Volume One: The Celestial Palace in the Mist Chapter Nineteen: The Essence Pearl

Chapter Nineteen: Essence Pearl

Molten lava splattered and waves of fire surged forth. Deep in the veins of this immortal land, two figures—one large, one small—were locked in fierce combat. Brilliant azure light ceaselessly struck against the golden fish’s pupils, while the golden fish roared like a wild beast, sending out ring after ring of golden shockwaves that swept in all directions. The scant rocky land was obliterated in an instant; what was once nine parts a lake of magma and one part rock was now a raging sea of fire beneath the earth, leaving nowhere to stand.

Zhou Hao was not at the bottom of the magma lake. He was on the surface, attacking the Sun Shark with all his might. The creature, though brimming with brute force, was hindered by its poor vision and unable to kill Zhou Hao outright.

In secret, the Nine-Petal Fire Lotus was transmitting to Zhou Hao the Sun Shark’s weaknesses. With his current cultivation, he was by no means a match for the Sun Shark, but if he could seize the right opportunity, he could still injure it—the crux was knowing where to strike.

“You blind brute, what are you so proud of? Don’t think you can prey on weaker beings at will, turning them into your blood meal. Beasts like you, devouring indiscriminately, are in dire need of a lesson. Today, Grandpa Zhou will skin you, tear out your sinews, and cook you into fish soup!” Zhou Hao halted, taunting the frenzied Sun Shark.

“Roar!”

The Sun Shark might be blind, but it could hear. As a great beast buried deep in the earth’s veins, it had always been savage and ruthless, its kill count unthinkable. Yet now, a mere minor immortal was mocking it, and worse yet, it still hadn’t managed to devour him—an utter humiliation.

The sky was awash with flames, molten rock filling the void. The Sun Shark unleashed its greatest power, plunging into the lake’s depths and spinning furiously. In moments, the entire lake—a churning sea of fire—became a colossal funnel.

Waves of fire swept through the underworld. The funnel-shaped magma lake radiated a torrential fire energy. In a flash, a deafening roar resounded, as if something monstrous was about to burst forth from the earth.

“This is bad—the Sun Shark is about to unleash its Flame Burst Shockwave. The entire subterranean world for hundreds of miles will be blasted apart. And it knows there are arrays set up by the Cloudmist Immortal Palace, so even if the deep earth is destroyed, the surface won’t be harmed; the array will suppress the shockwave’s impact on the world above. But that means all the energy will flood this space—we’ll be killed!” The Nine-Petal Fire Lotus, now fully transformed into a tiny person standing on Zhou Hao’s shoulder, her beautiful eyes wide with terror.

“Is it that serious? Is there any way to stop it?” Zhou Hao squinted against the blinding firelight, his eyes nearly closed.

“Just crush the jade talisman and call your master for help. The Sun Shark may only be at the Lower Immortal realm, but as a native magma behemoth, it’s half a step into the Golden Immortal stage. This attack is not easily stopped.” The Nine-Petal Fire Lotus’s delicate face was pale as snow, her voice anxious.

“It’s not time to use the Summoning Jade yet. I only want to know whether there’s a way to prevent the Sun Shark from unleashing its Flame Burst Shockwave.” Zhou Hao’s gaze was like a torch; he spread a circle of azure light around him, temporarily holding back the surging firestorm.

“Oh, you big fool! Why won’t you listen? I already told you, it’s almost impossible to stop—it’s much easier to just call for help! It’s not that I doubt you, but your cultivation is just too weak!” The Nine-Petal Fire Lotus stomped her tiny foot in frustration.

“Never mind, I’ll find a way myself.” Zhou Hao transformed into a streak of azure light, descending toward the funnel-shaped magma lake.

Following the center of the funnel downward, he soon spotted the Sun Shark. It was like a stabilizing pillar, churning the entire lake, radiating blazing golden light. Zhou Hao couldn’t get close; if he did, the golden glow would pierce him through. The walls of fire spun with countless shattered corpses, even the tail of the Fire Serpent Fish King—everything whirled in the funnel’s tumult.

“See? You can’t get close to the Sun Shark. At this moment, as it gathers its strength, its body is at its weakest. If you could strike with thunderous force, it would surely die, but you’re too weak—the protective golden light will obliterate you!” The Nine-Petal Fire Lotus shook her head with a sigh.

“I wonder if this will work…”

Faced with an enemy so near and yet so deadly, Zhou Hao knew the Sun Shark would soon detonate the underworld, the magma lake about to explode, its energy annihilating him in an instant. The urgent task was to stop the Sun Shark. At this moment, he produced a glove from his robe.

This was the silkworm silk glove Yun Fang had given him to pick the Nine-Petal Fire Lotus. Silvery white as snow, it shimmered with a crystal luster, soft and smooth to the touch. Zhou Hao had previously used it to cover his nose and mouth, shielding himself from the lotus’s dizzying fragrance.

“That glove again. Years ago, a junior disciple like you used it to pluck one of my petals. Hmph, I can’t believe that old man sent another one. Is he determined to strip me bare?” The Nine-Petal Fire Lotus grumbled as she watched Zhou Hao don the glove.

“It was just two petals—what’s the big deal? Don’t you want me to take you out of here? You’ve only just gained a human form—without me, you’d be snatched and made into medicine the moment you stepped outside. You wouldn’t have even a root left!” Zhou Hao teased the lotus in her human form.

Indeed, the Nine-Petal Fire Lotus had grown in the magma for thousands of years but had only gained human form in the past century. She had no love for this place, where monotonous fire currents surged day after day and the weak were prey to the strong. As a rare immortal herb, she was coveted by all the magma behemoths, who wished to devour her to increase their power. Only her keen sense of danger had allowed her to escape time and again. And on the lake’s surface, all the giants were as blind as bats, so she often hid above.

Though an immortal herb might live as long as heaven and earth, she could not cultivate the immortal path. All she could do was flee or await slaughter—her fate. Now, she longed to see the outer world, but needed someone who didn’t covet her. Otherwise, she’d be helpless outside.

“Why is it so hard just to change where I live? I haven’t even left, and now I’m about to die on my own doorstep!” The thought of her pitiable fate brought a hint of tears to the lotus’s voice.

“Don’t worry, I’ll fulfill your wish. Believe in me—I can defeat the Sun Shark!”

Gathering all his immortal power into his right palm, the hand clad in the silver-white glove shone with dazzling light. One by one, silver symbols leapt forth, and in the center of his palm appeared the faint image of a white butterfly, wings spread to soar into the boundless sky.

“It’s coming!”

In that instant, Zhou Hao’s battle spirit surged. His great hand struck the Sun Shark’s protective golden light, and the white butterfly in his palm flew forth, its wings slicing into the brilliance, silver runes swirling to pierce the dazzling shield.

Boom!

Five finger marks crashed down like collapsing pillars, and the golden light shattered. The colossal funnel churned with tempestuous waves, fire currents flying wildly as the very earth’s crust melted into liquid. The space was overtaken by magma, a hundred-mile radius blazing like day.

The silkworm silk glove had indeed pierced the golden light. At the critical moment, Zhou Hao’s palm struck the Sun Shark’s blood-red eye. With a howl of agony, the beast’s head gushed blood like a stream, its eyeball exploding.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The golden fish roared in fury, thrashing violently in the magma lake. Its silver fangs parted the way as it burrowed deeper. Zhou Hao’s hand trembled, the white butterfly fluttering forth. His palm expanded into a sky-covering imprint, striking the Sun Shark again. Gravely wounded, the beast had no time to counter, and was hit once more.

This time, half the Sun Shark’s body was torn asunder, its innards laid bare, golden scales scattered across the lake, its blood mingling with the molten rock and indistinguishable from the fire.

Like a wounded beast, the Sun Shark wailed in misery, its movements slowed, giving Zhou Hao an even greater opening to attack.

Silver runes spiraled around the white butterfly on the glove. Zhou Hao’s right hand burned like a silvery-white sun, and his face paled visibly—he was about to make a final, decisive strike.

“This is the end!”

Zhou Hao thrust his right hand forward, his form turning to light, splitting the lava as he charged. The Sun Shark’s body loomed ahead.

In the end, as expected, Zhou Hao’s silvery-white hand blasted through the Sun Shark’s body, scales and blood spraying everywhere. Thus, a great beast born of magma met its end.

“Hurry, look! The Sun Shark didn’t have time to destroy its Essence Pearl—it’s still in its skull, containing all its vital immortal power. Quick, take it!” The Nine-Petal Fire Lotus exclaimed in delight, pointing at the creature’s massive head.

With a clawed hand, Zhou Hao reached into the Sun Shark’s skull and extracted a golden orb. It was lustrous and translucent, and inside it swam a tiny golden fish, shining with golden light—a miniature replica of the Sun Shark itself.

“So this is the Essence Pearl—quite beautiful, really.”

With fiery red hair drifting and eyes sparkling with life, the Nine-Petal Fire Lotus, in her tiny human form, leapt into Zhou Hao’s palm, curiously studying the golden orb.

“You’ve never seen an Essence Pearl before? Then how did you know about it?” Zhou Hao asked, puzzled.

“Oh, you blockhead. Haven’t you ever heard of a pig even if you’ve never seen one run?” The Nine-Petal Fire Lotus rolled her eyes.

“A… running pig? How does it run?” Zhou Hao scratched his head.

“Enough of that—we’re finally safe. We did it! We actually killed a Sun Shark! Best of all, we gained an Essence Pearl—an Essence Pearl!” The Nine-Petal Fire Lotus beamed, practically clinging to the orb.

Essence Pearls were exceedingly rare—the crystallization of all the vital and immortal power of a mighty immortal beast, spirit beast, demon beast, or monster. Usually, they would destroy the pearl in their dying moments, unless a true expert could subdue them swiftly. Otherwise, it was impossible to obtain.

But today, the Sun Shark, pursued by a “weak” minor immortal like Zhou Hao, hadn’t believed it could die at his hands, so it never self-destructed its Essence Pearl. It was pure chance!

“Hey? What’s wrong with you? Hey, you’re not dying, are you? What am I going to do? Please, wake up!”

At that moment, Zhou Hao’s face was deathly pale. He staggered, collapsing at the bottom of the lake. The Nine-Petal Fire Lotus shook him desperately, but blood flowed from his mouth and nose.