221: Chapter 221 The Egg in the Heart of the Lake

Qin Ce pressed Qing Luan down against the ridge, his Nine-Star Insight operating at full capacity, focusing all his Mental Energy on the dragon-headed, snake-bodied behemoth.

Lines of information flooded into his mind like flowing water.

[Vicious Beast]: Black Nether Dragon [Rank]: Medium Grade Star-Glow Rank [Potential]: High Grade Star-Glow Rank [Attribute]: Dark Attribute, Ice Attribute

[Talent]: Nether Cold Prison (Star-Glow Rank) - Can create a zone of extreme cold around itself, freezing the energy flow of all living beings. Nether Poison Mist (Star-Glow Rank) - Exhales a toxic mist containing both Dark and Ice attributes, eroding the target's vitality and energy.

[Skill]: Profound Nether Breath, Cold Tide Impact, Dark Ice Scales, Nether Poison Mist, Dragon Tail Sweep, Deep Cold Domain, Profound Ice Seal (requires charging).

[Status]: Post-partum severe injury, Origin Qi severely damaged, energy reserves less than thirty percent. Multiple Meridians ruptured, vitality continuously draining. Trapped in a deep illusion, mistakenly believing enemies have arrived with reinforcements, and is currently attacking imaginary foes in the illusion without regard for the depletion of its Origin.

[Weakness]: Post-partum abdominal lacerations unhealed, movement restricted. Continuous consumption of Origin within the illusion, causing accelerated loss of vitality. Excessive use of Ice Attribute energy has caused multiple internal Meridians to freeze.

[Evolution Opportunity]: Devour a crystal core of a Vicious Beast of the same attribute above Star-Glow Rank, or cultivate in seclusion for a century in a place rich in Water, Dark, and Ice energy.

Qin Ce's gaze fell on the "Status" column.

Post-partum severe injury, illusion.

These two highlighted words explained all his previous doubts.

Why had they been causing such a commotion for so long, having killed nearly half of the Gold Rank Vicious Beasts under the Black Nether Dragon's command, yet this Star-Glow Rank Vicious Beast had shown no reaction?

It was severely injured after giving birth, its Origin Qi was severely damaged, and its energy reserves were less than thirty percent. It could barely protect itself, so how could it have the energy to care about the life or death of those "subordinates" on the periphery?

In its eyes, those Gold Rank Vicious Beasts were merely peripheral sentries; if they died, they died. It could just recruit another batch once it recovered.

But now, it might not even be able to recover.

It was trapped in a deep illusion.

Seven-colored gas had invaded its consciousness, blurring the line between reality and falsehood. It believed enemies were attacking while it was weak from giving birth, believed they had brought reinforcements, and believed it was surrounded.

It was fighting for its life!

Every exhale of its profound black energy beam, every lash of its tail, every roar was consuming its already meager energy, tearing its already fragile Meridians from giving birth, and accelerating the loss of its vitality.

At this rate, it would soon exhaust its energy and then begin burning its vitality.

Once its vitality was burned up, it would die.

A severely injured, dying Star-Glow Rank Vicious Beast.

For Qing Luan, this was prey two Ranks above its own.

Killing a Star-Glow Rank beast while at Silver Rank would cause the System's experience point rewards to double and double again, enough for Qing Luan to advance from mid-grade silver to Silver Peak, and perhaps even touch the threshold of the Gold Rank.

Furthermore, the body of a Star-Glow Rank Vicious Beast would produce highly concentrated essence parts, which were extremely valuable Heaven And Earth Treasures.

But Qin Ce's gaze bypassed the still-rampaging Black Nether Dragon and landed on the island at the heart of the lake.

There was something even better there.

It was the Vicious Beast egg or young beast that the Black Nether Dragon had just produced.

A naturally born Vicious Beast egg or young beast here was vastly different from a Vicious Beast egg formed by a Beast Tamer condensing the energy essence of a dead beast.

The latter was dead, solidified, and its potential ceiling was naturally limited.

The former, however, was alive; it drew nutrition from the mother and possessed the innate ability to break through the mother's potential ceiling, making it more prone to upward mutations during its growth process.

This Opportunity was even far more precious than the three Bright Moon Level Heaven And Earth Treasures that Qin Ce had intercepted from the Zhao family's smuggling team earlier.

It could be said that even a figure like the City Lord, who possessed connections with the upper echelons of the Federation, might not necessarily be able to obtain such an item.

Qin Ce glanced at the island in the lake's heart, then at the Black Nether Dragon still attacking wildly above the lake, patted Qing Luan gently, and withdrew it directly into his body.

The Black Nether Dragon's Origin energy still needed time to be consumed; there was no rush to act now.

He prepared to go to the island first to check on the young beast or Vicious Beast egg.

He withdrew Qing Luan because its Rank was slightly high; the aura of a mid-grade silver beast was too obvious to the perception of a Star-Glow Rank Vicious Beast.

But Qin Ce and Tianlu, as one human and one beast, had weak auras and were less likely to arouse suspicion.

Qin Ce let Tianlu guide him, sneaking from the ridge toward the lakeshore.

Tianlu followed at his feet, the nine-colored light on its antlers completely retracted, looking like an ordinary young beast with no energy fluctuations.

Relying on the intuition of its Nine-Radiance Spiritual Wisdom, it knew exactly which direction to go, how fast to move, and when to stop.

Guided by Tianlu, Qin Ce reached the lakeshore. He crouched down and reached out to test the lake water.

Piercing cold surged up from his fingertips instantly, and his fingers lost all sensation the moment they made contact.

That kind of cold was not the cold of river water in winter, but a deeper chill, as if it could freeze the Soul, spreading up his fingers and reaching his wrist in the blink of an eye.

Qin Ce jerked his hand back and jumped up, wincing.

This lake water was too cold.

The Black Nether Dragon was a Star-Glow Rank Vicious Beast with Ice and Dark attributes. It resided in the lake, and the water had been permeated by its freezing ice energy year-round, lowering the temperature to the extreme.

An ordinary Silver Rank Beast Tamer would be frozen stiff within a quarter of an hour if they fell in.

He had only extended his finger, and the cold had nearly frozen his entire arm.

This lake water was a natural protective barrier.

However, this did not stump Qin Ce; he gritted his teeth and directly activated the Heat Mantra from the Seven Kills Chaos.

The energy within his body flowed along his Meridians to his limbs, forming a thin, warm layer of energy beneath his skin to resist the external cold.

He took a deep breath and slid into the lake water.

Tianlu followed by his side, its four short legs paddling underwater, swimming even faster than him.

Its purple-gold scales emitted a faint light in the dark lake water, like a small lamp, guiding the way.

It was not afraid of the cold—Tianlu's Fire attribute had a natural advantage in this extreme cold environment, and its body temperature was much higher than that of ordinary Pet Beasts, so the cold of the lake water had little effect on it.

The lake water was clear but very deep.

Looking down, he could not see the bottom, only endless darkness.

Looking up, he could not see the surface, only a layer of faint, gray light.

The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet, save for the occasional muffled explosion that traveled through the water layers from the direction of the lake's heart.

Qin Ce followed Tianlu, swimming toward the island at the lake's heart.

The energy of the Heat Mantra was continuously being consumed; he could feel the energy in his body decreasing bit by bit, but he did not stop.

About a quarter of an hour later, the water color ahead began to lighten.

It changed from deep blue to light blue, and from light blue to greenish-blue. The light above grew brighter, and the outline of the water surface became clearer.

Splash.

Qin Ce poked his head out of the water, panting heavily.

The island was less than a hundred meters ahead, the black rocks gleaming with a cold luster under the gray sky light.

The island was not large, only a few hundred square meters, barren, with no trees or grass, only rocks and gravel.

The Black Nether Dragon was not above the island.

It was still circling above the lake, still attacking, still roaring, but it had its back to the island, its attention completely focused on the "enemies" within the illusion, not noticing the human aura in the lake water.

Qin Ce climbed onto the shore from the lake, the energy of the Heat Mantra nearly exhausted.

His combat suit was soaked, clinging to his body, cold as a layer of ice.

His fingers were trembling, his lips were purple, and his teeth were chattering, but he could not afford to worry about these things; his Nine-Star Insight was operating at full capacity, sensing everything around him.

The Black Nether Dragon had not discovered him.

Qin Ce took a deep breath and, with Tianlu, walked toward the center of the island.

The rocks were very slippery and covered with moss, so he had to be very careful when stepping on them.

Tianlu walked in front of him, its little paws stepping on the moss, steady as if walking on flat ground.

It would stop every few steps, point in a certain direction with its antlers, and then continue walking.

After walking about a hundred steps, the center of the island appeared before his eyes.

It was a relatively flat rock platform surrounded by a few protruding boulders, like a natural barrier, enclosing the platform into a semi-enclosed space.

In the very center of the platform, a Vicious Beast egg stood quietly.

Qin Ce's breathing stopped for a moment.

The egg was not large, about the size of a basketball, crystal clear, and shiny jet-black.

On the surface of the eggshell, fine dark blue veins flowed, like little snakes swimming, emitting an eerie, cold light.

The most striking part was beneath the eggshell—there was a thin layer of frost that spread outward from the base of the eggshell, covering nearly a meter of the surrounding rock.

White cold mist emanated from the egg, slowly circulating around it; wherever the mist passed, a fine layer of white frost condensed on the surface of the rocks.

This was a Vicious Beast egg.

Not a young beast, but an egg.

Qin Ce's eyes lit up.

A young beast required feeding, care, and a great deal of time and energy to nurture.

But a Vicious Beast egg was different; contracting a Vicious Beast egg was the most direct method. By using the power of a Soul Talisman to establish a connection with the life inside the egg, the moment the egg hatched, the young beast would recognize him as its master, requiring no cultivation of affection and no time spent on bonding.

Having just advanced to the Silver Rank, he hadn't yet prepared a Vicious Beast egg for this stage; wasn't this exactly what he needed?

Qin Ce crouched down, his Nine-Star Insight operating at full capacity.

[Beast Egg]: Black Nether Dragon [Lineage]: Nether Dragon Lineage (Atavism) [Potential]: Low Grade Scorching Sun Rank [Attribute]: Dark Attribute, Ice Attribute

[Talent]: Nether Cold Prison (Bright Moon Level) - Can create a zone of extreme cold around itself, freezing the energy flow of all living beings. After growing to the mature stage, the range and power of the Domain will be greatly increased.

[Skill]: Profound Nether Breath, Cold Tide Impact, Dark Ice Scales, Deep Cold Domain (requires growth to mature stage)

[Status]: Healthy, energy-filled, hatching period approaching.

[Weakness]: Low resistance to Fire attribute, requires large energy supply during the juvenile stage, hatching requires continuous immersion in an extreme cold environment for at least seven days.

[Evolution Opportunity]: Devour a crystal core of a High Grade Vicious Beast of the same attribute, or cultivate in seclusion in a place rich in extreme cold energy, with a probability of evolving into the Bright Moon Level. If nourished by mythic-grade Heaven And Earth Treasures of Water, Dark, and Ice attributes, there is a very low probability of triggering a secondary atavism.

Low Grade Scorching Sun Rank.

Qin Ce's pupils contracted slightly.

The Black Nether Dragon itself was Medium Grade Star-Glow Rank, with High Grade Star-Glow Rank potential, but the potential of this egg directly skipped two major Ranks, reaching Low Grade Scorching Sun Rank.

An atavistic lineage; it inherited not the Bloodline of the Black Nether Dragon, but the Bloodline of its ancestor, the Nether Dragon. That Nether Dragon which, who knows how many years ago, dominated a region deep within the Space-Time Rift.

If nurtured properly, once this young beast reached adulthood, it would be one of the top combat forces in Fengling City.

Qin Ce reached out and gently touched the eggshell.

The moment his fingertips made contact, a bone-chilling cold surged out from the eggshell, spreading up his fingers.

The energy of the Heat Mantra had already been exhausted; he could not block this cold.

The cold froze his fingers until they were stiff and made his entire arm numb, but he did not pull his hand away.

The eggshell was as smooth as jade, and there was a life pulsating within the egg, faint and steady, like a heart—beat, beat, beat.

The frequency of that heartbeat and the frequency of his own heartbeat overlapped at a certain moment.

A curve slowly formed at the corner of Qin Ce's mouth.

He was determined to have this egg.

However, just at this moment, a sharp, vigilant hiss came from above the lake.

Qin Ce looked up abruptly.

The Black Nether Dragon's head turned, its dark blue eyes staring straight at the island.

It could not see Qin Ce; in its field of vision, there were only the imaginary enemies within the illusion.

But its perception—that instinct buried deep within its Bloodline—told it that something was near its nest.

Something was touching its most precious child!

It stopped attacking.

The profound black energy beam no longer exhaled, its tail stopped lashing, and the roaring ceased.

It hovered above the island, its head lowered, its dark blue eyes fixed intently on the direction of the island's center.

Its nostrils flared slightly; it was sniffing, trying to distinguish the faint scents in the air that did not belong to it.

Qin Ce's body froze.

He crouched beside the egg, motionless.

The energy of the Heat Mantra had been exhausted, and the water on his combat suit condensed into ice in the cold, making a faint cracking sound.

He dared not move, dared not breathe, and even tried to suppress his heartbeat to its slowest.

Tianlu crouched at his feet, the nine-colored light on its antlers completely retracted, its little body curled into a ball, like an inconspicuous stone.

Its eyes were closed, its breathing suppressed to the minimum, and the energy fluctuations on its body were almost zero.

The Black Nether Dragon's nostrils were still flaring.

It seemed to have smelled something...

Qin Ce's heart rose to his throat.

Was it the lingering human scent in the lake water? Or the scent he had brought up from the lake water? Or perhaps the faint, lingering nine-colored light on Tianlu?

Qin Ce did not know, but he could feel that something was indeed wrong with the Black Nether Dragon's expression.

Its body began to slowly descend, dropping from above the island to the lake surface, and from the lake surface to the edge of the island.

Its dark blue eyes swept over every rock, every crack, and every patch of moss on the island.

It was searching, searching for the thing that made it uneasy.

Qin Ce's hand slowly pressed against the tattoo on his chest.

If the Black Nether Dragon truly discovered them, he would have to summon Qing Luan immediately and escape this place at any cost.

But before that—he glanced at the Vicious Beast egg in front of him.

He did not want to give up this thing.

The Black Nether Dragon's head reached over the island, its dark blue eyes less than fifty meters away from Qin Ce.

It swept over Qin Ce, swept over the position where the Vicious Beast egg had been, and swept over the rock platform at the center of the island.

Then, its eyes fixed.

...