NO_NAME
patreon
Chapter 431: Where Did the Spiritual Energy Go?
🕑 Added 2024-10-15 10:12:57 +0000 UTCWhen Barreto mentioned the red aura and how it affected the spiritual trees, both Lin Qian and Wang Gang immediately turned to look at him. They hadn’t expected him to know anything related to this matter.
Lin Qian clearly remembered that he hadn’t mentioned how the red aura affected the spiritual trees by turning their appearance into something resembling blood vessels. Yet, Barreto had brought it up on his own, which indicated that he had some knowledge about it.
"Barreto, how do you know about this? Have you seen something like it before?" Lin Qian quickly asked, realizing that this information was crucial for solving the mystery of the abnormality in the Southern Nine Provinces of the Southern Region. His entire purpose for coming down here was to resolve this issue.
Barreto clarified, "Your Majesty, you misunderstand. I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but my cousin Bard has. He witnessed this strange phenomenon and told me about it."
It didn’t matter to Lin Qian who had seen it, as long as there was a clue. "Whether it was you or someone else who saw it, just tell me everything you know. You must realize how important this is to me."
Barreto nodded and began to describe everything he knew.
Apparently, Barreto's cousin, Bard, had once been captured and taken to the capital of the Blackhorn Kingdom to perform forced labor. During his time there, he had worked on repairing the new palace. Not far from the palace, there was a crimson pillar of light shooting into the sky, releasing a blood-red aura. When this aura touched the spiritual trees, it caused the same effect that Barreto had just described.
Because the phenomenon was so strange, Bard remembered it clearly and later shared the story with Barreto after he managed to escape the capital and return to the settlement. At that time, Lin Qian had been meditating and hadn’t overheard the conversation.
"The capital of the Blackhorn Kingdom... So they’re the ones behind this." Lin Qian’s eyes narrowed with a flash of killing intent. "In that case, it’s time to eliminate the Blackhorn Kingdom."
However, as Lin Qian thought about it more, he couldn’t help but marvel at his own luck. He had narrowly avoided being trapped by the chaotic formation at the entrance and happened to end up in this particular underground world. Not only that, he had just so happened to encounter the group of prisoners, including Barreto, who had the critical information he needed.
It was as if fate had led him to all the clues he needed right from the start. When Lin Qian had decided to help the captured group, the information he required had already been within his grasp.
"Indeed, good deeds do bring good rewards!" Lin Qian mused with a smile.
After the conversation, Wang Gang remained in awe, unable to shake his amazement. He never would have imagined that the humans of the surface world could be so powerful, or that the surface world could be so vast.
However, after discussing things with Lin Qian, Wang Gang had also come to realize that the underground world was not small either. Lin Qian's elders had ventured into a completely unfamiliar underground world, and the boundaries of the Forest World were shrouded in powerful spatial disturbances.
Wang Gang speculated that beyond those boundaries might lie other underground worlds, each isolated by the chaotic formations resulting from that ancient battle. Lin Qian's elders must have entered the underground world through another entrance and ended up in a different underground region altogether.
Wang Gang’s reasoning seemed sound, and Lin Qian agreed with his assessment.
After their conversation, Lin Qian prepared to leave. Before departing, he returned to the first floor of Wang Gang's home and, with a wave of his hand, restored all the books he had taken to their original places. The Tian Gong Division had already successfully copied and studied them.
At the same time, Lin Qian took out three crystal bottles filled with medicinal liquids. He handed a bottle of green liquid, a potent physical enhancement elixir, to Barreto. "Consider this a token of appreciation for providing valuable information. After taking this, your physical strength will greatly improve."
Lin Qian then handed another, slightly milder elixir to Barreto, saying, "This one is for your cousin Bard. His cultivation level is lower, and a stronger dose might be too much for him."
Barreto accepted the bottles with great care and gratitude, bowing deeply. "Thank you, Your Majesty. We are forever in your debt."
Lin Qian waved off the thanks. "You’ve earned it. Just make sure to use it wisely. The effects will be even better if you engage in some sparring after taking it."
After explaining how to best use the elixir, Lin Qian turned to Wang Gang and handed him a bottle filled with a pale purple liquid.
"Your Majesty, what is this?" Wang Gang asked curiously.
"This is an elixir that should help dissolve the lingering effects of the Transformation Fruit in your body, allowing your strength to align with your cultivation level once more. However, the process may be painful," Lin Qian explained as he held up the bottle.
Wang Gang gasped in shock, staring at Lin Qian and then at the small bottle in his hand. This tiny crystal bottle represented the hope of transforming the fate of the entire human race in the Forest World.
"But keep in mind, this is the first time this elixir will be tested," Lin Qian warned. "I can't guarantee the exact results. You will be the first person to try it, so we’ll need to observe how it affects you."
"If you’d prefer not to risk it, I can offer you a different, more potent elixir as compensation, and we’ll find someone else to test this one."
Lin Qian watched Wang Gang closely, waiting for his decision.
Without hesitation, Wang Gang nodded. "Your Majesty, I’ll take it. As the leader of this settlement, it’s my duty to step up first."
Satisfied, Lin Qian handed over the bottle. Wang Gang uncorked it and drank the liquid in one swift motion.
As Wang Gang consumed the elixir, Lin Qian’s mind turned to another troubling issue. According to Wang Gang, based on ancient records, the spiritual energy levels in the underground world had remained consistent for the past several hundred thousand years, ever since the ancient battle. There had been no noticeable changes.
Yet, the anomalies in the Southern Nine Provinces of the Southern Region had only begun eight thousand years ago.
In theory, the spiritual energy in the underground Forest World should have increased starting eight thousand years ago. But in reality, no such change had occurred.
So, where had the spiritual energy from the Southern Nine Provinces gone?
Previous Chapter | | Next Chapter
