# Chapter 316: Twelve-Petal Nirvana Fire Lotus
On the map of Demon Ridge, the Death River Section occupied a water area twice the size of Yunwu Commandery's territory, spanning ten thousand miles of water area.
Within this water area, a large number of ferocious barbarian beasts had been nurtured, including even fifth-rank barbarian beasts possessing the terrifying power to tear apart Fish-Dragon Realm martial artists.
Zhang Ruochen's choice to enter the Death River Section was a risky move. After all, only on water would he leave no trace of his presence, making it somewhat easier to evade the Black Market's pursuit.
For now, he only needed to worry about not being targeted by powerful aquatic barbarian beasts.
After spending half a day, Zhang Ruochen's injuries had recovered by seventy to eighty percent, and his body was once again full of strength.
Not only that, he felt that his martial arts cultivation seemed to have improved again, now only a single step away from the Earth Extreme Realm Great Perfection. He could break through to the next realm at any moment.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the Elephant-Swallowing Rabbit paddling in the water, smiled, and said, "Guoguo, come here!"
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's call, Guoguo immediately put down the tree branch, hopped twice on the dugout canoe, and crawled to Zhang Ruochen's feet like a lapdog.
Zhang Ruochen patted Guoguo's head, took out a jade box, and retrieved a piece of spirit meat weighing over twenty jin, handing it to him.
Smelling the aroma of the spirit meat, Guoguo's mouth watered. He immediately leaped up, bit the spirit meat in one gulp, dragged it to the other end of the dugout canoe, and began devouring it fiercely.
Zhang Ruochen also took out a piece of spirit meat, cut it into small pieces, and slowly ate it.
Eating spirit meat not only replenished energy but also enhanced cultivation.
After finishing the spirit meat, the energy within his body surged wildly. Although it didn't help Zhang Ruochen break through to the Earth Extreme Realm Great Perfection, it was equivalent to the achievement of half a month of hard cultivation.
After Guoguo finished that piece of spirit meat, he was once again frozen by the cold energy contained within the spirit meat, his entire body stiffening and becoming motionless.
Through the ice crystals covering his body, one could see that he still had his mouth wide open and his eyes wide, looking extremely adorable.
"As expected of a mutant among Elephant-Swallowing Rabbits, its digestive ability is extraordinary. Even in its infancy, it can absorb the power of fourth-rank mid-level barbarian beast spirit meat, something even ordinary Yellow Extreme Realm martial artists couldn't do."
If a Yellow Extreme Realm martial artist swallowed fourth-rank mid-level barbarian beast spirit meat, not only would it not increase their cultivation, but it could also cost them their life.
"Splash, splash!"
Just then, the originally calm water surface suddenly erupted with large bubbles, some as small as fists, others larger than washbasins.
It was as if the entire water area had been boiled, emitting waves of heat.
"What's happening?"
Zhang Ruochen stood up abruptly, seeing a dark red light appearing at the bottom of the water hundreds of meters away.
The red light grew stronger and surfaced.
It turned out to be a mass of crimson flame floating on the black water surface, appearing exceptionally glaring.
Within the flame was wrapped a millstone-sized strange flower with twelve crystalline petals, emitting a rich, exotic fragrance.
Seeing that flame, a look of ecstasy appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face. "A Twelve-Petal Nirvana Fire Lotus! For such a treasure to be nurtured in the Death River Section is truly incredible."
The Nirvana Fire Lotus was a spiritual medicine that enhanced a martial artist's cultivation. It was originally fire-attributed, but could only be nurtured in extremely cold water area.
Each time the Nirvana Fire Lotus grew a petal, it increased by one grade.
A twelve-petal lotus meant it had grown for one thousand two hundred years.
When a spiritual medicine's potency exceeded a thousand years, it mostly underwent a qualitative change, much like a martial artist's cultivation breaking through from the Earth Extreme Realm to the Heavenly Extreme Realm.
A nine-hundred-year-old spiritual medicine might already be considered a remarkable treasure for martial artists.
But in terms of medicinal potency.
A nine-hundred-year-old spiritual medicine was more than ten times weaker than a one-thousand-year-old one.
A Nirvana Fire Lotus that had grown for one thousand two hundred years was naturally even more precious. Such a heavenly earth treasure held great allure even for Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection martial artists.
"If I could obtain the Twelve-Petal Nirvana Fire Lotus, even just consuming one petal should allow me to break through to the Earth Extreme Realm Great Perfection."
Zhang Ruochen grew excited and immediately steered the dugout canoe toward the direction of the Nirvana Fire Lotus.
The emergence of the Twelve-Petal Nirvana Fire Lotus caused a tremendous commotion, alerting all the barbarian beasts in the surrounding water area, which began converging toward this direction.
"Roar!"
A barbarian beast's cry sounded from within the water.
A massive wave surged in the water area, and a giant claw formed from black water reached toward the Twelve-Petal Nirvana Fire Lotus, attempting to seize this heavenly earth treasure.
"Such terrifying barbarian beast aura."
Just as he was about to rush to the Twelve-Petal Nirvana Fire Lotus, Zhang Ruochen had to give up. He immediately grabbed the frozen Guoguo, opened the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal, and charged inside in the first instant.
Although the Twelve-Petal Nirvana Fire Lotus was a heavenly earth essence, losing his life for it would not be worth it.
That aquatic barbarian beast was too powerful. Zhang Ruochen couldn't possibly withstand even one of its attacks, so he had to temporarily hide in the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen hadn't given up on the Twelve-Petal Nirvana Fire Lotus. After hiding in the Time-Space Crystal, he immediately released his Space Domain and closely monitored the outside situation.
At the same time, he put on the Flying Fish Armor, ready at any moment to rush out and seize the treasure.
Just as that aquatic barbarian beast was about to grab the Twelve-Petal Nirvana Fire Lotus, another barbarian beast's roar sounded from within the water.
Another powerful aquatic barbarian beast had appeared.
"Boom!"
It was a Silver Light Shark, twelve meters long, covered in silver scales, leaping from the water with speed like a silver arrow.
The previous aquatic barbarian beast also burst out of the water, its body a hundred times larger than the Silver Light Shark, like a small black island. It had eight tentacles and turned out to be a gigantic octopus.
Both aquatic barbarian beasts possessed terrifying strength. They clashed, churning the entire water area.
"Smack!"
Suddenly, one of the Silver Light Shark's tentacles struck the Nirvana Fire Lotus, piercing through the outer flames and shattering the lotus into twelve petals that flew in twelve different directions.
Each petal was two meters long and as thick as five fingers pressed together, like twelve pieces of flame crystal jade floating on the water surface within a hundred zhang radius.
Each petal contained potent medicinal power. Consuming one would be equivalent to taking a nine-hundred-year-old spiritual medicine.
For Zhang Ruochen, even obtaining just one petal would surely allow him to charge to the Earth Extreme Realm Great Perfection realm.
"It split into twelve parts."
Zhang Ruochen, hiding in the Time-Space Crystal, noticed that one petal was very close to the crystal's position, only four zhang away—within arm's reach.
But once he went to retrieve the Nirvana Fire Lotus petal, he would definitely be discovered by those two powerful aquatic barbarian beasts.
To fight or not to fight?
Fight!
Zhang Ruochen carefully controlled his "Space Domain," enveloping that lotus petal within it, using the power of space to slowly draw the petal toward the Time-Space Crystal.
"Whoosh!"
A faint white light appeared on the surface of the Time-Space Crystal, and it quickly absorbed that lotus petal into its inner space.
Standing in the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal, Zhang Ruochen received that lotus petal, overjoyed.
Excellent!
With this lotus petal, he could break through to the Earth Extreme Realm Great Perfection before entering the underwater Dragon Palace, elevating his cultivation to the next level.
The Silver Light Shark and that giant octopus were still fighting, contending for the most precious lotus seed of the Nirvana Fire Lotus, and hadn't noticed that one petal was missing.
The lotus seed was wrapped in the center of the twelve petals, containing most of the Nirvana Fire Lotus's medicinal power.
After the twelve petals were scattered, the lotus seed was exposed, floating three zhang above the water surface, emitting a blazing radiance.
The lotus seed looked like a washbasin-sized crystalline sphere, crimson red, its temperature boiling the surrounding water area.
An ordinary person approaching it would instantly turn to ash.
Taking advantage of the two aquatic barbarian beasts' struggle, Zhang Ruochen collected three lotus petals in succession. Just as he was about to retrieve the fourth petal...
Suddenly, both aquatic barbarian beasts became alert, discovering that a "thief" was hiding in this water area, stealthily taking away three lotus petals.
They were the overlords of this water area. Who dared to steal heavenly earth treasures belonging to them right under their noses?
Both aquatic barbarian beasts stopped simultaneously and began searching for the trail of that shameless "thief."
Soon, they discovered a dugout canoe floating on the water surface. However, since there was no life aura on the canoe, they hadn't paid it much attention earlier.
Now, upon careful inspection, they detected faint spiritual energy fluctuations coming from that dugout canoe.
"Damn! I've been discovered. Not only are these barbarian beasts powerful, but their intelligence is also high. I underestimated them."
Zhang Ruochen stood in the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal, frowning deeply as he pondered countermeasures.
"Whoosh!"
The Silver Light Shark swam to the side of the dugout canoe. Seeing no hidden "thief" on the canoe, only a small crystal.
How could there be only a crystal?
Enraged, the Silver Light Shark let out a strange cry, opened its massive mouth, bit the dugout canoe in two, and swallowed the crystal into its belly.
Zhang Ruochen was naturally inside that crystal's inner space and thus entered the Silver Light Shark's stomach.
"It seems I overestimated these barbarian beasts' intelligence. Swallowing the Time-Space Crystal into its belly—isn't that seeking death?"
If he were outside the Silver Light Shark's body, Zhang Ruochen would certainly be no match for it. But inside its body, with its defenses at their lowest, killing it would be easy for Zhang Ruochen.
However, Zhang Ruochen wasn't planning to kill the Silver Light Shark just yet. He intended to use its combat power to seize the lotus seed and the remaining lotus petals.
For now, he would refine one lotus petal and charge to the Earth Extreme Realm Great Perfection.