Jade Pot Cave, the fourth layer!
Whew!
Sowhere deep on the fourth layer, all of a sudden, a gaunt figure flew backward—it was indeed Yun Xiao, who had ventured into this level. However, his complexion at the mont was looking quite unsightly.
"Damn Earth Dragon Scorpion, how could it be so strong?"
Yun Xiao’s gaze was fixed firmly on a colossal creature not far away, cursing under his breath. It seed that during his battle with the Vein Demon, he had faced so difficulties.
The Vein Demon not far away was a deep reddish-brown color, and from a distance, it was clearly a giant scorpion, except that this red scorpion’s tail was not a scorpion’s stinger, but a bizarrely long tail.
It looked sowhat like a dragon tail that Yun Xiao had seen in so images before, so he had recognized the true nature of this peculiar Vein Demon right from the start. It was a kind of Vein Demon that lived beneath the earth, extrely cruel and violent, known as the Earth Dragon Scorpion.
The na of this continent was the Nine Dragons Continent, and it was said in ancient tis: One who acquires a dragon may rise above millions; one who acquires nine dragons shall be the overlord of the entire continent. Thus, anything associated with the word ’dragon’ was by no ans ordinary.
Of course, Yun Xiao knew that even though the Earth Dragon Scorpion bore the word ’dragon’ in its na, it didn’t an it contained any bloodline of the Dragon Clan. Its na originated from its tail that greatly resembled a dragon’s tail.
It was rely a resemblance, and who knew who had given the Earth Dragon Scorpion its na. In any case, aside from its tail resembling that of a dragon, it had nothing to do with the Divine Dragons, the holy creatures of the continent.
Yet, even though the Earth Dragon Scorpion had no relation to dragons, it was an authentic Fourth Rank Low Level Vein Demon, and more importantly, it guarded sothing that Yun Xiao needed—a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure that could even help him break through to the ridian Rushing Realm Early Stage.
It was just unfortunate that when Yun Xiao was about to collect that treasure into his Waist Storage, the Earth Dragon Scorpion burst forth from the ground. Its giant pincers almost completely snapped Yun Xiao at the waist.
With Yun Xiao’s reaction and speed, he managed to narrowly dodge the Earth Dragon Scorpion’s clamp at the critical mont, but he didn’t expect this behemoth to respond so quickly. An unavoidable tail whip sent him flying several ters away, his breathing turning chaotic.
Yun Xiao was well aware that near most precious Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, there were always powerful Vein Demons guarding them. Jade Pot Cave was no exception, such as the Stone Heart Marrow he had obtained on the third layer of Jade Pot Cave, guarded by a Green-Eyed Bat.
However, at that ti, Yun Xiao was fortunate; the Green-Eyed Bat was only Third Rank Middle Level, and he subdued it precisely with his unique Sound Wave ridian Techniques, eventually obtaining the Stone Heart Marrow.
But this Earth Dragon Scorpion in front of him, whether in terms of speed or strength, was far beyond that Green-Eyed Bat, and it didn’t seem to have any obvious weaknesses. Yun Xiao knew that if he went head-to-head with it, he might not co out on top.
Nevertheless, he was determined to get that item. Besides, there was no need to fight this behemoth to death in order to obtain it—Yun Xiao had many unused tactics up his sleeve.
"Vile beast, you think you’re so fierce? If you’ve got the guts, co chase !"
Yun Xiao’s eyes rolled and the next mont, a mocking and cold sneer appeared on his face. He believed this Fourth Rank Low Level Vein Demon could understand his words and such a provocation was likely not to fail.
Since Yun Xiao was determined to acquire that Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure, his first priority was to lure this Earth Dragon Scorpion away from its guarding spot. Otherwise, he had no chance except to kill the Earth Dragon Scorpion.
Indeed, Yun Xiao’s guess was extrely accurate. The Earth Dragon Scorpion was inherently savage, harboring a peculiar kind of hatred toward human Cultivators, because every human Cultivator who discovered the treasure wanted to take it, which enraged it greatly.
Of course, the main reason was that the Earth Dragon Scorpion could sense Yun Xiao’s true level of Cultivation. Though it possessed remarkable Spiritual Wisdom, it had so differences compared to humans. In its subconscious, a human Cultivator a whole Great Rank below itself could never pose any threat to it.
Whew...
So, reacting to Yun Xiao’s deliberate taunt, the Earth Dragon Scorpion’s massive body shot out swiftly, seemingly even faster than Yun Xiao, reaching him in just an instant.
That gigantic "Dragon Tail" was the Earth Dragon Scorpion’s second most powerful attack thod, second only to its two sturdy pincers, and this ti, it was using that powerful tail whip.
Seeing this, Yun Xiao dared not be negligent. He had refined his body with the Stone Heart Marrow, but it was only comparable to a Fourth Rank Low Level Vein Demon. Facing a real Fourth Rank Low Level Vein Demon now, the situation was definitely a few degrees more difficult than fighting a Cultivator at the ridian Rushing Realm Early Stage.
Fortunately, Yun Xiao was resourceful. Seeing the huge Dragon Tail sweep towards him, he made a split-second decision, disregarding his image, and rolled on the ground to dodge this powerful strike.
Boom!
Who would have known that the Earth Dragon Scorpion, as if anticipating Yun Xiao’s move, did a turn-around. Its massive pincer already jabbed towards Yun Xiao on the ground in no ti.
The tail of the Earth Dragon Scorpion was flexible, but its pincer was incredibly hard. If it managed to stab, Yun Xiao’s body would likely be pierced with a ghastly hole in an instant, ending his life right there and then.
The Earth Dragon Scorpion’s stab was ruthless, and in its subconscious, it believed that Yun Xiao’s roll on the ground was already at his limit. Under such circumstances, if he could still dodge its pincer jab, he truly would not be human.
Yet Yun Xiao was indeed not a being from the Hidden Dragon Continent; his thods were beyond what this Fourth Rank Low Level Vein Demon could imagine. Just as its pincer was about to poke a huge hole in Yun Xiao, the figure that seed incapable of dodging on the ground, sohow stiffly shifted several feet to the side.
Clang!
Amidst the spraying dirt and dust, the Earth Dragon Scorpion failed to hit Yun Xiao and instead jabbed into the ground, creating a large hole. One could only imagine how formidable that strike from its pincer must have been.
At this ti, the movent technique Yun Xiao displayed was clearly the "Zombie Body Technique" he had used during his battle against Feng Hang in the Outer Sect competition. This technique’s most apparent characteristic was being able to move in any direction without shifting the rest of the body, a rare feat on the Hidden Dragon Continent.
Yun Xiao, who had just flipped himself off the ground, broke out in a cold sweat. The pincer’s strike was probably even stronger than the Cold Light Axe Feng Hang had wielded back then. Fortunately, the Zombie Body Technique helped him dodge a deadly blow.
Though Yun Xiao almost got skewered this ti, he had accomplished his goal. The Earth Dragon Scorpion was now over ten yards away from the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures it was guarding, presenting a clear opportunity for him.
Swoosh!
Seizing the mont of the Earth Dragon Scorpion’s confusion, Yun Xiao didn’t lose any ti. With a swift movent, he bypassed the colossal body of the Earth Dragon Scorpion and quickly arrived at the place where the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were located.
There, a slender stem erged from the ground, bearing six lush and dripping green leaves, as if the air itself beca fresher with each sway of the leaves.
"Six-leaf Earth Spirit Ginseng, it’s really you!"
When Yun Xiao got a close look at the stem with the six leaves, he no longer had any doubts. To be honest, he wasn’t entirely sure it was the Six-leaf Earth Spirit Ginseng when he first saw it, because the Earth Dragon Scorpion burst forth from the ground and repelled him after just two strikes.
Six-leaf Earth Spirit Ginseng was a rare herb that had reached the low level of the Spiritual Rank, serving as a primary ingredient in the low-level Spiritual Rank elixir, the Spirit Ascending Pill. Although the Spirit Ascending Pill wasn’t highly graded, it was famous throughout the Hidden Dragon Continent.
The sole effect of the Spirit Ascending Pill was to allow a cultivator at the Peak of the ridian Gathering Realm to breakthrough to the Early Stage of the ridian Rushing Realm with a hundred percent success rate and without any side effects.
The effect of the Spirit Ascending Pill was sowhat similar to the ridian Rushing Pill and Gathering Energy Pill, except it was of a much higher grade, and only a ridian Refining Master of the low-level Spiritual Rank could refine it.
Moreover, the Spirit Ascending Pill had potent dicinal effects. Not only were the materials hard to find, but the failure rate was also extrely high for low-level Spiritual Rank ridian Refining Masters who attempted to refine it, wasting not just materials but also ti.
Within the Xuanyue Empire, there were not many ridian Refining Masters of the Spiritual Rank, and even fewer could successfully refine the Spirit Ascending Pill, leading to an extre scarcity of the pill. Every Spirit Ascending Pill that went up for auction would sell at exorbitant prices.
Yun Xiao’s interest in the Six-leaf Earth Spirit Ginseng wasn’t because he could refine the Spirit Ascending Pill—after all, he was only a Mortal Rank Middle Level ridian Refining Master and had failed several tis in refining the Mortal Rank Advanced Gathering Energy Pill, let alone a low-level Spiritual Rank elixir.
As Yun Xiao knew, the success in refining advanced-level elixirs at the middle level of Mortal Rank was due not just to luck but also to his experience in alchemy of the Holy Rank from his past life.
But this experience in refining beyond one’s rank would beco more challenging as the level of the ridian Refining Master increased. After all, the art of alchemy requires the support of the Ancestral Vein Fire and the Power of Soul. Without reaching that level, aspiring to refine higher-ranked elixirs was akin to reaching for the stars.
So why did Yun Xiao risk his life to obtain the Six-leaf Earth Spirit Ginseng? It was because he had no intention of refining the Spirit Ascending Pill; instead, he wanted to consu this low-level Spiritual Rank Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures directly.
The Six-leaf Earth Spirit Ginseng, being the primary ingredient for the Spirit Ascending Pill, contained potent benefits for cultivators at the Peak of the ridian Gathering Realm.
Yun Xiao had previously consud the low-level Spiritual Rank Purple Energy Flower Lotus, and the Six-leaf Earth Spirit was apparently much more formidable; if an ordinary cultivator at the ridian Gathering Realm Peak directly consud it, they might explode and die.
But Yun Xiao had extre confidence because he possessed a peerless Cultivation Technique: the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique!
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