Chapter 172 - 41 Jiao Clan Blocks the Road
Lu Qingshan, feeling astonished, extended his hand lightly to touch the Dragon Transformation Pool and dabbed some Spiritual Liquid on his fingertips, then began to attempt absorbing the glowing Spiritual Liquid in his hand.
"Absorbing Spiritual Liquid, and obtaining the add-on from the Taoist-Level Cultivation Technique, Returning Ruins Scripture, absorption rate has been increased: 100%... Absorption complete, conversion has yielded fifty Experience Points."
The Dragon Transforming Spiritual Liquid in his hand faded away and disappeared instantaneously.
Looking at the Spiritual Liquid in the pool, Lu Qingshan felt his heart heat up.
Just a bit of this Dragon Transforming Spiritual Liquid could be converted into fifty Experience Points; if he could absorb the entire pool, the convertible Experience Points could indeed reach hundreds of thousands!
This was an enormous amount of Experience Points, sufficient to instantly enhance his Cultivation Technique to Max Level.
Nevertheless, Lu Qingshan understood that now was not the best time to absorb and refine the Spiritual Liquid; he took the white jade bottle from the hands of Great King Xishu.
This was an Auxiliary Magical Artifact, designed with multiple layers of internal space to categorize and store various liquids, specifically brought by Mo Yan to collect the Dragon Transforming Spiritual Liquid.
Driven by Lu Qingshan, a powerful suction force emanated from the mouth of the white jade bottle, and the almost-solidified Spiritual Liquid in the Dragon Transformation Pool began to surge into the bottle, forming a small stream.
Before long, the entire Dragon Transformation Pool had emptied.
Lu Qingshan put away the white jade bottle, "That’s settled, let’s leave this place quickly."
Protected by the Hidden Spirit Amulet, Lu Qingshan and his two companions didn’t linger and immediately left the lair of the Jiaolong Demon King.
Just moments after they departed from the lair of the Jiaolong Demon King, three Third-Grade Jiao Beasts hurriedly arrived; upon seeing the chaos at the site and then checking the lair to find the empty Dragon Transformation Pool, the next moment, an extremely furious roar of the Jiao echoed through Dragon Pool.
"Jiao Yuan, commanding officer, what should we do now? The Dragon Transforming Spiritual Liquid has been stolen, and the guardians of the Dragon Transformation Pool, Lords Jiao Yuan and Jiao Chen, have also fallen. The assailant must be highly skilled," one of the Jiao Beasts, with its eyelids slightly drooping in panic, asked in extreme haste.
"The Dragon Transforming Spiritual Liquid has been stolen. If we can’t catch the thief before the King returns, under his furious wrath, we are likely to face serious punishment," Jiao Yuan, the commanding officer, sternly said.
"Yet, since the thief was able to infiltrate Dragon Pool unnoticed, it indicates they must possess extremely strong abilities to conceal themselves, and given the vast size of Dragon Pool, it won’t be easy to find the culprit," the Jiao Beast expressed worry.
"Although Dragon Pool is large, there is only one exit," Jiao Yuan, the commanding officer, a flicker of fierceness flashing in his Jiao eyes, confidently stated, "We just need to immediately dispatch hands to secure the exit of Dragon Pool, and carry out a slow search inside, then it will be like trapping turtles in a jar."
"Immediately gather our clan members, guard the exit of Dragon Pool!" Jiao Yuan, the commanding officer, instructed.
"Yes!"
...
Lu Qingshan and his two companions retraced their steps back along the path they had come; he directed Great King Xishu to scout ahead while the three of them followed slightly behind.
If Great King Xishu encountered any Jiao Beasts or any other movement on the path ahead, he could immediately notify them.
This arrangement made their return journey much faster.
"Strange, the huge disturbance from the self-detonation of the Ash Jiao’s Jiao Dan was so loud, hasn’t the Jiao Clan noticed? Why have we encountered no trouble on our way?" Seeing that they were nearing the exit, Mo Yan was puzzled.
Lu Qingshan was not as optimistic as Mo Yan, "It’s also possible that the real trouble is waiting for us at the end."
No sooner had he spoken than Great King Xishu appeared in front of them.
"Lu Qingshan, this is bad news, we can no longer proceed. The exit of Dragon Pool is now surrounded by more than two hundred Jiao Beasts," reported Great King Xishu, flustered and panicked.
Indeed, they had encountered the worst scenario Lu Qingshan had anticipated.
Lu Qingshan felt somewhat helpless.
"So what do we do now?" Zang Xiaojian asked, somewhat clueless upon hearing Great King Xishu’s words. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"It looks like I underestimated this group of Jiao Beasts," Mo Yan said grimly, "No wonder our journey here was so smooth; it turns out the Jiao Clan had left all their forces at the exit to wait for us.
To leave Dragon Pool, we must pass through a nearly vertical corridor, but with over two hundred Jiao Beasts blocking the road, they simply couldn’t force their way through."
"The problem all started with that Jiao Beast’s Jiao Dan exploding too loudly, leading to our actions being discovered too soon while the Jiao Clan reacted swiftly," Lu Qingshan analyzed.
"Are we really going to be trapped in this nest of Jiao Beasts now?" Great King Xishu said dejectedly.
Lu Qingshan and Mo Yan both plunged into deep thought, desperately trying to think of ways to get out.
A moment later.
Mo Yan bit his lip, turning to Lu Qingshan, "In this situation, we can only create a diversion to stand any chance of escape.
"I will reveal myself to draw the attention of the Jiao Beasts, drawing away those gathered at the exit. You and Daoist Zang take the opportunity to break through the chaos and leave Dragon Pool."
"Wouldn’t that put you in a deadly predicament?" Zang Xiaojian shook his head in disapproval, "We should all leave together!"
Mo Yan’s face was full of determination, "Lu Daoist friend, you must understand that in this situation, it’s not very likely all three of us can safely escape."
"Sacrificing one person in exchange for the lives of two others is the best choice under the current circumstances,"
"Since it was for the sake of the Dragon Slaying Saber that the two were trapped in the Dragon Pool, it is only natural that the one to be sacrificed should be me."
Lu Qingshan stopped Mo Yan, who was ready to take action, and shook his head at him, "Let’s think of another way; it’s not yet time to take this last step."
"But..."
"Do you want to leave this place?" A very gentle voice arose from behind the three, interrupting their argument.
Lu Qingshan’s hairs stood on end, but he relaxed after turning around and recognizing the person who had appeared.
The figure was none other than Qin Yitian, who had vanished without a trace at some unknown time. She appeared suddenly, just as she had when they first met, watching the three of them as if she were a leaf that was not a leaf.
Zang Xiaojian was not intimidated by Qin Yitian’s sudden appearances, and instead noticed the hidden meaning in Qin Yitian’s question, cocking his head to ask, "Sister Yitian, do you have a way to get us out of here?"
Qin Yitian nodded her head lightly, her voice gentle, "If you just want to leave this place, I indeed have a method."
Mo Yan couldn’t believe it, "Miss Qin, you mean you have a way to lead us out of here? There are hundreds of Jiao Beasts blocking the exit."
"Then let them block it; we won’t go that way," Qin Yitian stated matter-of-factly.
Mo Yan was momentarily speechless; he naturally understood that logic, but he had never heard that there was another exit from the Dragon Pool.
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"Miss Qin, do you know of another way out of the Dragon Pool?" asked Lu Qingshan.
"Follow me," Qin Yitian declined elaboration, transforming into a wisp of smoke and drifting deeper into the Dragon Pool.
Watching Qin Yitian transform into a streak of red light and flee into the distance, Lu Qingshan subconsciously followed her lead.
Zang Xiaojian harbored no doubt towards Qin Yitian, and only Mo Yan hesitated slightly, but not for long. Seeing that Lu Qingshan and Zang Xiaojian had both gone, he gritted his teeth and followed them.
Realizing that most of the Jiao Beasts were gathered at the entrance of the Dragon Pool, the trio moved with less hesitation, transforming into a streak of escaping light, swiftly moving within the Dragon Pool.
Qin Yitian led the three of them through twists and turns, eventually arriving in front of a stone wall.
"What is this?" Mo Yan was puzzled.
Qin Yitian didn’t explain further and stepped onto the stone wall. The anticipated collision did not occur; instead, ripples spread across the surface of the stone wall like circles of water waves, and then Qin Yitian’s figure instantly merged into the stone wall and disappeared.
An unseen passage was actually hidden on this stone wall?!
This unusual scene made Lu Qingshan marvel inwardly.
Zang Xiaojian, seeing something intriguing, was the first to rush into the stone wall.
Lu Qingshan and Mo Yan quickly followed.
Behind the stone wall was indeed a different realm.
It was a spacious passage, the walls made of colorful luminous stones.
The iridescent light emitted by the luminous stones poured out like mercury, flooding the entire space—the fierce red, the profound brown, the dazzling golden, the serene deep blue, the vibrant green, the slightly airy turquoise, and the noble, mysterious purple all reflected off each other, painting the corridor as if it were a paradise on earth.
Zang Xiaojian’s eyes lit up, "Sister Yitian, this place is too beautiful."
"I think so too," Qin Yitian’s eyes slightly narrowed, contentedly saying, "Follow this corridor straight ahead, and you will be able to leave this place. Come with me."
The corridor was long, and they walked for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Ahead, another stone wall appeared, seeming like the end of the corridor, a dead end.
But having the experience of entering, Lu Qingshan naturally did not view this stone wall in the same light now.
As he had expected, Qin Yitian, without even blinking, collided again with the stone wall, effortlessly passing through and disappearing from their sight.
"Let’s go," Lu Qingshan said sternly.
The three followed in succession, and the moment they passed through the stone wall, azure seawater surged towards them, and fiery red water lilies caught their eyes.
Indeed, under Qin Yitian’s lead, they had left the Dragon Pool through another hidden passage.
Joy that he could not suppress showed on Mo Yan’s face; he quickly approached Qin Yitian, bowed with clasped hands, and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Miss Qin, for guiding us twice. There is no way I can repay this kindness. If there is anything you need, I, Mo Yan, will do my utmost to fulfill it for you."
Apart from gratitude, Mo Yan also felt a mix of shame.
Look at himself, he had been suspicious of Miss Qin all along the way, yet she had indeed genuinely helped him twice.
Clearly, he was judging a noble heart with a petty mind.
And looking at Lu Qingshan and Zang Xiaojian, they had shown trust in Miss Qin from the beginning to the end, sincerely treating her with honesty. Their ability to judge character was certainly much better than his!