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Chapter 227: Guards
🕑 Added 2025-06-16 20:39:14 +0000 UTCAll Novels || Martial God
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"Young Master, is this... an Innate Golden Pill?"
Yuan Lixun's trembling voice came out of her cherry-like mouth.
Although she had seen a Fire Element Innate Golden Pill on He Yiming before, at this critical moment, she dared not trust her own eyes and preferred to believe He Yiming's judgment.
He Yiming nodded heavily, a look of relief on his face.
Without the Innate Golden Pill, he had been somewhat uneasy. But now that the Golden Pill was in hand, he was truly relieved.
Gently caressing the Jade Bottle for a moment, He Yiming said with a smile, "Lixun, we can go to White Stone Canyon for secluded cultivation. As long as we have enough Energy Golden Pills and the help of the White Stone, you can reach the peak of Tenth Level of Inner Strength in ten years at most. Then, by taking this Golden Pill, you'll have a great chance to advance to the Innate Realm."
"Ten years..." Yuan Lixun's gaze held a hint of complexity.
"Ten years isn't too long," He Yiming said comfortingly.
Yuan Lixun shook her head slightly and said, "Young Master, I know that reaching the peak of the tenth level in ten years is already a miracle, but..." She gently touched her cheek, especially the injured side.
He Yiming was stunned for a moment, knowing she was worried about her appearance.
In ten years, Yuan Lixun would also be nearly thirty years old, although this age was not much for ordinary cultivators. But that scar would remain on her face for ten years.
For a girl her age who loved to dream, this was certainly not good news.
However, enabling Yuan Lixun to reach the Tenth Level of Inner Strength within ten years was already the limit of what He Yiming could do, and this still required the help of the mysterious White Stone. Otherwise, no matter how capable He Yiming was, he would be helpless.
To shorten this time further was beyond his ability.
After a long while, Yuan Lixun suddenly smiled and said, "Young Master, it was my fault to make you worry."
He Yiming shook his head solemnly, his mind racing with thoughts, but he was helpless.
Unless she possessed the same physique as him, it would be impossible to shorten this time further.
As he thought, his hand absently unstoppered the bottle, and immediately, a soft Innate aura drifted out.
He Yiming was suddenly startled. He lowered his head and carefully observed the Innate Golden Pill in the bottle.
This Golden Pill indeed contained a large amount of Water Element power, and the outer surface of the pill exuded a liquid that seemed to be alive.
However, He Yiming's face became incredibly solemn the next moment.
His True Qi transformed into a fine strand and gently touched the Golden Pill.
With just that touch, a bone-chilling coldness permeated his True Qi.
Coldness, an icy sensation, instantly filled He Yiming's body.
Fortunately, with his current physique, he was not bothered by this level of frost, otherwise, caught off guard, he might indeed have suffered a small disadvantage.
Immediately cutting off the True Qi's exploration, He Yiming tightly capped the bottle.
However, the moment he looked up, the expression on his face had turned extremely ugly.
Yuan Lixun knew He Yiming's expressions like the back of her hand. Although they hadn't spent much time together, they had easily reached a telepathic understanding in this regard.
Seeing his unsightly expression, she asked worriedly, "Young Master, what's wrong?"
He Yiming gave a bitter smile and said, "Lixun, the situation has changed. I'm afraid this Golden Pill is useless to you."
Yuan Lixun blinked her beautiful eyes and asked in surprise, "Isn't this an Innate Golden Pill?"
"It is an Innate Golden Pill." He Yiming's voice held an inexpressible bitterness. "But this isn't an ordinary Five Elements Innate Golden Pill. It's an Innate Golden Pill of Ice-element Power."
If this Innate Golden Pill were judged solely by its appearance, it would indeed seem no different from an ordinary Water Element Golden Pill. However, upon opening the cap and allowing one's True Qi to make slight contact, one could sense the powerful and incredibly pure cold energy contained within.
He Yiming knew that even Lu Xinwen had not discerned the true nature of this Golden Pill.
His ability to discover it was merely a stroke of luck. Had he not possessed a powerful cold-element power within his body, he might not have been able to successfully sense its true attribute this time.
He shivered. If he had been ignorant and allowed Yuan Lixun to take this Golden Pill after she painstakingly reached the peak of the Tenth Level of Inner Strength, the consequences would have been enough to utterly crush him.
Shaking his head, He Yiming said in a displeased tone, "I don't know what tricks the person who refined this Golden Pill played on it, so the true cold-element power of this Golden Pill is hidden beneath the surface Water Element energy." He half-closed his eyes, seemingly talking to himself, "Why did he go to such lengths? Doesn't he know that this approach is purely thankless, or perhaps he intended to ambush someone?"
Upon hearing He Yiming's words, Yuan Lixun's face also turned faintly pale.
After a long while, He Yiming suddenly sighed and said, "Lu Xinwen truly had good fortune. The first Golden Pill he took must have been a genuine Water Element Golden Pill. If he had taken this Golden Pill back then..." He Yiming chuckled and shook his head.
If Lu Xinwen had chosen the wrong Golden Pill back then, he would have become an ice pop long ago, and there would have been no subsequent battle with He Yiming at the Yuan Family Estate.
Similarly, He Yiming would not have obtained that map, and the secrets here would probably have remained buried forever.
Putting away the Golden Pill, the atmosphere between the two of them became somewhat heavy.
He Yiming gently pulled Yuan Lixun into his arms and said earnestly, "Lixun, don't worry, I will definitely find you a Water Element or Metal Element Innate Golden Pill, to ensure your smooth entry into the Innate Realm."
Yuan Lixun gently nodded her head and nestled into his embrace.
Although there was not even a shadow of these two Golden Pills at the moment, Yuan Lixun firmly believed in He Yiming's promise.
A moment later, the two of them, having regained their composure, began to tidy up the place.
This was Lu Xinwen's secluded dwelling, and no one else knew the exact location except him.
The stone cave was not very large, and it didn't take long for them to roughly tidy it up.
Here, there were some strange and peculiar items that even He Yiming couldn't identify, but what made He Yiming feel that the trip was worthwhile were the martial arts secret manuals in the stone cabinet.
Most of these manuals were for Acquired Stage Inner Energy cultivation or combat techniques, but there were also two Innate Manuals.
One of them was the Light Body Technique, which left a deep impression on He Yiming, and the other was a Water Element Palm Technique.
He Yiming briefly flipped through them. Although he didn't have time for detailed study, he vaguely felt that given some time to thoroughly research them, they would significantly promote his martial arts cultivation.
Happily, he bundled up these secret manuals, but He Yiming did not put them into his newly acquired Spatial World. Instead, he tidied them up and piled them quietly to one side.
Then, He Yiming straightened his posture, his gaze directed towards another part of the cave entrance.
It was obvious that at the other end of the cave entrance was the magical and powerful mechanism that Lu Xinwen had spoken of.
He was also very curious about this mechanism. Although Lu Xinwen's strength was undoubtedly at the lowest tier among Innate experts, an Innate expert was still an Innate expert. A mechanism that could make him so wary and admit he couldn't break it still made He Yiming extremely curious.
Hesitating for a moment, He Yiming said, "Lixun, you rest here for a bit, I'll be right back."
Yuan Lixun's face tightened slightly, and her grip on He Yiming's hand tightened. She glanced at the direction simultaneously, worriedly saying, "Young Master, must you go?"
She naturally understood He Yiming's thoughts, so she understood as soon as he spoke.
He Yiming smiled faintly, reaching out and gently caressing her face, saying, "Don't you even trust me anymore?"
Yuan Lixun was startled, a shy smile flashed across her face. She quietly released her hand and said, "I trust you."
He Yiming let out several hearty laughs, full of heroism, and strode along the passage. A powerful aura surged from him, though this immense aura could only slightly reassure Yuan Lixun, as there was no one else to admire it.
The path through the tunnel was still the same length, and He Yiming emerged even faster this time.
However, although he spoke casually, he dared not show the slightest contempt in his heart. As soon as he reached the other cave entrance, He Yiming's True Qi was already circulating at the fastest speed.
After killing Sima Yin, He Yiming's mastery of the Power of Wind had reached a new height, and his confidence had reached an all-time peak.
Even if there were truly formidable mechanisms inside, he was absolutely confident that he could escape quickly in an instant.
However, that was merely the worst-case scenario. Since Lu Xinwen could escape from the mechanisms inside unharmed, how could they trap him?
Step by step, he cautiously entered the second cave within the stone cave hall.
Each step He Yiming took was exactly the same distance, which was due to his incredible control over his body, allowing him to perform such subconscious actions.
If Zhan Tianfeng and Zhuo Wanlian were here, they would certainly notice that the current He Yiming was in a state where he could explode at any moment. At the slightest disturbance, he could react instantly.
This cave was also a passage, and its length was similar to the passage leading to Lu Xinwen's stone dwelling.
However, with preconceived notions, it seemed particularly eerie and terrifying here.
But to He Yiming's surprise, even when he concentrated his Clairaudient Ear skill to its peak, he found no clues. The cave was dead silent, seemingly without any mechanisms.
At this moment, He Yiming even had a hint of doubt about Lu Xinwen's words. Unless that mechanism was truly incredibly powerful, or it had inexplicably lost its function, how could there be no trace of it?
Finally, he took the last step and walked out of this peculiar passage.
This was also a hall-like area, but at the end of this hall, facing the passage, there was another dark passage leading to an unknown destination. And in front of that passage, there was a lifelike human statue.
When he saw this scene, He Yiming couldn't help but inwardly click his tongue.
No wonder he hadn't noticed anything; it turned out this passage did not lead to the true crucial point.
He Yiming glanced at the human figure.
This figure, carved from an unknown material, looked like a handsome young man. The eyes seemed to flash with a strange brilliance, possessing a touch of the masterful "dotting the eyes" technique.
Moreover, the artisan was definitely a master sculptor. Even with his keen eye, He Yiming couldn't discern any obvious traces of carving. It seemed as if it were a naturally formed, perfectly integrated piece, never touched by human hands.
Seeing such a masterful sculpture, even He Yiming couldn't help but marvel.
Although he hadn't obtained the Water Element Innate Golden Pill on this trip, he had acquired an ice-element Golden Pill, several secret manuals that he could reference, as well as the peculiar large stone outside the entrance and this incredible sculpture. All of these made him feel that the journey was worthwhile.
Reaching out, he gently caressed the statue several times.
The touch was cool, but unexpectedly, it gave him the sensation of touching human skin.
His brow furrowed slightly. He observed it carefully for a long time, becoming increasingly surprised.
The statue's body gleamed with a strange, metallic luster. Although He Yiming couldn't identify the material, the tactile sensation was surprisingly different.
If a blind person were standing before the statue, when they touched it, they would probably be convinced that it was a real person.
However, this real person's skin was too cold, without any warmth, and remained motionless, so it would be highly probable to mistake it for a recently deceased person.
Circling the statue, He Yiming shook his head slightly, a strange thought suddenly emerging in his mind.
Such a peculiar object, why not collect it?
His gaze drifted towards the dark cave entrance ahead. He hesitated for a moment; what was in front of him was more important.
He unbuttoned his chest, took out the miraculous silver ring, and infused it with a continuous stream of True Qi. A moment later, before He Yiming, a seemingly void world appeared from nothing.
This seemingly imaginary world was not large, only a few square meters, but it was still more than enough to contain this human-height statue.
He Yiming reached in and tidied it up, making enough space.
To be honest, he didn't know why he had such a bizarre thought, but after seeing this statue, he actually felt that this carved object seemed to have some kind of profound connection with the outside world, a sense of unity between heaven and man.
It was like the Cloud and Rain Painting he had seen before, painted by an unknown Innate expert, which had given him an epiphany. It filled him with an inexplicable stirring.
That's why he wanted to take this statue. Perhaps one day, when he observed this statue, he could also suddenly achieve an epiphany.
Having made all the preparations, He Yiming reached out, intending to place the statue into the miraculous Spatial World.
However, as soon as he reached out, he involuntarily stopped midway.
At the same time, his mouth slowly opened, his eyes became dull, his body felt chills, and a cold sensation, as if a hundred times colder than the dark green small Jade Bottle, surged up his spine.
Before him, the statue...
The human-shaped statue that he had checked countless times before and caressed for a long time, actually moved.
Of course, this human figure didn't do a 360-degree flip, nor did it suddenly rush forward with punches and kicks. It merely, silently, turned its head towards him.
Even though it had only turned its head and faced him with eyes that were absolutely cold and devoid of any human emotion, in this setting, it was enough to scare faint-hearted ordinary people to death.
Instantly, all of He Yiming's previous thoughts vanished as if they had grown wings or like mice seeing a cat.
His True Qi boiled uncontrollably. In just an instant, his body was covered in a layer of white frost.
The power of the Ice-element was fully demonstrated the moment he killed Sima Yin.
Among all the cultivation methods and martial arts he had mastered, apart from using the Five Elements fusion to cast Mountain-Splitting Thirty-Six Forms, Ice Element Cultivation Art was undoubtedly the most powerful.
This could definitely be considered his trump card. Even when he fought Zhuo Wanlian, he hadn't thought of exposing it.
However, at this moment, this extremely cold cultivation method, originating from the dark green small Jade Bottle, was unconsciously utilized by him.
This was the result of being scared. Yes, at this moment, He Yiming's heart almost stopped beating from fear. Of course, he had to use his most powerful cultivation method to protect himself.
His hand tightened, having already cut off the True Qi connection to the silver ring. The Spatial World in front of him trembled for a moment and then immediately disappeared, as if it had never existed.
Then, He Yiming took a deep breath, and his voice, tinged with a tremor, suddenly rang out: "You... are you human?"
