Chapter 653
The dragon king seemed to sense danger and suddenly turned around to escape back into the water. How could Nangong Wan let it go? She clasped her hands together, and all the black flames instantly condensed into thousands of needles as thin as cow hair, shooting at the dragon king like a rainstorm.
The black needle entered the dragon king's body, and it screamed in pain. It twisted its body wildly, and the cold mist splashed everywhere. Nangong Wan was about to pursue the victory, but suddenly heard Fu Shaoping's weak voice: "Lead it to the center of the formation."
Only then did she realize that the place where Fu Shaoping was knocked away just now happened to be a naturally formed circular open space on the shore. The runes he had drawn with his sword could be vaguely seen on the edge of the open space - it was the "Nine Nether Dragon Trapped Formation" of the Xuanyin Sect! He actually used his blood and essence to draw a complete formation diagram on the ground despite being injured.
Nangong Wan understood and pretended to retreat exhausted. The Dragon King was fooled and chased after him with a roar. Just as it completely entered the center of the formation, Fu Shaoping suddenly inserted the blood-stained sword into the center of the formation. All the runes lit up with blood light at the same time, forming nine chains to bind the Dragon King tightly.
"Now!" Fu Shaoping coughed up blood.
Nangong Wan flew forward, her hands burning with the last purple flames, and accurately inserted them into the gaps of the dragon king's reverse scales. She let out a heart-wrenching cry and forcibly pulled off the three reverse scales at once!
The dragon king let out a final wail, and his huge body fell to the ground with a bang. Nangong Wan didn't bother to check the spoils, and stumbled to Fu Shaoping's side. His chest was covered in blood, and blood was constantly flowing from the corners of his mouth.
"The Sword Swallowing Technique backfires." Blood foam gushed out with every word he spoke.
Nangong Wan hurriedly untied the most precious white jade gourd from her waist, which contained the "Tianhuilu" that she had treasured for many years. She trembled as she poured the liquid into Fu Shaoping's mouth, her eyesight blurred by tears.
"Don't die. You promised to accompany me to brew Drunken Immortal Wine." She choked with sobs, and the purple flame was poured into his body as if it was free.
Fu Shaoping suddenly grabbed her wrist and said, ".Jiao Wang Materials"
Nangong Wan then remembered the three hard-earned reverse scales. She wiped her tears and took a look at them, and was immediately stunned - the naturally formed patterns on the reverse scales were the perfect shape of wine yeast!
“Drunken Dragon Mark!” she exclaimed, “The ancient books say that the Drunken Dragon Mark is rare to be seen in a thousand years!”
Fu Shaoping nodded weakly, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised: "It's worth it"
Nangong Wan cried and laughed, carefully hiding her reverse scale. She helped Fu Shaoping up and found that a layer of strange ice crystals had formed on the wound on his right arm, slowly repairing the damaged meridians. That was her purple flame in his body working.
"We have to leave quickly." She looked into the depths of the swamp with caution, "The fight just now will attract other things."
Fu Shaoping barely stood up and suddenly pointed at the corpse of the Dragon King: "There is something glowing there."
Nangong Wan ventured closer and found a bronze fragment in the open abdomen of the dragon king - larger than the previous two pieces, and engraved with dense text. The three ancient seal characters at the top were particularly eye-catching: Zuixian Niang.
"Complete formula!" She was pleasantly surprised, but she heard a strange chirping sound coming from a distance, like countless birds flapping their wings at the same time.
Fu Shaoping's face suddenly changed: "The Red Flame Falcons. Someone is controlling them."
Nangong Wan made a prompt decision, carrying Fu Shaoping on his back and jumping onto the re-frozen ice. Behind them, the entire cold fog swamp was boiling, and the red figure was looming in the white fog.
The ice road carried them away from danger at a high speed. Nangong Wan felt the weak breathing of the person on her back and secretly vowed to find out the conspiracy behind all this. But at this moment, she just wanted to return to the safe bamboo house as soon as possible and use this hard-earned Drunken Dragon Pattern to brew the legendary fairy wine.
Fu Shaoping whispered something in her ear, but it was drowned out by the whistling wind. Nangong Wan listened carefully and finally heard the three words:
“.Go home.”
The damp and cold air of the cold fog swamp was left far behind. Nangong Wan carried Fu Shaoping on her back, and the ice road under her feet glowed with a faint blue light under the moonlight. She clenched her teeth and injected the remaining spiritual power in her body into the ice road, which increased her speed.
"Hold on a little longer, we'll be home soon." She turned her head to the person on her back and said, with an undisguised tremor in her voice.
Fu Shaoping's breathing was so weak that it was almost unnoticeable, and only the occasional cough proved that he was still alive. Nangong Wan could feel his blood soaking through his clothes, warm and sticky, but it was quickly cooled by the night wind.
The bamboo house finally came into view, and Nangong Wan almost pushed the door open. She carefully placed Fu Shaoping on the bed, and then she realized that her hands were shaking violently.
"Don't die. Please don't die," she murmured in a low voice, frantically rummaging through the cabinet to find all the usable elixirs.
The wound on Fu Shaoping's chest was shocking. The backlash of the Sword Swallowing Technique made his meridians feel as if they were pierced by thousands of fine needles. Nangong Wan soaked a cloth with warm water and gently wiped the blood off his body. Every time she wiped, her heart ached.
"He has already been given the Huitianlu. Next..." She took a deep breath, untied a brocade bag embroidered with purple patterns from her waist, and poured out three pills glowing with golden light.
This was the life-saving item her master had left her - the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill. Nangong Wan put one of the pills into Fu Shaoping's mouth without hesitation, using her spiritual power to help him swallow it.
"Ugh" Fu Shaoping suddenly frowned and let out a painful groan.
Nangong Wan immediately held his hand: "Shaoping? Can you hear me?"
Fu Shaoping's eyelids trembled a few times, and finally slowly opened. His eyes were scattered for a moment before focusing on Nangong Wan's face.
"You are injured too." His voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.
Nangong Wan then noticed that there was a wound on his left arm that was so deep that the bone could be seen. The blood had already coagulated, but the edge of the wound was an ominous black color - it was the cold poison of the Dragon King.
"I'm fine, don't talk yet." She forced a smile, but saw Fu Shaoping struggling to sit up.
"Don't move! You're injured."
Fu Shaoping stretched out his hand stubbornly, gathering a trace of weak spiritual power at his fingertips: "Cold poison. It must be dealt with immediately."
Nangong Wan wanted to refuse, but when she met those determined eyes, she gave in. She carefully sat down on the edge of the bed so that Fu Shaoping could touch her wound.
Fu Shaoping's fingers were cold, but the moment they touched the wound, he released a gentle spiritual power. Nangong Wan took a breath of cold air - this was clearly the little life force he had left!
"Are you crazy? This will only worsen your injury!" She wanted to pull her arm back, but was held firmly by Fu Shaoping.
"Don't move." Fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, but he insisted on injecting the spiritual power into her wound. The black cold poison was forced out bit by bit, turning into wisps of black smoke and dissipating in the air.
When the last trace of cold poison was cleared, Fu Shaoping finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell heavily back onto the pillow, his face paler than paper.
"Shaoping!" Nangong Wan hurriedly supported him, but found that he had fallen into coma again.
She trembled and felt his pulse. Although it was weak, it was more stable than before. Nangong Wan breathed a sigh of relief and then began to treat his wounds.
It was late at night, and the occasional chirping of insects could be heard outside the bamboo house. Nangong Wan sat by the bed, staring at Fu Shaoping's face. The Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill was taking effect, and his breathing gradually became stable, but his brows were still furrowed from time to time, as if he could not rest in his dreams.
Nangong Wan gently smoothed the wrinkles between his brows and whispered, "Go to sleep, I'll keep you company."
When the sky was turning pale, Fu Shaoping woke up again. This time his eyes were much clearer, and when he saw Nangong Wan sleeping on the bed, a trace of heartache flashed in his eyes. He tried to get up and put a coat on her, but it moved the wound on his chest, and he couldn't help but groan. "You're awake?" Nangong Wan woke up immediately, and when she saw Fu Shaoping sitting up, she quickly held him down, "Don't move, the wound will split."
Fu Shaoping shook his head: "Much better." His voice was still hoarse, but much stronger than last night, "How about you?"
Nangong Wan shook his bandaged left arm and said, "It's just a minor injury. It has been treated long ago."
The two smiled at each other, feeling grateful for having survived the disaster.
In the following days, the bamboo house was filled with the strong aroma of medicine. Nangong Wan changed Fu Shaoping's medicine every day, and Fu Shaoping insisted on using his remaining little spiritual power to regulate Nangong Wan's meridians every day - the battle with the Dragon King had overdrawn too much.
A week later in the evening, Fu Shaoping was able to get out of bed and walk. He stood under the old locust tree in the yard, staring at the sunset in the sky. Nangong Wan came out with two bowls of medicine, and when she saw his back, she unconsciously slowed down her steps.
"What are you thinking about?" She walked over to him and handed him a bowl of medicine.
Fu Shaoping took the medicine bowl and drank it all without even frowning: "The bronze fragments in the dragon king's stomach."
Nangong Wan's eyes lit up: "I was just about to tell you this!" She hurriedly finished her medicine, pulled Fu Shaoping back into the house, and took out a sandalwood box from deep in the cabinet.
Opening the box, inside was the bronze fragment engraved with the recipe for "Drunken Immortal Brew". Nangong Wan carefully took it out and placed it on the table.
"I have studied it carefully these past few days," she said, her fingers gently stroking the ancient text, "This is indeed the long-lost recipe for the Immortal Drunken Brew, but it requires seven extremely rare spiritual materials."
Fu Shaoping took a closer look and nodded, "We already have the Drunken Dragon Reverse Scale, and we still need six more."
"Thousand-year-old Fire Ganoderma, Mysterious Ice Jade Marrow, Nine Netherworld Orchid, Sky Star Sand, Phoenix Tears, and..." Nangong Wan paused, "Rootless Water."
Fu Shaoping frowned slightly: "Although the first five are rare, there are always traces to follow. This rootless water..."
"The legendary rain that does not fall to the ground when the sky is pouring down," Nangong Wan continued, "can only be found by chance but not by force."
The two were silent for a moment, and Fu Shaoping suddenly laughed: "Interesting."
Nangong Wan raised his eyebrows: "I almost lost my life to get this formula, and you actually said it's interesting?"
Fu Shaoping pointed to a line of small characters on the edge of the bronze fragment: "Look here - 'Seven materials gathered together, can be brewed into immortal wine, drink it can connect heaven and earth, and understand the great way'."
Nangong Wan's eyes lit up: "If I can make this wine, maybe it can cure the hidden injury in your meridians!"
Fu Shaoping looked at her excitedly, his eyes full of tenderness: "Then go find it."
After another half month of recuperation, the injuries of the two men finally recovered by 70% to 80%. That morning, Nangong Wan was packing his luggage when Fu Shaoping came back from outside with two sets of brand new clothes in his hands.
"What is this?" Nangong Wan took one of the suits and found that it was an exquisitely crafted purple suit with fine defensive runes embroidered on the cuffs and collar.
Fu Shaoping unfolded his indigo dress: "I asked an embroiderer down the mountain to modify it and add a protective formation."
Nangong Wan felt warm in her heart, knowing that he was worried about getting into danger again. She smiled and put her clothes into her bag: "Where is the first stop?"
"The Xuanbing Valley in the north," Fu Shaoping pointed at the map, "there may be Xuanbing Jadeite there."
Three days later, the two arrived at the outskirts of Xuanbing Valley. Even in midsummer, the valley was still freezing cold, and the cliffs were covered with crystal icicles.
"It is said that the black ice jade grows in the coldest place at the bottom of the valley," Nangong Wan exhaled a breath of white air, "We have to be careful, there are usually guardian spirit beasts in such places."
Fu Shaoping nodded and took out two red pills from his arms: "Cold-avoiding pills, can last for six hours."
After taking the pill, the two felt a warm current flowing through their bodies, resisting most of the cold. They walked slowly down the icy path, taking every step carefully.
At the bottom of the valley was a huge ice cave, with an unfrozen cold pool in the middle. The water was so clear that you could see dots of blue light flickering at the bottom - it was the Mysterious Ice Jadeite!
"That's great!" Nangong Wan was about to step forward but was stopped by Fu Shaoping.
"Wait," he lowered his voice, "something is coming."
The water suddenly rippled, and a huge black shadow emerged from the depths. It was a giant snow-white turtle with blue lines all over its shell, and its eyes were like two ice crystals.
“Mysterious Ice Spirit Turtle,” Nangong Wan took a breath, “At least five hundred years of cultivation.”
The giant turtle stared at the two intruders and let out a low roar, obviously not welcoming their arrival.
Fu Shaoping slowly drew out his sword: "I will lead it away, you go get the chalcedony."
Nangong Wan held his hand and said, "No, listen to me this time." She untied the gourd from her waist and poured a few drops of crystal liquid on the ground. "The Huitian Dew is very attractive to a cold-attributed spirit beast like it."
Sure enough, the giant turtle's hostility weakened a little after smelling the scent of Huitianlu. Nangong Wan poured out a few more drops, this time getting closer to the giant turtle.
"We only need a small piece of chalcedony," she whispered to the giant turtle, "and it won't destroy your home."
The giant turtle tilted its head to look at her, as if thinking. Finally, it slowly moved its body and made way for the cold pond.
Fu Shaoping looked at Nangong Wan in surprise: "When did you learn to communicate with spirit beasts?"
Nangong Wan smiled slyly: "Secret."
The two successfully obtained a fist-sized piece of black ice jade. Before leaving, Nangong Wan left the remaining Huitianlu to the giant turtle. The giant turtle hummed in gratitude and sank to the bottom of the pool.
After leaving Xuanbing Valley, they headed east to find their next target - the Millennium Fire Ganoderma. According to intelligence, this spiritual material grows in the cracks of the underground fire in the ruins of the ancient battlefield.
The ruins of the ancient battlefield were more dangerous than they had imagined. As soon as they stepped into the outer perimeter, they felt uncomfortable - the air here was filled with a perennial evil spirit.
"Be careful," Fu Shaoping looked around vigilantly, "This kind of place is prone to breeding evil things." (End of this chapter)