I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 685 The Heart of Xuanwu (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Before Jiang Yi could decide which way to explore, Zhao Cangyun had already sniffed and chosen the northern passage for her.

"Senior Sister, I feel something here."

Jiang Yi nodded to the others and quickly followed Zhao Cangyun.

"What did you find?"

Walking through the gradually narrowing passage, Jiang Yi asked Zhao Cangyun.

Zhao Cangyun honestly said, "I can't quite put my finger on it. It smells a bit like blood, but very faint. Also, the spiritual energy in this direction is significantly stronger than in other directions, so the source is very likely here."

Jiang Yi nodded, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings while asking, "When we were in Beixuan before, we entered the Kundi Palace together and saw that underground palace and abyss. You even went down to collect the Xuanwu Heart Flame. What was the abyss like back then?"

When the topic came up, Zhao Cangyun scratched his head in distress. "I didn't go all the way down. You were fighting with someone up there, and I was afraid there was danger down below, so I clung to the rock wall and gathered some Xuanwu Heart Fire from the surroundings before hurrying back up. At that time, my attention wasn't on the bottom."

Zhao Cangyun cautiously stole glances at Jiang Yi, afraid that his senior sister would be angry. If he had known what was going to happen today, he would have punched her through her lower body.

Jiang Yi shook her head slightly, "It's alright, I was just asking casually. The place may not be the same as here."

After walking for more than a hundred feet, the passage became narrower and wider, winding and twisting. Divine sense could not penetrate the walls, but the spiritual energy became increasingly dense, even condensing into a visible gray-blue mist, making the area ahead a foggy mess, and making it impossible to see what lay at the end.

Click!

Suddenly, the sound of crystal cracking came from above. Zhao Cangyun immediately moved in front of Jiang Yi and looked up to scan the surroundings.

Roar--

With a chilling roar, the blue crystal clusters on both sides of the passage exploded, and the shattered crystals melted and coalesced in the air, transforming into ferocious fire beasts made of pure, ghostly blue flames.

They came in various shapes, some like galloping lions, some like roaring bears, and some like coiled pythons, all made of flames, blocking the way ahead, and scorching waves of air rushed towards us.

Jiang Yi's pupils contracted slightly, and with a flick of her fingertips across the strings of the Qinghui zither, an invisible sonic blade slashed toward the nearest giant fire bear.

However, the sonic blade, powerful enough to cut through gold and jade, struck the fire beast, causing its flames to ripple slightly before disappearing without leaving even a crack.

"Jade Serpent!"

Zhao Cangyun's face darkened, and he released the Jade Serpent to help.

"Take it!"

Jiang Yi took out the Yaoling Sword and handed it to Zhao Cangyun. Hongli's sword forging wasn't that fast, but Yaoling was a fire-type spirit sword, so using it as a sword wouldn't be a problem.

Zhao Cangyun gripped the sword hilt tightly. The Yaoling Sword hummed and vibrated somewhat unpleasantly, but it didn't hinder its cooperation with Zhao Cangyun. Both of them were the type to fight fiercely. In an instant, flames soared into the sky and explosions rang out continuously in the passage, with rocks falling from both sides.

Jiang Yi also played the zither in the rear to assist in the fight against the fire beast horde.

At this moment, Zhao Cangyun cleaved open the side of the mountain wall with his sword, and Jiang Yi suddenly discovered that scarlet flesh and blood had appeared under the dark rock layer, writhing and healing the crack in the mountain wall, restoring it to its original state.

Jiang Yi felt a chill run down her spine. Seeing that the fire beasts were impossible to extinguish no matter what she did, she made a quick decision and shouted to Zhao Cangyun.

"Stop fighting! Charge!"

The music suddenly changed, transforming from a fierce attack into a protective and empowering force, layer upon layer shielding the two in front of and beside them. At the same time, a light and swift rhythm wrapped around Zhao Cangyun and Yu Hui.

"Jade Serpent, charge!" The Jade Serpent's massive body swung violently, like a long black steel whip, sweeping fiercely towards the several fiery beasts blocking its path.

"Senior Sister, let's go!"

Zhao Cangyun took the lead, leaping onto the huge head of the jade snake. Jiang Yi followed closely behind, landing lightly beside him. The Qinghui zither lay across her lap, her ten fingers flying like lightning.

The jade snake shot forward like an arrow through the narrow passage, its speed reaching its limit. Wherever it passed, the dense clusters of blue crystals on the passage walls seemed to be stimulated and shattered!
A new fire beast was born, roaring as it joined the pursuit.

More and more fire beasts were chasing from behind, forming a surging, dark blue sea of ​​fire, the scorching air currents almost setting the passage ablaze.

Ahead, fire beasts continued to materialize from the crystals on both sides and above, attempting to intercept them.

"Senior Sister, I'll lead the way; you can take over from here!"

Zhao Cangyun roared without turning his head, focusing all his attention on what was in front of him. The Yaoling Sword in his hand burst forth with dazzling sword light, and each slash carried the momentum to split mountains and shatter rocks.

Jiang Yi faced backward, and the sound of her zither was like a sudden storm, forcibly repelling the fire beast that had rushed too close.

The power of the Xuanwu Heart Fire transmitted through the sound wave defense, causing her to frown and move her fingertips at high speed on the strings, almost leaving afterimages.

If the spiritual energy here were not so abundant, her magical power would probably not have been able to continue.

The enormous body of the Jade Serpent charged wildly through the passage, with Zhao Cangyun wielding his sword to cut through the thorns in front, and Jiang Yi playing the zither to cover their retreat.

The passageway was filled with deafening roars of beasts, sword cries, zither music, and the booming of exploding flames, with light and shadow intertwining and heat waves surging.

After fleeing for a full half hour, the passage ahead seemed to end, and the light of a wider space faintly shone through, which invigorated Zhao Cangyun.

"Jade Serpent, accelerate!"

Zhao Cangyun urged, the blood vessels in the Jade Serpent's eyes burst open, and with the last of its strength, its massive body transformed into a black lightning bolt, bursting out of the narrow passage.

My eyes suddenly opened up.

The dome soared into the clouds, and the walls and floor of the cave were still made of deep black rock. The blue crystal clusters embedded in them were enormous, standing like ancient trees, emitting a deep blue light a hundred times stronger than that inside the passage, making the entire space look like a dream.

The enormous body of the jade snake crashed heavily to the ground, sliding dozens of feet before finally coming to a stop after slamming into the crisscrossing crystal pillars in front of it.

Zhao Cangyun and Jiang Yi jumped down, and Jiang Yi immediately used healing magic to heal Yu Hui's injuries.

The fire beasts chasing from behind all stopped outside the cave, roaring but daring not to step inside.

"Senior Sister, look what that is!"

Jiang Yi looked in the direction Zhao Cangyun pointed. All the blue crystal clusters in front of him seemed to be alive, converging and growing in one direction, eventually forming an unimaginably huge heart-shaped outline made of pure blue crystals!
The heart was not still, but beating extremely slowly and heavily.

Each pulse was accompanied by a change in the brightness and darkness of the eerie blue light throughout the cave. A vast and ancient aura, carrying endless vicissitudes and weariness, yet containing a powerful life force, spread slowly outward from the huge crystal heart like a tide, filling the entire space.

The two stood before the enormous crystal heart, deeply awestruck, almost forgetting to breathe.

"This...this couldn't be...the heart of Xuanwu?"

　There will be an extra chapter for those who vote for monthly tickets, a little later.

　　(End of this chapter)