"What is that?!"
Mu Jinyu followed the Barbarian King's gaze, and his pupils couldn't help but slightly contract.
In front of them, within a block of solid ice, was a dragon tail about three meters long... sealed within.
This dragon tail was ice-blue throughout, without scales, the dragon skin smooth and silky like satin. At the severed end, there was visible flesh and a few drops of dragon blood...
"Could this be the severed tail left by your tribe's Guardian God, the Hanchi?"
Mu Jinyu turned to the Barbarian King and asked uncertainly.
It is said that the Chi Dragon is the second offspring among the Nine Offspring of the Dragon, and some say its real existence in reality is actually a gecko.
This scene suddenly made Mu Jinyu think of a gecko sacrificing its tail to survive.
Could there really be a link between the two?
The Barbarian King, hearing Mu Jinyu's words, snapped out of his shock. He then frowned and began to ponder, unsurely saying, "Our tribe's Guardian God has been dead for thousands of years without leaving any offspring. The old tales of how it looked at death have only been passed down by word of mouth from the elders. I am also unsure whether the Hanchi came back with its tail severed."
"The possibility seems quite high."
Mu Jinyu carefully sensed it; it was indeed a dragon tail, and because the ice preserved it so well, he could clearly feel the rich dragon qi within it and the cold aura unique to it, which was unlike the chill of the Extremely Cold Hell.
If that's the case, there is a high likelihood that this was the severed tail left by their Hanchi tribe's ancestor from thousands of years ago.
"You take it," Mu Jinyu said to the Barbarian King.
After all, it was likely their ancestral Guardian God, and since he himself already had an intact dragon corpse, Mu Jinyu had no reason to fight the Barbarian King over it.
Though he accompanied him to the Extremely Cold Hell for the Hedao Fruit, the fact that the Barbarian King risked his life would always be remembered by Mu Jinyu. He wouldn't argue for something he didn't really need.
"Alright."
The Barbarian King gave Mu Jinyu a deep look upon hearing his words and, without any refusal, stepped forward and collected both the dragon tail and the block of ice into his storage bag.
Then, the two continued on their way.
Starting with this dragon tail, as they proceeded on the path, they gradually encountered many creatures frozen in ice.
There were humans, beasts, birds, and even spiritual medicines...
Unfortunately, they didn't find the Cold Soul Six Spirit Ganoderma, which Mu Jinyu needed most.
Mu Jinyu surmised that countless beings had died along this path long ago, but in the earliest stretch, the deceased might not have left behind complete corpses, only fragments of bone.
But why had even the Hanchi and many ferocious-looking creatures perished on this road, yet he and the Barbarian King could venture further?
Mu Jinyu was a bit puzzled.
If this path was as perilous as he predicted, surely even the Bi Fang Cauldron, Phoenix Tree Spirit Pill, and his own physique wouldn't suffice to sustain him this far?
Or perhaps, over the millennia, for unknown reasons, the cold air in the Extremely Cold Hell had significantly waned?
Unable to determine the real reason, Mu Jinyu could only speculate as such.
"Huh, there's actually a cocoon here. Could there be a living pupa inside?"
At this moment, the Barbarian King kicked a small block of ice, and with his sharp eyes, spotted a snow-white cocoon sealed within, asking curiously.
Upon hearing this, Mu Jinyu turned to look, and indeed, inside the fist-sized block of ice was a snow-white cocoon, emitting a shimmering white light, appearing quite extraordinary, hence the Barbarian King's curiosity about a living being inside.
As they delved further along the way since seeing the dragon tail, they had encountered countless creatures frozen in ice—beasts, humans, spiritual medicines. They tried breaking the solid ice to see if any creatures could be saved, but every time, when the ice shattered, so did the creatures inside, turning into ice fragments.
The Barbarian King understood that if he shattered the ice around the dragon tail he had collected, the tail within would certainly perish and turn to ice fragments.
However, he hadn't planned to use the dragon tail for blood medicine; rather, he intended to take it back to be buried together in the tomb of the Hanchi Guardian Spirit.
Thus, he didn't feel disappointment or regret.
At this moment, suddenly noticing a fist-sized ice block containing a cocoon, they were deeply surprised.
Because on their journey, the frozen creatures they encountered were generally imposing and powerful. Even the spiritual medicines were Rank Four, having evolved into human forms, but they had never seen a weaker being like a silkworm sealed in ice.
This indicated that the life within the cocoon might also be quite extraordinary.
"Let's crack it open and see."
The Barbarian King smiled and proceeded to break the solid ice, eager to see if there was a living creature inside.
After breaking countless pieces of ice along the way, letting the bodies turn to ice fragments, his approach had shifted from initial caution to a carefree attitude.
Though he said he wanted to see if there was a living thing inside, he knew the life inside couldn't survive, only curious if the cocoon contained a silkworm pupa, a moth, or perhaps a fat silkworm.
"Crack!"
The ice sealing the cocoon shattered, but surprisingly, the cocoon didn't break immediately; instead, it continued to emit a gentle white light, floating in the void.
This unexpected development made the Barbarian King look astonished.
He didn't think the life inside was dead, supposing the cocoon's special material had preserved it well.
The beings inside the ice blocks he broke, several had weapons exuding the aura of top-grade spiritual treasures, far more formidable than a cocoon, yet they also disintegrated upon exposure?
So now, the ice was shattered, but the cocoon still floated in the air, likely indicating the creature inside hadn't died!
Mu Jinyu observed this, his brow furrowed tighter, and he grew more vigilant, cautiously preparing for anything.
The Barbarian King stepped back a few paces, watching the cocoon floating in the air with suspicion, not daring to rip it open to see what it contained.
Mu Jinyu cautiously extended his Divine Sense to probe inside the cocoon, intending to discover if there was life within.
But the cocoon's material had the remarkable ability to evade Divine Sense detection, preventing him from seeing within.
"Gurgle!"
Just then, a strange sound came from the cocoon.
Mu Jinyu and the Barbarian King realized the sound originated from the cocoon, their tension rising as they retreated several strides, each clutching a Space-breaking Talisman, ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.
"Tear."
At this moment, the cocoon emitted a soft tearing sound, as a small hole was suddenly ripped open at one end.
But contrary to Mu Jinyu and his companion's expectations, they didn't feel an overwhelming and terrifying aura emanate, suffocating them with pressure.
The process was very calm.
Then, amidst their bewildered curiosity, a plump, thumb-sized white little silkworm slowly wriggled out from the torn opening in the cocoon.