Jin’er pondered thoughtfully.
"Hmm, the place is called Thunder Valley. It used to be where cultivators from the Songyang Sect underwent their tribulations. It is relatively close to the perimeter, and the remnants of the thunder tribulation make it unpleasant for demon beasts, so there are quite a few cultivators."
Su Qingdai explained while leading the way,
"With my sect’s secret technique concealing us, the surrounding demon beasts won’t discover us. Don’t worry... I won’t harm you either, after all, we’re like ants on the same rope now. If the Golden Core demon beast is provoked, neither you nor I will escape."
Approximately half a two-hour period had passed.
"We’re almost there, it’s just beyond those two black peaks!"
Su Qingdai pointed with her hand.
In front, two massive black peaks, resembling curved black ox horns, rose majestically from the ground.
As soon as they passed through the gap between the peaks, a deafening roar exploded in everyone’s ears!
"Wow—!"
Qing Jun exclaimed, her mouth opened wide.
In front of them lay a colossal cliff valley.
A crimson waterfall, several tens of meters wide, cascaded down from the top of the cliff.
But this was no ordinary water; it was a thick, scalding red stream of blood!
The blood crashed into the deep pool below, raising a red mist that enveloped half the sky like a bleeding sunset.
And in the center of the blood waterfall, where the flow was most turbulent, on a cliff wall,
a piece like a giant black shield, known as a reverse scale, pierced into the rock; someone had pried it open, revealing underneath, an ancient tree that seemed carved from red agate!
The ancient tree was barely two meters tall, its branches twisted and leafless, yet three crystal-clear, red fruits the size of a baby’s fist hung from its tips.
"Gulp."
Qing Jun swallowed audibly, eyeing the Dragon Blood Bodhi, counting them seriously.
Eh... only three; they originally had just enough for one each.
She quietly clenched her fist, itching with anticipation.
Obtaining a treasure only to betray others afterward!
What an evil little girl!
"That’s the Dragon Blood Bodhi..."
Su Qingdai gazed at the three fruits with longing in her eyes,
"Just as the ancient texts state, they ripen once every three hundred years, and yield only one fruit each time! Consume one, and not only will the odds of Foundation Establishment Late Period increase, but even Core Formation success will rise substantially!"
Dragon Blood Bodhi, Third Tier Spirit Fruit!
To be precise, it’s Third Tier Upper Grade!
Surviving the cataclysm of Luoxiao Grotto Heaven, it’s naturally not ordinary.
This Third Tier Upper Grade Dragon Blood Bodhi, once it appears in the outside world, will undoubtedly be sought after by every Golden Core True Man.
In the original narrative, Su Qingdai achieved Core Formation largely by relying on the Dragon Blood Bodhi.
Hence, her master specifically listed the Dragon Blood Bodhi among the treasures of Luoxiao Grotto Heaven.
Apart from the Dragon Blood Bodhi, the remaining treasures were either located in extremely perilous places or their whereabouts were unknown... Originally, her master had listed a Third Tier Sword Pill, but unfortunately, by the time her fellow disciples found it, the Sword Pill had already been seized.
"All belong to Qing Jun, the big fruits!"
The girl decided to first get her hands on them, and consider everything else later!
"Wait a moment, don’t be hasty."
Zhiwei held back Qing Jun, who was ready to dart forward, and said solemnly,
"Treasures of Heaven and Earth are always guarded by fearsome creatures. Moreover, around this Bodhi tree, there lingers the blood-collecting Grand Array laid by the Songyang Sect ages ago. Rushing in recklessly will only lead to being shredded by the array."
Qing Jun, held by fate at the scruff of her neck, could only pout reluctantly and whimper: "But the big fruits are beckoning to Qing Jun."
"Senior Sister Lu is right... But, does Senior Sister Lu also know about this blood-collecting Grand Array?"
Su Qingdai looked at Zhiwei in surprise.
However, Zhiwei responded calmly:
"Taoist Su, even the blood of a Nascent Soul True Monarch might not last a thousand years, let alone a Golden Core dragon? Ancient records mention a type of array called the blood-collecting Grand Array, specifically for cultivating spirit plants with demon blood. This array keeps the demon beast’s corpse active, using spiritual power to continuously produce qi and blood."
"If my guess is correct, we stand above where that dragon was buried. And those earlier black peaks are actually the dragon’s horns! As for the cliff, it’s likely the dragon’s body, hence the continuous flow of blood behind the reverse scale."
This girl... truly meticulous and intelligent, yet extraordinarily talented with a steadfast Dao Heart.
Where there are many flaws in Qing Jun,
Su Qingdai can see just as many virtues in Zhiwei.
Really wonder where Instructor Chen found these two pupils with such contrasting personalities.
"Senior Sister Lu indeed has bright eyes that see afire, discerning such ancient secrets from my few words. Indeed, this reverse scale blood waterfall relies on the dragon’s remains and the blood-collecting array."
Su Qingdai looked at Zhiwei with admiration, then took out a lamb-fat jade bottle covered with heavy talismans from her Storage Bag,
"Though the array has lost much of its power over the millennium, it won’t be something Foundation Establishment Stage can penetrate. Medicine King Valley has a secret medicine called Transforming Spirit Powder, which can temporarily corrode the array’s patterns. Rushing in recklessly might result in being drained by the blood-collecting array."
Having spoken, she flicked her fingers, scattering dark green liquid onto the ground.
"Sizzle," with that sound, countless dense runes surfaced from the ground, temporarily corroded by the liquid.
"Back when my ancestor ventured to Songyang Cave Heaven, he was intent on the Dragon Blood Bodhi... thereby leaving a hidden passage for disciples to retrieve it later. Who would have thought..."
Su Qingdai sighed deeply.
But just as a gap opened in the array!
"Boom—!"
The turbulent, boiling red blood pool suddenly violently exploded, and an overwhelming, suffocating fearsome aura erupted, directly tearing apart the vast blood mist!