Chapter 2103: Dan Huang
Relying on his faint perception of the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring, Dragon Fiend Emperor led Zhang Ruochen, swiftly darting through this area as they carefully searched.
A vast region was permeated with the aura of the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring, yet no matter how they searched, they could not find its trace, as if it had long since left this place.
The Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring had long gained sentience, knowing to avoid danger. After emerging into the world, it never stayed in one place for long.
"Could we have arrived too late?" Dragon Fiend Emperor said, somewhat unwilling to accept it.
Having finally discovered traces of the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring, missing it like this was truly a pity.
Zhang Ruochen fell into thought. He flipped his hand and took out the Space-Time Secret Scripture, channeling the Space Rules within his body into it. Instantly, an intangible spatial fluctuation spread outward.
This spatial fluctuation was extremely subtle, slowly penetrating the surrounding space and the ground beneath, meticulously examining everything in the vicinity.
Suddenly, a strange light flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "Three thousand zhang below the ground, there is an unusual power fluctuation."
"So the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring hid underground this time. No wonder we couldn't find it." Dragon Fiend Emperor said, suddenly understanding.
The earth structure of True Dragon Island was dense, making it difficult for Spiritual Power to penetrate. Knowing the situation underground was an extremely challenging task.
Without the aid of the Space-Time Secret Scripture, even with Zhang Ruochen's current high level of Space attainment, it would have been impossible for his detection range to reach three thousand zhang underground.
Following Zhang Ruochen's instructions, Dragon Fiend Emperor immediately took action, employing various methods to dig a passage leading underground.
However, this passage was clearly not easy to excavate. The deeper they went, the harder the ground became. Even with Dragon Fiend Emperor's abilities, digging was very strenuous.
"Crack."
At a certain moment, the underground rock shattered, revealing a pitch-black cavity. Misty fog emanated from within.
This fog was very peculiar, with the auras of extreme Yang and extreme Yin intertwined. Though they were opposites, they were perfectly integrated into one.
Seeing this fog, Dragon Fiend Emperor became excited. "Such dense Sun-Moon Fog, the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring must be down there."
The spring water of the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring was also greatly beneficial to it. If it could obtain more top-grade sacred spring water, it could thoroughly baptize its own Divine Power and Sacred Soul, potentially achieving a significant boost in strength.
Zhang Ruochen activated the *Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture*, absorbing the scattered fog into his body. Since it emanated from the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring, it was bound to have extraordinary effects.
As the fog entered his body, there was no need to deliberately refine it; it naturally integrated into his limbs and bones.
In this process, Zhang Ruochen vaguely sensed that his physical body and Sacred Soul were both slightly strengthened, and his Sacred Qi had also become a bit purer.
Given his current level of cultivation, absorbing the fog emitted by the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring and feeling even a minor effect was already quite remarkable.
"The Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring is truly miraculous. If I can obtain some of the sacred spring essence, it will surely greatly enhance both my physical body and Sacred Soul." A look of intense anticipation appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
With the opportunity right before them, Zhang Ruochen and Dragon Fiend Emperor did not hesitate. They immediately flashed into the cavity.
Of course, they were very cautious, completely concealing their auras to avoid alarming the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring.
The underground space was extremely vast, filled with incredibly dense Sun-Moon Fog that was almost condensing into liquid.
After truly entering the underground space, Zhang Ruochen found that it was not dark. A gentle Sacred Light illuminated the area.
The source of the Sacred Light was a great sun and a bright moon, respectively emitting golden and silver Sacred Light, intertwining and shining brilliantly.
These were not a real sun and moon, but rather the phenomena manifested by the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring.
Using his Divine Seal Eye, Zhang Ruochen's gaze pierced through the thick fog, intending to first observe the true nature of the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring.
"Hmm? There's someone ahead."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze sharpened.
The fact that someone else was present at the location of the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring was certainly not a good thing.
Moreover, just by glancing at that person's back, a strong sense of unease arose in Zhang Ruochen's heart. He felt a significant threat.
Dragon Fiend Emperor also noticed the person ahead, its voice turning deep. "It's Dan Huang. That fellow has a keen nose; he always seems to find the places where the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring emerges."
When it had accidentally discovered the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring earlier, it had encountered Dan Huang. It never thought they would meet again this time.
Hearing the name "Dan Huang," Zhang Ruochen's brow furrowed slightly. They had just met Mu Zu and Jian Huang, and now they were seeing Dan Huang so soon. He didn't know whether to call this good luck or bad luck.
This meant that among the five overlords of True Dragon Island, the only one he hadn't seen was Shi Huang.
According to Dragon Fiend Emperor, Dan Huang was formed from the residual essence of a shattered Emperor-grade Pill. Although it was no longer an Emperor Pill, it was still far more powerful than a King-grade Pill.
Dragon Fiend Emperor said, "Dan Huang has a deep obsession: to recondense its origin and transform into an Emperor-grade Sacred Pill. To this end, it has devoured a vast number of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, including a considerable number of King-grade Sacred Pills, while also using the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring to baptize its own pill Qi."
Dan Huang was very special. It was far better than the other four overlords at finding various Sacred Pills. Most of the high-grade Sacred Pills preserved in the Dragon God Hall had fallen into Dan Huang's hands.
In particular, of the roughly thirty King-grade Sacred Pills that had emerged over the years, Dan Huang had obtained at least two-thirds of them. That was an astonishing fortune, enough to make a Great Saint envious.
Having devoured so many King-grade Sacred Pills, Dan Huang's origin must have become extremely powerful. Given enough time, it might indeed have hope of transforming into a complete Emperor-grade Sacred Pill.
"Devouring a large number of King-grade Sacred Pills to cultivate its own pill Qi is truly extravagant." Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but sigh.
Those were King-grade Sacred Pills, each one priceless. An ordinary Great Saint wouldn't have enough Sacred Stones to buy one. Even if they obtained one, they probably wouldn't be willing to refine it easily.
Then, a gleam of light flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes as he stared intently at Dan Huang's back. A Sacred Pill nearing the Emperor grade—what astonishing effects would it have?
Especially since Dan Huang had been broken and rebuilt. Although it had not yet become an Emperor-grade Sacred Pill again, its effects might already be close.
Seeming to understand Zhang Ruochen's thoughts, Dragon Fiend Emperor quickly said, "Master, Dan Huang is different from the Pill Spirit of the King-grade Sacred Pill we encountered before. It not only possesses extremely powerful strength but also masters many mysterious Pill Spirit Secret Arts. It's very troublesome. It's best not to set your sights on it."
"What are Pill Spirit Secret Arts?" Zhang Ruochen asked curiously.
Dragon Fiend Emperor said, "Pill Spirit Secret Arts are secret arts created by the Pill Spirits of Sacred Pills. They are most suitable for Pill Spirits to cultivate, allowing them to perfectly utilize their own powerful strength."
"The Divine Dragon Clan once used secret methods to tame the Pill Spirit of an Emperor-grade Sacred Pill, teaching it various techniques and secret arts, and training it into a peerless powerhouse. The Pill Spirit Secret Arts were created by these powerful Pill Spirits. The Pill Spirit Secret Arts that Dan Huang has mastered originate from that shattered Emperor-grade Sacred Pill."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. The Divine Dragon Clan was indeed formidable, to have even done such a thing.
All Sacred Pills possessed spirituality. The higher the grade, the stronger the spirituality. The Pill Spirit nurtured by an Emperor-grade Sacred Pill was no different from a cultivator in terms of intelligence, and might even surpass them.
Moreover, an Emperor-grade Sacred Pill contained many Heavenly and Earthly Rules, making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.
"I think now is actually a great opportunity to deal with Dan Huang." Zhang Ruochen said, his eyes gleaming.
Dragon Fiend Emperor was momentarily stunned, then immediately understood. It couldn't help but silently mourn for Dan Huang.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Ruochen said, "For now, let's not alert the enemy. Let's find a way to collect some spring water."
Although he had a way to deal with Dan Huang, if it caused the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring to flee, the loss would outweigh the gain.
Both Dan Huang and the sacred spring water were his targets.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen and Dragon Fiend Emperor quietly changed direction, circling to the other side, and carefully approached the spring pool.
The spring pool was oval-shaped, less than one zhang square. In the center was the spring eye, continuously spewing golden and silver spring water. The two were clearly distinct, like a Taiji.
In the spring pool, two small divine dragons were swimming—one golden, one silver—both only about a foot long.
They were the essence of the sacred spring, rare in number, used for cultivation by top-tier Saint Kings and Great Saints, and were extremely precious.
As for the divine spring, it was hidden within the spring eye and did not easily reveal itself. Only the strong of the Divine Dragon Clan could take a small amount.
Although Dan Huang was sitting cross-legged by the spring pool, it was not recklessly collecting the sacred spring, clearly intending to use the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring for long-term cultivation.
"Now."
Zhang Ruochen transmitted a message, directly unleashing the Water Star Gourd.
Dragon Fiend Emperor did not hesitate either, immediately using spatial techniques to vigorously extract the sacred spring from the pool.
The Water Star Gourd instantly appeared in the spring pool, releasing a powerful suction force, seemingly intent on absorbing all the sacred spring water in the pool.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen's main target was the two divine dragons formed from the sacred spring essence, so the mouth of the gourd was aimed directly at them.
"Roar."
The spring pool shook, emitting a sky-shaking dragon roar.
A layer of hazy Sacred Light appeared, covering the spring pool to prevent the loss of the sacred spring.
The next moment, the sun and moon phenomena reflected above sank into the spring pool, and the pool itself directly submerged into the ground, vanishing without a trace.
From the moment Zhang Ruochen unleashed the Water Star Gourd to the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring's escape, it all happened in an instant, too fast for Dan Huang to react.
Dan Huang's eyes snapped open, its gaze locking onto Dragon Fiend Emperor. It roared in fury, "How dare you disrupt my cultivation here! Dragon Fiend Emperor, are you looking for death?"
Dragon Fiend Emperor opened its mouth, swallowing a large mass of the sacred spring it had extracted from the pool. Unfazed, it said, "The Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring isn't yours. I can collect it too. If you want a fight, I'm happy to oblige."
With Zhang Ruochen around, its confidence was naturally very high, completely disregarding Dan Huang's threat.
"Dragon Fiend Emperor, you won't leave here safely today." Dan Huang's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and a dense killing intent emanated from its body.
As it spoke, Dan Huang formed a mysterious hand seal, releasing a powerful pill Qi that condensed into a ferocious demon dragon, which lunged at Dragon Fiend Emperor with bared fangs and claws.
Dan Huang was thoroughly enraged this time, so it struck with a powerful Pill Spirit Secret Art, intending to teach Dragon Fiend Emperor a painful lesson.
Just then, an ancient, broken stele suddenly flew out from behind Dragon Fiend Emperor, pressing down towards Dan Huang.
The broken stele did not display any divine characteristics, but the ferocious demon dragon condensed from Dan Huang's pill Qi inexplicably dissipated.
"What is this?"
Dan Huang's face changed dramatically, its eyes fixed on the flying stele.
Without hesitation, Dan Huang changed its hand seal, using its pill Qi to condense a divine seal to meet the stele.
The strange thing happened again. As soon as the divine seal flew out, like the demon dragon, it instantly dissipated into nothingness, and even the pill Qi vanished without a trace.
Seeing this, a chill ran through Dan Huang's heart, and it sensed that something was wrong.
Immediately, Dan Huang retreated rapidly, trying to avoid the stele.
"Shua."
Zhang Ruochen darted out from behind Dragon Fiend Emperor, one hand pressing against the stele as he chased after Dan Huang. With no one else around, he could use the God-Defying Stele without worry.
Only now did Dan Huang realize that besides Dragon Fiend Emperor, there was someone else present.
Seeing the stele approaching, Dan Huang had no choice but to stretch out a hand to block it.
But the moment it made contact, Dan Huang's expression changed drastically, and horror appeared in its eyes. The pill Qi within its body was inexplicably dissipating.
"What the hell is this thing?"
Panic-stricken, Dan Huang immediately tried to withdraw its hand.
But to its horror, its hand seemed to be stuck to the stele, unable to separate no matter what.
Left with no choice, it had to mobilize its own powerful strength to resist with all its might.
But the more it resisted, the faster the power within its body dissipated.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Dan Huang stared intently at Zhang Ruochen, shouting loudly.
Zhang Ruochen pressed one hand against the God-Defying Stele, looking calmly at Dan Huang, but remained silent.
His plan had succeeded. He had Dragon Fiend Emperor draw Dan Huang's attention, then used the God-Defying Stele unexpectedly.
Dragon Fiend Emperor watched quietly from the side, shaking its head. It had personally experienced the terror of the God-Defying Stele. No matter how one resisted, it was meaningless.
If it weren't for that, why would it have chosen to submit to Zhang Ruochen?
Suddenly, the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror flew out from Zhang Ruochen's body. Its surface rippled like water waves, and like a black hole, it released a terrifying suction force.
Dan Huang's power had almost been completely dispersed by the God-Defying Stele. How could it resist? It was instantly sucked into the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror.
Retrieving the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror, a satisfied smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face. A quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Pill was incomparable to even a hundred King-grade Sacred Pills.
"Congratulations, Master, for successfully suppressing Dan Huang. If you can refine it, you will surely forge the most powerful Indestructible Saintly Body." Dragon Fiend Emperor said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred, and he thought to himself, "Perhaps this quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Pill can help Lan You."
Kong Lanyou's Indestructible Saintly Body had been broken. Reforging it was as difficult as reaching the heavens. This was something Zhang Ruochen had always been concerned about.
With the opportunities hidden in the second gradient of the Endless Abyss, combined with this quasi-Emperor-grade Sacred Pill, reforging the Indestructible Saintly Body should have a better chance of success.
Putting away the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror and the God-Defying Stele, Zhang Ruochen took out the Water Star Gourd, eager to see his gains this time.
The Water Star Gourd contained a universe within, with an extremely large space. Even a large lake could be easily stored inside.
Upon checking, the smile in Zhang Ruochen's eyes deepened. "Over thirty-five thousand drops of ordinary sacred spring, and over two thousand four hundred drops of sacred spring essence. It wasn't all for nothing."
Given the vigilance of the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring, obtaining this much sacred spring was already very satisfying for Zhang Ruochen. His only regret was not being able to collect any divine spring.
However, with his current level of cultivation, even if he obtained the divine spring, he wouldn't be able to use it. It was meant for top-tier Great Saints and gods to cultivate.
Speaking of which, he had to thank Mu Zu. If it hadn't been for its reckless attacks, leading them to this area by accident, how could they have had the chance to obtain such an opportunity?