Chapter 177: Golden Giant Egg

The moment the extreme cold and extreme heat energies suddenly collided within Yu Tianyun's torso, his brain instantly went blank, as if devoured by endless darkness.

However, only a moment later his consciousness cleared again. His powerful spirit power made it hard for him to faint, yet Yu Tianyun now wished he could simply lose consciousness to escape the unbearable pain.

The intensely sharp sting, like countless fine steel needles, pierced every part of his body from skin down to marrow. The strong spirit power made his perception of the pain even clearer, and his body convulsed violently without cease.

At the same time, Yu Tianyun felt the energy inside his body so massive it seemed about to burst him, extremely swollen. His skin, organs, meridians, and bones were like constantly inflating balloons, on the verge of tearing.

Yu Tianyun endured the extreme pain, continuously pondering a solution. He did not want to be killed by the pain or burst, but after a brief frantic thought he still had no clue.

"What to do? No way, just tough it out!" Yu Tianyun clenched his teeth and forced the full activation of his five fully fused soul bones.

In an instant, brilliant blue‑gold light burst from his right leg, mysterious dark‑gold radiance from his right hand, his Dragon Wings behind him glowed with a black‑purple halo, his dragon tail emitted gray‑black vapor, and his chest shed earth‑yellow light.

At the same time, he no longer concealed his Soul Ring; all amplified soul skills were unleashed, and electric light streamed over his body like a dazzling sun rising at nearly ten thousand meters depth, obscuring any view of his expression.

But these amplifications did not lessen his physical pain at all, only made his body's tolerance a bit stronger. The three major External Attached Soul Bones continuously helped him share and absorb the surging energy, preventing him from being burst alive.

At this point, Yu Tianyun no longer had the strength to stop his body from absorbing the crystal blood dragon ginseng elixir.

In an instant, a scorching energy seeped rapidly into his five viscera and six bowels, four limbs and hundred bones, and all over his body, adding a streak of red light. This heat was not pure high temperature like the Fire Dragon King's energy, but a restless blood flow, unbearably itchy.

And the extreme cold and extreme heat energies seemed endless, continuously surging into his body, so the pain persisted without any sign of easing.

Thus, cold, scorching heat, and numb itch alternated at a staggering speed, to the point that later he felt he was enduring all three pains simultaneously.

All he could do was barely hold himself up, allowing himself to still sense his own existence. No matter how intense the pain, he did not give up in his heart. That was already the limit of what he could manage.

Time passed slowly as Yu Tianyun endured this execution-like torment of countless cuts, and eventually he grew numb.

He had no strength to condense a soul core under the crystal blood dragon ginseng's medicinal power, because the extreme pain prevented him from finely controlling his Qi‑blood power and soul power.

He knew well that forcibly forming a soul core would only cause his body to explode and die.

"Could this crystal blood dragon ginseng only be wasted like this?" Yu Tianyun felt reluctant, yet had no other way.

"Alas! Leave it to fate. A lost horse may be a blessing; perhaps under the influence of the Ice‑Fire Dragon King's soul bone and dragon soul, unexpected gains await!" Yu Tianyun, helpless, could only console himself.

Gradually, the light on Yu Tianyun's body began to contract, and before he knew it turned into a golden giant egg that completely enveloped him. The egg measured nine meters in length and six meters in diameter.

Under the water pressure, the giant egg slowly rose upward.

…

Dugubo's eyes widened and his mouth twitched as he pointed at the golden giant egg that suddenly rose from the extreme‑cold, extreme‑hot spring, speechless with shock. The golden egg felt terrifying to him, its pressure from a higher‑rank martial soul overwhelmingly heavy. After a while he recovered, muttering, "How does this Ice‑Fire Dual Apparatus contain such a dragon egg? Is it alive?"

The golden giant egg periodically emitted a dull heartbeat, and Dugubo clearly believed the life inside was alive, which instantly gave him a sense of dread.

He wondered whether his long‑term secluded spot was the dragon's lair. Dugubo made no rash moves, lowered his breath, and hurried to hide in a crevice of the cliff.

"No, if there really were a giant dragon here, I would have found it by now," Dugubo said after cautiously observing for a while, finally noticing something amiss, "And that stinky kid?"

At that moment he recalled his grandson‑in‑law, and Dugubo instantly became anxious.

Dugubo's eyes darted in his sockets, hesitated for a moment, as if making a huge decision, then slowly approached the pool, inhaled deeply, and a faint, mosquito‑like voice sounded: "Tianyun, where are you?"

"……"

There was no response, only the "thump‑thump" heartbeat coming from within the giant egg.

Dugubo whispered a few more calls, still no answer, which made him even more worried. At the same time, his courage grew, and a greedy glint flashed in his eyes.

He stared at the giant egg before him, thinking silently: "Such pure dragon power, its dragon might surpass that of that old guy Yu Yuanzhen, so the egg must contain a pure‑blood true dragon; if roasted and fed to Yan Yan, it might be a great tonic."

But in the next instant he hesitated again; the dragon egg floated on the extreme‑cold, extreme‑hot spring, clearly impervious to water and fire.

A thought sparked; he bent, grabbed a stone, mustered great force, and hurled it at the giant egg.

"Clang~"

A crisp sound rang out, but the giant egg did not budge a hair.

Inside the giant egg, Yu Tianyun also noticed the commotion, suppressing his pain, mustering a sliver of spirit power to observe the outside.

Instantaneously, he was speechless to the core. Though in excruciating pain, fearing Dugubo might do something bizarre, he forced a transmission: "Grandpa, it's me inside, don't disturb my cultivation."

Dugubo was startled by Yu Tianyun's transmission, then widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

"You stinky kid, how did you turn yourself into this state?" Dugubo frowned and asked again.

But Yu Tianyun, at this critical moment, ignored him.

Dugubo waited a moment, seeing no reply from within the egg; though his mind was full of doubt and worry, he knew he could no longer interfere with Yu Tianyun, so he stepped aside and quietly watched the egg.

(End of chapter)