19: Open

Returning to his deep pool lair, Gao De was in no hurry to act immediately.

He first carefully inspected the Seals on the outer layer of the Storage Pouch and the water sphere isolation, confirming no abnormal fluctuations were leaking out, before taking it out and letting it hover before him.

This Storage Pouch looked old, but its material was extraordinary. The beast patterns engraved upon it faintly formed a profound Formation, emitting resilient energy fluctuations.

Gao De could feel that there were at least three layers of powerful Restrictions placed upon it; should he trigger them incorrectly, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Had it been him half a year ago, he probably wouldn't even have been able to touch the edges of the outermost Restriction.

But today was different from the past.

With a thought, the half-foot long, glossy black unicorn horn atop his head, entwined with faint flashes of electricity, began to vibrate slightly, emitting a unique aura that seemed capable of piercing through illusions and dismantling energy.

This was precisely the 'Evil-Slaying Dharma-Breaking' special effect that his unicorn horn naturally possessed after his Bloodline reached 70%! It had an extremely strong restraining and breaking effect against various Restrictions, Formations, and illusions!

Gao De calmed his mind and focused his Spiritual Sense to a high degree, like the most precise probe, slowly touching the outermost Restriction of the Storage Pouch.

Simultaneously, he mobilized his Demonic Power, slowly injecting it into the unicorn horn.

"Weng..."

A tiny, imperceptible dark light lit up at the tip of the unicorn horn, and an invisible force with 'Dharma-Breaking' properties followed his Spiritual Sense, permeating into that layer of Restriction like mercury spilling onto the ground.

In an instant, Gao De 'saw' the energy structure of that Restriction—it was like a net of light woven from countless fine chains, resilient and complex.

His 'Dharma-Breaking' power acted like the most agile key, yet also carried a hint of unquestionable dominance, accurately finding those energy nodes and key points of flow.

"Chi..."

An extremely faint sound, like a hot knife cutting through butter, rang out.

Under the wash of that 'Dharma-Breaking' dark light, some key nodes on the Restriction light net quickly dimmed and collapsed.

The entire outer Restriction was like a spiderweb that had lost its support; its light quickly dimmed and then silently dissipated.

First layer Restriction, broken!

Gao De felt a surge of joy in his heart but did not relax. He took a moment to adjust his breathing and continued in the same manner.

The second layer Restriction was even more complex and concealed than the first, with energy flowing like a vortex, carrying properties of rebound and confusion.

But before Gao De's strengthened Spiritual Sense and the 'Evil-Slaying Dharma-Breaking' effect of his unicorn horn, it was still gradually analyzed and dismantled.

During the process, a small-scale energy backlash was even triggered; a sharp golden light shot toward Gao De, but it was easily dispersed by a tiny electric arc fired from his unicorn horn.

Second layer Restriction, broken!

Only the final, and most core, layer of Restriction remained.

This layer of Restriction felt completely different to Gao De; it was more restrained, its energy incredibly condensed, as if it were integrated with the Storage Pouch itself. Furthermore, at its core, a very subtle yet exceptionally dangerous aura was hidden, seemingly connected to some sort of self-destruct or tracking mechanism.

Gao De became even more cautious.

He poured most of his Demonic Power into the unicorn horn, making the dark light much more solid.

His Spiritual Sense was like the most patient craftsman, peeling away and analyzing this final barrier bit by bit.

Time passed slowly, and the mental exertion began to make him feel a bit dizzy.

Breaking this final layer of Restriction was a massive drain on both his mind and his Demonic Power.

Finally, at a certain moment, he found that most central and most fragile energy node!

"Break!"

He shouted inwardly, and the dark light of the unicorn horn flared up, condensing into a Dharma-Breaking beam as thin as a hair but incredibly concentrated, striking that node with absolute precision!

"Pop!"

A soft sound, like a bubble bursting, occurred.

That condensed inner Restriction melted away instantly like snow under the sun. That sliver of dangerous aura also vanished quietly, like duckweed without roots.

Third layer Restriction, broken!

The light of all the beast patterns on the Storage Pouch completely dimmed, turning into ordinary lines.

At this moment, it had become an ownerless Storage Pouch that could be opened at will!

Gao De let out a long sigh of relief, feeling a wave of exhaustion, but more so a great sense of excitement and anticipation.

He calmed his surging Demonic Power, reached out with his webbed foot, and carefully opened the drawstring of the Storage Pouch.

His Spiritual Sense probed inside.

The first things to enter his 'vision' were mountains of Spirit Stones, estimated to be at least tens of thousands, interspersed with over a hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones brimming with Spiritual Qi! This was a massive fortune!

Next were over a dozen Magical Artifacts emitting various colored treasure lights—sabers, swords, Seals, and mirrors were all present. The lowest quality among them was High Grade, and there were even two Talisman Treasures with shimmering spiritual light and restrained runes! This would be enough to make any Foundation Establishment Cultivator green with envy.

There were also some bottles and jars containing various Medicinal Pills, primarily for healing and restoring Qi.

But Gao De's attention was quickly and firmly drawn to two items.

One was a primitive token, neither metal nor jade, engraved with an ancient 'Beast' character, emitting a vast and ancient aura.

This was likely a token of the Hundred Beasts Sect or a Legacy key.

The other item was a dark red Jade Slip that looked as if it were made of coagulated blood.

The moment Gao De's Spiritual Sense made contact, a massive amount of information flooded into his mind—

The Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon!

This was not a Human Race Cultivation Technique, but an ancient secret technique specifically for Spirit Beasts! Its core lay in purifying and enhancing one's own Bloodline by devouring and refining the Essence Blood of other powerful beings, especially Yao Beasts with special Bloodlines, and it even offered a certain chance to plunder the opponent's Bloodline talents!

This was practically a Cultivation Technique tailor-made for Gao De! It complemented his path of evolution through the System's devouring, and was even more systematic and efficient!

Especially the several blood-quenching secret techniques and Formations recorded within, which could refine Essence Blood to a great extent, reducing waste and side effects.

"Heaven is truly helping me!" Gao De was ecstatic.

With this Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon, his path to Dragon Transformation would be even smoother! Those Yao Beasts that coveted him instantly turned from threats into mobile 'great medicines' in his eyes!

He suppressed the urge to study the secret canon immediately, inventoried and categorized the items in the Storage Pouch, and carefully put them away.

This windfall would be important capital for his next push into a higher Realm and for dealing with future risks.

Turning his gaze back toward the pool, a sense of pride and ambition rose in Gao De's heart. The Lin Family? The Zhu Family? The Green Wave Sect? And that traitor hiding in the shadows?

With the Dharma-Breaking ability of his unicorn horn and a Heaven-Defying secret technique like the Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon, he now had the confidence to venture into the Eight Hundred Li Dongting Lake and even the wider world!

The path to Dragon Transformation had suddenly opened up!