Chapter 142: Farewell Fang Fang Yunxiu

"This command condition... is it because of the Blood-Infused Spirit-Opening Art? That's quite interesting. Hmm, one piece of evidence isn't enough; I'll try a few more later."

The dark-red inner armor was as thin as a snake's shed skin; though it hadn't undergone the final polishing and wasn't very aesthetically pleasing.

But for Liang Liang Ashui, it was already enough; what he needed was the command effect:

"Resist fire and water!"

Liang Liang Ashui's eyes brightened slightly; after carefully looking around, he stored the inner armor, closed his eyes gently, and chose to command it directly.

Buzz!

The moment his thought shifted, Liang Liang Ashui felt a slight tingling on his body, spreading throughout, as if covered by a layer of invisible, untouchable gauze.

After the Commanding Talisman advanced to the fifth tier, when changing commands, he was rarely subjected to strong impacts anymore.

"It works!"

Liang Liang Ashui instantly felt the change.

The unbearable high temperature of the Crimson Fusion Cave dropped several intensity levels at once.

Though still somewhat stiflingly hot, it felt like scorching under the midday sun, rather than the unbearable sensation of being stuffed into a furnace as before.

"Try again?"

Opening his eyes, Liang Liang Ashui felt eager to try, but he very carefully swallowed a Viscera-Protecting Pill first, then, as if facing a great enemy, slowly walked deeper into the Crimson Fusion Cave.

The tunnel was entirely crimson; the stone walls had been burned by the high heat into crystals; after walking only a few steps, Liang Liang Ashui felt his whole body burning and his breathing restricted.

"Five meters, ten meters..."

Liang Liang Ashui gritted his teeth, counting in his mind.

Before, when he stirred his qi and blood with internal force, he could walk at most thirteen meters; but with this inner armor, walking over twenty meters seemed still bearable.

Instead, the specially made fire-resistant boots couldn't take it, emitting thick smoke; Liang Liang Ashui kicked them off, and they quickly burned to nothing.

"Thirty-five meters!"

After walking a few more steps, Liang Liang Ashui felt he still had strength left, but glancing at the tunnel that seemed endless, he turned around and walked out.

"No wonder the Divine Weapon Valley's ancestral masters across more than a thousand years never found the Black Whale Hammer; this temperature is simply too high."

He opened his mouth and spat out a puff of black smoke; sweat beads constantly seeped out and evaporated; only after a while did the stifling heat depart.

That tunnel was unreasonably hot, simply a natural crematorium; an ordinary person thrown in would likely be burned to ash in a short while.

"Hah!"

Liang Liang Ashui swallowed another Viscera-Protecting Pill; after regulating his breath for a while, he finally calmed down; his eyes were very bright, somewhat excited.

Although with the inner armor's boost he could only walk over forty meters, this confirmed his idea: the Crimson Dragon Fish inner armor was truly useful!

"One third-tier inner armor isn't enough; what about five? If combined to the fifth tier, that should be enough, right?"

Liang Liang Ashui felt somewhat exhilarated in his heart, seeing hope.

As long as he had enough Crimson Dragon Fish skin inner armors, he had full confidence to walk to the end of the tunnel.

"Prepare on two fronts; both the forging hammer and the Crimson Dragon Fish skin armor must be stacked up."

Liang Liang Ashui rubbed his brow; although he had a lead, it was truly not easy to accomplish.

The forging hammer was fine; as long as he had enough divine fire and gold and silver, he reckoned he could stack it up quickly, but this inner armor...

"Relying solely on Liang Liang Ashui isn't enough; best if I can go down and catch them myself."

Liang Liang Ashui's mind stirred.

On the gray stone platform, he had quite a few items that increased water affinity; as long as he could endure the chilling cold of the cold pool water, going underwater would definitely be no problem.

Early the next morning, after practicing several sets of Soldier Body Postures to circulate his qi and blood, Liang Liang Ashui picked up his fishing gear and Little Rat, and headed straight for the cold pool.

The sky wasn't fully bright yet, but already many disciples had gathered by the cold pool; few were rowing boats for ferrying, many were fishing.

The news that Liang Liang Ashui had caught the Crimson Dragon Spirit Fish shook the entire Divine Weapon Valley; not only inner-disciples of the inner island, but outer-disciples from the outer head also weren't lacking those trying their luck.

These days, from morning till night, even at night, people were fishing; some even took boats to the center of the cold pool.

The business of rowing boats for ferrying instantly improved many times over; even several servant disciples set up stalls selling fishing gear and various baits.

He scanned the area and didn't see Liang Liang Ashui.

"Senior Brother Liang

Want to leave the island?"

Before Liang Liang Ashui even reached the shore, many disciples had already seen him; some avoided him, while others approached to solicit business.

"Mm, here to fish."

Liang Liang Ashui shook the fishing gear he was carrying: "Rent your boat for a day; how much silver?"

"Ah?"

That disciple was stunned, rubbed his hands: "What is Senior Brother saying? If you want to use a boat, where is the need for silver?"

Liang Liang Ashui took out a silver ingot, about twelve or three taels: "How many days can I rent it for?"

"However long Senior Brother wants to use it, use it for that long!"

That disciple took the silver, beaming with joy, handed over the oar, and pointed toward the shore:

"Senior Brother Liang, that boat over there is mine; when you're not using it, just tie it to the shore."

"Mm."

Liang Liang Ashui responded, stepped lightly, and boarded the boat.

The boat wasn't large; it was the Divine Weapon Valley's uniform black-canopied boat; inside the cabin could lie two people, plus one stove and two pots.

Liang Liang Ashui had never rowed a boat, but his control over internal force was excellent; after casually fiddling a few times, he rowed toward the lake center.

"The fire vein's high heat carries fire poison; the cold pool's water is icy and carries cold poison; ordinary people falling in sink immediately; neither is a good place to enter."

Liang Liang Ashui rowed the boat.

Cold spring water, earth vein fire; the Divine Weapon Valley chose this mountain gate with great care—it is a natural place for forging weapons.

Along with the Fire Dragon Mouth of Dechang Prefecture and the Wind Thunder Valley of Pingshan Prefecture, it is known as one of the three wonders of Huizhou, and is relatively the safest.

Reaching the center of the lake, Liang Liang Ashui stopped the boat, reached out to stir the water, and found it icy to the touch.

"Hmm, much milder than the cold spring water used for quenching in the Weapon-Forging Valley."

After Liang Liang Ashui put on the Red Dragon Fish leather armor, he tried again; the water even felt somewhat warm.

"Resisting fire and water, or rather, resisting cold and heat?"

Shaking the water droplets from his hands, Liang Liang Ashui propped the boat, found a secluded corner, stripped off his outer clothes, and with a "Plop!" jumped in.

"Hmm, the temperature is acceptable."

After controlling several items that enhanced his water affinity, Liang Liang Ashui took a deep breath and sank beneath the surface.

The density of the cold spring water seemed slightly greater than normal water; Liang Liang Ashui felt resistance after sinking only a few meters.

"No wonder it's called a wonder. Hmm, I hope to find something worthwhile."

Liang Liang Ashui spread his arms and darted downward.

His physique was powerful, and with his water affinity enhanced, he was more agile than a seasoned sailor; soon, he had dived to over eighty meters underwater.

He opened his eyes and looked around.

Here, the cold spring water grew even more bone-chillingly cold; fish became scarce, but the fish found in this area commanded very high prices.

Liang Liang Ashui even spotted a Spirit Fish.

"This cold spring is a bit deep."

Liang Liang Ashui glanced around, pushed through the resistance to dive deeper; the deeper he went, the greater the resistance became, and the colder the spring water grew.

At a depth of about two hundred meters, the surroundings were already pitch black, with hardly any light visible; after pushing down another dozen meters, Liang Liang Ashui felt a fear of the deep rising within him.

"Still not at the bottom!"

Liang Liang Ashui had already felt the bone-chilling cold; his oxygen was consuming rapidly, and within moments he could barely hold on, so he had to return to the surface.

"Hah!"

Climbing back onto the boat and shaking off the icy water, Liang Liang Ashui took a deep breath:

"The water pressure in this cold spring seems even greater. I can dive to two hundred and fifty meters in one go, far exceeding the normal human limit, yet, I still haven't reached the bottom."

No wonder the Divine Weapon Valley hasn't found the Black Whale Hammer in over a thousand years.

Liang Liang Ashui's heart tightened slightly.

With a physique comparable to a Form-Shifting martial artist, plus a full set of water affinity enhancements, yet still unable to reach the bottom...

"Try again; at the very least, I should catch a Red Dragon Fish, right?"

After resting for a while, Liang Liang Ashui scanned the surroundings; seeing no one paying attention, he dove headfirst into the spring.

At the same time, he grabbed two Handle-heavy hammers in his hands.

With this extra three hundred jin of weight, Liang Liang Ashui instantly sank several dozen meters; within moments, he had dived to over two hundred meters.

He easily broke his own record.

Wooo!

Liang Liang Ashui surged his blood and qi, circulated his internal strength, and endured the pressure of the deep water; soon, his feet touched something.

Opening his eyes, Liang Liang Ashui could barely even see his own hands.

"Reached the bottom? No, not yet..."

After adapting for quite a while and pushing his blood and qi to the limit, Liang Liang Ashui could barely see the waters within three to five meters around him.

Only then did he realize he was standing on a large stone growing from the spring bottom; the spring water was dark and deep, far from the true bottom.

At this depth, the enhancement of the Red Dragon Fish skin seemed useless; the bone-chilling cold pierced through the membrane, as if reaching straight to his soul, and Liang Liang Ashui couldn't help but chatter his teeth.

He suspected that if not for the Red Dragon Fish armor, he would already be frozen to death here.

"How can it be this cold?!"

Liang Liang Ashui was struggling to hold on, and just as he prepared to leave, he suddenly noticed a flash of red light nearby.

"A Red Dragon Fish!"

Liang Liang Ashui jolted awake, clenched the two hammers, and as that red light roared toward him, he struck down with both hammers simultaneously, pushing against the immense resistance.

Twin Peaks Piercing the Ears!

A vast expanse of undercurrents churned; Liang Liang Ashui was blown upward uncontrollably and could no longer stand steady, but with quick eyes and fast hands, he still managed to grab the stunned Red Dragon Fish and pull it into his arms.

"Over one hundred jin!"

Liang Liang Ashui was delighted; this fish was even larger than the one Liang Liang Ashui had caught before, worth at least six hundred taels of gold!

Is catching fish this profitable?

Suddenly, Liang Liang Ashui felt the undercurrents churning, and a trace of red light actually appeared in his vision.

"What is that?!"

Liang Liang Ashui was startled; without a second thought, he retracted the heavy hammers, hugged the Red Dragon Fish, and tried to dart back to the surface.

At the same time, he glanced back.

At that glance, his eyelids twitched wildly.

In the dark, lightless depths, a flash of blood-red light seemed to pass, churning the surging flow, rushing toward him like a torpedo.

"Not good!"

Liang Liang Ashui instantly stored the Red Dragon Fish into the Dingxin Dingxin Shitai, his internal strength erupted, and he surged violently toward the surface.

In that single streak of blood-red light, he saw a colossal creature as thick as a water vat and likely over thirty meters long!

Its shape resembled a python, yet unlike the smooth skin of an ordinary Red Dragon Fish, it seemed to be covered in scales.

On that massive fish head, two large bulges rose up, looking exactly like two dragon horns.

"Red Dragon Fish King?!"

Li Yuan's heart grew cold; he was nearly holding his breath to the limit, and if dragged down, he feared he would suffocate inside.

Boom!

Li Yuan shot out of the water like a cannonball; faintly, he seemed to hear the roar of a giant beast.

Bang!

Li Yuan flipped onto the sampan, catching his breath with heavy gasps while gripping his double hammers, facing a formidable enemy.

But after waiting quite a while, he still found no trace of that giant fish.

"That must be the Red Dragon Fish King, right?"

Li Yuan's heart pounded like a drum; he had held his breath to the absolute limit before. Clutching his hammer, he didn't know if his luck was good or bad.

The Red Dragon Fish King that Jing Jing Shuhu had searched for his entire life, he encountered on his very first dive.

But...

"Over thirty meters long; I'm afraid I couldn't beat this thing even on land."

Li Yuan felt a bit of post-fear.

That Red Dragon Fish King must weigh twenty or thirty tons by itself; let alone him, he suspected even Ba Ba Wanli's physique couldn't withstand a single tail flick.

Li Yuan stood motionless, waiting quite a while; only after confirming the giant fish had sunk to the bottom did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"This fish dares not surface; it must have suffered a great loss... Hmm, perhaps it was Old Han? It is said Old Han is also after this Fish King."

Putting away the heavy hammer, Li Yuan lost all desire to dive again; he truly didn't expect the Fish King to be this big.

"Is this fish about to transform into a flood dragon?"

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

Having eaten more than half of a Red Dragon Fish, he naturally knew what benefits this spirit fish unique to the cold pool possessed.

benefits.

His root bone had indeed undergone some subtle changes.

Li Yuan felt a bit envious, but that fish was truly ridiculously large.

"On my own, I'm afraid it will be very difficult to take it down..."

Li Yuan pushed the boat back toward the inner island.

This cold pool filled the gaps between the mountains, quite vast; his coming and going went unnoticed.

Tying the boat to the shore, Li Yuan was about to leave when, glancing casually, he spotted an acquaintance.

"Female Hero Fang?"

Fang Fang Yunxiu stood on the sampan; though dressed simply, she still attracted many stares. She seemed to have something on her mind, frowning.

Hearing Li Yuan's voice, she looked up:

"Junior Brother Li?"

She counted steps beneath her feet, leaping ashore like a kestrel; her movements were swift yet graceful, showing her Wu Gong had improved greatly:

"How did you know I returned?"

Li Yuan smiled and took the bundle from her.

After sizing her up, Fang Fang Yunxiu was somewhat surprised; with her keen perception, she actually sensed danger.

This kid...

"You... you have already reached Internal Fortification?!"

Li Yuan also sized her up, faintly smelling blood: "Slight progress; not compared to Senior Sister Fang, I have already transformed my form."

"You..."

Seeing him admit it, Fang Fang Yunxiu grew even more shocked, then came to her senses: "You... you didn't happen to eat a Spirit-Retaining Minor Return Pill, did you?"

"Mm."

Li Yuan nodded.

Without that Spirit-Retaining Minor Return Pill, he estimated he would have had to grind for several more months before reaching Internal Fortification.

"You... sigh! One Spirit-Retaining Minor Return Pill can be exchanged for a hundred Zeng Xue Dan; you... you are too wasteful!"

Fang Fang Yunxiu looked heartbroken.

"It's already eaten; it's too late to regret it."

Li Yuan shrugged.

"A Pill King worth nine hundred taels of silver is still a loss even if taken at the peak of Internal Fortification! With your talent, grinding for a year or half a year would have sufficed..."

The two headed toward the island interior; along the way, Fang Fang Yunxiu muttered about it several more times.

The Spirit-Retaining Minor Return Pill was a medicine she would never eat in her lifetime; nine hundred taels of silver, exchanged for the worst medicine, would last at least a year.

Fang Fang Yunxiu lived in the Bingtang, having a separate small courtyard; outside the door were bamboo groves and a stream, the environment quiet and secluded.

Here, Li Yuan saw another acquaintance.

Lu Lu Bailing, the Young Lady Lu, dressed as a menial disciple, lacking her usual charm, looking quite haggard.

The two exchanged a glance from afar, then looked away separately, counting as a greeting.

"Xiao Ling."

Fang Fang Yunxiu took off the bundle, took out several boxes of exquisite pastries, and handed them over.

Lu Lu Bailing forced a smile, took the pastries, and went back inside.

"Sigh."

Fang Fang Yunxiu sighed and entered the room.

Li Yuan remained silent throughout, but Wang Wang Peiyao had also mentioned Lu Lu Bailing's situation to him.

Ever since his Wu Gong was crippled, Lu Lu Bailing had become taciturn, cutting off all contact with everyone in Gao Liu County, barely setting foot outside.

Inside the room, Li Yuan brought up the main business:

"Right, Senior Sister Fang, how is Master doing these days?"

"Not too well…"

Speaking of this, Fang Fang Yunxiu frowned even more:

"Although that Qianjun Cave colluded with the Xieshen Sect first, Elder Han's actions are still too… too violent and ruthless."

Seeing her like this, Li Yuan clicked his tongue: "Master wouldn't really be planning to kill that Qianjun Cave Master, would he?"

That man is the master of a great sect that controls an entire prefecture — saying he's as noble as a Wang Hou would not be an exaggeration.

"Elder Han usually doesn't make a move, but once he does…"

Rubbing her temples, Fang Fang Yunxiu felt deeply weary: "When I returned to the sect, of the six great Inner Gate Elders of Qianjun Cave, Elder Han had already killed half of them.

He doesn't just want to kill that Qianjun Cave Master…"

Fang Fang Yunxiu paused, lowered her voice, her expression extremely complex — fear, worry, and more all present at once:

"Elder Han wants to annihilate the entire sect."