As she continuously channeled her magical energy into A’Dai, his belly began to swell at a terrifyingly visible speed, like a balloon being inflated.
Yun Qingxue grew alarmed and quickly withdrew her spell.
She feared that if she continued transferring energy, A’Dai’s belly might burst from the excessive expansion!
*Thud! Thud!*
As Yun Qingxue retracted her magic, A’Dai, who had been calm moments ago, started writhing violently again, clearly in distress.
She attempted to channel energy into him once more. When the faint blue glow enveloped A’Dai’s body, his restless movements ceased, and he calmed down again.
However, his belly continued to expand, and his mouth stretched open to a horrifying degree.
Yun Qingxue frowned deeply, momentarily at a loss.
If she withdrew her magic, A’Dai would thrash about. If she channeled energy, he would calm down—but his belly and mouth kept growing larger.
Just as she was caught in this dilemma, she noticed the swollen part of A’Dai’s belly beginning to shift upward.
As the swelling moved, his mouth stretched even wider!
A sudden realization struck Yun Qingxue—A’Dai’s widening mouth was because he was trying to expel something from his belly, and the energy she was transferring was helping him do so faster.
That was why he remained calm when she channeled energy into him!
Understanding this, Yun Qingxue dared not stop and continued pouring her magic into A’Dai without pause.
His belly no longer expanded further. Instead, the swollen area, aided by her energy, gradually moved upward.
A fine sweat began to form on Yun Qingxue’s forehead.
A’Dai wasn’t large, and the distance from his belly to his mouth wasn’t long—yet every inch the swelling moved consumed an immense amount of her energy.
The sensation of countless insects gnawing at her bones resurfaced, spreading through her body…
She bit her lip, forcing herself to endure and maintain the flow of magic, even as the pain intensified rapidly.
*Plop!*
With a sound of something being expelled, A’Dai’s body returned to its original size. Just ahead of him lay two brilliantly colored orbs.
Yun Qingxue withdrew her magic and collapsed heavily onto the ground.
“Master!” Daise rushed over, reaching out to help her up.
Yun Qingxue waved her hand dismissively. She didn’t mention her current discomfort, only saying faintly, “I expended too much energy helping A’Dai. Take care of him and Liuli first. I need to rest.”
“Yes, Master.” Daise retracted her hand and turned toward A’Dai instead.
Yun Qingxue bit her lip hard.
She didn’t understand what was happening to her body…
Every time she used too much magic or made slight progress in her cultivation, this excruciating pain would strike.
At first, she thought it was a natural reaction—either a bottleneck in her cultivation or a sign of breaking through it.
But as her magical power grew stronger, she could no longer deny the truth…
Something seemed wrong with her body!
Closing her eyes, she gathered and steadied the magic that had gone wild from the pain. Only then did she slowly reopen them.
Though she had read a book or two about alchemy in her master’s tattered thatched hut, she had no knowledge of diagnosing illnesses.
This agonizing pain that struck whenever she cultivated or used too much magic would have to wait until she returned to the Xuanling Continent for her master to examine.
“Master.”
A’Dai, who had been unconscious, was now awake. Seeing Yun Qingxue open her eyes, he immediately slithered up her arm to her wrist.
“Master, you’re awake,” A’Dai said, his round little eyes fixed on her—his voice as tender as a child’s.
Yun Qingxue stared at the tiny creature coiled around her wrist in surprise. “A’Dai… you can speak now?”
“Yes, I can speak!” A’Dai lifted his small head proudly, clearly delighted.
“Are you alright?” Yun Qingxue asked.
A’Dai nodded. “I’m fine! The reason I was unconscious earlier was because I was advancing. After devouring so many Black Python cores and converting their energy into my own, I can finally talk… Hahaha…”
By the end, he couldn’t help but laugh triumphantly.
“Then what was wrong with your belly?”
Yun Qingxue couldn’t help but smile at his smug little expression.
“That?” A’Dai chuckled sheepishly. “Master, you know I’m a sacred serpent of the aquatic clan. Eventually, I’ll evolve into a flood dragon and then a true dragon.”
Yun Qingxue nodded. “I know, but what does that have to do with your swollen belly?”
“Of course it does!” A’Dai nodded vigorously. “When sacred serpents of our clan reach between three to five hundred years of age, regardless of gender, we form a venom core inside our bodies. At that point, our bellies swell rapidly until we expel the core!
And the process of expelling it… is extremely painful and difficult!”
“But A’Dai, aren’t you less than two hundred years old?” Yun Qingxue asked, puzzled.
A’Dai grinned. “But I ate so many Black Python cores that the process was accelerated.”
“Accelerated?” Yun Qingxue studied him before suddenly asking, “Since it happened early, will you have to go through it again later?”
A’Dai rolled his little round eyes. “Master, do you think expelling a core is child’s play? Sacred serpents only do it once in their lifetime—which is why the venom cores we produce are absolute treasures!”
“Mas—Master!”
Before A’Dai could finish, Daise interjected urgently. “Master, look over there!”
Following Daise’s pointing finger, Yun Qingxue saw that the once-lush green grass nearby had turned withered and black. Even the towering, verdant trees in that area had shed their leaves, now lifeless.
The sudden change jolted Yun Qingxue to her feet, her senses sharpening in alarm.
It seemed that ever since entering the Yunhuang Illusory Realm, they hadn’t had a single moment of peace!
“Master, everything was fine just moments ago. How did all those plants die so quickly?” Daise frowned, unable to comprehend it. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes darted around warily, like a startled deer.
“I’ll go take a look.” Yun Qingxue motioned for Daise to stay calm and cautiously approached the withered grass.
As she drew near, she spotted two iridescent orbs gleaming under the sunlight amidst the yellowed grass—the very same venom cores A’Dai had just expelled!
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