Chapter 256: Tianchi Giant Beast (Part 1)

Yun Che and Xia Qingyue continued their journey together, undoubtedly the strongest pairing among the younger generation of the Azure Cloud Continent. They headed north… or to be precise, they weren't sure of their exact direction. All they saw was an endless expanse of snow and wind, with no discoveries or encounters. There wasn’t even a shadow of a profound beast.

Yun Che chattered incessantly, asking Xia Qingyue all sorts of questions and even telling her about Xia Yuanba’s recent situation. Xia Qingyue’s reactions remained incredibly calm, with only occasional, faint responses. Her hands constantly swept away the snow on the ground, but she found nothing.

“Wife Qingyue, isn’t there anything you want to ask me? Like… how I’ve been doing since you left, where I’ve gone, or if anyone bullied me…”

“Given your personality, it would be good if you didn't bully others. Who could truly bully you?” Xia Qingyue’s beautiful eyes gazed ahead, her voice devoid of emotion. Then, her eyes shifted, and she finally asked him a question of her own: “But I do want to know, how did you grow so much in such a short time?”

Xia Qingyue had finally asked him a question, and Yun Che’s expression immediately became serious. He said, “This is my secret; I definitely wouldn’t tell anyone else. But you’re my wife, so that’s different. Well… I met a master. She regenerated my profound veins and taught me some random things. Plus, I’ve had some special encounters recently, which is why I am who I am today.”

“Your master?” A hint of surprise flashed in Xia Qingyue’s eyes. “To enable you to grow to such a level in such a short time, your master must be an unparalleled prodigy.”

Yun Che waited for a moment, but when she didn't ask further, he promptly said, “Aren’t you curious about who my master is?”

“That is your business; I have no right to ask,” Xia Qingyue replied indifferently.

“Hmm…” Yun Che pondered for a moment, then smiled. “My master is indeed an unparalleled prodigy, but you’d never guess how ‘unique’ she is. She’s far more powerful than you imagine and has completely changed my destiny. However, she’s definitely not a good master, because, to be precise, she never truly taught me anything. Each time, she just directly embedded things into my mind, leaving me to comprehend and practice on my own. But as her disciple, I’ve never disappointed her. I’ve always mastered whatever she gave me in a very short time, and that’s why I am who I am today.”

“Hmph, narcissist!” Jasmine’s disdainful voice echoed in his mind.

At that moment, a peculiar sensation came from Yun Che’s left palm. He immediately raised his hand, startlingly seeing the green light of the Sky Poison Pearl flickering in his palm.

This was…

The Sky Poison Pearl’s sensing of treasure!

And for the Sky Poison Pearl to react, it certainly wasn’t an ordinary treasure. At the very least, it was on the same level as the Star Concealing Grass.

Since returning to the Azure Cloud Continent, the Sky Poison Pearl had detected things twice: once when it found the Star Concealing Grass, and a second time when it sensed the existence of the Heretic God’s Fire Seed. This was the third time… and the direction it indicated was directly ahead of them.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Qingyue asked, turning back when she saw him stop.

“I think we’re about to have a big discovery!” Yun Che closed his hand. “Let’s go, we’ll keep moving forward.”

The snow showed no sign of stopping. Who knew how long this blizzard had been raging? The snow beneath their feet was incredibly thick. They continued for another two hours. The Sky Poison Pearl’s sensation persisted, but they found nothing. This did not disappoint Yun Che; instead, he felt even more excited… For the Sky Poison Pearl to detect something from such a distance, what it found must be extraordinary! At the very least, it had to be far more precious than the Star Concealing Grass!

What could it be?

The temperature was terrifyingly low. After walking so long in the ice and snow, profound energy was consumed quickly to resist the extreme cold. Even Yun Che, with a physique no less formidable than a true dragon’s, was starting to feel the strain. One could only imagine how it was for other young profound practitioners with weaker profound energy. He hunched his shoulders, scanning the front carefully, and casually asked, “Wife Qingyue, your master and martial aunt must have come to this place many times before. What sort of things did they usually find?”

Xia Qingyue thought for a moment and said, “My master has been here twice. Each time, she had great gains. The first time, she obtained three Pure Cloud Jades and two ten-thousand-year-old Blood Spirit Ganodermas. The second time, she found a Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal, three drops of Profound Spirit Jade Dew, and a giant beast skeleton. Master said there are three seasons here, and the seasonal characteristics are very extreme. Among them, the unluckiest is encountering winter, because the winter snow will cover everything completely, making it difficult to find anything.”

Unfortunately, Yun Che and Xia Qingyue’s first entry into the Heavenly Lake Secret Realm coincided with a severe winter of relentless snowfall. Everything was completely buried under ice and snow. Forget treasures, they couldn't even see a single stone.

“What was the best thing ever discovered by someone who entered this Heavenly Lake Secret Realm?” Yun Che asked. As he spoke, he suddenly stopped.

Xia Qingyue also stopped and shook her head slightly. “I don’t know. If someone truly had a huge gain, they generally wouldn’t publicize it. However, I heard my master mention that over four hundred years ago, someone discovered a Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus in the Heavenly Lake.”

“Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus?” Yun Che looked astonished. Among the countless herbs in the world, there were very few he didn't know about, but he had never heard his master mention the name Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus. This was the first time he'd heard of it.

Xia Qingyue slightly raised her eyes and slowly said, “The Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus is a sacred item recorded in my palace’s ‘Ice Cloud Sacred Canon,’ and it’s also documented in other top sects. According to the records, it’s a divine gift and an anti-heavenly item that shouldn’t exist in this world. It’s said that one appeared in ancient times, but none have appeared since, existing only in its many records. Four hundred years ago, an elder of the Xiao Sect used a soul transmission to tell everyone in the secret realm at the time that he had discovered a ‘Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus’ in the Heavenly Lake exactly as described in the records… However, that was his death knell. After saying those words, he was never heard from again and never emerged from the secret realm; he perished there.”

“Divine gift,” “anti-heavenly item”—these words from Xia Qingyue all emphasized how astonishing the Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus was. Yun Che then asked, “So, how exactly is this ‘Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus’ anti-heavenly? Can eating it grant eternal life?”

“…No one has truly seen it, so everything about it is merely from records,” Xia Qingyue said softly. “My master said that consuming a ‘Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus’ can allow someone with no profound energy to instantly reach the Earth Profound Realm… With my current cultivation, if I were to consume a ‘Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus,’ I could immediately step into the Sky Profound Realm. Furthermore, the power contained within the ‘Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus’ is extremely gentle, ensuring that the consumer will not suffer any injury from their body being unable to withstand it.”

“…That powerful!” Yun Che’s mouth fell open. To allow someone with no profound energy to directly enter the Earth Profound Realm, or a practitioner in the Earth Profound Realm to step into the Sky Profound Realm—a realm most people couldn’t even dream of achieving in a lifetime—it was almost unbelievable that such a thing could exist.

If one obtained it, they could effortlessly reach a height overnight that others might spend a lifetime striving for and still not achieve. The phrase “anti-heavenly item” was not an exaggeration when applied to it. And indeed, such a balance-breaking item truly shouldn't exist in the world.

“By the way, what does that ‘Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus’ look like?” Yun Che tapped his chin, a peculiar expression on his face, his gaze somewhat unfocused.

Xia Qingyue’s pink lips parted slightly, and she spoke slowly, “I’ve read the records about the ‘Bodhi Emperor Heart Lotus.’ It’s much larger than an ordinary lotus, with a diameter of five feet when in bloom. Its petals have a somewhat enchanting light blue color…”

“…Is it a blue like blue crystal? And each petal also has a glassy luster like crystal. The stamens in the center of the petals are scarlet red and glow. Its stem is also blue, a deep, ethereal blue much darker than the petals…” Yun Che stared at Xia Qingyue, speaking each sentence with a strange expression.

A hint of surprise condensed in Xia Qingyue’s beautiful eyes. “You’ve read about it before?”

“No, no, absolutely not.” Yun Che extended a finger and tentatively pointed behind her. “What I’m talking about is that lotus behind you.”

Xia Qingyue suddenly turned her head. Then, her beautiful lips parted slightly, and she froze in place.

Less than fifty steps away from them, a light blue shadow emerged. It was a lotus, a massive lotus. Its diameter was a full five feet, with an ethereal blue, jade-like stem, light blue petals that glowed and shimmered, and stamens like clusters of red stars, flashing with mysterious and enchanting light.

Lotus flowers were supposed to bloom in the scorching heat of summer, yet this lotus proudly bloomed in the blizzard. The wind howled, and snow fell, a blizzard so strong that even an ordinary person would struggle to stand firm. Yet, this lotus stood majestically, its petals and stamens completely unmoving, as if even ten times more intense snow couldn’t cause it to shed a single petal.

Beneath the heavy snow, the entire land was submerged. Only this lotus remained uncovered. On its petals, not even a trace of fallen snow could be seen. In this world of swirling snow, it was the sole, and most dazzling, existence.