Chapter 97: Three And A Half Months

The Obsidian Waterfall Realm was infamous for its vastness and merciless trials. Countless younger cultivators had met their end within its treacherous confines. Of the three hundred and sixty participants who entered, many had already perished—some to demonic beasts, others to failed trials or unforeseen dangers. Jiang Feng had personally claimed six lives, adding to the steadily growing toll.

As Jiang Feng walked through a dense forest path, his pale complexion betrayed his exhaustion. The aftermath of using Draconic Resilience and expending his infernal energy on Skyforge Flame Vortexes had left him drained. His body, although durable, demanded rest and refill. His decision to leave the previous battlefield stemmed not only from his injuries but also from the risk of attracting unwanted attention, the experience he had gained from the dreamscape proved invaluable.

Ji Moran caught up to him moments later. Her gaze lingered on him as she observed him; despite her composed nature, concern flickered in her expression as she wanted to ask how he was doing but chose to stay silent for the time being.

Further behind, the remnants of their battle site were soon discovered by two masked figures he silently appeared like ghost. One was a woman, identifiable only by her lithe figure beneath a dark, flowing robe. The other was a young man, silent and imposing. Both moved with a predatory gaze, their cold, calculating eyes surveying the aftermath.

"Why do I sense shadow energy here?" the woman muttered, her voice low yet commanding. She crouched and pressed her hand to the ground, her fingers brushing the earth as if seeking answers. "There's no trace of it now, but I can feel its lingering presence. Could one of the major powers have found a way to cultivate our element?"

The young man offered a single-word response. "Possibly."

Her gaze flicked to him, frustration flashing briefly in her eyes before she stood upright. "Lord Varelith warned us not to focus on Jiang Feng. Our mission is clear: secure healing and cultivation treasures, the stronger, the better. If we encounter the strongest cultivators from other cities, we are to eliminate them. And above all, we must break through to the Golden Core within this year."

The man inclined his head in acknowledgment. Without another word, the pair dissolved into shadow and vanished into the darkness.

These two were the infamous fighters from the Arena of Death in Phantom Valley, granted their titles as the second and third strongest of the younger generation by the Celestial Shadow Church and the fourth elder. Their presence in the Obsidian Waterfall Realm was no coincidence; Elder Xu's request had prompted their Lord Varelith to open a pathway into the Obsidian Waterfall realm, granting them entry.

-

Meanwhile, Ji Moran was becoming increasingly uneasy as she followed Jiang Feng. His breathing grew heavier with each passing moment, his usually composed demeanor replaced by something more primal, like a hungry animal of sorts. She knew the strain of battle could linger, but this was different.

Unbeknownst to her, Jiang Feng's body was undergoing a relentless transformation. The awakening of his Eternal Bloodline had triggered a chain reaction, it needed supplements, which in turn, forcing his Draconic heritage to demand constant energy intake to meet the baseline required for practicing the Aetherion Dragon's Cultivation Art. Without a strong enough body, attempting the technique would mean certain death—his very existence would implode under the strain.

Compounding this was the presence of the Skyforge Flame within him. Although the flame didn't actively seek to harm him, its growing intensity posed a threat. Without sufficient resilience, its heat could devour him from within. To combat this, Jiang Feng relied on the Skyforge Furnace, a secondary defense crafted to contain the flame's might.

"Hey, what's happening to you? Are you okay?" Ji Moran finally broke the silence. Her calm demeanor faltered, worry creeping into her voice. He had saved her life, after all.

"I'm fine. I just need to find a safe place to rest," Jiang Feng replied, his tone clipped and distant. It wasn't intentional—his body's insatiable hunger had begun to consume his focus, transforming him into something more beast than man. 'So this is the effect of the Aetherion Bloodline, hunger. That's how its devouring ability came about' Jiang Feng sighed inwardly. 'One bloodline seeks to conquer and the other seeks to devour. What does the concept of Darkness and Chaos seeks to do?'

The two walked for hours, eventually coming upon a massive tree with a trunk so wide it could house a dozen people. Though it bore no fruit, it exuded a dense spiritual energy that seemed to permeate the air around them.

"This place looks good. I don't sense any demonic beasts or humans nearby," Ji Moran observed after scanning the surroundings.

Jiang Feng nodded. "Let's rest here then."

The pair climbed onto one of the tree's colossal branches, its surface broad enough to comfortably support them both. Settling down, Jiang Feng immediately produced several Crimson Vein Fruits and two Spiritual Burst Pills, consuming them with practiced ease.

Ji Moran's eyes widened in alarm. She bolted upright, ready to shout a warning, but something in his calm, deliberate manner gave her pause. She hesitated, watching in disbelief.

Minutes passed. Jiang Feng's eyes remained closed as he meditated, his body absorbing the potent energy from the fruits and pills in the blink of an eye. Ji Moran finally sank back down, her shock unmasked. Her mouth parted slightly as she murmured to herself, "Just... what kind of monster are you?"

-

The two rested for a full day and night beneath the shelter of the massive tree. When Jiang Feng opened his eyes, he felt significantly stronger, his condition improved immensely. Ji Moran, too, appeared to be in good shape. She had relied on the abundance of healing pills she had brought from the Ji Clan, which had greatly aided her recovery.

Jiang Feng noticed her watching him with a peculiar expression.

"I hope you can keep this a secret," he said, his voice low but firm. "Both what happened earlier and what you just saw with the pills."

He had killed five cultivators—members of both Mist Ridge and Thunderclap City. The last thing he wanted was for his actions to bring trouble to Lin Moyi or the Northern Moon. Moreover, the secrets of his cultivation techniques needed to remain hidden.

"You don't have to worry," Ji Moran replied earnestly. "I won't say a word to anyone. The Ji Clan prides itself on trust and fairness." She gave him a reassuring nod before retrieving ten yellow fruits from her storage bag.

The fruits were oval-shaped, with a smooth, golden exterior that shimmered faintly under the light. Tiny, vein-like lines of amber ran along their surface, glowing with a warm energy. Their scent was earthy, with a hint of sweetness.

Ji Moran gestured to them. "I see you have plenty of those red fruits. They seem pretty good. Would you be interested in an exchange?"

Jiang Feng glanced at her yellow fruits and then at his own stash of Crimson Vein Fruits. These red fruits, which he had named for their vivid, vein-like markings, were the ones he had collected before his encounter with the Stonejaw Ravagers.

"Sure," he said, turning his hand to produce ten of the crimson fruits. "I call these Crimson Vein Fruits based on their appearance. What do your yellow ones do?"

Ji Moran smiled faintly. "I haven't named them, but they're excellent for the body. They strengthen flesh and blood significantly. I only ate two—I don't practice body arts, so I didn't want to create an imbalance in my cultivation. But they were enough to push me to the Eighth Stage."

Honesty was in her nature, and she felt it was only fair to offer Jiang Feng a reasonable exchange. He had risked his life for her, and she didn't want to take advantage of him. She had planed to gift him something upon their return as well.

"The Crimson Vein Fruit mainly assists in expanding the Essence Lake," Jiang Feng explained as he handed over the fruits. "It doesn't do much else, but that one feature is more than enough."

Ji Moran passed him her yellow fruits in return, and without hesitation, Jiang Feng tossed all ten into his mouth.

The Devouring Diagram within him flared to life. Heat radiated through his core as his stomach absorbed the fruits' potent energy. His blood seemed to boil, his muscles pulsed, and even his Earth Meridian trembled faintly for a moment.

"These are great," Jiang Feng said with a nod of approval, but Ji Moran stared at him in stunned disbelief, her mouth slightly agape.

"How are you not dead yet?" she finally asked, a mix of awe and humor in her voice.

"You want me to die?" Jiang Feng shot back with a playful smile.

Ji Moran chuckled awkwardly and sat down in front of him. She plucked one of the crimson fruits he had given her, popped it into her mouth, and began refining it on the spot. Moments later, her eyes shot open in astonishment.

"This fruit is amazing! It expanded my Essence Lake by 250 meters!" she exclaimed.

"What?!" Jiang Feng nearly choked on air. He stared at her, dumbfounded.

When he first ate the Crimson Vein Fruit, his Essence Lake had expanded by barely 21 meters. After breaking through to the Third Stage and achieving an Essence Lake diameter of 9,000 meters, the fruit had ceased to affect him entirely. He had only continued eating them for their taste, shaking the entire tree clean in his greed. He had even planned to bring some back for Lin Moyi.

"What's the matter?" Ji Moran asked, her confusion evident.

"It's nothing," Jiang Feng muttered, feeling as if he might collapse under the weight of his envy, wanting to go into a corner and just die.

Ji Moran smiled at his reaction. "You're pretty strong already. Just one more breakthrough, and you should be able to contend with the top geniuses in the late Ninth Stage. Speaking of which..." She paused thoughtfully. "I've heard that Ji Leiyu of my family, Yin Aoran of Azure Spirit Hall, and Lei Qingyun from Lei clan, have all broken through to the Golden Core Realm during these past three and a half months."

Jiang Feng froze, his expression twisting into one of disbelief. "Wait, did you just say three and a half months? We've only been in here for a few days... haven't we?"

Ji Moran tilted her head, examining his face. "No, it's been exactly three and a half months. Have you lost track of time? Or... were you stuck somewhere?"

Jiang Feng's mind reeled as he processed her words. How could so much time have passed without his knowledge?