Qi within her erupted without reservation! Transforming into countless tiny, sharp, corrosive dark-gold energy needles, they shot like a torrential rain toward the head of the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon on the left, especially targeting its crimson vertical pupils! All to harass and enrage!

ROAR——!!!

Both flood dragons were simultaneously enraged! The Ice Soul Profound Flood Dragon on the right intensified its cold aura—the entangling vines instantly froze and shattered into pieces! But the strong delaying effect still caused its massive body to move half a beat slower! The Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon on the left roared in fury, opening its mouth to spew a scorching flame breath that swept through the harassing golden needles, the high temperature instantly evaporating part of the Evil Qi! It was temporarily distracted by Ning Hong's attack!

Now!

Lu Yang's figure flickered, leaving an afterimage in place! In an instant, he appeared in front of the right side of the Ice Soul Profound Flood Dragon!

'Mysterious Sun True Fire! Burn!' he shouted fiercely!

His palms clapped together and then parted! A fireball the size of a human head, deep red verging on black, emitting terrifying high temperatures and distorted, suddenly condensed! Faint golden light flickered at its core! A large amount of spiritual power was instantly drained!

He pushed his palms forward with all his might! The fireball, like a cannonball fired from a gun, tore through the air with a sharp shriek and slammed fiercely into the massive, ice-crystal-scaled head of the Ice Soul Profound Flood Dragon on the right!

The Ice Soul Profound Flood Dragon sensed a lethal threat! Piercing cold instinctively erupted, attempting to form a thick Profound Ice shield in front of its head! But Lu Yang's timing was too cunning—it was the exact moment when it was delayed by Mu Wanqing's vines, its old force gone and new force not yet born! The ice shield formed slightly slower!

BOOM——!!!

The Profound Yang True Fireball slammed into the ice shield! Amidst the piercing explosive roar, the Profound Ice shield instantly cracked all over, then exploded into fragments! The remaining deep-red flames, like clinging parasites, smashed fiercely onto the head of the Ice Soul Profound Flood Dragon!

HISS——!!!

Water and fire clashed, white mist soaring into the sky! The Ice Soul Profound Flood Dragon let out a heart-wrenching cry of extreme pain! The terrifying Mysterious Sun True Fire, carrying the will to incinerate all things, instantly melted through the tough ice-crystal scales, deeply penetrating its skull! Deep blue blood mixed with brain matter and white mist gushed out! The massive ice flood dragon's body convulsed violently, thrashed about, knocked down large swaths of crystalline plants, and finally collapsed with a thunderous crash, its aura rapidly fading—clearly not long for this world!

The cost was immense! Lu Yang's face turned as pale as paper, he gasped for breath, waves of emptiness surging from his Dantian.

However, the lethal crisis was not yet resolved!

The moment the Ice Soul Profound Flood Dragon was severely wounded, the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon on the left flew into a complete rage! Its partner's dying state ignited its most primitive ferocity! Enduring the harassment of Ning Hong's golden Evil Qi needles, its massive dragon tail, carrying terrifying high temperatures capable of boiling mountains and seas along with immense force, whipped fiercely toward Ning Hong, who was unstable due to fully unleashing her Evil Qi!

THUD——! Ning Hong only had time to gather her golden Evil Qi in front of her before being struck by that unstoppable tail! Her protective energy aura shattered instantly! She was sent flying like a ragdoll, blood spraying from her mouth, the sound of shattered ribs clearly audible, crashing heavily onto a distant giant crystal pillar and sliding down, her condition unknown!

'Ning Hong!' Mu Wanqing let out a despairing cry!

The Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon's crimson vertical pupils instantly locked onto Lu Yang, whose aura was fading! Ferocious flames surged to the heavens! Abandoning Ning Hong, its massive body twisted violently, its huge dragon claw covered in molten-lava-like scales, wreathed in blazing flames, tore through the Void Realm, carrying the momentum to incinerate everything, and swiped down toward Lu Yang's head! Its speed was extreme!

The foul wind and scorching heat were enough to roast a person!

Lu Yang's pupils shrank to pinpoints! His spiritual power exhausted, he couldn't dodge at all! He was about to be smashed into pulp by that burning claw!

'Senior Brother!!!' Mu Wanqing screamed miserably! Disregarding her nearly depleted Origin, a flash of determination appeared in her eyes! Her hands pressed fiercely against the ground!

HISS HISS HISS——!

Countless thick, thorny vines brimming with intense vitality yet containing extreme withering power burst forth from the jade ground beneath the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon! No longer entangling, they stabbed like countless sharp spears and poisonous thorns, fiercely piercing the relatively soft abdomen and lower jaw of the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon!

THUD THUD THUD THUD!

The tough vines pierced through some of the relatively weak gaps between scales, deeply embedding into the flood dragon's body! The intense pain and this strange withering energy caused the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon's body to stiffen abruptly! Its descending claw paused for a moment! Large amounts of blood flowed down the thorns, emitting sizzling corrosive sounds!

It was this delay of less than half a breath!

Lu Yang's eyes were bloodshot, his will to survive overwhelming everything! He slapped his Storage Pouch, and a purple-black orb emitting violent thunder and fire energy appeared in his hand. This was his final trump card!

His spiritual power was nearly exhausted, he could only barely activate a trace!

'Explode!' he roared hoarsely, using all his strength to hurl the Thunderfire Pearl into the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon's wide-open, roaring mouth!

The Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon instinctively spewed a scorching flame breath to block it!

BOOM——!!!!!!!!

A deafening explosion erupted in the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon's mouth! Violent thunder serpents and scorching fire waves instantly filled its massive head!

The Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon let out a heaven-shaking cry of agony! Its huge dragon head was blasted into a bloody mess, scales flying off! Its crimson vertical pupils instantly lost their light! Its massive body convulsed violently, thrashed about, and finally crashed heavily to the ground, flames extinguished, twitched a few times, and went completely still.

Silence! A brief silence!

Lu Yang collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood, countless bones broken throughout his body, his vision darkening repeatedly. Mu Wanqing directly fell unconscious.

Looking at the two completely lifeless flood dragon corpses, Lu Yang forced himself to stay alert—he knew he absolutely could not relax now.

Struggling, he crawled to the Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon's corpse, swung his sword to split open its head, endured the high temperature to extract a fist-sized, red-as-molten-lava demon core emitting vast fire spiritual essence. Then, he carefully used a Jade Bottle to collect the still-hot, pure Scarlet Flame Flood Dragon Bloodline Power essence blood from the wound on its head.

He then went to the Ice Soul Profound Flood Dragon's corpse. Its head was mostly incinerated, but its body remained. He cut open its heart area, similarly extracted a deep-blue, cold-exuding demon core, and collected some ice flood dragon essence blood containing extreme cold Bloodline Power.

The two flood dragons' scales were incredibly tough, rare Materials for Artifact Refining. Lu Yang endured the intense pain, using his Flying Sword to painstakingly peel off relatively intact sections of scale hide, especially from the slightly weaker defensive areas on the abdomen and back. The flood dragon tendons and some bones were also dismantled and stored one by one.

Finally, dragging his broken body, he arduously made his way to the nine-aperture nascent soul grass on the white jade platform. Carefully using a jade shovel, he lifted the grass along with the smooth white jade platform beneath its roots, sealed it together into a specially made jade case, and placed multiple Restrictions on it.

After completing all this, Lu Yang could no longer hold on. His vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness, still clutching the jade case containing the Divine Plant. The clearing was a mess, three figures lying in pools of blood and shattered crystals, only the Divine Plant confined in the jade case still emitting a faint yet tenacious creative vitality.