Chapter 6 The Dragon's Secret Realm (Part Six)
Cool fingertips pressed against Wei Feng's neck, applying just the right amount of pressure as they moved down through the thin red robe to his shoulder blade.
Wei Feng stiffly tried to back away, but a piercing pain suddenly erupted from his dantian, causing him to cry out in agony.
Jiang Gu looked down at the thing entangled by spiritual energy. Thick black energy was wrapped around the plump white flesh, and bright red blood was dripping from its constantly opening and closing mouth. There was no doubt that the blood came from its owner.
Wei Feng was completely stunned with fear. "What is this thing?"
“Water Demon Leech, a parasite on merfolk. If there are no merfolk, it survives by sucking the spiritual essence of exotic beasts and human cultivators. Those who are sucked will die from spiritual exhaustion within three hours.” Jiang Gu said, “Judging from the length, it has been inside your body for at least two days, but your spiritual power is weak, so it has not sucked a single drop of spiritual essence.”
Wei Feng shuddered at the sight of the bloody strips of flesh, and said with lingering fear, "Luckily, my cultivation level is low."
Jiang Gu gently pinched the air, and the constantly writhing, ferocious water demon leech silently turned into dust. "You're very proud?"
Wei Feng immediately shook his head, then clasped his hands and bowed solemnly to him, "Thank you for saving me, senior."
"The water you drew out is problematic; it has a salty, fishy smell reminiscent of merfolk." Jiang Gu's reaction to his thanks was indifferent. After a moment's thought, his gaze turned scrutinizing. "You've been following me the whole time?"
Wei Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he forced a dry laugh, "What do you mean by that, Senior?"
"You're also looking for the Divine Kite Shark Scales." Jiang Gu's tone was certain, but his expression turned even colder.
Wei Feng stood there, completely stunned, unable to figure out where he had slipped up. Little did he know that he was full of loopholes, and even his handsome face, which was filled with the thought that "I've been found out," exuded a clear sense of stupidity.
Perhaps because the boy was too weak, Jiang Gu couldn't even feel the slightest surprise. The scar had faded considerably due to the brief contact between the two, and Jiang Gu felt slightly pleased.
So he offered a few words of explanation: "There is only one place within a thousand miles where mermaids have appeared. You have looked at the ring on my hand no less than a hundred times in the past two days, and there is still a trace of your spiritual power remaining on it."
Because that amount of spiritual energy was so pitifully small, Jiang Gu hadn't paid any attention to it from beginning to end. After all, it was less than the amount of spiritual energy that naturally passed through and remained in the world. It was only when Wei Feng recited the Water-Drawing Incantation that he was able to sense it. It seems that when he casually pressed the dragon silk curtain in the carriage, this little thing had already set its sights on him.
Wei Feng cautiously took half a step back, gripping the small wooden plaque in his hand tightly, a fierce glint in his eyes and brows. "Are you going to kill me?"
Jiang Gu gripped his wrist and said seriously, "You're more useful alive."
His focused expression and serious tone sent a chill down Wei Feng's spine.
Although he lived in the sect for a long time, he also went down the mountain to fool around quite often, so he naturally knew that there were many dirty things in the cultivation world. It was not unusual for some perverts to like to find young boys and girls to use as furnaces to make pills, but he never expected that one day such a thing would happen to him.
After all, who in their right mind would grab someone's wrist and rub it for no reason?
Jiang Gu felt the seal on his neck gradually loosening. Relying on his high cultivation level, he silently entered the boy's sea of consciousness and meridians, but unfortunately, he did not find anything special about the other party.
Perhaps the answer can only be found when his soul is refined into the Boundless Stone.
Jiang Gu released his grip, reverting to his previous indifferent attitude, "Let's continue on our way."
The coolness of his fingertips still lingered on his skin. Wei Feng rubbed his skin vigorously and reluctantly followed Wu Tuo, who urged him on.
Two days later, Jiang Gu looked at the golden patterns on the ring that had finally stopped flowing, and looked up at the boundless lake in front of him.
It's not quite a lake, because countless reefs jut out from it, covered with withered white aquatic plants. Grayish-black miasma rages, and a salty, foul stench permeates the air. Countless blue-winged fireflies hover in the sky, fluttering their wings anxiously, as if eager to enter the lake but hesitant to approach due to some fear.
Jiang Gu sensed the Vermilion Bird Divine Mark that he had carved on the merman earlier.
Sure enough, it's here.
Utuo, with its four short legs, stepped onto the bubble and tucked its head back, every hair on its body expressing resistance. It had even trampled four shallow dents into the bubble. "Master, do we really have to go in?"
The lake water was viscous and murky, emitting a fishy stench; just looking at it made me feel nauseous.
"Shall I help you down?" Jiang Gu's voice was chillingly cold.
"Awoo, no need." Wutuo swished its tail listlessly, just about to transform, when suddenly an arrogant voice accompanied by a wind blade transformed into spiritual energy rushed towards its head. Seeing that it couldn't dodge in time, it was swept away by a wide black sleeve in the next instant. The wind blade was deeply embedded in the reef on the shore, and the reef instantly shattered into pieces.
"Jiang Qi, when did you start raising such an adorable little spirit pet?" The newcomer was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, with deep-set eyebrows and long, handsome features. His eyes were filled with dissatisfaction as he looked at Jiang Gu. "This kind of spirit pet not only hinders cultivation, but also makes people more dependent on it. You really disappoint me."
Jiang Gu ignored his provocation and said to Wu Tuo, "Continue."
The young man's dissatisfaction intensified. He caught a glimpse of Wei Feng, who had just been knocked down by the gale-force winds and was struggling to get up. He exclaimed in shock, "You've also picked up the bad habit of raising furnaces, and a little furnace with such low cultivation at that!"
It's no wonder he made that guess, after all, Jiang Gu's ruthless nature was too famous, and this young man's cultivation level, which was practically nonexistent, and his superior face were too eye-catching.
"You're the furnace cauldron!" Wei Feng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his dark eyes darting around before he said in a vicious voice, "But even if you were a furnace cauldron, no one would want you with your looks!"
"Heh?" The young man sneered and appeared behind Wei Feng in the blink of an eye. His five fingers formed claws and he was about to tear Wei Feng's neck apart, but just as he was about to touch him, a black shadow flashed before his eyes and swept Wei Feng away.
Before Wei Feng could recover from the terrifying killing intent, he stood behind Jiang Gu, breathed a sigh of relief, and quietly sized up Jiang Gu.
Jiang Gu was a full one and a half heads taller than him, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His black robe fluttered in the wind, and his long, powerful legs, encased in the thin fabric, were outlined beautifully by a palm-width silver-blue belt. A glimpse of lean, slender muscles could be seen beneath his raised arms.
It's exactly the kind of figure Wei Feng envisions for his future.
So he couldn't help but take a second look.
“Zhou Xiuyuan,” Jiang Gu said with a displeased expression, “you just lost your Daoist partner, and you still have the mood to care about others?”
These words struck a nerve with Zhou Xiuyuan. His face contorted for a moment, and he transformed into a streak of light, rushing straight towards Wei Feng behind Jiang Gu. "That's right, I just lost my Daoist partner, so I can't stand seeing others in pairs. How about I crush him for you first, and then we can have a good fight?"
Jiang Gu raised his hand and tossed Wei Feng aside to block Zhou Xiuyuan's attack. "Didn't the Zhou family say they weren't interested in the Divine Kite Shark Scale?"
"Just because the Zhou family isn't interested doesn't mean I'm not." Zhou Xiuyuan's moves were extremely fast, his spiritual power was immense, and his gaze was fixed on Jiang Gu. "Your Jiang family has sent a full twenty of your main disciples this time, and even Jiang Xiangyun has come out of seclusion. Even someone like you who doesn't care about other people's business has come to the Chaolong Secret Realm in person. This Divine Kite Shark Scale is probably more than just what's rumored!"
Jiang Gu suddenly bent back to dodge his wind blade, retreating rapidly for more than ten feet. In the instant he stood up, he flipped his wrist, and a snow-white longsword that appeared out of thin air was held in his palm and placed horizontally in front of him. He said coldly, "Do you want to take it from me?"
"Who wouldn't want something good? It's better for me to snatch it than for it to fall into Jiang Xiangyun's hands, right?" Zhou Xiuyuan's long sword suddenly flew out of its sheath and headed straight for Wei Feng, who was still in a daze below.
When cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage fight, Wei Feng can't even see their shadows clearly. He was squinting at the sky, trying to figure out which one was Jiang Gu, when he saw a long sword coming straight at his brow. Just when he thought he was going to die, a black figure suddenly appeared in front of him, a snow-white long sword held horizontally in front of his brow. The two swords collided, causing a surge of spiritual energy that shook his mind and core, and blood instantly gushed from his ears and eyes.
Jiang Gu held his sword against the light of the sky in front of him. His blurry face showed a hint of impatience. With his other hand, he grabbed the back of Zhou Xiuyuan's neck and pulled him into his arms, then suddenly flung Zhou Xiuyuan's sword away.
"Concentrate and regulate your breathing." Jiang Gu's voice rang in his ears.
A cold, serene aura swept over him, blocking the oppressive force that had almost crushed him. Wei Feng instinctively gripped Jiang Gu's belt tightly, and the first thing he tasted was the sweet, metallic taste of blood. "I... I won't."
Jiang Gu, who was holding him, breathed heavily for a moment, and Wei Feng guessed that he was probably angry with him.
Jiang Gu swiftly sealed several acupoints on Wei Feng's body. Just as Zhou Xiuyuan's next attack was about to arrive, he grabbed Wei Feng and flashed to the rocks in the lake. Wu Tuo understood and leaped up. His surging body caused Zhou Xiuyuan's attack to pause for a moment. Then, the lake water rippled, and the two people and the beast disappeared from the lake surface.
Zhou Xiuyuan took two steps back to avoid the splashed mud, and laughed angrily, "Jiang Qi, you actually ran away without a fight for a furnace cauldron, I despise you!"
But the calm lake remained silent.
He gritted his teeth, held his breath, and jumped into the disgusting-looking lake.
Shortly after he jumped in, a group of disciples dressed in scarlet robes stopped by the lake.
"Elder Qi, are you... sure this is the place?" A disciple, feeling nauseous from the stench of the lake water, couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you say the water source was dangerous?"
Qi Fengyuan gave him a cold look. "It's dangerous for you to go alone. What are you afraid of with me by your side?"
The disciple immediately fell silent.
Qi Fengyuan's gray eyes scanned the rocks on the lake surface. "You two, form a Bagua Cloud Formation in pairs. Once you reach the bottom of the lake, you'll see a stone tablet. That's the entrance to the cave. When the time comes, open the entrance together and follow me in. Understand?"
"Yes, Elder Qi!" all the disciples replied in unison.
"Zhiyan," Qi Fengyuan glanced at the lone boy, "come with me."
Xuan Zhiyan's disappointed expression vanished instantly, and he trotted over to stand obediently behind him, saying, "Yes, Master."
He didn't care about the envious and disdainful looks behind him.
Lake bottom.
The massive, weathered stone tablet stood quietly in the mud, next to a nearly ten-meter-tall stone statue of a mermaid. One hand rested on the edge of the tablet, its sharp nails digging deep into the stone, the cracks running extremely deep. It looked up with a sorrowful expression, as if trying to see something clearly, but its grayish-white pupils were covered by thick seaweed, like a dragon's silk veil floating in the water, obscuring its eyes.
Jiang Gu pointed to the stone tablet, which had returned to its original form, at Wu Tuo.
Utuo raised its claws and quickly dug away all the water plants and mud, revealing the original writing on them. The writing was twisted and intertwined, and it was not human script.
But Jiang Gu had consulted ancient books beforehand, and if he remembered correctly, these words should be "Mermaid Bay".
Wu Tuo had already consciously begun to channel spiritual energy into the stone tablet, and the ground at the bottom of the lake began to tremble. Jiang Gu simply set up a barrier to interfere with the pursuers behind him. Wei Feng, who had been unconscious while being held in his hand, suddenly coughed up blood and opened his eyes.
Jiang Gu didn't want to pay attention to him, but the other person's blood-stained hands gripped his sleeve tightly. His once handsome and energetic face had turned pale due to his serious injuries. He looked extremely uncomfortable, and the corners of his eyes were red.
After setting up the barrier, Jiang Gu grabbed his chin and stuffed half a low-level health recovery pill into his mouth.
Wei Feng struggled for a moment, but when he met his cold gaze, he obediently swallowed the blood, which dissipated into a thin mist in the water.
“Master, it’s ready!” Wu Tuo transmitted his voice to him.
Jiang Gu nodded slightly, glanced at Wei Feng who had just recovered some health and started looking around curiously, grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw him toward the stone tablet like a chick.
When Wei Feng slammed the stone tablet down, his eyes widened in astonishment, his face filled with heartache and sorrow. The person looking at him seemed to be a heartless man who had abandoned his lover.
"..." Jiang Gu belatedly realized that this guy probably didn't even know the most basic thing: how to pass through a magic array and concentrate.
Utuo had already gone inside by himself.
Jiang Gu sighed, grabbed the boy he had almost dropped to his death, and disappeared in front of the stone tablet.
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