Druid Fairy

Chapter 87 Fire Spirit Mushroom, Red-Eyed Centipede
Dark as ink.

The phantoms of the five spirit beasts transformed into five-colored mysterious light, constantly circling around Li Pingcan.

A dazzling light burst forth from his pores, forming a magnificent color that is difficult for ordinary people to see.

The internal medicinal power exploded in the meridians, and the blood vessels surged like roaring rivers.

As his spine trembled, the Five Spirits Play moves became increasingly fierce, cracks appeared in his footprints, and his leaps even brought forth a fierce internal force that formed a gale.

The remaining medicinal power of the precious plants and fruits within the body is refined together with the internal elixir.

"coming soon!"

Li Pingcan was inspired. He pushed out his palms as if pushing a mountain, and the invisible barrier shattered. His powerful internal energy, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly opened up the twelve main meridians in his body, connecting the Ren and Du meridians.

When the last of the Five Spirit Deer shadows returned to its place, the sound of wind could be heard with every move he made. The flapping of wings of insects ten feet away in the courtyard could be clearly heard, and one could even sense the sound of red candles shedding tears in the lanterns under the eaves.

"Breakthrough!"

"The Acquired Realm has been achieved!"

Li Pingcan opened his eyes, a sharp glint in them. This breakthrough, aided by the Inner Growth Pill, was a natural progression!
It was probably the "Dao Ling Pill" he obtained from the Dragon Palace that allowed him to clearly perceive the changes in internal energy in every meridian of his body and the blocked acupoints, which is why he seemed to break through so easily.

It should be noted that only martial artists in the Acquired Realm can condense "Martial Courage," which allows them to introspect and suddenly enhance their mental strength, enabling them to resist the mental suppression of cultivators.

"He has reached the Grandmaster level, and his strength and realm are comparable to cultivators at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining."

Take Liang Xianguan for example, a cultivator in the mid-stage of Qi Refining. If it weren't for the blessing of the dynasty's fortune, he might not be unable to fight him for a couple of rounds.

After a night of meditation, dawn broke.

"Hululu."

Under the eaves, the little girl sat snoring, a glistening drool dribbling from the corner of her mouth.

"Still not awake?"

Li Pingcan was speechless. This girl's sleep quality was really good. He had broken through two realms to reach the Acquired Realm, working hard and striving diligently, and yet this little girl was sleeping even better than him!
He didn't bother arguing with the little girl, after all, he had tested her with hallucinogenic mushrooms and found that although she was simple-minded, her loyalty was quite good.

Looking at the max-level [Increase Resistance] attribute [Mental Immunity] on the panel, he greeted his father and transformed into a golden eagle, flying towards Qingjiang.

…………

The Great Rift Valley.

The scarlet light spread across the dark blue seawater, and the dark red magma crashed against the cracks in the bedrock. The moment the seawater collided, it generated a large column of white smoke and produced a cracking sound like an iron pot being dry-burned.

A cyan body was half-hidden among the fluorescent water plants, its dense scales shimmering with golden light. The rising mist was split in two by this body that stretched across the rift, turning into two streams of mist that rose upwards.

This beast is the Azure Dragon. After advancing to a spirit beast, it is slowly refining its dragon skin and horns, and has obtained some of the secret techniques of the ancient dragon bloodline. Its body, which was originally ten feet long, has now grown to more than six feet long, a world of difference from the small grass goldfish that Li Pingcan has transformed into.

It looked at the little goldfish with a worried expression and said, "Brother, do you really want to go down and investigate?"

Lee Pyeongchan took a deep breath and nodded.

Isn't the purpose of diligently practicing and increasing proficiency precisely for this step?

Even if the [Spore Sense], which is best at clearing paths and gathering information, cannot be used underwater, how could one possibly have the thought of retreating when faced with the situation?

He thought to himself, "A max-level [Increased Resistance] combined with the 'fire immunity' trait of [Fire Control] is worth a try."

Qingjiao gritted his teeth and said, "Then I'll go with you!"

It can unleash the power of its dragon skin and horns, and can lend a hand to its brothers should there be any danger at the bottom of the Great Rift Valley.

Li Pingcan was overjoyed.

With Qingjiao by his side, the chances of winning were much greater. Having spent several years together, he trusted Qingjiao's snake-like qualities.

However, he still said, "Azure Dragon, I will cast a spell on you in a moment to increase your resistance to fire, but if you really can't stand the heat, don't try too hard."

Fire and magma are the most effective counter to water-based creatures.

Qingjiao patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, my good brother, I definitely won't be a burden to you."

That's not what I meant!
Li Pingcan was speechless. He cast [Increase Resistance] on the Azure Dragon. He had already used [Nature's Gift] on the Azure Dragon before to bless the Azure Serpent, so using it again now would not have a significant effect, and he would not waste those "mana".

"what."

The Azure Dragon narrowed its eyes, noticing the change in its body. Its tail excitedly pulled out a string of bubbles, and it exclaimed with delight, "Carp, this is pretty cool! Can you use that 'Thorns Technique' again?"

Although its bumps disappeared, it retained its love of scratching itself.

You're really into it, aren't you? You're even starting to get addicted!

Looking at the lively Azure Dragon, Li Pingcan's slight nervousness vanished. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Although the Great Rift Valley is vast, your size is far too enormous. If the rift valley narrows, you won't be able to move freely, and you could easily be in danger."

After all, no one knows the true environment of the Rift Valley, or whether any life exists there.

"Don't worry about that." The Azure Dragon chuckled, flicked its tail, and muttered incantations, instantly transforming into a three-foot-long green snake. "Watch my ability to change size at will!"

Li Pingcan was envious. His shapeshifting ability had too many limitations. At best, he couldn't transform into a whale. Even if he did, it would only be a change in appearance, not as good as a real Azure Dragon.

Sigh, I'm afraid my brother won't take off, but I'm even more afraid he'll drive a Land Rover. Qingjiao's luck is just too good.

Envy is useless; the more powerful the Azure Dragon becomes, the better, to help him obtain the Fire Spirit.

"Let's go!"

The fish and the snake exchanged a glance and swam toward the rift valley.

…………

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr."

The further downstream you go, the higher the water temperature becomes, and the more bubbles rise to the surface, enveloping reddish-black, smoke-like gases.

"Don't touch the colored bubbles." The Azure Dragon said solemnly, "This is fire poison. A treasure fish once touched it and died within seven days, its whole body rotting away, leaving only a skeleton."

That skeleton is still in Qingjiao's collection, used for scratching his itch.

Li Pingcan nodded seriously, nimbly changing his body to avoid the bubbles.

How deep is it exactly?

Nobody knows.

"We've descended at least a hundred miles, haven't we?"

Li Pingcan was amazed. The cliffs of the Great Rift Valley were upside down, with occasional protruding rocks, shaped like cones, about thirty or forty meters long, covered with red algae.

His expression tightened involuntarily.

'Since algae can grow beneath the Great Rift Valley as food, it's highly likely that other life forms also exist there.'

After informing Qingjiao of this assessment, both of them became even more cautious as they descended.

As you go deeper, everything becomes exceptionally quiet except for the sounds of swimming and the bursting of bubbles.

Suddenly.

Suddenly, flames shot out from the seemingly normal stone wall like a musket, startling the Azure Dragon into letting out a loud "Waaah!"—the instinctive fear of fire that aquatic creatures have!
Li Pingcan had already released his divine sense to cautiously observe his surroundings. Upon seeing this, he immediately used the [Fire Control] skill. The fierce flames seemed to have heard a new command and quickly receded, as if submitting.

"You scared me! Wait till my brother gets his hands on you!"

The Azure Dragon clicked its tongue and spat at the fiery cave, then praised Li Pingcan, "Carp, you're really amazing!"

Even if you praise me, I won't be happy!
Li Pingcan chuckled.

The fish and the snake continued swimming towards the bottom of the water.

As more and more fire holes appeared on the stone wall, a pillar of fire would occasionally shoot out. Li Pingcan was unaffected by the fire immunity, but the Azure Dragon screamed as it was sprayed by the fire.

"It's so hot! It's killing me!"

Although it was howling, it was full of energy and unharmed. After all, it had dragon skin and the ability to increase its resistance, so this bit of fire couldn't hurt it. Instead, it helped it overcome its fear of fire.

…………

"It looks like we're almost there."

Li Pingcan sensed the aura of the fire spirit, and the originally wide rift valley transformed into a lotus-like spray, becoming countless channels.

The red light grew increasingly dazzling and intense, even the breath exhaled turned into bursts of hot air.

"Go this way." Li Pingcan sensed the fire spirit and made a judgment.

He thought to himself that if the road really was impassable, he would use [sculpted soil] to dig a road out by force.

Fortunately, his worries were unnecessary.

A fish and a snake entered the tunnel and sank thirty-four meters. The path suddenly turned, and the view opened up before them. Beneath a huge rock platform, magma was constantly rolling and occasionally exploding. The red light they had seen earlier was this magma.

Li Pingcan swam to the platform, where the space was high and unfathomably deep, and the aura of the fire spirit churned in the magma.

He was immediately stumped.

Although there are fire immunity and resistance enhancements, how can a mortal body so easily resist the might of nature?

The highest temperature of fire is only 600 degrees Celsius, while the temperature of lava can rise to 1,300 degrees Celsius.

Even adding the cultivation level of a "post-natal" martial artist wouldn't be enough.

When Li Pingcan placed his fin into the lava, he was immediately jolted awake. What he felt for a moment was not heat, but extreme cold!

This is, of course, due to the "reverse temperature sensation" phenomenon caused by excessive heat.

"Fifteen minutes? No, I'd be lucky to last three minutes."

In such a short time, it would be difficult to dive into the lava and capture the fire spirit.

"Brother, come quick!"

The excited shout of the Azure Dragon interrupted Li Pingcan's thoughts. In front of the stone wall, it was wriggling its body happily like a piece of seaweed, and in front of it was a fiery red, lush plant!

It resembles a mushroom, is entirely red, has burn-like cracks on its surface, a short stem and a large cap, and is cleverly embedded in the rock wall, its large cap swaying with the rising heat.

Plants can actually grow under lava!

The Azure Dragon exclaimed with delight, "This is a Fire Spirit Mushroom!"

Li Pingcan's face also showed joy. Fire Lingzhi, which can be described with the word "Ling" in its name, is obviously a spiritual object of heaven and earth!
Just as the Azure Dragon was about to excitedly pluck the Fire Spirit Mushroom, a crack suddenly appeared in the rock wall, and something reached out and bit down!
"What the hell!" The Azure Dragon quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the creature's attack. With a flick of its tail, it swiftly escaped the attack's range.

Li Pingcan narrowed his eyes. On the crimson rock wall, a fiery red centipede-shaped creature was integrated into the rock wall, and it was impossible to notice it without careful observation.

The Azure Dragon almost suffered this hidden loss!

"This is a red-eyed centipede."

Li Pingcan recognized this insect. He had heard similar threats in the orphanage in his previous life, such as "If you don't behave, centipedes will crawl into your ears and eat your brains," so he had a deep impression of it.

But a red-eyed centipede that can survive in lava is certainly not an ordinary species.

Even if it's not a spirit beast, it's still at the peak of a treasure beast.

"This red-eyed centipede is the guardian beast of the Fire Spirit Mushroom?" The Azure Dragon curled its lip. "Your grandpa dragon is determined to take this Fire Spirit Mushroom today!"

"Qingjiao, wait a minute, let me try to communicate with it first." Li Pingcan stopped Qingjiao, and then used [Animal Communication], but felt a strong ferocity.

The rage, anger, and hatred over the occupied territory grew stronger and stronger, driven by a purely animalistic mindset, making communication impossible.

"So barbaric?"

Li Pingcan was slightly surprised; the Druid, who had always been successful, had actually stumbled!

It seems that the magical beasts and spirit beasts I usually encounter are all too gentle.

Indeed, spirit beasts that can live within the human realm are usually gentle in nature; those that are violent have long been turned into a feast by cultivators.

Since there is no way to resolve this peacefully, then armed war is the only option.

Li Pingcan was determined to get his hands on the Fire Spirit Mushroom. He could sense that when he got close to it, even the Fire Spirit seemed restless, making it a perfect "bait" to lure out the Fire Spirit.

"Azure Dragon, you go."

"I have to do it!"

The Azure Dragon laughed loudly, wanting to catch the red-eyed centipede, but he was also struggling with a problem.

This creature blends seamlessly with the crimson stone wall, moving stealthily and swiftly. For example, right now, it has no idea where the red-eyed centipede is.

'Then get closer, let it attack first, seize its weakness. I refuse to believe that I, a dragon-snake spirit beast, can't do anything to a tiny insect!'

The Azure Dragon strode forward, fully focused. As soon as it stepped into the Red-Eyed Centipede's "territory," a red shadow flew out and fiercely attacked it. Its hundred legs were like countless sharp knives, trying to pierce the Azure Dragon's hide.

Instead of retreating, the Azure Dragon advanced, its dragon skin sparking as it clashed against hundreds of sharp knives, producing a piercing, teeth-grinding sound.

In terms of physical strength, the Azure Dragon was confident that it was second to none, and indeed it was so; the hundred-legged legs of the red-eyed centipede could not penetrate the dragon's skin.

"Thunderclap Technique!"

Seeing this opportunity, the Azure Dragon let out a low growl, its dragon horns emitting a dazzling light. A bolt of purplish-blue lightning crackled and flickered above its head, finally unleashing a deafening roar as it prepared to strike.

Insects are afraid of thunder, let alone such a terrifying move.

Seeing that things were not going well, the red-eyed centipede hurriedly turned around and fled, burrowing into the red rock wall and disappearing from sight.

"Finally, I can pick the Fire Spirit Mushroom!" The Azure Dragon was pleased with itself for making the Red-Eyed Centipede "flee at the mere sight of it." It raised its tail and was about to pick the Fire Spirit Mushroom when the Red-Eyed Centipede once again reached out from different directions on the rock wall and stung the Azure Dragon.

Just as he was about to unleash the Thunderclap Technique, the red-eyed centipede began to cower back into its shell.

After repeating this several times, they actually adopted guerrilla tactics of "retreating when the enemy advances and harassing when the enemy retreats."

This infuriated Qingjiao, who thought, "I'll blow up this damned rock wall!"

"What if you blow it up?"

Li Pingcan said that he discovered that the crimson stone wall had countless holes that were not clearly visible, but they were covered by the firelight. These interconnected passages were the reason why the red-eyed centipede was so agile.

"Go and seduce her again, use the Thunderclap Technique, and I'll handle the rest."

Qingjiao acted according to plan, at the moment the red-eyed centipede appeared.

Li Pingcan used [Sculpting Earth] to seal off all the rock formations, and the red-eyed centipede was unable to return to the rock wall, and immediately panicked.

The Azure Dragon was already prepared. As the Thunderclap Technique it was brewing descended, the moment it paralyzed the red-eyed centipede with electricity, its massive serpentine body suppressed the opponent, rendering it unable to move.

Not to be missed!
Li Pingcan had long coveted the red-eyed centipede. It was already difficult for an insect to become a treasure beast, let alone such a rare species that could potentially transcend the realm of spirit beasts. Since the lava underground contained fire spirit mushrooms, there were bound to be other spiritual plants!
If one can form a contract with this treasure insect, it's like having an extra helper who can move freely in and out of lava, helping one explore and find treasure.

He immediately thought to himself, "I will cast 'Insect Contract'!"

A faint glow emanated from the red-eyed centipede, as if it wanted to forcefully blend into the creature.

When stimulated, the red-eyed centipede's centipedes move uncontrollably up and down like waves, as if it were a brush in water.

A sharp, intense pain shot through Li Pingcan's mind; the red-eyed centipede's resistance was far more fierce than he had expected.

He could only offer emotional reassurance: "Follow me and you'll live a life of luxury, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

"Do you want to eat some fire lingzhi? I can share a little with you!"

"Don't you want to transform into a true spirit insect? I can help you!"

Unexpectedly, all the kind words had no effect whatsoever. The red-eyed centipede was like a steadfast and unyielding woman, completely unmoved by the "bandit's" coercion!

If you don't eat the toast, you will be punished with a drink!
Li Pingcan's eyes turned cold as he said to the Azure Dragon, "Use a few more Thunderclap Techniques to shock it! I refuse to believe it can't submit!"

If you're not convinced, then you're using too little electricity!
"Alright!" The Azure Dragon had long disliked this insect, and with a few crisp and clean thunderclaps, the red-eyed centipede smelled of roasted protein.

Take advantage of his illness to kill him!

Li Pingcan showed no mercy, his powerful mental strength destroying the insect's mental defenses, and forcefully forcing a contract with it.

Then the red-eyed centipede rolled over and stood up, a sense of intimacy spreading through its mind. Its several charred tentacles waved shyly, wanting to rub against Li Pingcan but not daring to, just like a bullied little wife.

You ignored me back then, but now you can't afford to miss me.

Li Pingcan ignored it, got up and swam around, looking at the plump fire lingzhi.

If my mushrooms could also have fire resistance, wouldn't they also be able to spawn in lava?
Of course, this is difficult to do.

Putting aside his distracting thoughts, he reached out and plucked the fire lingzhi mushroom.

For an instant.

The magma beneath the platform surged forth like a tsunami!

Fortunately, Li Pingcan was prepared.

"Control the fire!"

He let out a low shout, and his whole body flashed with light. The tail of the carp turned into a dazzling golden light, and the rising lava receded to both sides, bypassing the golden carp.

Within the boiling lava, the humanoid fire spirit was extremely enraged, much like the fire beast in its previous berserk state.

"Qingjiao, you take the Fire Spirit Mushroom, I'll deal with the Fire Spirit," Li Pingcan said solemnly.

The Azure Dragon has no fire immunity and is easily burned by lava. As long as the main battlefield is not in the lava, he has a 70% chance of winning!
(End of this chapter)