Chapter Ninety-Five: The Mysterious Black Shadow

Yesterday was the end of the world, and I kept waiting for the finale, so I took yesterday off from updating. Today, the updates continue as usual.

The old healer wore a grave expression as he peered through the crack in the stone, staring intently at the dozen or so white-robed figures outside without blinking.

Lu Zhe was also observing through the fissure. He saw the dozen white-clad figures gather together, pointing and whispering among themselves. Then a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his forties said a few words to three young men. After hearing him out, the three youths nodded in unison, stepped away from the others, and came to the shore. They stood in a line, then crouched down together and examined the magma below with the same careful scrutiny as the old healer.

Just as Lu Zhe was wondering what their purpose could be, the three finished their inspection, rose to their feet, and returned to the group. They nodded to the middle-aged man and said a few words while pointing at the seething magma beside them.

After hearing their report, the middle-aged man first stiffened in surprise. Then, as if unable to believe it, he asked the three youths a few more questions. Once he received their firm replies and nods, delight bloomed across his face. He hurried to the edge of the shore and gazed down at the rolling magma, his expression one of a man who had finally obtained what he had chased through endless hardship. Suddenly he spread both arms to the sky and cried out in wild ecstasy:

At last, the Extreme Mountain Fire Sunflower! Extreme Mountain Fire Sunflower! I have searched for you for thirty years, and at long last, I have found you! Ha ha! Hahahaha...

His voice was loud as a great bell, deafeningly powerful, and in the vast empty cavern it even produced a faint echo. One could imagine just how thunderous it truly was.

"What?" The old healer was startled by his words and blurted out in shock.

Hearing the old healer's exclamation, Lu Zhe looked at him in confusion. "What is it, Master?"

The old healer frowned deeply, lowered his head, and muttered to himself for a moment before saying, "As expected. That marvelous herb is indeed beneath the magma."

Lu Zhe was shocked as well. "What? That rare herb is really here?"

The old healer glanced at Lu Zhe, then turned back to the middle-aged man laughing toward the sky through the crack in the stone. His brows drew together slightly, and he said calmly, "I never expected the Extreme Mountain Fire Sunflower, ranked eighteenth on the Miracle Herb Ranking, to be here."

"Is that herb really that remarkable?" Lu Zhe asked, puzzled by the old healer's admiration.

The old healer looked at him and smiled. "The Extreme Mountain Fire Sunflower is of fire attribute and ranks eighteenth on the Miracle Herb Ranking. It is said to germinate after a hundred years and bloom after a thousand. On the day it flowers, there will be nine seeds within the blossom's core. Each seed is formed by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and each possesses extraordinary potency. As for the sunflower itself, it radiates a temperature capable of scorching the heavens and boiling the seas. It is a miraculous herb that all alchemists dream of obtaining!"

The old healer spoke at great length, his voice growing more and more animated as he went on. By the end, he was practically spitting with excitement, nearly waving his hands in agitation.

After listening to the old healer's endless explanation, Lu Zhe finally understood and nodded. Then, as if something had suddenly occurred to him, he hurriedly said, "Master, then what are we waiting for? We should go at once, or they'll take it away."

Seeing Lu Zhe's panic, the old healer gave a composed smile and waved his hand with an air of unfathomable wisdom. "Do not rush. Since this herb was born of heaven and earth, there must be a guardian. If we were to seize it directly, we would inevitably be dragged into a bloody battle with that guardian. Let them fight the guardian first, and then we can reap the rewards as the fisherman who waits by the bank. Why should we not?"

"A guardian? What is that?" Lu Zhe scratched his head after hearing the old healer's cryptic explanation, his face blank with confusion.

The old healer glanced at him and lowered his voice in deliberate mystery. "Heaven's will must not be revealed."

Lu Zhe rolled his eyes at him. After thinking it over, he still could not make heads or tails of it, so he continued to stare stupidly through the crack in the stone.

Outside, the middle-aged man who had been laughing madly toward the sky had already stopped, though delight still shone on his face. He looked down at the crimson magma. The red glow rising from it fell across his features, dyeing him blood-red. Combined with that smile, he looked almost like a demon from hell grinning in triumph.

After studying the magma for a while, he suddenly waved a hand. A young man stepped forward, and the middle-aged man said a few words to him. The youth nodded, reached into his robe, and searched for a moment. Soon afterward, he withdrew a gemstone about the size of a chicken egg and handed it to the middle-aged man.

The man accepted the gemstone, examined it, and smiled. After saying a few words to the young man and the others behind him, he received nods in return.

Seeing everyone nod, the middle-aged man smiled again. Looking down at the gemstone in his hand, his smile deepened further. Then he clenched the stone tightly and closed his eyes without another word.

Watching the man close his eyes, the old healer looked toward the gemstone in his hand. After studying it for a moment, a trace of a smile appeared on his face.

"So that is what it is. It is a Water-Repelling Stone."

"A Water-Repelling Stone?" Lu Zhe asked in confusion.

Seeing Lu Zhe's bewilderment, the old healer smiled faintly and said, "As its name suggests, the Water-Repelling Stone is a stone that can separate water. So long as its wielder pours spiritual power into it, it will form a barrier around the bearer and envelop him. That barrier can keep out liquid substances such as water. For that reason, these stones are usually possessed only by those who explore the sea floor. I never expected to see one here." Then the old healer looked again at the middle-aged man gripping the Water-Repelling Stone, a hint of approval appearing in his eyes. "He has prepared himself quite thoroughly."

The middle-aged man now had deeply furrowed brows as he held the Water-Repelling Stone in a death grip. As time passed, the stone, which had once been dull and lifeless, gradually began to emit a faint blue glow. With the rise of that blue light, a hazy blue barrier appeared beside him.

The blue radiance grew brighter and brighter. As it intensified, the blue barrier around him became less and less indistinct, until it could be seen clearly, slowly wrapping itself around the middle-aged man.

At last, after about a quarter of an hour, the barrier fully formed, enclosing him like an egg.

Inside the blue shield, the middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes, looked at the barrier around him, and smiled. With his right hand still clutching the Water-Repelling Stone, he raised his left hand toward the people behind him. Then he turned to face the magma, drew a deep breath, and plunged headfirst into it.

As he entered, the magma only rippled faintly, a small and insignificant disturbance, before quickly returning to normal.

Time passed by the second. About half an hour had gone by since the man dove into the scorching magma, yet the molten surface still merely rolled gently, occasionally belching up a huge bubble that burst with a soft pop. Everything seemed ordinary, with nothing unusual to be seen.

Another short half hour passed. Just as Lu Zhe began to wonder whether the middle-aged man had died inside the magma, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed through the cavern, like a primordial beast bellowing in rage, sending chills through anyone who heard it.

As the roar faded, the magma that had seemed calm and steady suddenly began to churn violently, rolling like a pot of boiling water. Amid the turmoil, a human figure shot upward from the crimson molten sea with lightning speed and, in the blink of an eye, was already suspended in midair.

Lu Zhe looked at the figure and saw that it was indeed the same middle-aged man who had plunged into the magma. Only now, his clothes were in tatters, riddled with several large holes, as though they had been burned away.

While everyone was still reeling in astonishment, another earth-shaking howl rang through the cavern. As the cry faded, a massive black shadow burst skyward from the crimson glow, carrying with it a terrifying, searing wind, and hurled itself at the figure hanging in the air.

The appearance of that colossal shadow changed the faces of everyone present, including the old healer. A moment later, the old healer stared without blinking at the enormous black shape charging into the sky and sighed in awe.

A Twin-Headed Blazing Snake King. A Twin-Headed Blazing Snake King indeed!

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