C8 Body Seal

Inside the mine.

Hwang Ningxue's delicate form rapidly crystallized into ice, visible to the naked eye. A chilling aura surged from her body like a fierce storm, spreading in all directions, as if freezing the very air around her.

"What’s happening?"

Qiao Gao was stunned. The sudden cold made him feel as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar, his blood freezing, limbs paralyzed. Moreover, the cold wasn't just freezing his blood on the surface; he sensed that inhaling too much of it could even harm his very soul.

Injuring the soul was no small matter; it could lead to irreversible damage, leaving a lifelong ailment.

"Roar!"

Qiao Gao let out a cry, part tiger, part serpent, as his bones resonated with the sound. His entire body felt electrified, and the frozen blood broke free from its constraints, boiling with energy, restoring strength to his limbs.

"The Divine Body Refinement truly is a miraculous skill. Just a slight activation, and it breaks through all constraints!" Qiao Gao couldn't help but marvel, then his expression turned serious. "Without this skill, I would have surely frozen to death here."

The cold was terrifying. Qiao Gao estimated that warriors below the level of the Nine Veins would be frozen alive, and even those at the Soul Connecting Stage could suffer soul damage, resulting in lifelong afflictions.

"What's going on with her?"

Qiao Gao's eyes were sharp, focusing intently on Ningxue. He ignored her stunning appearance, his gaze free from distractions, as he concentrated his soul energy and noticed something unusual.

"There's a seal inside her."

Qiao Gao frowned. The seal was incomplete, with visible cracks. A chilling aura was seeping through those cracks.

"What kind of terrifying thing is sealed inside to let out such a dreadful cold?" Qiao Gao was curious. He dispersed the pervasive chill and used the secret techniques from the Myriad Tribulation Pill Monarch's memories to peer inside the seal.

He was instantly stunned, shocked beyond belief. "What the heck, a toad?"

The idea that a toad was sealed within the body of Ningxue, a senior with unmatched beauty and exceptional talent, was astonishing. Who would believe it? Who would dare to believe it?

If Qiao Gao hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it either, because the whole situation was just too bizarre!

This toad was entirely green, glowing, with smooth skin like a jade gemstone, and emitted an incredible chill from every pore.

The most astonishing thing was that this toad had three eyes!

"It's a Three-eye Ice Toad."

They say it's hard to find a three-legged toad, and a three-eyed one is just as rare!

Despite its ugly appearance and awkward movements, this Three-eye Ice Toad has a noble lineage. Once it matures, it becomes a Rank Five beast, with terrifying power comparable to a Heaven Connecting Stage expert!

Beasts are ranked from one to nine. A Scorpion Tail Tiger at the peak of Rank One, with its special venom, can rival an ordinary Rank Two beast, equivalent to a human expert at the Soul Connecting Stage. A Rank Five beast is not something even a Heaven Connecting Stage expert can confront head-on!

In the path of cultivation, one must first connect the nine veins, refine the battle soul, soar to the heavens, and alter fate. This divides into four major stages: Vein Connecting, Soul Connecting, Heaven Connecting, and Life Connecting.

Qiao Gao quickly snapped out of his shock. After all, he had merged with the memories of the Myriad Tribulation Pill Monarch and had seen many divine beasts, so a Three-eye Ice Toad was nothing extraordinary.

"Uh..."

Suddenly, Hwang Ningxue let out a painful groan, her face turning pale, her breath faint as if she might pass away at any moment!

"This isn't good. The seal is too crude. The Three-eye Ice Toad has already matured, and the seal is on the verge of collapsing," Qiao Gao frowned, quickly searching through the fragmented memories of the Myriad Tribulation Pill Monarch for anything related to reinforcing seals.

"I've found a way to strengthen the seal!"

Qiao Gao's eyes lit up at first, but as he processed the memories of the sealing technique, his expression grew more serious. To help Ningxue reinforce the mysterious seal within her, a substantial amount of soul power was needed. Given Qiao Gao's current strength, if he forced the seal, his soul power might be depleted, leading to consequences that could range from severe headaches to a complete mental breakdown.

A mental breakdown, in this context, meant turning into a complete fool.

Qiao Gao's expression shifted as he weighed his options. Finally, he gritted his teeth and decided, "I have to save her first."

Choosing to use the soul secret technique to save Ningxue wasn't about showing off or playing the hero. He had accepted her Royal Body Ointment and half a Blood Soul Flower, and if he didn't help her, it could negatively impact his future cultivation fortune.

When fortune declines, misfortune follows, and breakthroughs become impossible. But with good fortune, opportunities abound, and even a casual walk in the wilderness might lead to discovering a treasure.

This is the essence of fortune, something cultivators firmly believe in. Some are born with great fortune due to their past lives, marked by celestial phenomena, and their cultivation progresses rapidly.

"Let's begin."

Qiao Gao took a deep breath and, following the secret technique from his fragmented memories, began to channel his soul power...

For a long moment...

"Ahh," Qiao Gao exhaled deeply, feeling a sharp, tearing pain spreading through his mind. Sweat soaked his clothes, leaving him weak and unsteady. He stumbled, collapsing onto the beautiful senior's delicate frame. This was the aftermath of his soul power being completely drained!

With the cold dissipated, the mine returned to a normal temperature.

Hwang Ningxue awoke, stretching luxuriously, her alluring curves on full display. Her skin was like ice and jade, captivating anyone who looked. Taking a deep breath, she realized she had never slept so well in her nineteen years.

Suffering from a severe illness that flared up periodically, she endured pain so cold it felt like her very soul would freeze. She had even contemplated ending it all to escape the agony. But this sleep was different; it felt like basking under a warm sun.

However, she quickly noticed something was off. On her smooth, flat stomach, devoid of any extra flesh, lay something heavy. It was wet, warm, and carried a fishy odor...

Recalling the moments before she fainted, Qiao Gao had told her to remove her clothes to expel the Corpse King Poison. But he had also stripped down. Who knew what Qiao Gao might have done to her? Coupled with the strange, warm, fishy-smelling object...

It was clearly something disgusting!

The worst part was this lecherous guy resting his head on her smooth stomach!

"Qiao Gao, you beast!"

Hwang Ningxue's eyes blazed with fury, her face icy cold. A surge of powerful energy erupted from her like a volcano. She reached out with her delicate hand, grabbing the utterly weak Qiao Gao and hurling him against the mine shaft.

"Bang!"

The mine shook, rocks flew, and dust filled the air. It was a vengeful strike from a Soul Connecting Stage master. If the mine hadn't been so sturdy, Qiao Gao would have been buried alive.

Qiao Gao knew exactly what Hwang Ningxue misunderstood and hurriedly tried to explain. He was in a weakened state, unable to resist.

"Senior, let me explain," Qiao Gao shouted. "It's not what you think!"

Hwang Ningxue wasn't listening, her eyes filled with murderous intent. "You've ruined my honor, and I'll kill you for it!"