Chapter 517: Chapter 517

Zhouyang did not exaggerate at all.

During the second climb, he promptly used top-grade spirit stones to replenish his magical power, and in just over eight hours, he successfully reached the top and arrived in front of the palace on the mountaintop platform.

Standing in front of the palace, Zhouyang thought for a moment and decided not to enter immediately, opting instead to patiently wait for Jiang Fengxian.

Last time, Jiang Fengxian was only a step away from reaching the top. Seeing Zhouyang, whose cultivation was inferior to hers, succeed on his first attempt, ignited her competitive spirit, making her not want to be looked down upon by Zhouyang.

Therefore, during her second climb, she was significantly faster than the previous time, ultimately reaching the top in less than seven hours and arriving next to Zhouyang.

"Fengxian, your speed is really fast. I thought you might need more time before reaching here."

Looking at the stunning beauty beside him, who had a hint of sweat at her brow, Zhouyang said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fengxian’s eyes first filled with a hint of joy, then she seemed to think of something, and couldn’t help but sigh while gazing at him: "I still can’t compare to Brother Zhou. If I had the same cultivation as you, today I would surely be looking up at you achieving the summit!"

She possessed extraordinary talent, not only having the rare "Green Wood Spirit Body" but also the noble and pure "Phoenix Bloodline." In terms of aptitude, there were few cultivators in the "Spirit Realm" who could compare to her.

Yet, even with such qualifications, she paled somewhat before Zhouyang.

Recalling back then, with his Third-Layer of the Purple Mansion cultivation, Zhouyang was able to help her slay Duanmu Yong of the Ninth-Layer of the Purple Mansion.

Now, with a First-Layer Golden Core cultivation, Zhouyang first helped her easily slay the Tier Five Middle-Grade demon beast "Cyan-faced Owl," and then went on to kill Song Qingyun of the Sixth-Layer Golden Core by himself.

Jiang Fengxian thought to herself that if she were at the same realm of cultivation as Zhouyang, she would definitely not be his match.

Even now, with her Third-Layer Golden Core cultivation and the talent divine techniques of the "Celestial Phoenix Race," she had no certainty that she could defeat Zhouyang of the First-Layer Golden Core.

"I wonder if there are any treasures left inside the palace. We can’t afford to make this trip for nothing."

Zhouyang smiled, not responding directly to Jiang Fengxian, but instead shifting the topic to treasure hunting.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fengxian immediately replied, "We’ll know if there are any treasures once we go inside and take a look."

So the two of them pushed open the palace doors and walked inside.

Upon entering the palace doors, Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian immediately saw rows of treasure-offering tables in their sight. Most of these tables were empty, with less than twenty percent still holding treasures left by the "Celestial Immortals."

All the treasures on the offering tables were protected by a layer of white light, completely blocking cultivators’ divine sense and sealing the spiritual light of the treasures inside, making it impossible for cultivators to determine the rank of the treasures through any means.

"There are still twenty-six treasure-offering tables with treasures on them. Fengxian, you go ahead and pick one first."

Zhouyang glanced over the treasures on the offering tables and quickly withdrew his gaze, courteously gesturing to Jiang Fengxian to make her selection first.

"Since Brother Zhou insists, then I will not be polite."

Glancing at him, Jiang Fengxian walked up to a treasure table, reached out, and directly extended her hand into the white light to grab the gilt dressing copper mirror placed on the table.

As soon as she grasped the copper mirror, she, along with the mirror, was teleported out of the palace, appearing above the waters outside.

For the remainder of the time this "Kunxu Realm" was open, she would not be able to enter the palace on the "Heaven-Reaching Peak" again to seize treasures.

As for Zhouyang inside the palace, after Jiang Fengxian left, he did not linger and proceeded towards a treasure he had his eyes on.

It was a palm-sized green wood token, with several characters inscribed on it in "Golden Seal Text."

Despite not recognizing many "Golden Seal Text" characters, Zhouyang was fascinated by them. In his view, anything related to "Golden Seal Text" was extraordinary.

Moreover, he did not currently lack magical artifacts, so there was no need for a magical artifact that would at most be a Tier Five Top Grade.

Just like Jiang Fengxian, as soon as he grasped the green wood token, an irresistible force teleported him out of the palace, depositing him outside the black mountain.

Not in a hurry to inspect the green wood token’s function, Zhouyang stored it in his storage ring and found Jiang Fengxian, who exited earlier, then released the "Thunderbolt Golden Light Divine Shuttle" to leave the area of the "Heaven-Reaching Peak" together.

They flew for tens of thousands of miles, ensuring no one followed them before Zhouyang relaxed and they each began to examine the treasures they had obtained.

Upon appraisal, the gilt dressing copper mirror Jiang Fengxian acquired was a Tier Five Middle Grade spiritual artifact, capable of sealing pre-prepared spells within to release during battle.

This feature was undeniably useful, allowing Jiang Fengxian to save countless spirit talismans in the future.

However, the mirror could only seal one spell at a time and could at most seal a Tier Five Middle-Grade spell, with a preservation duration of only one year, making them not insignificant shortcomings.

Nonetheless, Jiang Fengxian was very pleased with the artifact’s utility and began refining it on the spot.

As for the green wood token Zhouyang obtained, although he did not understand the meaning of the "Golden Seal Text" inscribed upon it, using divine sense to scan the token readily revealed its function and usage.

The green wood token was named the "Wood Replacement Life Token." By dropping a drop of life essence blood onto it and refining it, the token could be absorbed into the body, triggering its "Substitute Life" effect in the event of a deadly attack, taking the blow in place of the cultivator.

Zhouyang had previously witnessed such an effect with a life-substituting treasure when he was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, witnessing Blood Mo Luo of the Blood Slaughter Demon Sect evade a deadly joint attack by the Chen Family Ancestor and Zhang Yunpeng by using a Demon Treasure called the "Substitute Blood Puppet."

That "Substitute Blood Puppet" was a demon treasure, requiring specific secret techniques of the Blood Slaughter Demon Sect for refinement and use, rendering it unusable to ordinary cultivators.

But this did not mean that cultivators were without means to refine similar treasures.

The "Wood Replacement Life Token" Zhouyang now possessed was refined by a cultivator’s methods and matched the "Substitute Blood Puppet" of the Blood Slaughter Demon Sect in function.

Having such a treasure is akin to having an extra life in certain respects.

Zhouyang was very satisfied with the treasure he had obtained and immediately refined it by dropping blood onto it.

With the "Wood Replacement Life Token" in his possession, Zhouyang felt more at ease about the upcoming journey to the "Poisonous Flood Dragon Pool."

Half a month later, the "Thunderbolt Golden Light Divine Shuttle" halted outside a swamp thick with pale-green poisonous mist.

The Poisonous Mist Swamp, a notorious danger zone within the "Kunxu Realm," home to numerous venomous demon beasts and poisonous creatures, with the "Poisonous Flood Dragon Pool" in the swamp’s depths inhabited by "Poisonous Flood Dragons," exotic flood dragons teeming with venom.

Their goal was to delve into the Poisonous Mist Swamp and seize the opportunity to hunt a Poisonous Flood Dragon.

"This is the Jade Toad Antidote Pill, you only need to hold it in your mouth, and it will detoxify the poisonous mist of the Poisonous Mist Swamp. If you accidentally get wounded while fighting the poisonous flood dragon, you can use this Spirit Pill to detoxify."

"This item is not easy to refine, I only have seven left, so I hope Brother Zhou will use them sparingly!"

Outside the Poisonous Mist Swamp, as Zhouyang observed and evaluated the swamp’s condition, Jiang Fengxian raised her delicate hand, took out a white Spirit Pill with an enticing fragrance, and handed it to him, softly explaining the pill’s effect.

Since she dared to come here to hunt such poisonous creatures like the poisonous flood dragon, she must have made suitable preparations, among which various detoxification treasures were essential.

It must be known that the entire body of the poisonous flood dragon contains poison, even its blood has potent toxins. Even with the most comprehensive precautions, cultivators cannot guarantee not being poisoned when engaging with them.

Therefore, if one does not prepare antidotes beforehand, it will be too late to seek them upon poisoning.

However, Zhouyang possesses the Qianyang Treasure Body, protected by the Qianyang True Flame, so the poisonous mist floating above the swamp cannot harm him, thus he has no need for the antidote pills carefully prepared by Jiang Fengxian.

"These mere poisonous mists cannot harm Zhou, Fenxian, you should use the pills yourself."

He smiled broadly and shook his head, gently declining Jiang Fengxian’s good intention.

Knowing his capabilities, Jiang Fengxian didn’t say much in response, just slightly opened her lips and silently put the pill in her mouth.

Then, after a brief pause, they both rode the clouds deeper into the swamp.

Boom! Thɪs chapter is updated by novel fire.net

Amidst the rumbling thunderstorms, green poisonous flies as large as an adult’s fist fell wildly like raindrops.

In mid-air, Zhouyang stood, with the Profound Turtle Shield transformed into a dark golden light curtain enveloping him, steadily blocking and catching all the toxic liquid sprayed by countless green poisonous flies.

Meanwhile, the C Fire Thunder Bottle was suspended above his head, continuously releasing fiery red Binghuo Divine Thunder towards the green flies attacking him, driven by his magical power.

Every blast of Divine Thunder would kill and drop hundreds to thousands of green flies.

Nearby Zhouyang, Jiang Fengxian also deployed a verdant green gourd over her head. Thick green light surged from the gourd’s mouth, enveloping her. The toxic liquid sprayed by the green flies met the green light and instantly turned into clear water, trickling down.

At the same time, the Seven-Colored Cloud-Swallowing Python summoned by Jiang Fengxian charged fiercely within the swarm of green flies, attacking them with its wide-open jaws, devouring them as if they were food.

Now, it’s been five days since Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian delved into the Poisonous Mist Swamp. During these five days, they encountered numerous toxic creatures and exterminated countless toxic threats.

The most encountered were toxic insects like these nameless green flies.

Though these insects are not strong, even qi refining cultivators can easily kill them, their numbers reach tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, making them a serious threat even to Golden Core cultivators.

If given a choice, Zhouyang would certainly avoid battling these insects that yield no reward upon defeat.

But he had no choice.

These insects are all mindless, low-level creatures. They will attack any creature they perceive as vulnerable invading their territory.

Fortunately, although they are mindless, their biological instincts remain intact; when slaughtered severely, they become terrified and retreat voluntarily.

Sure enough, under Zhouyang’s constant bombardments, the swarm of green flies retreated, fleeing into the black swamp water below after losing nearly thirty percent of their forces.

Upon seeing this, Zhouyang, unfazed and accustomed, retrieved his magical artifacts, exchanged a knowing glance with Jiang Fengxian, gave a helpless smile, and continued to ride the cloud deeper into the swamp.

On their journey, similar situations repeatedly occurred, leaving them drained of strength to complain, focusing solely on reaching the Poisonous Flood Dragon Pool deep within the swamp to complete their mission and depart quickly.

After advancing several more days, Zhouyang noticeably realized the poisonous mist ahead had suddenly thickened substantially, and the originally black swamp water below now gleamed green.

This made him understand that they had reached their destination.

"The Poisonous Flood Dragon Pool is already here, Fenxian, do you have a method to locate those hidden poisonous flood dragons?"

Zhouyang turned to Jiang Fengxian beside him, quietly asking about her plan.

The saying goes that dragons lurk in deep ponds; flood dragons generally dislike activities on the water surface, spending most of their life sleeping and cultivating in underwater lairs, occasionally emerging to stir up storms.

Zhouyang and his companions certainly cannot wait here indefinitely for a poisonous flood dragon to emerge and wreak havoc before acting.

"The poisonous flood dragons love feeding on various toxic substances. To ensure a smooth hunt, before coming to the Kunxu Realm, I specifically found several rare toxic plants and insects in the Wilderness Jungle and used secret techniques to make them into a powder; we just need to find a suitable place to set up the Wind Breath Spirit Lock Array, then burn and boil these powders, patiently waiting for the prey to fall into the trap!"

Jiang Fengxian confidently smirked, softly explaining her method.

"In that case, let us quickly find a place."

Desiring nothing more than to leave the area promptly, Zhouyang immediately split up with Jiang Fengxian to locate a suitable place for the array.

In a few hours, they found an island filled with various toxic plants where Zhouyang even discovered claw marks left by a flood dragon, likely when it came ashore to consume the toxic plants.

"This place is suitable, since there are flood dragon claw marks, it indicates flood dragon activity nearby."

Zhouyang pointed at the claw marks of varying depths on the ground, saying, to which Jiang Fengxian nodded in agreement.

Then, with a wave of her hand, she took out a pre-prepared Tier Five Array, the Wind Breath Spirit Lock Array, and jointly set it up on the island with Zhouyang.

Once the array was set up, Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian went to the island’s highest point, where she summoned a purple-black wood cauldron the size of an alchemy furnace and placed it on the ground, then took out a black jade bottle, pouring its contents of foul-smelling red-black powder into the purple-black cauldron.

Finally, Jiang Fengxian summoned her Seven-Colored Cloud-Swallowing Python, extracted its toxic blood and filled the cauldron, then ignited a spiritual fire beneath the cauldron.

Instantly, as the spiritual fire blazed, the snake blood inside the purple-black cauldron began to emit an overpowering, nauseating stench.

The stench was so unbearable that Zhouyang, upon smelling a trace, became dizzy and nearly vomited.

Frightened, he quickly shut down his sense of smell and circulated magical power to purify the toxic gas inhaled, eliminating the adverse physical reaction.

Conversely, upon sensing the odor, the toxic insects and creatures within the swamp went berserk, madly rushing towards the source of the smell.

Even before reaching the cauldron, these toxic insects and creatures engaged in fierce fights along the way.

Watching the scene, Zhouyang marveled inwardly and had no doubts regarding Fenxian’s ability to lure out the poisonous flood dragon.