Chapter 1374: Chapter 1374: The Secret of the Deep Pupil Desert
Hearing the Meiyin Ugly Fish say that it has lived here for nearly a thousand years, Ye You’s eyes flickered slightly, and he asked in a deep and clear voice, "Have you heard of the Deity Guardians?"
The Meiyin Ugly Fish immediately replied, "Of course I have, the Deities who created the world with the ancient god Phoenix ten thousand years ago, the famous Inkwest City, known by everyone in the Deep Pupil Desert."
While boasting, the Meiyin Ugly Fish sneakily observed Ye You’s expression. Seeing the joy in Ye You’s eyes, it quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Upon hearing the Meiyin Ugly Fish’s words, Ye You quickly asked, "Then where can I find Inkwest City?"
Meiyin Ugly Fish smiled embarrassedly and replied, "I don’t know. How could a little demonic beast like me know where the Deity resides?"
Ye You’s expression hardened, and a hint of murderous intent appeared in his eyes. The perceptive Meiyin Ugly Fish shuddered in fear and quickly said, "The Deity must reside in the central area of the Deep Pupil Desert. This is just the border region of the desert. Just keep heading west, you can’t go wrong."
Ye You exchanged a glance with Qin Sisi and threatened in a low voice, "If you dare deceive me, I promise your death will be miserable."
"I wouldn’t dare," the Meiyin Ugly Fish, not very brave, assured incoherently, "I swear, everything I said is true, not a single lie."
Qin Sisi and Ye You said nothing. They didn’t place much trust in this strange fish that wanted to kill them.
To save its life, the Meiyin Ugly Fish deliberately said mysteriously, "Also, I can tell you another secret."
Qin Sisi blinked and asked, "What secret?"
The Meiyin Ugly Fish cleared its throat and asked, "Do you know why this place is called the Deep Pupil Desert?"
Qin Sisi thought for a while, then shook her head, "I don’t know."
The Meiyin Ugly Fish said with a mysterious expression, "Actually, I heard it from other demonic beasts. It’s said that when viewed from above, the entire Deep Pupil Desert looks like an eye. I feel, I speculate, I think..."
"Speak quickly!" Ye You shouted sternly.
The Meiyin Ugly Fish trembled and hurriedly continued, "I think a deity like Inkwest City should live in the very center of the desert. If you can fly very high, you can see the shape of the Deep Pupil Desert and possibly find the general location of Inkwest City."
Ye You and Qin Sisi both fell silent. They had indeed thought before about why this desert was called the Deep Pupil Desert; the desert and eyes seemed to have no connection.
Now hearing the Meiyin Ugly Fish’s explanation, they finally grasped the underlying meaning. The day was starting to brighten. Whether it’s true or not could be confirmed by flying up high once it was bright.
Ye You looked at the Meiyin Ugly Fish, which was eagerly watching him, seemingly waiting for him to decide its fate. However, how could Ye You easily let go of someone who attempted to harm Qin Sisi?
He pondered for a moment and said, "You answered quite well, so you don’t need to die."
"Really? Yay!" The Meiyin Ugly Fish cheered excitedly. Just as it was about to slip away, Ye You suddenly grabbed its body, concentrating a thread of Gold Attribute Magic Power at his fingertips, gently flicking it, knocking open the Meiyin Ugly Fish’s forehead and extracting a purple internal alchemy from inside.
Losing its inner core for a demonic beast is like a human losing their Magic Source; they won’t die, but will lose all mana.
Without its inner core, the Meiyin Ugly Fish’s eyes blanked, its body quickly shrank from over two meters long to less than half a meter. It could no longer produce that beautiful sound, but it was still an ugly fish.
The Meiyin Ugly Fish instinctively flapped its tail with force, struggling mightily in the mud by the lake. Now it was just an ordinary fish, unable to stay out of water for long.
Seeing it struggle pitifully, Qin Sisi cast Silent Drizzle, her water attribute magic skill, to flush the Meiyin Ugly Fish into the remaining pool of shallow water at the bottom of the lake. Immediately, the Meiyin Ugly Fish moved happily again.
Ye You kept his word, letting it live on, but it had lost its inner core and Spiritual Power, so it could no longer sing to harm others.
Ye You handed the purple internal alchemy to Qin Sisi, saying, "It should contain Music Spiritual Power, perfect for you."
Qin Sisi looked up at him and silently lowered her head, popping the internal alchemy into her mouth.
Ye You asked worriedly, "You don’t think I’m too ruthless, do you?"
Qin Sisi immediately shook her head and replied, "No, I think you did the right thing. It admitted it had harmed many creatures before. If you let it go without any action, many more creatures would fall victim to it in the future."
Ye You relaxed and chuckled inwardly at his own unnecessary worry, teasing, "So it turns out my Holy Queen is so fair and just."
Qin Sisi was taken aback and then playfully glared at Ye You, "Nonsense again."
Ye You laughed and said, "I’m complimenting you!"
Qin Sisi said nothing, but her eyes were filled with a warm smile.
Indeed, the inner core of the Meiyin Ugly Fish contained a wealth of Music Spiritual Power, and the Music Attribute Crystal Core within Qin Sisi’s Magic Source flickered incessantly, absorbing all the Spiritual Power from the inner core, elevating her music magic to a new level.
By now, the sun had fully risen in the eastern sky, brightening the day. Taking advantage of the early daylight and the not yet overly hot weather, the two left Crescent Lake, continuing westward as the Meiyin Ugly Fish had directed.
After flying for a stretch, they felt increasingly scorched by the enthusiastic heat of the sun, forcing them to stop flying and rest beneath the yellow sands.
As evening came, they emerged from the sands.
Gazing at the gradually setting sun in the west, Ye You pondered for a moment and said to Qin Sisi, "The Meiyin Ugly Fish said observing the Deep Pupil Desert from a high vantage shows it looks like an eye, but we didn’t notice it before. I think maybe we flew too low."
Qin Sisi nodded in agreement, gently saying, "How about this, I’ll stay on the ground and wait for you. You fly up high and see if you can really spot an eye. Then we’ll know the direction to head."
Ye You shook his head and replied, "No way, I won’t leave you behind. We won’t be apart, no matter where."
Qin Sisi was amused and chided, "It’s not really separating. I’m just waiting on the ground for you."
Ye You stubbornly said, "To me, it’s still separating. I’ll take you up with me."
Qin Sisi hesitated, "That might not be a good idea. Taking me could affect your balance, and you probably need to fly very high to see it."
