vncnus Chapter 103 Xiaoyu! How did you get out of here?
Chapter 103 Xiaoyu! How did you get out of here?
Chapter 103 Xiaoyu! How did you get out of here?
Deep within the Death Swamp, colossal trees blot out the sky, and a perpetual grayish-white miasma hangs down like a curtain, swallowing up light and sense of direction. Along the way, one can see corpses and magical artifacts everywhere.
This place is similar to the Fallen Demon Valley in the mortal worldview. There have been constant rumors about the existence of rare treasures here. As a result, for thousands of years, countless cultivators have come to explore it wave after wave, only to send their heads to their deaths one after another.
In other words, the Blackwater Serpent was very familiar with the area, relying on its enormous body and tens of thousands of years of accumulation to ignore the miasma and move freely among the mud and the roots of giant trees.
"Roar!" Arriving at the foot of the giant tree that seemed to stand at the end of the world, the Black Water Serpent roared again, its massive body coiling up the trunk. Its lantern-sized eyes were filled with urgency; it couldn't wait to find its old rival and test its newly acquired abilities.
In the short time it took to clear the surroundings, thin clouds and icy winds filled the air. A platform that had been carved out of thin air appeared before them. At the end of the platform, on a tree trunk, stood a towering stone gate, over five zhang high and about three zhang wide. Its material was neither gold nor jade, yet it was perfectly integrated with the tree trunk, as if it had grown there since ancient times. Above the gate, the four large characters "Heavenly Emperor's Treasury" shone brightly.
"We've arrived." Russell leaped down from the snake's head and walked slowly to the stone gate.
According to the will transmitted by the Blackwater Serpent, the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury opens only once every ten thousand years, and there are still ten years until the next opening. To open it now, the restrictions within must be broken. Of course, Russell's current abilities are not enough to break the restrictions of this level, but who can blame him for having powerful backers?
With a slight thought, Russell raised his hand and made a grasping motion. A magical artifact with an intricate and complex structure, resembling a Luban lock, appeared from the void and landed in his palm.
The ritual implement gleamed with a warm, jade-like pale golden luster, and faintly exuded a calm and profound aura like that of rocky mountains. [Mortal Lock - Zhongli Replica]
As Russell infused his magic into it, the Lock of the Mortal World trembled slightly and floated up on its own. With a humming sound, circles of pale golden ripples spread out from it, and countless fine, golden sand-like particles of rock elemental light separated from it, drifting toward the huge stone door as if they were alive, seeping into the ancient patterns and cracks in the door.
Before long, a series of muffled rumbling sounds came from within, accompanied by a clear explosion. Under the sunlight streaming through the gaps in the clouds, a straight crack suddenly appeared in the center of the huge stone gate, which had been perfectly sealed as one.
Immediately afterwards, the two heavy doors slid open slowly to the sides, and dazzling golden light, like a volcano that had been accumulating for thousands of years, erupted from the gaps inside the doors.
At the same time, a phoenix cry filled with boundless rage resounded through the heavens.
Outside the platform, the Blackwater Serpent, coiled on the giant tree, instantly tensed up like iron, raised its head and let out a deafening roar. The clouds surged, and a magnificent giant bird with orange-yellow feathers like the blazing sun swooped down!
Ignoring the charging Xuan Bird, Russell took a step forward, his figure disappearing into the glorious halo of the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury. The Black Water Xuan Serpent's pupils contracted, and in an instant, its deep green eyes were covered by a pale gold. A series of chilling cracking sounds rang out, its body twisted violently, then expanded, its bones growing and stretching wildly, its muscles bulging and throbbing. The scales on its body, harder than refined iron, rubbed together, producing a piercing sound and sparks. Its already hundred-zhang-long body expanded again, leaping to over two hundred zhang in one breath, like a black mountain range suddenly stretching across the heavens and earth!
The once smooth belly now extended four powerful claws covered with thick keratin and dark red scales, firmly gripping the trunk of the giant tree. On either side of the snake's head, several meters long, black fleshy membranes unfolded, trembling slightly in the wind. On the top of its head, two bulges, like small hills, rose up, their outlines faintly visible.
At this moment, the Blackwater Serpent no longer resembled a snake at all; it was clearly a primordial ferocious creature about to transform into a dragon, its aura so violent and fierce that it was several times stronger than before!
The yellow bird, which was swooping down, was so startled by this sudden and terrifying change that its feathers stood on end, and it flapped its wings with all its might, creating a violent shockwave. It abruptly stopped its descent in mid-air and began to circle in surprise and uncertainty.
But the Blackwater Serpent was clearly not going to let go of its old rival. It suddenly opened its huge mouth, and visible cold air burst out from its mouth. A cold, icy blue wind howled out, freezing the surroundings into a crystal-clear white world in just a few breaths. The yellow bird was bound in it, its wings becoming heavier and heavier, but it could only hurriedly respond by whipping up a gale.
In an instant, deafening impacts resounded from the heavens.
Regardless of how the two ancient behemoths outside were fighting to the death, Russell, who had stepped into the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury, was already surrounded by a soft yet omnipresent golden light.
Just like in the novel, the treasure vault was not filled with rare treasures, but only had a simple wooden platform about half a person's height standing in the center.
On the wooden platform, there was nothing else but a wooden cup connected to the platform. The liquid in the cup was transparent, and a pentagonal transparent stone about the size of a thumb floated on it.
To be honest, Russell was genuinely curious about the uses of these two items. The original story didn't explain them in detail at all, and after Little Grey swallowed them whole, there was no further mention of them.
However, based on the known clues, this stone is called the Heavenly Emperor's Nether Stone. The word "Nether" is mostly related to the underworld and ghosts.
Russell reached out and caught the Heavenly Emperor Netherstone in mid-air. It was cool to the touch, its radiance restrained. Curious, he gently pinched the stone between his thumb and forefinger to examine it. "Buzz—!"
But at that moment, the Heavenly Emperor's Nether Stone suddenly shone brightly, its seven-colored rays bursting forth and instantly filling the entire treasure vault space.
Under the illumination of the seven-colored light, a petite and ethereal figure slowly emerged in the air behind him like ripples on water, and then solidified.
Russell whirled around, and upon seeing the person's face clearly, he couldn't help but slap himself across the face, crying out in despair, "Xiaoyu!"
Realizing she'd been discovered, Xiaoyu scratched the back of her head sheepishly and chuckled, "Hehe, Brother Luo, long time no see."
"What are you doing here?" Russell asked irritably.
"I was just worried about you," Xiaoyu said, her eyes darting around, trying to bluff her way out of the situation.
"No, you're in a soul state. You used the Sheep Talisman?" Russell realized, but then became puzzled. "No, if it was just an astral projection, there's no reason I wouldn't have been able to detect you. What other method did you use?"
Seeing that she couldn't hide it from Russell, Xiaoyu confessed and took out five and a half hazy, illusory talismans from her pocket.
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