Chapter 181: Uses of the Dragon Key, Update Arrives Again

“Senior Brother, I found this thing unintentionally during an exploration. Can you see if it’s useful?”

As he was about to leave, Ye Rong sat down again and handed over the Gilded Dragon Key he obtained from the Golden Cabinet Water Manor, asking for an opinion.

This was the privilege of being a Third-Generation Disciple. If it were an ordinary Formal Disciple of Qingcheng, after just a few words of conversation, Chen Taizhen would have waved them away long ago. He wouldn’t have allowed you to ask questions here and linger for so long.

He thought it over and over, feeling that Senior Brother Chen Taizhen would not covet his belongings, so it was safe to take it out for him to identify.

“Gilded Dragon Key! This really is a Gilded Dragon Key!”

Senior Brother Chen Taizhen jumped up suddenly, all dignity and composure gone, as if he had seen the most unbelievable thing.

He lifted the Gilded Dragon Key, held it before his eyes and carefully examined it several times. He even used some unknown method, striking it hard, and there was actually a faint dragon roar. A miniature golden dragon appeared, circled once in front of him, and then retracted back into the dragon key.

“Younger Brother, you truly are someone with great Fortune Affinity. Our master was right to accept you as a disciple. Given time, your achievements might not be inferior to Emei’s Three Heroes and Two Clouds; you are absolutely destined to be among the best of the younger generation. I heard that the new disciple recently accepted by Emei’s Sect Leader, True Lord Miaoyi, Ni Shui Han, is also a heaven-defying talent with rapid cultivation progress. But I think you, Younger Brother, won’t lag far behind him.”

While Senior Brother Chen Taizhen was sighing with emotion, Ye Rong was inwardly startled and became vigilant.

The fame of that Ni Shui Han had actually spread among high-level NPCs and seemed to be widely praised. Just what level had his strength reached now?

“This Gilded Dragon Key is the most crucial step to opening the real Yellow Emperor’s Tomb. Without it, it would take at least several months more of effort, creating countless unforeseen complications out of thin air, and possibly allowing the Demonic Cultivators to seize the opportunity first. With the Gilded Dragon Key, it wouldn’t be excessive for you, Younger Brother, to demand a share of one Primordial Wonder. When the time comes, our master will definitely help you fight for it!”

“So important!”

Ye Rong had previously thought that this Gilded Dragon Key was merely an important item to access the second or third layer. He never imagined it was actually the key to opening the real Yellow Emperor’s Tomb. The concept of a Primordial Wonder—that was a treasure far superior to the Nine Glazed Golden Lamp.

But even so, whether he could truly obtain it still involved many unpredictable variables. Those guys from Emei might not be willing to honestly share out a Primordial Wonder. Moreover, with top righteous sects like Kunlun also watching closely nearby, they wouldn’t easily let a Primordial Wonder fall into the hands of a junior.

“Younger Brother, keep the Gilded Dragon Key safe. It’s extremely important; be sure not to lose it.”

Senior Brother Chen Taizhen gave another round of reminders and returned the Gilded Dragon Key to Ye Rong.

…

After leaving the Five Peaks Residence, Ye Rong headed straight for the Tuo River. He didn’t notify Pecking Chicken, but directly found a spot near the Water Eye, dived in, and started grinding monsters.

Earlier, he had incidentally asked Senior Brother Chen Taizhen to help appraise the two golden equipment pieces he obtained from the passage in Qiao Mountain’s Yellow Emperor’s Tomb. One was a Fifth-Rank Magical Treasure, the Kaiyuan Golden Axe, and the other was a Fifth-Rank Divine Weapon, the Golden Ge.

The Kaiyuan Golden Axe was a perfectly normal Fifth-Tier Magic Treasure; it could transform into a huge golden axe for attacking and damaging enemies.

The Fifth-Rank Golden Ge, however, was somewhat unusual—at least it was a type of weapon he had never seen before, considered a Fifth-Tier Divine Weapon.

But its attack mode was completely different from ordinary Flying Swords. It was thrown, and once thrown, it couldn’t be retrieved automatically; he had to run and pick it up himself.

In battles against players, such a luxurious act of using a Fifth-Tier Divine Weapon for a single attack would strain even the wealthiest players.

However, the attack power of the Golden Ge was genuinely high, reaching 530-560, with an attack range of ten li. In specific situations, it could unleash terrifying power.

With Ye Rong’s current strength, he could already easily grind monsters near thirty zhang around the Water Eye. Going further, apart from the river water becoming somewhat more turbulent, the monster density was no different from here.

After acquiring Chongxu Sword Qi, his monster-killing efficiency also improved significantly—though attribute boosts from general Sword Art Forms didn’t benefit Chongxu Sword Qi, the Flying Sword attack power increase from the Chongxu True Scripture was effective for Chongxu Sword Qi.

Two Sword Lights formed a dense, impenetrable sword net in front of him, frantically shredding any Aquatic Demonic Creatures that swam in, just like a highly efficient killing machine. Meanwhile, the Chongxu Sword Qi roamed outside, not fixed in position, more flexible and responsive to changes.

By the end, he was maneuvering the sword into circles, the Sword Lights flashing swiftly with gleaming flames, and the Chongxu Sword Qi nimbly weaving through them. This was a different sword style from before, a more efficient monster-killing method he developed through countless grinding battles.

It was like a Sword Light millstone; Aquatic Demonic Creatures that threw themselves in were quickly ground down to zero Health Points. Additionally, the Chongxu Sword Qi specifically targeted larger monsters with abundant Health Points, ensuring none escaped.

At the same time, he still had the focus to condense a cyan light hand, desperately grabbing all the dropped items and pulling them back.

For ordinary players, operating so many different aspects at once would scatter their attention, easily causing gaps in their Sword Light defenses. But in Ye Rong’s hands, such things didn’t happen. He multitasked and operated everything to perfection.

However, such combat drained his True Qi at an alarming, plummeting rate.

Fortunately, Chongxu Sword Qi consumed no True Qi at all, which was a tremendous blessing, allowing him to hold on. Relying on the power of pills, he could still replenish it.

“After I go back, I must urge Xuanhu Xiaoyao to desperately produce high-grade pills for me!”

Chief once again ignored the fact that he himself was a Brewer, and a Jing Sect Brewer specialized in restorative fine brews at that. He unfairly shifted the logistical burden of his pill consumption onto Xuanhu Xiaoyao.

“I heard from Pecking Chicken that he seems to be a Level 3 Alchemist now, already capable of refining Fourth-Grade pills. If only he could refine Purple Gold Pills, I’d have him make several thousand specifically for me right away. I’d treat them like candy beans during leveling!”

Even around the Water Eye, which served as the main refresh point for over half of the Aquatic Demonic Creatures in the entire Tuo River Basin, the area in Ye Rong’s direction was actually cleared out by him, the river stained with blood, momentarily empty of monsters.

Out of habit, his Sword Light swept downward, but it caught nothing.

No problem, move to another spot and continue!

Around the Water Eye, there wasn’t much else, but there was an endless supply of Aquatic Demonic Creatures.

While grinding here, Ye Rong also broadened his horizons, encountering over a hundred types of Aquatic Demonic Creatures he had never seen before.

Luckily, he had an all-round defensive Magic Treasure like the Hundred Poison Cold Light Barrier. Otherwise, he would have been in trouble several times, unable to defend himself.

There was a type of explosive venomous Water Mother that would react very agitatedly to the slightest attack, exploding with a “bang” and releasing dark green poison from its body. A single drop would inflict a poison status, reducing maximum Qi and Blood by 50 points per second for a full two minutes.

Once, due to a moment of carelessness, Ye Rong got a drop on him. He was nearly driven to tears, almost reverting to his Health Points level from his Starter Village days.

When the Hundred Poison Cold Light Barrier’s colorful glow expanded, it provided seamless, gap-free defense, absolutely perfect.

Apart from being a bit low-tier and having insufficient defensive power, it had no flaws and suited his usage requirements perfectly.

After that, whenever Ye Rong saw this kind of venomous Water Mother, he would use a Chongxu Sword Qi from afar to make it explode directly, avoiding trouble.

Perhaps the limitless slaughter nearly drove the local Aquatic Demonic Creatures to extinction. His actions angered the water deity of the Tuo River. After switching locations three times in a row, a shadow the size of a small palace silently moved toward him.

It wasn’t until it was close behind him that he noticed it. Shocked, he didn’t even turn his head, directly shooting his Sword Light forward while fleeing in the opposite direction.

Tuojiang Divine Turtle, Level ??? Tier ???

This shadow, like a small palace, turned out to be a divine turtle. Its head alone was the size of a house. With just one gulp, it created an undercurrent.

Though still not comparable to the Coiled Hornless Dragon, the boss of the Aquatic Demonic Creatures in the Tuo River Basin, it was definitely one of the top few most fearsome BOSSes. If Ye Rong dared to turn and fight it, lasting three rounds would be an achievement worth being proud of.

“Damn Kung Fu Panda! I was wrong! I only killed small fry, not any of your esteemed turtle descendants! No need to chase so closely!”

Having not encountered danger for a long time, Ye Rong’s vigilance had decreased, and he forgot the dangers within the Tuo River Basin. Currently, it was still not a place where players could come and go freely, dominating as they pleased.

Fortunately, this Tuojiang Divine Turtle was toying with him, not using its full strength. It just followed him persistently, neither too close nor too far, not making a move to devour Ye Rong.

System Notification: Game update in ten minutes. Please prepare to log off!

The rapid, consecutive system announcements made Ye Rong’s heart leap with joy; he saw a glimmer of hope.

Hold on! As long as I persist until ten minutes later when the System forcibly kicks me offline, what can the Tuojiang Divine Turtle do to me then?

These grueling ten minutes, which felt like years, pushed Ye Rong to his limits, drained every bit of his potential, and exhausted countless methods before he barely managed to escape from the turtle’s clutches.

Finally, when the ten-minute countdown ended, his vision went black, and Ye Rong was forcibly ejected from the game.

Pulling off the Mind Link Connector, his eyes were still a bit dizzy, and his mind buzzed, not recovering immediately.