The Fire Spirit Pearl, storing the Celestial Falling Bright Flame, floated in front of Lu Yu's chest. Lu Yu was stripped bare to the waist, floating in the Yinming Cold Pool, where the forces of ice and fire alternated explosively within him.
His body was continuously tempered between extreme heat and cold, and Lu Yu was acutely aware of the changes within.
Looking inward at himself, fiery magma-like marrow blood flowed through his crystalline jade bones, as Qi Blood unceasingly merged into and tempered his organs.
The bones and marrow, which had already manifested anomalies, generated a continuous flow of Qi Blood, accelerating the tempering of his organs. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt
To support a stronger body, powerful organs are indispensable.
The 999 units of Qi Blood still hadn't been breached, but Lu Yu could feel his power growing consistently. His body became tougher, his endurance longer, his explosiveness stronger, and his six senses sharper...
As the Celestial Falling Bright Flame within the Fire Spirit Pearl continued to be absorbed, the progress of cultivating the second level of the Ice and Fire Sevenfold Heaven was nearing perfection, and Lu Yu felt as if he were about to break through its shackles.
The slight tremor of the ground reached Lu Yu's ears, and he sensed four people approaching the Yinming Cold Pool. Yet, he was at a critical juncture in his cultivation and had no time to deal with the newcomers.
Maintaining one part of his mind on the movements of the four, and the other nine parts focused on cultivating the Ice and Fire Sevenfold Heaven, Lu Yu pushed the second level towards its perfect state.
"This is the place, the signal from the Old Ancestor comes from the cold pool in the valley."
"Hiss~ it's so cold here, it feels like even my Qi Blood is freezing. Why would the Old Ancestor come to such a place?"
"How would I know? First, we need to find the Old Ancestor. Since he left, the Liang family has not had good days, sigh!"
"Originally, the Liang family only had two Qi Sea realm cultivators. Without the Old Ancestor's support, our family would have been swallowed by others long ago. No one knows what happened, why the Old Ancestor hasn't returned to the family for so long. Lately, people from several families have been restless, injuring many disciples underhandedly."
"Let's hope the Old Ancestor can return to the family soon, otherwise, the Liang family might not hold on."
"Is the Old Ancestor at the bottom of the cold pool?" The sound of paddling reached Lu Yu's ears.
Someone flicked water off their fingers and said, "The water is abnormal; even those at the Qi Control realm would have their Qi Blood frozen if they went down. How did the Old Ancestor dive into such a place?"
"The Old Ancestor activated a rescue Spiritual Treasure, and with no one else around, he might be trapped below due to frozen Qi Blood."
"Even if Qi Blood at the Qi Sea realm could freeze, what use are we?"
"I brought the Constricting Dragon Rope, let's see if we can use it to pull the Old Ancestor up. The Spiritual Treasure is still sending signals, which means the Old Ancestor is just trapped and not dead yet."
A yellow rope, controlled by Spiritual Power, extended deeply into the Yinming Cold Pool. The cold there primarily targeted Qi Blood but did not severely erode Spiritual Power.
The Constricting Dragon Rope kept lengthening, its tip breaking through a mosaic layer, poking a small hole. The four saw the scene beneath the mosaic layer and were all stunned, their backs chilled.
Beneath the mosaic layer were bodies, intact with faces set in their last moments of struggle, eyes not closed in death.
Someone noticed what seemed like a light beneath the mosaic layer, and just as they were about to inform their companions, the one controlling the Constricting Dragon Rope saw a gap among the pile of bodies. The gap was evidently where something had broken through, sinking to the bottom of the pile.
"There it is, that's likely the mark left when the Old Ancestor descended. I'll control the Constricting Dragon Rope to search deeper, to see if we can track the Old Ancestor," that person said excitedly.
The Constricting Dragon Rope continued descending along the gap, yet controlling it at the Qi Control realm, the person gradually felt some struggle. The overwhelming cold from below began affecting the Spiritual Power; a cold sensation raced through the rope, entering his body.
Without a moment's hesitation, he thrust the rope forcefully to the bottom, regardless of the target, activating the rope's function to wrap it, sharply retracting it. A corpse was pulled up by the Constricting Dragon Rope.
With a thud, the corpse was tossed aside. It was a rigid giant python.
His teeth chattering, the person handed the Constricting Dragon Rope to a companion, speaking with difficulty, "You try, I'll use my power to dispel the cold."
He then sat at the pool's edge, using his powers to expel the chill even more terrifying than the Yinming Cold.
Seeing his condition, the companion reluctantly took over the Constricting Dragon Rope and continued its journey deeper into the gap to search for the Liang family's Old Ancestor.
Just as the fourth person prepared to take the Constricting Dragon Rope, he joyously discovered that the signal from the Old Ancestor was rapidly approaching. He shouted, "It must be the Old Ancestor this time. Quick, speed up and pull the Old Ancestor up!"
The third person grimaced, ignoring the discomfort of cold infiltrating his body, spurred the Constricting Dragon Rope with full force.
He felt as if he had ensnared a massive ice block, the cold surging up the rope into him. His condition was worse than the previous two, his face paling into a bluish tint, indicative of insufficient Qi Blood.
As the Liang family's Old Ancestor emerged from the water, the two sitting by the pool exercising their powers couldn't help but rise and step back.
The Old Ancestor's body was placed at the pool's edge after being dragged from the water, while the Qi Control Martial Cultivator controlling the Constricting Dragon Rope could hold on no longer.
The rope remained untied, even as he collapsed, his face a dark blue, his body cold, Qi Blood like a dwindling candle in the wind.
The fourth person pulled him out of the valley, and upon touching his body, their own arm involuntarily trembled.
Seeing the Old Ancestor exuding cold mist all over, the fourth person did not dare approach. If a Qi Sea realm could be reduced to such a state, one could only imagine the consequences for a Qi Control realm nearing the Old Ancestor.