Chapter 37: Lake Heart Island, Vortex Sand Worm

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Lake Heart Island, Vortex Sand Worm

"Gu Zheng and his group might be waiting for me on the shore." Ji Zhixing swam through the water, his mind racing. "With the four of them guarding the shore, going up there would be suicide. I need to find a place to hide first."

He looked toward Lake Heart Island.

"I’ll go to Lake Heart Island," he decided. "The terrain there is complex, and the commotion earlier originated from that area. Gu Zheng and his group might not dare to go there again."

With a kick of his legs, he shot forward like a frog, swimming toward Lake Heart Island.

The lake water was emerald green, and visibility was low, but it was clear enough for him to see the underwater scenery. As Ji Zhixing swam, he vigilantly observed his surroundings.

It wasn’t long before he spotted several Petrified Crabs clinging to the rocks at the bottom of the lake. Their bluish-gray shells blended almost perfectly with the surrounding stones, making them virtually indistinguishable without a closer look.

Further away, a few Giant Footed Frogs squatted motionless among the water weeds, their large eyes bulging. Several half-meter-long Megatooth Fish poked their heads out from the crevices in the rocks, baring mouths full of dense, razor-sharp teeth.

"So many Petrified Crabs..." Ji Zhixing looked at the crustaceans clinging to the lakebed, feeling a surge of temptation. What he lacked the most right now was Stone Skin Genetic Potion. In his eyes, these Petrified Crabs were nothing less than moving bottles of potion. However, he quickly suppressed the thought.

"Now is not the time," he thought calmly. "In the water, these Petrified Crabs won’t be easy to deal with. I can’t effectively use my staff techniques here. Besides, Gu Zheng and the others are still looking for me. Getting tangled up in a fight with crabs right now would be suicide.

"I need to get to Lake Heart Island first. Once I’m safe, I’ll figure something out."

He picked up his pace and swam toward Lake Heart Island.

Lake Heart Island drew closer and closer. Through the clear lake water, he could see the shallow beach bordering the island covered in fine gravel. A few crooked trees hung over the water, their branches swaying in the wind.

Ji Zhixing poked his head out of the water, vigilantly scanning his surroundings. The island was quiet. He didn’t see anyone, nor did he hear any unusual noises.

Just as he was looking for a suitable spot to go ashore, his gaze flickered.

In the distance by the lake, a Blood-Horned Deer was lowering its head, slowly walking toward the shore.

The Blood-Horned Deer was quite large, its entire body a reddish-brown hue. The pair of curved horns on its head gleamed with a dark crimson luster. It seemed a bit thirsty, walking slowly and looking around warily as it moved.

Ji Zhixing stopped moving, remaining half-submerged in the water as he watched quietly.

The Blood-Horned Deer approached the edge of the lake and stopped to observe for a while. Once it confirmed there was no danger nearby, it lowered its head and dipped its snout into the water.

It had only taken two sips when the sandy ground beneath its hooves suddenly shifted.

The Blood-Horned Deer jerked its head up, wanting to retreat, but it was already too late.

The sand beneath its feet seemed to come alive, rapidly forming a vortex that firmly sucked in its four legs.

The Blood-Horned Deer struggled in panic, letting out miserable shrieks, but the harder it fought, the faster it sank.

In a matter of seconds, the Blood-Horned Deer was dragged completely into the sand, leaving behind only a slowly spinning sinkhole.

Ji Zhixing’s pupils constricted, his heart skipping a heavy beat.

Beneath the sandy surface, a massive silhouette could faintly be seen writhing. It was a worm—an astonishingly large Sand Worm. With merely a flip of its body, the entire patch of sand churned violently, revealing a glimpse of its grayish-brown, segmented armor plating. It resembled a centipede but was countless times thicker and more robust.

Then, the sandy surface closed back up as the giant worm sank down, disappearing from sight.

"A Vortex Sand Worm!" Ji Zhixing’s heart chilled, but a surge of delight quickly followed.

"My textbooks mentioned this kind of Sand Worm," he recalled rapidly. "Vortex Sand Worm, a Tier One Genetic Beast. It likes to lurk beneath the mud and sand, creating whirlpools to hunt prey that get too close to the water’s edge.

"They possess formidable strength, but once they choose a location, they generally won’t relocate."

He looked at where the Sand Worm was lurking. It wasn’t far from the shore, and there were a few large rocks nearby.

"If I temporarily hide near this Sand Worm..." Ji Zhixing quickly formulated a plan. "This Sand Worm would effectively act as my ally.

"Anyone coming from that direction to deal with me will have to get past it first."

He carefully swam to the shore, climbed out of the water, and found a large rock not far from the Sand Worm’s territory. The boulder was fully two meters tall. Leaning against it perfectly blocked anyone’s line of sight.

Ji Zhixing sat down with his back against the large rock and let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"I’m really lucky to have made it out alive this time," he thought, a chill running down his spine. From being chased by the Black Eagle, to jumping into the Otherworldly Secret Realm, then being forced by Gu Zheng to lure out the snake, snatching the Hematite, and finally being chased out of the secret realm and leaping into Shi Lake...

"The world of Genetic Cultivators is never smooth sailing."

Ji Zhixing closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Today it’s Gu Zheng; tomorrow it’ll be Li Zheng or Wang Zheng. If you aren’t strong, you’ll forever be trampled underfoot. If I don’t want to be used as a stepping stone or treated as bait, my only option is to grow stronger. And fast."

Opening his eyes, he retrieved a small, delicate white bone vial from his Genetic Furnace. It was the very same bottle of Source Power Genetic Potion he had obtained on the first day after refining the Iron Feather Pheasant King.

"Source Power Genetic Potions can be used to recover source power, or to accelerate cultivation." Ji Zhixing unscrewed the cap. "The current situation is completely unknown. Gu Zheng and the others could find me at any moment, so I can’t afford to slowly refine the Genetic Source Stone. I need to restore my condition to its peak as soon as possible."

Tipping his head back, he downed the potion.

The liquid was slightly cool as it entered his mouth, carrying a faint, refreshing sweetness as it slid down his throat. A moment later, a warm current of air rose from his stomach, permeating his limbs and bones.

Ji Zhixing closed his eyes, guiding the current to merge into his Genetic Furnace. The Eight Trigrams Map within the furnace rotated slowly, absorbing and converting the medicinal power bit by bit.

In just a few minutes, he felt all of his previously depleted genetic source power fully restored.

"That fast?" Ji Zhixing wondered in astonishment. He remembered his textbooks stating that although Source Power Genetic Potions could accelerate the recovery of source power, it generally took over ten minutes for a full restoration. Yet, he had actually only taken a few minutes.

"Could the quality of my Source Power Genetic Potion be higher? Or perhaps there’s such a thing as compatibility with Source Power Genetic Potions?" Ji Zhixing wondered in bewilderment.

While refining the potion just now, he had indeed felt an incredibly soothing sensation. Not overthinking it, he closed his eyes and refined the remaining Source Power Genetic Potion, using it to advance his cultivation base.

In the early stages of cultivation, if Genetic Cultivators wanted to improve their cultivation base, they primarily relied on refining Source Power Genetic Potions to condense their mist-like genetic source power bit by bit.

"It’s a pity there was only this little bit." Finishing the refinement, Ji Zhixing felt the abundant source power welling within his Genetic Furnace and sighed inwardly. "If only I had a massive supply of Source Power Genetic Potions. If I could drink them every day, my cultivation base would definitely skyrocket."