299: Chapter 299 The Jade Fox Clan

Her beauty was breathtaking; that Fusion of mature charm and natural allure was something even Ling Hao, who was accustomed to seeing stunning beauties, had to admit he had never seen before in his life.

It was just that there were no fox ears on her head, nor a fox tail behind her; she must have deliberately concealed them.

"Hongye, you may leave first."

"Yes!"

Tushan Hongye, who had led the way, kept her head down, her face blushing so deeply it seemed as if it might bleed. She cast a swift glance at Ling Hao, her eyes filled with resentment and a hint of an indescribable sentiment, before hurriedly retreating from the palace as if fleeing.

Ling Hao rubbed his nose and thought helplessly, 'It was just touching her ears… the physical reaction of the Jade Fox Clan is truly too peculiar.'

"Supreme!"

Su Fengyi opened her eyes, and the moment she saw Ling Hao, a brilliant radiance erupted in her eyes.

She subconsciously wanted to stand up, but then paused, her eyes flickering.

This philandering guy who possessed nearly a thousand Dao Companions… she should have been disgusted and resisted him! Yet, seeing him truly venture deep into this place to find her, that joy and palpitation surged into her heart so realistically, leaving her in a state of turmoil.

Ling Hao naturally did not know the turbulent waves in the heart of the Empress before him, assuming only that she had just recovered from severe injuries and still needed to recuperate. He nodded and said, "It seems you are unharmed. Not only have your injuries fully healed, but your cultivation has also made rapid progress, reaching the fifth level of the Tribulation Transcendence Stage. This is truly worth celebrating."

"Yes, this is all thanks to the rescue by Clan Chief Bailing and everyone in the Jade Fox Clan."

Su Fengyi suppressed the chaos in her heart and said seriously, while also introducing the woman beside her to Ling Hao, "After I fell into this place, I was severely injured and on the verge of death. It was Clan Chief Bailing who used the blood of a True Immortal to heal my injuries and save my life, allowing me to recover to my original state, and even turning a misfortune into a blessing, with my cultivation greatly increased."

"The blood of a True Immortal?"

A flash of brilliance crossed Ling Hao's eyes as he looked at Tushan Bailing. "It is rumored that this place Seals a severed finger of a True Immortal; is it actually true? Where is that severed finger?"

Tushan Bailing was currently curiously sizing up Ling Hao.

Supreme… this was the honorific for Mahayana Stage Cultivators. She had been trapped in these ruins for only a few decades; could Cangwu really have produced such a figure?

Her gaze swept over Ling Hao. His sword-like eyebrows slanted into his temples, his star-like eyes were as deep as an abyss, his nose bridge was high, his lip line was distinct, his face was exceptionally handsome, and his posture was as upright as a pine tree. His black robe further accentuated his distinguished temperament, making him appear like an immortal descending to the mortal world.

"What a handsome man…"

Tushan Bailing sighed inwardly, feeling a heat quietly crawl up her cheeks. Her tongue unconsciously licked her slightly dry red lips, and it seemed as if some desire deep within her body was awakened once again. That tingling sensation made her legs feel a bit weak.

If only she could be with such a person… She hurriedly cut off this sudden, romantic thought.

Seeing Ling Hao's gaze land on her, she quickly suppressed the palpitation in her heart and bowed gracefully to Ling Hao, her movements elegant and alluring.

"Lord Supreme, under this palace, it is actually not a severed finger that is sealed, but… a drop of blood!"

A trace of sorrow appeared on her face as she said, "Decades ago, the True Demon Rebellion broke out, and my Jade Fox Clan was brutally slaughtered by the Demon Army, almost reaching the point of extinction. The males in the clan… were not spared at all. We, the hundreds of survivors, were all young females. While being pursued by the Demon Army, we fled in panic and mistakenly triggered the spatial node of this place, which allowed us to escape into this ruin space and luckily preserve our lives."

Ling Hao looked at Su Fengyi, his eyes filled with inquiry. Su Fengyi nodded, confirming that what Tushan Bailing said was true.

Tushan Bailing continued, "In this space, we discovered that drop of blood bead floating in the center of the underground. The energy it contained was too domineering and terrifying. Fortunately, there was a Formation suppressing it. We, the Jade Fox Clan, have been here for decades, and by borrowing its energy and Dao resonance, we were able to survive, and even increased our cultivation somewhat."

"I was fortunate enough to advance from the Body Integration Stage to Void Tempering Perfection, and many of the sisters in the clan are also at the Body Integration Stage, with a few reaching the Void Tempering Realm."

"Wait," Ling Hao recalled Tushan Hongye's words. "Didn't that little fox say when I arrived that you still have a Clan Chief at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage?"

Tushan Bailing looked outside the palace gate and smiled helplessly, full of charm. "That little Hongye was probably just trying to deter outsiders who trespass."

In Cangwu, the Tribulation Transcendence Heavenly Venerable was already the Peak combat power in the common perception, enough to deter petty scoundrels. Of course, Ling Hao was an exception.

"Now, I have reached Void Tempering Perfection, and absorbing this energy further makes it difficult to make any progress. I feel like I have encountered a Bottleneck."

Tushan Bailing's tone carried a hint of helplessness.

After listening, Ling Hao looked at Tushan Bailing and sighed sincerely, "Even so, to be able to preserve the clan and improve to this point in such a predicament is already a tremendous Opportunity."

A drop of True Immortal blood—this was a great Opportunity that living beings in the Three Provinces Realm would not even dare to imagine!

Tushan Bailing smiled bitterly upon hearing this. "Exchanging decades of being trapped for this cultivation, perhaps it can be considered a stroke of luck within misfortune? However…"

She changed the subject, her beautiful eyes filled with worry. "If not for the timely arrival of the Supreme and Your Majesty, I fear my Jade Fox Clan would not have been able to hold on for much longer. The Supreme must have already felt the restraint of the Formation here, right?"

"This Formation was originally set up to suppress that drop of True Immortal blood, but now it has been inversely contaminated by that blood, becoming a cage that traps us."

She looked at Ling Hao, her eyes filled with hope. "Supreme… do you have any certainty of breaking the Formation?"

Ling Hao recalled the heavy restraint he felt when he first fell into this place and slowly shook his head. "The Foundation of this Formation has been contaminated by the strange power of the Immortal blood; to break it by force… I do not have much certainty."

Su Fengyi and Tushan Bailing's expressions both changed upon hearing this. Even a Supreme of the Mahayana Stage stated that there was not much certainty?!

Ling Hao immediately added, "However, without trying, how would one know? Take me to see that True Immortal blood first; perhaps we can find the key to breaking the Formation."

It was not that there was no way, but the price that needed to be paid… was indeed too great.

…

Under Tushan Bailing's guidance, Ling Hao and Su Fengyi passed through layers of palace corridors and arrived at an ancient entrance leading underground.

Walking down the steps, the view suddenly opened up!

Where was this an underground palace? It was clearly an independent Small World.

Above the sky, a great sun and a bright moon hung high, emitting light that illuminated the rolling mountains and flowing rivers below.

Looking closely, those sun and moon were not real celestial bodies, but were constructed from countless profound runes and top-tier Materials. The Peaks were not piled up from soil and stone, and the rivers were not ordinary water.

Ling Hao's eyes revealed amazement.

"Taiyi Essence Gold, Heavenly River Weak Water, Nine Heavens Mysterious Stone, Buzhou Divine Jade…"

This world, spanning several thousand miles, was completely laid out from these top-tier Materials that could be called the Peak of the mortal world, forming a massive super-Formation eye.

Its scale and workmanship far exceeded any Formation Ling Hao had seen before.

It was just that this Small World was already in a state of decay. The mountains of Taiyi Essence Gold were covered in cracks, the rivers of Heavenly River Weak Water were nearly dried up, the Peaks constructed of Nine Heavens Mysterious Stone had collapsed, and the ground paved with Buzhou Divine Jade was also shattered beyond recognition.

Obviously, the vast majority of the power constituting the Foundation of the Formation had been drawn away to suppress that drop of True Immortal blood in the center, causing the entire Small World to be on the verge of collapse.

Thinking of the desert at the entrance, it was likely that it had originally existed as well, but now those Formation Materials and energy had long been exhausted.

At the core of the Small World, upon a dilapidated altar constructed of broken Divine Jade pillars, was a drop of blood about the size of a fist. The blood was dark gold in color, like molten glaze, and was floating quietly.

"This is… a drop of Essence Blood! And the Ten Directions Zhou Tian Universe Demon-Suppressing and Immortal-Sealing Formation!"

Ling Hao's gaze was like a torch, recognizing the origin of this Formation. "This is the most top-tier sealing Formation among ninth-grade Formations."

Only such a Heaven-Defying Formation could attempt to suppress a drop of blood from a True Immortal—it was Essence Blood!

Ling Hao approached the altar, and an invisible pressure suddenly struck, hitting his Protective Aura and emitting a dull hum. He clearly felt that his Mahayana Stage power seemed somewhat insignificant in the face of this pressure.

Just a single drop of blood, having passed through eternal ages, could still make him feel a sense of insignificance! The Realm of the owner of this Essence Blood must undoubtedly be a True Immortal! And, I fear it was not just an ordinary True Immortal…

But that was only in terms of feeling; in fact, it was not impossible to approach.

Ling Hao concentrated his observation and, sure enough, discovered that the strange power covering the key nodes, which was the core of the Formation that had restrained him earlier, had its source in this drop of True Immortal blood! It had already usurped the host's role and become the core Formation eye of the entire Formation.

If it could be subdued or refined, would the Formation, having lost its core support, be much simpler to break?

"Lord Supreme?"

Tushan Bailing, who was beside him, saw Ling Hao concentrating and not speaking, so she called out softly.

Ling Hao regained his focus and pointed at that drop of dark golden blood, saying in a deep voice, "This blood has become the core of the Formation eye. If it can be absorbed and refined, perhaps that will be the Opportunity to break the Formation."

He looked at Su Fengyi again. "This object contains the true meaning of the Immortal Dao and would be of great benefit to your Realm. Do you want to give it a try?"

Su Fengyi looked at that drop of True Immortal blood, which was emitting an alluring light, and a trace of intense temptation flashed in her eyes.

But soon, she shook her head and said, "I have already broken through two Realms in a short period of time, and my Foundation is unstable. If I were to forcibly absorb such an Immortal object again, I fear there would be the danger of haste making waste and shaking my Dao Foundation."

She, Su Fengyi, was not a person who was short-sighted and greedy for immediate benefits.

"I am going up first!"

Su Fengyi turned around decisively and walked towards the exit. She was afraid that if she stayed for even a moment longer, her mind would be completely engulfed by the Supreme temptation contained within that Immortal blood.

After all, that temptation was truly too great.