The main hall was very wide, with not a thing in sight. At one end was a cold pool, but apart from this, the Flower Dragon Hall had absolutely nothing.

Gong Caiwei walked hastily towards the pool.

Su Xing watched her, doubting whether the true Blooming Water Divine Thunder was just a pretense to get his help in undoing the forbiddance. The issue at hand was that whoever laid down this forbiddance should also have hidden something else.

Seeing Su Xing's bewilderment, Gong Caiwei said: "Do you know why the Flower Dragon Cave would have the Blooming Water Divine Thunder??"

The newcomer Su Xing was not even clear on the Heavenly River and such, so how could he ever know anything about this sort of incredible matter. Although this piece of business had already been investigated beforehand, the published historical records did not have any sort of useful information.

"Just give it to me straight." Su Xing said.

"Legends say that under this Flower Dragon Cave is hidden an ancient Demon Beast. Its every breath will spout a sort of black water. After a period of accumulation, this black water will slowly give rise to a strange water thunder flower…and that happens to be the Thunder Water Flower!"¹ A teasing smile flicked across a corner of Gong Caiwei's lips: "After a capable person learned of this, he suppressed this Demon Beast beneath the Heavenly River to exploit the properties of this black water, and then he laid down a "Mount Meru Closed Pit Forbiddance Art,"². The inside of this forbiddance art allows only Nebula Stage Cultivators to enter because any higher cultivation will respond to the hidden Demon Beast, and this was done to prevent them from killing it."

Hearing Gong Caiwei's words, Su Xing felt that this was actually very complicated. "Your meaning is that the Blooming Water Divine Thunder are all spat out by that Demon Beast?"

Gong Caiwei showed a "That was obvious," expression: "So, if you want the true Blooming Water Divine Thunder, no other is as good as acquiring that Demon Beast's correct type of 'Blooming Water.'"

Su Xing looked as if he were staring at a monster, "Gong Caiwei, you're not confused, are you?

Gong Caiwei stopped moving. Turning her head, her countenance was somewhat displeased.

Su Xing did not care for her temper: "You said to acquire that, but isn't this the same as death? You said so already that it is an ancient Demon Beast that even the expert that laid down this forbiddance was not able to subdue? You really do have too much confidence in yourself!!"

"Hmph, are you scared?" Gong Caiwei gave a mocking smile.³

Although Su Xing still only knew many of Liangshan Continent's things superficially, he still knew of a certain principle. Since this could be called an ancient Demon Beast, this definitely was not an adorable kitten or puppy. Shouting a couple words at it would be fair enough, and besides, dogs always bit people, let alone a Demon Beast — an ancient one at that! Even the difficulty level in playing games still needed to increase one by one in order, and only on a certain level does one go kill the boss, nor was there an idiot wearing common clothing⁴ holding a wooden sword loudly challenging a Zuma⁵ master!

That was not fear, but stupidity.

Gong Caiwei was clearly very bright; at least staying with the Immortal Hero Princess at the same time was absolutely not stupid. Seeing her with that carefree attitude, Su Xing frowned: "You must be hiding something that you still haven't told me?”

Gong Caiwei very charmingly smiled, "This Gong naturally knows about the might of the ancient Demon Beast, but according to this Gong's guess, this ancient Demon Beast has been trapped here for so long that it has already entered its declining years now. Perhaps it has not got much longer to live as it already cannot be counted as an ancient Demon Beast."⁶

"How can you be sure?" Su Xing was not reassured.

"This Gong and Zhu Wu already investigated the events of Flower Dragon Cave more clearly than the young master by far. From the ever weakening Divine Thunders the Blooming Water Sword Sect has refined and the Thunder Water Flowers decreasing in numbers, we knew then that this was already weaker than we had hoped. Now is not the time to wait, yet we are still waiting."

Merely leaning on the data of these historical materials, yet she dared to challenge the ancient Demon Beast. If this woman was not a lunatic, she was a genius.

"This is your final chance. If the young master wants the Blooming Water Divine Thunder, then come together with this Gong to fight the ancient Demon Beast." Gong Caiwei said flatly.

Su Xing cursed silently. He did not believe that Gong Caiwei lacked a trump card that could kill him, but since she had already said as much, Su Xing had no reason to shrink back in front of a woman.

"Since we've arrived here, I also want to see what this ancient Demon Beast looks like."

Gong Caiwei smiled faintly

"Then, please be careful, young master." Gong Caiwei stopped where she was, slightly parting her red lips and read an incantation. The Tracing Snow Sword immediately unsheathed and flew to above the cold pool. With a spiritual power, it revolved in a circle, its edge emitting a cold light. Then, Gong Caiwei urged on her Star Energy, and a piece of jade flew out, suspending itself on Tracing Snow. Subsequently, the cold smoke⁷ emitted by Tracing Snow was completely absorbed. Immediately after, Gong Caiwei below made a hand seal, and using one finger, a blue light spouted from her hand onto the increasingly cold jade. In an instant, the jade frantically spun faster, its color turning even colder.

Along with the jade's spinning, the surrounding air temperature also abruptly plummeted to dozens of degrees below zero,⁸ Even if he was separated by a hundred meters, Su Xing still felt a cold intent. The pool water began to freeze over.

Su Xing was freezing and annoyed but he did not dare relax in the slightest, one hand holding Silver Blade, the other taking out the Shark Scale Shield and placing it in front of them while surreptitiously placing the Astral Treasure Profound Star Barrier on his stomach. This Star Treasure slowly accumulated magic energy across more than ten days and now had a hint of magic energy, but as for how long it could hold out, Su Xing's heart was very unsure.

Seeing that cold reception, Su Xing clicked his tongue. As expected of the Immortal Hero Princess, for that piece of jade perhaps was a Supreme Grade Nebula Stage Artifact.

"You damned animal, even when you're under this Gong's 'Cold Smoke Jade,'⁹ you refuse to roll yourself out!"¹⁰ Gong Caiwei continued to make two more hand seals, and blue light shot violently towards the treasures. That Cold Smoke Jade issued an even more cold light while the air temperature was starting to freeze the main hall.

Under Gong Caiwei's concentrated effort, the depths of the pond finally exhibited signs of activity. With some place in the pond as its epicenter, the frozen ice sheet on the lake split open a slight crack. The crack spread with the rapid speed of a contagious disease, and the main hall rocked about as if by rippling waves.

Even if it still had not appeared, a mighty power was already jolting the entire hall; it was truly unbelievable.

"Su Xing!!"

Gong Caiwei's complexion was grim. Ignoring how she spoke so self-confidently, when she truly knew that ancient Demon Beast revealed itself, she was tense from the bottom of her heart.

Su Xing said to himself that this was indeed insane, and took out the Thunder Cry Sword without the slightest hesitation.

A loud bang that shook the world.

As the ice shattered, a blue jet of water shot straight up, and the freezing ice immediately dissolved, producing a cold fog within which was a vaguely visible slender shadow.

Su Xing and Gong Caiwei immediately tightened their fingers.

The Tracing Snow and Thunder Cry Swords suspended above the lake water together stabbed downward. From within the white of the mist, a the sound of a loud "Ao"¹¹ wailing resounded. A sharp shrieking noise passed through the hall, followed closely only by the sound of something collapsing. A Water Thunder detonated in the air above, and the surrounding whiteness was swept cleanly away; the true identity of the Demon Beast was then revealed.

That was a body dozens of zhang¹² long. It was a dark and scaleless, bizarre snake somewhat resembling the Blooming Water Python he encountered earlier, but the difference was that this strange snake's head was like a snake's, yet not like one's. Upon its head grew sharp, dark blue horns, with a vaguely penetrating luster. Below its belly were two claws, incomparably sharp.

The ancient Demon Beast was shockingly a Blooming Water Dragon!¹³

The two flying swords used at full power had only gouged out a wound the size of their thumbs. Looking at it, it seemed as if they were trying to scratch an itch.¹⁴

The Blooming Water Dragon was nevertheless angry. It issued a dragon chant, its great mouth opening and closing. Immediately, a frightening Water Thunder spouted out.

1. No, shit. From the description I couldn’t have figured it out. ↩
2. 須彌坎合禁法 ↩
3. That’s Flag #1, and this is the common sense of a soldier clashing with the logic of a pampered hero. ↩
4. 布衣 ↩
5. An old video game ↩
6. That’s Flag #2 ↩
7. Don’t know when it started smoking, guys. ↩
8. I'm assuming in Celsius. ↩
9. 寒煙玉 ↩
10. And bingo, that’s Flag #3 ↩
11. 嘩啦 ↩
12. 丈, 3.3m ↩
13. 癸水蛟龍 ↩
14. Have fun, you two… ↩