Chapter 303 301-Nowhere to Run
At that thought, Ethan broke into a run without a moment's hesitation.
But in the very next second, he froze in place, confronted by a familiar face.
It' Phito.
Breathing heavily, Ethan spoke up, "Demi-god Phito, you've finally arrived. The toxic miasma of Waysonny River has suddenly descended upon us; I'll leave it to you to handle."
With Phito here, things would surely become easier.
Even with Ethan's command of both the Flame Language of Nature and the Frost Language of Nature, he had no confidence in being able to completely overcome Phito.
Furthermore, Phito's relationship with Celestial Blossom was murky at best.
The only one capable of dealing with the toxic miasma of Waysonny River was Phito.
Phito's face, however, remained as calm as ever, his gaze undisturbed as he looked upon the overwhelming miasma.
Ethan stepped aside, muttering to himself, "What's going on? The toxic miasma of Waysonny River is acting up again. Wasn't it supposed to be fine?"
Ethan found this incredibly strange.
After all, according to Hilna's fairy tales, the appearance of Celestial Blossom was supposed to signify a temporary resolution to the toxic miasma of Waysonny River.
Now that the miasma had returned with a vengeance, Ethan was caught off guard.
Looking down at Ethan, Phito spoke in a calm tone, "I can't help you. You'll have to resolve this on your own."
Ethan abruptly lifted his head, his expression stiffening, "Demi-god Phito, what nonsensical things are you saying?"
Phito's expression was dead serious, his pupils shimmering with a transcendental calmness, "I am serious. The Frost Language of Nature and the Flame Language of Nature aren't something you can just take lightly."
"What do you mean?" Ethan was on the verge of exploding, "What does the Language of Nature have to do with the toxic miasma of Waysonny River?"
Phito gazed into the distance, as the toxic miasma slowly approached.
The ground was lush and green, as if a naughty child had knocked over a painter's ink bottle.
The green ink flowed slowly across the ground.
Although its progress was sluggish, it was inevitable that, in time, it would reach the child's feet.
"The connection is significant," Phito said expressionlessly, simply stating the facts. "To halt the toxic miasma of Waysonny River, both the Ice and Fire Languages of Nature and the Celestial Blossom are indispensable."
"Now that you've taken the Frost Language of Nature and the Flame Language of Nature, the miasma is bound to descend. Only you can stop it."
Ethan's eyelids twitched uncontrollably, his heart pounding heavily.
"Is this your scheme?" Ethan glared, his eyes round with anger, as he stared at Phito.
Phito shook his head slightly, speaking softly, "No, many have tried to take the Frost Language of Nature and the Flame Language of Nature, but they have all failed."
Ethan's mind flashed to the Frost Servants, humans and animals alike encased within the icy blue stones, their faces frozen in expressions of frenzy and greed, their pupils filled with unwillingness even in their final moments.
A chill ran through Ethan's body as he managed to squeeze out the words, "Did you let all those people in?"
This time, Phito didn't deny it; instead, he nodded and said, "Yes, I showed them the way, just like I did with you."
"What is your ultimate goal?" Ethan was on the verge of breaking down as he pointed at Phito and shouted.
Phito looked steadily at Ethan, his tone still gentle and warm, "To completely resolve the toxic miasma problem of Waysonny River, you are the chosen one."
"Bullshit!" Ethan bellowed, turning his head to look at the overwhelming miasma.
The miasma, almost like a living entity, invaded towards Phito Valley, leaving no room for any living creature to survive wherever it passed.
Ethan's eyesight was exceptionally sharp, allowing him to clearly see how the wild beasts wrapped in the toxic miasma turned directly into white bones.
The miasma didn't even give the wild beasts a chance to escape.
"There's no way out now; you can't run away," Phito stated.
"To be honest, I don't have the confidence that I could beat you. But, locking me down completely? That's impossible." Ethan was no longer interested in entangling with Phito; all he wanted was to escape.
Acquiring the Celestial Blossom could wait.
After all, the system hadn't mentioned that this was a time-limited quest.
On another note, he was currently carrying both the Flame Language of Nature and the Frost Language of Nature.
Once he managed to integrate these two Languages of Nature with the others, his strength would experience another surge.
At that time, he would have the confidence to face Phito, even daring to seize the Celestial Blossom right under his nose without any reservations!
Leaving these words behind, Ethan spread his wings and bolted towards the distance.
A hint of disappointment flashed in Phito's eyes. He parted his lips, and his divine voice echoed throughout the valley:
"You can't run away. The Celestial Blossom won't let you leave."
Ethan was absorbing the information Phito had relayed when he saw a burst of aurora light emanating from the mountain's peak.
He had no choice but to stop in his tracks.
The aurora appeared right in front of him, forming an immense screen of light.
Ethan stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the scene before him.
...
By the time Ethan had defeated the Frost Herald and the Flame Kirin, the Celestial Blossom had already begun to stir.
Atop the cold valley, night enveloped the earth, leaving only stars and the faint glow of the moon visible.
In the silent forest, a beautiful radiance suddenly tore through the night sky, resembling a gigantic feather dancing in the air.
As time went on, this light gradually brightened, unfolding like a splendid tapestry.
Countless tiny specks of light danced in the sky, twinkling like sprites.
Some were red, some were green, others were blue...
They danced like a troupe of performers, gracefully revolving around the center of the aurora.
With their movement, the entire sky transformed into a dazzling sea of colors.
The aurora's curtain of light extended downward from the sky, forming a mystical bridge between heaven and earth.
Beneath these bands of light, the valley took on a more fantastical appearance, as if one had stepped into a realm of gods.
Every patch of land in the valley, every stone upon the cliff walls, was adorned by the aurora's brilliance, shimmering like gemstones.
The beautiful aurora seemed to drape the earth in a magnificent gown.
A gentle breeze carrying a fresh scent brushed lightly through everything within the aurora's curtain of light.
The Celestial Blossom, at this moment, radiated a pure light, twinkling like a brilliant diamond in the night sky.
This beautiful light curtain seemed to be the paintbrush of nature itself, showcasing the magical beauty of Phito Valley in all its glory.
Ethan's mouth hung open in awe as he witnessed the scene before him; the Celestial Blossom had awoken.
Not just awakened, it had unfolded a space akin to a domain.
The domain—a capability exclusive to deities.
Phito leisurely walked up beside Ethan, gazing at the beautiful light curtain as he spoke:
"The domain of the Celestial Blossom—the Aurora Veil bestowed by the deity. Do you still wish to flee?"
The corner of Ethan's mouth twitched involuntarily, suppressing the rage within him, "Is all of this part of your scheme?"
Phito shook his head slightly, patiently explaining:
"When you took away the Flame Language of Nature and Frost Language of Nature, it was equivalent to stirring the toxic miasma of the Waysonny River, prompting the Celestial Blossom to unfold its domain involuntarily, in order to fend off the poison."
"All of this is not my scheme; it is merely a mechanism for the Celestial Blossom to protect this land."
Ethan scoffed in frustration, "Mechanism, you say? You are just manipulating me."
Unaffected by Ethan's emotions, Phito spoke even more indifferently:
"There are only two ways for you to survive now."
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes fixed on Phito.
"The first is to possess the capability to break through the Aurora Veil bestowed by the deity. The second, solve the toxic miasma problem, and the deity-bestowed Aurora Veil will naturally close, granting you freedom once again."
Phito made it sound easy, but Ethan was well aware of the difficulty of these two methods.
With a twitch of his mouth, Ethan unwillingly asked, "And what if I'm unable to do either?"
Phito turned his gaze towards the distance, pointing at a venomous snake crawling through the bushes, and said, "Then your fate will be the same as that."
Ethan followed Phito's gaze to where he was pointing.
The venomous snake's eyes emitted a green glow as it fixated on the restless bushes in front of it.
It seemed that the snake was hunting, with its prey likely concealed within the stirring vegetation.
The moment its prey would emerge, the snake, like an arrow released from a bow, would strike swiftly, granting its quarry no chance for resistance.
However, unbeknownst to the serpent, the toxic miasma was stealthily approaching.
The green, oily miasma, like a thin veil, glided over the snake.
Its tail instantly turned into a pile of bones, and then, in the blink of an eye, its head was grazed by the toxic miasma.
Its once lively eyes and iridescent scales vanished in an instant.
All that remained was a pile of stark white bones, emitting a sinister glow under the illumination of the aurora.
Ethan took a few steps back, his heart feeling as if it was about to burst from his chest:
"Phito, you're really inhuman!"
Right now, Ethan wished nothing more than to kill Phito, to dismember him and to cast his soul into the depths of hell, subjecting him to countless torments.
Phito, far from being annoyed, spoke with a sense of loss: "I was never human to begin with..."
"Ethan, do your best."
With that, Phito's body transformed into points of light and disappeared, leaving Ethan alone.
Ethan's eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving violently.
He needed to survive!
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