Chapter 433: After a Hundred Years

Time drifted by, and in the blink of an eye, Zhang Nuo had been trapped at the bottom of the "Nine Nether Cold Pool" for a full hundred years. For him, this century could be considered a period of bountiful harvest!

Through Dual Cultivation with Su Haizhen, his cultivation base grew rapidly. He was now a Nascent Soul Late Stage Great Perfection cultivator, and Su Haizhen's cultivation had also advanced to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage!

As a result, the Spiritual Qi within the Small Tripod was clearly becoming insufficient! Especially given the terrifying growth rate of Xuan Jin; after reaching the Seventh Rank, the Spirit Insect was a bottomless pit when it came to consuming Spiritual Qi. In the end, even Zhang Nuo had to abandon his current cultivation, because the Spiritual Qi in the tripod had been entirely devoured by Xuan Jin alone!

"Master! My cultivation has improved quite a bit now; I should be able to go head-to-head with the cold energy in this Cold Pool!"

Xuan Jin, who had not moved from his spot for a hundred years, finally stood up. A set of earthy-yellow robes made him look exceptionally eye-catching! Xuan Jin's height was now similar to Zhang Nuo's, and his eyes, in particular, shimmered with a metallic luster. Upon first seeing him, Zhang Nuo let out a low exclamation of surprise!

"No need to rush! You can continue to cultivate for a while longer; you might even be able to break through to the Eighth Rank!"

After a moment of thought, Zhang Nuo felt that something was still amiss! The memory of Xuan Jin being frozen into an icicle all those years ago was still fresh in his mind!

"Impossible! Master! The Spiritual Qi here is simply not enough for me to advance again!"

Xuan Jin shook his head slightly. No one could have imagined that the milky-voiced little fellow from back then had now grown to such a terrifying level! A Seven-Tier Spirit Beast! That was a rank all beasts yearned for!

"Your cultivation has reached such a level that you no longer need to call me Master! It would be better if we addressed each other as fellow Daoists!"

Looking at Xuan Jin, who remained as respectful as ever despite his increased cultivation, Zhang Nuo felt a great sense of satisfaction in his heart!

"My body flows with your bloodline! You are my Master! This point cannot change, no matter how much time passes! Therefore, the title of Master will not change either!"

Now that his intelligence had been fully awakened, how could Xuan Jin not understand what Zhang Nuo was thinking? However, the mark already branded deep within his heart could not be changed! Master was Master! And even though he had undergone Transformation Stage, he was still just a Spirit Insect!

"That is up to you! Since that is the case, go and test the cold energy again, but you must remember to act within your limits!"

Zhang Nuo exhorted Xuan Jin repeatedly, truly feeling uneasy! Xuan Jin nodded slightly, and his figure moved toward the wall of the tripod once more! Su Haizhen gripped Zhang Nuo's hand tightly, terrified that the scene from years ago might repeat itself!

The two of them were trapped at the bottom of the Cold Pool and thought of nothing but leaving, yet even with their improved cultivation, they remained helpless! Now, their only hope could only be pinned on Xuan Jin!

Watching Xuan Jin's slightly broad figure approach the tripod wall bit by bit, Zhang Nuo's heart was in his throat. At this moment, two metallic glints flashed in Xuan Jin's eyes. His body shuddered slightly, and a massive aura surged out, scattering the cold energy that had rushed toward him!

The power of this strike gave Xuan Jin immense confidence. When his fingers slowly neared the white frost on the tripod wall, an even more biting cold energy emanated from it. Frowning slightly, Xuan Jin did not retreat; instead, he more boldly pressed his fingers against it!

The moment Xuan Jin's fingers touched the tripod wall, Zhang Nuo and Su Haizhen's breathing nearly stopped! But the scene that followed left them greatly astonished!

They saw several strands of cold energy sweep over along Xuan Jin's finger. The sight was exactly the same as it had been back then. However, just as that cold energy was about to envelop Xuan Jin, a golden light erupted from the surface of his body, wrapping around the cold energy in reverse. With a few flickers of light, it was instantly drawn into his body!

A moment later, a faint smile appeared on Xuan Jin's previously composed face!

"Master! It should be fine now!"

Turning his head back to look at Zhang Nuo, Xuan Jin wore an unmistakable smile, like the warm sun in winter, causing hope to rise once again in the hearts of Zhang Nuo and Su Haizhen!

"Now, this cold energy not only does not harm me, but instead provides me with immense, pure Spiritual Qi!"

Seeing that the two were so shocked they couldn't speak, Xuan Jin spoke again. This time, Zhang Nuo and his companion were even more speechless! Although this cold energy contained pure Spiritual Qi, they absolutely dared not absorb it into their bodies by force like this!

"Xuan Jin, are you really alright?"

Su Haizhen asked, still somewhat worried.

"Yes!"

With a heavy nod, Zhang Nuo finally set his mind at ease! As long as they could withstand the cold energy outside, perhaps they would have a chance to leave the bottom of this Cold Pool!

"I will go outside and take a look; perhaps there will be a way to leave this place!"

As Xuan Jin spoke, he did not wait for Zhang Nuo's consent; his figure flashed and merged into the tripod wall! This Earth Escape Technique was almost as miraculous as his Earth Escape! In the blink of an eye, he had vanished!

Su Haizhen prayed in her heart; after all, the cold energy outside the tripod was not as weak as it was inside. As for how many times stronger it was, they had no way of judging!

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a figure flashed on the tripod wall and Xuan Jin appeared. However, this time his teeth were chattering, his face was deathly pale, and his earthy-yellow robes were covered in white frost!

With a few flickers, Xuan Jin arrived near Zhang Nuo, and at the same time, a biting chill rushed toward them!

"The cold energy outside is countless times stronger than it is here. I didn't even break through the solid ice enveloping the Small Tripod before I was frozen back!"

Xuan Jin used a great deal of effort to finish this sentence. It seemed he could not resist the cold energy outside either! Hearing this, Zhang Nuo and Su Haizhen exchanged a glance; the hope that had just risen in their hearts was shattered once again!

If even Xuan Jin could not resist the cold energy, then if they went out, it would be tantamount to suicide!

"You should rest for a while, and we will think of a way slowly!"

Zhang Nuo looked at Xuan Jin with concern, unable to hide a sense of disappointment on his face.

"However, Master, I discovered a problem. The speed at which this cold energy moves in the pool water is not very fast. That is to say, after I absorb the cold energy in this area, the cold energy from other places takes some time to drift over! In this way, it might leave us quite a bit of time!"

Having gone out for a trip, Xuan Jin had not returned empty-handed! Zhang Nuo's brows knit together as he carefully pondered the information Xuan Jin had provided!

"How thick is the solid ice outside the tripod?"

"About one zhang!"

A glimmer of light flashed in Zhang Nuo's eyes. Previously, he had anticipated that the solid ice enveloping the Small Tripod would be at least three zhang thick, but it turned out to be only one! This was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune!

"Xuan Jin, how long would it take you to melt a passage through the solid ice?"

Calculating in his heart, Zhang Nuo asked a question that surprised both Su Haizhen and Xuan Jin! Even if a passage could be melted through the solid ice, what use would that be?

"If it is just a passage wide enough for me to pass through, it won't take long. Master, what are you planning to do?"

Zhang Nuo would not ask this question without a reason, so Xuan Jin rolled his eyes and asked, deeply puzzled.

"Below this Cold Pool, there is a Cold Vein! And right around the Cold Vein, there is a type of purple lightning called 'Purple Lightning Wild Thunder'. As long as you can channel this purple lightning onto the 'Four Spirits Square Cauldron', perhaps we will have a chance to escape and ascend to heaven!"

Unexpectedly, even at this point, Zhang Nuo was still thinking about the 'Purple Lightning Wild Thunder'! Upon hearing the words 'Cold Vein', several glints of light flashed in Xuan Jin's eyes. All kinds of rare mineral veins in the world held immense attraction for him, but this Cold Vein had become a hot potato because the cold energy was too intense! Xuan Jin had the desire to devour it, but had no way to resist the cold energy!

"I will go try in a few days! But whether I can channel it up or not, I cannot say for sure!"

Lowering his head to ponder for a moment, Xuan Jin said slowly. If he were asked to reach the location of the Cold Vein, that might not be difficult, but if he were to channel the 'Purple Lightning Wild Thunder' to the 'Four Spirits Square Cauldron' here, it would likely be a great deal of trouble!

Zhang Nuo was not in a rush, so he nodded slightly and let Xuan Jin rest! A few days later, when Xuan Jin rushed out of the Small Tripod again, he did not return for a long time!

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed, and Xuan Jin still had not appeared. Zhang Nuo and Su Haizhen were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, pacing back and forth inside the tripod!

So much time had passed; could something have happened to Xuan Jin? Only then did Zhang Nuo feel a sense of regret; perhaps he shouldn't have let him do such a dangerous thing!

Although Xuan Jin's true form was a Spirit Insect, no one could endure such a long time against the terrifying cold energy in the pool! An ominous premonition gradually rose in Zhang Nuo's heart!

Although Su Haizhen did not know what Xuan Jin's true form was, a Spirit Beast capable of advancing so quickly was certainly no ordinary object, especially since Zhang Nuo regarded Xuan Jin as extremely important, even comparable to his own life!

Watching Zhang Nuo's helpless expression, Su Haizhen carefully walked to his side and gripped his large hand tightly with her jade hands! The two exchanged a look without speaking, but each knew what the other was thinking!

They had long since mastered the 'Union of Dragon and Phoenix' Dual Cultivation Technique to perfection. With their minds connected, even if the other did not speak, they could clearly feel the other's intentions!

By the fourth day, Zhang Nuo could no longer sit still. Xuan Jin was only at the level of a Seven-Tier Spirit Beast; it was impossible for him to stay in the Cold Pool for such a long time. It seemed that some accident must have occurred!

Becoming somewhat frantic, he continuously probed his Divine Sense out from the mouth of the tripod, but Zhang Nuo failed time and time again! As soon as his Divine Sense exited the Small Tripod, it was immediately frozen by the cold air!

Just as he was feeling anxious, the Four Spirits Square Cauldron suddenly experienced a bout of turbulence! Both of them were startled at the same time, their expressions instantly turning unsightly!