NOVEL WEB chapter 436
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“I passed by this place today and found that this pool has a problem.” Ye Yong lowered his voice, exuding an air of authority, as if a powerful being had arrived. It wasn’t an act; it simply made him more convincing.
“It shouldn’t be the case. A few months ago, we drank from the pool, and our bodies indeed suffered ailments, but just then, a celestial being happened to pass by. He set up a powerful formation, claiming the problem was resolved. We still occasionally see him performing rituals by the water’s edge; he’s a very kind celestial.” Under the influence of his formidable presence, the villagers automatically spilled a stream of information without needing to be asked.
Ye Yong nearly laughed out loud. Do cultivators not need time to train? Focusing on your mortal village’s pool, occasionally performing rituals—there’s something off about that. It’s just that you are too simple-minded, unaware of the dangers in the world of cultivation.
Once the evil spirit takes form, Ye Yong was certain these villagers would become its fodder.
“If there’s a problem, I’ll know once I go down to take a look. You’d best keep your distance, don’t come too close.”
“Alright, alright.” Mortals dared not meddle in the affairs of cultivators, and the villagers quickly complied, retreating far away.
“Shimeng, do you want to come down with me?”
Qin Shimeng shook her head. She knew her combat power was no match for Ye Yong’s and worried she would be a burden.
“It’s fine, just consider it an opportunity to broaden your horizons.” Ye Yong didn’t mind. Perhaps today you lack the cultivation to support me, but tomorrow, it might be me clinging to your strength.
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34. Fierce Beasts?
If one hasn’t cultivated a water-based movement technique, a low-level cultivator would typically rely on a Water Avoidance Pearl to move underwater.
The Water Avoidance Pearl is like an oxygen tank; as long as the spiritual energy infused into it remains uninterrupted, it allows the cultivator to stay submerged for extended periods and slightly reduces the resistance of the water.
Ye Yong did not use the common Water Avoidance Pearl but opted for the advanced version—the Water Isolation Pearl.
What is a Water Isolation Pearl? It possesses all the functions of a Water Avoidance Pearl while creating a gas wall around the body, several centimeters thick, completely isolating the water. This prevents the cultivator from direct contact with the water, producing remarkable effects in toxic waters; controlling the aura while moving underwater is also much more convenient than swimming with a Water Avoidance Pearl.
The market price for a Water Isolation Pearl is ten high-grade spirit stones, while in the system shop, it costs five hundred reversal points. Although Ye Yong had always wanted to save his reversal points, he wouldn’t hesitate when it was time to spend.
After all, he had no idea where to use spirit stones at the moment.
One for each, they infused their spiritual energy to activate them. Ye Yong jumped into the pool first, with Qin Shimeng following closely behind.
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The pond’s water had not frozen, yet the temperature remained bitterly low; even through the barrier of air, its bone-chilling cold could be felt. Channeling his spiritual energy, Ye Yong finally began to feel a bit warmer.
As for Qin Shiming, she too started to circulate her spiritual energy. In such an extreme cold, the ice spirit root could accelerate her cultivation due to the presence of ice elements. But the water in the pond now was merely cold, and possessing an ice spirit root did not mean one was immune to the chill.
The deeper they ventured, the less light there was. Below the surface of the pond lay an abyss of darkness, and even the illumination tools proved ineffective.
Ye Yong released his divine sense, only to be blocked at a depth of over ten meters. Clearly, there was a shielding formation set by the evil cultivators. It was nothing impressive, merely a third-tier formation, primarily designed to suppress the outward spread of malevolent energy. Its defenses were poorly constructed, and Ye Yong easily dismantled it.
As the formation opened a breach, a torrent of malevolent energy surged forth, visibly darkening the water. Such a dense concentration of evil energy indicated that the malevolent entity’s cultivation was at least at the late Golden Core stage; if a mortal were to come into contact with it, they would likely perish in an instant.
Combining this with the villagers’ accounts of illness months prior, and the “kind-hearted” cultivators who had passed through to offer treatment, it was not hard to deduce that the evil cultivators had been nurturing the malevolent entity beneath the pond, making it even stronger during this time.
Having cultivated with over a hundred Bodhi seeds, a trace of Buddhist energy resided within Ye Yong, making it much easier for him to resist. For Qin Shiming, however, it was far more challenging, as the malevolent entity’s power was significantly greater than hers.
Ye Yong glanced around, realizing this was undoubtedly a case of taking advantage—no, a moment of intimacy, perhaps?
He quickly retrieved a Bodhi seed, swimming a little upstream to join Qin Shiming. Under her slightly puzzled gaze, he gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
At that moment, the malevolent energy flowed past them, and Qin Shiming could distinctly feel its overwhelming power, while from Ye Yong came a warm, comforting Buddhist aura that kept the malevolent energy at bay.
“Th-thank you,” Qin Shiming stammered, her cheeks flushed.
“Since I invited you along, it’s my duty to take care of you.”
“Mm…” Qin Shiming dared not look directly at Ye Yong, feeling that he was, as always, incredibly considerate.
Having nearly exorcised the lingering soul of a woman earlier, Ye Yong suppressed the Bodhi seed’s Buddhist essence even further, fearing it might scare off the malevolent entity, as he led Qin Shiming toward the source of the dark energy.
Passing through the shielding formation, they discovered several interconnected caves, from which the malevolent energy continuously surged. Initially narrow, the passage opened up as they swam deeper, surfacing into a hidden realm.
It was a spacious cavern, filled with black crystals. If Ye Yong remembered correctly, these were called evil energy stones, capable of enhancing the malevolent energy within evil cultivators, akin to the spirit stones used by righteous cultivators. The difference lay in the purity of the energy; while spirit energy was clean, evil cultivators could absorb spirit stones to elevate their cultivation, yet righteous cultivators could not absorb evil energy stones.
“It seems they are not only nurturing malevolent entities but also using them to generate wealth,” Ye Yong observed, glancing around. The place resembled a mining site, yet the pervasive black energy made it deeply unsettling.
“Shiming, be careful, and don’t stray from me.” Once ashore, Ye Yong could no longer keep his arm around her shoulders; it was too cumbersome, so he switched to holding her wrist.
Qin Shiming nodded, her heart racing with anxiety—not from fear of the malevolent entity, for it was merely at the late Golden Core stage. Ye Yong was the man who had rescued her and Liang Xiaorou from a realm teeming with infant transformation beasts. What made Qin Shiming nervous was the confined space, where it was just the two of them, her wrist held firmly, a mix of dominance and an overwhelming sense of safety.
After walking for about twenty meters, the concentration of malevolent energy reached its peak, and ahead lay an impenetrable darkness, obscuring everything from view.
Ye Yong purchased several cheap yet potent illumination devices, capable of piercing through the malevolent aura, and scattered them about.
Soon, a creature resembling a tiger, adorned with wings and lacking distinct features, was ensnared in the center by the formation, unable to move. Two dim, ghostly violet orbs—its eyes—were fixed upon Ye Yong and Qin Shidream.