93: Leichi Cave Heaven

Deep Pool Water Mansion, core Forbidden Ground.

Although Gao De was in secluded cultivation, he captured this earth-shattering news immediately through the Heavenly Secret Realm.

As terms like "Pengze Dragon King," "Thunder Pool," and "Bi'an" entered his Divine Sense, he slowly opened his closed eyes, an indescribable and complex light flashing within his massive jiao pupils.

The Pengze Dragon King, the eldest son of the Tongtian River Dragon King... This caused him to involuntarily think once more of the Qianjiang Dragon King who dominated the Qian River and was suspected to be related to his own Bloodline.

Was there some kind of connection between the two?

Did the abnormal movement of the Ancient Thunder Pool have a hidden connection with the fact that the Qianjiang Dragon King's Lifespan was nearing its end and he was anxious to seek a Breakthrough?

Furthermore, the figure of the Bi'an caused his heart to tremble even more. The nine sons of the Dragon each had their own Divine Abilities; the Bi'an presided over prisons and law, distinguishing right from wrong. Its image was often carved upon prison gates and symbolized justice and majesty.

Its appearance in the Ancient Thunder Pool—was it a guardian? A warning? Or the manifestation of some kind of Legacy?

“Thunder Pool... Bi'an...” Gao De murmured these two words, feeling a faint, almost imperceptible throb from the power of the Purple Lightning Flood Dragon within his own Bloodline.

This Ancient Thunder Pool and the Bloodline of the Dragon Son Bi'an seemed to have a natural attraction to him. If he could devour it, he would surely be able to rapidly condense his Bloodline and break through his cultivation.

“An ancient Dragon Clan military training ground containing the Power of Thunder, and possibly even related to the Dragon Son Bi'an...” Gao De's thoughts raced. “Among this, there might exist an Opportunity that can accelerate my cultivation of the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art or even enhance the quality of the thunder fang formation-breaking halberd!”

However, he quickly suppressed the urge to set off immediately.

One with little strength should know fear; one who gains should not be greedy. Right now, the Ancient Thunder Pool was bound to be a gathering of winds and clouds, a mix of dragons and snakes. There was no telling how many Third Order Cultivators or even Fourth-Tier Demon Kings might be drawn there.

With his current strength at the Third Order Early Stage, rushing in blindly would not only make it difficult to seize an Opportunity, but he might instead become a target for all, facing more ill than good.

“For now, increasing my own strength remains the top priority.” Gao De's gaze became firm again. “It won't be too late to explore the secrets of the Ancient Thunder Pool after I Breakthrough to the Third Order Middle Stage.”

“By then, perhaps the situation will have become clearer.”

He deeply noted this important information, listing it as a key focus and a potential target for future exploration.

Immediately, he composed his mind again, isolating himself from external disturbances and throwing himself more focusedly into the cultivation to impact the Bottleneck.

The emergence of the Ancient Thunder Pool was like lighting up a new coordinate full of temptation and danger on the vast map of immortal cultivation, providing Gao De's path to dragon transformation

with another potential path. But all of this needed to be built upon a foundation of greater strength.

Inside the Water Mansion, Spiritual Qi surged as the process of breaking through to the Third Order Middle Stage accelerated... Just as the outside world was in an uproar due to the phenomenon of the Ancient Thunder Pool, and countless Cultivators were flocking toward Dragon Lake with hearts set on treasure hunting and exploration, no one knew that beneath the seemingly calm lake surface after the lightning had dissipated, deep within the discovered ancient “Thunder Pool” ruins, there actually lay hidden an unknown Grotto-Heaven Small World.

Inside the Small World, it was not the ruins and broken walls one might imagine, but a strange space filled with pure thunder-attribute Spiritual Qi.

The sky was an eternal blue-purple, with streaks of electric snakes wandering silently.

In the center of the space stood a simple, ancient high platform. Atop the platform was not a building, but a pond of Thunder Liquid about an acre in size, formed by highly concentrated liquefied Spiritual Qi and thunder essence!

Electric light flowed within the pond, and misty vapors rose, emitting a majestic energy that was both heart-palpitating and incredibly desirable.

However, at this moment, this Holy Land of cultivation, which should have been peaceful, was filled with an atmosphere of tension and pain.

On the high platform, by the side of the Thunder Liquid pond, a massive creature lay powerlessly.

It resembled a giant tiger, yet it was far more majestic and dignified than an ordinary tiger demon. Its entire body was covered in purple-gold fur, upon which profound thunder patterns were naturally formed. Between its brows, a single unicorn horn pointed straight to the sky, surrounded by destructive blue-purple electric light.

This was the clear proof of its possession of the Bi'an Bloodline!

This was a female Thunder Tiger with a cultivation as high as the Fourth Tier!

But now, this Demon King, who usually had enough power to dominate a region, appeared exceptionally weak.

Its massive body trembled slightly. Its tiger eyes, which usually radiated majesty, were now filled with pain and tenacity. Low, suppressed growls of extreme agony continuously leaked from its throat.

It was even unable to maintain a human form, which would have been more convenient for movement, and was forced to manifest its original body, which consumed more energy.

Beneath it, a large pool of striking fresh blood was slowly staining the ancient stone slabs of the high platform, emitting a rich life essence and a faint, barely perceptible scent of a cub.

It was giving birth!

A few months ago, when it sensed the signs that it was about to give birth, it knew this would be its weakest moment.

Sure enough, its old rival seized this Opportunity and launched a fierce sneak attack against it.

To protect the vital child in its womb, it had no choice but to abandon its long-established nest and fight its way out through a bloody battle from its territory in the Nine Peaks branch of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, located in the south of the Three Kingdoms.

It dared not stop, traveling all the way north, crossing the Human Race's territory, and finally arriving at this relatively unfamiliar border area between Wu and Chu, where there were fewer powerful experts.

Perhaps it was guidance from the unseen, or perhaps it was the resonance of its own Bloodline, but it unexpectedly discovered this deeply hidden Ancient Thunder Pool Grotto-Heaven, which was incredibly compatible with its own thunder attribute.

This was truly a way out when all seemed lost. The pure Thunder Liquid energy within this Small World could not only help it heal its wounds but also provide excellent Innate nourishment for its soon-to-be-born child.

Full of hope, it opened and hid within this place, using the power of the Thunder Pool to suppress its injuries and wait for the descent of new life.

However, fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin.

The energy fluctuations it triggered when it opened this Small World, though it had been extremely careful, ultimately could not be completely concealed.

The shocking three-day thunderbolt phenomenon was precisely caused by the opening of the Grotto-Heaven and the violent exchange of internal and external energy, and it inevitably exposed its trail!

It did not know how many Cultivators had gathered outside upon hearing the news, nor did it know if its old rival was among them, or perhaps even more terrifying existences.

It could only rely on the remaining Restrictions of the Small World and its own last bits of strength to bitterly hold on, absorbing the Thunder Liquid energy to combat the piercing pain and weakness of childbirth while remaining vigilant against any intrusion that could come at any time.

Every tearing pain brought by a contraction made it let out a low roar, and the thunder light around its body flickered uncontrollably.

In its golden pupils, the determination of a mother protecting her cub was intertwined with the unwillingness and anger of a ruler fallen into a desperate situation.

Its labor had reached the most critical moment, and the storm from the outside world was also closing in step by step toward this fragile haven.

It and its unborn child were facing an unprecedented crisis of life and death.