Chapter 1240: The Moon in Water
Chapter 1240: The Moon in Water
Dongyang Bo had worn a brocade robe, with the Vajra Bangle hovering above his head as he advanced with his hands behind his back.
The Vajra Bangle trembled repeatedly, and with each vibration, a phantom of an astra shot outward.
Though these phantoms were inferior to the true body, dim and devoid of fluctuation, the blood shadows had no time to evade. Once struck, they were tightly bound, no matter how they struggled, unable to break free.
Then, with a slight tremor, the astra phantom obliterated the blood shadow within. This treasure was his life-bound astra. After years of nurturing and refinement, it had advanced to the top grade, with endless wondrous uses.
Dongyang Bo appeared relaxed and composed. He did not even glance at the surrounding blood shadows, focusing solely on Gong Liangyu ahead, a faint smile lingering on his face.
They continued descending deeper. The blood shadows grew increasingly powerful. Even the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet could no longer destroy them with a single punch.
Gong Liangyu could feel the azure spiritual light within his primordial spirit steadily draining. Once it was exhausted, he would have to recall the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet.
At the bottom of the blood river, relying on his own strength alone, he would not be able to take a single step!
His expression grew anxious as he urged the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet to charge downward. The pressure only continued to mount.
These blood shadows, nurtured within the blood river for countless years, possessed not only strange abilities but also incredible resilience. The stronger they became, the harder they were to kill. Even when split in two, they could transform into two separate blood shadows, fearless and relentless.
Runic light flickered across the body of the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet as it revealed its true strength. All kinds of spirit talismans manifested upon it.
Each talisman represented a different power. Water-based talismans, fire-based talismans, lightning talismans, demonic spirit talismans, and more appeared in endless succession, all of them refined into the puppet’s body.
Its methods were endlessly varied. Wind, fire, thunder, and lightning surged across its form in turns, combining with its heavy punches to annihilate the blood shadows.
After descending an unknown distance, Gong Liangyu finally saw something other than blood shadows.
Within the blood mist below, a blood-colored stalagmite jutted upward. Its tip was sharp, long since dyed crimson by the mist, glistening like a blood-red crystal.
The moment he saw it, Gong Liangyu was overjoyed. He had finally reached the bottom of the blood river. He immediately dropped downward and, before long, his feet touched solid ground.
Here, the terrain had been tempered by the blood mist for countless years. The soil and stone had long since transformed, becoming incomparably hard.
Gong Liangyu had no time to observe his surroundings and rushed forward, as more and more blood shadows gathered, surrounding them completely. The pressure on the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet grew heavier.
The ground was uneven, riddled with ravines and covered in sharp stalagmites.
The good news was that aside from the ever-present blood shadows, no other monsters had appeared.
The man and the puppet pressed forward without hesitation, not caring how many blood shadows their actions attracted. There were already too many. Adding more made no difference.
The Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet faithfully protected Gong Liangyu, so he had not suffered any injuries.
Even so, the sheer number of blood shadows made his face pale. He only hoped to find the Blood Grass as quickly as possible and leave this perilous place.
After rushing forward for some time, a ravine suddenly appeared ahead.
It stretched across their path, nearly straight, reaching both banks and cutting through the entire riverbed. It was a thousand zhang wide and bottomless, with edges as smooth as glass.
Ravines were common at the bottom of the blood river, but one with such a shape and orientation was extremely rare. Who knew what might be hidden within?
"This is it!" Gong Liangyu cried out inwardly, unable to hide the joy in his eyes.
The Blood Grass did not grow within the ravine, but the ravine was the clearest marker. According to the information he had obtained, once this ravine appeared, the Blood Grass would not be far.
When that senior had entered, the Blood Grass had not yet matured. He had reluctantly given up, unwilling to harvest an unripe spiritual herb, leaving it for those who came after.
Gong Liangyu leapt across the ravine with the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet and pressed onward. Soon, he noticed an area ahead where the blood mist behaved abnormally.
Before even approaching, he felt a strange pressure.
His body swayed, and the protective spiritual armor around him fluctuated violently. His expression changed drastically. He had no idea how that pressure formed, but it had nearly torn apart his armor.
Slowing down, he approached the abnormal region and discovered that the blood mist there was far denser than elsewhere. The ground had sunk, forming something like a hidden lake beneath the riverbed.
At the center of the blood mist, a dense crimson glow radiated outward. Within that glow, a single stalk of Blood Grass swayed with the mist. Its canopy was as large as a disk, floating as if upon blood water, rippling with unseen currents.
The entire plant was crimson, as though condensed from fresh blood. It had only one leaf, perfectly round like a full moon, a sign that it had fully matured.
Its surface bore no patterns. At its center was a coin-sized bulge shaped like a skull, eerie and sinister.
It was the rare spiritual herb Blood Grass, said to aid cultivators in forming a Spiritual Infant!
"At last..." The moment he saw the Blood Grass, Gong Liangyu’s heart pounded, his breathing quickening.
The Blood Grass emitted no fragrance. In a place like this, it would have been fortunate if it did not give off a bloody stench. The absence of scent was entirely normal.
Even if there had been any scent, it would have been dispersed by the dense blood mist.
The spiritual herb lay right before him! But the number of blood shadows they had attracted had also grown even greater.
Gong Liangyu swept his gaze around and saw no spirit beasts guarding the herb. That senior had not mentioned any either.
These blood shadows hated all foreign life. No spirit beast could remain in such a place, unless an exceptionally intelligent anomaly had appeared among them.
Despite the commotion he had caused, the Blood Grass showed no reaction. It seemed there were no guardian beasts.
"Let's go!" Gong Liangyu shouted as two talisman lights shot out from his dantian.
One of them was the Heavenly Blade Talisman, which he had refined to an advanced level.
The other was the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman, and all nine Jiao essence souls were intact!
As for the one Qin Sang once had, after reaching the Spiritual Infant Realm, he no longer needed it and had given it to Li Yufu, instructing him not to use it casually due to its questionable origin, reserving it for life-saving situations.
The Jiao essence souls coiled around him as the Heavenly Blade Talisman manifested in its true form, cleaving through the force pulling at him from ahead.
Gong Liangyu merged with the two talismans and followed closely behind the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet, forcing back the blood shadows as he rushed toward the Blood Grass.
Unexpectedly, halfway there, the pressure grew stronger and stronger. Soon, he would no longer be able to endure it. There was no time to hesitate.
He made a decisive choice and ordered the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet to retrieve the herb alone, while he unleashed the full power of his talismans and continuously cast spirit talismans to hold off the blood shadows for a short time.
Roar! The Jiao souls roared as the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman was pushed to its limit.
The Heavenly Blade Talisman unleashed countless streaks of saber light. Heavenly lightning, spirit flames, wooden vines, mountain phantoms... One powerful talisman after another was cast without restraint.
Gong Liangyu struggled to maneuver, watching as the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet finally reached the Blood Grass and reached out to grasp it. But to his shock, the grab caught nothing!
The Blood Grass shattered like a reflection of the moon in water.
Gong Liangyu’s smile froze completely, his face filled with disbelief. Then, before his eyes, the Blood Grass reformed once more. Still as enchanting! Still as hauntingly beautiful!
Before he could understand what had happened, he suddenly felt a powerful aura erupt behind him, closing in within an instant.