Chapter 252: Ice-Attribute Cultivator—Ji Yuan!
"You... also wish to become an immortal?!"
The instant that voice echoed within Ji Yuan's mind, he watched helplessly as the Soul Suppressing Bell surrounding his Divine Soul shattered inch by inch.
As a result, the very first thought that surfaced in his heart was not an answer to the question.
Instead, it was merely four simple words.
"My life is over!!!"
After that thought flashed through his mind, the question completely filled his consciousness.
Become an immortal?
Who wouldn't want to become an immortal?
If one didn't wish to become an immortal, then why cultivate immortality at all?
Cultivators sought longevity, eternal youth, and everlasting existence—wasn't it all for the sake of becoming an immortal?
"I do."
After answering with that single, simple word, Ji Yuan became completely captivated by the purple vertical eye before him.
He found it incomparably beautiful, exquisitely marvelous.
It seemed to contain supreme Dao principles and peerless immortal arts.
As long as he stepped into it, he could attain the Dao and become immortal!
Although he had already retreated all the way to the entrance of the stone chamber, his legs now moved of their own accord toward the Ice-Fire Pool.
With every step he took, the scorching Water Fortune drifting through the air cooled slightly.
By the time his vacant-eyed figure arrived before the Ice-Fire Pool, there was no trace of heat left in the surrounding air.
Even the deep pool itself had returned to its ordinary appearance.
Which meant...
Night had fallen.
Standing at the edge of the Ice-Fire Pool, Ji Yuan's body involuntarily lifted his right leg.
Then...
It came down.
He stepped directly into the Ice-Fire Pool.
The moment his foot entered the water, the previously tranquil surface instantly rippled outward, like wrinkles spreading across a human face.
Wave after wave of ripples spread across the water.
Even the previously distinct purple vertical eye became blurred.
Whether it was because the frigid water was unimaginably cold, because the eye itself had become distorted, or because the Soul Suppressing Bell that had vanished outside his Divine Soul was reforming...
In any case, the moment he stepped into the icy pool, clarity returned to Ji Yuan's previously vacant eyes.
His muddled consciousness also recovered somewhat.
'How... did I end up at this icy pool?'
Instinctively, he tried to lift his right leg and withdraw himself from the freezing water.
But the moment he looked upon the purple vertical eye again, his body once more slipped beyond his control.
The ethereal voice sounded again.
"Come... come... come closer... and you shall become immortal."
As the voice echoed once more, both of Ji Yuan's feet had already stepped into the Ice-Fire Pool.
Fortunately, the icy pool sloped downward gradually, allowing one to walk forward step by step.
Otherwise, once someone entered the water, there would truly be no return.
Led onward by that voice, Ji Yuan walked another two steps deeper into the pool.
Perhaps because the night had grown darker, the cold within the pool became even more intense.
At this point.
At this place.
Ji Yuan was already shivering uncontrollably.
His face had turned deathly pale.
His lips had become purple from the cold.
Yet it was precisely at this moment that the Soul Suppressing Bell, which had already dispersed twice, reformed for the third time around his Divine Soul.
Having learned from the previous two occasions, the instant his consciousness returned, Ji Yuan immediately closed his eyes.
At the same time, he sealed off his hearing.
All the strangeness originated from that bizarre purple vertical eye.
As long as he neither looked nor listened, he should be safe... shouldn't he?
The truth proved exactly that.
Without seeing the eye again, he did not immediately lose consciousness.
Just as he thought he was finally safe and could leave...
The ethereal voice sounded once more.
Only this time, it carried a clear trace of sorrowful resentment.
"Don't you wish to become an immortal anymore?"
The voice did not enter through his ears.
It resounded directly within Ji Yuan's mind.
Instinctively, he tried to answer.
"I..."
The first word had already left his mouth.
But what actually came out was,
"Fuck your mother."
Ji Yuan desperately tried to make himself sound fiercer.
Yet the extreme cold wracking his body made even speaking incredibly difficult.
Fortunately, this time he did not completely lose consciousness.
He could clearly sense the attraction pulling him toward the depths of the pool, causing his body to unconsciously continue forward.
Yet the final shred of awareness remaining in Ji Yuan desperately warned him...
He absolutely could not go any deeper.
If he did...
He would truly die.
Thus, caught between the irresistible pull and his remaining consciousness, Ji Yuan's body froze in place.
He wanted to retreat.
But the mysterious attraction held him fast.
Whenever the thought of retreat arose, it was instantly crushed.
Yet he couldn't advance either.
'This won't work. If this stalemate continues, even if I'm not dragged into the depths, I'll freeze to death here.'
Ji Yuan's first instinct was to call for help.
To summon the Ice-Fire Elder.
But when he opened his mouth, he found even speaking had become difficult.
Casting spells was no different.
Furthermore, he was deep underground.
Even if he managed to cast a spell, there might not be the slightest disturbance on the surface.
No...
He couldn't wait any longer.
With a thought, Ji Yuan activated the newly condensed Blazing Flame Sword within his Dantian, guiding it through every meridian in his body.
During its first circulation, he indeed felt considerably better.
His body also became much warmer.
But when the Blazing Flame Sword attempted a second circulation, the icy pool seemed to have been provoked.
An overwhelming surge of freezing energy suddenly erupted.
It instantly chilled Ji Yuan to the bone.
...Fire and ice cannot coexist.
The thought instinctively surfaced within Ji Yuan's mind.
The cold belonged to the night.
The Blazing Flame Sword belonged to the day.
If this icy pool truly possessed consciousness, then what he had just done was no different from provoking it!
Damn it!
This won't work.
Neither will that!
As his meridians seemed on the verge of freezing solid, Ji Yuan could only treat a dead horse as though it were still alive and began circulating...
His cultivation technique.
Cold itself had no solution.
If that were the case, then he might as well embrace the cold and see whether he could find a path to survival within it.
With that thought, the spiritual energy inside Ji Yuan slowly began circulating.
Thread after thread of icy energy accompanied the operation of his cultivation technique into his body.
At first, he merely felt as though even his Dantian were freezing solid.
His entire body became completely rigid.
Even his thoughts seemed to disappear.
Yet after several breaths...
He suddenly realized...
Things had taken a turn.
His Dantian...
Seemed capable of adapting to the cold.
Why?
Because over the past several years, Ji Yuan had continuously absorbed Ice Soul Cold Dew.
The 【Fish Pond】 produced three drops every day.
Originally, two drops were fed to the Ice Flood Dragon.
One drop was consumed by Ji Yuan himself.
Later, however, once the Ice Flood Dragon's cultivation progress slowed, Ji Yuan simply refined all three drops himself.
He had long wanted to see whether he could transform the water spiritual energy within his body into ice spiritual energy.
If he succeeded...
Wouldn't that be equivalent to possessing an Ice Spiritual Root?
His spiritual energy would naturally possess ice attributes.
Not to mention anything else.
Even the simplest spell he cast would gain an additional layer of freezing power.
How wonderful would that be?
The only regrettable part was that the absorption speed still couldn't compare to someone who genuinely possessed an Ice Spiritual Root.
Thus...
Ji Yuan's Dantian had long since been gradually transformed into one adapted to ice.
Now, under this terrifying cold, the initial suffering was unbearable.
But once he endured it...
He discovered that even the spiritual energy within his body had become somewhat colder.
'Did... it actually succeed?'
Ji Yuan sensed the change.
Yet he still found it difficult to believe.
However, as more and more of the spiritual energy within his Dantian transformed, disbelief was no longer an option.
The liquid spiritual energy within his Dantian gradually became coated in frost.
Little by little, it seemed to freeze solid.
More accurately...
It resembled liquid spiritual energy transforming into solid spiritual energy.
'But I haven't formed my Core yet.'
'How is this possible?'
'If that's the case... then this must simply be one of the characteristics of ice spiritual energy.'
From the moment the water spiritual energy within his Dantian began transforming into ice spiritual energy, Ji Yuan gradually regained control over his body.
The terrifying cold of the icy pool also became far less unbearable.
His frozen body slowly returned to normal.
The pool water merely felt extraordinarily cold.
But it was no longer beyond his ability to endure.
As his cultivation technique continued circulating, an endless stream of icy energy entered his body, continuously enriching and transforming the spiritual liquid within his Dantian.
Some time later.
Only after every trace of water spiritual energy inside Ji Yuan's Dantian had completely transformed into ice spiritual energy did he suddenly awaken.
Forming a hand seal with one hand, his body dissolved into Black Mist Dispersing Body and vanished from within the icy pool.
When he reappeared...
He was already standing back on the shore.
The entire stone chamber had become eerily quiet.
Everything had returned to normal.
The purple vertical eye within the icy pool had disappeared.
Even the ethereal voice no longer sounded.
Had Ji Yuan's lower body not still been soaked...
Had the spiritual energy within his Dantian not already transformed into ice spiritual energy...
He truly might have believed everything had been nothing more than a dream.
That it had all been his imagination.
Only now, after fully recovering, did Ji Yuan realize that cold sweat had completely soaked his back.
Although everything had happened within an extremely short period...
It had truly been no different from walking before the Gate of the Dead.
'Fortunately, my Divine Soul is already extraordinary, and I also possess a Divine Soul cultivation technique like the 《Ninefold Soul Suppressing Scripture》 to protect it.'
'Otherwise, even if I hadn't died today, I'd probably have become another split-personality case like the Ice-Fire Elder.'
'Still... my spiritual energy has finally transformed into ice spiritual energy.'
'I suppose that counts as turning misfortune into fortune.'
With that thought, Ji Yuan infused spiritual energy into his Spiritual Robe.
Instantly, mist rose from his body.
The robe soaked by the icy pool immediately dried completely.
Looking at the icy pool before him, another thought surfaced.
'This icy pool transformed my water spiritual energy into ice spiritual energy.'
'Of course, the main reason was still because I'd already consumed a tremendous amount of Ice Soul Cold Dew beforehand.'
'Since I obtained such an opportunity...'
'Then what about the Ice Flood Dragon, which is naturally ice-attributed?'
'It has consumed plenty of Ice Soul Cold Dew as well, yet its strength hasn't increased all that much...'
'Perhaps I should let it try.'
'At worst it'll just die.'
'As the saying goes, when the master suffers humiliation, the servant dies. I, the master, nearly died here.'
'Shouldn't you, as the servant, at least give it a try?'
Thinking this, Ji Yuan released the Ice Flood Dragon from his Storage Pouch.
However, he did not simply throw "Monday" into the icy pool.
Instead, he allowed it to choose for itself.
Looking at the enormous flood dragon coiled beside him after emerging, Ji Yuan pointed toward the icy pool.
"If you dare go in, your opportunity awaits."
"If you don't, then forget it."
Even if the Mid-Second-Tier Ice Flood Dragon couldn't understand Ji Yuan's exact words, it could still understand his intentions.
It turned to look at the icy pool.
Then back at Ji Yuan.
Without the slightest hesitation.
It pushed off powerfully with all four limbs.
Its enormous body shot directly into the icy pool.
Then...
It disappeared.
No...
Damn it, you stupid flood dragon!
If Ji Yuan hadn't still been able to sense its aura through their bond as master and servant, he would have thought it had already died.
After all...
He had personally experienced the terrifying power of this icy pool.
The instant the Ice Flood Dragon entered the water, it dove straight toward the depths.
As for how deep...
Ji Yuan had no idea.
He only knew that it continued descending.
'I wonder if it can actually reach the deepest part of the pool?'
'What's hidden down there?'
'Is that where the purple vertical eye originated?'
Such thoughts naturally surfaced within Ji Yuan's mind.
About ten breaths later...
Ji Yuan suddenly noticed that the descending Ice Flood Dragon had stopped moving.
It seemed to have remained at a certain location.
What's happening?
Had it encountered danger?
The moment the thought arose, Ji Yuan sensed the Ice Flood Dragon's aura rapidly strengthening.
It had entered the pool as a Mid-Second-Tier Demon Beast.
Yet after only a short while...
It already showed signs of advancing into the Late Second-Tier.
It's finally breaking through!
The worry in Ji Yuan's heart instantly disappeared.
As long as nothing had gone wrong.
Everything was fine.
When the Fire Pool had first transformed into the icy pool, Ji Yuan had entered immediately.
Everything that followed had delayed him for approximately half an hour.
Thus, it was still quite early.
There was more than enough time for the Ice Flood Dragon to complete its breakthrough.
All that remained now...
Was to wait.
Even so, Ji Yuan retreated some distance toward the exit.
Only after he could no longer see the icy pool did he finally sit down.
He worried that the purple vertical eye might suddenly appear again and lure him back into the pool.
He then began carefully experiencing the ice spiritual energy within his Dantian.
Although it had transformed from water into ice, the difference wasn't particularly great from Ji Yuan's perspective.
No matter how it changed...
He remained the master of his own body.
For example, with a single thought...
A strand of spiritual energy emerged from his Dantian.
Before his eyes, it condensed into a sharp ice blade.
Had it still been water spiritual energy, it would have formed a water blade.
Now it had become an ice blade.
Under normal circumstances, an ice blade was naturally much harder than a water blade.
If it struck an opponent, they would have to expend additional spiritual power simply to defend against it.
That alone was the most basic advantage of ice spiritual energy.
As for its other benefits...
Ji Yuan would need to discover them through future experimentation.
But regardless...
As a Variant Spiritual Energy, ice spiritual energy was certainly stronger than ordinary water spiritual energy.
'It's just that my Spiritual Root is still a Water Spiritual Root.'
'It didn't transform into an Ice Spiritual Root.'
'I wonder whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.'
Unable to figure it out, Ji Yuan simply stopped dwelling on it.
About three hours later...
He suddenly sensed the Ice Flood Dragon's aura rapidly rising upward.
Its cultivation had already advanced from Mid-Second-Tier to Late Second-Tier!
Splash—
The sound of a flood dragon emerging from the water echoed through the stone chamber.
Although Ji Yuan had already stood up, he hesitated briefly.
In the end, he still chose not to return to the chamber.
Instead, he remained where he was, waiting for the Ice Flood Dragon to come to him.
Fortunately, less than a breath later...
A gigantic dragon head entered the tunnel.
Looking at the pair of bronze-bell-sized orange-yellow dragon eyes before him, Ji Yuan couldn't help smiling.
This fellow had grown even larger.
Looks like the day I can ride a dragon through the skies is getting closer!
Ji Yuan swept it with his Divine Sense.
He found nothing unusual.
Only that icy pool water still dripped from its body, leaving even its scales abnormally cold.
Ji Yuan reached out and patted the dragon's head.
Soon, he sensed its thoughts.
...Now that I'm like this, I should be able to beat that Great Toad, right?
Ji Yuan: "..."
'I raised you this big just so you could fight the Great Toad?'
Thinking of this, Ji Yuan almost wanted to throw it directly into the Storm Zone and have it compete with that Thunderstorm Flood Dragon.
Then again...
That Thunderstorm Flood Dragon was female.
She had only recently laid eggs.
Which meant there was likely another male flood dragon somewhere within the Storm Zone.
Perhaps...
There was even an entire clan of flood dragons there.
With that thought in mind, Ji Yuan patted the Ice Flood Dragon once more before returning it to the Spiritual Beast Pouch.
Regardless, this certainly wasn't the place to leave it outside.
If the Ice-Fire Elder happened to come in, explaining everything would be troublesome.
Afterward, Ji Yuan returned to the stone chamber.
Looking at the wet footprints remaining on the ground, he casually cast several spells until the floor was spotless once again.
After confirming nothing had been left behind, he cast one final glance toward the icy pool.
Only then did he turn around and leave.
Entering had been slow.
Leaving, however, was much faster.
Even without using any spells, it took Ji Yuan only the time it took to burn one stick of incense to emerge from underground.
When he exited the cave halfway up the mountain...
The eastern horizon had already begun turning fish-belly white.
Yet countless stars still glittered brilliantly across the heavens.
Ji Yuan raised his head, gazing at the Milky Way stretching across the night sky.
Then he looked toward the brightening horizon.
For a moment...
He truly felt as though an entire lifetime had passed.
After all...
That encounter within the icy pool had nearly cost him his life.
Yet upon careful reflection...
There had been no way to avoid something like this through mere caution.
Everyone from the Li Family had entered the icy pool without incident.
Why had he alone encountered such danger?
One could only say...
Such was fate.
Ji Yuan stood there quietly for a while.
Only after calming himself did he look down toward the Imperial Palace below the mountain, preparing to descend.
Yet the Imperial Palace...
Was completely dark.
Not a single lantern remained lit.
'I remember when I stayed here two days ago, everything was dazzlingly illuminated.'
'Even at night, it was as bright as day.'
'But now...'
'There's probably only one explanation.'
The fire-attributed Ice-Fire Elder...
The emperor...
Had "gone offline."
The one now "online"...
Was the ice-attributed Ice-Fire Elder.
...This is going to be troublesome.
Just as Ji Yuan wondered whether he should wait until daylight before descending the mountain...
The corner of his eye suddenly caught movement.
A figure slowly stood up beside the mountain wall.
"Gah—"
Even Ji Yuan was startled.
He had been outside for so long...
Yet he hadn't noticed someone sitting there the entire time!
The only person capable of sitting there without being detected by him...
Could only be the Late Golden Core Stage Ice-Fire Elder.
Only now, however, he had once again returned to his previous appearance.
Dressed in coarse gray linen robes.
His figure slightly stooped.
Even so...
He lifted his head and quietly stared at Ji Yuan.
"You fell into the icy pool?"
"...No."
Ji Yuan shook his head then he blinked.
And the purple vertical eye upon the center of his forehead blinked as well.