131: Deeper into the Crimson Blood Cave! The destroyed blood pool!
The benefits of condensing a Monster Core in advance were quite obvious. Xu Qing, with Bai Ling, reached Crimson Blood Cave in no time.
Hills dotted the land, and red leaves covered the entire forest.
What was unique was that at the bottom of each hill was a black cave, dark and seemingly leading deep underground.
Sensing the sudden appearance of a powerful aura, pairs of eyes abruptly opened in the dark caves.
Upon seeing the green figure, the owners of the eyes were first startled, then their expressions turned to ecstasy.
Da da da... [When writing this, I hope readers remember our domain name: for Taiwanese novels, go to Chao Tie Xin]
Dense tapping sounds echoed among the hills as spiders of various colors and sizes crawled out from the underground caves.
"Great King! You're finally here!"
"The Blood Pool has filled the entire bottom layer now. If this continues, the entire Crimson Blood Cave will cease to exist!"
The Spider Spirits gathered around Xu Qing. They had lived and multiplied in Crimson Blood Cave for generations, and the Blood Pool was their Foundation.
Now that Crimson Blood Cave was about to be destroyed, the Foundation of their clan would also be ruined.
That would be a catastrophic event.
Therefore, upon seeing Xu Qing arrive, they were like people clutching at a last straw, placing all their hopes on him.
In their hearts, Xu Qing possessed vast Divine Abilities. If even he couldn't do anything, then Crimson Blood Cave was truly doomed.
Xu Qing surveyed the cave entrance before him, his eyes shimmering with light.
He circulated his magical power, activating his Spirit Eyes and Earth Hearing Technique to investigate the situation deep within Crimson Blood Cave.
At the same time.
Luo Le, the Spider Demon who had gone to deliver the message, ran back, panting.
It had no flying ability, and Xu Qing couldn't possibly carry it, so it could only run back on its own.
When Luo Le returned to Crimson Blood Cave and saw the solemn Xu Qing, it immediately held its breath, fearing it might make a sound and disturb the Great King.
All the Spider Spirits quieted down, waiting nervously and anxiously.
After a long while.
Xu Qing's expression shifted, and he let out a soft 'hmm,' looking doubtfully towards the depths of Crimson Blood Cave.
Immediately after, he fully activated his Earth Hearing Technique, listening to the sounds from deep within the cave.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh---
It was the sound of flowing water, but it was gradually weakening and receding, like a retreating tide.
After confirming again, Xu Qing turned to Bai Ling and said, "I'm going down to take a look. You wait here for a while."
"Okay." Bai Ling nodded and said, "Husband, please be careful."
Xu Qing nodded, then turned and entered Crimson Blood Cave.
Seeing this, Luo Le quickly called a few of its kin with good Cultivation Levels and followed Xu Qing's footsteps towards the depths of Crimson Blood Cave.
As soon as he entered the underground cave, Xu Qing smelled a peculiar odor.
It was a... rotten, fishy stench mixed with the smell of blood.
It was as if something had been decaying for many years in a confined space, brewing this foul odor.
After Cultivators' Cultivation Levels deepened, even if they didn't intentionally strengthen them, their five senses would become much sharper.
The pervasive stench in the air struck deep into Xu Qing's Soul, causing him to instinctively feel disgust and almost turn around and leave the place.
"Ugh!"
At this moment, retching sounds came from behind.
Luo Le and the few Spider Spirits behind it turned pale, opening their mouths as if to vomit, clearly having also smelled the odor in the air.
Xu Qing immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Luo Le's Cultivation Level wasn't low, and it was a native of Crimson Blood Cave, so why was its reaction the same as his?
Unless the stench in the air had only just appeared!
Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then continued towards the depths of Crimson Blood Cave.
The closer he got to the depths of the cave, the stronger the stench became. The surrounding rock walls were damp, the recently receded bloody water had not yet dried, and a considerable amount of turbid foul blood remained in a depression not far ahead.
Xu Qing perceived a trace of special power.
He came to a depression and examined the foul blood within it with his Spirit Eyes.
Now, he possessed numerous Spells and Divine Abilities, and also mastered the wondrous Alchemy method of Food Absorption. Coupled with his continuous Alchemy day and night recently, his understanding of pharmacology had already approached the level of a Great Master.
With just one glance, Xu Qing discovered that this foul blood actually had a slight effect of purifying the Bloodline!
However, this was only one effect of the foul blood; there were also many negative effects. Direct use would most likely lead to a violent death.
Thinking that this foul blood all came from the Blood Pool, it must contain a trace of the Blood Pool's power, which made it somewhat reasonable.
But where did those decaying, rotting, turbid powers come from?
Was there something else hidden beneath the Blood Pool of Crimson Blood Cave?
Thoughts raced through Xu Qing's mind, and various conjectures emerged.
A moment later.
Luo Le's dry coughs startled Xu Qing from his contemplation.
The astonishing stench emanating from the foul blood was unbearable even for Luo Le, a Great Demon with a Cultivation Level close to three thousand years.
Noticing this, Xu Qing opened his mouth slightly.
The next instant.
A dazzling, fiery light illuminated the dim cave.
The Spitting Flame fire can burn evil!
The foul blood was clearly not good stuff either. After the high temperature arrived, it instantly incinerated the foul blood on the ground.
Immediately, the stench in the air was swept away, and warmth permeated the cave.
"Let's go, let's go see the Blood Pool."
Xu Qing said in a deep voice, leading the way, continuously spitting out a ball of scorching fire to purify the foul blood.
His control over Spitting Flame was very strong, so he wasn't worried that the power would be too strong and damage the original structure of Crimson Blood Cave.
With Xu Qing leading the way, theirgo ahead speed greatly increased.
As they continuously delved deeper, Xu Qing and his group got closer to the depths of the earth.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
"Whoosh!"
The sound of surging water came from ahead.
Xu Qing's speed immediately slowed, and a faint light glowed in his vertical pupils. The Monster Core within him vibrated slightly, and pure magical power flowed to all parts of his body.
After preparing to deal with any crisis, he stepped forward.
The view before him suddenly widened.
The intertwining cave passages disappeared, and a vast underground space appeared before Xu Qing's eyes.
This underground space was large enough to contain a mountain. All around were rock walls, with numerous cave entrances, clearly connected to various parts of Crimson Blood Cave.
Above the rock walls were embedded various colored gems, emitting a faint glow, illuminating the underground scene.
A blood-colored pond churned below, and thick, viscous blood water emitted an astonishing foul odor.
Even pale bones could be seen emerging, only to be quickly drawn back into the depths of the Blood Pool.
"Is this thing your Blood Pool?"
Xu Qing turned and asked.
Luo Le poked its head out, and upon seeing the appearance of the Blood Pool, its face immediately turned deathly pale, and its voice trembled, saying, "No, no, the Blood Pool wasn't like this before. The original Blood Pool contained incredibly pure power. Not to mention the Origin Blood condensed monthly, even the ordinary pool water had great effects. But now..."
It couldn't continue speaking.
The Blood Pool was the Foundation of the Crimson Blood Cave Spider Spirits, but now it was completely destroyed!