"Wait here, I'll go in and have a look."

Qin Feng said.

Xiao Lian then grabbed Qin Feng's arm and said, "Let's go together!"

Although very scared.

She was even more worried about Qin Feng.

Seeing her bravery, Qin Feng smiled and said, "Not bad in terms of progress, let's go together then!"

The two stepped into the cave.

Using the Separation Fire Essence, Qin Feng lit two torches for illumination.

Just a few steps in.

Xiao Lian suddenly stepped on something and there was a "crack" sound.

Looking down.

It was bones!!

On the ground, there were frightening white bones everywhere!!

"Ah—!"

Xiao Lian, scared, threw herself onto Qin Feng.

Qin Feng held her and comforted her with a smile, "It's just bones, don't be afraid."

Xiao Lian had indeed made considerable progress.

After the initial shock, she also tried to control her emotions, not to be scared by these things.

Of course.

The main reason was the presence of Qin Feng.

They moved forward.

At this moment.

Suddenly, from the darkness, a low growling sound, like that of a caged wild beast about to be released, could be heard!

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Two crimson eyes appeared in the darkness ahead.

"It's just that bear."

Qin Feng reassured Xiao Lian not to be afraid.

Then.

He quietly bit his finger, dripping blood onto the Life and Death Blade, and commanded the bear, "Kneel!"

Thump!!

The huge black bear, eyes filled with red, was immediately scared into submission, its legs giving way and kneeling down!

"It's fine now, let's keep going."

Qin Feng said to Xiao Lian.

Coming to the shivering black bear kneeling down, Qin Feng asked it, "What's inside?"

The black bear: "Wha-um-ha-wa-la..."

"Alright, stop talking, I'll go have a look myself!"

Qin Feng was embarrassed.

This bear was just too silly, completely unable to articulate anything clear.

He and Xiao Lian continued forward.

The deeper they went, the colder it became inside.

There was also some water on the ground.

Occasionally, they could hear the sound of water droplets falling from the rock walls with a "ding-dong" echo.

After an unknown amount of time.

Qin Feng and Xiao Lian, after taking several turns, finally saw light.

Ahead at the cave entrance, flickering multicolored lights could be seen.

They hurried over to take a look.

Qin Feng and Xiao Lian were stunned!

They saw a massive space ahead, hundreds of feet high, with a pool of water on the ground, the depth of which was unfathomable. In the middle of the water, there was a small piece of land with piles of gemstones on it!

The gemstones were colorful, with blue, green, red, and yellow.

What surprised Qin Feng was the extremely powerful Spiritual Energy emanating from the stones!

"Spirit Stones?"

Qin Feng said subconsciously.

Spirit Stones.

The most common and frequently used item in the Hidden World.

It is created by some powerful masters in places rich in Spiritual Energy by constructing a Spirit Gathering Array, placing specially crafted stones within it, and storing the gathered Spiritual Energy within the stones using a special method.

Ordinarily, Hidden World Practitioners could utilize the Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Stones for cultivation anytime, anywhere, or use it to provide Spiritual Energy when concocting Elixirs, among other uses, making them very convenient to use.

"These Spirit Stones are probably not ordinary ones."

Qin Feng lightly tapped his toes and landed on the piece of land filled with Seven-colored gemstones, picking up the Spirit Stone to take a closer look.

He could clearly feel the power within the stones.

They are much purer, denser, and more abundant than ordinary Spirit Stones!

"I've struck it rich this time. I wonder who kept so many Spirit Stones here," Qin Feng remarked with admiration.

Just then,

suddenly a "whoosh" was heard!

Xiao Lian on the opposite bank hastily shouted, "Be careful—!!"

Qin Feng turned his head to look.

It was actually a giant python emerging from the water!!

No!!

It wasn't a giant python!!

After taking a clear look, Qin Feng's face turned pale, shocked beyond belief!

It was a hundred meters tall with half of its body still in the water, its body coated with indistinct black scales, reflecting the light of gemstones.

What astonished Qin Feng the most was that it had two horns on top of its head!!

However, the horns had just started growing and were not yet fully formed.

Two words involuntarily popped into Qin Feng's mind—Jiao Dragon!!

A thousand years of Snake Cultivation becomes Jiao!

A thousand years of Jiao Cultivation becomes a Dragon!

Jiao Dragon!

Water Beasts with Dragon Clan bloodline, a species in the process of evolving into Chaolong; once they become Jiao, they can become Dragons after passing the Heavenly Tribulation!!

However,

this giant python's horns were not fully grown yet, meaning it had not become a full-fledged Jiao Dragon.

Even so,

it was still enough to leave one astounded.

After all, Jiao Dragons were creatures of legend, and he had not expected to actually encounter one.

"Roar—!!"

At this moment,

the giant python opened its huge mouth and let out a deafening roar toward Qin Feng!!

A strong gust of wind rose violently.

It blew Qin Feng's hair and clothes back, but he remained firmly standing!

If it were a Jiao Dragon,

he might have needed to fight.

Like when he had encountered the legendary Fire Qilin in the Underground Ancient City beneath the desert.

However,

this creature was not even a Jiao yet, only a "Half-dragon," so Qin Feng was not afraid.

Soon,

seeing that its roar did not intimidate Qin Feng, the Half-dragon hesitated a moment, grew even angrier, and then took another breath, trying to open its huge mouth and swallow Qin Feng whole!!

Qin Feng simply raised his hand and said, "How about we make a deal?"

The Half-dragon's massive mouth stopped right in front of his palm, seemingly puzzled about where he got the confidence to negotiate terms with it.

"I suppose you evolved to this extent from a snake because of these gemstones, right?" Qin Feng said.

The Half-dragon didn't move, and Qin Feng took its silence as consent, continuing, "These gemstones are indeed full of Spiritual Energy, but relying solely on them for cultivation will take too long, too long indeed. You probably don't even know how long you've been here, maybe a few hundred years, perhaps a thousand years."

A trace of sorrow flickered in the Half-dragon's eyes.

Obviously,

Qin Feng was right.

It had been here far too long.

"If you want to become a true Jiao Dragon, you'll likely need to spend a long time, and even the Spiritual Energy from these gemstones might not be enough," Qin Feng continued, "Even if the Spiritual Energy in the gemstones is sufficient, after another thousand or eight hundred years here, how will you then cultivate into a 'Dragon'?"

"You must understand better than I do that the Spiritual Energy required to cultivate into a 'Dragon' is far beyond what these alone can provide, and the time required is even more agonizing."

"So, I can point you to a new path."

"..."

After Qin Feng finished speaking, the Half-dragon looked at him curiously.

Qin Feng then bit his finger.

A drop of clear and bright blood seeped out, and he said to the Half-dragon, "Do you smell what this is?"

The Half-dragon sniffed and was momentarily stunned.

Following that!

Its eyes became excited, its body trembling faintly as if it were a hungry wolf sighting the fattest sheep in the world, even drooling, which splashed into the pool.

"Roar—!!"

The Half-dragon could no longer control itself and once again opened its mouth, baring its sharp fangs, and lunged at Qin Feng!

"It seems you've misunderstood my intentions."

Watching as it lunged, Qin Feng shook his head and sighed.