"Crack..."
As Bai Zihe uttered his last syllable, the ice layer instantly spread and froze his mouth shut.
Then came his nose, his eyes.
In less than a second.
Bai Zihe was encased in ice, just as he had been before.
"Heh..."
The Water Qilin's massive mouth curved upward with a smug expression. "Bai Zihe, your journey into the forbidden grounds ends here. Return."
With that said.
The Water Qilin prepared to shatter the ice sculpture, which would send Bai Zihe out of the forbidden grounds.
In the forbidden grounds, no one would die.
"Buzz..."
But at this very moment, a surge of heat suddenly spread throughout the entire cave.
In just a brief instant, it reached the Water Qilin before it, causing its expression to change drastically, and for the first time, its eyes revealed a hint of terror.
"What..."
"What power is this?"
The Water Qilin stared intently at Bai Zihe, who had already been turned into an ice sculpture, its voice tinged with fear. "It can actually suppress my water power..."
"Impossible."
"Absolutely impossible!"
The Water Qilin muttered to itself incessantly.
However.
"Rumble—"
In the next moment, a thunderous sound exploded in its ears.
As if from the heavens, yet it was right beside it.
Following the sound, a nearly transparent flame, in a flash of lightning, spread over the Water Qilin's entire body and, with it as the center, rapidly expanded outwards.
"Crack!"
"Crackle—"
"Swish—"
Under this transparent flame.
The solid ice cracked open, and then began to melt at a rapid pace.
The frost and snow instantly liquefied, turning into a puddle of water on the ground, splattering with a 'patta swish' sound.
The bone-chilling cold...
Was suddenly driven away without a trace.
What remained here.
Was only the transparent flame, and the rapidly rising temperature of the burning heat, causing an unbearable panic and unease.
"This..."
In the next moment, the Water Qilin felt an extreme discomfort. It had no choice but to use its great divine powers to form ice walls around itself to defend against this transparent flame.
However...
No matter how many ice walls, they were all in vain.
They could not stop this inexplicable flame at all.
Layer after layer, all melted away.
It lasted for less than three seconds.
"This..."
The Water Qilin's expression turned extremely grim. It then had no choice but to spit out a pearl – this was its natal divine pearl, a symbol of its identity as a water divine beast.
Not only was it indestructible, but it also possessed boundless, inexhaustible natal power, which could be used as a weapon.
"Crack..."
In the next moment, this massive, azure pearl suddenly unleashed extreme water power, creating layer upon layer of defense before it.
Gales and snow.
Water curtains.
Ice walls.
Everything was there.
"Crack!"
"Swish..."
However, these defensive measures continued to crumble.
It was just that the speed had slowed down a bit compared to before.
"Roar—"
Feeling the heat intensify, the Water Qilin had to further unleash its even more terrifying water power for defense.
It couldn't help but roar to the sky, spitting a mouthful of its vital blood onto the pearl.
Nourished by the vital blood, the pearl instantly emitted a dazzling azure light, enveloping the entire area and beginning to collide with the transparent flame.
"Buzz!"
"Crack!"
"Whoo!"
Sounds continued to ring out.
While the Water Qilin unleashed all its means to defend against this attack.
On the other side, the profound ice around Bai Zihe had already melted.
And when the transparent flame touched Bai Zihe, it suddenly became very docile, without the slightest scorching ability.
Then, it continued to move forward, aiming to dissolve all the ice and snow.
"Whoo..."
Although he had only been frozen for a moment, and he knew that death was impossible in this forbidden ground, Bai Zihe still let out a long sigh of relief.
If people were to know.
That after he had finally managed to reach the forbidden grounds of the ancient Gu Clan Lin family, he was defeated by the mere gatekeeper and forced to retreat, how embarrassing that would be.
However, what Bai Zihe was curious about was.
The Water Qilin was only the first hurdle he encountered, and it was already so formidable. What kind of strength would the subsequent hurdles possess?
And after passing the water trial, what would come next?
A fire trial, a metal trial?
He couldn't figure it out.
"Bai Zihe."
Just as Bai Zihe was lost in thought, the voice of the Water Qilin came from behind him, filled with emotion, with fear, and a very complex tone.
Bai Zihe turned around.
"How did you comprehend this move?"
The Water Qilin looked very disheveled. Some of its horns were scorched, and its scales were blackened to varying degrees. All of these were injuries from Bai Zihe's move, 'Burning Heaven and Scorching Earth,' leaving behind sequelae.
"This, you see..."
Bai Zihe's lips curved into a smile, but he didn't say anything.
Burning Heaven and Scorching Earth was indeed powerful.
It was a move that was slightly higher than the Water Qilin's 'Icy Heaven and Snowy Earth' in terms of water power.
For Bai Zihe alone, it was indeed difficult to comprehend such a level of technique.
However, in the 'Wordless Celestial Book,' Bai Zihe had witnessed the battle between the Fire God Zhurong and the Water God Gonggong. He drew inspiration from the Fire God Zhurong's understanding of fire.
Finally, he comprehended this incredibly powerful move.
Of course.
It didn't end there.
While comprehending, Bai Zihe had also observed the Water God Gonggong's techniques, and therefore, his understanding of water power had also made significant progress.
However, playing with water against the Water Qilin was like showing off in front of Guan Gong – it would only be laughable, so Bai Zihe did not display it.
"You, are very good."
The Water Qilin's expression was very complex as it slowly said, "When you entered, your understanding of fire power was still at the most basic stage."
"But in such a short period of time, to comprehend such profound fire power, it can be said that you have reached the limit of a Tribulation Crossing Realm cultivator. Calling you a 'genius' would not be an exaggeration."
"You have passed this trial."
After saying this.
The Water Qilin's injuries began to heal continuously.
Its broken horns grew back.
Its scorched scales fell off, and new ones quickly grew.
Its once dull natal divine pearl began to regain its brilliance, emitting streams of light.
"My apologies."
Bai Zihe smiled and walked further into the forbidden grounds.
His goal was the power of time and space. This was merely the starting point, not his destination.
"Wait."
At this moment, the Water Qilin called out to Bai Zihe.
Bai Zihe paused slightly, turned to look at the Water Qilin, unsure why it had stopped him.
"This is your reward."
As he spoke, something flew towards Bai Zihe.
Bai Zihe casually caught it. It was the pearl that the Water Qilin had just spat out.
"This is my natal divine pearl, you can also call it the Water Spirit Pearl."
"It condenses the limit of water power and can guide your cultivation in water power to reach even greater heights. It is also a reward for you passing this trial."
"You can consider it, the inheritance of water!"