"I've got it!" A flash of insight struck Xiao Yan, and he immediately devised a plan. With a flicker of his figure, he appeared above the blooming Life Lotus. Just as he was about to pluck one, the waters below suddenly surged with intense ripples. In the next instant, numerous tentacle-like limbs shot out from the depths and wrapped tightly around him, yanking him directly into the pond.
"That's an Abyssal Devil Kraken! How is one here?" someone cried out in surprise, recognizing the origin of the tentacles.
"What's so strange about that? Wherever there are heavenly treasures, there are bound to be guardian beasts. Clearly, these Abyssal Devil Krakens are the guardians of the Life Lotuses. That kid was just reckless. Without even scouting the area, he made a move. Now that he's been dragged into the water by those Krakens, he's as good as dead." Someone chuckled with schadenfreude.
"Forget about him. The priority now is to figure out how to secure those Life Lotuses."
"Hmph, those Krakens are barely at the seventh-grade Sovereign level at best. If we all work together, taking them out and picking the Life Lotuses should be a piece of cake!"
With a shout, the surrounding experts sprang into action. In an instant, torrents of spiritual energy raged forth, churning the surface of the pond into a stormy frenzy.
While the others battled the Abyssal Devil Krakens at the surface, Xiao Yan had already dived into the depths, stealthily heading for the location of the Nine-Turn Green Lotus. With his power, there was no way he could be so easily dragged under; he had only used the chaos as cover to evade the crowd's scrutiny. As for the Kraken that had pulled him in? It was slain in an instant.
Under the sweep of his powerful soul force, Xiao Yan quickly sensed the direction of the Nine-Turn Green Lotus. Though the pond was still full of Krakens, once Xiao Yan summoned the Emperor Flame, they all retreated instinctively. Their considerable spiritual intelligence allowed them to recognize just how terrifying that fire was.
But just as he was about to reach the Nine-Turn Green Lotus, he felt a peculiar fluctuation approaching. A moment later, a monstrous beast with a sharp horn on its head, part tiger and part serpent, was coiled beside the lotus. It opened its bloody maw and let out a silent roar of warning.
"Ah, so it's an Ancient Tiger Demon Jiao…" Xiao Yan raised his eyebrows slightly. He was no longer the clueless newcomer to the Great Thousand World. During his time with the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan, he had taken time to study many exotic beasts, and this one had come up in his research.
The Ancient Tiger Demon Jiao was an evolved form of the Tiger Jiao from ancient times. Compared to the famed Nine Nether Sparrow Clan, it was significantly inferior, and even at adulthood, its strength rarely exceeded the seventh-grade Sovereign level. However, this one was clearly strengthened by the energy of the Nine-Turn Green Lotus.
These Tiger Demon Jiaos were natural predators of Abyssal Devil Krakens. That, coupled with the threat of Emperor Flame, explained why the Krakens kept their distance.
From the feedback of his soul force, Xiao Yan judged that this beast was at least an eighth-grade Sovereign. And being in its aquatic domain, it might well rival a ninth-grade Sovereign in battle prowess. Even a true peak ninth-grade Sovereign would find it difficult to deal with it swiftly.
Moreover, with so many experts still fighting above the surface, any eruption of spiritual force from a battle here would surely draw their attention. If they realized what was hidden beneath, that would only complicate things.
"In that case… let's end this fast." Xiao Yan exhaled deeply. Then, from the center of his brows, a pitch-black fissure opened, and nine mysterious lights gathered within, converging into a single gray beam that split the water like a blade and struck the beast's forehead before it could react.
This was Xiao Yan's first time using the Ninefold Annihilation Heavenflame Eye since arriving in the Great Thousand World. Unlike before, he had now incorporated the Eye of the Ancestral Symbol into the technique. With the Emperor Flame's destructive might, the combined power of nine ancestral symbols, and his soul force that surpassed others at the same level, Xiao Yan was confident—this strike could obliterate any foe below Earth-level Sovereign!
As expected, the Ancient Tiger Demon Jiao was instantly slain by the gray light. Xiao Yan then waved his hand and collected the corpse into his storage ring to prevent any blood traces from leaking out and attracting unnecessary trouble.
He immediately approached and plucked the Nine-Turn Green Lotus, then retreated swiftly into the Heavenly Tomb. The lotus was filled with potent life energy—if he refined it out in the open, the abnormal aura would surely alert those above. Within the tomb, however, he could cultivate undisturbed and break through as quickly as possible.
He removed the jade-like lotus seed from the center of the flower and sat cross-legged atop the lotus itself. Though most of the lotus's energy was stored in the seed, the lotus base itself could calm the mind and stabilize spiritual power, much like the lotus seat he had acquired while searching for the Green Lotus Core Flame years ago.
Although this lotus base couldn't be refined, it was still a rare treasure. It could be fused into his Nirvana Golden Lotus, making it a worthy find. Having prepared everything, Xiao Yan opened his mouth and gently swallowed the lotus seed.
The jade seed held an unimaginably dense life force. If released all at once, it could even rupture a peak ninth-grade Sovereign's body. However, Xiao Yan only needed to absorb the energy leaking from the surface. His physical strength already exceeded that of most ordinary Sovereigns, and after exhausting much life force from witnessing the Primal Scene, the energy within the lotus was perfectly suited to restore him.
Besides that immense vitality, a powerful reservoir of energy filled his body. Naturally, Xiao Yan wouldn't refine it all now. Most of it would be stored within him for the future—particularly for his eventual breakthrough to Earth-level Sovereign. For now, he only needed the portion required to ascend into ninth-grade Sovereign.
As he refined the power of the Nine-Turn Green Lotus, Xiao Yan felt a wave of gratitude. Thankfully, he was in the Heavenly Tomb. No matter how immense the fluctuations, it was sealed and private. Had he refined this in the outside world, the eruption of life force alone would've attracted an endless swarm of treasure seekers.
But then again, without the Heavenly Tomb, he would never have risked refining such energy here in the first place.
(End of Chapter)
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