My gorgeous wife
Chapter 940 - 912: At the Bottom of the Pool

Chapter 940: Chapter 912: At the Bottom of the Pool

"Huff—"

After a period of recuperation, Li Chen could finally feel that his injuries had begun to heal somewhat.

The injuries he sustained were partly caused by Zi Zhao, but for the most part, they were due to the chaos within his body caused by the rampant energy after unsealing the Blood of Heaven.

At the time of his injury, his True Qi was clearly insufficient to suppress this chaos. However, after sitting in the Cold Pool and absorbing a considerable amount of energy, the situation was finally brought under control.

"Still, that was too close this time," Li Chen muttered to himself, lowering his head slightly in thought.

A hint of a nameless emotion flickered in Li Chen’s eyes.

This battle had once again made him realize the vast gap between himself and the Earth-level Experts.

Zi Zhao might have been even stronger than Yu Manfang.

But they were both Earth-level Experts. With his current strength, facing such a foe was still overwhelmingly difficult.

Even if he gave it his all, he was no match for them.

This time, if it weren’t for Netherworld suddenly breaking out and intervening, he’d likely have already fallen into Yu Manfang’s hands.

"Hm?"

As Li Chen was lost in thought, he suddenly sensed a faint energy fluctuation coming from beneath the Cold Pool.

This energy fluctuation was so subtle that, in the past, he wouldn’t have been able to perceive it at all. But now, he could clearly sense its elusive presence.

"What is that?" A look of curiosity appeared in Li Chen’s eyes.

He had initially planned on exploring the bottom of the Cold Pool. Last time, at the Cold Pool in the Miao Village, he had discovered the existence of the Red Moon Scabbard. Li Chen had a feeling that something must also be hidden under this pool.

However, at that time, his strength had been insufficient to delve into the depths of the pool, and he couldn’t perceive the strange fluctuation beneath it either.

"What on earth could it be?"

Li Chen knew full well that the reason he couldn’t sense it before was that the energy in the Cold Pool was too dense, and the fluctuation itself was too weak. Given his previous strength, it was impossible to detect.

But now that he could sense it, he felt compelled to investigate.

After assessing his current physical condition, Li Chen hesitated no longer and directed his gaze to Netherworld, who stood by the bank: "Netherworld, stay here and keep watch. I’m going down to take a look."

The tiny mantis, Netherworld, though unable to speak, demonstrated a remarkable level of understanding. Often it seemed as if it could understand Li Chen’s intentions without him having to say a word.

Upon hearing Li Chen speak, Netherworld chirped twice in response and then sprawled out on the ground, resuming its feast on the little fish it had previously caught.

After glancing at Netherworld, Li Chen said no more. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before condensing his True Qi and plunging into the Cold Pool in one swift motion.

To accelerate his descent, Li Chen deliberately utilized the Thousand Catty Drop technique, which allowed his body to sink rapidly underwater.

As Li Chen descended, he could distinctly feel the water around him grow colder and denser with each passing moment.

The deeper he went, the faster his True Qi was consumed.

Thankfully, Li Chen, with his prior diving experiences, was well-prepared for this. Rather than panicking at the rapid depletion of his True Qi, he calmly amplified its circulation to form a protective barrier around his body.

The depths of the Cold Pool were profoundly dark and bone-chillingly cold.

Li Chen activated his True Qi, creating a faint glow around him for illumination.

Previously, Li Chen’s True Qi may not have been capable of such a feat, but with his current cultivation, far surpassing that of an ordinary Martial Artist, he could accomplish it with ease.

However, using True Qi for illumination was an extremely energy-intensive task. Other Mystic Rank Martial Artists might find it utterly unsustainable over time.

"This place... feels very similar to that other Cold Pool," Li Chen observed, glancing around.

The surrounding rock walls were jagged and twisted, almost identical to those beneath the Cold Pool in the Miao Village.

But if anything, the water here was even colder than that of the Miao Village Cold Pool.

Li Chen had tried diving there in the past but found himself unable to descend very far.

"I can’t keep this up; I need to move faster. At this rate, my True Qi will be completely drained," Li Chen muttered as the pace of his True Qi consumption accelerated. His expression hardened as he hastened his descent.

"Bang!!"

After what felt like an eternity, Li Chen finally felt the ground beneath his feet.

He had reached the bottom!

However, what greeted him was utter darkness.

The pool bottom was so vast that its boundaries remained unimaginable.

Li Chen had a sense that this place was far larger than the bottom of the Miao Village Cold Pool.

There was no other explanation—only the staggering depletion of his True Qi.

"With my current strength, I can barely last five minutes down here?" Li Chen muttered to himself as he gauged the distance.

Without delay, he began heading toward the source of the faint fluctuation he had detected earlier.

The pool bottom was overwhelmingly vast—even Li Chen couldn’t tell its full scope—but he knew that if he didn’t act quickly, he wouldn’t make it back to the surface.

At the bottom of this pool, he could only last five minutes.

But those five minutes included the time it would take to resurface. If he didn’t save some True Qi, he could easily deplete it all before breaking above water.

That left him with just two minutes!

"Faster! Hurry!"

Using the faint glow of his True Qi, Li Chen swam swiftly through the water. Finally, as the two minutes neared their end, he spotted a faint glimmer ahead of him.

"Is that... a Luminous Pearl?"

Without hesitation, Li Chen grabbed the bead in one swift motion and began rapidly ascending back to the surface.

There was no time for deliberation—whatever it was, he would figure it out later.

"This seems... more than just a Luminous Pearl..." As he swam upward, a thoughtful look appeared in Li Chen’s eyes.

He had seen Luminous Pearls before. While valuable, they were, at the end of the day, merely elegant gemstones.

But this bead in his hand continuously emitted waves of energy.

This energy—Li Chen could feel—was even purer than the Spiritual Energy contained within the beast cores he possessed.

Before touching it, he had only detected the faintest energy fluctuation. But now that the bead was in his grasp, Li Chen could feel the immense power it contained.

He had a hunch that the energy within this tiny bead might rival that of the Blood of Heaven within his own body!

Perhaps... it might even surpass it!