Chapter 257: Heavenly Pool Giant Beast (Part 2)

Xia Qingyue was completely stunned. The lotus flower before her eyes was an exact match for the "Bodhi Imperial Lotus" described in ancient records; every feature was identical. Its unique petal colors, radiant glow, and dignified stance, standing firm through wind and rain, surveying all creation, all confirmed it was no ordinary object. For a moment, Xia Qingyue could hardly believe her eyes, unable to fathom that she had, by mere chance, encountered this sacred artifact, previously only known through legends and texts.

"Is that... is that really the 'Bodhi Imperial Lotus' you mentioned?" Yun Che's expression also flickered strangely as he listened to Xia Qingyue's dreamlike murmur. Could this truly be the legendary, heaven-defying lotus, a sacred artifact? Had he really just stumbled upon it like this?

How could it be such a coincidence? So simple? So fortunate? Wait... lotuses bloom in water. The person who, four hundred years ago, on the brink of death, reported finding the Bodhi Imperial Lotus, had discovered it in the Heavenly Lake. Could it be that he and Xia Qingyue were now standing on the Heavenly Lake... on the frozen Heavenly Lake!?

"There's no mistake," Xia Qingyue confirmed. "It's exactly as described in the records." Yun Che saw a rare look of excitement on her face. With such a legendary sacred object suddenly appearing before them, not just she, but even Chu Yuechan, would find it difficult to remain calm. Xia Qingyue took a step forward, preparing to approach the blue lotus, but Yun Che stopped her with an outstretched hand. "Wait, don't go near it yet. If the incident from four hundred years ago was true, then this might be the very one that person discovered! That means we should be standing on top of the Heavenly Lake right now. After that person found it, all that remained was a dying message, which implies there's a high probability of immense danger hidden behind this lotus."

Xia Qingyue withdrew her foot and slowly nodded. The more precious an object, the more likely it was to be guarded by a powerful profound beast. Of course, these beasts weren't protecting the object itself for its safety, but rather because its immense power would nourish them. At the opportune moment, the guarding beast would consume it to achieve a massive leap in its own power. Thus, they would protect it fiercely, never allowing anyone else to approach or touch it.

"Jasmine, is there any powerful profound beast aura nearby?" Yun Che calmed himself and asked Jasmine. However, he waited for a while and received no reply.

Yun Che closed his eyes, and his spiritual sense entered the Sky Poison Pearl. He found Jasmine lying peacefully on her white jade bed, her pale face serene. Her hands were crossed over her chest, forming a peculiar gesture, and green light occasionally flickered around her body. Was she perhaps detoxifying herself?

Yun Che didn't dare disturb Jasmine. His consciousness withdrew from the Sky Poison Pearl, and he concentrated his spiritual sense to perceive his surroundings, but he didn't detect any dangerous aura. He pondered for a moment, then hesitated, saying, "This place is very open; if there were any profound beasts, we'd see them instantly. And if we are standing on the Heavenly Lake, it's already completely frozen. Any profound beasts in the lake would naturally be trapped below and unable to emerge. Thinking like that, perhaps the danger isn't as great as we imagined."

"In any case, it's better to be careful," Xia Qingyue said, lowering her gaze slightly. "Profound beasts can also hide in the snow. If this Bodhi Imperial Lotus truly has a profound beast guarding it, it will undoubtedly be an extremely terrifying one."

After sensing the surroundings again, Yun Che stepped forward. "Stay here, I'll go take a look." "Let's go together," Xia Qingyue said, following beside him. "In case of danger, two people can look out for each other."

Having unexpectedly discovered such a legendary sacred object, both were excited and tense. The Bodhi Imperial Lotus was something no ordinary person could find, let alone acquire. They slowly walked, cautiously approaching. Even when they stood within arm's reach of the Bodhi Imperial Lotus, nothing unexpected happened.

Both simultaneously let out a long sigh of relief. With the Bodhi Imperial Lotus within arm's reach, Yun Che looked at its extraordinarily ethereal petals and stamens, then excitedly rubbed his palms. "Hehe, it seems encountering winter here isn't entirely a bad thing! The weather here affects profound beasts, especially those in the Heavenly Lake, much more significantly than it affects us."

As he spoke, Yun Che extended his left hand to touch the blooming Bodhi Imperial Lotus. "Wait!" Xia Qingyue called out, stopping him. "If you're going to pick it, be very careful. This kind of extremely high-grade sacred object is also incredibly difficult to harvest. If you're not careful, a significant portion of its efficacy could easily be lost."

"Don't worry about that," Yun Che said, smiling with immense confidence. "Don't forget, I'm a Divine Doctor." With the Sky Poison Pearl, he could perfectly extract any plant. Once harvested, it would directly enter the Sky Poison Pearl, ensuring not even a trace of its contained power would be lost.

Yun Che's left hand gently touched the deep blue flower stem, and a faint green light quietly emanated from his palm. Just then, he suddenly turned and asked, "Wife Qingyue, aren't you afraid I'll just keep it for myself after picking it?" Xia Qingyue's beautiful eyes glanced at him, her expression calm. "This Bodhi Imperial Lotus was discovered by you; it rightfully belongs to you. What does it have to do with me?" Yun Che was momentarily stunned, a strange feeling flashing in his heart. He said nothing more. With a flash of green light in his hand, the entire Bodhi Imperial Lotus vanished from its spot, entering the Sky Poison Pearl.

The Bodhi Imperial Lotus was indeed an extremely high-grade natural treasure, but no matter how high-grade it was, it couldn't surpass the Sky Poison Pearl. Under the power of the Sky Poison Pearl, the Bodhi Imperial Lotus, which was originally extremely difficult to harvest, was effortlessly picked by Yun Che as if it were the most common plant.

From discovery to approach to successful harvesting, the entire process was incredibly smooth. Not to mention risks, there wasn't even the slightest hindrance; it was almost unnaturally smooth. Yun Che clapped his hands, stood up, and was about to speak when suddenly, a deep, resonant roar, as if from an endless abyss, echoed. The sound seemed to come from directly beneath their feet, and then the ground began to tremble faintly, the tremors growing increasingly violent.

Yun Che's expression instantly changed. He grabbed Xia Qingyue's hand and said in a deep voice, "Run!!" As expected, the Bodhi Imperial Lotus had indeed been guarded by a profound beast after all.

With the severe winter arriving in the Heavenly Lake Secret Realm and the lake freezing over, the profound beast that had long guarded the Bodhi Imperial Lotus had fallen into a deep slumber at the bottom of the lake. When Yun Che and Xia Qingyue approached, it hadn't noticed and remained asleep. But when the Bodhi Imperial Lotus was picked and its aura completely vanished, it finally awoke, igniting an overwhelming rage.

It was the most terrifying roar Yun Che had ever heard in his two lives; the oppressive power contained within it nearly crushed his spirit and internal organs. Xia Qingyue's feelings were no different from Yun Che's. Both rushed away at their fastest speed. In an instant, they were already two hundred zhang away, but the trembling beneath their feet grew increasingly violent, as if the ground could collapse at any moment.

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROOOOAAAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Behind Yun Che and Xia Qingyue, a deafening crash echoed, as if the sky were collapsing and the earth caving in, accompanied by a terrifying roar powerful enough to crack the heavens and split the earth.

That roar instantly cleared Yun Che's mind, leaving it blank, and he and Xia Qingyue stumbled and fell into the snow. They instinctively turned their heads at the same time and witnessed the most shocking scene of their lives. The ground was completely ripped open, sending the covering ice and snow, along with countless enormous ice chunks, soaring high into the sky, disappearing beyond their sight. Then, a colossal wave of water surged skyward... Yes, water! Yun Che's conjecture was correct; they had been standing on the frozen Heavenly Lake. The ice covering the lake, dozens of zhang thick, was easily shattered like thin paper. The lake water propelled upwards transformed into towering pillars of solid ice in mid-air. Beneath the wave, an immensely colossal white figure shot skyward, leaping a hundred zhang high before crashing down heavily. The thunderous crash upon its landing was like the heavens collapsing and the earth splitting, and the surrounding ice layer also extensively cracked, with one fissure directly spreading to Yun Che and Xia Qingyue's feet.

This was a colossal beast, its size utterly beyond Yun Che's and Xia Qingyue's imagination. It stood a hundred zhang tall, covered in white fur, with a humanoid torso, a fierce wolf-like head, and crimson eyes. When it landed, it was like a small mountain, blocking out large swathes of the light from above. The aura it emitted was heavier and more terrifying than ten thousand mountains. Yun Che and Xia Qingyue were as tiny as two insects before its massive body; the distance they had fled at top speed was merely two steps for it.

Between two icy peaks, Ling Yuefeng finally had his first harvest under an ancient tree not entirely covered in snow. Just as he was about to pick the dark-colored spiritual mushroom, a profound beast's roar suddenly echoed from the distance. The roar came from very far away, so it wasn't loud, but it caused Ling Yuefeng's entire body to tremble violently, and his face revealed a look of profound shock. His soul, remarkably, began to tremble uncontrollably from this distant roar.

"This is... this is... the might of an Overlord Profound Beast!!" Ling Yuefeng looked into the distance, an uncontrollable terror on his face. "To think there's an Overlord Profound Beast hidden in the Heavenly Lake Secret Realm..." He then pondered, "Wait! That roar is clearly filled with rage! Could someone have trespassed into its territory, or angered it?"

As he thought of this, Ling Yuefeng's expression changed repeatedly. The oppressive power contained in that sound filled him, a King, with deep fear. He felt that if the owner of that sound wished to eliminate him, it would take no effort at all. The Tyrant Profound Realm... a level that had never belonged to the Azure Cloud Empire, because in its history, a true Tyrant Emperor had never appeared. "King" was already the limit and peak of the Azure Cloud Empire; names like "Tyrant Emperor" or "Monarch" only existed in the fantasies of Azure Cloud profound practitioners, levels they simply couldn't comprehend or imagine.

And anyone who provoked this Overlord Profound Beast would instantly turn to dust; there could be no other outcome. Ling Yuefeng instinctively retreated two steps, then flew in the direction away from the roaring sound. Now, he could only pray deeply that the person who had provoked this terrifying Overlord Profound Beast was not from his Heavenly Sword Villa.