"Grand Elder, help me!"
The moment Yu Xiaogang realized that he needed to dig deeper underground, he immediately grabbed a shovel and began digging. After only a few scoops, however, he noticed that the progress was painfully slow.
Without hesitation, he called for reinforcements.
"What happened?"
Hearing Yu Xiaogang's shout, the Grand Elder immediately stopped what he was doing and hurried over.
"Grand Elder, Little Dragon senses something beneath the ground. I believe there's an immortal-grade herb hidden below, and it seems to be the one that suits me best."
"The herb that suits you best?"
The Grand Elder's eyes widened slightly.
Currently, Yu Xiaogang represented the future of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
Anything capable of strengthening him was of the utmost importance.
If there truly was an immortal-grade herb perfectly suited for Yu Xiaogang, then it was worth any effort to obtain it.
Without another word, the Grand Elder rolled up his sleeves and joined the excavation.
Thus began a rather lively digging operation.
With the assistance of a Quasi-Titled Douluo, the speed of excavation increased dramatically.
Before long, a large pit had formed beneath the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
The commotion eventually attracted Lin Lang and Dugu Bo.
After learning what was happening, they exchanged glances and joined the digging team as well.
Together, the four worked tirelessly.
Meter after meter of earth was removed.
Soon, they had dug more than ten meters underground.
Then—
Ding!
A crisp metallic sound echoed through the pit.
Everyone paused.
The Grand Elder tapped the object below with his shovel once more.
Ding!
The sound was unmistakable.
Frowning, he said,
"We've hit something solid. Most likely a massive rock."
Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened.
A giant rock buried underground would significantly complicate their efforts.
Lin Lang rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Should we just smash it apart?"
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
Yu Xiaogang and the Grand Elder spoke simultaneously.
The synchronized response startled everyone.
The Grand Elder glared at Lin Lang.
"The immortal herb Xiaogang needs is probably hidden beneath this rock. What if destroying it damages the herb?"
Lin Lang scratched his head awkwardly.
"Fair point."
Yu Xiaogang nodded.
"Let's dig around it instead."
"No matter how large it is, it has to end somewhere."
With a new plan decided, everyone resumed their work.
The excavation continued.
Eventually, they discovered the edge of the enormous rock.
Following its outline downward, they uncovered something unexpected.
A stone wall.
The Grand Elder tapped the wall carefully.
A hollow echo sounded from the other side.
Everyone froze.
"There is empty space behind it."
The Grand Elder narrowed his eyes.
"Could this be a hidden underground chamber?"
Yu Xiaogang's curiosity immediately intensified.
Since arriving at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, he had constantly wondered about its origins.
Why did a spring containing both ice and fire energy exist here?
How had such a unique environment formed?
What was the true source of the Yin-Yang Well?
There had to be an explanation.
Now, perhaps they were finally getting closer to the answer.
Without hesitation, everyone began excavating around the stone structure.
Their goal was simple.
Either find an entrance or locate a weak point that would allow them to break through.
After digging for so long, none of them intended to leave empty-handed.
Hours passed.
Gradually, the outline of the underground chamber emerged.
After careful inspection, they finally identified the weakest section of the wall.
The Grand Elder personally took charge.
To avoid damaging whatever might be hidden inside, he activated his Martial Soul and carefully chipped away at the wall.
Rather than smashing it apart, he removed the stone piece by piece.
Watching him work so cautiously, Yu Xiaogang almost laughed.
A part of him wanted to say there was no need to be quite so careful.
Yet he remained silent.
Instead, a warm feeling rose within his heart.
Yu Xiaogang knew exactly why the Grand Elder treated him so well.
It wasn't simply affection.
In the Grand Elder's eyes, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect always came first.
The reason he cared so much was because Yu Xiaogang represented the Sect's future.
His talent.
His potential.
His ability to lead the Sect to even greater heights.
That was why he received such attention.
Yet even understanding that fact, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but feel touched.
After all, being cared for and protected still carried emotional weight.
Meanwhile, the excavation continued.
As the wall became thinner, something strange appeared.
The ordinary stone gradually transformed into a crystalline substance.
Red crystals.
Bright crimson and semi-transparent.
The deeper they dug, the more numerous these crystals became.
The Grand Elder carefully examined one of the fragments.
After several moments, his expression became serious.
"These crystals contain traces of spirit power."
"And more than that..."
"They also contain blood vitality."
Everyone's faces changed.
Spirit power crystallization wasn't unheard of.
Powerful spiritual energy could condense into mineral-like substances under certain conditions.
But blood vitality?
That was extremely rare.
What kind of existence could produce enough blood vitality to create an entire wall of red crystal?
The mystery surrounding the underground chamber deepened further.
Finally—
Another crystal fragment was removed.
A small opening appeared.
At that exact moment—
Whoosh!
A dense crimson aura burst from the gap like a raging flood.
The Grand Elder, standing closest to the opening, took the full force of the impact.
Instantly, his blood began surging violently.
His muscles tensed.
Dragon scales erupted across his skin.
His partially transformed body immediately entered a state of complete Dragonization.
Behind him, Yu Xiaogang was struck by the same aura.
The blood within his body boiled.
Every cell seemed to come alive.
His reaction was even stronger than the Grand Elder's.
After all, his cultivation was significantly lower.
The sudden stimulation affected him far more intensely.
Nearby, Little Dragon reacted even more dramatically.
Its eyes lit up.
Taking a deep breath, it greedily inhaled the escaping aura.
"Awooo!"
The excited roar finally snapped everyone back to reality.
The Grand Elder swallowed hard.
His eyes were filled with shock.
"This is unbelievable."
"Just the aura leaking from inside caused such a reaction."
He glanced toward Yu Xiaogang.
After confirming that the young man was unharmed, he felt slightly relieved.
At the same time, his curiosity intensified.
Whatever was hidden inside this chamber had to be extraordinary.
More importantly, it was clearly something highly compatible with Dragon-type Martial Souls.
Suppressing the surging blood vitality within his body, the Grand Elder resumed excavating.
Soon, the opening became large enough for a person to enter.
The hidden chamber was finally revealed.
Yu Xiaogang stepped forward.
With a wave of his hand, he condensed a sphere of light.
The glowing orb floated through the opening and illuminated the darkness within.
The moment the chamber became visible—
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
The sight before them was horrifying.
Countless skeletons filled the chamber.
White bones were piled together in massive heaps.
Some were complete.
Others were broken and scattered across the floor.
Judging by their size alone, these remains had once belonged to Spirit Beasts that were at least ten thousand years old.
The sheer number of skeletons was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle.
And that wasn't the most shocking discovery.
Every wall within the chamber was covered by the same crimson crystals they had excavated earlier.
Now they finally understood their origin.
The blood vitality required to create those crystals had come from these countless Spirit Beast remains.
Thousands upon thousands of years of accumulated life force had condensed into those strange red crystals.
The mystery of the crystals had finally been solved.
Yet an even greater question remained.
What kind of existence had slaughtered so many powerful Spirit Beasts and gathered their remains here?
And more importantly—
What exactly was hidden at the center of this underground chamber?
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)