The feeling of standing firmly on the ground again was wonderful. As Feng Fei stood steadily on the fleshy platform, a sense of security washed over him. Then, Feng Fei chuckled softly: He hadn't expected that in this unknown place, simply having his feet in contact with the ground would make him feel safe.
However, when Feng Fei heard the snowball in his arms exclaim the same sigh, he immediately put the thought out of his mind.
After Feng Fei and Xue Tuan stood on the meat platform, Xue Tuan quickly put away the turquoise tortoise shell. It was something extremely precious to her, and it was already quite an achievement that she had taken it out earlier to shield Feng Fei from the flying acidic fumes.
When Feng Fei saw Xue Tuan put away the tortoise shell, she didn't say anything. Although it would be best if there was a magic treasure with excellent defensive power to protect the two of them in this environment, she wouldn't force Xue Tuan if she didn't want to.
Feng Fei gripped the golden sword tightly in her right hand, sensing the remaining spiritual energy within her body, and couldn't help but feel that their future was not looking good.
Her spiritual sense probed into her storage ring, searching among the numerous pills. Fortunately, Yuan Jue had prepared a great deal for her, including a considerable amount of medicine to restore her spiritual power. Feng Fei's mind, which had been gripped tightly by pressure, immediately relaxed.
"Phew~"
Feng Fei let out a long breath, feeling that the snake-tailed fish-headed monster had arrived at a peaceful place, so the place where they were now was extremely stable.
Ignoring the mud and nausea of the flesh-covered platform, Feng Fei sat cross-legged, hoping to take this opportunity to circulate his spiritual energy. Perhaps he could recover some of his spiritual power. Even if he couldn't recover his spiritual power, he could at least recover some of the essence, energy, and spirit he had previously depleted.
As soon as she sat down, Feng Fei, who was about to meditate, suddenly remembered the black seal that she had put into her storage ring.
But before this thought could fully take hold in his mind, streams of clear water descended from the sky.
Feng Fei's reaction was definitely not slow, but compared to the various pool waters and unknown fish and shrimps suddenly pouring down on his head, Feng Fei's speed was somewhat sluggish. He was drenched from head to toe by the pool waters and fish and shrimps that had inexplicably appeared in this world. Feng Fei didn't even have time to complain. He quickly grabbed the dazed Xue Tuan beside him and leaped towards a higher position on the meat platform.
The place Feng Fei had just reached was blocked by a protruding fleshy wall, forming a natural fleshy cave. The fierce pool water slammed against that wall. Some of it bounced back quickly, while some dripped down. Feng Fei and Xue Tuan quickly nestled inside, staring blankly at the pool water and fish and shrimp falling from the sky.
"Snowball. This fish-headed monster seems to be eating."
"Um……"
"The acidic water from deep inside seems to be rising."
"Um……"
"what to do?"
Before Feng Fei could finish speaking, he quickly grabbed Xue Tuan and jumped out of the flesh hole, soaring to a higher place.
However, during the question-and-answer session between Feng Fei and Xue Tuan, the acidic water from the deep ravine, which had previously been more than just shallow, overflowed onto the fleshy platform where Feng Fei had discovered the black seal.
Feng Fei kicked repeatedly. Her spiritual energy was also being unleashed without restraint, and the Yuanling Pill she was chanting was ready to replenish her power at any moment. She had witnessed the corrosive power of that acidic water firsthand; even a few drops had caused her excruciating pain. If the acid-mixed pool water were to overflow over her head, her death would likely be imminent.
Rather than sit and wait to die, why not take a gamble?
When she hid inside the fleshy cave earlier, she noticed several protruding sections on the fleshy walls in a flash. If she could use her agility to utilize those protruding sections, she might have a chance of survival.
After thinking it over, Feng Fei began to move.
But thinking about it is one thing, doing it is another. If there hadn't been the constant influx of water from above, Feng Fei's movements would have been easier and more convenient. Of course, without the water, she wouldn't have needed to react in these ways.
The water pouring down from above was incredibly swift, carrying with it many strangely shaped fish and shrimp, as well as small, sharp pebbles. It was extremely difficult for Feng Fei to avoid these things as he leaped forward.
Some of the surviving fish and shrimp, upon seeing Feng Fei, seemed to see a glimmer of hope and tried their best to hold him back. However, because these fish and shrimp were too large, and the water was falling extremely fast, they didn't cause Feng Fei much trouble. What really bothered Feng Fei were the pebbles, invisible to the naked eye: these small, sharp pebbles, either mixed in with the splashing water droplets, shot directly at his cheeks; if he had reacted even a fraction slower, a cut on his face would have been inevitable. Other pebbles, carried by the current, poured directly onto his forehead; while not as powerful as the pebbles in the splashing water, they still stung his cheeks.
What troubled Feng Fei the most were the living aquatic plants. Unlike fish, shrimp, or pebbles, these aquatic plants, with their soft bodies, had an advantage over other things in the overwhelming pool of water. They fell much slower in the water, and their falling direction and force changed constantly with the strength and direction of the water flow.
As the water plants fell, they passed by Feng Fei. At first, she didn't notice them, until another plant unexpectedly wrapped around her ankle. The originally soft leaves became extremely sharp the moment they touched her skin, cutting her skin and drawing out beads of blood. Before the blood could dissipate with the water, it was immediately absorbed by the plant. As the blood was absorbed, the plant became even more agile, its sharp leaves taking on an extremely chilling aura, as if it would saw through Feng Fei's ankle at any moment.
Feng Fei gasped, and as he leaped, he plunged the golden sword between the water plants and his ankle. With a sudden burst of strength, he managed to break some of the water plants.
Because of this movement, Feng Fei's leap suddenly faltered, and there was no suitable place to step on. The next moment, Feng Fei, holding Xue Tuan, began to fall downwards, while the water plants, disregarding the presence of the golden sword, wrapped around Feng Fei's ankles even more tightly.
"hold me!"
Feng Fei let out a low roar, then drew out the snake bone whip, poured spiritual power into it, and the snake bone whip immediately became agile.
With a flick of his left hand, the snake-bone whip shot upwards against the current, just barely reaching a protruding fleshy wall where it tightly wrapped around it. And the instant it wrapped around the fleshy wall, the snake-bone whip was pulled taut.
"call--"
Feng Fei let out a long sigh of relief, secretly thinking how close he had come to disaster. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
Chapter Six: Gastric Juice
Although the water from the pool above stung Feng Fei's face, he felt much more at ease.
He let out a long sigh, but before the breath could even finish, a piercing pain shot through his entire body from his ankle.
Feng Fei cursed under his breath and poured his spiritual power into the golden sword, which immediately burst forth with a beam of light over ten feet long.
As the light shone, the water plants tightly wrapped around Feng Fei's ankles suddenly twisted.
The golden sword emitted a sharp, piercing light, but it seemed somewhat ineffective when cutting through the water plants. This wasn't because the sword lacked power, but because the light was already diminished considerably by the current, and the constant twisting and turning of the water plants further reduced the force, so only about one-tenth of the light ultimately reached the plants.
Snowball nestled in Fengfei's arms, slowly channeling spiritual energy into him. Although it was extremely difficult to communicate with heaven and earth at this time, Snowball was able to draw small amounts of water essence from the pools flowing down from above to replenish its own depletion.
With the support of Xue Tuan's spiritual power, Feng Fei suddenly became much more powerful.
Feng Fei poured even more of his spiritual power into the golden sword, which, supported by Feng Fei's spiritual power, suddenly shone brightly. But the moment the light touched the water plants, they all snapped off with a series of "pops".
Before Feng Fei could rejoice, he quickly sheathed the golden sword, hugged the snowball in his right arm, and looked up.
Apart from the cave entrance where the "waterfall" continuously cascaded down, everything above was pitch black. If he hadn't touched something earlier, and there was some light in the lower part of this space, Feng Fei probably wouldn't be able to see anything at this moment.
Persistence pays off. Finally, Feng Fei spotted a somewhat open area above by the dim light. Overjoyed, he prepared to set off.
After quickly calculating the distance and the loss of spiritual energy, Feng Fei realized that the remaining spiritual energy in her body was definitely not enough for them to leap upwards. Without hesitation, Feng Fei swallowed the Yuanling Pill that she had been holding in her mouth.
As soon as the Yuanling Pill entered his stomach, it transformed into a warm current that flowed through his limbs and bones. Before long, the spiritual energy in Feng Fei's body, which was about to be depleted, was replenished to its peak.
With a smirk, Feng Fei told Xue Tuan to hold on tight before forcefully vibrating the snake bone whip.
As the snake-bone whip swayed Feng Fei and Xue Tuan from side to side, Feng Fei channeled his spiritual energy into his legs. With a series of kicks, he rose upwards, releasing the snake-bone whip. Without a trace of panic on Feng Fei's face, he swung the whip towards a protruding fleshy wall he had previously chosen. The whip's tail coiled around him, Feng Fei's body tensed, and in the next moment, pulled by the whip's force, Feng Fei, carrying Xue Tuan, dodged the rushing water and continued leaping upwards.
After alternating like this for a short while, Feng Fei and his companion arrived at the place they had previously chosen.
This meat platform was much darker and heavier than the one below. Perhaps it was due to a lack of exercise. It was also much firmer than the one below, and not as sticky or greasy, which made Fengfei and Xuetuan feel much more comfortable.
Just as Feng Fei and Xue Tuan arrived at the meat platform, the snake-tailed fish-headed monster seemed to stop eating, and the water flowing down from it gradually decreased. Just as Feng Fei and Xue Tuan relaxed their guard, the snake-tailed fish-headed monster suddenly flipped over.
Caught off guard, Feng Fei and Xue Tuan fell off the meat platform.
Her right hand lashed out with a snake-bone whip, quickly wrapping around the nearest protruding fleshy wall. Her left hand swiftly reached out, catching the snowball that had just fallen beside her.
It seemed like a long time, but it actually only happened in an instant.
Suspended in mid-air, Feng Fei had no way to wipe the sweat from his forehead and temples, and could only keep thinking to himself how close he had come to disaster.
Feng Fei and Xue Tuan hung in mid-air, their bodies swaying gently with the snake bone whip. After a long while, Feng Fei finally exhaled the breath that had been trapped in his chest.
"That was so close!"
Xue Tuan wrapped her legs around Feng Fei's body, one arm around Feng Fei's neck, and the other gently patted her chest. Hearing Feng Fei's exclamation, she quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, Xue Tuan was terrified!"
The snake-bone whip swayed less and less with Feng Fei and Xue Tuan, and at this point Feng Fei had the energy to look down.
The various small fish, shrimp, and colorful aquatic plants that had been swept away by the current were still swimming freely in the swollen water below, seemingly unaffected by the acidic water. A hint of doubt crept into Feng Fei's mind: could their earlier encounter have been a hoax?
Feng Fei shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind. After all, the pain from the previous skin-corroding was still lingering, so the acidic water below must not have yet dispersed into the water to affect the fish, shrimp, and aquatic plants.
Just then, Feng Fei, hovering in the air, clearly saw drops of dark green substance seeping out from the previously crystal-clear water. Not only from the bottom, but also from the surrounding fleshy walls, the walls, through compression and writhing, forced these viscous, dark green droplets of liquid out. These droplets, falling into the water, only stirred up a few droplets before dissolving in the water shortly afterward.
As the dark green substance slowly blended in, the fish and shrimp that had been swimming leisurely in the water suddenly began to churn wildly, their fins and tiny feet disappearing at an extremely slow pace. Gradually, all the water turned light green, and layers of dark film floated on the surface, separating the underwater world from the surface world.
Gradually, the signs of life in the fish and shrimp underwater disappeared, and their struggling movements eventually stopped.
In Feng Fei's eyes, the fish, shrimp, and aquatic plants underwater, pressed and writhing against the surrounding fleshy walls, along with the dark green substance, were slowly disappearing. At the same time, she felt a peculiar power permeating the entire space, seemingly life force, yet also a kind of spiritual energy, which Feng Fei could not discern. Suddenly, an extremely subtle suction force emanated from the upper space where Feng Fei was located, and that peculiar power slowly entered the fleshy walls of the snake-tailed fish-headed monster.
"Snowball, I've discovered a rather unpleasant fact..."
What is it?
"We—it seems we're inside a monster's stomach."
"Hmm, and then what?"
"This is bad..."
Before Feng Fei could finish speaking, he suddenly sensed something about to drip down from above, which seemed to be the dark green stuff that had digested the fish, shrimp and aquatic plants.
Those dark green things might just be gastric juices—"Snowball, hold on tight!" Feng Fei shouted, raising his golden sword to block above his head. A piercing corrosive sound immediately filled his ears, making them ache. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
Chapter Seven: The Shadow
Feng Fei grinned and blocked the drop of gastric juice. He then channeled his spiritual power into the golden sword and, with the help of the swaying snake bone whip, kicked hard as it approached one of the fleshy walls.
Using the force of the kick, Feng Fei, holding Xue Tuan, leaped upwards. The snake-bone whip followed the momentum and wrapped around a protrusion on the upper part of the flesh wall, slowing the downward trend.
At first, only a few drops of gastric juice fell from above, but gradually, more and more gastric juice appeared, and Feng Fei, who had been somewhat calm, suddenly became flustered.
Suddenly, a drop of gastric juice landed on Feng Fei's shoulder, where he was gripping the snake-bone whip, as he dodged the other gastric juices.
The powerful corrosive force instantly pierced through Feng Fei's clothes on his shoulder, exposing a fist-sized patch of skin to the gastric juices. A searing pain instantly overwhelmed him, causing Feng Fei to shudder and nearly drop the snake-bone whip.
Clenching his teeth, Feng Fei swallowed the Yuanling Pill, its medicinal power instantly transforming into a warm current that flowed throughout his body. Under Feng Fei's deliberate control, the medicinal power concentrated on his shoulder, counteracting the corrosive effects of his stomach acid. Although the Yuanling Pill was meant to replenish spiritual energy, Feng Fei had no way to retrieve any healing medicine from his storage ring at the moment, so he had to use the Yuanling Pill as a substitute.
Fortunately, the Yuanling Pill was mild in nature. Although it was a pill to replenish spiritual energy, it also contained one or two healing herbs, so it played a role at this moment. In addition, due to the special nature of Feng Fei's own spiritual energy, the combination with the medicinal power caused the gastric juices to only break through Feng Fei's skin and not seep further down.
However, Feng Fei wasn't feeling too good either, since the gastric juices were directly hitting his skin, and a tug-of-war was raging between his skin and the medicinal and spiritual power. In just a moment, large beads of sweat rolled down Feng Fei's forehead.
Seeing that he was finding it increasingly difficult to grip the snake-bone whip, Feng Fei diverted his attention. He channeled some of his spiritual energy into his feet, barely dodging a few drops of gastric juice, and then, using the swaying of the snake-bone whip, stepped onto the fleshy wall. As he leaped upwards again, Feng Fei quickly switched hands, moving the golden sword to his right hand. His left hand, uninjured on his shoulder, pulled the snake-bone whip.
The instant he grabbed the snake-bone whip, Feng Fei felt a sudden heaviness in his body. It turned out his spiritual energy had been temporarily depleted. Feng Fei looked at his right shoulder in shock, not expecting the snake-tailed fish-headed monster's stomach acid to be so ferocious. Fortunately, the stomach acid in his shoulder had already been almost completely worn down in the tug-of-war between the medicinal power and his spiritual energy. His spiritual energy was almost entirely exhausted, but thankfully, a considerable amount of the medicinal power remained, giving Feng Fei a brief respite.
Xue Tuan's slightly cold little hands rested on Feng Fei's abdomen. One arm was around Feng Fei's neck, and her beautiful eyes were brimming with tears, as if she were about to burst into them. However, Xue Tuan knew she couldn't let Feng Fei be distracted right now. So, she bit her pink lips tightly, doing her best to channel some spiritual energy into Feng Fei.
Snowball was originally the embodiment of a spiritual spring, and a very special one at that. Its true form was an extremely rare treasure to all discerning people in the world. If one could obtain even a single drop of its essence and consume it, it could increase one's cultivation by at least two levels, or even help a cultivator break through a major hurdle in their cultivation journey. However, Snowball's cultivation to date had only condensed all its essence into a single ball of blood essence in its heart. A significant portion of this essence was already consumed in its efforts to save Feng Fei from the World-Destroying Array, and although it subsequently received some benefits from Mochou Lake, Snowball's cultivation level was still somewhat lower than at its initial stage.
This doesn't mean that Xue Tuan couldn't provide Feng Fei with a single drop of essence. If Feng Fei could receive Xue Tuan's essence at this moment, not only would his cultivation level improve, but his spiritual power would also increase significantly, and he might even gain some automatic recovery abilities. However, Feng Fei wouldn't allow Xue Tuan to do this, and when he sensed Xue Tuan's intention, he sternly refused.