Chapter 124 - Another Breakthrough!

"Hiss——"

A gasp of cold air sounded, as Jiang Yun and the other two looked in surprise at the scene before them. Instead of powerful spiritual treasures in the room, it was filled with bones.

"Did I sense it wrong?"

Purple Swallow looked at Jiang Yun and Medusa in doubt, her confidence in her innate talent shaken for the first time.

The surroundings were strewn with various corpses, giving the place a cold, damp feeling. Among the white bones, there were even some human remains.

This didn't look like a place with magical treasures at all!

"Let's go in and have a look!"

Jiang Yun closed his eyes to sense for a moment. Feeling a strong wave of spiritual power around, he raised his eyebrows slightly and spoke.

The other two chose to trust Jiang Yun's judgment. After all, they had come this far, and how could they turn back now?

Frowning, the three of them walked through the hill of bones and finally stopped at the end of the room.

It was still filled with bones, but at the center of the bones was a pool about ten meters wide, filled with crimson liquid that resembled blood. The surface of the pool constantly bubbled, giving off a thick blood-red energy that dispersed like smoke.

"This is...a blood pool?" Medusa looked at the scene and raised an eyebrow, hesitantly speaking.

"I recall something similar in the Ancient Dragon inheritance, where the blood of the tribe's strong members is gathered for the younger generation to use for breakthrough and baptism. I didn't expect to see it here!" Purple Swallow said, her eyes falling on the surrounding bones. "Moreover, this blood pool is probably the same."

"The energy here is extremely rich, enough to enhance our strength to a higher level!" Jiang Yun sensed the boundless energy in the blood pool and chuckled.

Hearing this, Medusa and Purple Swallow both nodded, their expressions excited.

Although their strength had progressed rapidly since arriving here, their opponents had also grown stronger. Now, only those at the Soul Sage level could dominate the battlefield.

Despite their exceptional talent and terrifying bloodlines, Medusa and Purple Swallow had only reached the Transcendent level, making them anxious.

Now, this opportunity would allow them to catch up quickly, bringing them great joy.

"The energy here is extremely violent. Be careful when you enter, Xiao Yun!" Purple Swallow looked back and warned Jiang Yun.

The energy in the blood pool was extremely violent, unbearable for ordinary people. But for Purple Swallow and Medusa, who were from the Ancient Void Dragon and the Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python clans, it was manageable.

Though Jiang Yun had a strong physical body, Purple Swallow couldn't help but warn him.

"I understand. Medusa might have a hard time breaking through the body difficulty this time. You should worry more about yourself instead of me," Jiang Yun said gently, teasing at the end.

As expected, Purple Swallow's expression stiffened, and she angrily replied, "Stupid Xiao Yun, wait and see. I'll definitely overcome the body difficulty this time!"

After finishing, she stomped on Jiang Yun's foot, making him wince in pain. Watching Jiang Yun's pained expression, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Purple Swallow's eyes. In the next moment, she gracefully leapt into the blood pool like a mermaid.

Seeing Purple Swallow disappear into the blood pool and feeling the pain in his foot, Jiang Yun shook his head with a wry smile. He then turned to Medusa, saying, "The stronger the body, the harder the body difficulty. Be careful!"

"Okay!" Medusa nodded lightly at Jiang Yun's kind reminder, glanced coldly at his foot, and then swiftly jumped into the blood pool.

Once the two entered, Jiang Yun looked around, set up a warning array, and then leapt into the pool himself.

"Sizzle!"

With their entry, the previously quiet blood pool began to boil immediately, countless blood bubbles rising. Violent energy roared within the pool, creating a low, thunder-like sound that spread far and wide.

Inside the blood pool, although it appeared to be ten meters wide from the outside, the bottom seemed endless in its vastness.

Unable to find the two women, Jiang Yun began to sense the changes within his body.

Pain!

Every part of his body echoed with this sensation. The violent energy in the blood pool attacked Jiang Yun's body the moment he entered, like countless venomous snakes striking from all directions.

The overwhelming spiritual power poured in from his crown, washing through him fiercely, causing knife-like pain wherever it passed.

Yet, the next moment, a wave of pure and unique energy rushed into him, soothing him as if being cleansed.

His meridians and flesh revealed faint, crystalline threads, penetrating through his meridians, bones, and flesh, subtly enhancing his body's resilience and strength.

Meanwhile, blackish blood began to seep from his body, representing impurities and old injuries being rapidly healed.

Feeling these changes, even Jiang Yun couldn't help but smile in joy.

But before happiness could fully settle, waves of pain returned, making the process an arduous cycle of torture.

Focusing on his body's transformation, Jiang Yun floated in the blood pool, closing his eyes and meditating, quietly awaiting his breakthrough.

As time passed, Jiang Yun's absorption seemed endless, the blood pool still teeming with vast energy. Now he hovered motionless, his skin subtly glowing with blood-red light.

Inside him, a powerful energy brewed like a volcano, waiting for the right moment to erupt.

"Boom——"

Jiang Yun was the first to break through, his eyes opening sharply.

Boom!

Simultaneously, an extraordinarily powerful wave of spiritual energy erupted from Jiang Yun's body like a storm, sweeping across the space.

The abrupt surge subsided quickly, as a deep rumble echoed in Jiang Yun's soul, bringing his spiritual energy back to calm.

"Peak of the Transcendent level. How unfortunate!" Jiang Yun sighed, just a step away from breaking through the body difficulty.

However, he quickly composed himself, remembering that he had entered the ruins as a Seven-Star Dou Huang, reaching the peak of the Transcendent level in less than a year. This rapid improvement was terrifying.

Jiang Yun stepped out of the blood pool, noting that the warning array remained untriggered, a sign that no one had entered. Indeed, the powerful auras outside served as a deterrent.

Ten days had passed, and Jiang Yun wondered about the others' progress in their exploration.

Shaking his head, he felt the steady growing energy at the pool's bottom and sat by the pool, waiting for the others to emerge.

Three days later!

Roar!

A loud roar resembling a lion's and tiger's combination sounded. A nine-colored giant python burst out of the pool, its powerful body exuding immense strength, distorting space with each movement.

Jiang Yun noticed the python's skin had a faint reddish hue, radiating a power that seeped into its flesh.

"Body difficulty..."

Reaching the peak of the Transcendent level, one would face the body difficulty. When a person's blood energy reaches saturation, it combines with inner spiritual power to form a blood fire.

This blood fire burns through the flesh, refining it, making the body more formidable. Failing to withstand this refinement could result in the body being vaporized by the blood fire, causing severe damage.

This was the origin of the body difficulty, which no external force could aid. It had to be overcome through one's own resilience.

Moreover, the stronger the body, the more intense the body difficulty, but overcoming it would grant even greater strength.

As time passed, Medusa approached the end of her body difficulty. The nine-colored sky-swallowing python, a divine beast, would not be hindered by the difficulty, especially with Medusa's fierce spirit.

The nine-colored python's body shrunk rapidly, transforming into a delicate silhouette.

Medusa stood in midair, her closed eyes suddenly opening, releasing a surge of powerful spiritual pressure.

With a twist of her beautiful eyes, Medusa spotted Jiang Yun by the pool. A charming smile curled her lips, and she silently stood beside him.

Jiang Yun, noticing no spiritual fluctuations from Medusa, could still feel a terrifying power within her refined body.

"Congratulations," Jiang Yun said with a soft smile.

"Mm!" Medusa responded coldly, though filled with inner delight from her newfound power. She then turned to look at the pool's depths. "Hasn't Purple Swallow come out yet?"

"In the next couple of days!"

The two gazed into the blood pool as if seeing through its layers of blood, sensing the ancient dragon within, her energy amassing rapidly for a grand breakthrough.

"By the way..." At that moment, Medusa's hesitant voice broke the silence.

Turning to her, Jiang Yun saw her hesitating to speak.

Jiang Yun smiled gently. "We're comrades who've faced life and death together. If you need my help, just ask. I think I can manage."

Medusa's heart warmed at Jiang Yun's smile, and she spoke, "Could you help my Snake Tribe set up a protective array?"

Seeing Jiang Yun's intrigued look, Medusa hurriedly added, "Don't worry, the Snake Tribe will pay for it..."

However, as she said this, Medusa hesitated, realizing the substantial rewards they'd gained, and Jiang Yun's mysterious, abundant background made it unlikely the tribe had anything to tempt him.

"Sure!" Just as Medusa was caught in her thoughts, Jiang Yun's gentle voice answered.

"What?" Momentarily lost, Medusa looked at him in surprise.

"I said I can help set up a protective array for the Snake Tribe!" Jiang Yun grinned at Medusa, who rarely showed such a flustered state.

"Thank you!" Coming back to her senses, Medusa saw him already looking at the blood pool. Gazing at his back, she couldn't help but whisper with a beautiful smile.

"Right, what's your current situation with Xiao Jiu?" Jiang Yun's curious voice soon followed.

"Hiss, hiss!"

Before Medusa could reply, nine-colored light flashed on her body, and a small serpent darted out, happily flicking its tongue on Jiang Yun's shoulder.

"It's Xiao Jiu!" Jiang Yun smiled fondly, gently lifting the little snake into his palm and cradling it lovingly.

"Since cultivating the spiritual power system and reaching the Soul Realm, it seems I refined the swallowing python's soul as my soul spirit. We now share a symbiotic state and can appear together. Who knows, perhaps Xiao Jiu can eventually form its own body, becoming a new entity," Medusa explained with a gentle smile, watching Jiang Yun with the snake.

"That sounds like a wonderful outcome!" Jiang Yun chuckled.

Initially considering how to resolve their intertwined souls, Jiang Yun hadn't expected it to work out so serendipitously. An unexpected but pleasant surprise indeed!