I Collect Skill Fragments in the Demon World

Chapter 788 422: Return to the Ascension Pool

For the murals on the wall, Zhang Chen didn't even glance at them, instead, he opened his Dharma Eye to observe the Qi Mechanism within the tomb. Then Zhang Chen saw the deepest part of the tomb, where wisps of mysterious energy were pouring out, flowing little by little along the tomb's passage.

"Follow me!" Chen Xu said to Zhang Chen, beckoning him to head deeper into the tomb.

The floor of the tomb was paved with a peculiar type of stone. The stones on the floor were polished into hexagram patterns, giving a sense of spatial dislocation.

"Be careful, stay right behind me, step as I step, and don't mistakenly tread on the wrong tile, or else there'll be big trouble. This tomb of Prince Pingbian is filled with mechanisms, even if we possess mysterious power, if we fall into a trap, the only outcome is death and obliteration," Chen Xu walked ahead, cautioning Zhang Chen, his voice full of seriousness.

Some traps spring in an instant, even with mysterious power, if there's no chance to activate the mysterious power, one could be killed by the trap.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen cautiously followed behind Chen Xu. The two traversed the long corridor, walking for several hours, after traveling underground for miles, suddenly a crack appeared ahead, about a meter wide. The crack was unfathomably deep, and auspicious light flowed within, seemingly containing an immortal world.

"Goodness, the Ascension Pool has fallen, actually shaking the earth and tearing it open, then the energy of the Ascension Pool was transmitted through that crack. However, as Prince Pingbian's Mansion arranged a Feng Shui Grand Array to suppress it, forming an energy barrier. That energy barrier created a shield, blocking Chen Xu's path.

Zhang Chen's eyes swept over the shield in front. With his current insight, he saw through the situation before him nearly completely.

Chen Xu said to Zhang Chen: "This barrier is indestructible. To breach it, we might need to use special techniques to attempt breaking it."

Upon hearing Chen Xu's words, Zhang Chen shook his head, presenting a different view: "We can't break the barrier. Once it's broken, the energy of the Ascension Pool will be released without suppression, surely drawing everyone's attention."

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Chen Xu was dumbfounded: "If we don't break the barrier, how do we enter the interior, approach the Ascension Pool, and seize its creation?"

"Patience, allow me to experiment a bit." Zhang Chen comforted Chen Xu, and the next moment a drop of water appeared in his hand. He flicked his finger lightly, and the water droplet pierced through the void, directly passing through the energy barrier and falling into the light on the other side.

"Indeed, this Feng Shui Grand Array can only suppress mysterious power, but poses no obstacle to ordinary material from the Material Realm." Zhang Chen saw the water drop fly across the barrier, revealing a satisfied smile.

"Are you intending to transform into a stream of water to penetrate through?" Chen Xu enquired after witnessing Zhang Chen's method.

Zhang Chen nodded, and the next moment, his body turned into a stream of water, flowing towards the barrier. However, the water stream he transformed into was unexpectedly propped open by the barrier, and the water flow couldn't penetrate through at all.

"Failed!" Chen Xu muttered upon seeing Zhang Chen blocked.

Zhang Chen reverted to human form, standing on the colorful light shield, muttering thoughtfully: "It really does have something! But do they really think they can stop me like this?"

After muttering, Zhang Chen turned to Chen Xu: "Later, I'll enter inside, you just wait for me outside, whatever creation inside will be shared with you, I'll not let you miss out on it."

"Zhang, what are you talking about? Without your rescue back then, there wouldn't be today's Chen Xu. I definitely trust you." Chen Xu smiled upon hearing this.

Zhang Chen nodded in satisfaction; he appreciated Chen Xu's intelligence—knowing what to do and what not to do.

Then Zhang Chen activated the skill Water Control Technique, and his body instantly used the droplet to teleport, appearing at the location where another water droplet had fallen within the light screen.

(The new skill gained after upgrading the Water Control Technique allows transformation into two water droplets, enabling the protagonist to freely switch within a certain distance)

Inside the colorful underground crack, Zhang Chen appeared in the underground world, instantly feeling a continuous surge of energy rushing towards him, penetrating through his skin and pores.

"Indeed, it's that scent, the same aura from the Ascension Pool of yore." Zhang Chen, having personally encountered the Ascension Pool in an unknown era, naturally recognized its aura.

Zhang Chen inhaled the energy released into the air by the Ascension Pool, feeling an all-over comfort as the energy nourished his skin and soaked into his magical power, subtly inducing some minor transformation in his body and power.

"The energy dispersed in the air from the Ascension Pool is too thin to enable me to truly transform and become an Immortal Physique." Without any pause, Zhang Chen transformed into mist, traversing the void and heading further away.

Zhang Chen's speed as mist was swift; after about half an hour, he halted his mist form, revealing his human shape, his eyes fixed on the vast aura ahead, knowing he was not far from the Ascension Pool.

However, unlike the Ascension Pool in his memory, the current pool emitted a radiant aura, which bore an oppressive majesty that made Zhang Chen find it difficult to progress.

"In my memory, there wasn't this kind of oppressive aura." Zhang Chen didn't know where it originated, but he was prepared. He focused his thoughts, and in his Spiritual World, the Yin-Yang Grinding Disc emerged, spinning and pulling in the energy from the underground fissures of the Ascension Pool. In just over thirty breaths, the energy in those fissures was devoured by the Yin-Yang Grinding Disc, which, after consuming this energy, underwent some indescribable change, its color deepening, and a unique charm seemed to be brewing within.

Zhang Chen propelled the Yin-Yang Grinding Disc forward in the air, which absorbed all the energy dispersing from the Ascension Pool and the oppressive aura it released.

The precursor to the Yin-Yang Grinding Disc was those two unique brushes that had the ability to break bans, and naturally, the Yin-Yang Grinding Disc inherited this capability. Despite the oppressive aura's strength, it could not hinder the Yin-Yang Grinding Disc.

The oppressive aura was ultimately an illusory, conceptual force. When facing the power of the Innate Yin Yang Dao, even if the Innate Yin Yang Grinding Disc were still weak, the intrinsic difference between the two was a qualitative disparity; like a real kitten and a painted tiger on a piece of paper, they were incomparable.

Zhang Chen pressed forward with the Innate Yin Yang Grinding Disc through the fissures, consuming the energy dispersing in the air, until finally, after half an hour, he was ten zhang from the Ascension Pool, which now emitted a colorful glow with energies like dry ice evaporating into the air.

"Go!" Zhang Chen commanded the Yin-Yang Grinding Disc to hover above the Ascension Pool, devouring the energy it released.

His eyes then fell on the Ascension Pool, etched all over with mottled marks, deep impressions of fists, swords, spears, and halberds engraved into it.

There were even several handprints that had punched through the pool, now releasing a constant stream of colored mist from the gaps.

Staring at those marks for a moment, Zhang Chen took a deep breath: "What happened from the Ancient Times until now, that even the Ascension Pool was breached? It's known that even the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder never could break it."

"No, no! The residual aura of Purple Cloud Divine Thunder circulates across the Ascension Pool; it must have been that the thunder formed a Celestial Punishment that heavily damaged the pool, leading to its decline and this current sorry state." Zhang Chen sensed for a moment as if deducing something, a hint of regret in his gaze.

Zhang Chen circled the Ascension Pool, observing the continual seepage of liquid from within, which flowed into the Ancestral Vein of the Northern Land, nourishing its foundation and strengthening the Dragon Vein, and consequently, the fate of Prince Pingbian's Mansion.

Wanting to approach the Ascension Pool, Zhang Chen saw radiant beams form a barrier, barring his way.

"Huh~" Zhang Chen murmured in surprise, "I've never seen the Ascension Pool exhibit such a tactic before? What's changed?"

"Could it be that in the time of the Innate Peacock, Longevity Ancestor, and others, the Ascension Pool was entirely repressed, hence unable to display these capabilities? Now, without anyone controlling or suppressing it, its Divine Power self-revives, resulting in this situation?" Zhang Chen speculated in his heart.

Testing the strength of the colorful barrier, Zhang Chen found himself unable to shake it.

Yet, this was no obstacle for Zhang Chen; he formed seals with his hands, reciting a mantra in his heart, and as he mobilized his magical power, the colorful barrier of the Ascension Pool gradually retracted and eventually vanished.

"Luckily, I once obtained the manipulation mantra for the Ascension Pool; otherwise, even destined to see it today, I would've been hard-pressed to get close." Zhang Chen transformed into mist and descended onto a corner above the Ascension Pool. After manifesting into human form, he gazed down to see colorful energy rippling within the pool, a gleam of joy flashing in his eyes: "Could this be the transformational liquid that allows one to be reborn? Yet, its depth is less than five centimeters, and I'm not sure if it's enough."

Zhang Chen's eyes lingered on the liquid beneath him, voicing a complaint; now poised to become the Ascension Pool's master, of course, he wished for more of the liquid to remain.