Chapter 238: This Humble One is Fine

These dragon murals were created in ancient times. The dragon script was cryptic and intricate, and the scenes depicted were complex. Although the three had encountered numerous such murals, they could only glean a vague understanding of the life of the Blue Dragon. There were still a lot of stories they couldn't figure out. So, as they kept looking, they just quickly glanced at them, like travelers passing by.

During this time, Chu Liang also diverted his attention to another matter.

With a portion of his divine sense sunk into the space within the White Pagoda, Chu Liang set about the task of refining almost one hundred Vampire Bat-Dragons he had killed. Given the unpredictable dangers ahead, it would be good if he could unbox any valuable items that could help.

After attaining the Golden Core Realm, Chu Liang's divine sense strengthened to the point in which he could effortlessly multitask. He could advance without a change of expression while refining the imprints within the White Pagoda.

The only issue was that he had always been used to refining the imprints in a very quiet and safe environment.

Now, as he rewarded himself with each step he took, it felt rather strange.

Inside the White Pagoda, the imprints of the Vampire Bat-Dragons had already been arranged in cages, patiently awaiting his inspection. With time pressing, Chu Liang approached the cages without hesitation.

Refine!

Boom!

A long-lost radiance flashed by, and a white light floated in front of Chu Liang.

It was a reddish-golden rhombus-shaped crystal, with flames flickering faintly within the crystal.

[Dragon-Blood Crystal: Formed through the condensation of dragon's blood essence, this crystal, when melted and infused into one's bloodstream, significantly boosts qi and vitality, accelerates blood formation, and intensifies bloodlust and battle intent. The effects last for two hours and do not accumulate with repeated use.]

Upon sensing this message in his mind, Chu Liang became clear of the use of this item.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

This wasn't complicated. He could infuse a single crystal into his bloodstream and experience a holistic enhancement of his abilities. In the world of immortality cultivators, there were a few pills designed specifically to enhance combat abilities. These pills would occasionally come in handy, especially since the power gap between experts was almost negligible.

The enhancement of vitality was achieved by an increase in foundational qi and strength, which then allowed for a stronger outburst of power. The acceleration of blood formation was the same as the improvement in replenishment, which meant that injuries would recover at a quicker rate. The strengthening of bloodlust and battle intent sounded somewhat cryptic... But it likely meant the same as the strengthening of the mental state.

As for how strong the effect might be, he would only find out by giving it a try. Nevertheless, anything that could boost combat ability was welcome.

As Chu Liang continued advancing, he refined all the imprints.

He had been unboxing the rewards for a very long time. After around one hundred or so attempts, he finally completed the last refinement, and his arm felt a little sore.

He had accumulated a huge pile of Dragon-Blood Crystals and intended to melt one now to test its effects. There wasn't a fight at the moment, but whether there was a fight or not, it didn't matter because the effect was just a straightforward improvement. With such a large pile, he wasn't worried about wasting any.

It would be easier to determine its usage once he had tested its effects.

He withdrew his divine sense from the space within the White Pagoda. With a flip of his hand, he took out a Dragon-Blood Crystal. As his foundational qi swirled like a whirlwind, he melted and infused the crystal into his bloodstream.

Boom!

The effect was fiercer than he had anticipated.

In that brief moment, he felt as though a bomb had been hurled into his bloodstream, stirring up tumultuous waves. A massive wave of heat surged upward to his brain and downstream to his heart and he felt as though a formless ball of fire enveloped his body.

"

Puff...

" Chu Liang exhaled a breath of hot qi.

The effect of this crystal was so strong.

He couldn't even control his battle intent. The tremendous strength constrained within his body, which he couldn't fully exert, was driving him crazy. At that moment, he wished for an evil entity to leap out so he could punch it and kill it!

But his mind was still clear. He knew that this was a change brought about through the Dragon-Blood Crystal. He mustn't let this surge of heat wave take his rationality away. As he activated his foundational qi and suppressed the urge, attempting to return back to normal.

At this point, Monk Pushan sensed something amiss. He turned around and asked out of concern, "What's the matter with you?"

"This

humble one

[1] is fine!" Chu Liang roared.

Monk Pushan was so confused.

...

"Something's off with the circulation of my foundational qi. Just let me adjust my breathing for a bit," Chu Liang said as he quickly sat cross-legged on the spot, making adjustments to suppress the strong urge.

Monk Pushan and Luo Yao thought he was acting weird, but it wasn't the first time they had thought Chu Liang was odd. In fact, it had happened on numerous occasions.

When someone is consistently weird, and they continue to act strangely, you wouldn't find it unusual anymore.

While Chu Liang was adjusting his breathing, he sensed erratic movements within the White Pagoda.

The golden cocoon spun by the little silkworm earlier suddenly began vibrating anxiously, emitting a buzzing sound.

The cocoon was likely about to burst open.

Chu Liang muttered inwardly, "It's bad enough that the Crimson Executioner is vibrating inside, but now you're vibrating too. Are you both trying to deprive me of peace?"

He couldn't do anything, so he ignored the cocoon, allowing the little silkworm to break free from the cocoon inside the White Pagoda on its own.

After a moment, he stood up again, his gaze returning to calmness. "Sorry for the interruption. Shall we continue?"

The three then continued moving forward.

As they walked past this vast corridor, they stopped seeing any more murals. Instead, a spacious platform appeared ahead. At the forefront of the platform hung various types of heads. As many years had passed by, the spiritual energy in these skulls had long since dissipated. Yet, they were obviously once very powerful demonic beasts.

This should be the Blue Dragon's loot.

Among these arrayed skulls, there was a pathway ahead. However, the pathway was extremely narrow. Hanging in front of that pathway was a corpse.

This corpse differed from the other loot. It was dressed in an ancient-looking cloak that showed no signs of decay despite the passing of countless years, indicating its supreme quality. The figure had the head of a dragon but the body of a human, which was covered entirely in scales. A long golden-colored string was hanging from its neck.

It had died by suicide!

After countless years had passed, even those incredibly formidable beings from before had completely lost their spiritual energy. Yet, this corpse showed no signs of decay, appearing as if it was alive.

It was rather eerie.

Luo Yao said, "The corpse doesn't show any signs of decay. It must have been refined using Soul Techniques and sacrificed. Be careful."

Monk Pushan said, "With a dragon head and human body, it looks like a Jimeng in the legends."

Chu Liang said, "Its clothes doesn't show any sign of decay so that must be valuable..."

The three muttered to themselves. Suddenly, Luo Yao and Monk Pushan both turned their glances at Chu Liang.

Sensing the stares, Chu Liang hastily said, "I was just saying nonsense. Can you elaborate?"

Without wasting any words, Luo Yao immediately explained, "Considering the time depicted in the murals, the fall of the Blue Dragon happened countless years ago. Yet, this body shows no signs of decay. Even the Eminent Ones, who have reached the Dao Attainment Realm, cannot achieve this. Such preservation can only occur if the body was refined and sacrificed using Soul Techniques before death. The body can only remain undecayed if its conscious soul[2] remains within the same space as the body."

"The conscious soul is still here..." Chu Liang muttered with a frown.

Apart from them, is there truly someone else in this cold, empty, and silent palace? Are they being watched from somewhere?

Such thoughts sent a slight chill down his spine.

Luo Yao turned to Monk Pushan and inquired, "What do you think the identity of this person is?"

Monk Pushan responded, "During the prime of the dragon race, there were diverse types of dragon descendants, including the dragon-human hybrids. The main lineage among these dragon-human hybrids takes on the form of humans with dragon heads. They were considered the most intelligent lineage among all draconic descendants and had made significant contributions to the dragon race. The Dragon God bestowed upon this lineage the name Jimeng."

"It was during that time when the True Dragon would recruit draconic descendants as their attendants. To the draconic descendants, this was considered the utmost honor. During that era, Jimeng was the most favored type of attendants and would often serve beside the throne of every True Dragon."

Monk Pushan stared at the body and continued, "There is no doubt that this is a member of the Jimeng Clan and is most likely the Blue Dragon's servant."

"I see..." Chu Liang nodded. He then said, "But we have already made it here. We can't go back. Even if a Jimeng is currently guarding here in the form of a conscious soul, we have to continue advancing."

"Yes." Luo Yao agreed with Chu Liang, saying, "Let's go with the flow."

With this, the three gently bowed to the corpse of the dragon servant and went around it, stepping into the narrow passageway.

This time, there were no murals on either side of the wall. Instead, the walls were made of smooth, polished, glistening black jade material. As the passageway was very narrow, the three could only proceed single-file.

They continued advancing with the guys on both sides and the girl in the center.[3]

The passageway was eerily quiet, devoid of even the slightest sound of the wind. They could only hear the sound of their footsteps echoing in unison.

There were no abnormalities.

The passageway was very long and they walked for a very long time. It was such a long time that Chu Liang felt as though if he walked to the end of the pathway and looked up, he would see Mount Shu.

Nevertheless, the three remained patient.

Remaining calm and composed was a crucial trait, especially in times of danger lurking in the surroundings.

Suddenly!

Chu Liang noticed something wrong.

The walls on both sides were made of black jade, resembling blurry mirrors that faintly reflected their silhouettes... Even though they were blurry, the number of silhouettes could be easily counted.

But when he glanced sideways just now, he saw four distinct silhouettes on the wall to the right.

His heart skipped a beat.

He had no idea how long the shadow had been silently trailing behind them. Despite having spread out their divine senses, they hadn't sensed its presence at all, which showed how eerie the situation was.

The fourth shadow remained elusive to their divine senses, likely visible only to the naked eye.

But any attempt by Chu Liang to look back might alert the shadow. So, instead, he quickly glanced to the left and counted.

Yet, there were only three silhouettes reflected on the left.

Eh? What's going on?

1. In the classic Chinese novel "Water Margin, there is a character named Wu Song who uses the term "洒家" (sǎ jiā), which means this humble one, quite frequently. Wu Song is a famous character known for his strength and courage and his use of "洒家" reflects his rough and straightforward demeanor. This is the vibe the author is trying to convey. ☜

2. Previously fresh soul. Term changed to conscious soul, as in the soul that still has their consciousness and rationality. Just thought this to be more fitting. ☜

3. Let me show you how the author described this formation. He used the word “嬲” and 男 means male while 女 means female. Lolz. So the guys on both sides and the girl in the center. I am Dead. ☜