A series of gazes filled with malice, due to Hong Tai's words, fell upon Miss Ning who was trapped in the net.
The focus of everyone's attention, Ning Yao, sat withered within the Silver Silk Giant Net, looking like a soulless walking corpse.
Her once bright eyes seemed to have lost all luster, leaving only dimness and a deadened indifference.
She had considered being humiliated by the Dark Ghosts, and also contemplated the Dark Ghosts using her to negotiate with the Ning Family for the release of important Dark Ghost members in captivity.
However, she had not anticipated being used by Hong Tai as fishing bait to test the "Dark Giant Python" from the Fifth Realm.
Although she had been held captive, she had seen the terrifying corrosiveness of the Black Water when people used the remains of Zhang Heng and others to test the waters.
She was afraid that the acidic poison in the pool was not confined to the surface, and worried that such toxic presence might exist in the depths of the pool, which could reduce her to a pile of dry bones.
Moreover, she knew that in the deep part of the pool, there might lurk a "Dark Giant Python" that even Hong Tai dreaded.
Her heart was steeped in overwhelming fear, yet her face revealed little emotion, aware that any fear she showed and all her pleas would go unanswered.
The only response she could expect was the unrestrained mockery of the Dark Ghosts.
"Hand me the chain."
Hong Tai took from the leader's hand the rope connected to the Silver Silk Giant Net and then requested more iron chains from the others for attachment.
He wanted the line pulling the net to be long enough so that the net trapping Ning Yao could sink all the way to the bottom of the pool.
"The flesh and blood of a young girl, the Dark Giant Python cannot resist as long as it lives, and it will surely swallow her and chew meticulously."
While speaking with Jin Yang and others, Hong Tai paid no attention to Ning Yao's lifeless and wooden gaze, saying, "When the Dark Giant Python swallows her, I holding the rope will naturally feel it. It will mean that the creature is still at the bottom of the pool, alive and well. If that's the case, we should retreat immediately."
"Jin Yang!"
Hong Tai raised his voice and extended his hand toward the python he was riding, saying, "If anything unexpected happens, you'll ride it."
Jin Yang, of noble stature, realizing that Hong Tai was willing to let him ride the serpent—an act showing that even Hong Tai lacked confidence and feared the "Dark Giant Python" might suddenly burst out from the bottom of the pool—exchanged a knowing glance with him and moved in front of the python.
Jin Yang knew that Hong Tai had another escape plan.
If the "Dark Giant Python" were to break out violently, these Dark Ghosts, who were still surrounding Black Water Pool under Hong Tai's orders, would be the first to satiate the beast.
By then, those without the python's speed to escape would shield him and Hong Tai from disaster.
While pondering this, Hong Tai, who had just finished linking the chains, twisted the net that bound Ning Yao and threw it toward the central area of the pool like netting a fish.
"Splash!"
When Ning Yao hit the water, everyone watched her, discovering indeed that she did not suffer corrosion and did not turn into dry bones.
"She possesses the cultivation of the Meridians Channeling Realm, so in theory, she can hold her breath underwater for a long time. This may be worse, as perhaps she can watch the Dark Giant Python swallow her with her own eyes."
Hong Tai, holding the iron chain, spoke with seeming ease but was, in fact, quite tense.
He was internally prepared.
Once he felt a massive tug, it would mean the "Dark Giant Python" had swallowed Ning Yao, indicating that the creature from the Fifth Realm was still alive at the bottom of the pool.
He would have to abandon this place for now and quickly leave to report to the higher-ups of the Dark Ghosts, and wait for them to devise a plan against the "Dark Giant Python."
The leader wearing a golden mask and the original owner of the net had already subconsciously distanced themselves from Black Water Pool the moment the Silver Silk Giant Net touched the water.
The two men's cold gazes flickered uncertainly, watching a group of ignorant subordinates who still approached and peered into the water.
The two individuals who had cultivated to the Meridians Channeling Realm were not new to Hong Tai. From the moment Hong Tai allowed Jin Yang to ride the python, they knew they could be reduced to cannon fodder at any moment.
They, too, remained on alert, ready to flee Black Water Pool at full speed the moment Hong Tai made any sudden moves.
...
At the bottom of the pool.
Pang Jian awoke from his meditative state and felt a faint throbbing in his Spiritual Sea. When he concentrated on sensing it, he realized that the pain originated from the "membrane" of his Spiritual Sea microcosm.
—His dan tian, housing the Spiritual Sea, seemed to have expanded significantly.
The vortex within his dan tian still spun slowly, refining and purifying the absorbed Spiritual Energy into Spiritual Power that he could tangibly feel.
However, those acidic peculiar supernatural abilities that he had swallowed with his dark-green Spirit Pot had vanished without a trace in his unawareness.
Recalling previous experiences, he realized that it wasn't the Spiritual Energy from the pool water but rather the acidic peculiar supernatural ability from the giant python's mouth that caused his Spiritual Sea to expand.
"It seems there were five instances when my Spiritual Sea was filled with power, and with each filling sensation, those acidic peculiar abilities expanded the Spiritual Sea like breaking new ground. Could the five surges of energy signify the fifth level of the Qi Refining Realm?"
Pang Jian pondered silently.
At this moment, he also noticed the spiritual energy of nature hidden in the pool had become extremely scarce, and even if he entered meditation again, the benefits would be limited.
For now, the Phoenix Bone was still present, and the humanoid monster was there too, but the mysterious amber light he had long anticipated had yet to form.
"The energy of the giant python's flesh and blood is too vast. After the Phoenix Bone consumes it, it seems to need even more time to digest."
Pang Jian hesitated at the bottom of the pond.
Thinking that since Black Water Pool no longer contained the acidic peculiar supernatural abilities that could aid his swift growth, should he choose to leave?
If he waited longer, the Phoenix Bone's mysteries would inevitably manifest again, and the long-anticipated humanoid monster wanted precisely that mystery.
This seemed to be irrelevant to him...
Looking down, Pang Jian gazed at his arms, observing wounds that no longer bled, and remembered the various abnormalities in his body when he fought with Zhang Zhu and his brother.
He recalled once more the unusual scene from his dream.
"It must have been that cluster of vanished amber light that created the strength I possess today!"
Pang Jian's gaze towards the Phoenix Bone suddenly filled with an intense desire as he thought inwardly, "Fortune favors the bold. I'll keep watching and see if there's a chance to claim that wondrous treasure from the clutches of the monster."
Time passed in this manner.
He looked up in astonishment and saw a silver net descending slowly towards the bottom of the pool, wrapping Miss Ning and sinking with her.
Miss Ning, enclosed within the silver net, had puffed cheeks as though she had taken a deep breath before entering the water.
Her current state was far removed from her initial noble and haughty appearance.
As a captive, her face was pale, her bright eyes wide open with panic and fear of the unknown.
She saw the winding Snake Bone at the bottom of the pool, the python head pierced by the Phoenix Bone Hole, and Ouyang Duanhai's hunger for the Phoenix Bone.
"Mmm!"
Suddenly, she saw a figure emerging from the dim lit rock face at the bottom of the pool, heading straight for her.
"Pang Jian!"
Ning Yao cried out in her heart, hardly believing her eyes.
After such a long time, this young hunter she had hired from beyond the mountains with a hefty reward was actually still alive in Black Water Pool!
"He, he's here to save me!"
In that moment, Ning Yao felt touched, thinking of how she and the Ning Family had not placed much importance on Pang Jian, and the shame she felt about her earlier threats.
As she watched Pang Jian swiftly draw near, his muscular body holding the Dragon Pattern Spear, his sharply defined face, Ning Yao discovered for the first time that this young hunter possessed a unique charm.
— It was a kind of wildness she found foreign.
Ning Yao, her hope reignited and yearning for survival, also kept an eye on Ouyang Duanhai who had turned into a monster.
She worried for Pang Jian, fearing that this useless member of the Ouyang Family, devoid of Spiritual Intelligence, would suddenly lash out and prevent Pang Jian from reaching her.
Thankfully, Ouyang Duanhai, who had become one of the Different Kinds, had not once moved his gaze away from the Phoenix Bone, much to her relief.
Finally, she saw Pang Jian extending his refined body, now just a short distance away.
In the net, she struggled to wave her hand and slightly released some air, making her cheeks less puffed up and somewhat more attractive.
She even managed to force what she thought was a nice smile towards Pang Jian, eagerly waiting for him to tear the Silver Silk Giant Net apart.
The next moment, the strained smile on her face suddenly froze, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.
She stared blankly at Pang Jian.
Watching as Pang Jian tore the bag filled with Spirit Stones from her back through a gap in the net that cocooned her, he then waved goodbye and quickly vanished into the darkness at the bottom of the pool.
With a bewildered expression, Ning Yao stared at the spot where Pang Jian had disappeared, her forced smile slowly turning stiff.
"Boom!"
Only when she and the net hit the bottom did she come to a sudden realization, and like a keg of gunpowder ignited, she started scrambling frantically towards Pang Jian's direction within the net.
She had forgotten her predicament, that she was a prisoner of the Dark Ghosts, and all the eerie dangers at the bottom of the pool.
All she wanted was to find Pang Jian and to reduce that despicable thief who had betrayed her expectations to ashes on the spot!
All her hopes had been placed on Pang Jian, yet he had only coveted the bag of Spirit Stones she carried!
At the bottom of the pool, she moved her hands and feet through the mesh, clumsily crawling on the ground, her bright eyes burning with rage as she charged towards Pang Jian.
"Sick woman."
Pang Jian, who had secured the bag filled with pure Spirit Stones, returned to the stone door and, hiding in the dark, watched Ning Yao's ridiculous actions, and thought to himself that this woman truly had a death wish.
At the same time, the chains outside suddenly moved.
Hong Tai, gripping the chains with both hands, felt the movements, his hands trembling slightly as he said, "Get ready to retreat! There must be living creatures down there; that net is moving fiercely!"
The two Meridians Channeling Realm leaders had been watching his every gesture, and upon hearing this, they shot out towards the valley's edge like lightning.
The two of them didn't look back, not caring what Hong Tai had to say next, only wanting to get as far away as possible from the bloody massacre that was about to unfold as the Asura Field.
Jin Yang didn't wait around either; he quickly landed on the python with black and white patterns, planning to escape the area by relying on it.
"No, that's not right!"
"That movement... doesn't seem like the work of the Dark Giant Python! The force of the Dark Giant Python would definitely not be this light!"
Hong Tai was about to release the chains and use Forbidden Techniques to escape when he felt the force from the other end of the chain and gave a tug.
To his surprise, it moved!
"It's not the Dark Giant Python!"
He had a sudden realization and understood that the creature from the Fifth Realm couldn't be so easily moved by him at any moment if it had bitten the net containing Ning Yao.
Overcome by immense curiosity, he pulled hard on the chains, continuously dragging them back towards him.
In the gloom at the bottom of the pool, as Hong Tai began pulling the net back, Pang Jian saw Ning Yao, who had been moving clumsily wrapped in the Silver Silk Giant Net, suddenly fly upward and then head towards the water's surface.
…