Chapter 90: Gathering the Medicinal Ingredients!
"Roar—"
Two great lion roars rang out. The pressure mixed within them had already broken past the boundary of Dou Huang.
Looking at the two enormous, majestic Amethyst Winged Lion Kings behind him, Yun Yi nodded in satisfaction.
By now, both had been refined by him into flame slaves. Moreover, he had used the Saint Demon Flame to thoroughly burn away the bloodline power within them, allowing the two to break through to rank seven.
"It's time to plan a grand battle. Coming out for a trip, I ought to gather some accomplishments."
Retracting his satisfied gaze, Yun Yi's eyes looked into the distance as he spoke in a low, ethereal tone.
In the end, two awe-inspiring lions pulled a black war chariot, tearing across the sky before vanishing into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
The Magical Beast Mountain Range covered an immense area. Even after flying through it for over ten minutes, Jiang Yun and Zi Yan still had not seen the forest's end.
Although the mountain range didn't stand out much in the original story, as if it housed no particularly formidable Magical Beasts—the highest rank that appeared being only the rank six Amethyst Winged Lion King—
As Jiang Yun and Zi Yan ventured deeper into the Magical Beast Mountain Range, along the way, Jiang Yun had sensed quite a number of fierce, brutal auras. Among them, no few possessed the strength of rank five, and even rank six.
Several times, some Magical Beasts with enormous bodies and ferocious, intimidating appearances shot past before them—all rather rarely seen species from the outside world.
However, with Zi Yan, the rank six Taixu Ancient Dragon present, her faintly discernible dragon might kept these Magical Beasts from proactively causing trouble. This made Jiang Yun and Zi Yan's journey remarkably smooth.
Along the way, Jiang Yun had already harvested quite a few of his targeted medicinal ingredients. He was still short one Blood Essence Demon Fruit. However, he now had a lead on it. After just having 'politely' borrowed a rank six medicinal ingredient from a rank six Earth Rock Wolf and gleaning information about the Blood Essence Demon Fruit from the other's mouth, Jiang Yun and Zi Yan were now heading straight for the destination!
"Whoosh!"
Two figures swept through the forest. Jiang Yun's footsteps abruptly halted. Tilting his head to look north, the soul power from his brow probed out toward the surroundings.
"Well?" Seeing this, Zi Yan couldn't help but ask.
"It is indeed the aura of a rank seven Magical Beast!" Jiang Yun spoke quietly.
"Hmph— I knew that fellow was dishonest!" Zi Yan's brows furrowed slightly at his words. Looking in the direction she'd sensed, "The Blood Essence Demon Fruit is indeed here. What do we do?"
"Courtesy before force, of course. I am, after all, a peace-loving alchemist!" Hearing this, Jiang Yun chuckled lightly. With a wave of his hand, he changed into an alchemist's long robe. Putting on the appearance of an alchemy grandmaster, he flew inside.
"What a cunning, black-bellied guy!" Behind him, Zi Yan muttered under her breath as she watched the posturing Jiang Yun. But her feet weren't slow. Tapping the tip of her foot against a branch, her figure swiftly darted out.
Whoosh, whoosh!
In the depths of the forest, the sound of rushing wind continued unceasingly. After nearly ten minutes, the two figures ahead, Jiang Yun and Zi Yan, finally alighted gently on the crown of a great tree, their gazes fixed sharply ahead.
What met their eyes was first a swath of verdant, lush vitality. Beyond that, in the distance, lay an exceptionally vast lake. But what was bizarre was that the lake's water was blood-red—like a sea of blood.
It was hard to imagine that in this place brimming with life, there could be such a lake resembling a blood pool. The lake was roughly a thousand yards wide. Light rippled across its surface. A gentle breeze stirred faint ripples on the placid lake, making it seem like a giant, man-devouring abyss.
Though this place was eerie, Jiang Yun could clearly feel that the natural energy here was several times denser than elsewhere.
"Xiao Yun, look there!" At that moment, Zi Yan beside him tugged at his sleeve and pointed forward, a look of irrepressible delight on her face.
In the center of the lake, there was a small patch of suspended land, like a tiny island in the heart of the lake. On that islet stood a blood-red ancient tree. Growing on the tree were three blood-red, oval-shaped fruits.
It was precisely the final target of Jiang Yun's trip—the Blood Essence Demon Fruit!
"That's it." Seeing the target, Jiang Yun nodded and spoke softly, "Only, the owner here doesn't seem very friendly!"
At this moment, Jiang Yun's gaze fell upon that demonic lake, a smile that wasn't quite a smile in his eyes.
"Since it doesn't want to come out, then it doesn't need to ever come out again!"
Zi Yan also fixed her gaze on the lake at this time. With a sharp cold laugh, her fair, slender palm clenched into a fist. Punching through the air from afar, a burst of terrifying force slammed heavily into the lake, blasting out an enormous hollow.
"Boom!"
With that one punch, the calm lake suddenly surged with sky-high waves. In the next instant, within the lake, a giant shadow rapidly emerged and finally, with a great splash, burst out of the water. Huge eyes glowing with fierce light swept wildly in every direction.
A sky-reaching ferocious and brutal aura also spread out.
"It's a Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon. It possesses a trace of dragon clan bloodline. Quite rare," Jiang Yun said calmly as he looked at the giant Magical Beast that had emerged from the water.
"Heh— nowadays, any Magical Beast claims kinship with my dragon clan?" Zi Yan sneered coldly.
"The dragon clan of the ancient era wasn't just your Taixu Ancient Dragon branch!" Jiang Yun chuckled, rubbing the top of Zi Yan's head, and couldn't help but say.
His gaze moved to the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon. The creature was a full three hundred meters long. Crimson scales, like the hardest armor, covered its massive body.
On its upper portion, there were three enormous, ferocious serpent heads. On each head was a single sharp horn, a cold, chilling luster flickering across them, as if possessing a sharpness that could tear through space.
Whoosh, whoosh.
At this moment, those three pairs of scarlet, brutal serpent pupils of the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon were locked dead on Jiang Yun and Zi Yan by the lakeside. Its giant mouth gaped open, emitting an eerily cold, low roar.
"Something that belongs to This King—and you two ants dare covet it? Reckless fools who don't know what's good for you!"
"I am an alchemist. I wish to exchange a rank seven Transformation Pill for the Blood Essence Demon Fruit, and hope the Flood Dragon King will grant me this convenience!" Jiang Yun slowly flew before the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon at this moment and spoke in a refined, gentlemanly manner. At the same time, a not insignificant aura emanated from him, making the other's eyes narrow slightly.
"A Transformation Pill!" Indeed, the moment 'Transformation Pill' was mentioned, the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon's eyes immediately blazed with fervor. It stared at Jiang Yun and asked, "You have a Transformation Pill?!"
"Naturally!"
Now, the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon was a bit torn. It turned its head back to look at the Blood Essence Demon Fruit. This was something it had prepared to strengthen its bloodline in preparation for a future breakthrough to rank eight.
But... It also desperately wanted the Transformation Pill. What to do?
Suddenly, an even better plan surfaced in its mind. Looking back at the small figures of Jiang Yun and Zi Yan, the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon sneered inwardly. Its hoarse voice spoke:
"Grandmaster, I'm unwilling to give up either. What do you say we do?"
"That means there's no room for discussion, then!" Jiang Yun sighed helplessly. He only wanted to be a 'peace-loving' alchemist. Why did they always force him to fight and kill?!
"Heh—"
"Human! From the moment you dared set foot in This King's territory, your fate was already sealed!"
"Hand over the Transformation Pill now!"
Roar!
As the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon's last words fell, it suddenly arched its body and let out a roar. A dreadful air current swept out like a hurricane, uprooting an entire stretch of forest around the lake. The spectacle was truly terrifying.
Boom!
At the same time, the placid lake suddenly erupted with enormous water spouts at that moment. From within these spouts, jet-black, sharp water spears shot out explosively, blanketing the sky as they fired at Jiang Yun in midair.
The sharp water spears clearly contained exceptionally fierce power. A foul stench emanated from the air along their path, evidently carrying an extremely terrifying, potent poison.
"Xiao Yun, be careful!"
The Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon's strength was roughly around the level of a five-star Dou Zong. Relying on its formidable Magical Beast body and its bloodline power, it could even hold its own against a seven-star Dou Zong.
Even knowing Jiang Yun's strength, Zi Yan couldn't help but feel worried.
The instant the opponent attacked, Jiang Yun reacted immediately. Spatial power surged, and his figure appeared right beside Zi Yan.
"I told you, just let me attack. You never listen!" Although Jiang Yun was unharmed, Zi Yan still couldn't help but grumble.
"Alright, alright. You should be careful. That guy is a rank seven existence, after all. Don't overdo it!"
"If it were some other Magical Beast, I might not be able to do anything. But this one~~~"
"Heh—"
With a cold sneer, Zi Yan floated lightly toward the opponent.
"Oh~~~ here comes another one seeking death!" Though somewhat surprised by Jiang Yun's speed, the confidence brought by its strength still led the creature to attribute it to the reaction speed of an alchemist's soul power.
It did not believe Jiang Yun's strength was truly powerful! So, upon seeing Zi Yan and sensing her mid rank six strength, it immediately let out a mocking jeer.
"Stinky long snake, you're dead meat!"
Zi Yan stared at the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon and gave a cold shout. Rich purple light swirled out from her body, then coalesced above her head into a purple light dragon about three meters long. The moment this purple dragon appeared, it raised its head to the sky and let out a roar.
Although the purple dragon's form was small, it was the true Taixu Ancient Dragon—the supreme existence of the Magical Beast world! Coupled with the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon's own trace of dragon bloodline, that dragon's might was especially, intensely overwhelming.
"A Dragon Clan—!"
"How can there be such a pure-blooded Dragon Clan in this place!"
Under the low roar of that purple dragon, the fierce light in the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon's eyes abruptly receded, transforming into deep, profound terror.
"This old lady will answer you right now!"
As her voice fell, Zi Yan's figure moved, the first to dart forth. Purple light surged from her body. Both hands transformed into enormous dragon claws. Then, with a swipe of a claw, a gale carrying devastating power slashed fiercely across the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon's massive body.
"Ah—"
A miserable, agonized howl rang out. A huge chunk of flesh was ruthlessly torn off the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon's giant body by Zi Yan. Fresh blood gushed forth.
"You're seeking death!"
The immense pain overpowered the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon's fear. Its eyes gradually turned savage and brutal. Forcibly circulating the Dou Qi within its body, its three serpent heads swayed as beam after beam of pitch-black light, reeking of foul stench, shot forth explosively.
Rumble—
As the two sides erupted into a great battle, Jiang Yun watched the fight vigilantly, ready to prevent Zi Yan from suffering any injury.
The Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon's strength was indeed formidable. However, under Zi Yan's bloodline suppression, it could only exert seventy percent of its full power. Thus, it fought Zi Yan to a stalemate for a time. But Jiang Yun could see that, as time dragged on, the scales of victory were slowly tipping toward the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon.
The gap of an entire major realm wasn't something bloodline power alone could completely compensate for. As one's level increased, the gap between Magical Beast bloodlines shrank, the suppressive force lessened, and the variables they could provide also diminished.
Whoosh.
Zi Yan stepped back, dodging a pitch-black beam of light that grazed past her chest. Looking at the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon, now gushing blood like a fountain, she abruptly formed hand seals.
"Void Ancient Dragon Seal!"
With a great shout from Zi Yan, dazzling purple-gold light suffused the sky. Behind her, an enormous phantom of a Taixu Ancient Dragon coalesced. In the next instant, the ancient dragon transformed into a sky-covering purple-gold dragon seal, and then she blasted a palm strike forward.
This was precisely the Azure Dragon Seal from Jiang Yun's Four Symbols Seals. However, with Jiang Yun's help, it had been modified into a Void Ancient Dragon Seal better suited for the Taixu Ancient Dragon!
Condensing the power of the void, this attack became even more unpredictable and impossible to defend against!
"Trade! Grandmaster, I agree to the trade..." The Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon's expression changed drastically. It suddenly sensed an extreme sense of threat and the odor of death. Immediately, it opened its mouth to beg for mercy.
This target was tough! It didn't want to fight anymore! Once it sent these two ancestors on their way, it would immediately flee and find another place to dominate!
Before its voice even finished, an enormous dragon seal appeared at the seven-inch vital spot on its back.
Bang—
A mist of blood burst forth. Two miserable shrieks rang out. One of the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon's heads had exploded into a bloody mist. Its two remaining heads let out wave after wave of agonized screams.
"Since you won't let me live in peace, then all of you can just go die!"
Having a head severed only stirred up its ferocity at this point. It let out a furious roar.
Berserk energy howled. Over a dozen water pythons took form around it and swept outward. The immense force sent Zi Yan stumbling backward repeatedly.
Boom—
A tremendous sound of tearing air rang out as an enormous serpent tail suddenly broke through the water's surface, slamming down toward Zi Yan.
Seeing this, Jiang Yun no longer hesitated. His figure flashed, appearing right by Zi Yan's side. Facing the incoming berserk attack, he merely smiled. Then, he raised his palm. Spirit seals flew out one after another. A defensive grand array rapidly rose. A dark, profound-colored light barrier enveloped him and Zi Yan, and directly collided with that violent serpent tail.
"Boom—"
The two collided, a muffled sound echoing. The serpent tail was forced back. As for the profound-colored light barrier, though its radiance dimmed somewhat, it remained completely immobile.
"What?!" The Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon let out a startled cry and immediately fled into the distance without looking back.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Seeing it try to escape, Zi Yan was instantly anxious. Spear in hand, she gave chase. Seeing this, Jiang Yun also quickly followed.
Not long after, the two figures turned back and returned. One look at Zi Yan's beaming face, and the outcome was already clear.
"Finally gathered all the ingredients. I really wonder, when it comes to refining a ninth-tier pill, how long will it take to prepare the ingredients then?!"
Watching Jiang Yun put away the Blood Essence Demon Fruit, Zi Yan couldn't help but sigh with emotion!
"At that point, I'll truly be relying on you!" Jiang Yun placed the ingredient into his ring, storing it together with the freshly-harvested rank seven magic core, and spoke with deep meaning.