Without time to think, Feng Fei followed Xue Tuan and Ming Feng and jumped into the lake.
Yuan Jue reacted quickly. Seeing Feng Fei's expression, he knew what she was going to do next. So, when Feng Fei got up and jumped, he wrapped his arms around her and jumped into the lake with her.
The moment it entered the water, the world changed completely.
Feng Fei looked in surprise at the scenery beneath his feet, around him, and above him; they had actually entered a place isolated from the lake. Xue Tuan and Ming Feng were not far ahead, crouching down as if studying something on the ground.
Seeing that Xue Tuan and Ming Feng were not in any danger, Feng Fei began to observe the surrounding situation.
The scenery beneath this lake reminded Feng Fei of the Water Moon Cave at the bottom of Mochou Lake. Yuan Jue's expression was not good, clearly also thinking of the time he lost Feng Fei in the Water Moon Cave. Thinking of this, Yuan Jue held Feng Fei's hand tightly, as if afraid that Feng Fei would disappear right under his nose.
"Sister Feifei, come quick!" Xue Tuan suddenly turned around and waved to Feng Fei and Yuan Jue, signaling them to come over quickly.
Feng Fei didn't bother to observe the surrounding situation. He quickly took two steps and came up behind Xue Tuan. He craned his neck and saw that Xue Tuan and Ming Feng were doing something.
This was something resembling a spring, but instead of water, it gushed forth tiny, snow-white beasts with limbs and small heads. Feng Fei looked at these beasts and felt a strong sense of familiarity. After a moment, she realized what they were and whispered, "Ah, aren't these exactly like Snowball's original form? Could these be beings like Snowball too?"
Snowball shook its head violently, its childish voice echoing throughout the space: "These little things are different from Snowball! Snowball is a spiritual spring with consciousness, feelings, and abilities, while they are just things that store extremely powerful and pure energy, or you could say they are a special kind of rare and precious treasure! They can enhance our strength without any negative effects. Of course, these little things are most useful to Snowball!"
After saying this with a grin, Xue Tuan focused intently on dealing with the creatures. It was only then that Feng Fei noticed Xue Tuan wasn't empty-handed. A crystal-clear, lustrous thread was wrapped around her hand. Whenever the thread passed by the little creatures, they would involuntarily fly up and string onto the thread, transforming into sparkling, translucent beads.
Feng Fei had no idea about these little things, and Xue Tuan's previous explanation had not completely cleared up his doubts. Feng Fei couldn't help but look at Yuan Jue.
Yuan Jue smiled faintly and slowly explained the origins of these little things to Feng Fei.
"These little things are essentially similar to snowballs, belonging to the essence of spiritual springs, but the difference lies in their formation conditions. Snowballs are born and nurtured by nature. They are unique existences in the world, endowed with their initial intelligence by heaven and earth, meaning they are children of heaven and earth. These things, on the other hand, are formed later, created when a special aquatic spirit beast in the world cries. They are extremely beautiful mermaids, also known as merfolk, mostly living in the deep sea, but they also exist in many freshwater areas inland."
"The tears shed by these mermaids when they are moved or in pain become full pearls. Of course, these initially formed pearls are not the little things before us. The falling pearls only fall into the spring water imbued with spiritual energy within twelve hours. After thousands of years of sedimentation, they can form the little things before us. And these little things are called Jade Dew. The origin of the name is unknown, but what is known is that these Jade Dews have an extremely strong ability to improve cultivation, but each person can only consume three in their lifetime. However, this restriction should be ineffective for Xue Tuan."
“Drip-like dew is extremely difficult to form, and even if it does, there are only two or three droplets. A fountain-like display of drip-like dew like this before us is almost impossible. Yet, it has appeared right before us.” Yuan Jue gave a wry smile and continued, “There are only two possibilities for the sheer number of drip-like dew droplets before us to form. One is that these droplets have existed in the world for over ten thousand years, capable of producing second and third generations. The other possibility is that they were nourished by extremely precious treasures of heaven and earth, which are usually guarded by powerful ferocious beasts. I hope we have encountered the first scenario…”
Before Yuan Jue could finish speaking, the space suddenly began to shake. Yuan Jue said to Feng Fei with a headache, "It seems we have encountered the second situation."
Xue Tuan and Ming Feng also sensed the unusual activity around them. By this time, they had already collected all the remaining Dewdrops they could gather, so they quickly returned to Feng Fei and Yuan Jue's side.
The entire space was trembling, almost making it difficult to stand.
"Yuanjue, what do we do now?!"
Their bodies could barely stand, and a cacophony of violent sounds filled their ears, throbbing painfully in their eardrums. At this moment, all that remained of communication between Feng Fei and the others was screaming. The spiritual connection they maintained would be shattered the instant it left their bodies.
Yuan Jue didn't have any particularly good solutions to the current almost uncontrollable situation. At this moment, Xue Tuan had already summoned the azure tortoise shell, and the hazy halo enveloped Feng Fei and the other three, immediately reducing much of the noise.
At this moment, Feng Fei had already held Xue Tuan and Ming Feng in his arms. Yuan Jue, on the other hand, was half-embracing Feng Fei, while holding his weapon in one hand, wary of any potential danger.
This violent and exaggerated tremor lasted for four hours before gradually subsiding. By then, Feng Fei and the other three were almost weak in the knees and dizzy. If it weren't for their willpower, they would have collapsed to the ground long ago.
When Feng Fei came to his senses, he was surprised to find that they were no longer in the same place.
Feng Fei subconsciously looked up, but the scenery above them remained unchanged, as if they could easily fly out of the water if they flew upwards. However, Feng Fei did not make any rash moves and instead began to observe this new place.
They were in an extremely narrow cave with no way back and only a narrow passage in front of them, just wide enough for one person to pass through.
Feng Fei's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly remembered where he was.
“Yuan Jue, do you remember me telling you that I once saw the Red Lotus of Karmic Fire?”
Yuan Jue nodded slowly, waiting for Feng Fei to continue.
“I think we are right here in front of the cave where I first encountered the Karmic Fire Red Lotus.”
These words shocked not only Yuan Jue, but also Xue Tuan and Ming Feng. Xue Tuan and Ming Feng were both naturally born and raised, and many of their memories were directly inherited from heaven and earth, so they were very familiar with the Karmic Fire Red Lotus.
"Sister Feifei, are you sure it's the Karmic Fire Red Lotus?" Mingfeng couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice, while Xuetuan beside her stared at Fengfei with her big, expectant eyes.
Feng Fei hesitated, somewhat uncertainly, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, we should be able to see the Karmic Fire Lotus after entering the cave. But the Karmic Fire Lotus shouldn't be here, or rather, I don't even know where the Karmic Fire Lotus I saw before should be growing. Although I'm not sure yet, I have a strong sense of familiarity with it, so let's go in and take a look!"
As Feng Fei was about to walk into the narrow cave, Yuan Jue grabbed him, saying, "Let me go first."
Feng Fei did not refuse Yuan Jue's kindness. He nodded slightly and followed closely behind Yuan Jue into the cave, while Xue Tuan and Ming Feng followed closely behind him.
The passage was extremely long, and just when Yuan Jue thought he would never reach the end, a hazy light appeared ahead.
Yuan Jue was overjoyed and quickened his pace considerably.
Before long, Yuan Jue reached the end of the passage, and a scene familiar to Feng Fei was fully revealed to everyone.
Drops of milky white, millennia-old emulsion seeped from the stone wall and fell into the milky white pool below. In the very center of the pool, a red lotus, entwined with endless karma, was gently swaying. A unique, almost imperceptible rhythm spread outwards with the slight movement of the karmic red lotus.
"It really is the Karmic Fire Red Lotus!" Feng Fei excitedly tugged at Yuan Jue's sleeve, and the next moment Feng Fei raised his right hand high, and strands of ten-thousand-year-old milk exuding a surging aura floated from the pool water and slowly seeped into the ring.
The ring was being repaired at a speed visible to the naked eye, while Feng Yi and Feng San inside groaned with great pleasure and then immersed themselves in the cultivation of using the millennia-old lotion to repair themselves.
Feng Fei's face grew increasingly pale, a sign that he had overdrawn his spiritual energy. Using the Ten-Thousand-Year Elixir directly in front of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus would certainly have resulted in its suppression, but the Karmic Fire Red Lotus seemed to remember Feng Fei, applying pressure only at Feng Fei's limit, slowly and precisely enhancing his strength. It was precisely because of this that Feng Fei persevered until the ring was completely repaired.
The complete repair of the ring also meant that Feng Yi and Feng San could easily enter and exit the ring. The moment the ring was repaired, Feng Yi appeared in front of everyone.
At this moment, Fei Feng ignored the others and looked at Feng Fei with a look of satisfaction: "Feng Fei, you really did not disappoint us. The six of us came out together, but now only Feng San and I are left. Although we suffered some serious losses, fortunately your strength has been improved enough, and you have come to the Karmic Fire Red Lotus again this time."
At this point, Feng Yi suddenly turned to the Karmic Fire Red Lotus and shouted, "Red Lotus, return to your place at once!"
Chapter Twenty-Five: Karmic Fire Red Lotus and Snowball
None of the four, including Feng Fei, knew what Feng Yi was up to, and could only stare wide-eyed, waiting for the next development.
The karmic fire lotus, which had been gently swaying in the ten-thousand-year-old emulsion, suddenly shrank to the size of a palm and flew towards Feng Fei after Feng Yi's soft shout.
Upon realizing the power of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus, Yuan Jue was immediately terrified and rushed towards Feng Fei. However, Feng Yi seemed to have anticipated the reactions of Yuan Jue and the others, only realizing they were trapped in place when they moved.
Yuan Jue watched with fury as the Red Lotus of Karmic Fire touched Feng Fei's brow, and Feng Fei instantly burst into a blazing inferno of karmic fire.
Yuan Jue could hardly bear to look any longer; he was afraid that what he would see was Feng Fei reduced to ashes.
Just when everyone thought that Feng Fei had turned to ashes, they discovered that all the karmic fire on Feng Fei's body had suddenly disappeared completely, as if it had never appeared at all. At this moment, Yuan Jue also noticed that a red lotus mark had appeared between Feng Fei's eyebrows.
Feng Fei floated in mid-air with his eyes tightly closed and his arms outstretched, surrounded by an extremely terrifying aura—the residual power of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus. Now, the Karmic Fire Red Lotus had entered Feng Fei's body, taking root in his sea of consciousness between his brows. However, Feng Fei's condition was extremely unstable; the sea of nerves within his sea of consciousness was unable to withstand the scorching karmic force of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus and was gradually showing signs of drying up.
Feng Yi gave Xue Tuan a deep look, and to Ming Feng's astonishment, Xue Tuan instantly reverted to its original form as a spirit spring and pounced towards Feng Fei.
With a soft "poof" sound, the snowball disappeared from everyone's sight.
Feng Fei felt as if her soul was being burned, every part of her body aching with intense pain. She desperately wanted to find a cool and comfortable place to lean on. As if the heavens had heard her plea, Feng Fei suddenly felt a cool stream of water dripping onto her heart. Then came a refreshing and soothing sensation that penetrated her very being. Feng Fei almost groaned in pleasure. Her lips trembled as she whispered, "Snowball... Snowball..."
There was no response from his dantian for a long time. Just when Feng Fei was about to think it was his imagination, he suddenly felt the snowball respond.
"Fei... Sister Fei..."
"Snowball! Snowball, where are you?" Feng Fei shouted excitedly when he received Snowball's response, afraid that if his reaction was too slow or too soft, Snowball would not be able to sense him.
"Sister Feifei...you and I...are together..."
Although Xue Tuan's reply carried a hint of joy, Feng Fei also sensed Xue Tuan's weakness. Even though she had already guessed what had happened, Feng Fei still couldn't believe it and cautiously replied to Xue Tuan, "Xue Tuan, be good, tell Sister Fei Fei where you are?"
"The Sea of Consciousness..." Xue Tuan's reply came intermittently. Feng Fei immediately withdrew his consciousness back to the Sea of Consciousness. However, the Sea of Consciousness still contained only calm, azure water and the karmic fire lotus gently rippling in the very center.
"...This...here..." Perhaps sensing Feng Fei's return, Xue Tuan's voice was filled with joy as she quickly guided Feng Fei closer to where she was.
It was only at this point that Feng Fei finally found the location of the snowball.
Beneath the crimson lotus of karmic fire lay a hidden spring, from which gurgled, pale blue water slowly flowed, instantly merging with the surrounding azure water. Within this vast sea of consciousness, this spring was so small as to be almost invisible.
Feng Fei asked softly, her voice trembling, "Snowball?"
A faint consciousness emanated from the spring; it was Xuetuan.
Feng Fei finally couldn't hold back any longer and cried out, "How could this happen!"
"Sister Feifei...don't cry...don't cry..."
Why did this happen?!
Feng Fei roared to the sky, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he abruptly stood up straight. At that moment, Feng Fei outside opened his eyes, his sharp gaze fixed on Feng Yi, and demanded in a stern voice, "Why! Why is Xue Tuan turning into that!"
If Feng Fei weren't still unable to move, he would definitely pounce on Feng Yi and be determined to find out what happened to Xue Tuan.
Feng Yi completely ignored Feng Fei's roars and questions, and continued to do what she was supposed to do.
Feng Yi gently waved the Ten-Thousand-Year Emulsion, which had lost its Karmic Fire Red Lotus, and a large amount of the emulsion left the rock pool and flew towards Feng Fei.
Feng Fei, completely disregarding the ten-thousand-year-old emulsion that was about to engulf her, still stared fiercely at Feng Yi, demanding an answer that would satisfy her.
Perhaps because Feng Fei had been staring at her for so long, Feng Yi slowly spoke after the Ten Thousand Year Milk had completely enveloped Feng Fei: "That was Xue Tuan's innate mission. If Xue Tuan hadn't been willing, I would never have had the ability to transform Xue Tuan into a spiritual spring in your sea of consciousness. And the equal blood pact you signed with Xue Tuan changed when she completely merged with you. If you can complete the tribulations that follow, then Xue Tuan may reappear. But if you fail, you will both fall into hell together."
Feng Yi's voice was slow and heavy, striking Feng Fei's heart with a powerful blow.
Outside, Mingfeng was only momentarily flustered when the snowball flew towards Fengfei, but then seemed to realize something, and showed no other emotion except for a look of sadness.
Yuan Jue could naturally sense Ming Feng's abnormality, but at this moment all his attention was focused on Feng Fei. Even if he had any questions, he could only think about them after Feng Fei was completely safe.
Feng Fei fell into deep thought after hearing Feng Yi's words, remaining silent for a long time, completely unaware of the intense pain caused by the Ten Thousand Years' Emulsion transforming her body.
The Eternal Emulsion improved Feng Fei's body extremely quickly. Since Feng Fei's body had already been tempered to a certain degree, the Eternal Emulsion only played a supplementary role.
Thinking of the future roles of Yuanjue and Mingfeng, and considering the abundance of the millennium-old milk here, Feng Yi generously unleashed bursts of millennium-old milk towards Yuanjue and Mingfeng.
With only three milky-white cocoons remaining in the cave, Feng Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did she have the energy to think about her future plans. Looking at the vast amount of millennium-old emulsion left, Feng Yi thought for a moment, then took out a white jade porcelain bottle. She gently wiped the top of the bottle with her right hand and held it up to the millennium-old emulsion. Instantly, the emulsion in the pool flowed into the bottle.
It seemed that the growth of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus was missing, and the accumulated emulsion of many years was gone. The surrounding rock walls no longer oozed emulsion, and instead resembled a dry cave, without a trace of water.
The tempering of Feng Fei, Yuan Jue, and Ming Feng's bodies didn't take too long. When all the white cocoons around them disappeared, Yuan Jue found that his body could move again, and without thinking, he rushed to Feng Fei and hugged him tightly.
Feng Fei could feel Yuan Jue trembling in his arms. Although she wanted to comfort him, the thought of Xue Tuan filled her with sadness, and she couldn't bring herself to say anything comforting. Yuan Jue seemed to sense what Feng Fei was thinking, and instead held her tightly, gently patting her to soothe her pain.
At this moment, Mingfeng slowly walked to Fengyi's side. After Fengyi whispered a few words to him, he stared blankly at a certain place without saying a word.
No one in the cave noticed Feng Yi. Feng Yi knew the importance of Xue Tuan in Feng Fei's heart, but she knew that if she hadn't let Xue Tuan reveal its true form and merge into Feng Fei's consciousness under those circumstances, Feng Fei would have only met with death and dissipation, which was naturally not what she wanted to see.