Chapter 17: Two Cores
Mid-rank quality, Level 1 Blazing Sprite.
Terrifying sparks of flame danced around the petite, white figure, a shocking, violent heat erupting outwards, dyeing the sky above the island a crimson hue.
Even from thirty meters away, Gong Lianyue felt like she was trapped in a sauna, suffering in a scorching inferno, her body drenched in sweat.
Amidst the boiling sea of fire, the Blazing Sprite, with its delicate features, looked at the pink little fox with a disdainful and haughty expression.
It was a king born of flames, a world apart from those unintelligent, biological spirit beasts.
With a flick of its hand, the pitiful little fox would be incinerated.
“Die!” The Blazing Sprite waved its arm, conjuring a magnificent cloud of fire.
The little fox remained expressionless, a deep blue light flickering in its adorable, heart-shaped eyes.
[Deep Sea]
Whoosh~
The next second, towering waves crashed down, extinguishing the flames.
The Blazing Sprite’s crimson pupils constricted to pinpricks, its face contorted in terror.
Reflected within them was a boundless, terrifying deep sea.
Rumble!
With a deafening roar, the terrifying seawater engulfed the entire island. The flames, the heat, everything the Blazing Sprite prided itself on was instantly extinguished, shattered into nothingness.
Its body felt heavy as lead, unable to move or breathe no matter how hard it struggled.
Its vision was filled with a blurry deep blue as the heavy currents dragged it down, deeper and deeper…
Pain, suffocation, despair. Sinking into the abyss, towards eternity.
“Ah, it’s broken already?”
Gently stroking the little fox in her arms, Gong Lianyue blinked in surprise.
Floating in the sky, the Blazing Sprite thrashed its limbs wildly, its eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth, its delicate face twisted in agony.
Ten seconds. It had only taken ten seconds in the illusion for the Blazing Sprite to break down.
Next, without her needing to lift a finger, the unconscious Blazing Sprite shattered into fragments and dissipated.
Transforming into dense spirit energy fragments after death, they drifted towards the blue-haired girl.
Quickly, the spirit energy flowed into Gong Lianyue’s soul core, visibly increasing its level by a small amount.
“Killing one Blazing Sprite is equivalent to ten hours of cultivation…”
“Then, the next one!”
Gong Lianyue increased the difficulty by another level.
This time, two Blazing Sprites emerged from the vortex with haughty expressions, but before they could unleash their terrifying heat, they were knocked over by a massive wave crashing down from above.
Submerged, they were utterly helpless.
Appear, faint, absorb.
Appear, faint, absorb.
Appear, faint, absorb.
Gong Lianyue increased the difficulty several levels in a row, reaching Level 12.
Before her, five Blazing Sprites struggled in unison before simultaneously shattering into fragments.
Blazing Sprites feared the sea and were completely defenseless against the Cloud Dream Flower’s Deep Sea illusion, so Gong Lianyue didn’t adjust the difficulty further.
Half a minute per round, repeating the process. The little fox relentlessly unleashed its illusion, slaughtering them without mercy.
Like using a tenfold experience potion, the deep blue water stored within her soul core rapidly increased, soon exceeding one-tenth of the crystal’s capacity.
Cloud Dream Flower, you’re a godsend!
“I just broke through yesterday. Could I be breaking through again today?”
She was initially excited, but she quickly dismissed the unrealistic thought.
The little fox was panting, its illusion becoming unstable. The last Blazing Sprite almost escaped, narrowly avoiding death.
Gong Lianyue quickly canceled the cultivation and fed the exhausted little fox several nutrient potions.
But they didn’t seem to be very effective. The little fox lay limply on the ground, utterly exhausted.
“Can it only recover naturally…?”
Gong Lianyue sighed helplessly. Ordinary nutrient potions were slow-acting. It seemed it would take more than two hours for the little fox to fully recover. She hadn’t prepared any more effective ones.
After all, who would have thought the little fox could slaughter Blazing Sprites like chickens? One Deep Sea AOE, and they were instantly stunned.
This meant a significant portion of this secret realm cultivation opportunity would be wasted, which was a shame.
But it didn’t matter. She would come back tomorrow fully prepared and quickly fill her soul core with the spirit energy required for the Illumination Stage.
Wait, not tomorrow. She almost forgot. Tomorrow was the day the Soul Prison Trial reopened.
After resting for two and a half hours, with only five or six minutes remaining, Gong Lianyue prepared to let the fully recovered little fox unleash its power and farm a few more waves.
Resuming cultivation, the five Blazing Sprites that emerged from the vortex were instantly swallowed by the Deep Sea without warning, their faces contorted in the agony of drowning.
“It’s a pity they struggle for so long. It’s a waste of time…” Gong Lianyue muttered to herself.
If only the Water Element could help, taking care of the killing.
The next second, as if answering her wish, a translucent, humanoid figure made of water materialized behind the blue-haired girl like a guardian spirit.
The Water Element waved at the struggling Blazing Sprites, streams of water swirling towards the naked, flame-extinguished girls.
[Ice Binding Contract]
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
The water transformed into ice spears mid-flight, piercing the girls’ chests. Blood sprayed everywhere.
Although gruesome, they were merely illusory beings condensed from spirit energy within the Sea Abyss Secret Realm. There was no psychological burden in slaughtering them.
With the Water Element’s help, her leveling—no, her cultivation efficiency doubled!!
Gong Lianyue nodded in satisfaction. Just as she was about to summon the next wave of Blazing Sprites, she suddenly froze, realizing something.
After a few seconds, her calm expression turned to shock, her teardrop-shaped pupils constricting.
There were rumors in the Sea Concubine Palace that the Sorrowful Saintess always wore a compassionate, indifferent expression.
That rumor was wrong.
Gong Lianyue’s expression only changed when her shock reached a certain level.
Like now…
She turned her head stiffly, her gaze fixed on the simultaneously present Water Element and Nine-Colored Cloud Dream Flower, speechless with shock.
The little fox tilted its head innocently, puzzled.
One minute.
Two minutes.
…
Five minutes passed.
Just as the cultivation time was about to end, Gong Lianyue’s lips twitched, and she stammered,
“Why… can both of you… exist at the same time?”
Spirit Masters of the Illumination, Dawn and Dusk, and Dead Sea Stages could only summon one spirit beast for battle. This was common knowledge.
Only after breaking through to Level 4 Spirit Master could they summon two spirit beasts at once.
But Gong Lianyue had broken this rule. She had just barely broken through to the Illumination Stage, and yet she had inadvertently summoned both the Water Element and the little fox.
What was going on?
The moment she exited the Sea Abyss Secret Realm, she suddenly recalled the two soul cores she had seen within her soul when her spirit had shattered.
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