HSSB37: Glacial Dragon Bone Soul, Maiden of Extreme Yin
Ah Hu looked rather sorrily at the surface of the ice lake, “If it really is a Glacial Dragon Bone Soul and we really have no way to obtain it, that would really be too much of a pity.
“Young Master, how about I return to call for assistance? Although we might have to split a little of our gains, at least it would be better than walking out of this treasure trove empty-handed.”
Yan Zhaoge similarly gazed at the lake’s surface. Below it, he could vaguely see a massive black shadow moving about, causing the skies to roil and earth to overturn, as the entire glacial valley seemed to be shaking along with it.
After pondering for a time, a hint of a smile suddenly appeared at the corner of Yan Zhaoge’s mouth, “Perhaps, there is a way. We can try.”
He took out a small metal plate, looking at the fragmented sections of ancient writings and patterns that were inscribed on its surface, before infusing some of his own aura-qi into it.
The patterns on the small metal plate instantly began shining with a white radiance.
Currently, within the glacial valley’s extremely cold environment, the white light seemed to be glowing even more brilliantly than usual, as it gradually came to exude some ice-blue lustre.
Yan Zhaoge circulated his profound art silently, as his own aura-qi also began turning gloomy and cold.
Coming to stand just before the surface of the ice lake, he bent down, allowing the small metal plate to touch the layer of ice covering the lake.
The next moment, the rumbling below the lake seemed to have fallen silent for an instant.
Then, it quickly resumed, becoming fiercer and more violent, as the layer of ice covering the lake began cracking in several places.
That small metal plate suddenly erupted with a huge power, actually almost causing Yan Zhaoge to lose ahold of it.
Yan Zhaoge exerted additional strength on his fingers, pinching the metal plate tightly.
He now felt the obvious suction force that was emanating from within the lake, desiring to suck the metal plate into its depths.
From within the lake, the dragon’s roar became even more clear and piercing.
As he stood up, invisible streams of air came to envelop his entire body, flickering with a faint metallic lustre. Having externalised his aura, Yan Zhaoge took a step forward, striding into the ice lake.
With his aura protecting his body, as well as automatically keeping the icy cold waters of the lake from getting into contact with him, Yan Zhaoge’s figure faded as he sunk into the lake.
Ah Hu instructed the remaining others to stand guard, before hurriedly following Yan Zhaoge into the water.
Once in the water, headed downwards, the two passed a great number of glaciers, as the surrounding icy cold water continually converged towards the small metal plate in Yan Zhaoge’s hands.
Enveloped by the ice-blue light, that small metal plate actually started gradually restoring itself.
A light smile surfaced on Yan Zhaoge’s face. The next moment, the massive black figure before him flickered, as it began to move. As it got closer, he actually saw the thick tailbone of a dragon.
Landing on top of the dragon tailbone along with Ah Hu, Yan Zhaoge stabilised his figure, travelling alongside the dragon bones as they moved violently about below the surface of the ice lake.
Yan Zhaoge firmly grasped the small metal plate within his hands, accurately stabbing it into a gap where two bones connected.
The dragon bones shuddered. From the central spinal bone, a faint white light lit up, piercing through the entire section of bones.
Yan Zhaoge extended his other hand, pressing onto the white light on the surface of the dragon bones. It was icy cold to the touch, such that he could still feel a bone-piercing chill even with his aura protecting his body.
“Change!” Yan Zhaoge silently recited within his heart as he activated a secret art, the white light on the dragon bones instantly beginning to distort.
As if forcefully drawn by a massive force, the white light began separating from the dragon bones.
Beside him, Ah Hu had long since been prepared. He flashed out a large piece of ice-blue Profound Jade, passing it over to Yan Zhaoge.
Yan Zhaoge grasped the dragon bones with one hand while holding onto the Profound Jade in the other. Very quickly, a white light began gradually emanating from the Profound Jade, a dragon’s roar sounding from within.
The Glacial Dragon Bone Soul began being drawn out from the bones of the dragon in an unceasing flow, before, through Yan Zhaoge, it was sealed within the ice-blue Profound Jade again.
Yan Zhaoge’s expression was normal, just that his face gradually became obscured by a faint layer of blue, which soon began pulsing non-stop.
Seeing this, Ah Hu heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that everything had gone smoothly. After this, his Young Master would only have to spend a little bit of time before successfully getting his hands on the precious Glacial Dragon Bone Soul.
Still, Yan Zhaoge’s expression had not yet relaxed, “There was someone else, in the direction of the dragon’s head, trying to draw out and obtain the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul?”
“The ones who agitated the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul and caused the earthquake; it looks like it was them as well?”
Yan Zhaoge moved his eyes to look, seeing that while the two of them were stably on the dragon tailbone, the dragon’s entire body was extremely long, and extended far amongst the piles of rock at the bottom of the lake. The skeleton of the entire upper body of the dragon, its skull included, was still extended out to who knows where.
Closing his eyes, Yan Zhaoge focused his mind to connect with that of the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul, as another scene gradually began surfacing within his mind.
Many images began flickering before Yan Zhaoge’s eyes at an extremely high speed.
In a vast valley, within the depths of a cave, a cold wind blew. It was similarly a world of bitter ice.
At the lowest point of the cave was a pond, so deep that it seemed bottomless.
At the bottom of the pond, having already been reduced to naked bone, was the massive skull of the Glacial Chi-Dragon, not moving as all, as if in a deep slumber.
The waters of the lake suddenly rippled, as a radiantly beautiful, refreshing young girl in a white dress suddenly appeared within it.
The girl’s appearance was in no way inferior to Sikong Qing’s whatsoever. Her facial features were perfect and flawless, her pair of doe eyes intelligent yet soft and vulnerable, evoking a warm, tender feeling within those who saw her.
“This is a piece of fragmented memory the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul still possesses from before, recollecting the course of events that have already passed.” Still, what Yan Zhaoge took note of was the fact that the other party was evidently someone he recognised.
While they had not had any personal dealings, Yan Zhaoge had definitely not made a mistake.
The girl in question was called Meng Wan; she was a disciple of the Sacred Sun Clan.
“Interesting…” Yan Zhaoge’s pupils flared slightly.
Just a few years ago, an extremely powerful Sacred Artifact suddenly appeared within the Eight Extremities World.
This artifact was known as the Crown of Extreme Yin. While its source was unknown, its power was top class; within the Eight Extremities World of after the Great Calamity, it was the strongest of its grade of artifact that had ever appeared.
However, this Sacred Artifact was rather weird, in that even if one were a Martial Saint, he or she might be unable to preside over and activate even the tiniest bit of its power.
It was only maidens of the Extreme Yin Physique, who, after entering the Martial Scholar realm, could activate a limited amount of the power stored within.
However, this Crown of Extreme Yin was really too powerful. Even when activated by a Maiden of Extreme Yin of the Martial Scholar realm, it could already exert the power of a typical Sacred Artifact, even if it were only for a short period of time.
After having discovered the crucial secret behind this, the Eight Extremities World was instantly thrown into a frenzy, as the various Sacred Grounds all began going around searching for young Maidens of Extreme Yin to bring back as disciples.
It was only that Maidens of Extreme Yin were rare from the start. Furthermore, they could only choose those who were of an appropriate age to begin cultivating in the martial dao?
Still, with the huge population of the Eight Extremities World, they still did manage to find a few candidates, who were respectively absorbed into the different Sacred Grounds.
The Crown of Extreme Yin was just too powerful. If a female martial practitioner in the Martial Scholar realm could already wield such a massive amount of power with it, if one of them, as a Maiden of Extreme Yin, managed to reach the Martial Grandmaster realm, the results would be totally unimaginable.
Whichever of the major powers managed to gain sole control over the Crown of Extreme Yin, the other Sacred Grounds would find it hard to accept.
Still, having an extremely great restrictive effect on the longtime enemies of the Eight Extremities World, the flame devil race, the power of the Crown of Extreme Yin was something that the Eight Extremities World had great need of.
Thus, after discussing the issue, the various Sacred Grounds decided that every once in a while, they would organise an ‘Extreme Yin Bout’, where all the Maidens of Extreme Yin would compete, the winner being granted the right to the Crown of Extreme Yin for the following period of time.
At the present moment, a Maiden of Extreme Yin of the Martial Grandmaster realm had not yet emerged. Thus, the Extreme Yin Bout was something that all the powers could accept, and go along with peacefully.
The various Sacred Grounds were all putting in a lot of effort in cultivating their Maiden of Extreme Yin.
Meng Wan, was exactly the Sacred Sun Clan’s Maiden of Extreme Yin.
Due to her Extreme Yin Physique, the environment of the icy cold pond was quite a treasured land for her.
Still, looking at the images within the memory fragments of the Glacial Dragon Bone Soul, Meng Wan didn’t seem to have entered this icy cold pond to cultivate; nor had she discovered the quiet, slumbering Glacial Dragon Bone Soul.
Her situation, seemed somewhat strange.
Not long after, within the icy cold pond which contained the dragon’s skull, another person landed and appeared. As he looked, Yan Zhaoge couldn’t help but sigh at the coincidence. The person who had just arrived was also someone that he recognised.
His upper body naked; hair streaming behind his back; streaks of flamelike patterns visible on his body; this was obviously none other than Ye Jing!