Chapter 54 Zhong Jiuli is setting fire underwater
The island that carried them to the bottom of the sea was perfectly embedded in the water, as if there had always been a deep pit there.
And the circular keel that had previously resembled a winding mountain road has finally revealed its true form.
The dragon's spine, stretching for tens of thousands of miles, undulates like a mountain range, with each bone shimmering with a faint spiritual light. At the very front of the spine, a complete dragon head is attached.
Even after countless years, every scale on the dragon's head remains intact, and its half-closed eyes exude a mountain-like aura of power. Simply by gazing upon it, one can feel the immense dragon might that transcends time.
"Is this the real dragon?" Bai murmured softly.
At this moment, she finally understood why people had always assumed that dragons were the strongest beings.
Beneath the keel lies a magnificent underwater forest. Towering coral trees emit vibrant colors, seaweed that would take several people to encircle dances like silk with the waves, and countless luminous sea creatures dart among them.
Beside them stood the same golden divine tree that stretched from the heavens to the earth. Its golden branches, covered in dragon scales, rose straight up from the seabed, resembling the legendary pillar that stabilized the sea.
The golden fruit growing on the treetops has now transformed into the real sun, shining with the most brilliant light in the eternal night of the deep sea, illuminating the entire underwater world.
"Hey kid~ that fruit is saying to me, come and eat me!" Jiao Jiao looked at the golden fruit above her head, her mouth practically watering.
Bai looked up at the fruit on the tree, then suddenly realized, "Hey? Right, there's no one here now, so can't we pick the fruit?"
"You take Jiaojiao up to pick them, I'll stay down here and watch over them." Zhong Jiuli released Bai Ye's hand and used her divine sense to explore the surrounding environment.
There's a mysterious restriction here, suppressing spiritual energy. Her strength here is less than a tenth of what it is outside, which is somewhat worrying.
Bai also noticed Zhong Jiuli's slightly tense expression, and chuckled as he leaned closer, gently pinching her fair cheek. "Zhong Daya, don't be so nervous, give me a smile."
She grabbed Zhong Jiuli's cheeks with both hands and forced a smile.
"Don't be silly. The hibiscus fruit is extremely hot, and picking it is not an easy task. Be very careful. I will protect you from below," Zhong Jiuli reminded her again.
"I know, don't worry. The lightning won't kill me, and the little flames definitely won't burn me either." After saying that, Bai let go of the giant tree and leaped up to climb it.
The hibiscus tree was extremely tall and thick, with each scale on its bark measuring over ten feet in length. Bai was struggling to climb it; she hadn't expected the bark to be so sharp. Even with her current physical strength, her palms were still being cut by the bark.
After climbing to a high point, Bai looked around and found that the seabed was eerily quiet. The cultivators who had gathered on the mountain earlier seemed to have evaporated into thin air, and not a single one could be seen.
We can't expect so many people to be eaten by sea monsters, can we?
But the most urgent thing now is to pick the peaches first. Bai also reached out and grasped the golden, dazzling fruit. The moment her palm touched the fruit, a "hiss" sound was heard, and a wisp of green smoke rose from her palm.
She couldn't help but let out a muffled groan; the temperature of the hibiscus fruit was higher than she had imagined.
The skin and flesh in her palm melted like wax, revealing the stark white bones almost instantly. The crimson-gold fruit radiated an extremely terrifying heat from her palm, and crimson-gold flames surged into her body, as if to melt her entire being.
This scene stunned Jiao Jiao, who quickly flew out of Bai Ye's arms to grab the golden fruit.
"Don't touch it!" Bai shouted sharply, his voice hoarse from the pain.
She stared intently at the golden fruit in her palm, where she could vaguely see a tiny three-legged golden crow flapping its wings. With each flap, a scorching flame would surge into her body through her palm.
"You want to burn me to death?" Bai Ye grinned, revealing his small white teeth. "I'll eat you, you little golden crow, first!"
She became furious and stuffed the golden fruit directly into her mouth.
The moment the fruit entered his mouth, Bai felt as if he had been hit on the head with a blunt object, and he was completely stunned.
A raging flame, powerful enough to incinerate her entire body, surged down her throat, as if a blazing sun had appeared within her. Intense golden flames erupted from her seven orifices, enveloping her entirely.
Bai was visibly reduced to charcoal, her soul seemingly thrown into the core of the sun, where the sun's true fire transformed into chains, binding her primordial spirit tightly, threatening to refine her.
Beneath the giant tree, Zhong Jiuli noticed something unusual. According to her calculations, Bai Ye's physique was capable of withstanding the temperature of the Fusang fruit, but she did not expect the flames erupting from the fruit to be so terrifying.
Her gaze fell upon the dragon-scale-like bark, and a guess formed in her mind: perhaps this giant Fusang tree had been tainted with dragon blood and mutated. Ignoring her protector, she climbed upwards, clinging to the branches.
Bai was also burned to the point of delirium, and couldn't even remember to ask Xiao Lü for help. Seeing that if she didn't come out soon, this silly tiger would really be burned to death, Xiao Lü impatiently stretched out her roots from her dantian.
"Useless, stinking tiger, all it knows is to eat random things."
"You always have to clean up my messes for you. What would you do without me?" Little Green grumbled as she absorbed the True Fire of the Sun from Bai Ye's body.
As the fire subsided, Bai regained some of her senses. Listening to Xiao Lü's rambling, she chuckled foolishly, "That's because I knew Sister Lü was there, that's why I dared to eat this little fireball!"
"Flattery won't work. I saw the spirit stones in your storage ring. Give them to me!" the little green lion said loudly.
"Why are you always thinking about the little bit of stuff in my pocket? It wasn't easy for me to accumulate this little bit of wealth!" Bai was also a little pained. That wasn't just a little bit of spirit stones; it was a lot of spirit stones.
"Oh, then I'll spit out the true fire of the sun for you and roast you to death, you silly tiger." Little Green pretended to vomit.
Bai quickly stopped him, "No, no, take it, take it all."
"Hmph, you're smart enough to know what's good for you." The little green roots grabbed the tiny three-legged golden crow.
The once arrogant little golden crow became incredibly docile the moment it was caught by the little green bird. The flames on its body subsided, giving off an attitude of "I'm a good baby, don't eat me."
"This little thing is quite good at acting cute!" Little Green grabbed the Golden Crow's claw and rolled it into a ball like kneading dough, then stuffed it into Bai Ye's dantian.
"You'll stay here from now on."
This little golden crow was incredibly obedient in Xiao Lü's hands; it would never stand up if told to squat, and it would never go west if told to go east.
Bai was also somewhat incredulous. "Sister Lü, were you perhaps a bird tamer in your past life?"
"Bullshit, stop talking nonsense." Little Green spat lightly, annoyed.
With a shake of her emerald green roots, strands of the refined true fire of the sun flowed back into Bai Ye's body.
Unlike the previous violent fire that seemed to burn a person to a crisp, the true fire now was extremely gentle, flowing slowly along the meridians. Wherever it passed, it nourished Bai's damaged meridians.
The charred, old skin peeled off in a rustling sound, revealing the newly grown skin underneath, which had a faint golden glow.
Bai clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body. The golden core in his dantian was slightly larger than before, and the power of the true fire of the sun flowed within it.
Just one fruit was enough to raise her cultivation level directly from the early stage of the Golden Core realm to the late stage; that's incredibly nourishing.
"Sister Green, if I eat a few more, will I ascend to heaven?"
"Slap slap slap!" Little Green stuck out a tender leaf and slapped her forehead several times. "What do you think this is? It's a cabbage from the roadside! One is enough for you to digest, but you ate a few more, or you'd burn yourself to death!"
Bai covered her slapped head, not daring to talk back. Little Green was practically her strongest lifeline. If she angered Little Green and it stopped saving her next time, she'd really be done for.
When Zhong Jiuli finally climbed to the treetop, she saw Bai Ye sitting cross-legged on a branch, looking perfectly fine.
"Zhong Jiuli, why did you come up here?" Bai Ye looked at Zhong Jiuli climbing the tree without any regard for her image and laughed happily.
Zhong Jiuli looked into those eyes that had been tempered by the true fire of the sun. The golden light shone even brighter, as bright as the most intense sunlight at noon, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at them.
"Don't move." She reached out and grabbed Bai Ye's wrist, her spiritual energy flowing along her meridians. After confirming that she was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief and sat down beside her, clinging to the branch.
"I noticed some activity upstairs and was a little worried, so I came up to check." Zhong Jiuli's voice remained calm, but Bai could hear the concern in her tone.
Bai blinked and leaned closer to her. "Worried about me? Don't worry, I'm fine."
She patted her clothes and stood up. "Wait here, I'll go pick some fruit for you and Jiaojiao."
Zhong Jiuli grabbed her sleeve, "I'll go."
"I'll go. Our upright and honest Zhong Daya can't do things like climbing trees and picking fruit," Bai said cheerfully. She deliberately imitated Zhong Jiuli's usual dignified demeanor, straightening her back and keeping a blank face.
Zhong Jiuli recalled the sudden gleam in her eyes when she saw Zhong Jiuli climbing the tree, and couldn't help but feel annoyed. This heartless little tiger, who was she rushing to climb the tree for? And she was actually laughing at her!
"Zhong Daya, I wasn't laughing at you." Bai Ye reached out and pulled her hand down from her sleeve, their fingers intertwined. "I just think you're very cute, you know that?"
"Extremely, extremely cute."
Zhong Jiuli's lips curled up uncontrollably.
"Don't worry, I'm very strong, right? We can't waste any more time. We don't know where Liu Xianyue and Alian have fallen. We still have to go find them after we finish picking the fruit."
Bai let go of his hand and looked up to observe the location of the remaining fruits, his gaze locking onto the most prominent and largest hibiscus fruit at the highest point.
Since I'm picking fruit for my wife, I should definitely pick the biggest one.
Zhong Jiuli looked up at the person who was climbing the huge tree trunk like a monkey. In the blink of an eye, her figure turned into a tiny black dot.
After climbing for a long time, Bai finally reached the location of the second fruit and picked it.
Just as she had guessed, the power of the true fire of the sun contained in the hibiscus fruit had been refined. When she picked it again, the fruit burned quietly in her palm, no longer with the intense heat that seemed to burn her whole body.
Bai Ye put all the picked golden fruits into Xiao Lü's space. The fruit was too hot, and she was worried that putting it in her storage ring would damage it, which would be a loss.
It won't be so easy to encounter another sucker who gives you a storage ring.
Jiaojiao watched the fruit being taken away, her mouth watering. Bai chuckled and patted her head, "Don't worry, this fruit isn't that delicious. Let's find a safe place later, and I'll protect you while you eat it."
Bai did not greedily pick all the fruits. After picking three, she stopped picking and focused on climbing to the highest point.
"Ye Zai, why didn't you pick all those fruits? I can eat them all," Jiao Jiao asked, tilting her little head up.
"Jiao, do you think it's dark here?"
Jiaojiao blinked her big eyes, looked around, and nodded her little head, replying, "It's very dark, much darker than the little ditch where we live."
“That’s right. If we pick all the fruit, won’t there be no light in this world? The light emitted by the coral and seaweed is not enough to illuminate the world.”
Jiaojiao didn't quite understand. Was it perfectly normal for her to be underwater without light? When she was cultivating at the bottom of the river, she often didn't see any light for months at a time.
But since Yezai says he needs light, then he must need it!
Bai focused intently on climbing the tree, and after a long time, he finally reached the top.
Standing atop this giant hibiscus tree, one can take in the entire underwater world.
The sea monsters that had been everywhere before had vanished without a trace. In the distance, a magnificent palace complex stood quietly in the abyss, with dragons soaring through the clouds carved on the eaves and lifelike dragon reliefs coiled around the vermilion coral pillars.
"My goodness, there's even a dragon palace here! But this dragon is so big, it doesn't seem like someone who could live in a house here," Bai muttered to himself.
“Hey kid, there must be treasure in the Dragon Palace. Let’s go find the treasure after we finish picking the fruit,” Jiao Jiao said excitedly.
"Okay, don't rush." Bai also withdrew his gaze and reached out to grab the hibiscus fruit in front of him, which was obviously much larger than the other fruits.
The moment the fruit was in his hand, the entire giant tree suddenly trembled violently. Before Bai could react, the light of the magic array spread upwards from the roots, and dazzling golden light surged forth like a tide.
"Zhong Daya!" Bai exclaimed in surprise. Before he could even find Zhong Jiuli, he was thrown into the air.
Amidst the surging waves, Zhong Jiuli's figure also tumbled in the water.
The two were thrown more than a hundred miles away.
The aura formed by the water-repelling pearl swirled around Bai Ye, allowing her to regain her balance before Zhong Jiuli. She suddenly kicked off the water, darting towards the falling figure like a nimble fish.
"Are you alright?" Bai also reached out and put his arm around Zhong Jiuli's waist, pulling her into his embrace. The aura of the water-repelling pearl immediately enveloped her as well.
Through the thin fabric of their clothes, the two embraced tightly, their heartbeats clearly audible.
Zhong Jiuli shook her head slightly. "I'm fine. Is there anything you need?"
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy from the fall," Bai muttered softly.
"I have something to say!" Jiaojiao poked out from between their tightly pressed chests. "You two are squeezing me to death, you're hugging me too tightly."
Bai sighed and let go of her embrace. That silly turtle, always ruining the mood. She grabbed Jiao Jiao and put her on her shoulder. "Then you can lie here."
Zhong Jiuli straightened her clothes without making a sound, then turned her gaze to the giant Fusang tree in the distance.
The ancient tree, its entire body a deep crimson gold, was once again enveloped by the magic array. The unharvested fruit continued to work diligently, providing light to this dark sea.
“This tree must have a spirit. Once enough fruit has been harvested, the magic array will restart,” Zhong Jiuli said softly.
Bai chuckled upon hearing this, "Luckily, I wasn't that greedy, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to pick the biggest hibiscus fruit for you."
She held the fruit in her palm for Zhong Jiuli to see, "This fruit has been growing for countless millennia. In the past, those who came in couldn't even wait to climb to the top of the tree before rushing to pick the fruit. This is a lucky break for us."
The fruit emitted a warm golden light in Bai Ye's palm, illuminating Zhong Jiuli's eyebrows and eyes.
"Zhong Daya, eat now, I'll protect you." Bai also held the fruit to Zhong Jiuli's lips.
Zhong Jiuli's gaze slowly moved up from the golden fruit, finally settling on those bright eyes.
She raised her hand and covered Bai Ye's eyes.
"Don't look."
Bai was taken aback at first, but quickly understood Zhong Jiuli's intention. He didn't expect his wife to have such an idol image to maintain. Her awkward little appearance was just too cute.
She couldn't help but want to laugh, but afraid of offending someone, she obediently closed her eyes and promised, "Okay, I won't look. I'll just stand by and protect you."
The laughter in her voice annoyed Zhong Jiuli. She reached out and took the fruit, turning her back to Bai Ye.
In stark contrast to Bai Ye's charred appearance, the fruit, when it landed in Zhong Jiuli's palm, only left faint scorch marks on her hand.
The three-legged golden crow slowly shrank its body inside the crimson-gold fruit. The remnant soul of this ancient divine bird clearly sensed the extraordinary nature of the person before it.
Zhong Jiuli raised her hand and put the fruit into her mouth. Blazing golden flames overflowed from between her lips and teeth, and the true fire of the sun surged along her meridians, turning the meridians reddish-gold wherever it passed. There were tiny golden flames on her body surface, but they quickly went out.
The spiritual power contained in the hibiscus fruit was not too violent for Zhong Jiuli.
Although Bai Ye had her eyes closed, she could feel the sudden increase in temperature around her and knew that Zhong Jiuli must be refining the Fusang Fruit. She wanted to peek.
It wasn't to see Zhong Jiuli's embarrassed state, but rather because she was worried that the fruit's temperature wouldn't be enough for her to digest.
But clearly her worries were unnecessary. She had just cautiously opened her eyes a crack when she met Zhong Jiuli's eyes, which were tinged with golden flames.
Those usually cool eyes were now as bright as the rising sun, with a hint of red at the corners, and her lips, tempered by the sun's heat, were three times redder than usual.
This stunningly beautiful Zhong Jiuli was completely different from her usual self, leaving Bai momentarily stunned. Why was it that after she ate the same fruit, her ashes were almost scattered?
After Zhong Jiuli finished eating, she looked like she had a beauty filter applied.
"Want to peek?" His voice was a little hoarse than usual when he spoke, adding to the allure.
Bai shook his head blankly, "I was worried about you and wanted to see if you were alright."
She raised her hand to touch the reddened corner of his eye; the skin she touched was burning hot, making her tremble all over, yet she couldn't bear to let go.
"Your eyes have turned golden."
Zhong Jiuli held her mischievous hand and chuckled softly, "Little tiger who tries to touch you will be punished by her older sister."
Bai stared at the red lips so close to hers, her mind a complete mess. She vaguely thought, "This isn't some kind of 'True Fire of the Sun,' it's clearly Zhong Jiuli setting things on fire."
Burning with desire, she lost all reason and, as if possessed, turned her head to lean towards those red lips.
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