Zi Yan pondered for a moment before nodding.
"You're right; what you said makes sense. We can do it this way. However, this matter may have to be postponed for a while. The time required for us to enter seclusion and absorb the power of the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit won't be short. I still have a lot of things I need to take care of since the tribe has just been united."
The Ancient Void Dragon Tribe issues prevented Zi Yan from immediately absorbing the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit at this time. Xiao Ming didn't disagree with her choice and instead entrusted the fruit to her care.
After spending two days with her on Ancient Dragon Island, Xiao Ming asked an elder about the location of the Void Lightning Pool. After hearing this, Hei Qing eagerly accompanied him to the vicinity of the lightning pool near Eastern Dragon Island.
There was a Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning in the lightning pool that Xiao Ming was heading to. However, at this moment, he hadn't set his sights on it.
That thing was on the brink of attaining spiritual intelligence and possessed the strength of a seven-star Dou Saint, while Xiao Ming himself was merely a three-star Dou Saint. He wasn't foolish enough to deliberately court death.
He went to the lightning pool not only to temper the several Half-Saint puppets he had, but also because the lightning pool contained densely packed bolts of Black Demon Lightning, which was his primary goal.
...
Whoosh!
An enormous light shadow shot through the empty space like lightning. A strange ripple spread from this figure, blocking the relentless tearing force emanating from the emptiness.
The figure gradually drew closer. Only upon closer inspection would one notice that it was a massive black dragon. Perched atop the dragon's head was Xiao Ming.
Chi!
Feeling the rushing wind in his ears, Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes slightly.
A moment later, he realized that the end of the empty space was beginning to emit a flickering silver light. An exceptionally wild and violent energy was erupting there.
"Have we arrived…"
Xiao Ming's heart moved as he sensed this somewhat familiar energy. He slowly stood up on the enormous dragon's head, his eyes staring at the silver luster.
The silver luster was rapidly growing. A rumbling thunder also resonated next to Xiao Ming's ears in an earth-shaking manner.
Standing on the dragon's head, Xiao Ming looked at the scene before him, his eyes revealing a hint of astonishment.
Before his eyes was an enormous "lake" nearly ten thousand meters wide. However, the "lake" here was not composed of ordinary water; instead, it was filled with bright silver thunderbolts…
This was a lightning pool that had been formed from thunderbolts!
Loud rolling thunder roared from the lightning pool as Xiao Ming stood in front of it. It caused one's heart to tremble. Anyone standing at this spot would feel exceptionally small.
"What an incredibly concentrated thunderbolt strength." Looking at this lightning pool, Xiao Ming couldn't help but exclaim. He wasn't unfamiliar with Lightning Pools; he had seen one in the depths of the Falling Thunder Mountain Range.
However, the lightning pool beneath the Falling Thunder Mountain Range paled in comparison to this. The thunderbolt power here surpassed any he had witnessed before.
"It's quite treacherous here, Brother Xiao Ming. Are you sure about cultivating in this place?" The enormous dragon that Hei Qing had transformed into studied this spacious lightning pool with astonished eyes. The energy here made him feel fearful and uneasy. Could Xiao Ming truly cultivate in such an environment?
Xiao Ming smiled and nodded. With this lightning pool, he believed he could advance the several puppets to the High-Level Half-Saint stage. By then, he could send them to the Xiao family.
He could also break through to the advanced three-star Dou Saint stage himself.
Although it might seem like a minor breakthrough, many Dou Saints had spent years just to achieve this slight advancement.
"Brother Hei Qing, I'm going in now. If there's anything, I'll send a signal." Xiao Ming said.
Seeing that Xiao Ming was indeed going to enter the lightning pool, Hei Qing could only nod helplessly and say, "During this period, I'll stand guard outside the lightning pool until your cultivation is complete. While my strength may not match yours, I can still offer assistance if needed."
"Thank you, Brother Hei Qing."
Xiao Ming knew that Hei Qing had good intentions. He refrained from saying more and simply smiled and nodded.
Then, he lightly tapped the dragon's head, and his figure shot out like lightning. Simultaneously, the Heavenly Flame surged within him, completely enveloping him.
Splash...
As Xiao Ming rushed into the lightning pool, numerous silver snakes of thunderbolts surged out like lightning, striking towards him.
However, as these thunderbolts came into contact with the Heavenly Flame enveloping his body, they emitted a faint muffled sound before dissipating into nothingness.
While the thunderbolts' power was formidable, the peripheral thunderbolts were just ordinary. Faced with the destructive power of the Heavenly Flame, they were insufficient.
Moreover, with his formidable strength, he naturally wouldn't be harmed.
Without any surprises, he landed in the lightning pool.
The enormous black dragon burst out with a dazzling light, and then swiftly transformed into a sturdy figure. Sitting cross-legged in the empty space, he gazed attentively at the interior of the lightning pool...
...
Inside the lightning pool, wild thunder danced, and enormous thunderbolts of nearly ten or even dozens of meters flickered incessantly.
Looking at these thunderbolts that could make ordinary Dou Venerates flee in distress, Xiao Ming shook his head directly.
"The peripheral thunderbolts are too weak. I need to go deeper."
As his words fell, his robe fluttered as he took steps towards the deeper parts of the lightning pool. He moved through the thunderbolts, and they seemed to ignore his presence.
The deeper he went, the denser the thunderbolts became, and their power turned even more violent. Thunderbolts as thick as water jars were enough to severely injure a high-star Dou Venerate upon impact, roasting them to a medium rare state.
The Void Lightning Pool was extremely vast, but with his speed, it took less than ten minutes to approach its depths.
Upon reaching the depths, Xiao Ming gazed at the suddenly dimmed surroundings and raised his gaze, fixing it on the mass of black lightning slowly writhing like darkness ahead, even with his current strength, his expression involuntarily turned solemn.
"Black Demon Lightning…"
His eyes couldn't help but show a hint of amazement. Who would have guessed that the Black Demon Lightning, which could only be attracted by refining a Ninth-Tier Pill, would be so plentiful here?
"The power of heaven and earth is truly unfathomable..."
After sighing, Xiao Ming took out the puppets he had previously refined in his spare time.
There were a total of three, all at the Half-Saint stage. Originally, there were four, all refined from the bodies of Half-Saints he had slain before.
One of them was given to Venerable Tian Huo to take back to the North-Western Region, so there were still three remaining.
With a thought, the three puppets stepped forward without hesitation. They walked slowly towards the depths of the lightning pool.
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