Chapter 296 294-Phito
Daphne furrowed her brows, her face crinkled into a mass of runes:
"Haven't you given up yet?"
Ethan nodded emphatically: "The Celestial Blossom is crucial to me; I must take it with me."
Daphne's brows tightened: "Treasure thieves are all the same; your covetous heart will be the death of you."
Ethan did not respond; his mind was in the midst of a brainstorm, contemplating how to break the impasse.
Since this quest had been issued, there must be a way to solve it.
Even if it was a dead-end, there had to be a method to break through.
Ethan muttered, "The appearance of the Celestial Blossom is related to two things."
"Which two things?" Unbeknownst to Ethan, Daphne had already gathered quite a pile of dead branches and kindled a bonfire.
"The first is Phito. He is an envoy of an empire; even the most powerful magus couldn't possibly possess the Celestial Blossom."
Daphne nodded sagely, her tone solemn as she spoke, "You're right; Mr. Phito is a victim."
Ethan looked at Daphne; the flames of the bonfire flickered in his eyes, "From your tone, it seems you know Phito?"
"No," Daphne stirred the bonfire with a twig, causing sparks to fly, "I don't know him, but I have heard the story of Mr. Phito."
Ethan simply nodded, not pressing further.
Daphne, intrigued, asked: "And the second thing?"
Ethan suddenly stood up, pointing towards the Waysonny River.
At night, the Waysonny River appeared even more somber.
The green miasma clung to the surface of the Waysonny River like leeches, sprawling across its expanse.
For some unknown reason, the Waysonny River seemed all the more terrifying under the cloak of darkness.
Daphne's temples twitched slightly: "What do you mean?"
"The second thing is the Waysonny River. It could also be key to taking away the Celestial Blossom," Ethan said, his eyes narrowing confidently.
"Why?" asked Daphne.
Ethan's gaze deepened, his eyes as bright as the stars in the night sky.
He spoke in a hushed tone, "The Celestial Blossom appeared to deal with the poison miasma of the Waysonny River. What if I could resolve the issue of the Waysonny River's poison miasma?"
"Hahaha," Ethan's solemn and serious demeanor could not hold back Daphne's burst of laughter.
"You, deal with the poison miasma of the Waysonny River? Have you gone mad?" Daphne laughed so hard she doubled over, tears streaming from her eyes.
Daphne's laughter was infectious, and even Ethan found himself smiling: "That's much easier than forcibly taking away the Celestial Blossom, right?"
"That's true!" Daphne's face was still filled with laughter, but she had managed to speak normally again.
Ethan turned once again to gaze upon the Waysonny River.
Even from atop a cliff a kilometer high, the end of the Waysonny River remained out of sight.
The lush, poisonous miasma seemed like a layer of ink spilled across the river's surface.
Compared to the Celestial Blossom, the visual contrast of the Waysonny River was even more despair-inducing.
However, just as Ethan had said, the Celestial Blossom was a flower of destruction.
Attempting to forcibly take the Celestial Blossom would be an act of sheer self-destruction.
It would be nothing but a waste of time, and it could potentially drag the entire world down with it.
Now, there was only one way: to deal with the poison miasma of the Waysonny River.
In doing so, the Celestial Blossom would lose its object of protection, and it could willingly follow Ethan.
Daphne looked at Ethan's solemn face, her curiosity piqued as she asked:
"Have you never considered simply cutting the Celestial Blossom off at its roots? In that way, couldn't you just take the Celestial Blossom with you?"
Ethan's eyes lit up slightly: "Would that work?"
"I'm just mentioning it. I've seen treasure thieves attempt such a foolish act in the past, but none have succeeded. Perhaps you could…"
Daphne's words were ambiguous, but this was indeed a possibility.
Moreover, the quest required a Celestial Blossom, not a complete Celestial Blossom.
Cutting it off at the root would still qualify as a Celestial Blossom.
Ethan once again summoned the Blasphemous Spear, his hands brimming with power.
Daphne exclaimed in surprise: "A divine artifact? How do you have a divine artifact?"
Daphne's eyes fluttered, her mind filled with astonishment.
"Shouldn't the craftsman techniques for creating divine artifacts have been lost to the Dwarf race by now? And yet you possess one. It doesn't seem to have been owned by a deity…"
Daphne's mind went blank, her words trailing off in confusion.
Her intention was actually quite simple: if it wasn't a deity's divine artifact, then it must have been created by someone else.
But how could Ethan possess the techniques for forging a divine artifact?
Daphne's mind became a whirlwind of confusion at the sight of the Blasphemous Spear.
She couldn't fathom how a young man, not much older than herself, could be wielding a divine artifact to navigate the world.
At this moment, Daphne realized that Ethan was probably not a treasure thief.
How could a treasure thief possibly possess a divine artifact?
Her eyes filled with excitement, she clenched her fists and whispered to herself:
"Since it's a divine artifact, perhaps it can…"
Ethan was unaware of Daphne's thoughts; at this moment, he was curious and eager to test the strength of the Celestial Blossom.
With a powerful leap, he ignited the Bloodline of the Golden Divine Dragon within him, covering his body in golden scales.
In the night sky, Ethan transformed into a golden star, illuminating the heavens.
His mind resonated with the Thunder Language of Nature, and bolts of lightning serpentined through the sky.
Boom---
Thunder struck, linking the Blasphemous Spear with the apocalyptic thunder from the heavens.
Ethan fused all the skills he had learned—Holy Light Judgement, Holy Shining Form, and more—into the spear.
In an instant, Ethan became a beam of light.
Gold and purple melded together in a ray of light, striking the base of the Celestial Blossom.
The collision of energies created a massive ripple, blowing the flora on the cliff into a chaotic dance, bending trees until they were parallel with the ground, before they shattered with a resounding crack.
Animals in the forest, thinking the apocalypse had come, began a frantic exodus, forming a stampede as they fled outward.
The cliff crumbled into disarray, explosions resonating everywhere as rocks tumbled to the ground.
Even the green miasma above the Waysonny River trembled for a moment.
It was as if a wind had swept across a pond covered in green duckweed, but soon after, the duckweed reclaimed its dominion over the water's surface.
Daphne's eyes widened, her fingers tightly clutching the rocks as her body lay prone upon the cliff.
Yet, her eyes were filled with anticipation, as if she was waiting for something.
A cloud of dust enveloped Ethan, obscuring him from view.
A grand voice, akin to that of a deity, resonated from the horizon:
"You have crossed the line, sir."
Hearing this voice, Daphne's excitement intensified; she quickly scrambled up, her cheers resounding as she shouted:
"Mr. Phito, I knew you would appear!"
What?
Phito?
Ethan's pupils contracted sharply as he turned towards the direction of the Celestial Blossom.
A fist was resisting the tip of the Blasphemous Spear, and following the arm up, Ethan saw the face of Phito.
Phito's visage was like a resplendent sunset, radiating a mysterious and captivating glow, much like the Celestial Blossom itself.
He stood tall, his skin as smooth as white jade, flawless and divine.
His facial features were sharp and clear; his eyebrows were like drawn swords, and his eyes were like stars, twinkling with wisdom and strength.
His eyes were deep and bright, seemingly able to see into one's soul, exerting an irresistible attraction.
"You are Phito?" Ethan asked incredulously.
Phito, solemn and unsmiling, simply nodded and responded, "What is your name, sir?"
"Ethan." Phito's politeness left Ethan feeling somewhat abashed, "Mr. Phito, you appear so young?"
Phito's stature was tall and robust, with tightly defined muscular lines showcasing unparalleled strength and an aristocratic grace.
He was adorned in a magnificent divine robe, flowing with rich colors, dazzling and mesmerizing like a piece of exquisite artwork.
In such attire, he was the epitome of favored youth and talent within the empire.
Contrary to the magus of fairy tales Ethan had imagined, Phito was entirely different.
Most crucially, Phito's demeanor almost overwhelmed Ethan, making it hard for him to breathe.
His aura was like a resplendent night sky, radiating a sacred and majestic presence.
This presence, like dark golden mercury, pressed heavily upon Ethan, slowing his blood flow.
His existence bestowed a sense of glory and awe, as if he was the grandest entity between heaven and earth.
Even as Ethan held the Blasphemous Spear, he couldn't help but feel a desire to submit.
Ethan had faced numerous deities before: the Elf King, the High Priest, Aneropo…
But the pressure Phito exerted was greater than any deity he had encountered.
"Mr. Ethan, did you expect me to be an old man?" Despite his expressionless face, Phito spoke warmly.
He was as approachable as a friendly neighbor.
Unable to hold back, Ethan asked straightforwardly, "Phito, are you a deity?"
Phito looked deeply at Ethan, his eyes as dazzling as stars, "Deity? What a distant realm that is... If you insist on a title, you may call me Demi-god Phito!"
Updat𝓮d from freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.co(m)