Chapter 57

Chapter 57: News from Bihui Pool, Anomaly?

Before leaving, Chen Ansheng collected the female puppet, but she had died due to excessive injuries.

Chen Ansheng removed the defensive magical artifact from her body; its grade was mediocre, on par with farming tools from the immortal realm.

As for the mustard seed bag, even though it belonged to his puppet, he couldn’t open it and simply destroyed it.

Then, Chen Ansheng took the woman’s battered corpse and vaporized the corpse of the man who had died first, setting off with Long Shaoyan.

On the way, Chen Ansheng flew while asking, “How were you captured?”

Long Shaoyan’s face immediately turned red, feeling embarrassed to speak, but since the other party was a mighty figure from the immortal realm and his savior, he couldn’t hide it. “Back, senior, this junior fell for a demoness’s beauty trap. Not only was I nearly drained dry, but I also almost lost my life.”

Chen Ansheng couldn’t help but take a closer look at Long Shaoyan, thinking to himself that this kid turned out to be kindred spirit. “I didn’t expect you, a young one, to have such clever tricks in mind.”

Long Shaoyan, feeling awkward, quickly explained, “Senior, you misunderstand. I’m not the kind of person you think. It’s just that I have been afflicted by dark fire and have a stubborn illness; I need to stay close to women to alleviate it, and my elders at home know this.”

Chen Ansheng shot him a glance. “Don’t make things up. I wouldn’t laugh at you.”

Long Shaoyan became anxious. “How dare I speak nonsense in front of you, senior? You, as a mighty figure, should know about the Spirit Pool in my family, right? To be honest, it’s precisely the trouble caused by that Spirit Pool.”

The existence of the family’s treasure, the Spirit Pool, was already a well-known secret, so Long Shaoyan didn’t hide it.

Chen Ansheng’s heart stirred; here came the news.

So, he said lightly, “How would I know anything about the Spirit Pool? I have not inquired about worldly matters for years, focusing on my cultivation in seclusion.”

The secret of the Spirit Pool had been leaked hundreds of years ago, yet this senior was unaware of it. It seemed that this senior had been in seclusion for at least several hundred years, which was truly admirable.

Long Shaoyan then added, “Senior, your temperament is extraordinary; you probably aren’t interested in these matters, so I won’t elaborate any further.”

Chen Ansheng said, “No problem. Since I have come out of seclusion, I ought to learn about some significant world affairs. Please detail the Spirit Pool matters.”

Only then did Long Shaoyan nod and say:

“Alright, let me explain to you, senior. The so-called Spirit Pool is actually a cold pool of azure water in the ‘Dragon Bone Abyss.’ Cultivators who bathe in that pool can wash away impurities and enhance their innate talent.

“There are rumors that an ancestor of our family discovered this place long ago but kept it a secret and never mentioned it to outsiders.

“It wasn’t until over thirty thousand years after that ancestor ascended that the secret of the Spirit Pool became known to our family’s patriarch. From then on, the Spirit Pool has produced countless genius cultivators for our Long family, allowing our clan’s power to overwhelm the other three ancient families, boasting a time of unparalleled glory.

“However, a thousand years ago, the Spirit Pool suddenly underwent an anomaly. Ordinary cultivators who bathe in it not only fail to enhance their talent but suffer backlash from the pool, turning them into invalids. Since then, our family ancestors strictly forbade any family members from entering the Spirit Pool.

“Over three hundred years later, the secret of the Spirit Pool was leaked to outsiders, and many factions desired to come and seize the entrance. No matter how our family explained, outsiders did not believe it, and in the end, our family erupted into a century-long conflict with other clans, sects, and holy places.”

After hearing Long Shaoyan’s account, Chen Ansheng couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

He originally came for the Spirit Pool, and now you tell me it no longer has the effect of enhancing talent but instead backlashes?

Are you kidding me?

“And then? What does the change in the Spirit Pool have to do with your penchant for women?”

Chen Ansheng asked, trying to be patient.

“Well, this is quite the coincidence. For hundreds of years, I am the only one who can enter the Bihui Pool to enhance my bloodline talent without suffering backlash; the cost is that dark fire builds up in my body, and I must engage in that sort of thing to alleviate it—you understand, senior.”

Long Shaoyan spoke somewhat awkwardly.

Chen Ansheng’s eyes lit up; since this kid could avoid the backlash, it meant there was still a chance for him. As for the so-called side effects, bring them on.

“Is there really no one else who can avoid the backlash besides you?”

“No.” Long Shaoyan shook his head. “Our family tests every clan member. Over the past few centuries, no one besides me has been able to avoid the backlash. Of course, my family’s ancestor mentioned there is a way to solve this problem.”

“Oh?” Chen Ansheng became very interested. “How can it be solved?”

Long Shaoyan replied, “Immortal Crystals! My family’s ancestor discovered through years of research that as long as an item with a quality a hundred times that of top-grade spirit stones is introduced into the Spirit Pool, the backlash will cease for a period. In this world, nothing is better than the Immortal Crystal, aside from anything else a hundred times better than the top-grade spirit stones. However, who in this world can afford to have so many Immortal Crystals to sustain the long-term consumption in the Spirit Pool?”

!!!

Chen Ansheng was internally excited.

So you went around in circles just for this?

I have tens of thousands of Immortal Crystals in my storage bag, plus ink crystals worth hundreds of thousands. Who in the entire You Xuan Realm is richer than me?

“Why do I have the feeling that the heavens are opening a back door for me?”

Chen Ansheng couldn’t help but mutter inwardly.

However, Chen Ansheng still had concerns.

The Long family fought for a hundred years to protect the Spirit Pool. Would they really allow him to use it?

With this in mind, Chen Ansheng said, “If that’s the case, I’m quite curious about the Spirit Pool and really want to try it out.”

Upon hearing this, Long Shaoyan said directly, “What’s the difficulty? If senior wants to experience it, I can take you there.”

Chen Ansheng asked, “You can make the decision?”

Long Shaoyan confidently replied, “To be honest, senior, I am the family’s Saint Son personally appointed by our ancestor and the future heir. This small matter is naturally within my authority.”

“That’s excellent.”

Chen Ansheng laughed inwardly, secretly thinking that the heavens indeed opened a door for him; everything he wanted seemed to come true, how delightful.

……

In the Tian Xuan Domain, at the Long family grounds.

Chen Ansheng, accompanied by Long Shaoyan, flew over the family territory.

Dozens of spiritual senses, thousands of spiritual perceptions, instantly converged towards them.

Of course, they couldn’t sense Chen Ansheng; they only felt Long Shaoyan’s return.

In an instant, one by one Long family experts soared into the sky, densely packed, rushing towards the heavens.

“Ancestor, all uncles, father, mother…”

Upon seeing the newcomers, Long Shaoyan felt a rush of emotions, as if he had survived a disaster, bringing tears to his eyes.

“Shaoyan, you’ve made your mother worry sick. You’ve finally returned safely!”

“You little brat, if you dare do this again next time, I’ll punish you severely!”

“It’s great the Saint Son has returned, it’s good, it’s good!”

Everyone chattered, some worried, others feigning anger to scold, some relieved.

Chen Ansheng could tell that Long Shaoyan’s status in the Long family was quite significant.

“Ancestor, father, mother. I wasn’t out playing. If it weren’t for this senior’s rescue, I would have been killed by Xue Jiuniang.”

After the emotional scene, Long Shaoyan, afraid of neglecting Chen Ansheng, quickly introduced him to the elders.