460: Chapter 460 Where's the Egg?

Su Ming's pupils suddenly constricted. With a violent wave of his sleeve, he shattered the incomplete runes suspended in mid-air and instantly sprang up from his prayer mat, flashing to the edge of the Formation.

His gaze was fixed intently on the top of the eggshell.

There, a crack as thin as a gossamer thread appeared extremely abruptly alongside a burst of golden light. Immediately following, the crack spread downwards frantically along the curve of the shell like a living Spider Web, visible to the naked eye.

"What's going on? Is it early?"

Su Ming's heart sank violently, and his breathing became rapid. According to Second Senior Brother Second Senior Brother Qin Yi's previous deduction, although this Mysterious Shadow Egg possessed vigorous vitality, it should have been at least two or three months away from hatching. It definitely shouldn't have such a violent reaction tonight.

Without a moment's hesitation, Su Ming pressed his right palm directly onto the eggshell that was emitting a blinding golden light.

"Sss—"

The moment his palm touched it, an extremely scorching heat was conducted through his skin, as if he were pressing against a red-hot branding iron. If not for the extremely flexible Ruoshui Art Spiritual Qi flowing within his body, which immediately formed a dense water film for protection on his palm, this touch would have been enough to burn his flesh.

Through that thin layer of water film, Su Ming closed his eyes and cautiously probed his Divine Sense inside.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The life inside the eggshell was pulsating violently. With every throb, a surge of energy frantically slammed against the inner wall of the shell, attempting to break through the confinement.

"It's craving energy! This basic gathering Formation alone isn't enough!"

Su Ming's hands instantly turned into a blur of afterimages. His ten fingers flicked repeatedly, accurately sending several strands of pure liquid Spiritual Qi into the core nodes of the surrounding seventy-two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

"Lesser Heavenly Cycle Star Power Gathering Formation, open!"

Along with Su Ming's low shout, the seventy-two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones simultaneously let out a groan of being overwhelmed. The Spiritual Qi contained within the stones was frantically extracted by the Formation in a manner that was almost like squeezing them dry.

Su Ming looked up, his left hand forming a complex hand seal, and pointed fiercely toward the ceiling of the Immortal Cave.

"Boom!"

The skylight on the ceiling, which had originally been only one-third open, swung wide with the sound of grinding machinery.

In the night sky, the originally scattered starlight seemed to be pulled by some powerful force, forming a visible silver funnel above the Immortal Cave. The vast Star Power poured down like a waterfall from the Nine Heavens, surging through the skylight and into the Mysterious Shadow Egg at the center of the Formation.

With the injection of this massive Star Power, the tremors of the Mysterious Shadow Egg calmed slightly, but the outward-expanding energy became even more immense.

"Crack... crack..."

The sound of the cracks widening was still clearly audible amidst the starlight waterfall.

Soon, the crack at the top of the eggshell had expanded to the size of a fingernail. From the deepest part of that crack, pure golden light radiated out like physical flames, accompanied by a scorching aura that blew directly onto Su Ming's tense face.

A layer of fine cold sweat had already broken out on Su Ming's forehead.

Although his current cultivation was stable at the Peak of the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment and his attainments in Formations had improved rapidly, he knew absolutely nothing about hatching Spirit Beasts. He had no way of predicting what rules such an ancient exotic beast needed to follow when breaking its shell or if there was a risk of backlash.

What's worse, the Master inside the ring was currently in a deep sleep while absorbing the soul nurturing wood marrow and could not provide him with any knowledge or support.

"I can't just tough this out; I must find a professional."

Su Ming made a decisive resolution.

While maintaining the supply of Spiritual Qi to the Formation with his left hand, his right hand darted into his Storage Pouch like lightning, pulling out a pale purple communication talisman.

He forced a strand of Spiritual Qi from his index finger and rapidly traced patterns on the talisman paper.

"Second Senior Brother, the Mysterious Shadow Egg has had a sudden abnormal movement. Cracks have appeared, and the Star Power is violent. Please come to the Star Gazing Cliff immediately!"

The moment he finished speaking, Su Ming tossed the talisman paper forward. The pale purple paper instantly self-ignited, turning into a streak of light that shot through the air toward Spirit Beast Peak.

After doing all this, Su Ming did not relax in the slightest.

He took a deep breath, his left hand still maintaining the Formation's operation at its limit, while his right hand reached into his personal Storage Pouch once more.

When his hand emerged again, it held an exquisite mutton-fat jade bottle and two high-grade defense Formation Plates inscribed with complex 'Guard' seals.

Inside the jade bottle were the meridian protecting pills bestowed by Grand Elder Supreme Elder Hao Yuan, which had the miraculous effect of protecting the heart's meridians and preserving one's last breath of life.

Su Ming lightly flicked the stopper of the jade bottle with his thumb and poured a fragrant meridian protecting pill directly under his tongue. He didn't swallow it but kept it in his mouth, wrapped in Spiritual Qi.

He sat cross-legged at a safe distance of one zhang from the Formation, his right hand gripping the defense Formation Plate tightly and his left hand slightly clenched. He had pushed the Ruoshui Art within his body to its absolute limit.

In the Cultivation World, preparing for the worst was always the only truth for survival.

Inside the Immortal Cave, starlight fell like a waterfall, and the golden light was as bright as day.

Su Ming just quietly guarded the egg like this, waiting for Second Senior Brother Qin Yi to arrive.

Under the strain of extremely tense nerves, the waiting time always seemed exceptionally long.

The golden light inside the Immortal Cave grew brighter and brighter. It was no longer confined to the range of the Formation but illuminated every corner of the Star Gazing Cliff Immortal Cave as if it were day. The moss on the stone walls, the discarded Formation Plates piled in the corner, and even the tiny dust particles floating in the air were all plated with a sacred hue by this pure golden light.

"Thump— Thump— Thump—"

The throbbing sound inside the Mysterious Shadow Egg became increasingly heavy. From the fingernail-sized crack, not only did a scorching aura emerge, but there was even a faint, low hum that sounded like a beast's roar.

Su Ming remained sitting cross-legged on the spot, the meridian protecting pill still under his tongue, and the defense Formation Plate in his right hand slightly damp with sweat. His eyes stared unblinkingly at the crack, his Divine Sense firmly locked onto every tiny change in the surrounding Spiritual Qi fluctuations.

Should there be any sign of that violent energy losing control and exploding, he would activate the defense Formation Plate without hesitation, swallow the meridian protecting pill, and use the Formation Plate's recoil to retreat violently.

Life was always more important than any exotic beast.

With a muffled thud, the heavy stone door of the Immortal Cave hadn't even fully opened before a figure in moon-white robes forced its way through the half-open gap.

The person who arrived was indeed Second Senior Brother Second Senior Brother Qin Yi.

His hair bun, which was usually combed meticulously, appeared somewhat disheveled. It was obvious that the moment he received the communication talisman, the Second Senior Brother had rushed over at full speed.

"Junior Martial Brother! Where's the egg?!"