Chapter 1267: Dragon Li Sacred Beast King
Under the dark night sky, an iceberg over a thousand zhang tall floated on the sea surface. Starlight scattered across it, causing crystalline specks of light to emanate from within the ice. The part visible above the water was merely the tip; the main body of the iceberg lay submerged beneath.
Zhang Ruochen and the others slowly approached, drawing near.
Through the thick ice, they could faintly make out a massive cat sealed inside. The cat’s body was covered in thick, dark red scales. Its head somewhat resembled a dragon’s, and on its back grew a pair of dragon wings lined with sharp spikes.
The full form of the giant cat could not be seen entirely; a large portion remained beneath the water’s surface.
Qing Mo’s red lips parted as she stared at the enormous creature within the iceberg. “So huge! Even one of its scales is larger than my entire body. Is it a dragon or a cat?”
Xiao Hei said, “A cat. It belongs to the Dragon Li clan of the Nine Li Cat Tribe. The ancestors of this clan share a subtle connection with the Primordial Dragon, which is why they developed dragon-like features.”
“Is it the Sacred Beast King of the Dragon Li clan?”
Zhang Ruochen also observed the giant cat sealed within the ice, probing it with his spiritual power. However, the ice layer was peculiar, blocking his spiritual power from penetrating.
For now, he could only see its outer form, unable to gauge the corpse’s strength or the sacred power contained within. Thus, he could not determine the giant cat’s cultivation realm before its death.
Xiao Hei said, “I can’t say for sure it’s the one, but judging by its size, it’s highly likely. An ordinary Dragon Li cat at the Saint realm wouldn’t have such a massive body.”
A so-called Sacred Beast King possessed strength comparable to a Saint King among humans. Even in death, such a creature was extremely dangerous. If a remnant of its sacred soul remained, it would spell disaster for Zhang Ruochen and the others.
Moreover, who could say whether breaking the ice might cause it to suddenly awaken, like those ancient corpses? If it did awaken, Zhang Ruochen’s group would have no chance of escape.
Ao Xinyan suggested, “Captain, to be safe, we could use the Realm Seal to shatter the corpse of this Dragon Li Sacred Beast King.”
“No. What if the recipe for the Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine is on its body? Wouldn’t that destroy it too?” Zhang Ruochen stopped Ao Xinyan.
Xiao Hei added, “Given the Sacred Beast King’s powerful physique, even with our current cultivation, a single strike from the Realm Seal probably wouldn’t destroy its corpse.”
Zhang Ruochen and the others were in an awkward position. They wanted the recipe for the Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine but dared not recklessly break the ice. It was right before their eyes, yet filled with deadly peril.
The value of the Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine was immeasurable. Even if it couldn’t elevate the entire human race’s physique, it would at least raise their overall strength by a tier, creating a large number of powerful human elites.
Having come so close to finding the recipe, Zhang Ruochen couldn’t give up. Even if it meant risking death, he had to try.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Ruochen said, “You all retreat to a distance—at least five hundred li away. Leave this to me.”
“I have the Divine Dragon Silver Armor. I can protect myself. Let me stay,” Ao Xinyan said.
Zhang Ruochen was firm. “Everyone leaves. If a Sacred Beast King truly awakens, even with the Divine Dragon Silver Armor, your body would be shattered.”
In the end, Huang Yanchen, Qing Mo, Xiao Hei, and Ao Xinyan all retreated hundreds of li away. They knew Zhang Ruochen could use the power of space and, if danger arose, could escape with a spatial displacement.
Zhang Ruochen did not immediately break the ice. Instead, he sat cross-legged atop the iceberg, continuing to recover his sacred qi. Only after reaching his peak state did he stand up again.
“Abyssal.”
Zhang Ruochen summoned the Abyssal Ancient Sword, controlling it to hover above the iceberg. Hundreds of sword qi flew from the blade, striking the ice.
To avoid disturbing the corpse as much as possible, Zhang Ruochen used the most conservative method to break the ice.
“Crunch, crunch.”
Ice chunks fell, and the layer grew thinner.
The aura from the giant cat’s corpse within the ice gradually seeped out, growing stronger. Dark red light patterns surged forth.
With a “crack,” the ice shattered under the corpse’s force, completely falling away.
A terrifying aura erupted from the corpse. The power had been accumulating for tens of thousands of years. Even though Zhang Ruochen was prepared, he was still blasted backward over ten li.
Two Realm Seals, each as massive as mountains, flew from afar, hovering above Zhang Ruochen’s head, ready to strike at any moment. A silver kitchen knife also hung between the two seals.
Clearly, Huang Yanchen, Ao Xinyan, and Qing Mo were worried about Zhang Ruochen’s safety and had sent their weapons to help.
Zhang Ruochen stopped them because he could sense that the giant cat had not awakened. Its aura was simply too powerful, creating such a presence when released.
“It really is a Sacred Beast King.”
Without the ice barrier, Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power to probe the corpse. He quickly determined its cultivation realm before death.
It was terrifying. When alive, it was as powerful as the Azure Fire Basalt nailed by the Sin Sea Pillar in the Black Tortoise Ruins Realm. In the wild secret realm, it must have been a supreme overlord.
Such a formidable Sacred Beast King must have faced an unimaginable crisis to die in the Abandoned Deep Sea. Just thinking about it sent chills down one’s spine.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen was now a powerful Saint with deep cultivation, so he had no fear of a dead Sacred Beast King.
Zhang Ruochen donned the Ten Saints Blood Armor, stepped on the water’s surface as if walking on flat ground, and slowly approached the Sacred Beast King’s corpse.
“A Sacred Beast King is a treasure trove—scales, blood, bones, and sacred source are all treasures that would tempt any Saint.”
If not for being in the Abandoned Deep Sea, Zhang Ruochen would have wanted to take the entire corpse. But now, he couldn’t. Too many uncertainties remained. If the corpse awakened inside his space ring, it could easily shatter it.
Zhang Ruochen constantly reminded himself not to be greedy. Find the recipe for the Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine and leave immediately.
Zhang Ruochen passed through layers of sacred qi, flew to the corpse’s head, closed his eyes, and released his spiritual power as tens of thousands of light points, drilling into the corpse.
Each light point was a spiritual power incarnation of Zhang Ruochen, searching inside the corpse.
The Dragon Li Sacred Beast King’s body contained a vast array of items, some preserved for hundreds of thousands of years without decay. There were sacred artifacts, ancestral artifacts, sacred beast bones, metal fragments, stones…
Its body was like a treasure vault.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t know what the recipe for the Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine looked like, so he used his spiritual power to move out any vessel with inscriptions.
Soon, dozens of various vessels piled up before him, forming a small mountain.
Searching for the recipe was an ethereal task. Zhang Ruochen was essentially gambling on luck. Even if none of these vessels contained the recipe, it would be entirely normal.
Zhang Ruochen dared not linger on the Sacred Beast King’s back. He didn’t even take its sacred source. Carrying the dozens of vessels, he leaped up, ready to leave immediately.
But just as he rose a few dozen meters, an icy force surged from below, numbing his feet.
“Not good…”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression changed drastically. He quickly circulated his sacred qi and mobilized the power of space.
“Roar.”
A low growl reached his ears.
The sound turned into ripples, instantly shattering the eardrums in Zhang Ruochen’s ears, dispersing the sacred qi throughout his body, and plunging his vision into darkness.
“Splash.”
Zhang Ruochen fell straight down into the Abandoned Deep Sea, sending up a large spray of water.
The Dragon Li Sacred Beast King’s eyes opened, shooting out two black beams of light. A vast deathly aura erupted from its body.
No one knew what power permeated the Abandoned Deep Sea, but it could reanimate corpses, unleashing terrifying combat strength to kill any intruder.
The two Realm Seals hovering in the sky slammed down almost simultaneously, striking the Dragon Li Sacred Beast King’s head and back.
“Boom, boom.”
The Sacred Beast King’s corpse remained unmoved. The two Realm Seals hit it with loud clangs before bouncing away.
The silver kitchen knife dragged a blinding streak of light, slashing at the Sacred Beast King’s neck. But it only embedded itself into a scale, failing to penetrate it.
Against a Sacred Beast King, Saint-level attacks were like tickling, unable to harm it.
Even a dead Sacred Beast King was not something a Saint could challenge. The gap between them was a matter of life’s hierarchy.
However, the attacks from the two Realm Seals and the silver kitchen knife disrupted the Dragon Li Sacred Beast King, buying Zhang Ruochen time to escape.
Falling into the sea, Zhang Ruochen was protected by the Ten Saints Blood Armor and wasn’t frozen.
After a moment, Zhang Ruochen regained some awareness. He quickly gathered his sacred qi, mobilized space rules, and performed a spatial displacement, fleeing a hundred li away.
“Roar.”
The Dragon Li Sacred Beast King turned its head, fixing its gaze on the sea a hundred li away, locking onto Zhang Ruochen, and roared again.
Zhang Ruochen’s speed far surpassed sound, but the Sacred Beast King was even faster. With a single flap of its wings, it closed in by nearly a hundred li.
The wind force from its dragon wings pressed down on space, causing the sea surface to sink into a basin dozens of li in diameter.
Standing at the lowest point of the sea, Zhang Ruochen felt as if a hundred thousand mountains were pressing down on his shoulders and head. Gritting his teeth, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins. Just before the Sacred Beast King descended, he performed a great space teleportation, vanishing from the spot.
“Damn it. I’ve been locked onto by that Dragon Li Sacred Beast King’s corpse. Am I going to die here in the Abandoned Deep Sea? I won’t accept this.”
As soon as Zhang Ruochen emerged from space, he saw the Dragon Li Sacred Beast King flying over again, appearing above him.
Even using a great space teleportation, he couldn’t escape.
But Zhang Ruochen didn’t give up his will to survive. Bearing the pressure, he fought for every moment, fleeing with all his might.
After performing dozens of great space teleportations, escaping thousands of li away, even Zhang Ruochen’s abundant sacred qi began to falter.
Yet the Dragon Li Sacred Beast King still pursued him, less than two hundred li behind. It would catch up in just two breaths.
Just as Zhang Ruochen prepared to fight to the death, he spotted a familiar, aged figure on the distant sea surface, collecting treasures among a dozen icebergs.
It was the Wine Madman, who had gotten separated on the Ghost Ship. He, too, had entered the Abandoned Deep Sea.
…
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(End of chapter)