"Thunder Pool and Skywind Valley? Those must be where the Wind Spirit Pearl and Thunder Spirit Pearl appear. Do you know their exact locations? I want to check them out," Evan Chu said.
"Evan, I really think you shouldn't go. Those two places are basically forbidden zones in the Divine Battlefield. Even if you had seventh-layer Saint Martial strength, entering would be almost certain death. The killing winds in Skywind Valley and the Nine Heavens Divine Lightning in Thunder Pool are terrifying beyond imagination—nobody can withstand them," the Fire Dragon King said.
"Is it really that scary? Has anyone ever gone in? The Wind Spirit Pearl and Thunder Spirit Pearl are things I have to get, no matter how dangerous it is," Evan insisted, his face showing pure defiance.
"I'm not trying to discourage you, but everyone who's gone into Thunder Pool has never come out. As for Skywind Valley, seven people entered and only one made it out—his body was covered in wounds so deep you could see bone. Even with spirit medicine, he died not long after. And keep in mind, the weakest person to ever go in was already fourth-layer Saint Martial," the Fire Dragon King said.
Evan felt a wave of unease. From the Fire Dragon King's words, it was obvious just how deadly those places were—even with his superior defenses, the risk was off the charts.
"Did the survivor say anything? What was his cultivation level at the time?" Evan asked.
"When he woke up, he was completely insane—must've been scared out of his mind. His cultivation was at the fifth layer of the Saint Martial Realm. That should tell you just how deadly those places are," the Fire Dragon King said.
After pondering for a moment, Evan said, "So where exactly is the Heavenward Spirit Water? I could go after that first, unseal the Frostbane Sword, and then check out those two places."
"The place where Heavenward Spirit Water appears is also extremely dangerous, but with your current strength you should be able to get it. The miasma is nasty, but it shouldn't affect you much. How about we go check it out now?" the Fire Dragon King suggested.
The Fire Dragon King immediately told Evan the exact location of the canyon where Heavenward Spirit Water appeared. Once Evan had the coordinates, he teleported over without hesitation.
The canyon was nameless, surrounded by mountains so tall their peaks vanished into the clouds. After surveying the area, Evan said, "This must be the place. Judging by the terrain, there are probably vicious demon beasts around. Any beast that can survive in this miasma must be insanely poisonous."
"I can't say for sure, so you'd better be careful. If you really run into trouble, your speed should be enough to get you out. Let's go—the later it gets, the harder it'll be to search," the Fire Dragon King said.
Evan landed from the sky and slowly walked into the canyon. As soon as he entered, a thick layer of misty gas appeared—this had to be the miasma.
There weren't many plants on the surrounding cliffs—definitely because of the miasma. But Evan spotted some black plants, even their blossoms were pitch-black. He found it unbelievable; these had to be extremely toxic. If used to refine poison, they'd be terrifyingly effective.
Evan kept moving deeper into the canyon, but he had no idea what the Heavenward Spirit Water looked like. He sent a divine sense message to Luna, the Sword Spirit: "Sis Luna, Heavenward Spirit Water isn't just a spring, right? How am I supposed to recognize it?"
Luna chuckled, "I thought you'd be more patient. Heavenward Spirit Water is actually a liquid that forms on certain plants. On its own, it's one of the deadliest poisons in the world, but when paired with Sacred Snow Lotus, it becomes a miraculous fertilizer."
"Fertilizer? Now I'm confused. How can a deadly poison be used as fertilizer? Does Heavenward Spirit Water make Sacred Snow Lotus grow faster?" Evan asked.
"Looks like you're not that slow after all. Yes, Heavenward Spirit Water can make Sacred Snow Lotus grow rapidly. When it matures, the lotus emits seven-colored holy light—pure enough to break any evil seal. That's exactly how you unseal the Frostbane Sword," Luna explained.
Only now did Evan realize why the Frostbane Sword's seal needed two such rare materials—the seven-colored holy light was the key. So he asked, "Can that light break the Netherworld barrier too? It should be evil, right?"
"I just said you weren't slow, and now you're hopeless. The Netherworld barrier was laid down by several Saint Martial experts working together—there's nothing evil about it. There's only one way to break it, and I've already told you before. This canyon isn't simple, so stay alert," Luna said.
Since Luna said the canyon wasn't simple, Evan knew it had to be extremely dangerous—there was a good chance one of Venerable Solus's ancient ferocious beasts was lurking inside. Maybe he'd even get another demon core out of this.
"So what kind of plant does Heavenward Spirit Water form on? If I don't know what to look for, I won't recognize it even if I see it," Evan asked.
"It forms on Black Lotus. Black Lotus is a heavenly treasure—if you're lucky enough to get Black Lotus seeds, they'll be a huge help if you ever reach another world. Black Lotus is especially good at gathering immortal spiritual qi; you'll understand in time," Luna explained.
Evan stopped talking and moved slowly, fully extending his divine sense to search for Black Lotus. He walked for over ten miles before finally stopping.
A few hundred meters ahead, three towering black lotus stalks appeared before him. Evan recognized them immediately, but unlike normal lotuses, these grew on the cliff face, not in water.
A layer of black mist filled the air, but that wasn't the real threat. Not far from the lotus, a centipede tens of meters long lay motionless on the ground.
Seeing the centipede, Evan remembered the Hellwing Centipede he'd encountered before—it nearly killed him and Yang Rui, and he was only saved by Shadow's help.
If he'd had his current strength back then, he wouldn't have feared it—he could've killed them all with a single strike. But this centipede was definitely on another level; its massive body rivaled a giant python's, maybe even tougher than the Azure Spirit Drake.
"Evan, do you see that centipede? That's most likely the Divine Fire Centipede. Its poison flame is insanely dangerous, especially to your eyes. Be careful—its body size means its strength is probably sixth-layer Saint Martial or higher."
"That's not even the worst part. Its hundreds of antennae can detach instantly and shoot out as hidden weapons—they hit just as hard as your Earthsplitter. And its defense is monstrous, so watch yourself," the Fire Dragon King warned.
Evan felt his head ache—every beast he faced was tougher than the last. But he already had a plan: the Unicorn Arm the Fire Unicorn gave him was still unused. Now was the perfect time to test its power against the Divine Fire Centipede...