Chapter 076: Essence of Life

Thinking of this, Chen Xiao hesitated no longer. With a single gesture, he activated the Water Control Technique from the “Yù” Art, and a white wave began to gather rapidly in the air.
White water—light, delicate water, the lightest form in existence.
Suddenly, the waves of this light water changed rapidly and in an instant turned into a white cloud about one meter in diameter.
Chen Xiao raised his right foot and stepped onto it. The white, light water did not disperse at all from his step. Under his mental power, the white cloud formed from the light water became highly condensed, almost solid.
“Go!”
With a movement of his mental power, the white cloud began to rise slowly, stopping about five meters above the lake surface, unable to go any higher.
“It seems my mental power isn’t enough; otherwise, it wouldn’t be limited to this,” Chen Xiao said, shaking his head slightly, though he was still satisfied.
When he withdrew his mental power, the white cloud dissipated gently, and Chen Xiao’s body slowly descended, landing steadily on the lake surface.
The test flight was successful, and Chen Xiao had no intention of practicing further—there would be plenty of time later. With a wave of his hand, ripples spread across the lake, propelling his body forward at high speed once again.
The distance from the lakeshore to the island in the lake was as much as twenty li. But in water, Chen Xiao’s speed was more than ten times faster than on land. In just over ten minutes, he reached the island.
As soon as he stepped ashore, Chen Xiao gasped in awe.
“How beautiful!”
He was stunned by the scene before him. In this world dominated by gray tones, there existed a place like this island.
From afar, obscured by mist, Chen Xiao had been unable to see the island’s exact shape. But once on the island, he felt as if he had entered another world. Even in the ordinary world, it would be hard to find such a place.
Lush greenery—vibrant green bushes, like green flowers, dotted the land. Around them were red, pink, and yellow flowers, decorating the land like a huge colorful carpet.
In the distance lay a small forest with lush trees, each leaf so green it seemed to drip with moisture. Clear streams flowed slowly through the forest.
The only thing missing was any signs of life on the island, as if a touch of vitality had vanished.
Though Chen Xiao admired the island’s beauty, he did not lose focus. His mental power spread out instantly, examining every inch of the surroundings. Unknown dangers often hid in such places.
Even though the two giant beasts had already spread word of Chen Xiao throughout the area, no fierce beasts or spirits dared attack him. Yet danger didn’t always come from beasts or spirits.
“There’s nothing wrong here.”

After a brief exploration, Chen Xiao felt slightly relieved. The flowers, plants, and trees around were completely normal, no different from those in the ordinary world. The only difference was that Chen Xiao had never seen them before. By sensing the water, he could also detect whether these plants and flowers were poisonous. Relieved, he headed deeper into the forest.

This island was roughly thirty li in diameter. Compared to the hundred-li-large lake, it was just a small embellishment. Chen Xiao walked carefully through the woods. Now he was certain that there were no evil spirits or beasts on this island, not even a single insect.

“Where is the Thousand Souls Grass?” Chen Xiao took out the map in his hand. It only indicated that the Thousand Souls Grass existed on the island but didn’t specify its location, so he still had to search for it himself.

Suddenly, Chen Xiao stopped in an open area on the other side of the forest. The trees and plants here were all destroyed, as if a devastating battle had taken place. Within ten li, about one-third of the island, was completely ruined.

In the center of this open area, a giant beast lay motionless on the ground. Its body was so damaged it no longer resembled a beast, its limbs almost completely torn apart, and its long neck was strangely twisted to one side. Yet its slightly rising chest indicated that the beast was still alive.

Chen Xiao gasped. After thinking for a moment, he understood. The blue aquatic beast must have been severely injured by this giant beast, and this one likely had been torn apart by the blue and green giants together.

Chen Xiao examined the giant beast carefully. Its appearance was similar to that of the blue and green giants, except that it seemed to have a pair of disformed wings hanging from its back.

“Land, water, and air armies.” Chen Xiao shook his head. This beast was basically dead, but its immense vital energy hadn’t completely dissipated, resulting in this state.

“Collect its life essence; it can be used to revive the Xuanwu Egg,” suddenly came Shui Miao’s voice, which had been silent for a while.

“Hmm, its life essence can revive the Xuanwu Egg?” Chen Xiao was slightly surprised.

“No, its life essence isn’t enough to revive the Xuanwu Egg,” Shui Miao said. “The Xuanwu Egg has been fallen for too long. Not only has its soul dissipated, but much of its vital energy has also been lost. So, a large amount of vital energy is needed to make up for it. The vital energy of this still-alive Ninth-Level Ye Dragon can just cover part of it.”

Hearing this, Chen Xiao nodded slightly, then froze again. “Ninth-Level Ye Dragon?”

“Yes, a Ninth-Level Ye Dragon. This realm should originally have been ruled by three Ninth-Level Ye Dragons of land, water, and air. But for some reason, the other two Ye Dragons joined forces to kill this flying Ye Dragon. And you are now meant to take the place of the third Ye Dragon according to the message sent by those two.” Shui Miao explained, clearly having obtained this information by sensing the two Ye Dragons’ thunderous roars.

“What do you mean?” Chen Xiao shook his head slightly, struggling to process it.
“I mean, you’re already one of the three masters of this so-called Thousand Souls Domain,” Shui Miao said. “Enough wasting time. While this Ye Dragon isn’t dead yet, use the cyan water to draw out its life essence.”
“Okay!”
Hearing this, Chen Xiao was momentarily stunned. He had already become a master of the Thousand Souls Domain? He took a deep breath, and a cool airflow emanated from his divine consciousness, stabilizing his mind.
The cyan water, just like the green Life Water, also played a role in governing life. But while the Life Water activated and revitalized living beings, the cyan water extracted their vitality.
With a single gesture, Chen Xiao summoned massive waves of cyan water that enveloped the still-alive Ye Dragon. In just an instant, its body withered rapidly. Within a dozen minutes, its once-fleshed body turned into a pile of bones.
“What an overbearing water,” Chen Xiao couldn’t help but gasp in shock.
“No need to be surprised. In fact, the Ye Dragon’s soul has already dissipated, which is why your cyan water can extract its vitality. Otherwise, even with an ant, you wouldn’t be able to do this. Also, try to collect as much life essence from these fierce beasts as possible. The life essence from this Ye Dragon is far from enough to restore the vitality of the Black Tortoise egg,” Shui Miao added.
“Isn’t there plenty of powerful life in the Divine Lord’s Space? Can’t we just take it directly?” Chen Xiao asked with a frown.
“Every creature in the Divine Lord’s Space is your follower and will be useful in the future. If you’re willing to sacrifice your followers to revive the Black Tortoise, which has only a 36.536% chance of survival, I have no objections.”
“Better not,” Chen Xiao shook his head. It was uncertain whether the Black Tortoise could even be revived. Sacrificing what he already had for a dead creature seemed unwise.
Moreover, collecting life essence from fierce beasts could also serve as a form of self-discipline. Why not do it?
“Shui Miao, do you know where the Thousand Souls Grass is?” Chen Xiao asked.
“The Thousand Souls Grass? It doesn’t exist on this island.” Shui Miao’s mental power could probe outside the Divine Lord’s Space, but like those divine followers, it also consumed Chen Xiao’s time there.
……