My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

Chapter 409: Chapter 193: Profound Nether

The giant stone at the cave’s entrance had been shattered by him that day, leaving only rubble scattered on the ground.

Qin Fang glanced around. It seemed no one had come by.

’I’ll find another stone to block it up again later,’ he thought.

After stepping inside, he paused at the entrance of the Cold Cave, a glint in his eye.

The Ultimate Yin Primordial Power within this Cold Cave was incredibly dense. If he hadn’t consumed that mysterious liquid earlier, he would probably still be frozen solid over there, perhaps with no chance of ever reviving.

’But... if I just stay at the entrance and carefully take a single breath... it probably won’t be a problem.’

He thought, his eyes glinting.

He decided he would try it in a bit.

He was much more cautious now, but cultivation was something that couldn’t be put aside.

Besides, having seen his own skeleton—which resembled Profound Jade—with his Divine Sense, he believed his tolerance for the Ultimate Yin Primordial Power had also increased significantly.

’As long as I stay at the entrance, it should be fine.’

Today, however, he was here for the Treasure Plant. He didn’t linger, walking past the Cold Cave and continuing deeper into the mountain.

The mountain path rose and fell. Soon, he heard a persistent BUZZING.

’My old friends, the Giant Bees, are just inside.’

’But I shouldn’t be afraid of these Giant Bees anymore.’

’I’m naturally immune to Bee Venom, and I have my four-layered Profound Water Armor.’

’As long as these Giant Bees can’t break through my defenses, it won’t be a big deal.’

’Of course, I’ll have to test that out first.’

At last, he reached the deepest part of the cavern, where a hazy sphere of light faintly came into view.

Qin Fang was far more composed this time around. He glanced up at the enormous beehive on the ceiling and the Giant Bees circling it before his gaze fell upon the Treasure Plant.

At the far end of the cave, shrouded in darkness, the Exotic Plant grew in silence.

Its roots, like a great coiled python, were black and menacing, dug deep into the rock crevices. The root hairs were dotted with damp, cold, crimson moss, resembling dried scabs of blood.

The main stalk was no more than three feet tall, resembling a segment of an Ancient Bronze Spear that had been violently snapped in two. Its surface was covered in rough nodules and cracks, its bluish-black color tinged with a sickly green.

Only seven leaves hung from its branches, shaped like chipped blades with curled edges. The leaves themselves were ink-black, but their veins were a brilliant gold that glowed faintly in the darkness, like threads of molten gold.

At its apex hung a single, fist-sized, blood-red nodule, shaped like a heart. Its skin was translucent, revealing a viscous, golden-red pulp slowly swirling within.

The fruit throbbed faintly. With each beat, it sent out a visible ripple of pale, blood-colored light, carrying the metallic tang of rust and rotting earth, which mingled to form that cloyingly sweet aroma.

The entire plant was shrouded in a thin, gray mist, within which motes of golden light drifted.

A cool, white fluorescence, like a lunar halo, streamed from the crevices in its python-like roots, the cracks in its spear-like stalk, and the golden veins of its seven blade-like leaves...

With each contraction, the throbbing, blood-red nodule at the apex pulsed like a heart pumping blood. It pushed a dense, milky-white glow toward its surface, causing the golden-red pulp and the white light to swirl together inside the translucent skin, forming a haze as beautiful as a nebula...

...Even though this wasn’t his first time seeing it, as he observed it in detail, Qin Fang felt his heart begin to race.

...He had the strange illusion that his own heartbeat was gradually synchronizing with the throbbing of the blood-red nodule...

Huh?

Qin Fang snapped out of it and quickly tore his eyes away!

’Because just a moment ago, I actually felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my heart!’

An intense sense of danger crept over him!

’I have a feeling that if I keep looking, something terrible will happen!’

But...

’What’s happening?!’

’How could just looking at it for a moment create such an intense sense of danger?!’

Qin Fang immediately realized... this Treasure Plant was far more terrifying than he had ever imagined!

’And... I get the feeling this Treasure Plant leans toward some kind of evil attribute.’

A chill ran through Qin Fang’s heart.

He didn’t dare look at the Treasure Plant again.

After a moment of thought, he decided to probe the area with his Divine Sense...

He didn’t dare to focus it directly on the Treasure Plant, however, instead inching it forward little by little.

But the result was... his Divine Sense couldn’t even penetrate the cavern before it became disordered.

It wasn’t violently severed, either... It was more like... his Divine Sense entered, but seemed to see only an ordinary cave?

He couldn’t even perceive the Giant Bees?

This...

Qin Fang was stunned.

’This has never happened since I first cultivated my Divine Sense!’

This didn’t even happen in the blue mist of the Cold Cave... There, his Divine Sense was blocked, but he could at least feel the obstruction.

But here in this cavern... everything before his eyes seemed like an illusion!

...If Qin Fang hadn’t personally eaten the Giant Bee Meat from the very creatures buzzing incessantly in the air, he would be starting to doubt his own eyes.

’This is obviously not normal!’

But Qin Fang hadn’t been in the Divine Domain for long and was still frantically trying to catch up on his knowledge. This was clearly a rare phenomenon, so he had no idea what was going on.

...But he was certain of one thing.

This Treasure Plant was truly something else!

He hesitated for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh... He decided he couldn’t afford to be careless.

’The lesson from the Cold Cave is still fresh in my mind.’

’If I screw something else up, it’ll be a huge mess.’

’At the very least, I should wait until I figure out why my Divine Sense can’t perceive anything here before I reassess the situation,’ he thought.

’Still, as long as I don’t mess with the Treasure Plant, there’s probably no danger.’

He had been to this cave more than once; he’d even brought his master and senior brother here last time... and nothing dangerous had happened then, either.