Chapter 860: Darkheaven Archmage
Using fleshly body power, I forced my way down 2,700 meters. It’s just too difficult doing it that way, not even with all the augmentations and blessings at my disposal. Of even greater significance is the fact that I only got out by using a sundial to reverse time. There are limits to that too. If I use it too often, I’ll end up killing myself.
Fishing the Moon in the Well failed. One reason was the interference of the gray fog, but the other is that... I was too far away for Fishing the Moon in the Well to actually work. Considering all that, I wonder if I could somehow create a tunnel that goes past 3,000 meters, all the way to that cave. Then I could try Fishing the Moon in the Well again....
His eyes flickered thoughtfully. If he could make that method work, it would be a lot safer and would also increase the chances of success.
This tunnel wouldn’t need to be very big. More like a crevice. A pinhole, really.
As Xu Qing looked at the muck, ideas came and went.
The muck had its own special properties, and he also had to consider the gray fog. Most of the ideas he came up with didn’t stand up to scrutiny, so he discarded them. Ultimately, he waved his hand to produce a brown flame wisp!
Little Shadow had created that flame wisp after devouring a host of forbidden regions, and it was something akin to godfire. The terrifying fire was something not permitted to exist in the world, so if Xu Qing took it out anywhere but here, heavenly lightning would fall to destroy it.
But this was the Ninedawns Forbidden Lands, where heavenly daos were rejected. Thus, the flame wisp could exist in the open without provoking heavenly lightning. Unfortunately, it seemed to stimulate the gray fog, causing it to churn and seethe. There was also the sound of countless whispers and murmurs, which merged together into something like an echoing howl.
The fog rushed toward Xu Qing with mountain-toppling, sea-draining force, only to be stopped by the smoke. There it gathered, battering against the smoke as it tried to get inside and exterminate the flame wisp. They seemed as incongruent as fire and water.
Gaze hardening, Xu Qing performed an incantation gesture and pointed at the incense burner. As a result, it started burning with more fervor, sending out more smoke to resist the violent fog.
Why’s the gray fog reacting like this...?
Xu Qing looked down at the muck, then at the flame wisp. He had started out with three such flame wisps. He had used one on Master Stillwinter, leaving two behind.
I guess I’ll test it out!
Eyes narrowing, he unhesitatingly threw the brown flame wisp toward the muck. The instant it made contact, the muck melted like a snowflake in boiling water! The flame wisp dropped down with nothing to block its path.
As it proceeded down, the muck melted. However, at the same time, the gray fog raced into the hole toward it. It took only an instant for it to sweep over the flame wisp. It clearly wanted to extinguish it. However, the flame wisp was an astonishing thing. Although it showed signs of instability, it didn’t stop moving down. And as it went, it melted all the muck around it.
300 meters. 900 meters. 1,500 meters. 2,100 meters....
More fog rushed in.
At the same time, the muck itself exerted a force of expulsion that was even greater than what Xu Qing or Little Shadow had dealt with.
The brown flame wisp grew fainter and fainter. Yet it was strong enough to reach the 3,000-meter point. Unfortunately, as it went down, the muck around it began to grow back, and the tunnel got smaller and smaller. Eventually, the flame wisp reached the exact same cave that Little Shadow had projected an image of.
The moment it reached the cave, all of the gray fog there exploded into a frenzy. Neverending gray fog overwhelmed the brown flame wisp, extinguishing it in an instant. The moment it was gone, the tunnel in the muck closed up.
Xu Qing’s expression turned serious. He had considered using his final flame wisp, or possibly trying Fishing the Moon in the Well. But it seemed too risky, and the opportunity too fleeting. So instead, he just observed.
What he had just done could be considered a test. And he had learned something vital.
One flame wisp could work. But I lack something to follow it up with. It won’t last long before the gray fog extinguishes it. Furthermore, the tunnel through the muck won’t last long. Now that I’m rested, I can use Fishing the Moon in the Well again. But to use it a second time would require rest and recovery for my soul.
Xu Qing mulled over the different options. After a short time passed, he looked at the muck.
He had a way of dealing with the tunnel sealing up.
I can use sundial power to lock it in place temporarily!
Given that he had already done something similar when he tried to descend into the muck, he was confident that it would work.
But how do I make the flame wisp burn brighter and hotter?
Glancing at the incense burner, he waved his hand to produce some of Crimson Mother’s flesh.
Crimson Mother’s flesh works well with the incense burner. So theoretically speaking, it should be able to bolster the brown flame wisp....
Having reached this point in his train of thought, he took a deep breath, produced his third flame wisp, and sent it close to Crimson Mother’s flesh.
He paid very close attention to every step of the process. This was his only hope. If it didn’t work, then he would be down to his last option, which would be to use all of his remaining Crimson Mother flesh to try to break free from the Ninedawns Forbidden Lands.
As he watched very carefully, the flame wisp made contact with Crimson Mother’s flesh.
Xu Qing was ready for something unexpected to happen. But after the long spate of bad luck, it seemed things were turning around. A hissing sound rang out, and then Crimson Mother’s flesh showed signs of both igniting and melting. The brown flame wisp didn’t wink out. It kept burning, and at the same time, seemed to push the flesh further toward the point of melting. Eventually, a drop of golden liquid like oil emerged from the flesh. The sparkling and translucent oil pulsed with the aura of a god, and the fluctuations it sent out caused the gray fog to again seethe.
Xu Qing was about to take the golden liquid, but then thought twice. Instead, he kept the flame wisp burning, and before long, the golden liquid grew large enough that it dropped down toward the muck. The muck melted just like it had for the flame wisp, and the golden droplet fell down and down.
Xu Qing’s spirits lifted. Although this wasn’t exactly what he had planned, it seemed to be achieving the same result. Thus, without the slightest hesitation, he kept the flame wisp burning.
The first drop of golden liquid dropped down several hundred meters before the gray mist destroyed it. And before the pinhole-sized tunnel could close up, a second golden droplet fell. It fell in the same spot, piercing through the muck like a hot knife through butter. All of the spots that had been about to close were destroyed. Then it reached the spot where the previous drop had stopped, and continued past that.
The ground trembled. The golden droplet pulsed with the aura of a god, melting everything around it and dropping down to 2,100 meters.
After that came a third, fourth, and fifth drop. All followed the same pattern. The tunnel was constantly opened and expanded. Eventually, it pierced all the way through the muck from top to bottom.
Xu Qing instantly performed an incantation gesture with his left hand and pointed out. A sundial appeared behind him, and the time-freezing power erupted into the tunnel. The tunnel, which had already started sealing up again, froze.
Taking advantage of the moment, Xu Qing’s eyes blazed with a crazy light, and he sent out a burst of cultivation base power and godsource. His fourth-level god state formed. With a double-handed incantation gesture, he pushed toward the tunnel.
The entire world suddenly seemed to become a well. A boundless power surged out of Xu Qing, causing ripples to flow in all directions. Everything became the watery surface of a well. Thanks to the tunnel, the cave beneath, and everything in it, was now visible on the water. Although it wasn’t extremely clear, it was better than before. At the very least... Xu Qing could now see the skull he had been targeting originally.
However, Xu Qing’s actions were like those of a mayfly trying to shake an oak tree. He had used a clever way of opening a passage with the golden oil, and had then locked it open with sundial power. But it wasn’t a very stable solution. The sundial was already emitting cracking sounds, and gray fog was rushing into the tunnel like the tide from the sea.
In that critical moment, Xu Qing reached out toward the reflection of the skull and forcefully fished it out! The motion caused a tremor to pass through him. The force opposing his grabbing action caused blood to spray out of his mouth.
More cracks spread out on the surface of the sundial. The gray mist grew thicker and stronger. The tunnel was starting to close.
Xu Qing’s eyes were increasingly bloodshot. Gritting his teeth viciously, he held nothing back in his attempt to fish out the skull. He shook from head to toe, and wounds opened up all over him, quickly soaking him with blood. He looked like he was about to collapse. A howl escaped his lips.
Finally, his trembling hand pulled up a bit of water. Reflected in the water was a skull!
Then his sundial couldn’t last any longer, and he had to dispel it. Endless amounts of fog shot up through the tunnel, and not even the drops of golden liquid could stop it. The tunnel closed.
More blood sprayed out of Xu Qing’s mouth. He was covered in wounds and couldn’t see clearly. However, it was with complete excitement that he looked down at his mangled right hand.
His face fell. The water in his hand did have a reflection of a skull in it, but it was blurry and fading away. There seemed to be no way to stop it!
Xu Qing was really getting anxious. It looked like the skull was about to disappear. Then, a crazy look appeared in his eyes as he opened his mouth and inhaled deeply. The reflection from the water zipped into his mouth. At the same time, he activated the violet crystal.
Rumbling sounds filled him, along with an uncontrollable power of self-detonation. Just before he exploded, violet light flared from his chest, spreading out to cover him with sealing power. At the same time, an ancient voice echoed in his mind, like something from long, long ago. It was both defiant and bitter.
“Father-mage, your son Ninedawns truly let down our Darkheaven Archmage people!”